158 OUR HUMBLE HELPERS 



vigilant eye and rushed to bring back the runaways 

 or to drive off some evil-intentioned beast. Thanks 

 to the dog, the herd gave abundance milk and its 

 products, flesh for food, and warm wool for clothing. 

 Then, relieved from the terrible anxiety concerning 

 daily provision, man took it into his head to dig in 

 the earth and make it produce grain. Agriculture 

 sprang into being, and with it, little by little, civili- 

 zation. By the very force of circumstances, there- 

 fore, man in all countries is at first a hunter, later he 

 becomes a herdsman, and ends by being an agricul- 

 turist. The dog is absolutely necessary to him, first 

 for hunting, then for watching and defending the 

 herd. Of all our domestic animals, accordingly, the 

 dog is the earliest on record and the one that has ren- 

 dered us the greatest service. " 



