Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-01-07
THE ONLY FRIEND OF MAN.
The Dog Superior in Constancy and
Affection to Any Other Animal.

Maurice Maeterlinck in January Century.
Man loves the dog, but how much more
ought he to love it If he considered, in the
infexible harmony Of the laws of nature,
the sole exception which is that love Of q
being that succeeds in piercing, in order
to draw closer to us, the partitions every
where else impermeable, that separate the
species! We are alone. absolutely alone on
this chance planet; and, amid all the forms
Of life that surround us, not one. excepting
the dog, has made an alliance with US. A
few creatures fear us, most are unaware
of us, and not one loves us. In the world
Of plants, we have dumb and motionless
slaves; but they serve US In spite of them
selves They simply endure our laws and
our yoke. They are impotent prisoners,
victims incapable of escaping, but silently
rebellious; and, so soon as we lose sight
Of them, they hasten to betray us and re-
turn to their former wild and mischievous
liberty. The rose and the corn, had they
wings, would fly at our approach like the
birds.
Among the animals, we number few
servants who have submitted only through
in difference, cowardice or stupidity; the
uncertain and craven horse, who responds
only to pin and is attached to nothing; the
passive and detected ass, who stays with
us only because he knows not what to do
nor where to go, but who nevertheless, I'M
der the cudgel and the pack saddle, retains
the idea that turks behind his ears; the cow
and the OK, happy so long as they are eat
ing, and docile because, for centuries. they
have not had a thought Of their own; the
affrighted sheep, who knows no other mas
ter than terror; the hen, who Is faithful to
the poultry yard because she finds more
maize and wheat there than in the neigh
boring forest. / do not speak of the cat,
to whom we are nothing more than a too
large and UNBEATABLE prey, the ferocious cat,
whose sidelong contempt tolerates us only
as incumbering parasites in our own homes.
She, at least, curses US in her mysterious
heart; but all the others live beside us, as
they might live beside a rock or tree.
They do not love US, do not know US,
scarcely notice u.s. They are unaware Of
our life, our death. our departure, our re-
turn, our sadness. our JOY, our smile. They
do not even hear the sound of our voice.
as soon as 1t no longer threatens them; and,
when they look at us, it Is with the dis
trustful bewilderment OF the horse, in whose
eye still hovers the infatuAtion Of the elk
or gazelle that sees US for the first time or
with the dull stupor Of the ruminants, who
look upon US as a n1omentary and useless
accident of the pasture.
For thousands of years they have been
living at our side, as foreign to our
thoughts, our affections our habits, as
though the least fraternai OF the stars had
. dropped them only yesterday on our globe.
In the boundless interval that separates
man from all the other creatures we have
succeeded only, by dint of patience In
making them take two or three illusory
steps. And II, tomorrow, leaving their feel
ings toward us untouched, nature were to
give them the intelligence and the weapons
wherewith to conquer US, confess that
should distrust the hasty vengeance of the
horse, the obstinate reprisals of the ass,
and the maddened meekness of the sheep
I should shun the cat as should shun the
tiger; and even the good COW, solemn and
somnolent, would inspire me with but q
wary confidence. AS for the hen with her
round, quick eye. as when discovering q
slug or worm, am sure that she would
devour me without a. thought.