| The fact thai you have picked up this book means that you are, very probably, an arctophile. There s no need to look alarmed, however- you share this distinction with literally millions of other perfectly sane people of all ages. An aretophile is simpl) someone who loves bears. The word is taken from the Greek " arktos". meaning bear, anti "philos", meaning friend. Arctophiles everywhere agree that there is nothing like a teddy bear for constant and unswerving companionship, comfort. and dependability. They have been called the world s most popular stuffed toys, tops among countless other species. Why? Probably because real bears have such endearingly human q ualities- they stand upright and can hug with their front paws, without being as disturbingly close to us as monkeys or apes. Theodore Roosevelt. who gave his name to the teddy bear. was very keen on real bears. He hunted them. but he also enjoyed watching them going about their business. He explained the attraction in his book Outdoor Pastimes of anAmerican Hunter, published in 1905: "On one occasion thebear was hard at work digging up squirrel or gopher caches onthe side of a pine-clad hill; while at this work he looked ratherlikea large badger.., it was extremely interesting to note thegrotesque, half-human movements, and giant awkwardstrength of the great beast. He would twist the carcass aroundwith the utmost ease, sometimes taking it in his forepaws andhalf-lifting, half shoving it. Once the bear lost his grip androlled over during the course of some movement, and this madehim angry, and he struck the carcass a savage whack, just as apettish child will strike a table against which it has knockeditself..." Wherever real bears are found, they inspire respect. Bears,of course, are not to be treated lightly, being so fierce andstrong. The Indians knew all about them. Some tribesconsidered them so sacred that they never hunted them. Othertribes did, but always made sure that the dead animal s boneswere arranged in the right order, so that he would not reach theHappy Hunting Ground crippled. |
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