The Montgomery advertiser., 1908-09-06
THE SOCIAL SIDE
THE DOG QUESTION OF

Clfnging to an exploded theory, and H resurrecting a law that has been dead for years because the city onicials deemed 1t unworthy of being enforced Is what Is being done during these sBog Days" be 1t wise or unwise. If the slaughter of the innocents' Is deemed wise for the reason that there are too many dogs per capita In Mont gomery. then maybe it is wise ana maybe this casting of lots and doins away with the poor unfortunate un- claimed CUTS or those whose masters value therf- beneath the dollar mark IS the best and fairest way out Of the dif1culty. But If the staying is be- Ing done on the basis of the old ex- ploded theory that that dread disease --the rabies in animals or hydrophobia in humans is more prevalent nj Au- gust than In January then the en- forcement of the long dead law Is as cruel and, inhumane in those in au- thority now as 1t was ignorant and superstitious In those who passed 1t some ten or fifteen years ago. Per- haps 1t Is right to diminish the num- Der of dogs In the city. scarcely see why but there Is positively no re- deemng point to the law to muzzle them. The dog sweats only at the point of the tongue and gets only re" lief from heat by panting. Through muzzelng he is deprived of both these avenues of comfort provided by nature and in addition forced in many instances to suffer the horrors of thirst for dog not being able of drinking like a horse should not be prevented by a muzzle from tapping as Is his only method of drinking. It may be right to cast some kind of lots and condemn a number of dogs to death, but 1t can not be right to cause such suffering as does the mug gle to any of Gods creatures.
 When asked Why this sudden en- forcing or the long-ignored Dog Day law" Mayor Teague said:
 Tt was done because of so many requests from women of the city who requested 1t because of the imagined danger of hydroph obia during the so- called Dog Days"
 The highest authority on rabies and hydrophobia in New York who is at the head of the Pastuer Institute of that city. said recently in an article in The New York Times that there was positively no more liability of hydrophobia in August than in Jan uary. In the same article he is quot ed as saying that many a dog is suf- fering from thirst when there comes a cry of mad dog and the animal is chased. until some one is bitten naturally. He says also that if one is bitten by a supposed mad dog, the animal should on no account be killed | but should be isolated so as to dis 1 cover if the suspicion be true. No | dog or man recovers from rabies or hydrophobia. Though the trouble may be prevented by the Pasteur treat ment if taken soon enough after the | bite of the diseased animal. He says | that heat has nothing to do with the | dread disease and that for an anil anal to have rabies he must be bitten | by smother animal that has the dis To mad dog dog must be inoculated by | the bite of a mad dog. and to have hydrophobia a man must be bitten by | an animal with the rabies. He also | says that mad dog does not have an | aversion to water. It is man who | has hydrophobia Clear of water) and | that the sight of water throws the | patient Into spasms of pain.
 This Is not hard to believe for If | one has humps show him a bit of | vinegar or even mention a lemon and see if there Is not increased pain in | the glahdz. -I
 There Ns no word to be written In favor of fhe D6zziing of dogs or the | killing them any more In August and | September than in January and Feb 1 ruary save that 1t gives a man or two a soft summer job in catching and slaying them. and furnishes the street gamins a lot of hideous fun as
 
 wagon"
 But 1t Is the law.
 There are other dead laws that | could be resurEected to better pur- pose.
 This Is the ordinance passed by the | ago and only enforced one time be- | fore now. Here is the ridiculous l law.
 Section 3, of Chapter l. City Code.
 II shall be unlawful for the owner | of any dog to permit the same to be | upon the streets of the city of Mont- gomery between the first day of June | and the first day of October in each | year. without being muzzled. It shall | be the duty of the Chief of Police to | have any dog found on any street in | the city between the above named 1 dates. without muzzle. placed in the | city pound to be kept there for three | days, but the owner of such dog. or l any person for the owner may obtain | the release of such dog, by paying 10 | the city the sum of one dollar at any l time within such three days: and if | the dog Is not released 1t shall be killed after the expiration of such three days under the direction of the Chief of Police.
 ALABAMA WOMEN IN A DILEMMA.
 The patriotic and the club women of | ~@opoAhd are m somewhat or dtlem- | ma on account of the fact of the con riieting of important dates set for con venttons. It is a fact that the most | enthusiastic workers in the organiza- l ton of the United Daughters of the | Confectionery and in the State Fedora ton of Women's Club are workers in | both organizations and that the | dates selected for the meetings or these large bodies of women are the same is rather unfortunate
 The Alabama State Federation of | Women's Clubs is to meet in Montgom- | cry on November 10. and the General Society of United Daughters of the | Confederacy will meet in Atlanta on | November 10. This is very unfor- eunate as the same women are interest ga In both conventions and a choice | will have to be made as to which to | attend.
 This meeting of the General U. D. C.. 10 be held in Atlanta Is one of un- | usual importance to Montgomerians 1 In fact to Alabamians as 1t is the first | since the meeting held in Montgomery | mat has been so near and within quick | and easy access and 1t would be well | attended by Alabamians. A full dele l gation should give evidence of the | enthusiasm of Alabama women in this | organization of which they are mem | bers.
 As the convention booked for At | lanta on November 10 is the larger of | fhe two, 1t does seem that the women 1 of Alabama would do the gracious 1 thing and Nyiald 4n ba