The Portland daily press., 1873-10-23
TERMS $500 PER ANNUMIN ADVANCE.

dickens Is, tDat the AGILITY, and especially the
inability OF the horse Is greatly oyerrated
and chiefly by those who really know but
comparatively little about the treacherous
and uncertain animal from their own exper:-
ence. But let me first give you D.ckens's ar
tice referred to, which many will regard as y
TRADE against their fayorite quaGruDed; and
then l will explain where / first found 1t,
how hard have worked to refnd 1t, anl,
with your permission, will add some correla-
tive arguments Of my own. Here is the ar
tice:
"CAarles Dickens on Horses.-I object to
the personal appearance OF the horse. pro-
test against the conventional idea of beauty,
as attached to that auimal. 1 think his nose
too long, his forehead too low, and his legs
Except in the case OF the cart horsel ri lie
ulously thin for his body. Agail consider
ing how big an animal he Is, l object to the
contemplate delcacy of his constitution. Is
ne MT the sickliest creature in creation?
Does child catch cold as easily as a horse?
Does not horse, for all his appearance of
superior strength, strain his fetlock as easily
as sprain my ankle? Furthermore, to take
him from another point OF view, what help
less wretch he is! No fine lady requires more
constant waiting on than horse. Other an
imals can make their own toilet; be must
have u groom. You will tell that this is be-
cause we want to make bis coat artIhcially
glossy. Glossyl Come home with me. and
see my cat-my clever cat, who can groom
herselil Look at your dosl See how the
intelligent creature curry combs himself with
his own honest teethi Then, again, what
tool the horse is-what poor nervous fooll
He will start at white stone, or a piece Of
paper In the road, as il it were lion. His
one idea, when he hears noise he is no. ac-
customed 20, Is to run away from it. What
do you say TO these two common Instances Of
the sense and courage of this abSurdiy over
praised animal? l might multiply them to
200 if chose TO exercise my mind and waste
my breath, which can never do.
I prefer coming at once to my last charge
against the horse, which Is the most serious
of all, because it affects his moral character.
l accuse him boldly, in his capacity of ser
want to man, OF slyness and treachery. i
brand him publicly, no matter how mild he
may look about the eyes, or how sleek he
may be in the coat, as systematic betiayer,
whenever he can get the chance, OF the con-
fdeuce reposed in him.
This article was floating about In the
papers in 1860, and was copied into the
Portsmouth Chronicle, where / read and ap-
preciated it. Many time have tried to
fird it, here and elsewhere; have inquired of
and written to numerous parties, and have
asked for it through at least three different
newspapers, including the Globe and Tran
script, and spent not q little time in search
vain.
Happening to mention the matter to tho
Hon. Ii. II. Coolidge of Boston, one day,
found he had seen the article somewhere and
was desirons of finding it again, but had also
sought uasuccessfuly. He thought the
words were put into the mouth of one of
Dickens's characters, but could not tell which
nor where. 1t was during Mr.. Coolidee's
first term as President OF the Senate, and, as
he is not so much in love with horses as
Governor Cla6in IL known to be, suspect he
wanted Dickens to help him fortify his posi-
ton against fast horses. Be this as II may,
Mr.. Coolidge is the only man except James
T. Fields, and one other friend who rea it in
the Chronicle here, whom have ever met in
all my inquiries who had seen or heard of this
argument of dickens vs.. horses.
Meeting Mr.. Fields here on the 4th of Ju-
ly, / asked him about 1t, and was astonlshed
to be told that be had been hunting for the
article for yearsl He said it was not in any
of Oickenss published works, but was only
fugitive piece from his pen, but he did not
doubt it was authentic. On learning this 1
was almost discouraged, tor if Fields could
not inform me about Dickens, who could?
Finally, grew desperate, aud procuring the
bound files of the Chronicle and enlisting the
services of several friends we hunted till we
found it-and now you have it, aud Mr.. C.
and Mr.. F., and all the rest of mankind can
get copies, through the great Globe itself.
And declare 1t is true indictment, in ev-
cry count, on.y the half is not tJld. The
horse is useful, valuable, almost indispensable,
but there you must stop; he is not noble nor
! chivalrous. He is timid, reacherous, dirty
| and delicate. The COW Is scarcely more fool
ish, the pig not more stubborn, the cat
scarcely less reliable.
The most intelligent horse l ever owned,
which can be driven anywhere without reins,
is confirmed halter puller. have seen a
young and gentle mare, when being led by
her favorite groom, kick half his teeth down
his throat; and all hosters know that very
common trick in horses Is, to kick at tie nan
who has just fed them. / recol'ect when a
boy, and living near Governor Harriss resi-
dence in this city, that one horse in his stable
kicked another beautiful animal that was
passing his stall, and broke her leg, and I
have owed the species grudge ever since'
But cannot enumerate, and must hold my
pen, ii not my horses. My point is that
horses shall not be overestimated, that Is all.
l knew i will be urged that they aie intelli-
gent and ingenious; SO they are, usually for
mischief or for their own ends. And low ng
and ahectionate--5ut can't exactly allow this
since they do not always appreciate kind
treatment, from one another or their grooms
or owners.
But this heat Is getting too long, and may
get blown. With single allusion to Mr.. Muir
rays new book close. In your mott e of it
the other day, believe he was quoted as say
ing, that horse with fiat forehead will be
surly, ugly beast, Now tha. is exactly cp-
posite to my belief aud experience. Nearly
all the Contrary" baulky, vicious beasts I
have ever seen. had full round foreheads; and
an experienced and sagacious horseman st
my elbow exactly agrees with me. Every
horse In my stable to-day (iucudiug Black
Hawk trotter, and the first colt of old Fear
naught, and also the first colt OF Fearnaught,
second), has afi at forehead; and if there are
any kinder animals anywhere, have never
seen them. Either l have altogether mis-
apprchended Mr.. Murray, or he misappre-
hended this feature Of his subject Yours,
HORSE MARINE.
PORTSMOUTH, N. II.