New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1907-05-26
NATURE FAhING AGAIN.

When the love of nature was invented at the
beginning of the last century nobody supposed
it would prove fertile in quarrels az theology,
but here we have in this present day the two
schools of nature lovers hacking away at each
other for all the world like orthodox and heterO-
doX, nomlnaliSts and realists, or any other
famous protagonsts Of the past-hating each
other for the love OF nature their prede
cessors hated each other for the love OF God.
Ii is sad end for an improving doctrine, and
if we were nature takers ourselves we should
say that the animals were having a laugh al
man over it,
The fact is suspect that this nature taking
is very old device. The man who said. Go
To the ant thou suggard," had probably been
told by his father before him and his grand
father. too of the wisdom. virtue, prudence
and thrift Of the animals. and the belief In such
marvels had become widespread among the
race that when he pronounced his famous adj
Duration nobody rose up and smOte him
nature faker. Many man whose soul has
since revOlted ut that .prOverb has wished that
stand had then been made against the nature
faker. 1t would have spared us much Il our
ancestors had fought out this battle thou
sand generations ago but Dis alter rispm;
the sins Of those ancestors are visited upon us
even unto this generation.
The wolf that sucked Romulus and Remus
teStiics to the old habit OF nature taking The
geese that saved Rome did so without rebuke
from conscientious historians They had nature
taking reduced 10 religion IN ancient Egypt.
ilerodotuS tells tales OF the animals OF Egypt,
related TO him doubtless by the veraclous priests
Of that country which clearly entitle the Father
of History to he called the Father OF Natural
History too. Natural history has not been
improved upon since his day in the scope of Its
imaginative quality, though much In detail
EsOp also was peerless nature faker. He has
handed down to US a compendium OF classic
nature taking
But nature taking does not require the in
spring influence OF classic examples Does n
man need 10 have read any OF these ancient per
sOnages or any Of their modern followers TO
come back from weeks fishing excursion n
thoroughly equipped nature faker? Nature
herself made us all nature fakers Only clvillza-
ton sef-restraint respect for our regulations
disciplined imagination and bridied tongue
keep us within bounds. The stories we tell
about fish and snakes show we are own brothers
across the chasm OF the centuries 10 the
men who knew / about the phoenix and the
centaur. Nature takers! Why, one has only TO
90 TO the suburbs and observe the city man
Sallylng forth with incubator and q book
on Poultry Culture" TO realize how honorable
place nature taking has IN our economy and
pie faith that restrained the first man who
heard "Go to the ant, thou sluggardr' We
would not give up our fictons about the ami
mails for the world. They are the helrooms OF
the ages. The hoOpsnake. tail In mouth will
roll across mans path TIL the last sun sets We
believe in the phoenix, and the centanr, and
the swan song. and the big fish that never was
caught, and the Incubator and all the thirty
nine articles of nature taking. We shrink a lit
tie from the idOlatries OF the new nature books
but we see plainly that they are well meant
efforts TO add to the phoenix and the centaur
and that fine gallery OF our superiors In the
inferior animal kingdom.
The age is prOpitious TO the enterprise Wild
animals approach extinction. The average man
never sees one outside of cage in 400"
where 1t is twin brother TO the glass eyed
stuffed creature of the museum. He Is ready 10
believe anything of the rare denizen OF the
unfrequented forest. 1t Is the mythoppic age
of the animal world. We dare say the tale of
the phoenix was first told when that fine bird
extinct the great aux How many
times since has he risen from his ashes,. II orr
modern nature takers can only do as well let
us deny to no other featliered friend the favor
of a splendid Immortality!