Hopkinsville Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1889-1918, 1895-04-26
A RELIGIOUS DOG.
He Would Go to Church No Matter
Who're he Was.
A Canine Presbyterian That Was 8 shining
Example for Less Punctusi Church
Members--Aiways Participant
In Family Worship.

There is more in a dog than is
dreamt OF by any philosophy of in
stinct. The father of the late DR..
Prime, editor of the New York Oh
server, was sternly orthodox Pres
byterian minister, one Of the "old
school" He owned a small, beauti-
full dog, named Fidelity, about whom
there was something mysterious,
and, though he never ventured to ex-
press the opinion that the dog had
moral perceptions, his son believed
that he thought so. Said DIR, Prime
to Chicago News reporter:
He differed from other dogs only
in being better than others and in
manifesting something that seemed
like religious sensibility or peculiar
attachment to religious places, peo-
pie and services. He attended fam
fly worship With q punctuality and
regularity that other members of the
household might we'll have initiated,
and certainly did not surpass.
If a stranger were present-and
much company visited our house
the dogs attention to him was regu-
lated by his taking the lead or not
in the religious worship of the house
hold. If the visitor at my fathers
request conducted the worship, the
dog at once attached himself to his
person and when he departed the
dog escorted him out of the village,
sometimes going home with him to a
neighboring town and making him a
visit of a few days.
If the visitor did not perform any
religious services in the house the
dog took no notice of him while
there and suffered him to depart un-
attended and evidently unregretted.
Such dog was of course habit
ual attendant on the public services
of the church on the Sabbath. 1t
required extraordinary care to keep
him at home. Shut up in room he
dashed through a window and was
at church before the family.
He was once shut up in an out
house that had no floor. He dug out
under the sill of the door and was
at church before the first Psalm.
In church he occupied the upper
step of the pulpit within which his
master ministered. He lay quiet
during the sermon unless other dogs
below misbehaved. in which case he
left his seat, and, after quieting the
disturbance, resumed it.
He was equally devoted to the
weekly prayer-meeting, which was
held from house to house, the APP
pointment being announced on the
Sabbath. He remembered the even
ing and the place, and was always
present. AS it was not agreeable to
have dog at an evening meeting in
private house he was confined at
home. The next week he went early
before the family had thought to
shut him up, and waited for the
hour and the people.
He knew the names of the families
where the meetings were held, and
where they lived, and could have
gone to any of them on an errand as
easily and correctly as child, and
the only knowledge he had of the
place OF meeting he got as the others
did, by hearing the notice on Sun
day,
These habits of the dog were not
the fruit of education. On the con-
trary pains were taken to prevent
him from indulging his religious
preferences. He did not manifest
fondness for other meetings or for
any individuals out of the family
circle, except those whom he recog-
nized by their habit Of praying, as
the people in whom he was specially
interested.