Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1905-04-20
eAvAGES AND BRUTES.
Odd Attitude Of the Primitive Man
Toward Al AnimnIn.

Toward All AnimnIx.
For the primitive savage animals are
mysterious. problcnatic beings. pos
sessrd nj II wide Knowledge or tho
things of nature. They know much
more than they are ready to tell us. In
some way or another by llic aid OF
senses much more refined than ours
and by telling Ia each other all that
they notice In their ranl,lcS and flights
they know everything FOR miles around.
And II Il man has been Just toward
them they will warn him OF Il coming
danger. as they warn eacl other. but
they will take no heed ~ him If he
has not been straightforward In his
tc'ions. Snakes and birds (thc owl is
header of tile SnnkesJ, mammals und'
Insects. lizards anu fishes all under
Stand each other and continually COM
intiiiicaie their observations to one an
other.
Inside this vast brotherhood there
are. OF course. the still closer brother
hoods Vt beings '.of one blood" The
monkeys. the bears. the wolves, the
elephants and the rhlnoceroscs. most
rulninants. the hares and most of the
rodents. tile crOcu,lllcs. and 80 on. per-
rectly know their own kin. and they
Will not tolerate amy one Of their rcla-
tivcs to be slaughtered by man without
TAKING ~ one why or another honest
revenge. This conception must have
had an extremely remote origin.
Even now when IL savage is hunting
he Is bound to respect certain rules OF
prOprlety toward the animals, and lie
must perform certain expiatory cere-
monies after his hunt. Most OF these
ceremonies are vigorously enacted even
nowadays IN the savage clnns, esDecial.
~ as regards those species considered
tue allies OF man.
II Is well known that two men be.
longing to two different clans or tribes
can become brothers by mixing the
blood Of the two obtained from small
incisions made for that purpose. but
1t wns also quite habitual for man TO
enter into brotherhood with some ami.
innl. The tales continually mention II.
An animal asks Il hunter to spure II.
and IL the hunter accedes to the de-
mund the two become brothers. And
then the monkey. the bear, the doe, the
bird. the crocodile or the bec-any one
or the soclable nnimals-wlll take all
possible care OF the man brother IN the
critical circumstances Of his life send
Ing his or her animal brothers Of diff
ferent tribes to warn him or help him
out Of difficulty. And if the warm
Ing comes too late or is misunderstood
and he loses his life they all will try
TO bring him back to life. nnd IL they
fall they will take due revenge, lust as
il the main had been one of their own
kin.
When journeyel In Siberia was
often struck, without understanding It.
with the care which my fungus or
Mongol would take not to uselessly
XIII any animal. The fact Is that every
iife is respected by Il savage, or, rather
1t was before he came In contact with
European. If he kills IN animal, it il
for food ur for clothing, but he does
not destroy life, as the whites do. for
the mere excitement OF the slaughter
True. the rel Indians have done that
with the buffnloes. but 1t was only aft
er they had been for Il long time IN
contact with the whites and had got
from them the rifle and the quick firing
revolver. or course there are ruscals
among the animals-the hyena, for in
stnnce. or the shrewniouse or the man
eating tiger. but these do not count;
they are outlaws. AS to the great ami
NAL world as whole. savage children
are taught to respect it and see in 1t
,an extension Of their own kin.-Prince
,kropotkin in Nineteenth Century.