Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1890-06-11
Regulating Snakes.
By a. H. PLUMB, d. d.

By A. H. PLUMB, ID.
The following written for the Advance
by Doctor of Divinity. seems to be
worthy of being 'twice told" and so we
insert it in our column:
A business which is not necessarily
and always immoral, in certain circum-
stances of land and race, may be so in
capable of CONTROL, if allowed at all. and
so VIGOROUSLY and terribly destructive. as
to become immoral.
Suppose, for instance, that in the wake
of our Chinese immigration. Hindu i'm
migration were to flood our continent.
and that the snake charmers Of India
were to appear in our large cities.
Imagine, too. that the hoodlums of our
city slums should be caught with a craze
of imitation, and should themselves go
to breeding and training rattlesnakes
and copperheads and deadly vipers Of
various sorts, and should gain such pro-
| ficiency as 10 earn good living, travel
ing through the country, exhibiting their
arts in all our villages. and establishing
stations for the instruction of others who
desire te learn the business. 1t would be
an honest bushes; repulsive indeed but
legitimate. And there would not be
wanting applauding voices, such as seen
tifc experts. who would deliver lectures
on natural history, and have the young
men, with their pet reptiles, present to
give illustrations. 1t would not be
strange, too, if quacks should establish a
branch industry, by selling live snakes to
be worn on the person, under the cloth
ing. in some safe receptacle, as a certain
cure for various diseases, such as rheum-
atism and neuralgia. Doubtless, great
cures would soon be heralded, and who
could tell that it was not good thing
for the health not to wear a snake mex
to the skin? There would be nothing ne
cessarily immoral in all this 1t might
rightly be licensed by the government
and to guard against accident and abuse
for every business has its perils-suit
able restrictions might be provided BY
law, concerning the kind of cages to bt
used for the safe keeping of the serpents
: and recurring that those licensed to breeC
and sell them should be we'll disposed
persons, of good judgement and careful
ways of handling the reptiles. Thai
would be all proper and satisfactory.
But suppose, as this new industry
grows, circumstances soon change, an(
the perils incident to the occupation ant
affecting the public welfare rapidly IN
creases, and to an alarming extent: 1t il
found there is a wonderful fecundity IL
the snake nature under this treatment in
this climate; they increase enormously
by millions, all through the land, ant
they are constantly getting away. They
get ont of their cages and establish fami
lies Of their own everywhere, till no mai
can send his child into his cellar, or even
to school, with any certainty that NJ
will not be fatally bittep by some veno-
nous adder, coiled in some unexpected
place. People die from snake-bites il
every town. Multitudes die. Eft.
thousand in a single year. And vas
numbers are bitten who might as we'll die
for the poison brings hopeless paralysl
, on some and idiocy upon others, an
some it turns into frenZied furies, VIII
strike down their friends with any muir
derous weapon within their reach, or evel
! hurl blazing lamps at their wives ant
children, burning them TO death witt
frightful agonies. The hospitals an
prisons become filled with the victims o
8 this baleful venom, and industry groan
D beneath burdens of taxes for their sup
6 port.
What now should be said of the case
! That the snake business is someWha
S overdone, and needs to be regulated wit
more care? Shall it be said that license
3 should be given hereafter at niger price
+ and with more stringent provisions TO
iron-clad cages and other safeguards
: Shall it be carefully provided that tn
r personal right of man to breed rattle
. snakes shall not be infringed, or the cap
ital he had invested IN the business jeop
r ardized.
!, Regulate such business? Stamp
out, would be the cry which would rem
= the heayens with its urgent force Elk
terminate the reptiles at whatever cost
The one, universal and persistent cal
everywhere would be for second st
Patrick to come and clear the continen
Of snakes. .~. -