The Montgomery advertiser., 1907-07-07
SidesDak Penciiings
Nat,.re Eahir Talks.

A ROods CONSCIENTIOUS Stuoy or the naturalists' principles and methods oi operating.s pursued the nature fakir. who had caught up with a crowd of nappers, reveals the fact that he has no opportunity to perpetrate upon an innocent public any story that does not andi Is open to inspection, and, if do tread on Teddy's toes, 1t should be in- spected very carefully before criticism
 T have told you before the reason I'm in Montgomery. King Ted evil dently did not like my smaciated looks. But, when you get down to the truth. his criticism of naturalists has been very unjust. It shows most conclu- sively that he did not know what he was talking abont-
 For instance he is not sufficiently well acquainted with the great author ities on animals. reptiles. fishes and birds to judge whether fake is being perpetrated or not. Montreville de Blazon, for example, the brave French experimentalist and adventurer. tells in a book that was written 300 years ago of how a globe fish that he had been himself up because of the fact that he was not as handsome as a silver perch placed in the same basin. That story was a very feasible one, and no one has had the audacity to doubt 1t. But 1. as another example. when l made announcement few months ago of how I had seen the same sort or nsh blow himself up for the purpose of al lowing the fragments of his flesh to be eaten by a hungry water moccasin with which he was in love, was hooted and hissed wherever the tale was men tioned.
 "A venturesome naturalist of today has hard time to make himself be- lieved. You all know of the discover ies of Baron von Hubst when he was at work on the toxotes species of fish that roam the deep. In half dozen volumes given to the study of this ge- nus of Acknowledgements the Baron made a lot of wonderful experiments that have thrown light on all the world. When he told of how he had seen one of the class get in a fight trying to win the battle by ejecting water from their shouts into the eyes of the other, so that he could not see, no one disbelieved him. It was true tale, and one not to be denied.
 When l, on the other hand, going a little farther in the study than the Baron. discovered that the fishes of this genus were so mischievous that they this same fluid into the eyes of the fishermen who were angling from the bank, the people hooted me and called me a fakir.
 "You see, therefore. under what diff faculties those who study nature are compelled to operate. Say fish has g beard, which a. great number have, and you are hooted. When I saw con- ceited bearded fish go to sword ftsh to have his beard trimmed and put properly in order, and when I stated the same to an unbelieving public hoots and jeers were my only receipts
 "Yes, the life of naturalist or to- day is sad. There is no music in theil life, no harmony, no gladness. We are a persecuted set. There Is no joy fol us' neither peace. We must make ouI living in the wilds of Africa, on tho depths of the Mediterranean, at thS now. My course has been mapped out for me. the die is cast. I'm going to | formidable retreat where there ii naught but peace, nothing put glad where the soul lives and hourishes 1T perennial enjoyment.
 Very flew people have ever discov' cred this retreat. There the humnine bird, with her golden lyrics. the aye. aye, with his baritone, the snipe, with his basso, and the measure with hii Tyre. attend the quiet of Madagascar sunset and swell into the music whtcl does not die. Iris a quartette wei wUTt6 the hfaFas nf ba waS s4d Sf Ted And the figure of the naturalis shifted towards the Union Depot, ben and shiftless and emaciated. And the eyes of the hearers were" wet witi ISdrS, loI le was n SOON ASA%S" "'SA all his faults.
 Historic Little Cannon.
 The following bit of history publish. of interest to Montgomery:
 "A squad of soldiers. mounted or horses and dressed in uniform of tho Columbus Guards, hauled Red Jacket, | the historical little cannon over tho streets of the city today, advertising the dress parade and the ball game a the driving park this afternoon | Few of those who saw the little gun realized that it was the only on' l that fired salute at the inaugural cer' emonies of JeffersoU Davis when h' was sworn in as President of the South ern Confederacy at Montgomery, Ala. in 1861, but such was the fact. Th' Columbus Guards, then in the zenitl of their prime as a military organiza challenge from the celebrated Chicago 1 Zouaves to a prize drill, but which con test was Interrupted by the breaking out of the civil war. was one Of thu companies that took part in the inau guratlon of President Davis, and Re' Jacket, belonging to the company a | the time, was taken along.
 Capt T. E. Blanchard, who was ! member of tho company at the time put the first charge of powder in tn little gun that proclaimed to the worl' the birth of new nation."
 Judge A. H. Aston of Clayton, spen yesterday in Montgomery and left fl the afternoon for his home. He fin iShed holding Circuit Court in We