The Lancaster news. [volume] (Lancaster, S.C.) 1905-current, 1918-02-01

Will you permit an intrusion upon
the columns of your paper for few
reflections on the subject of the Dog.
anent whom we are nowadays being
regaled with much crude, adulter-
ated and "hGlf-baked" mental pabu-
lum by Jealous economists, and fan
ciful theorists: embryonic statesmen
and solvers of worldwide prob
lens, who herald, if not a full, at
least partial solution of our trou-
bles to consist in the simple remedy
OF killing a few dogs.
The dog has an honorable place
in Mythology and the ancient reli-
gions; he receives polite mention
also in the apoCryphal book of Tobit.
Tobias dog does nothing indeed hut
accompany his young master on his
journey to Ecbatana and back, but
he is there as the companion and
friend of man. There were two
types of canine divinities in Egypt
both benificient divinities. one reni-
fcient and warlike also The Egyp-
tians called the star. Sirius. which
appeared I'm the sky presagiug the
overfowing Of the Nile, that event
being the precursor of their pros
perity, the dog star" and worship
ped 1t.
There are of course. among dogs.
degenerates and criminals, as there
are among men and women-no
available statistics prove which pro
duces the greater number
The man, who as a boy. had not
dog for companion, friend and
playmate, is truly to be pitied.
There are so many things he does
not know, so many things he can
not feel, and in his isolation can
never understand. He has been de
Died his share of the pleasures ard
joys of life. For him a wonderful
spring has never flowed-if it has
ever flowed and has gone dry, be-
ware of that man.
The dog as an educator ranks /,
high, and no man ever went to |
school to him without increasing
the sum of his knowledge. Most
dogs have an unerring instinct |
which enables them to distinguish a !
good man from bad one: he sees
through the hypocrisy of his enemy, !
and cannot be deceived by words he |
knew before Talleyrand that words |
were used to conceal thoughts and !
feelings. No camouflage can deceive !
him. The dog had a working sys-
tenn of wireless telegraphy for COM
municating with his neighbors and /
kind long before the discovery of
Marconi This is one Of those
"keen-scented powers of dogs"
spoken of by Virgin in the fourth
book of the Aeneid
The dog has made life. literature
and science better and richer than
without him it could have been He
bears his sorrows. wants and trials
with a cheerful stoicism that man
would do well to emulate An Ital-
ian proverb says. There is no dog
so sad but he will wac his tail" His
executive and administrative ability
are testified to by the Russian say
ing, "One dog can drive a flock OF
sheep" He is a born policeman.
watchman and protector OF man and
mans possessions; he is detective
by more infallible instinct than
that of Sherlock Holmes; our courts
recognize his virtues and talents and
use him frequently as witness
without swearing him to tell the
truth; his simple word Of honor is
all that is required He is entitled
to credit for the discoveries OF man
In the Arctic and polar regions, for
without him man could not have
made them
There has been since the twelfth |
and thirteenth centuries a commun-
ity of Austin canons in the Saint !
Bernard passes of the Swiss Alps, (
and the famous Saint Bernard dogs !!
annually save many lives, especially |
of Italian workmen who get lost in |
the snow crossing the pass. Couvier |
expresses the opinion that the dog