The Lafayette gazette. [volume] (Lafayette, La.) 1893-1921, 1894-07-28
THE Doo.PouN0.
Visit to the Prison In New York for the
Canine Kind.

4 Visit to the Prison In New York for the
Canine Kind.
The phrase "Love me, love my dog
expresses by Implication . profound
psychological truth. 1t is provcrbial
that nothing tests ones self-control
like an assault upon ones canine com
panion. Even a verbal assault will
strain the temper of the mi]dest man,
and as for physical violence, why, that
takes the affair entirely beyond the re-
sources of philosophy. All this being
automatic, it follows that anyone who
takes the canine pet for a stroll in New
York city without either muzzle or
chain takes his temper in hand. and
wanders over a mine of anger that may
be sprung at any moment For sooner
or later he will see burly fellow
sweep down upon the pet. perhaps
it runs between his very legs, and bear
it struggling away, tossing it ruthless
ly into the depths of the dismalest old
Black Maria that even New York can
''dog-catcher," the vehicle a sort of
ante-mortem hearse that every year
carries several Thousand dogs on their
last journey in the world.
To ask you to keep your temper az
You see your pet engulfcd in this omn1-
Bus is of course quite useless. You
could not do it if you would. Still the
opposite procedure will avail you moth
ing. You can not stop the robber by
force, for he is probably much more
than your match to begin with, and
even if he were not, there are two or
three more of him in the wagon, be-
sides which the law is altogether on
his side. You had best not try to coer-
cion, therefore. But there is a far
stronger power in the community than
coercion, as you well know if you have
lived long in the metropolis 1t is trac-
ton. Try that if you like; but-mar.
vel of ,narvels!-even that will proba-
bly, be Intellectual. Those catchers get
but forty cents for your dog, yet your
offer of a dollar each is declined. If
anything could come near convincing
you that you are dreaming, it is that
experience. Your anger turns to won
derment. What can it mean? Well,
some dog-catchers' licenses have been
revoked recently. and perhaps the pres
ent incorruptil,les are fearful that they
might be served in the same way. Pos.
sibly you look to them as if you
might ''peach,'' and they do not
trust you. Or perhaps they do not trust
one another. If one were alone-well.
it might he different. Or a gain-strange
that this thought should come last
perhaps the catchers are conscientious.
At all events. as the matter stands. you
will never see your dog again unless
you go after him to the city dog-pound.
But, after all, you need not feel so
badly about it. for it is worth your
while to go there anyway. just out of
curiosity. Since you own Il dog you
are, of course, a lover Of dogs and any
day you may find a the pound strange
assortment of these animals. The APP
proach to the pound is not altogether
inviting. You go through street Dor
dere with fruit markets of not quite
the highest grade, where the vendors
H.
tavv, but probably is species of gar
bled Italian. Coming to the East river,
you a long. low building projecting
out over the water, supported, Lake
dweller fashion. on piles. The
sign ''Dog-Pound'' is. over the door.
Entering, you find in charge a
man who does not seem to regard the
purloining of your dog at all the seri-
Gus matter you think it, but who an
swers you civilly enough and turns
you over to one of the uniformed dog
5ailers, who escorts you into the prison
proper.
Such a din of bow-wows and ho,vls
and yclps and so on throughout the
range of the canine voca bu1ary you
never heard before, not even at the dog
show. Three or four hundred dogs are
huddled together in two great cages, or
pens. Big dogs and little dogs, black
and white and yellow and brind1e dogs,
maSClnS ana MOUNDS ana SeUCerS and
pugs and poodles, and-morc than all
the reSt-an assortment that are simply
dogs. with question mark added at
this in some cases.
Some bound eagerly to greet you; 9th
ers cover in the remotest corner. A few
are bold and confident, a few angry and
morose, moro are cowed and dcspond-
ent, but every one looks eagerly toward
the door in hope of seeing a friendly
familiar face as you enter-a face that
would be the most welcome sight in the
world to each particular dog-that OF
his master. Your own dog flies to you
and is rescued, and all the others give
a howl of disappointment, but many OF
them come to lick your hand and make
friends with one whom they recognized
as lover of their race. Every dog OF
them is yearning for sympathy. poor
little King Charles covering over there
in the corner, if he is not actually
weeping, is surely wishing that that
privilege were not denied his kind. for
he looks lachrymose enough. Twill
my mistress never Gomez he seems &c
| say. And water-spaniels and poodles
say the same thing in pantomime. Ever
the unintelligent eyes of the little pugs
| have a despairing, wistful look that
goes to your heart.-Harpers Weekly.
The Perfume OF Flowers.
It takes half a lifetime to learn how
to do anything perfectly. Few know
how to inhale the perfume of a flower