The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1889-06-06
Admiral Porter's Dog Bruce. >.

Dogs have been favorites with the
admiral all his life, and within the
last twenty years, or since making
Washington his headquarters, he has
owned no less than twenty-twoI
But Bruce, early in his career, earned
the highest place in his masters re-
gard by one of those feats of sagacity>
which seem to prove that animals
sometimes reason, and that, too, often
more wisely than their recognized
mental superiors.
Admiral Porter had little prand-
son, who lived near deep and rapid
water course about twenty-five feet
wide. The stream was crossed by
narrow plank. One day, the little fell
low-who was but three years of age
attempted the perilous crossing alone
There was no one near to warn him Of
danger or prevent him but the dog.
Realizing the chiid's peril, Bruce ran
to him, and, catching hold of his
dress, tried to pull him back. The
youngster was determined to have his
own way, and vigorously resented the
dogs interference by beating poor
Bruce in the face, with a big stick
he carried, until the dog was forced
by pain to relinquish his hold.
The faithful animal then jumped in-
to the water. and swan slowly across
the stream, below the plank, evidently
with the intention of saving the child,
should he happen TO fall in.
When they were both safely across,
and Bruce had shaken the water from
mis- shaggy coat, he artfully induced
the little fellow to get on his back for
ride, treat he knew the youngster
much enjoyed and for which he was al
ways ready.
The moment the dog felt the child's
arms around his neck, and the little
feet digging into his sides. he trotted
back across the plank, and homeWard,
never stopping until his young charge
was safely beyond any temptation of
repeating his dangerous performance.
-Van r. Vtckhda1, in st. Nicholas.
The Eastern and the Western Soldier
Captain Henry King writes as fol-
lows in paper on ''The Western Sold
ier," in the Century: "The thing about
the man from the Potomac that the
Westerners thought most peculiar was
his persistent admiration of Mcclellan.
They could not understand why he
should think a man great soldier who
had organized so much victory that
never came to pass, and avoided SO
many defeats by reversing the theory
of Hudibras, that military honor is to
be won, like widow, with brisk at
tempt, not slow approaches, like q
virgin 1t seemed to them that while
their Eastern brothers McClellanism,
as they denominated it, included GER
tain technical virtues that were un-
doubtedly worth having, it also tended
to confuse and hamper him in the
presence of circumstances to which
they were always superior. He ex-
celled them in drill, they frankly ac-
knowledged; he wore his uniform as If
he had never worn anything else, and
in all his actions there was a distinct
and self-conscious air of martial pro-
priety. 1t was not true, as was gro
tesquely asserted, that he wore a cor
set, used cosmetics, and slept with
gloves on. But it was true that he
was remarkably fastidious, and at
tached much importance to his ward
robe. The deprivation of the siege of
Chattanooga would probably not have
vanquished him, had he been there to
bear them, but his endurance would
have lacked the capital cheerfulness
which was displayed in that extremity
of hunger and raggedness. Perhaps
he would have Joined in the search for
undigested kernals of grain which had
already served as food for horses and
mules, but it would have been with O
countenance bereaved of the power to
smile; and certainly he could not have
surveyed himself in patches and tat
ters and found it possible to exclaim,
as did Western soldier under those
conditions, 'Oh, no, l aih't sufferin'
for clothes, but my hearts a-breakin'
for adiamond breast-pinr' He was not
so constituted. His home-life had not
qualified him for sacrifices of that kind.
He could and did make them, let it be
remembered to his honor; but he never
learned how to do it in the Western
mood of ready and tonic buoyancY."