Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1904-01-30
THE ONLY FRIEND OF MAN.
The Dog Superior in Constancy and AT
lection to Any Other Animal.

Man loves the dog, but how much more
ought he to love it if he considered. in
the intleXible harmony of the laws Of
nature, the sole exception which is that
love of a being that succeeds in pierre
ing. III order to draw closer to u.s. the
partitions, everywhere else mperlneable
that separate the Species We are alone,
absolutely alone, on this chance planet
and, amid all the forms of life that sur
round us, not one, excepting the dog,
mas made an alliance with u.s. y 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 iii spite of
themselves. 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 be-
tray us and return TO their former wild
and mischievOus liberty. The rose and
the corn, had they wings would fiy at
our approach like the birds.
Among the animals we number few
servants who have submitted only
through indifference, cOwardice or stu
putty; the uncertain and craven horse,
who responds only to pain and IS at
tached to nothing; the passive and de-
Jected ass, who stays with us only be-
cause he knows not what to do nor
where TO go, but who nevertheless, under
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 eating, and dOcile because for cen
turleS they have not had a thought of
their own; the affrighted sheen, who
knows nc other master than terror: the
hen, who is faithful to the poultry yard
necause she finds more maize and wheat
there than iii the neighboring forest. |
do not speak of the eat, to whom we
are nothing more than too large and
UNBEATABLE prey, the ferocious cat whose
sldelong contempt tolerates us only as
REMEMBERING parasites in our own homes
She, at least. curses us in her mysterious
heart; but all the others live beside MS, as
they might live beside rock or a tree.
they do not love us, do not know us.
scarcely notice us. They are unaware
OF our life, our death our departure. oiir
return. our sadness, our joy, our smile.
Ihey do not even hear the sound of our
voice. as soon as it no longer threatens
them: and, when they look at us. il is
with the distrustful bewilderment of the
horse. in whose eye still hoyers the in
fatuatlon of the elk or gazelle that sees
us for the first time. or with the duh
stupor of the ruminants. who look upon
us as IA momentary 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 fraternal of the stars
had dropped them only yesterday on our
globe. In the boundless interval that
separates man from all the other crea-
lures we have succeeded only, by dint
of patience. in making them take two
or three illusory steps. And if. toInor-
row, leaving their feelings 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. | should shun the eat as | should
shun the tiger; and even the good cow.
solemn and somnOlent would inspire me
with but wary confidence. As for the
hen. with her round. quick eye. as when
discovering a slug or worm, | am sure
that she would devour me without a
Observation-Disclosures Maeteriinck in Cen
fury.