[To the Editor of THE SPECTATOR] SIR,—I am grieved to
see that my species is the origin or centre of a lamentable psychosis in your correspondent, Mr. C. E. Vulliamy. We dogs are accustomed to conceal some of our feelings about humans because we feel that their good qualities outweigh, on the whole, their bad ones; but evidently the time has come for plain speaking.
I am sure that if Mr. Vulliamy would reflect for a moment he would agree that the human race is unhealthy, corpulent, ugly, undignified, hypocritical, disloyal and capable of indescribably nauseating cruelty, not only to animals (who, after all, are resigned to it), but also to other humans. I am told that men are in the habit of attacking even the females and the young of their own species with bombs and machine- guns; of condemning their fellows to starvation or continuous semi-starvation; of betraying helpless people who trusted them. The state of mind which leads to these cowardly and contemptible crimes is quite incomprehensible to a dog.
As for befouling the countryside, surely the arch-defiler of the clean face of the earth is Man. What other animal is so squalid as to herd together in solid masses in one place, so that for miles a sensitive nose is tortured by the smell of cars, cats and amateur cooking? What other animal defiles the rivers so that no fish can survive, and poisons the air so that birds are driven away and trees are slowly suffocated?
I await Mr. Vulliamy's reply, and in proof of my bona fides I enclose the card of my master, who is prepared to testify that I am neither insanitary nor terrifying.—I am, Sir,
your obedient servant, RUFUS.
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