Year: 1870

! Union, Is in Mr.. Beecher's best vein


DOGGATIC CRITICISM.


Fidelity to ones convictions is a
| quality so admirable that one must
admire even the imperfect develop
ments of it which are seen in the brute
| creation. We have a country neigh
Dor whose late dog was an example to
us all in the matter of fidelity to his
convictions of duty. He had an inn
preston that it was his duty to watch
and guard his masters premises, and
he did il with mastery courage. But,
gradually, he took it into his head
that the road belonged to his master,
and nobody could go past without re-
ceiving a volley which reused up the
LATEST horse, and made the bOldest
footman look uneasily behind him.
After little, he learned to sit in front
of the gate and look as far as he could
see up and down the road. and he felt
called upon to form a critical judg-
ment upon everything that moved
upon it. This sense of responsibility
grew upon him. He feared lest he
should leave some danger uneXplOred
some duty unperfOrmed. Any un-
usual noise would set him off like an
alarm clock. Sometimes he would
tear away to the rear of the house,
charging like a cavalry officer upon
some invisible enemy. Then he would
return, with his tongue out and hap
py eonceit in his eye, as if he would
say, "I must be faithful, although
would rather be good natured. Peace
is the thing l really prefer"


We never could quite understand
this fellow-cTeature. It was evident
that he had spice of humOr under
the semblance of ferocity, and that he
often barked to keep up appearances,
and to hint to all concerned what he
would do should his duty Oblige him.
He would sit in the gateway, and in
dulge in q series of cultural and sup
pressed barks, mere practices of the
scale, as it were, to keep his voice in
condition. He would look upon chill
dren with a plying eye, as if think
ing. "Oh. YOU will be big enough to
bark at before long"


With years came a still more sub
lime sense of his responsibility. He
seemed to feel that both heaven and
earth had been committed to his care.
On moonlight nights be seemed call
ed to express himself at unusual
length and with great emphasis He
sometimes wandered abroad to see il
everything was right among neigh
bOrs and, though modesty kept him
silent on other peoples grounds, no
sooner did he get home than he open
ed his mind freely, and would some
times criticise by the hour.


1t has been doubted whether ami
mails have any moral sense. But il
that dog had not q conscience, there
never was one. He was sharp, critical
of others, content with himself, OPP
pressed with a sense of the trust COM
mitted to him, good-natured when
pleased, and cross generally, under a
sense of duty. We never could quite
make up our mind whether this dog
was the transmigTated spirit of some
medieval, inquisitOrial professor Oi
theology, or whether according tC
Darwin's very dangerous theory il
was some nascent doctor of dogma
working his way up to a professorshiI
or an editorial chair. On the whole
we liked him, though he gave us one
-Or two terrible scares. But, then, we
called it fidelity to his nature, and re-
spected his sense of duty. Although,
if it had been a little more rational
and discriminating, with a particle
more good nature and a trifie less con-
science, we should have liked it quite
as well.