George Graham Vest (1830-1904) served as U.S. Senator from Missouri from 1879 to 1903 and became one of the leading orators and debaters of his time. This delightful speech is from an earlier period in his life when he practiced law in a small Missouri town. It was given in court while representing a man who sued another for the killing of his dog. During the trial, Vest ignored the testimony, and when his turn came to present a summation to the jury, he made the following speech and won the case.
Gentlemen 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 to do us honor 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 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 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 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 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 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.
George Graham Vest - c. 1855
I can’t have a dog to this day because I lost the one that loved me like that to his dying day.
My family got him when I was just 2 years old. He loved the family, but he made it clear that I was the one who had his heart.
He would follow me everywhere. If I walked out the door, he was right behind. He sat underneath the table and devoured all the stuff that was good for me. He even ate carrots.
From the beginning, he slept on my pillow with his head resting upon my neck, with neither one of us moving a muscle all night long.
In the early days, he endured being dressed up in a bonnet, wrapped in a blanket, and strolled around the yard in a doll buggy.
As an older child, I stupidly dove in front of a car to rescue him many times.
I alienated my family from a neighbor that I screamed at when she threw a large rock at him and knocked him unconscious.
When I was about 11 years old, he broke his jaw. The vet wired it together but warned us he wouldn’t make it through the night. I stayed up all night long, petting him and praying, begging God not to take my best friend. Prayer answered.
When I was 14, my other best friend had a birthday party/sleep-over. I remember feeling pulled in two directions, not wanting to leave my dog, but wanting to enjoy being with friends. So I went.
It was early morning, but still dark, when I woke up and “saw” my dog lying across from me, just looking at me, watching me. I knew in my heart right then that he was gone, but I felt a peace that I didn’t think would be possible, considering he was such a part of me.
I waited until daylight and called home to let my family know that I already knew he was gone.
I’m still sad to this day that I wasn’t there for him, to pray for him, to offer a little comfort while he passed.
But after all these years, I also have thoughts that I was spared from watching my loyal pal slip from this life.