New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1907-05-22
"NATTRE FAkERS."

The tremendous popularity of fiction may well
have led many persons 10 suppose that mankind,
at least in North America, is coming to set pleas
ing lies above unpleasant truths. This suppose
ton, however, is not altogether correct, rs may
be seen from the indignation manifested in many
quarters of late against that school of closet zOol
ogsts who have been RECALLING the reading pub
lie with tales about animal life. So long these
illusions were read without any general
picion, fortune and favor were the lot of the
writers. The marvellous intelligence OF dogs,
wolves and deer-the stock of the closet
ZoOlogst-Charmed because it convinced the
amateur Darwinian that all the worlds akin
and the wolf is simply our poor relative. But
when animal trainers. real biologists and hardy
hunters like Mr. Roosevelt began snckering at
the typewriter machne-made NOah's Ark that
floats so securely upon the Deuge of magazines
the victims of the animal takers fantasies
showed by their wrath that truth is still to be
preferred above great wealth of imagination.
We are glad to find people protesting that
truth must be respected even in cheap fiction.
but while the anti-Ananlas wave is ut its height
please let ii hit ali the other Nature Takers, too.
1t is unfair to vent wrath solely upon the
fortunate who, knowing no other animal than
the wolf at the door, takes to the woods to
cape him and finds there creatures that make
the beasts of Revelation look like ordinary cab
horses. Harmful as home made wolves and deer
may be- they not so dangerous the ficti-
tious men and women whom the real life' nov
elists have foisted upon a public too careless to
know the earmarks Of real human beings. The
fake men and women are to blame In large
measure for foolish politics, sentimental but
wasteful charity, fanatlcal religions unhappy
marriages and nearly every other species of
crime and misery; for most of the ills that flesh
is maliCiOusly accused of being heir to are
caused as a matter of fact by mans ignorance
of the nature, habits and food of that most in
teresting Of all wild animals, Man. and this ig-
norance Is largely due to the Human Nature
Takers who send forth reams of lies purportlng
observed in their native haunts. Witness the
socialistic Faker, who processes to have seen
with his own eyes, of faith, vast hordes of men
living gregariously and In perfect peace Or
take the Buddhistic Faker, who still claims to
have found a rare and perfect variety of human
beings in the Hmalayas Who does not know
the simple omnpresent American novel;
Faker the ''blighted love- Faker the days of
chivary" Faker and all the rest who delude
their readers into thinking that the human race
is something utterly different from the Man
known to scientists? The productions of the
Human Nature Faker are so numerous and so
skiIful that no one can count them or measure
their influence.
And yet, as a rule, the only people who can be
aroused against these panurgc Takers are the
literary critics and the specialists In the various
fields over which they pretend to have roamed
If only our statesmen and other mighty men
could be prevailed upon to move against the big
Takers as they are now moving against the little
ones who go TO the dogs for cash!