The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1880-06-30
FOR THE FAIR SEX.
Can Women Drive&

Isn't it rather singular tnat women
nev err learn how to drive horse prop
erly ?n remarks some irate man as he
| inspects tired animal and finds the
bride over its ears and the bit hall
way downit throat.
"But women can drive" cries q
champion of the sex. Don't they
drive seven or eight miles to market
with vegetables or loads of hay. Don't
they take their babies out to ride when.
ever they can get hold of a horsep Why,
there never was woman who couldn't
drive, and some of them can handle q
horse much better than their husbands
can"
"Can women drive? And do you let
them handle your best horsesp" were
the questions put to r good-natured liv-
ery keeper by an interested party.
"Driver' he answered. should
think they could; but as to letting them
our best horses, that is another matter.
We have horses in our stable few men
could drive. We keep what we call
safe! horses for ladies' use-the Blnd that
will 90 anywhere it you just guide
themz-old family nags, sensible enough
to trot alor and mind their own busi-
ness, and NOT fret if they are pulled two
ways at once" ... ..,,
"Do you object to letting horses out
for women to driver" ~
"No, indeed! we have from twelve to
fifteen ladies a week come to US for
horses, and we give them good ones,
too; but, somehow, women fret horses
when they drive them. so we don't care
to give them high.spirited animals.
Now, look ut that sorrel," pointing to
one from which the harness had juts
been removed. "Ilet that horse this
morning to q bit of o woman with
wrists no bigger than my two fingers. l
didn't want to let it 60 because it's such
an ugly puller. ltold her 1t had mouth
like iron, but she said she wanted to
take an old aunt that was visiting hc7
out to see the town, and she drove off
quietly enough. But half an hour after
I saw her coming down Woodward
avenue like q streak Of lightning, every
body running to get out of the way, and
the old hanging on for dear life.
She lust had the lines wound around
those little wrists. and braced her
feet on tbe dashboard, and when she
came to a corner dashed round it on one
wheel. The rig came in ali right, but
that horse won't get its breath for q
week.
"Do they often meet with accidents
and havea smash-upP"
"No. Itis curious, but woman will
take team through a dozen hair.
breadth escapes and bring it back al
right. We have any amount of trouble
wIthmen. who take our best rigs, get
on aspree, and break things all to pieces.
A woman is either more cautious, or
she will call on every man in sight to
help her out of the scrape. They are
more apt to lose their heads in crowd
or collision, but there is most always
some special providence at hand to nelp
them. IF you notice, the most disastrous
happen when some man has
the reins.
Further talk developed the fact tha
women were not considerate in their
of horses. They forget to
blanket them in winter and to tie them
in the shade in the summer. They
sometimes use the reins as hitchlng
straps, and have settled dislike to
learning proper names for harness Not
one in hundred could tell the differ
ence between the surGingle and the
fnaftingale, or the least idea TO which
end of the animal the crupper belonged;
and if compelled TO diycst horse of
its trappipgs would undo every buckle
in the service, and take the collar of
over the animals head, to all OF which
the intelligent beast would sumbit. as
if charmed by being steadily talked'to
during the process in the witching tones
OF woman's voice.
All of this may be libel on the sex,
but it is certainly true that when an old
family horse, with ten-minute gait,
comes see-sawing down the street with
a comicaily reckless air of running
away, q woman's head looks out from
under the buggy, top, woman's hand
guides the steed in its eccentric orbit,
and Il woman's voice shouts in distinct
tones, Wh.o-a-a," at the same moment
that the reins are jerked and the whip
applied, while the pedestrians scud to the
sidewalk in terror. However liable
woman is to run over cow or street
car, she will always stop or turn out for
u baby. This is one of the instincts OF
her maternal heart to which even get
up! gl.a-n-g" is sacrificed. albany
Journal.