Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1907-07-05
THE VINDICATI0N
OF NATURE.

judgement, and the Secretary Bird re-
corded the proceedings.
The Lion was the first to speak. Il
have only one fault to find, why has
she given me this heavy, shaggy mane?"
And Nature answered, "Your power
lies in your fore legs, and to protect
the powerful muscles that put these
destructive members in motion, your
name is provided. Otherwise they
would be stiffened by cold or relaxed
by heat, and seldom ready for. instant
use.'
'But why" asked the Tiger, "have
you given both of us tongues so rough
that in caressing our loved ones we
almost tear the skim"
How else could you scrape the mi
mute particles of flesh from the bones
of your prey?"
Said the Bear, 81 can complain only
of the awkward, shuffling walk that
you have inflicted upon me-
And Nature answered, "Your defense
against enemies is principally in your
strangling hug, and in procuring your
food you are frequently obliged to
climb tall trees. For these reasons
have not provided you with collar bones.
Had | done so, you could not hug to
death, nor climb trees as you now do.
It is the absence of collar bones that
makes you walk so clumsily."
The Seal came to complain that his
nose was made too close habitually.
''You hunt your prey beneath the
water, therefore, your nostrils being
closed by their own machinery, you
have no care concerning them, and can
devote your attention and all of your
energy to your prey"
Said the little squirrel, ''You have
made my tail so long and bushy that 1
am an easy mark for gunners.'
"Your safety lies in your ability to
spring about from tree to tree. Your
long bushy tail serves to balance your
body while springing, and, by acting
as a parachute, prevents jars and
heavy falls"
The Porcupine bristled up and asked
the reason for "all these unsightly
quills.''
"You are a defenseless animal, and
your only protection from your natural
enemies is your ability to roll up into a
bristling ball of sharp spines."
why" asked the Hare, ''have you
made my hind legs so much longer than
my fore legs?"
Being defenseless, you are an ami
NAL of flight. Were your little legs of
equal length, you could scamper only
slowly. AS it is, you cover ground in
leaps and bounds, often as much as
twenty-five feet at leap. There is
another advantage in your long hind
legs; you can go faster up hill than
your enemies, whose hind legs are no
longer than their fore legs. Thus you
are often able to escape them by run
ming on rising ground"
''This, said the Giraffe, sis what you
have done to me: You have given me a
long ungainly neck and small, dispro-
portionate head. You have endowed
me with long, prehensible tongue,
filled my nostrils with stiff hairs, and
set my eyes prominently near the back
of my head"
Mature replied, ''You feed upon the
branches of tall trees; therefore your
long neck. A large head at the end of
your neck would possess a weight dis
proportionate to your muscular power.
Your tongue collects the tender twigs
into large lunches; but for this you
could bite only the single ends of the
sprigs. Browsing among the branches
of the trees, you disturb a great many
insects, and if it was not for the stiff
hairs they would enter your nostrils
and cause you great annoyance. Your
enemies usually spring upon you from
behind, therefore your eyes are placed
where they will be of most use.''
The Hippopotamus complained of his
big, ugly teeth and awkward walk.
'Your mission is to clean the rivers
of vegetable life, which by reason of
its rapid growth, would soon choke up
the stream. Therefore your food is
the coarsest of all the mammalia.
Hence the teeth with which to properly
grind it. Your walk is due to your
short legs, which were designated for
walking on the bottom of the river, not
on land"
The Elephant, the last witness, COM
planned of his heavy trunk and the
absence of a neck.
Had you neck proportionate to the
length of your fore legs, like other
animals, you would lack the muscular
force necessary to elevate and sustain
your enormous head. AS you must eat
from the ground, your trunk has been
provided to compensate for the absence
of neck"
Zone question before l pass judg-
ment," +" said the Owl. ''Why has every
animal, reptile, fish, bird, and insect an
appointed enemy?"
Because birth, life, and death con-
stitute the order appointed by divine
Being, and He has chosen the best
means to a necessary end.'
Judgment" cried the animals in
chorus.
''It is this" said the Owl. "Accuse
not Nature. She has done her part.
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