Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-01-27

II had quite an argument with Wig
mire this morning." said the retired mer-
chant. HE holds that dumb animals
have souls and that we'll enjoy their
companionship when We reach the other
shore. 1 like a good dog as well as any
man. but I'd hate to think there will be
dogs in the realm of bliss. They'd he
apt to disturb the singing. wigmires
theory is all wrong. but forty professors
couldn't make him change his mind
''And so you wasted whole morning
arguing such a doggone fool proposition
commented the hotel keeper. There's no
sense I'm debating any such a question. for
you can't arrive anywhere IL YOU talk for
100 years. There are no authorities to
quote, that / know of. Speaking as an
innocent bystander. I see no reason why
dogs shouldn't have happy hereafter as
well as men. They certainly deserve it.
II am a great admirer OF dogs and
when lived i'm the suburbs always had
fifty or sixty around the place. and L
studied them for years. i have no re-
spect for the cheap cynic who said that
the more he knew Of dogs the less use
he had for men. but it's fact that dogs
are I'm many ways superior to human
beings. They have a finer philosophy.
and they possess the rugged virtues Of
the Spartans.
"Old Tim Batty was a neighbor of mine
several years ago. He was i'm the sere
and yellow leaf and so was his dog. a
big Newfoundland, with grave and
reverend cast of countenance. They were
always together. and nobody could watch
the two without realizing that the dog
had more sense than the man. The lat
ter was cranky and irritable and mean.
and was always worrying over the fact
that he would have to cash In before a
-vl~sl . sf,.I
would fish around for assurances that he
was likely to live for twenty or thirty
years. The dog was facing the jumping
off place. too. and knew IT; yet that ami
NAL went around with a gentle dignity
that was beautiful to see. IL seemed TO
be meditating with satisfaction upon the
fact that all flesh is grass.
''One day the dog was missing from
his accustomed haunts and a search party
was organized, for he was loved and re-
spected by one and all, both great and
small We found him under the barn,
where he had crawled to die He was at
the last gasp. and he wagged his tail a
couple of times, just to show that every
thing was lovely, and crossed the great
divide. I never saw a more dignified
deathbed When that animal realized that
his last hour had come he sought Sc
cluded. quiet place. where he could die
without ostentation, and without bother
ing anybody else. 1t was a fine. heroic
thing to do. They tell me that many
animals do this, and I admire them for it,
well, after a while old Batty found
he was up against il and had to die. Did
he crawl under the barn and do ii quietly
and decently? Not on your whiskers. It
was ridiculous, the fuss he made about
handing in his checks. All the doctors in
town went to his house in relays. and
there were nurses and lawyers and
preachers, and relatives from all over the
United States, and If you had passed the
house you'd have thought there was a
camp meeting in progress. The old man
spent three days dying. when he should
have been doing something useful.
Even when he was dead the foolish
ness was kept up, for he had all kinds OF
a funeral. l marched behind the dog
goned hearse to the boneyard, and as
tramped along / couldn't help thinking
how sane and sensible the dog was Az
compared with his master.
II have seen SO many instances OF ami
NAL wisdom that m ready to believe
concerning the future of dumb
1 won't argue the question
for five minutes"