The Canton times. (Canton, Miss.) 1893-1906, 1900-11-09
TALKS ABOUT DOGS.
Bill Arp Hints at Their Curious
and Interesting History.
We're Held in Contempt In Bible
Times-Arp Laments the De-
mise of His own Intelligent
and Faithful Collie,

I
him at four.
, Laddie was II years old. We raised
!, him from puppyhood to doghood and
oil those years he seemed like one of
the family He loved us all and we
loved him, for he was affectionate,
good hammered, dignifed, courageous
and very handsome. He never sought
a fight with another dog, but never de-
clined one and always came off the VIC
tor. His face and neck and feet and
part of his tail were white; his hair
long and glossy and his eyes were am
Der or rather brilliant yellow
sapphire. In truth, he was a very
handsome dog and came from we'll
bred stock, his grandsire having been
sold for $500 in Montgomery. He was
known as shepherd dog-a Scotch
collie-and knew his duties and quail
ties by instinct and Inheritance. We
did not have to train him to go after
the sheep or the cattle and bring them
home. When left the farm and moved
to town he seemed lost and unhappy
for awhile, but soon adapted himself to
the little grandchildren and followed
them around, and during his last i'll
ness, when he couldn't walk, it would
please him for me to lift him up to the
sandbed where the children were play
ing. The smaller the children are the
stronger his love for them. They were
the sheep and he was the good shep-
herd.
We did not send his carcass to the
potter's field. 1 dug a shapely grave
down in the corner of the garden, then
lifted his dead body gently into the
wheelbarrow and rolled it to the place
The wheelbarrow was the hearse. i
was the horse and five of the grandchil-
dren were the escort. When all was
ready my wife and daughters came
down to the funeral and we buried Lad |
die and mounded up his grave and |
placed board with his name and age
upon it at the head and another at the |
foot. The little children plucked some
green asparagus nearby and some Tex
as pinks and roses and slowly and sad
ly we went away as mourners.
Dogs have curious and interesting
history. In ancient times they were
under the ban of Jewish contempt and
were pronounced and denounced as
unclean by the Mosaic law. Not good
word is said of them in all Scripture
THE price of dog is an abomination
to the Lord" saith Moses. Job saith:
II disdained to set their fathers with
the dogs of my flock" sam l a dog?"
Beware of the dogs" "For without
are dogs and sorcerers and idolaters
and murderers and whatsoever loveth
and maketh a lie." But surely they
must have had some good reputable
dogs. or they would have killed off the
breed. 1t was the mean, thievish,
trifiing dogs that gave bad name to /
all the race, just as they do now.
Cuvier says that dogs in general are 6
he most contemplate of all domestic {
but that the improved species {
are the most useful and complete con- &
quest ever made by man. All their fac G
llties are adapted to profit and pleas
Ire and protection. Barbarous nations t
we much of their better nature to the e
of the dog. d
Cuvier says that the principal and h
'est species are indigenous to certain
Such as the shepherd to a
arabia, the Esquimaux and Newfound- r
and to Siberia, st. Bernard to the Alps, n
tic. But dogs have got mixed and {
rossed into all sorts of forms and fash
ons, like Cubans in Cuba. They now il
ange from the little pug and rat ter
Ter and bench-leg flee. up to the boar
ound of Germany and the mastiff and n
rover's dog of southern Europe. Il
ointers and settlers and spaniels and n
he long-eared hound have come in fe
tier by training and breeding, but II
lost of the different kinds of dogs n,
re degraded mongrels. But a dog is pl
Og, and every man and boy loves his a
vn and will defend him. "Love me, b,
we my dog" is proverb $50 years old. m
lexander Stephens was asked what III
as the secret of his attachment to a be
rty little snarling dog that followed oh
m around. He replied: swell. l th
,rdly know, but reckon I love the
tile dog because he loves me-" That
as reason enough. He had neither
ife nor children to love him. and so
, concentrated on the dog, but still Pi
s friends thought he might have
osen a more attractive one. Vi
The poorer a man is and the more
iendless, the stronger is his attach IA,
mt to his dog, and the dog seems to ,
ciprocate and will not desert his mas
r. nigger's hound is as happy and az az
ntented as fine lads poodle. Pope Vi
Us: