Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1879-08-09
Equine Tyranny.

couple OF young men In Philadelphia were
fred IS each the other day for riding on
bicycles In one of the parks of that city, because
q horse which was being driven there at the
time became frightened at the unusual vehicle
they were using. Without intending at the
present time to raise the question whether or
not young man ought to be fined, or even
killed outright, for being found astride of such
an absurd looking continuance as bicycle, or
whether those who cannot afford to keep horses
and carriages have not some rights In public
parks and thoroughfareS, as well as those who
can. we rise now to inquire how much longer
the horse Is going to be allowed to stand In the
way Of every improvement and invention look
Ing to the cheap, swift, and comfortable con-
veyance of person and property In the large
cities and their immediate suburbs?
That the horse Is every whit as noble an ami
NAL as he has always been claimed to be, no.
body Will probably deny. At the same time 1t
Is evident that there must somewhere be
limit to the sphere of his usefulness. He Is of
iDestimable service In agricultural pursuits,
and In sparsely settled communities, but 1t is
an open question, and one that Is likely to
get more attention In the future than 1t has
received In the past, whether the horse Is not
rather hindrance than help to higher forms
OF civilization In densely crowded cities, and
whether, on the whole, he does not take from
more than he adds to the real comfort and vel
fare OF city life. Laying aside all economic
questions connected with the keeping of horses
In cities,-how many persons their constant
use keeps out OF employment,-how much
they add to the nuisance of noise In
c1ty,-how greatly their use Increases the
cost of keeping the streets In repair
how much they add to the surface filth
OF the streets, and consequently to the
causes OF sickness, Laying aside all these Ques-
tons, we say, and In spite Of all these draw
backs, the horse Is yet permitted to stand an
1mmovable obstacle In the way of every device
or Invention that promises to dispense with his
use by furnishing better and cheaper substi-
fute for him. No matter what form OF inven-
lion, In the way OF lOcomotion, has been intro.
ouced on the public highway anywhere, II
SOMEBODY'S old crow-bait OF horse got scared
at IL, or even SHE'D from it, that was the end of
the experiment. The frightened animal hasn't
even chance allowed him to get accustomed
70 the novelty. The dangerous innovation Is at
once relegated to a junk shop or some such igno-
Die end, and the daring spirit who ventured to
test it Is lucky he does not meet a fate even
worse than that which befel the unfortunate
young Philadelphians.
1t isn't likely that the horse Will ever be dis
pensed with entirely In any place or under any
circumstances, and perhapsit isn't wise to make
serious efforts to that end; but at least he
shouldn't be allowed to stand In the way of any
thing or even the fair trial of anything that
bids fair to add to the health, comfort or even
the reasonable amusement OF the human fam
LILY. He and his owner have rights, OF course.
but they are not the only beings In the world
whose tastes, feelings and interests are to be
consulted.