Men and Things by Dudley Marvin Canright

Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Dec 24, 1872

Men and Things.

By Dudley Marvin Canright

PEACE! PEACE!

This is the cry now on all hands. Ministers preach it, editors write about it, and politicians hold conventions to promote it. Yet, strange to say, the reverse is just what is actually being done by all nations. Manifestly, fate is against them. They are crying peace, when there is no peace. Read the following from the Christian Union of Nov. 20, 1872:—

“Austria raises her army burden nine millions sterling because Count Andrassy insists that peace may not last a year if there is any weak spot in Austrian preparation for war. It comes upon finances which are convalescent rather than healthy, and may work mischief. But the ministry want to be able to meet war with an effective army of 800,000 men, and demand for this a peace effective of a quarter of a million, and that recruits be kept in service three years. Meanwhile, Germany, under Bismarck, with coffers full of French money, is going to buy 3,000,000 rifles of a new pattern, to get a gun which will outshoot and downshoot every other gun in Europe. France, too, affords eighteen millions sterling to be sure of a very large army, into which hundreds of thousands of men must be swept, that some day France may get even with the people who have lately got the better of her so terribly. Such is the peace of Europe at this hour!”

In another article, the same paper says:—

“An ‘Eastern Question,’ of a compass and issue the foremost men in the political and diplomatic world have not comprehended, is about to surprise and agitate the nations. The slow and almost imperceptible processes by which divine Providence shapes their being, progress, and destiny, are now bringing them face to face with a fact that will astonish them.”

ANIMALS DO REASON.

Here is another interesting article, showing conclusively that brutes do reason. Still, none claim that they are immortal, while they argue man's immortality, from his power to think and reason. If it proves it in one case, why not in the other? It is from the Virginia City Montanian:

“A remarkable instance of the sagacity (is it not reason?) of a horse came to our notice. Mr. John Fletcher, of Norwegian, owns an unbroken cayuse mare which runs in a pasture adjoining his house. The mare which is very wild, has a young colt at her side. A few nights since, after Mr. Fletcher had retired, he was aroused by the mare coming to the window of his house, and by pawing, neighing, and in every way possible trying to get his attention. This continuing for some time, he got up and went out and drove her away, and returned again to bed; but she immediately returned, and if possible increased her demonstrations. He again went out, when she came up to him and rubbed her nose against him, although before she had been very shy of allowing any one to come within reach of her, then ran on a few yards before him, continuing her neighing; then, as he did not follow her, she returned to him, rubbing against him in the most demonstrative manner. He attempted to drive her off, struck her with a stick, and followed her a few yards to frighten her away. As soon however, as he turned toward the house, she returned and tried in every way to prevent him from doing so. He then remarked that her colt was not with her, a fact he had not noticed before, as it was quite dark. It occurred to him then to follow her, which he did. As soon as she saw he was doing so, she ran off before him, stopping every few yards, turning around to see that he was still following, then again running on, keeping up her calling, until she reached a distant part of the field, where she stopped at an old “prospect hole.” On coming up with her, she again commenced rubbing against him, and drew his attention to the hole, where he soon discovered the colt. It appeared it had slipped into it and was unable to get out, and the mare had taken this method to obtain assistance. Being unable to get it out alone, Mr. Fletcher went for some of his neighbors, and with them returned. While they were taking the little fellow out, the mare manifested the most intense delight, and seemed almost beside herself with joy; and afterward, when the men had got the colt out of the hole, she came up to Mr. Fletcher, and placing her nose on his shoulder, gave every sign of gratitude that a human mother might under similar circumstances. Who will say that the horse does not reason?” D. M. Canright.