The Washington herald., 1909-05-27

Stamford. Conn, May 2s.-Dr. William
J. Long, the former minister and nature
writer. some Of whose writings were BIT
terry attacked by Theodore Roosevelt
when he was President. consented to-day
10 be interviewed with regard TO Mr.
Roosevelt's African hunting trip Dr..
Long said he had intended waiting until
Mr.. Roossvelts return. or until something
from his pen actually appeared before
saying q word In criticism. but he had
decided that some OF the things the for
mer President Is said to have done in
Africa are such as to call Tor g protest
DR.. Long declares that the worst 1ea-
ture OF the whole bloody business" Is
the bruJaIizing influence which the re-
ports from Africa have or thousands OF
American boys.
His Own Reports.
AS there are no reporters with Ar.
Roosevelt. these reports OF frequent kill
inss must come chiefly from himself, and
are such as he himself chooses to send
out" said Dr. Long IF they are true.
they are exactly in line with his pre-
vious records. They prove what I said
two years ago. quoting from his own
books, that he is q game butcher. pure
and simple. and that his interest in ami
mails lies chiefly in the direction Of blood
butchery and brutality. You remember
that when he made terms with the Smith
sonisn Institution his published letter
said:
OF course. am not q game butcher.
And he Immediately reserved for him
self the right 70 do all the killing on the
expedition This Is characteristic OF his
alleged scientific attitude
Matthew Arnold declared that con
duct Is three-fourths OF life and NJ
Roosevelt adds that butchery is tht
fourths OF science.
IN this dispatch I notice thai el
he could not find bufaIoes he had to con-
tent himself by shooting war. hogs and
other inofTensive creatures. As the buf-
faloes are fast disappearing from Amer
lea, and as Mr.. Roosevelt had already
killed several. why. in the name OF
science should he go out 20 kiu ulorez
And why, falling 10 fnd bunaIOes. should
he content himself by sisughtering other
CTestures7
whole Thing AtrOciOus."
The whole thing is atrocious. II is
exactly Ike his own record OF killing
eleven bull elk on one night. and then on
his way out killing two more that he
found fighting. Their meat was unfit TO
use and was lett 70 rot in the woods.
Then he preached 20 Us OF ths virtue OF
game protection, and when he comes
back from this trip you VIII hear his
righteous dissertation on the necessity
for preserving game fl Africa-of course.
after he has killed everything he could
find
asked L anything was 10 be learned
OF II science was 70 De served in any
way BY such trip. Dr. Long said:
A lot might be learned but not By
such scientific instruments as high power
rife. Mr.. Roosevelt reminds ne OF an
alleged OrinthOlOgist whom net killing
warblers the other day. and he thought
ne was studying birds. Tie only thing
We viii get out OF the much-heraIded
trip viii be some more hunting yarns
almost as veracious as Mr RooseveIt's S
account Of his heroic exploit al San
Juan Hill. snd sons more skins and
bones. OF which We already have too
many. The only one who viii ever learn
OF teach anything OF value Is the man
who studies the living animal. not the
man who gioats over a dead one.
BrutaIIzinE Influence.
The worst feature in the whols bloody
business is not the killing OF 2 few hun
dred wild animals IN Africa. but the
orutalizing Influence which these reports
have upon thousands OF American BOYS
Only last week I met half q dozen little
fellows in the woods. Tie biggest boy
had gun and q squirrel tail IN his hat,
and he called himself 'Bwana Tunbo.'
They were shooting everything in sight,
killing birds az e tine when every dead
mother meant d nest full OF young birds
slowly starving 70 death And how
could I convince them that their work
was inhuman? Is not the great Ameri-
can hero occupied at this time with the
same ds1estable business? And why
should not they also be heroic and make
3 few fine shots. and content themselves
with robins and rabbits since faunaI nat
1ralists and other game butchers have
killed OF ali our bufaloes?'