The record-union., 1894-07-05
A Plea for snakes.

EDS. RECORD UNION: One of the indi-
cations of the humanity of our age is The
fact that cruelty to animals is an offense
against our laws. 1t is always gratifying
to our better natures to see the perpetra-
tors Of cruelty punished. There is no
palliation of the crime of abuse to the
poor, faithful, helpless, dumb brutes.
The man that will mistreat his horse, for
instance, ought to be compelled to draw
his own loads.
But while only man of british in
stincts will abuse the animals in his pos
session. there is one creature that re-
ceives almost universal abuse. Even ten
der-hearted women cry out xiii it ~ L
mean the common, harmless reptiles
known as snakes; not snakes in the boots,
but the genuine live article. 1t has been
years since | killed one or allowed one to
be killed when 1 could prevent it, and
only ignorance and early education must
be nv excuse for ever having done so.
/ never see one of these beautiful
creatures lying dead by the roadside
without rejecting that someone did the
deed through ignorance or force of habit.
And whence this force of habit? Is it
possible that our first historical knOwl-
edge of the serpent has anything to do
with it? "And the serpent tempted Eve
and she did eat, and she gave to Adam,
and he did eat also"
For this sin, it seems, the following
curse was pronounced upon the serpent:
Upon thy belly shalt thou go all thy
life. I will put enmity between thy seed
and his (Adam'sl seed, and his beel shall
bruise thy head, and thy head shall
bruise his heel"
That there has always been enmity be-
tween the two no one will question, but
that this enmity had its origin in the
II ilor 70
press a doubt. We should rather con-
ciude that it had its origin in the fact that
the bite of some serpents is fatal.
Anyway why should the serpent be
blamed for Ewes disobedience? Ii she
was tempted, as narrated. was it the SER
pent that did it, or the evil spirit through
The serpent? If the devil did it, why
should the curse be pronounced on the
serpent?
Let us look at part of this so-called
curse against mere tool of Satan: Upon
thy belly" etc. Was not that his means
of locomotion? If he had not been a
mere instrumentality in this sin at the
cradle of our race, would he have, in
time, developed into a walking or flying
animal instead of a creeping one?
Ii would seem that his present method
of travel is a punishment for allowing
himself to be used by Satan as sort of
III 4slo SOAFcl
with Mother Eve. At any rate. this view
is held by some intelliget people with the
nineteenth-ceutury lamp OF science and
reason shining full upon them.
In other words, ''As i'll Adam all
sinned.'' so in his snakeship, the original
subtle deceiver, all snakes have fallen
from their first estate, and scome short''
of some other means of locomotion on
their bellies.
But, seriously, the indiscriminate kill
ing of snakes is wanton and senseless. I
believe there is but one poisonous snake
in CalifOrnia-the rattler. The bite of the
others is no more to be dreaded than that
of the mouse nor indeed so much.
Scientific men tell US that there are
only three poisonous snakes, or rather
varieties. in the United States. These are
the rattler, the copperhead and the moe
casin or cotton-mouth of the South
While they are TO be dreaded and, of
course, destroyed, all the others should
be AT least tolerated, because they are
both harmless and useful. They catch
mice. rats and gophers, and are therefore
our friends. Ii they do occasionally
scare timid women and chicken-hearted
men. they are not to blame for il.
So now, gentle reader, the next time
you hear anyone shrek: XIII that ugly
snakel'' ask him 10 pause and think why
the innocent. interesting creature should
be killed Z. V. OSBORN.
Elk Grove, July 4th.