Evening star., 1924-11-22
THIS, AND THAT
By CHARLES Z. TRACEWELL.

We happen to punish him for his
untimeiy zeal. he throws US a glance
of astonished reproach, as though to
point out to us that we are in the
wrong and that, if we lose sight Of
the main clause of the treaty of
alliance which he made with us at
the time when we lived in caves,
forests and fens. he continues faith
full to 1t in spite of us and remains
nearer to the eternal truth of life,
which is full Of snares and hostile
forces"
But Pelleas did not have time to
, garner all his knowledge.
An i'll of a mysterious character,
which seems specially to punish the
only animal that succeeds in leaving
the circle in which 1t is born--came
TO put an end to the destiny and
the happy education of Pelleas. And
now all those efforts to achieve a
little more light: all that ardor in
loving, that courage in understand
ing; all that affectionate gayety and
innocent fawning; all those kind and
devoted looks, which turned to man
to ask for his assistance against un-
just death; all those fickering
CLEANS which came from the pro-
round abyss of a world that is no
longer ours; all those nearly human
ilttle habits lie sadly in the cold
ground, under Towering elder tree,
In a corner of the garden
Man loves the dog. Maeterlinck
continues, but how much more
ought he TO love it if he considered
In the inflexible harmony of the laws
of nature. the sole exception, which
Is that love of being that sue
ceeds in piercing, in order to draw
closer 10 us, the partitions, every
elsewhere. impermeable, that sepa-
rate the species"
We are absolutely alone on this
planet. he declares, and amid sall the
forms of life that surround us, not
one, excepting the dog, has made an
| alliance with us. He points 10 the
uncertain and craven horse" the
passive and detected ass" the OK
and the affrighted sheep the hen, the
cat, Ito whom we are nothing more
than too large and uneatable prey"
IT these were given the intelligence
a1a weapons to conquer us, he con-
tinues, even the good COW would in
spire him with but wary confidence.
LAS for the hen, with her round
quick eye, as when discovering a
slug or worm, ] am sure that she
would devour me without n thought -
The dog. however. is the one ami
mai that has escaped from it's steel
bound circle to come bounding to-
N~~d us. He is, before all our
creatu~> of gratitude"
Then we some to the climax.
phrased so poeticalIy that l will put
IT in that form:
The dog is a really privileged animal.
lie occupies In this world pre-emincnt
Envlsble among all
He is the only living being that has found
An indnhIlsble. tangible. une1ceptionable.
And definite god
He knows to what TO devote the best part Of
himself.
He knows to whom above him
To give himself
He has not TO seek for a perfect
Superior and infinite power
In the darkness. amid successive lies,
Hypotheses and dreams.
That power is there. before him,
And he moves in it's light.
He knows the supreme duties
Which we all do not know.
He has q morality which surpasses all that
he Is able to scover in himself
And which he can practice without scruple
He Possesses truth in Its fullness.
He has certain and infinite
Ideal.
Maeterlinck remembers PeIleas as
he looked just a few days before his
death.
Shall never know.
Since IT sprang from the smile and the ap-
proval
or fife incompsrabIy higher than his own.
He wsp there, studying. drinking in
All my looks;
And he replied to them grsvely.
AS from equal to equal.
To inform me, no doubt.
That, at least through the eyes,
The most immateriRl organ that transformed
into ahectionate intelligence
The light which he enjoyed.
He knew that he saying TO
All that love should say.
And. when I saw him thus.
Young, ardent and believing,
Bringing me. in some wise, from the depth OF
uuwearied nature.
Quite fresh news Of life
And trusting and wonder struck
As though he had been the first OF his race
that came to inaugurate the earth.
And as though we were still In the first
days of the worlds existence,
I euvied the gladness of his certainty,
Compared il with the destiny of man,
| Still plunging on every side
Into darkness.
And said to myself that the dog
Who meets with good master
| Is the happier Of the two