Evening star., 1948-02-25
This and That
By Charles Z. Tracetoell

fElSd1S, MO.
Dear Sir:
Il am a devoted reader of your column. I
follow it every night in fact I clip your
column every night, and clip them together
and read them over and over, because love
BIRDS animals of all kinds, especially dogs
apd cats.
II want to say right now, in defense of cats,
that they do not all kill birds. I've had several
cats, and they never disturb the birds. I've
seen my Tommy, tiger, lie under the maple,
with birds above him at the feeding station,
all very happy.
I'VE humans can learn many lessons from
Gods creatures that are called lower animals.
Il wonder very much how much lower they
are?
Humans can be and are very cruel to one
another as nations and individuals.
Il have lot of birds and pair of cardinals
I am bit on the dumb side as to knowing
birds by sight.
Il know few, but not many, but this do
know-they are all Gods creatures and this
is good enough for me. Whether they be
| cardinal, robin or the poor hunted and perse-
cuted starting.
After all, we humans are Just little grains
of sand in the scheme OF things.
Very sincerely, X. c. j.
"P. S.-Be kind to all Gods creatures,
In earth and air and sea;
Our Father placed us DER them
And we must faithful be.
Though we may be their masters
We must not them oppress.
Their Maker bids us love them
And guard their happiness.
| Be kind to all His creatures,
| Lord help us do our part
To place the spark OF mercy
| In every human heart,
| Till glowing deeds of kindness
Ger all the earth increase,
And brother, man and creatures,
Shall dwell in loves sweet peace"
IN
| As to how much lower the animals are, that
! is a question.
In the old days, theologians rather rubbed 1t
in on the poor brutes.
Science in recent years has upheld the belief
of st. Francis, that we are all brothers, in =
| sense.
| Investigations have shown that man and
| the lower animals, so-called, are closer to-
| gether than apart
The more the animal mind is studied the
more it is realized that no such broad infnity
| separates the two as people used to think.
| Millions Of plain people have realized this,
| through the study of their own pet animals.
1t Is impossible to look into the devoted eyes
| of dog, or watch the ways of cat, without
realizing that perhaps it is no more than the
| lack OF some form of speech that keeps them
| still in the brute" class.
While animals do, indeed, talk" to each
| other, actually they lack the forms OF speech.
| the rules OF grammar, the dictionaries and
| word lists that all 50 to make us so different
| from them.
| Had the four legged creatures managed to
evolve all these things, no doubt they would
| have had an entirely different history.
| In that event, they might have come to
| rule the world, who can say?
| In the event that they had what would life
| among human beings have been like?
1t is impossible. of course, to imagine tiger
rule, or lion rule. or dog rule, house cat rule
| of this vast world
Those OF us who like the animals will be
willing to think that perhaps their manage
ment OF life would have been better than what
/ man has done.
Our belief is that the animals. had they
| managed to rule, would have done SO with q
| sense OF humor that would have kept them from
| cruelty In any form