Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1905-08-04
THE vERAcIous NArueAl,.-.
More Anecdotes That Enrich III. o..
Of Animal Achievements r.. e
the stOry-Teller to Compare Note, W

'N'"eht-A Time o.,
the story-Teller to Compare No,,.
[From the Chicago Inter-oco.n1
The controversy now raging -.
the rival schools of nature ,,.,. tween
respectively by the veteran ~ led
roughs and Rev. William ]. LOU. Bur
terests all lovers of animals t. Us IN
its amusing side. "ds also
Mr.. Burroughs started ont M,
to reform the gentle art of nature 'o lug ago
His platform Is that fiction is ali ,ihg.
as fiction, but that fiction IL ont ., Iight
in nature writing. Mr.. Long ASSENT pace
IeJolhs tnat Iacts are not fiction slroyJn
because Mr. Burroughs doesn't Imply
them. Know
The result Of Mr.. Burrougbs.s 20.
for reform to date is that Mr. f -,.sads
still doing business at the old stand
the veteran NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. sa, 90, 'uat
occasional hard rap, and that the 80, a.
is getting considerable Amusement puohe
the controversy. 0u'
Naturally, the professional bpr,o-,..-
have been quick to see the an, ,'sa
features OF The situation. Cba.,s
Batteh LOOMS is the latest Of the nm.
makers to take advantage NJ ~ tun'
troversy for some entertaining ro- ooh'
on animal stories, nature writing so. M
and literature. '1l0n
The vehicle Of Mr.. Loomis's rensrl,. ..
the story Of the Reasoning N T 's
Rhody." The narrator OF the ST. ,-l'ue
Honest John Barton, a Connsa;.As
farmer, who says in a preliminary v ws,,.
Il suppose story to get into print mn.
have a certain amount of literature IN !.
and literature and imagination are nre,,1
well mixed up; but when it comes pdie.y
to the habits oS animals, WHY. oo.,I
tell stories Of things, showing tbopeb, - y
animals-things that I've observed 49, "a
self and that would look we'll In MI,
although they might rifle John Burro rr,Ss
who is a little inclined 20 doubt tSI.s
If he did not see it himself" Hs
Then Honest John incidentauv IAN.
how he once saw "a huge rat drav,rss
train of six smaller rats, the coupling :.
ing tails in mouths and the freight :.
egg between each four extended legs 5s
animals al being on their backs a.
cepting the motive power
Honest John continues:
Probably John Burroughs would -,
that there were never more thar -
rats in such a procession, and I do,t
deny that Long would add a touch NJ ~
probability to the true picture by sA,,I-,
1t down as a fact that the eers vs.
shipped by still another rat, who nsI
out bill Of lading for them, and that
their delivery a receipt was given 4,
them by the rat to whom they were b.
llVered That's the literary touch, and
is easy to disassociate it from the funds,
| mental facts"
But to get to Little Rhody. Ina,
Rhody Is bantam hen that belonged 4,
Mrs. Barton. Little Rhody made frisBS
with the locomotive engineers OF the r9ss
that runs through the Barton farm "A
centred her affections upon old BIN NsT.
ton on No. "a. who got into the hablf n
throwing her a handful Of corn every tirs
his engine went by.
One day Little Rhody discovered a bs
rock on the track just as No. "a was
whistling around the curve. She ran ar5
flew at his red bandanna until he gavs h
! to her. Then she few to the trsck
stopped the train, and saved Bill New.
ton and train OF passengers
Said Honest John Barton:
Now, II the bird had picked that hand.
kerchief up on the track and had Aovn
with it. you might impute 1t to an artir
! disposition; but when you reflect that frs
she saw the stone on the track and then
remembered that was near at hand and
wore a red handkerchief, and that she
heard the whistle and realized that the
man who brought her corn was coming.
and that her daily supply would be cut
on forever II she didn't get word to him
| for l don't go so far as to say that H
/ was love for the engineer that impeIei
herl--when you reflect that she got ths
flag and waved It'll say that II that is
mere coincidence, as Burroughs would b
apt to say 1t was-why, If that was
coincidence. then statesmen act by ia.
| stinct and do not use reason"
can't tell why and wherefore" Goa.
cluded Honest John. I'm no psychols.
| 70 riN he har y
with no literature added You Just K
| John Burroughs tell Bill Newton that Il
was all a chance, and I'm afraid Tia,
! Burroughs would hear strong lalgzF
/ for Bill can't say enough that's gooiiaEt
/ Little Rhody.
Mr.. Burroughs and Mr.. Long CT taE
! lots to see who gets the honors En-
| Burroughs should lose, he should Fs-s.'
] Der that the way Of the reformer hl