The southern sentinel. (Winnfield, La.) 1883-1910, 1884-10-24
Give The Mule n Chance.

Barry. superintendent OF the Magazine
street-car lines, contains a strong confir-
nation of a theory which was very fondly
cherished and most eloquently proclaim
ed by the lamented Jack Wharton. Col.
Jack was firm believer in the mule. lie
always claimed. and with great show of
reason, that the mule is 4 miracle of pa
tience, endurance and intelligence. His
theory was that the mule is naturally
kind and gentle, and that his tricks-his
stubbornness, his vice, ete.-are the re-
suit of hard treatment. The male has al
ways been butt. lie has meekly sub
mitted to violence, to obloquy and to con-
tempt. Where a holse is pctted and ar
gued with, a mule is knocked on the head.
ANY irregularities of behavior in u horse
are ;rscribed to mettle. to high blood,
spirit, etc. He is admired as lofty
minded creature, proud aristocrat, and
all that. 4 mule is simply cursed under
similar cnmstanees-viewed rs a pig
headed and malignant brute, and treated
accordingly. fai + e
But no one who understands quadru-
peds and has had any great experience
with them will dispute the proposition
THAT. in all essential respects. the mule is
conspieuonsly the superior of the horse.
He is stronger, he has more endurasee,
he is more docile, and he is ten times
more Intelligent. He is more particular
rs to what he eats and drinks; he takes
care of himself more successfully in every
way, physically and intellectually he is
| entitled to precedence. Col. Wharton
was very fond of illustrating these prop
osirions by stories of the old border times
when jack Hayes, his relative, was fight
| ing Indians, and when long marches,
perilous rides. and hair-breadth escapes
were the order of the day and, in fact. the
night as well. He was wont to say that
no border man who had :: long and deli
cate mission before him would ever ride
a horse if he could get mule. lie claimed
| that Il good mule would srayel further in
twenty -four hours ilfan any horse; that
he could live on less; that he would not
abandon his rider under any circumstan-
ces, and that, in case of being approached
by Indians, he would give the alarm
promptly, unerringiy aud loudly.
Everybody knows that mule trained
to the saddle and kindly treated is the
most delightful animal in the world to
ride. His gait is easy. he is wonderfully
sure footed, and his intelligence is some-
thing remarkable. You can ride a~mule
in the darkest night along road infested
with ruts and bridges, yet he will never
fall down, never put his foot in . hole,
never be1ay your confidence. A horse
will do all these things. In word, the
horse depends upon his rider, whereas,
the wise rider may safely depend upon
his mule. IS -ss4 s. IS.
.Artemas Ward and Bill Arp are famous
for their wit;ieisms regarding the mufe.
One of them has said that mule will
wait ten years. submitting to every sort
Of ill-treatment, just to get a chance to
kick man through the side of a stable.
This will do as an epigram. but. as a
matter of fact, the real wonder is that the
mule doesn't kick oftener-that he is so
humble, SO patient, SO long-suffering. We
don't like to interfere with good old con-
servadre prejudiccs, but our solemn
opinion is that there is not, in the whole
animal Kingdom, so hopeless ard incor-
rigiblc fool as the horse, or so wise. so
delibera.eior SO reliable y beast as the
mulc.s We have seen horses get stampe-
ded and rnn themselves againstga tree
| with such violence rs to break their necks.
We have seen horses run away with We
hicles and dash everything into minute
fragments. You can't frighten mule 80
that he will pnt his foot into mld-hole,
l'and no mule was ever known'to prolopg
run-away more than three hundred
yards. In short. there is just one reason
| why the mule is spoken of disparagingly,
and that is because he is not allowed a
chance The scheme of nature has given
him intelligence in compensation for bis
lack Of the provocative faculty. but we are
not wise enough to develop that gift.-'
! I'D. = sf a
- - 49, - rsss7 erss
n II. 81