SOME MORSELS
The Love of a Dog
The one absolutely unselfish friend that man can have in this selfish world… is his dog.
The love of a dog – George Graham Vest.
The one absolutely unselfish friend that man can have in this selfish world, the one that never deserts him, the one that never proves ungrateful or treacherous, is his dog. A man’s dog stands by him in prosperity and in poverty, in health and in sickness. He will sleep on the cold ground, where the wintry winds blow and the snow drives fiercely, if only he may be near his master’s side. He will kiss the hand that has no food to offer. He will lick the wounds and sores that come in encounters with a roughness of the world. He guards the sleep of his pauper master as if he were a prince. When all other friends desert, he remains. When riches take wings, and reputation falls to pieces, he is as constant in his love as the sun in its journey through the heavens. If fortune drives the master forth, an outcast in the world, friendless and homeless, the faithful dog asks no higher privilege than that of accompanying him, to guard against danger; to fight against his enemies. And when the last scene of all comes, and death takes his master in its embrace and his body is laid away in the cold ground, no matter if all other friends pursue their way, there by the graveside will the noble dog be found, his head between his paws, his eyes sad, but open in alert watchfulness, faithful and true even in death.
The Love Of A Dog was written by George Graham Vest, a lawyer and leading orator of his time. He gave this speech in court while representing a man who was suing another for killing his dog. In doing so, he was one of the first to appeal to the emotions of the jury rather than let the facts get in the way.
* * *
During the bombing of the twin towers in 2001 in New York, two dogs – Rive and Salty – guided their blind masters down the stairwell from the seventh floor. Calmly they worked their way through the debris and choking smoke, through crowded hallways and confusion to safety. These two dogs received an award for bravery and devotion to duty.
* * *
One evening when the film Oliver Twist was being shown at Chequers, Churchill’s poodle Rufus as usual had the best seat in the house, on his master’s lap. At the point when Bill Sykes was about to drown his dog to put the police off his track, Churchill covering Rufus’s eyes with his hand said, “Don’t look now, dear. I’ll tell you about it afterwards.”
Rufus always ate in the dining room with the rest of the Churchill family. A cloth was laid for him on the Persian carpet beside the head of the household, and no one else ate until the butler had served Rufus his meal.
SOME MORSELS
The Love of a Dog
The one absolutely unselfish friend that man can have in this selfish world… is his dog.
The love of a dog – George Graham Vest.
The one absolutely unselfish friend that man can have in this selfish world, the one that never deserts him, the one that never proves ungrateful or treacherous, is his dog. A man’s dog stands by him in prosperity and in poverty, in health and in sickness. He will sleep on the cold ground, where the wintry winds blow and the snow drives fiercely, if only he may be near his master’s side. He will kiss the hand that has no food to offer. He will lick the wounds and sores that come in encounters with a roughness of the world. He guards the sleep of his pauper master as if he were a prince. When all other friends desert, he remains. When riches take wings, and reputation falls to pieces, he is as constant in his love as the sun in its journey through the heavens. If fortune drives the master forth, an outcast in the world, friendless and homeless, the faithful dog asks no higher privilege than that of accompanying him, to guard against danger; to fight against his enemies. And when the last scene of all comes, and death takes his master in its embrace and his body is laid away in the cold ground, no matter if all other friends pursue their way, there by the graveside will the noble dog be found, his head between his paws, his eyes sad, but open in alert watchfulness, faithful and true even in death.
The Love Of A Dog was written by George Graham Vest, a lawyer and leading orator of his time. He gave this speech in court while representing a man who was suing another for killing his dog. In doing so, he was one of the first to appeal to the emotions of the jury rather than let the facts get in the way.
* * *
During the bombing of the twin towers in 2001 in New York, two dogs – Rive and Salty – guided their blind masters down the stairwell from the seventh floor. Calmly they worked their way through the debris and choking smoke, through crowded hallways and confusion to safety. These two dogs received an award for bravery and devotion to duty.
* * *
One evening when the film Oliver Twist was being shown at Chequers, Churchill’s poodle Rufus as usual had the best seat in the house, on his master’s lap. At the point when Bill Sykes was about to drown his dog to put the police off his track, Churchill covering Rufus’s eyes with his hand said, “Don’t look now, dear. I’ll tell you about it afterwards.”
Rufus always ate in the dining room with the rest of the Churchill family. A cloth was laid for him on the Persian carpet beside the head of the household, and no one else ate until the butler had served Rufus his meal.
