St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1893-11-23
1l1isrrllanp.
CERTAIN DEsPISED CREATURES

The columns of the papers have
been gloomy for months with the
records of suicides. Among all these
gloomy stories, one fastens itself on
the memory. A taxidermst in New
York was found dead, seli-slain,
with a little black snake coiled upon
his body The reptile was the only
pet OF this lonely mamie must have
been of cold and clammy nature
who held the belief that snakes are
not only intelligent but capable OF
loving and of recognizing kindness
by devotion. When the body was
removed from the room the snake
followed it, and one Of the bearers
who inherited in full measure the or
binary human hatred and loath'ng
of snakes killed it in the street.
We may add that this is the true
version of story which appeared IN
some of the papers about the taxi
dermist being found dead with rat
tlesnake's fangs buried deep in his
flesh. The snake was simply little
black reptile of the common variety
which tries hard TO keep away from
man, and when cornercd by the
monster it is seeking to avoid, faces
about with courage that in more I'M
posing creatures is called noble and
fights for its life. The question that
the lonely man thought he had an
swered is one that must have come
to MANY minds, is there a creature
made TO be despised.? Is not our
contempt for what are commonly
deemed despised creatures our lear
looking at them through our lgnor-
ance? Certainly the feeling we have
towards them is very different from
that with which one regards ciea-
lures infinitely more formidable, like
the tiger or the wolf. That man,
the MODEST animal, views snakes,
even the admittedly feeble and harm
less ones, with horror and hatred,
because he, the most powerful OF
earth's creatures, fears them, the
savagery with which mild hammered
men will attack the frightened wrlg-
gler proves. We have known man
not usually unkind to kill mother
striped snake when all her frightened,
squrming, young ones were cling
to her. Even there in that cold ophi-
dian organization the noble instinct
of motherhood burned and with her
crushed and mangled length she
threw herself between the slayer and
her uncanny babies. If instead OF
being kind and considerable only to
the horse, the dog, the cat and the
bird and all creatures useful and at
tractive to man, we should really
learn
Never to blend our pleasure or our pride
With sorrow to the meanest thing that
feels"
we might be rewarded by learning
the true and valuable purposes
which certain despised animal and
reptiles accomplish. OF course those
that are dangerous to human lives
must be exceptions to the law o
kindness, though even they are MOI
made in vain, and in the great ant
wonderful economy of the worlc
have their value. The common anC
clumsy notion is that they were
made to prey upon each other tC
keep their number down, as if thu
divine wisdom called cruelty into
existence to correct miscalculation
The position of despised creatures
if they are capable of receiving hu
man sympathy, must be terrible il
it's pathos. Imagine a creature an
xious for sympathy and finding
every hand turned against it
What can the life of such be but tn
most miserable tragedy played Oh
the most miserable stage before al
audience that delights in the suffer
ing of the crushed p Boston Tran
script.