"Gentleman
of the jury, the best friend a
man has in the world may turn
against him and become his
enemy. His son or daughter that
he has reared with loving care
may prove ungrateful. Those who
are nearest and dearest to us,
those whom we trust with our
happiness and our good name may
become traitors to their faith.
The money that a man has he may
lose. It flies away from him,
perhaps when he needs it most. A
man's reputation may be
sacrificed in a moment of
ill-considered action. The
people who are prone to fall on
their knees when success is with
us, may be the first to throw
the stone of malice when failure
settles its cloud upon our
heads.
The
one absolutely unselfish friend
that a 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 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 encounter with the
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 thru the heavens.
If
fortune drives his master forth
an outcast in the world,
friendless and homeless, the
faithful dog asks no higher
privilege than that of
accompanying him, to guard him
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 his 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"
...Senator George Vest, 1870