Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-03-17
Writer Defends Dogs
And Scores EgOtism

TO the Editor, OF The Star
May / once more come to the de-
Tense of the dog, upon whose friendly
| head has again fallen abuse from a
| gentleman who complains in your
issue of March IA that this friend OF
man disturbs his otherwise unbroken
slumbers and should therefore be
eliminated from the city.
In their perverted application OF the
promise of dominion, men have taken
1t upon themselves to eliminate In one
way or another nearly every living
, thing that in the fulfillment of ats own
| instinct for life and freedom might
| seem to encroach upon their egotis
| teal rights. They have shot. hunted,
, trapped and Gagged until such few
creatures as are left from this cam
| paign of thoroughness shrink from
man as an enemy. If they have not
| deliberately prosecuted and slaugh-
/ tered they have at least neglected
4 beyond excuse.
Providing dogs are the result of neg
| lect in one form or another. The dog
| that Is given care and love and plenty
| to eat and drink does not become
nuisance to his neighbors, but a source
| of friendliness and pleasure. The fault
| lies with those human beings who out
| of their abundance do not minister to
| The neighborhood where / live is full
of dogs-dogs that are pets and com
panionS of children and well cared for.
/ have never in the seven years of my
| residence there been disturbed at
night by barking or bowling dogs,
with one exception. And this excep-
! ton Is significant. 1t was the case of
an old dog that was kept tied up with
out shelter in the coolest weather
| He often cried and moaned like hui
man being. disturbing only in the
| sense that he inspired sympathy and
| Indignation at such inhuman treat
| ment
The other day another gentleman
| enlarged upon the offenses of dogs
who chase automobiles, and bark and
| shatter the delicate nerves of the aver
age driver. Why blame the poor ami
mails for having a little sport of this
| kind? No doubt they are obeying the
same irresistible instinct at the sight
of the moving auto that the average
driver himself obeys when he auto
! matically steps on the gas at the
sight of a pedestrian half a block
away in his path. The dog inherits
this from his prey-hunting ancestors;
the maxwell, perhaps it is the same
! with him. Then surely they ought to
| be able to sympathize with each other
If everything that is absolutely
useless in the city" could be elimi-
mated, how happy we should all be.
| Then out of town would go all the
noisy people who keep other people
| awake or awaken them in the small
! hours with their carefree and Sponta-
neous racket of every description. Out
| would go the man who sits in his big
automobile and blows, and blows, and
l h1nuyc IN ar tho atfanffNn nf
one inside the house. Out would go
the man who makes totally unneces-
sary and nerve-splitting noises with
his poorly kept and poorly managed
| automobile. Out would go the rattle
| and grind of loose jointed and worn.
out street-car equipment. Out would
| go the screeching of brakes Of the
| reckless driver.
| This attitude of humans over what
they are supposed TO suffer from dumb
animals would surely appear cowardly
| to say the least, In the light of hui
! name reasoning. When men have
demonstrated control over their own
mere noisiness and lack of considera-
| ton for the comfort and peace of
others, then it will be time for them
| to think about eliminating the lesser
noisiness of animals. which is their
natural means of expression. Mean
time, let them busy themselves little
more in the interests of the dumb
creatures: let them show the friend
| less creature friendliness and give
| him food and drink and shelter and
put themselves in his place. Let man
| try the plan of expressing his domin-
| ion and superiority in a really supe-
rior and manly way. If he can lose
his own egotism in entering more into
the life and needs of these creatures,
| he may find that the problem will be
solved without any more radical meas
| ures. VERA r. ADAMS