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Dogs, Cats, a Giant Tortoise and the Church of England by Christa Buswell
Recently I read a splendid book by Diarmaid MacCulloch, The Reformation (Viking-Penguin, 2004). Tempted into buying it by one of the most glowing reviews seen in many a moon, I found that it was, indeed, "a book for the ages." Although, at close to 800 pages, the work may tell you more than you want to know, where else would you find tidbits such as these? "(Archbishop) Laud had a reputation of being kind-hearted to the poor, and he showed engaging affection for his pet cats and his giant tortoise (a beast that survived all subsequent upheavals at Lambeth Palace until it was accidentally killed by a gardener in the mid-eighteenth century)." Or, "in the Laudian zeal to make worship and church interiors more holy … they even tried to stop people bringing their dogs to church. The English were already a nation of dog enthusiasts if not dog lovers, and they tolerated dogs in church on the same basis as children, as long as both groups behaved themselves." It was ever so. Dog people, cat people, fish and bird and reptile people, owners of stuffed animals, lovers of all of God's creatures. Myself, I like pigs, even though they have a universally bad press. But then there's Wilbur of Charlotte's Web fame, who is not only some pig, but a positively radiant one. (Not to worry, I don't own one, not even a pot-bellied one. They wouldn't let me on the bus with a pig in a poke or on a leash, anyway. And a pig in church?). All things are holy. All things are one. This was said by Native Americans, whom we called savages. We agree with their statement, and so we bless the animals on Sunday, September 26th. Bring in your two and four-legged pets, your finned and feathered friends, and invite your neighbors and friends to join us as we bless our animal companions. In honor of this fun and festive event, Books by-the-Sea is offering lots of new animal books for you and your kids. Stories full of exciting adventures, and in full Technicolor. With a supporting cast of stuffed animals needing to be adopted, hugged and loved. Thus continues the age-old love story of man and beast.
Copyright © 2004 St. Augustine by-the-Sea
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