The Coeur d'Alene press. (Coeur d'Alene, Idaho) 1892-1907, 1905-09-09
sAvAees AND sRurEs.
odd Attitude of the Primitive Man
Toward All Animals.

For the primitive savage animals are
mysterious, prOblematlc beings, pos
sessed OF wide knowledge OF the
things of nature. They know much
more than they are ready 10 tell us In
SOME way or aEether by the aid OF
senses much more refined than ours
ami by telling to each other all that
they notice In their rambles and flights
they know everything for miles around
And II man has been Just" toward
them they will warn him Ola coming
danger as they warn each other. but
they will take no heed of him II be
has not been Straightforward In bis
actions. Snakes and birds tthe owl is
leader OF the snakesl mammals and
Insects, llGards and fishes all under.
stand each other and continually com
munlcate their observations 10 one an
other.
Inside this vast brotherhood there
are, OF course, the still closer brother
hoods OF beings OF one blood" The
monkeys, the bears, the wolves. the
elephants and the rhlnoceruscs. most
ruminants, the hares and most u the
rodents. the crocodil,.s. aud 50 on. per.
fectiy know their own kin. and thry
Will not tolerate any one ~ their rrla.
lives 70 be slaughtered by man without
taking In one way or another honest
revenge. This conception must have
had an extremely remote origin.
Even now when d savage Il hunting
he Is bound to respect certain rule. 10
proprlety toward the animals. and he
must perform certain cxplutUry crre.
monies after his hunt Most u these
ceremonies are vigorously enacted even
nowadays In the savage clans. especial
ly as regards those species considered
the allies Of man
IL Is we'll known that two men be-.
longing to two different clans or tribes
can become brothers by mixing th.
blood Of the two obtained from small
lncislons made Tor that purpose. but
II was also quite habltuai FOR man 20
enter into brotherhood with some ami
mal The tales continually mention H.
An animal asks a huntrr 70 spare il.
and II the hunter acC~tlrs % thu, de.
mnnd tho two become brothers And
then the monkey. the baar. the doc. the
bird, the crocodile OF the be,.-any one
% n" sociabr animals will take all
possible care " the man brother in the
critical circumstances % his life. send
Ing bis or her animal broth-rs ~ dr.
rrrent tribes 70 warn hlm OF help him
out ~ ii difficulty And II thu warn
ing comes too late or il mlsunder4fnod
and b. lnses biz life they all via try
to bring him back 70 life. and II they
fall they win take due revenge. Just a.
Il the nan had been une 81 their own
kin
When / journeyed In Siberia | was
often struck. without understanding II
with the care which my fungus or
MOngol would take not To usslezSlv
kill any animal The fact IL that every
llre Is respected by a savage. or. rather
IL was before he came In contact with
Europeans. II he kills an animal. 10 IL
for food or for clothing. hut he does
not destroy NE rs the whites do. FOR
the mere excitement of the slaughter
True, the rcd Indians have done that
with the buffalocs. but II was only aft
er they had been for a long time In
contact with the whites AMI had got
from them the rifle and the quick firing
revolver. or course there ara rascals
among the anlmals-the hyena. for In.
stance. or the shrewmOuse or the man
eating tiger. but these do not count,
they are outlaws As to the great ami.
nal world as a whole, savage children
are taught 10 respect It and see In Il
an extension Of their own kin.-Prince
Rropotkln In Nineteenth Century.