The Union and journal. [volume] (Biddeford, Me.) 1858-1882, 1865-07-14
agricultural.
A Chapter on Cows.
DY HENRY WARD DEEcnER.

10 you own u cOwI Every gOOd man
ought 10. For COW is the saint Of the barn.
yard. Not one Of those final saints, who
are born afar off from goodness and fight
their way to- it; but one Of those mild, meek,
harmless saints. II homeliness is necessary
to goodness, (and there is strong presump.
tion for the theory.) COW has this prime
qualification. For nothing can we'll be more
devoid Of all beauty than genuine mixer.
There is not one line Of beauty. There is
not one limb that seems to bavc regard for
another. The muscles are thin, the shoul.
ders and neck aat and poor, the hind quar-
ters wide across and gaunt, and the whole
form is mcagcr and lathy, and poverty strick-
en-. But when we reflect that all this comes
from cows benevolcnce, and that she cats,
ruminatcs, digests, and in short, lives for the
sake Of others, our sense OF her benevolcncc
at length clothes her with a kind Of moral
beauty. She could be fat if she would only
be selfish. But she economies beauty that
she may bc profusc in milk. Blessed saint
And yet, 10 all the symbolism Of saints, VIC
do not remember single instance in which
the cow is advanced to signify anything in
holy figure. Bulls and oxen, sheep and
lambs, and holy rams abound in pictorial
legends. Lions and bears, dragons and ca
giles, serpents, bees, doves in endless repcti.
tion, stays, horses, growing cocks, falcons,
wild geese, 6sh, dogs, and wild boars, and
we know not how many other creatures that
swim, or fly, or walk, or creep, have been
made glorious in stone, and wood, and paint,
for some sake or other of the great multi
tude Of saints whom the books record. But
this noblest symbol Of all, the very ideal and
pattern Of saint, who is as poor as il liv-
ing lifo Of maceration, who gives her whole
strength to lacteal benevolence, who is pa
tient, gentle, guilcless, contcnted-and yet,
with two exceptions, no s,int can be found
(by us, at least) with COW. These two
saints arc, st. Ello and st. Perpctua. The
second has Wild cows by her side, and the
irst with oxepabout her. Let dairymen pay
respect to ths shadowy memory OF st. Ello
and St. Pcrpetua. 4
II We were to speak Of the musical voice
Of COW, people would laugh. Let man
be lost in the woods, and snffsr the terrible
excitement which comes with the irst flash
of conviction that he is lost; let him dash
wildly forth, and after an hours running.
find that he has only swept circle and come
back to the very spot from which he started;
let him. toward the going down Of the sun.
weary, famishcd, and yet wandering, hear
the low of COWS not far of! No trumpet
was ever SO sweet on tho march, and no lutte
ever charmed lover with more delight than
THE uplifted sound Of COW to wood-sick
man. And when running to tho sound, II
he comes out near some farm house. II tears
gush, and he would fain even throw his arms
around tho neck Of homely old brindlc, lot
no one laugh or deriie. Go and try tho ex-
pertinent, and zee If you would not do IL
yourself. Besides, the facc Of COW is
handsome. Il is the only thing about her
that is beautiful except by association.
But We need not 20 TO all tho trouble OF
being Lost, to reach the conclusion that q
COW has musical voice. Sitting on sum-
lner evening on the sward. under tho high
pendant elms. only enough conscious OF be-
ing in the body to receive through It tho
most insfable ssnss Of the beauty Of sights
and sounds. and then, while the birds Arc
carrying the alto. and bees arc making tom
or, let the long and repeated low OF cows
coming homo and longing for their calves,
riso bas. and tell mo il COW has NOT q
musical voice! 49,
And now. do you ask, wondering reader.
what oil this preladcsl Just this that We
arc three cow gentleman farmer: Again,
We know what 10 the real tasto Of milk. We