If Only We Had Not Lost Our Tails! by Jerome K. Jerome. Short summary

5 seconds

An English writer tells of a friend of his, whose name is unknown, who lamented that people did not have tails. The unnamed comrade assured him that having a tail would only do him good.

1 minute

The author states that an unnamed friend of his felt pity for the lack of tails in the human race. The friend, whose name is unknown, was eager to prove that if people had tails it would only benefit them. The comrade said that it would be possible to wag the aforementioned body part the way dogs do. In addition, in his opinion, the tail would be able to extend into a string shape in those moments when a person is angry.

Jerome expresses his concern that humans would teach their own tails to behave politely. The English writer adds that successfully teaching these body parts to be polite could lead to them expressing it even in those moments when the man himself is burning up inside with the anger that consumes him. The author gives the example of the fig leaf, which people have come to use to hide their bodies, but not to hide their thoughts.