The home journal. (Winchester, Tenn.) 1858-188?, 1884-02-06

A SHORT ESSAY ON THEIR GOODNESS
characteristics Of the Aniinnis-'rheir ADD:
'hdh fnr Searching for Lost People.

characteristics bf the Aniinnis-'rheir AbtI:
tndc fhr Searching for Lost People:
z=aas
Few u any varieties Of dogs command
wider regard among ihen and women
than the 81. Betnatd. ftlrh are many
that, for the aptitude with which they
lend themselves to special training for
special ptrposcB, are perhaps more
familiar, and some thai, beiEg cetu,
harly fitted for making pets of, are in one
sense OF the word more popular. But,
the sheep dog excepted, there is none
that attracts the same degree and kind
OF sTmpnthf M the grand creature Uf
tho Alpine h0spIcc, whefevet II ihaE Is.
These two species approach, it may be,
more nearly to tie best type ot human
character THAN !ny 5t!!eF. tl,cy rrb
fearless of every enemy and faithful to
every friend. The sheep dog, therefore,
has long held rank at the shepherds
hearth as nne Of tine honHehold. aud iis
habits ana tastes are almost M punctu-
ally respected as those of any human
member Of the family circle. When the
snow blinds the man II does not blind
the dog, and the sheep are driven home
without harm or loss: and when the
grdeman goes bvat the hill for social
glass with friend he takes his collie
with him, for though the whisky may
fudde the master he knows il will not
fuddle the dog, and 80 the cottage door
is reachcd IN naIety nt last. In very
similnt sbirit the 81, Betnatd throws in
its lot with man. The puppies even are
singnlarly self-rcspectful. They will
play with children, but as comrades and
not AS playthings. Only half.grown
they pass other dogs by Ms il they wero
not dogs themselves, declining all over.
t'rns tn to,npe and distepnrdinp protH.
cations to combat. They attach them
selves readily to horses, but above all to
man, and it really seems, studying this
beautiful animal, ns il there was some
thing more behind those wonderful eyes
Gna that tiss, gaod forshend tlpn II
mere brute's brain. They walk up TO n
stranger without bluster and without
menace, as il expecting II mutual self,
respect. escort him 10 tho horso doot
ANA await the character of his greeting
with the inmates. II it is cordial the
dog IS at once intimate, and, without
invitation, will join the visitor for
quiet cigar on the terrace or stroll ih
tho park. II II N business. like, but not
hearty, the st. Bernard Pueb to IN
masters side and allows the stranger to
leave without further recognition, and
cuts him dead the next time they meet.
But il the stranger he % Z suspioiouB
sort, and the lodgekecper holds him
under cross-examlnation before admit.
ting him TO the hall, or vlcarage, or
manor house, the dog at once drops be-
hind the intruder, covers his 0nuks alter.
natelg end tnkee him sttnipht IN lie
servants door. The interview oter,
and, just as the dog expected, proving
unsatisfactory, ii escorts him bark to tho
lodge gate under the same dlritt gtidtd,
and, having watched him around tho
corner, turns to the keeper and says, as
plainly MS eyes can say anything, "a
rogue that" But this, after all, is the
splendid animal in English domestica.
tion, using its great gifts Of intelligence
and urbanity in the everyday affairs Of
life, II is not the rough, impntient--
and yet so gentle-dog that the good old
monks on the Alps have trained to sup.
plement human efforts in SAVING life, by
doing that which men themselves could
not do. For the st. Bernard dogs are
neither for snowstorm nor avalanche;
but let the weather he what it may, and
the storm ever 30 futiotis, they 90
eagerly ont with their little barrels of
cordial strapped round their necks and
search for dying travellers. Some unde-
fined and indelinablc instinct tells them
where the fallen man lies, and they
scratch away the snow with their large
paws, and find him and lick his face till
the numbed brain responds tothe warmth
and then guide the frozen fingers, which
they thaw with their tongues 10 the life.
restoring drauPht. and then. lying
down by the body to give its own
warmth Of vital heat and fur to the fast
congealing limbs, howl out their cry for
help to the distant monastery, and by
aud by the monks hear it, and the dogs
voice guides the wandering lantern to
the life that has TO he saved and very
soon the monks are busy in the noble
task. One dog alone has thus far saved
forty lives, and instances are on record
of st. Bernards having actually, by
some means or another, raised frozen
children upon their backs and carried
them to the monastery doors.