Iowa voter. [volume] (Knoxville, Iowa) 1867-1874, 1872-01-25
What IA Mare Die

WE give below an item taken from the
Dubuque Telegraph, If the story is true,
and we see no reason TO doubt the cor
rectneSs of the statement il is high time
that We change some of the forms of
speech in our language Let us no longer
apply the term '"instinct to that high
intelligence of animals which prompts
them TO do the same things that the wisest
philosopher or the cleareSt reasoncr would
do under similar circumstances Let us
also substitute some other qualifying
word than "beastlvN TO that state of in
toxication which places Il man in a condi-
ton where he depends on his horse for
support and protection. Contrast this
man and his faithful animal as they walk
ed through the streets of the Lead City,
and say which was the better reasoner,
the man who deliberately destroyed for
the time his abilityto reason correctly and
his physical power to walk, or the mare
which kept close watch over her drunk
en- master. raised him when he fell, and
defended him when he was imposed upon.
Here is the story as our Iowa exchange
tells it
'On Monday evening last, man.
whose name we could not learn, was seen
vending his way up Julien avenue, lead
inc a mare by the bride. He was badly
intoxicated, SO much SO that he staggered,
and it was, sometimes, more that he
could do to maintain his equilibrium.
/ The mare kept close watch on his
movements, and whenever he came near
falling, would grab his coat collar with
her teeth and hold him up. She did this
no less than "A dozen times in the presence
of several interested spectators, The
drunken man fell down on the street once,
but no sooner had he done SO, than the
animal grabbed the back of his coat with
her worries and set him up on his feet
again When little beyond Mr.. Nc
Nulty's house, the owner of the mare met
an acquaintance Of his who was also
drunk. They engaged in conversation,
and, while they were talking, bumped
against each other, and the man first
alluded To fell lie was Immediately
picked up by his mare, and, just as soon
as she had finished her job, she turned
around and let her heels fly, in savage
manner, at the man who knocked her
master down. Fortunately her heels
missed the mark. These facts have been
given us by trustworthy persons who OBJ
served, with considerable curiosity the
singular action of the mare"
And this faithful creature belongs To a
class Of animals that are daily beaten in
our streets because burdens are given TO
/ them that they cannot draw. They are
compelled To strain every muscle in
dragging carts full of earth and debris
from excavations till their limbs are dis
torted. They stand for hours, during the
bleakest days in front of fashion
able churches while their Christian
masters and mistresses worship in an at
mospherc like that Of summer, seated on
cushions Of velvet. This is one Of the
noble animals whose lives as Il rule, are
shortened one-half by neglect and hard
usage, and are then turned out 10 die
from hunger and exposure. And all be
cause the horse is a brute, differing from a
plant only in the gift of locomOtion and q
small measure or ''bTind instinct, totally
unlike the divine power OF reason that
was bestowed upon man alone. -I'ratytc
EdyU.<