The anti-monopolist. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1874-1878, 1877-06-07
a BULL ONTHE TRACK.

When George Stephenson was before
a committee who were 1nqulrlng INTO
the nature of his locomotive, one farm
er committeeman, after hearing that
probably the unexampled speed OF
twelve miles an hour would be attain
ed, and realizing that the machine
could not leave it's rails, sagely remark
ed: "But Mr.. Stephenson, supposlng
cows should get on your track, before
your engine!' "Well, replied
the inventor quietly, sit would be bad
for the cows.
If the questioner had framed his
query to refer to bovines Of the mas
culine gender. subsequnt experience
has shown that Stephenson reply
might we'll have been otherwise; for
while the average COW is not run over.
as a rule, except involuntarily, bulls
have over and over again scorned to
| flv from locomotives, and, while be-
ing killed themselves, have wrecked
the aggressive train. A remarkable
instance of this happened recently in
Virginia. just as a heavy freight train
was approaching a bridge. A bull
with name and tail erect, placed NM
self in the middle of the track, breath
ing fierce defiance. The engineer put
on the brakes and blew his whistle;
but the brute lowered his head and
refused to stir. 1t was impossible to
stop. and the engine struck the AMI
mai lust as it was passing on the bridge
left the rails, and was precipitated on
the trestle work, which gave way.
The locomotive. tender, and SIX
freight cars went down into the abyss,
the boiler exploded, and the bridge,
and cars in few mo-
ments were in flames. The bridge,
which was 100 feet long. was entirely
consumed. the locomotive of course
was ruined. and the engineer was NOR
tally injured. The loss to the railroad
company amounts to over $4,000.
What became of the bull is not stated.
Mr.. Herbert Spencer, discussing the
subject of the distinction which brutes
are capable of making be
tween animate and inanimate OBJ
iects. says that. where intelligence RI
ses beyond the merely automatic. the
motion implying life begins to be dis
tinguished from other motion by
,, spontaneity. That t. = Spontaneity OF
motion serves as a test he considers
is clearly shown s'by the behavior OF
tame animals, and even of wild an
imals. in presence of railway trains
In the early days of railways. they
showed great alarm; but after atime
, familiarized with the roar and swift
, motion of this something. which. ap
: pearing in the distance, rushed by ane
disappeared in the distance. are re-
CARELESS of it, This implies that the
knowledge acquired by cattle in the
early days of the locomotive is heredi
| tarv. which is in accordance with Mr.
, Darwin's we'll known deductions from
, observation of other traits. from gen
Grafton to generation. in hunting dog:
, and other trained animals. But In thu
. case of brutes in which there exist:
great pugnacitv. such as bulls. i
would seem that the sentiment of an
: ger is. as in the case of man. strong
5 enough to overpower the knowledge
| which is analogous to reason. Their
t can be traced in man. besides. tn
5 same tendency to think. in moment
g of rage. that objects, which he know
4 to be inanimate. are animate. Mad
/. angry bv resistance to his efforts. h
: may in fit of anger swear at som
t senseless thing, or dash 1t to tn
e ground. or kick it. "But, to quot
n Mr.. Spencer again. 1.-THE obvious il
s depreciation is that anger. like ever
h other strong emotion. tends to dis
e charge itself in violent muscular az
N tons, which must take some directio
IN or other" and the same author goe
re on to show that, as generally the oil
j. ject of wrath is living object, to th
t, injury of which the muscular exc
Id tions are directed, so this sam
as muscular discharge is, by force {