Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1909-06-03
DR.. LONG HAS WORD
ABOUT LION HUNT
CALLS COLONEL ROOSEVELT5S
AFRICAN EXPEDITION GAME
BUTCHERY.
INJURIES AMERICAN BOYS, He
SAYS IN EVIL EXAMPLE
GIVEN.

Stamford, Conn, June DIR Vii
liam j. Long, the former minister and
nature writer, some OF whose writings
were bitterly attacked by Theodore
Roosevelt when he was president,
talked recently about Mr.. RooseveIts
African hunting trip. DR.. Long said
he had intended waiting until Mr..
RoOsevelt's return, or until something
from his pen actually appeared, before
saying word in criticism, but he had
decided that some of the things the
former president is said to have done
in Africa are such as to call forth
protest.
d.. Long declares that the worst
Feature Of the whole bloody bust
ness" is the brutaIizing influence
which the reports from Africa have on
| thousands Of American boys.
AS there are no reporters with Mr..
Roosevelt" he said, those reports
Of frequent killings must come chiefly
from himself and are such as he him
self chooses to send out. If true, they
are exactly in line with his previous
record They prove what I said Two
years ago, quoting from his own
books. that he is a game butcher
pure and simple, and that his interest
in animals lies chiefly in the direction
of blood butchery and brutality. You
remember that when he made terms
with the Smithsonian institution his
published letter said:
OF course ! am not a game
butcher and then he Immediately re
served for himself he right to do all
the killing on the expedition. This is
characteristic Of his alleged scientific
attitude.
"AIatthew Arnold declared that
conduct is three-fouths of life ana
Mr.. Roosevelt adds that butchery is
Ithree-fOurths Of science,
Inoffensive Creatures.
In ore dispatch / notice that when
he could not find buffalo he had to
content himself by shooting wart
hogs and other moffensive creatures.
As the budaIoes are fas5 disappearing
from Africa, and as Mr.. Roosevelt
had already killed several, why in
the name of science should he go out
to kill more, and Why failing to find
bUffalOes, should he content himself
by slaughtering other creatures?
The whole thing is arociOus. ri
is exactly like his own record of XIII |
ing eleven bull elk on one trip. and on
his way out killing Two more that he
found fighting. Thei. meat was unfit
to use and was left to rot in the
woods. Then he preached to us Gu
the virtue of game protection, and
when he comes back from this { trip
YOU will hear his righteous disserta- |
ton on the necessity for preserving
game in Africa-of course, after he
has killed everything he could find"
Asked if anything was to be
learned, if science was to be served |
in any way by such a trip Dr.. Long
said:
"A lot might be learned, but not by |
such scientific instruments as high
power rifles. Mr.. Roosevelt reminds |
me Of an alleged ornithologist whom |
met killing warblers the other day
and he thought he was studying |
birds. The only thing we win get
ont of the much-heralded trip will be |
some more hunting yarns, almost as
veraciOus as Mr.. RooseveIt's account |
of his heroic exploit at San Juan, and
some more skins and bones, of which |
we already have too many.
Boys Play "swana Tumto."
The only one who will ever learn
or teach anything of value is the man |
who studies the living animal-not
the man who gloats over a dead one.
The worst feature in the whole
bloody business is not the killing of
few hundred wild animals in KTrcia
but the blutalizing influences which
;hese reports have upon thousands OF
American boys.
Only last week ] met half a dozen
little fellows in the woods. The big
gest boy had gun and a squirrels
tail in his hat and he called himself
Bwana Tumbo' They were shooting
everything in sight killing birds at
time when every dead mother meant
a nest full of young birds slowly
starving 20 death. How could I con-
vince them that their work was inhu.
man when the great American hero is
occupied at tbs time with the same
detestable business? Why should they
not also be heroic and make a few
fine SHOTS and con .ent themselves
with robins and rabbits, since alleged
naturalists and other game butchers
nave killed off all our buffaloes?"