WILD LIFE IN CALIFORNIA 



91 



how the larger animals relentlessly prey upon 

 the smaller, and the smaller upon the small- 

 est; and how the majority of all four-footed 

 animals are hunted, trapped and slaughtered 

 for food, skins and fur by man. With domes- 

 tic animals the conditions are not so severe. 

 True, such as are bred and reared for human 

 consumption have limited terms of existence, 

 measured by their condition of fitness as 

 food, but other domestic animals like the 

 horse, cow, dog, cat, etc., that assist man in 

 procuring the necessities of his life, or serve 

 him as a companion or guardian of his per- 

 son or property, pass an existence more free 

 of troubles, cares, disappointments and mis- 

 fortunes, than all other members of the ani- 

 mal kingdom. 



Nature, however, does not permit even 

 these few representatives of life forms to 

 pass an existence entirely free of trouble, for 

 with all their easy conditions of life the most 

 fortunate may enjoy, there is disease, acci- 

 dent, result of passion, to which they are still 

 subject. 



The leniency of nature, especially as relates 

 to the dog and cat, may be an exception wisely 

 designed as an object lesson to those of man- 

 kind inclined to rail at her scheme of life and 

 who would remodel it into one without care, 

 want and conflict and with absolute peace and 

 harmony. Even the dog's life with its few 

 cares and vicissitudes would be an elevated 

 existence compared with what that life would 

 be under such an order of things. There would 

 be no homes, for they would involve cares 

 and vexations; no factories, for they would 

 engender trouble; no professions or businesses, 

 for they would necessitate labor to acquire 

 and maintain. Ignorance would replace 

 knowledge; indifference and stagnation would 

 be substituted for science and progress, pro- 

 ducing life without aim, purpose or desire. 



However, it is not my intention to discuss 

 the question, whether or not Nature's scheme 

 of life could be improved by the elimination 

 of its dangers, vexations, cares, conflicts, etc. 

 What I have written is for the object of 

 recalling to unthinking minds that these 

 things, objectionable as they may seem, are 

 inseparable and in a sense unavoidable in all 

 forms of life, including mankind. It has al- 

 ways been so and probably will continue so 

 until the end of time, with some modifica- 

 tions as the mind of man broadens and de- 

 velops in his conception of things, with 

 higher regard for his obligations to and his 

 relations with, not only his fellows, but all 

 other forms of life. 



According to the estimates of those writers 

 best qualified to judge the nine branches of life 

 that compose the animal kingdom embrace 

 five hundred and twelve thousand five hun- 



dred species, of which man is one. By rea- 

 son of his superior intellect and habits man 

 is regarded as being in a division of life apart 

 and in advance of all other forms, but physi- 

 cally he is only a variation, inferior in 

 strength and endurance, compared with many 

 of the mammals to which he belongs. He 

 was created on the same general plan, with 

 organs functioning on the same general prin- 

 ciples, as with the mouse, fox, horse, dog, 

 elephant, or other vertebrates. For this rea- 

 son, if no other, man is subject to the opera- 

 tion of the laws of nature the same as the 

 balance of the animal kingdom, from which 

 there is no escape or exception in his favor. But 

 nature dealt more liberally with man in giv- 

 ing him a superior intellect, by the proper 

 operation of which he avoids or reduces to a 

 minimum many of the objectionable features 

 attending life. However, the responsibility of 

 its use and operation is placed wholly on man 

 himself. It depends largely upon the in- 

 dividual, how he exercises the great intel- 

 lectual gifts of reasoning, judgment and per- 

 ception, whether his life shall be made a 

 pleasant or unpleasant career, a success or 

 failure. 



In one sense life is war and the man who 

 spends his time brooding over misfortunes, 

 who is cast down by failures, who bewails his 

 lot in life because of losses or accidents, or 

 who lets his griefs unduly sadden his life, is 

 like the soldier in battle who lays down his 

 arms or flees at the first onset of the enemy. 

 His conduct casts a gloom on his surround- 

 ings and he becomes an object whom people 

 seek to avoid even though they entertain feel- 

 ings of pity for him. 



When man discovers his place in nature's 

 great scheme of life, and realizes that he is 

 only one among millions of his own and other 

 forms of life, all subject to the same laws, 

 and learns that the hard knocks in life are 

 not wholly accidents but incidental to opera- 

 tion of nature's great scheme, and develops 

 the courage and strength of character to face 

 them, he will have laid the foundation for 

 genuine enjoyment of life, as well as put 

 himself in the way to command the respect 

 and esteem of his fellows, which alone is one 

 of the most satisfying, solid and enduring 

 comforts attending life. 



Human life has its genuine pleasures and 

 its enjoyable compensations for its troubles 

 and hardships, but they are not commodities, 

 purchasable, like goods on the shelves of the 

 merchant's store, but things that are free 

 to all, yet are obtainable only by proper con- 

 duct and unselfishness in our relations with 

 our fellows, by being temperate in all things 

 and loyal to the laws of nature and society. 







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