The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1886-08-04

vexei problem involved in this Nor
mon question than you can keep a dog
from sticking his nose against a hedge
hog rolled up in a ball and lying in his
line OF travel. Speaking of hedgehog
reminds US Of the illustration of the
Mormon problem that the noted war
correspondent Phil Robinson gives by a
reference TO the hedgehog; and as
there has been much that transpired
during the past week which bears wit
ness to the happiness of Robinson's
illustration We quote it. tfA
The problem reminds me OF a hedgehog
But as The hedgehog may not be familiar 10
my American ISadefs, let me explain The
HEDGEHOG, then. is a sma ! animal vit0a
very castle hin, closely set all over with
str ng. sharp spines A rural life IS all its
JOY. In habits and character 10 assimilates
q mewhzt 70 the Mormon peasant b. ing in
offensi, c, useful, industrious, prolific and
srge y forgtyOrOus. But when hunted IL IS
otherwise. For the hedgehog. IL closely
pursued, takes hold of its ears with its hind
paws, and tucking its nose into its stomach
rolls itself into a perfect ball The spines
thus stand out straight and in every direc-
ton equally. Nor thus defended does IL
shun the public eye. On the contrary, IL lies
out in the full sunlight. in the middle of the
sidewalk or the dusty high-road, a chal-
lenge TO the inquisitive attention OF
every passing dog. and you can no
more keep dog from going out OF
his way 10 reconnoitre the queer-looklng
object IMAM you can keep needles away from
loadstones. They do not sh behave the
= me way toit though. The mutton headed
dogs sit 4, wn by IL and contemplate 10
vscAnily. and go away after bit in Kind
Of brown study. The silly ones smell II
too close: aud go OF down the road IN a
streak Of dust and yelp. The experienced
dogs sniff g IL ard rot on. 'OnlY that
hedgehog sgain!" they say. The miliciUus
prick their noses and loee their tempers,
and then prck their noses worse
pu npy barks ~ IL motely.' recedins
every time by the recoil OF his own bark, till
Il barks itself into the opposite ditch But
the hedgehog lies peacefully sill, as round
and as spiny as ever In the middle OF the
high-rOad. All the dogs are much the same
70 il some roll il a little one way and some
little the other, IL gets dusty or IL gets
wet But there 1t lies as inscrutable, pUz
zlIHg and odious 10 passing dogs as ever.
By and By when IL Is dark, and everybody
has got tired OF poking Il and shifting Il and
wondering az Il, the hedgehog viii quietly
unrOll itself, and creep away 70 some Sc
cluded spot betwixt orchard and cornfeld,
and resnOte from the highways Of men and
their dogs. |..f.
We can't say how many mutton
headed dogs there were among the G..
A. K. folks that sat down by this Nor
mon hedgehog and viewed it quietly
and went of in a brown study, nor can
we say how many experienced dogs
shifted at it and passed on, for those
were actions one would scarcely notice I;
but we have an idea that there were 8
great many silly ones VINO
have disappeared in a streak of
yelp and some dust; of some
malicious ones who Pricked their noses
and lost their tempers, and that will
doubtless repeat the operation. And
we may expect presently TO hear from
the puppies who will bark at 1t re
motley, and eventually find themselves
in the ditch. But the hedgehog will
be here Just the same until it chooses 20
unron itself and move of. In other
words, whatever is evil in Mormonism
the people themselves will make right.
The dogs will not accomplish 1t. Their
barking viii be vain. ,t4t.