The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1866-09-13
About JacI1asses.
From The T1,ibnrle.

From tie Tribune.
A learned correspondent lately sent us pom
dcrous essay, intended to show that the ass was
once held in high esteem for his wisdom, which
was counted so great that many nations felt
they could not express their sense of it short of
paying the beast divine honor. That they did
80, our correspondents essay left no shadow of
doubt on the mind of the adventurous person
who waded through its long list of citations
from ancient writers; but why they did so, the
learned pundit left unanswered. WhetheY the
human race was, at an early period, when still
in a state OF childish innocence, profoundly
struck with the tremendous length ofJack's ears,
and looked upon them as tunnels for the recep-
ton of all the wisdom uttered within theradius of
the horizon: whether the bland expression OF his
countenance struck our foretather Adam as
indicative of an intelligence that, having weighed
creation, is not to be astonished nor disturbed
at anything that may happen; or, whether its
resolute way OF planting its tore feet like rock,
when it has once determined TO pursue certain
policy and refusing to bulge Tor any amount
of blows or Establishment, convinced the first
Of the race that tried to make him OF service,
that a beast that understood SO well what he
wanted, and valued his own opinion so highly,
must be abeing OF superior power; whether one
or all of these reasons combined had weight to
ground human beings in belief of his eXtraor-
dinary intelligence, and to induce them to honor
with him their best, we cannot tell Our cor
respondent, who seems to know 7erything, is
dumb on the subject, and we are lett to our own
resources Tor an answer.
But whatever the reason may be, we may con-
slider the fact settled. The ass appears TO have
risen from one station of trust and responsibility
to another, until at length he attained the highest
position which it was In the power of the people
to bestow. He became the recipient of divine
honors. Enthroned in the temple, he ate the
choicest provender Hay that had grown on
the slopes OF the sacred mountain was cut with
golden sickles by virgin prlestesses for his pecu
liar eating; three days in the week he had cakes
of barley meal mixed with honey, and thret
days' cakes OF oatmeal mixed with altar of roses
the p1ettiest waiter-e -eirsSsuppled him with un
failing lager; he was shampOoed sixteen time
n daV: his teeth were cleaned with the sozodon
of the period; his shoes were blacked by slave
who were in no hurry to get al another Gus
toner; while the High Prlestess herself con
tinuallY sang 10 him
TCome sit thee down upon this howery bed
While thy amIable cheeks do coy,
And stick musk roses in thy lalr. large head.
And kiss thy fair, large ears, mylgente Joy'
To which blandishing strain, whatever Nigh
be hislsecret inclination for very different sol
of treatment, the prudent animal carefully al
stained from making any reply whatever. ThuS
living in clover within the temple, the treatmer
outside of 1t bestowed upon all the creatures {
his kind was correspondent. Nothing was TO
good for them. They were the chosen beas
tor kings, princes, priests, and prophets to rld'