The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1895-06-23

With one half It's length over tho river
and the other half in II tater patch five
miles below.
| l have always been fond of a good
| dog, and in the - years that have
| lived | have not known over three such
dogs. but the average four legged appe-
tite that keeps people poor and robs
them of their sleep ought to pay 81 tax
per annnm i'll order to convince some
people that they are maintaining nui-
sance There are neighborhoods where
one may safely walk on dogs from one
abode of starvation to another, and
will venture that there is not one spot in
this beautiful valley where the good
Samaritan goes with wine and oil and
blue ointment of great price that he isn't
called upon to feed the calf of his leg to
reform school of hound pups.
But you say the people who live in
this atmosphere of hydrophobia and con-
tinually ask for assistance will never
read this. Possibly. But the voter ought
TO read, and then he. may vote intelli-
gently, or else eternally shut up and
take care of the children and give his
wife his proxy. 1 know lots of men who
if they were to give their proxies to
their wives it would be the first thing
they ever presented them with.
The intelligent dog, which is really
an accidental offshoot of the wolf, even
ut best is II greatly overestimated pro-
moter Of hydrophobia. and for every life
he saves he fills whole cemetery full
of mangled innocence. But, if this be
true of the good dog, what shall we say
of the great multiplicity of poor, miser-
able dogs who precede the splitted stick
out across the void, bitterly roproach-
ing their sad, sad lot?
Therefore let us require every owner
of dog TO pay Il smart tax annually for
the delights of proprietary rights. Give
boys who capture unlicensed dogs half a
dollar apiece to go TO the circus with.
Fill up the flabbcrgasted treasury and
make the tex como ont of the poor man,
as it should If the poor man wants TO
revel i'll the luxury of nonproducing
dog, let him pay for it. For one am
willing as Il farmer to submit to this tax
-Four years ago l bought flock of
sheep, both Qs whom were wethers, but
thought that q wother was simply the
name of an adult sheep. A neighbor told
me that sheep doubled themselves twice
year in this glorious climate. started
i'll to grow spring lamb and green peas
for the Ashcville market But only one
of my Sleeps doubled himself He did
it over a rail fence III his efforts to
evade dog.
Sheep are a poor crop here on account
of dogs. Very few are grown here. One
OF mine was so scared by pack of lille
gitimate dogs the first summer that he
fell out of my pasture and only by acct
dent caught Oh tho third farm below
mine.
That is not all The local dog is an
egg sucker, IL chicken eater, snuff tax
er, child bitter, woman hater, an ag-
nostlc, gourmet, Il raccoonteur, Il SOM
nambulist and a-but why recriminate
Or backbite the dog when his owner is
the defer Of vested human rights? Dog
my cats, but it seems to me something
ought to be done in this matter. Who
Will be the first to petition the legisla-
ture? But there we again run against a
snag Who ever got relief from legis-
lature? No one but the boarding houses
and dealers in damp goods
Who will be first to move in the dog
tax direction?
But the dog is not alone source Of
annoyance TO the invalid especially II
put up at the Skinye sanitarium with
my husband" said lady some days
ago. 1t had been recommended to US
| by some one who knew evidently moth
ing about it. 1t is sort of experimental
institution for the advancement Of sci
ence, and the mortality there reminds
one of the good old days of the guillo-
tine i'll France.
''The experiments are largely in the
direction of incubation for tuberculosis.
| flock of guinea hens are inoculatcd,
and from them serum or laudable pus is
taken to use i'll inoculating people who
come here to be benefited by the glori
Gus climate. These guinea hens are early
risers, and in the first gray of dawn may
be heard using their metallic voices
and comparing their symptoms beneath
the patients windows
can be sad(ler than the voice