The Democratic banner. (Mt. Vernon, Ohio) 1898-192?, 1910-02-25
The SNAKE
Is Not A Very Bad Fellow
After All
And Has Many RedeGming
Qualities
North American Review

Exceptional love of music would re-
dound to the credit of any other liv-
ing creature as indicative of refined
taste, but in the maligned snake even
this artistic attribute is a mark of de-
rogation. Our own Quakers, for ex-
ample, take up and indorse the dia-
trib of Epiphanius against the flute
players. "Observe the figure that
the player makes in blowing. Does
he not bend himself up and down to
the right hand and the left, like unto
the serpent? These forms hath the
devil used to manifest his blasphemy
against things heavenly, to destroy
things upon earth, to encompass the
world, capturing right and left such
as lend an ear to his seductions." And
so on. But not word do we hear in
condemnation of the unregenerate
birds that carol heedlessly even while
the minister is painting the horrors of
an unmentionable place.
poison against their enemies is held
to justify their indescriminate ex-
tinction. We fail to see how. They
did not have the choice of their means
of defense; they necessarily took what
the Lord gave them and they act as
instinct directs. Clearly reason is
not their guide, else they would not
notify an intended victim, but would
strike in silence. 1t is pleasing to
think that in this they are actuated
by high senes Of honor and fairness,
but we do not venture SO much as
supposition that they possess an at
tribute so fine. 1t Is more likely, as
Darwin maintains, that the rattle
snake uses its rattle, the cobra ex-
pands it's frill and the puff adder
swells and Kisses in order to alarm
the many birds and beasts which are
known to attack the most venomous
species, acting on the same principle
which impels hen to ruffie its feath-
ers when a dog approaches its chick
ems. In any case, none of the tradi-
tional shrewdness or cunning is man
ifest in its performance.
1t Is matter of qualification, ma
turally, that our snake was consider
ed to be as intelligent as his prede-
cessors; but there was really no need
of exceptional acumen to enable him
TO play his part successfully. If the
Devil took possession of his body in
order to accomplish a nefarious pur-
pose, 1t was the Devil, not the snake,
who framed the enticing argument for
the unsuspecting Eve. If, again, 1t
was Lilith who seized an opportunity
to advance the cause of woman suf-
frage, clearly twas her keen appre-
citation of the power of curiosity that
| led to the fall. In either case the
snake was mere dupe used by one
more cunning than himself to fur
ther project in which he had no per-
sonal interest and whose method of
accomplishment was foreign to his
shy inclinations. If he had been as
crafty as he has been reputed, can
one suppose for a moment that he
would have assumed role which was
certain to win the everlasting hatred
of mankind? No; there have been
and are good snakes and bad snakes
just as there have been good Ewes,
like Godiva, or Good-eva, of Coventry,
and there are bad Ewes, some of whom
we know; but there is no real ground
for the common belief that snakes
are endowed with peculiar sapience,
No snake that ever lived won great
er fame than Alexander's. Lucian
tells the story. Apollonius, master
of the magic arts, had many disciples,
among whom was practicing physi-
clan who lived in Abanotichus, small
town on the shore Of the Black Sea.
There Alexander was born of hum
BILE parentage and imbibed from the
old doctor all that he had learned
from Apollonius of medicine and mag
ic. He was a lad OF striking appear
ance, tall, handsome, with fine head
of htir, lustrous brown eyes and a
voice sweet and limpid. God grant" j"
wrote Lucian, who knew him, that l
may never meet with such another.
His cunning was wonderful, his dex-
terity matchless. His eagerness for
knowledge. his capacity for learning
and power of memory were equally
extraordinary"
Such was the well-favored young
peasant who sailed forth from his ma
tive town in search of fame and for
tune. Soon he fell In with one Cocoon
mas, shrewd tipster for the races
and somewhat of juggler. The two
rogues Joined forces and meandered