Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1877-07-11
THE MULE.

Considered from Historical and Other
Standpolnts-A Humorous Review
of the Distinguishing Characterls-
tics which have Made this Unique
Animal Famous.
The mule Is the only animal that
Noah didn't take into the ark with
him. have looked over the freight
list carefully, and could not see mule
way. billed for any place. So clear-
headed man as Noah did not dare to
take one on board, as he knew he
would kick hole through her in less
than week. don't know man OF
whose head you could pour qulcksil-
yer and run less risk OF its spilling of
than on Noah's. He was a dreadful
level headed man, and before the lresn-
ct was over everybody on earth real
lied the fact.
The origin OF the mule Is enVeloped
in good deal of mystery. Tradition
informs lis that when the flood had
subsidized, and the ark had landed on
Mount Ararat, Noah was very much
surprised in one Of his first obssrva-
tons to find a good healthy mule
standing on the top of an adjoining
mountain. The same tradition in
forms us that the mule is the only an
NAL that lived through the flood out
side Of the ark.
The mule can he considered in Il
good many ways, though the worst
place from which to consider hilu Is
directly from behind, anywhere within
radius of ten feet. | never consider
mule from that point, unless l am
looking out through the tiue OF boil
er.
Sea captains and people who have
t, do with mules always pay an extra
rate to life insurance companies. A
mule and belt CT country where yell
low fever is indigenous, generally
stand the same as regards the death
rate.
The word mule comes from the
Greek, and signifies ''to stop" and
the mule himself comes to stop also.
Like multiplied by like produces like.
Grasshoppers multiplied by grasshop-
pers produce famine, and potato bugs
multiplied by potato bugs produce a
rise in the price Of yeast. But when
you try to multiply mules by mules
they don't multiply, and hence the
word mule. You may study your
arithmetic, and read through all OF
Trains lectures, but You cannot dis
cover why this is so, any more than
you can why woman cannot put on
a rubber without leaning up against
something
The mule has one more leg than a
milking stool, and he can stand on
one and wave the other three round in
as many different directions. He has
only three senses, hearing, seeing and
smelling. lie has no more sense OF
taste than a stone jug, and will eat
anything that contains nutrlment, and
he don't care two cents whether 1t be
one per cent. or ninety. nine. All he
asks is to pass him along his plate,
with whatever happens to be handy
round the pantry, and he wont 60
| away and blow how poor the steak Is.
He Just eats whatever is set before
him, and asks no questions.
Mules are naturally deaf, but that
supreme wisdom that teaches the little
boy to wipe'.his nose on his sleeve, has
fitted the mule out with pair OF ears
, that counteracts its deafness, so he
) can hear as readily as person when
: you don't want him to. These ears
} answer double purpose, as tunnels
J to pour sound into his head, and also
t as fans to brush away the flies with
, and keep his head cool. They are
hung by hinges to the sides of his
head, and flap backward and forward
like a pair Of wet trowsers round a
/. boys legs. In cold latitudes quite q
t Concluded on fourth page)