The Hawaiian gazette., 1885-09-02
Educated Equiues.

After this season shall retire. said
PROFESSOR bartholomew, owner of the edu-
Gated horses, to reporter. Il will take
my horses home with me and see lust how
far their education can be carried. I
want one OF them to learn to 90 to the
postotice and get the mail, another 10 90
TO the store, and another to run errands -
The professor and a LEADER reporter were
seated in the rather elegant private office
OF the former, aboard his car that is side
tracked down by the Central depot. when
this conversation took place. The car Is a
model one throughout. The rrooms have
one end of 1t themselves, while the Dro-
lessor and hls son occupy the other,
both as an office and sleeping room. The
horses, twenty IN number, have roomy
quarters between. Well-lighted bay win
dovs give them plenty of manager room
and they are never crowded. The pro
lessor talks freely about the work of edu-
eating horses. 1T can't be learned from
books" he said. The best book that was
ever written on horse education cannot
make trainer out of man unless he has
had experience. When l first started nv
show out on the road, four or five wears
ago, people advised to get copyright
but told them preferred cornpetitIon
Something after this order started ont
year ago, but had to 60 under. The
trouble was the horses were not educated |
They had merely learned tricks. II was
nothing after all but circus. Thew had
one horse which it was claimed could tell
the time of day. The trainer would hold a |
watch up TO his nose and ask him what
time 1t was. Then by a sign unperceived |
by the audience, he would swing his whin
toward him, and the horse had been
taught by that motion to paw. Suppose
II was twenty minutes to three. When
the horse had paved three times tbe
trainer would .skilfully swing his whip
away. The fear was gone and the horse
stopped paving. Is it Just threeP' vould
be asked, and the trainer slightly elevated
bus hand. The horses had learned br
force, probably by having a pin thrust IN
his neck. TO shake his head. How many
minutes does it lack of three7' yould
then be asked. Again the little wbin
would be swung near the horses foot. he
D,egan TO paw and when he had tanned
ne noor twenty times he yould SION
Ihen the people would say, YES. he can
ell the time The idea is absurd Ths
horse stopped paving when be had ind;-
'ated the twenty minutes because the fear I.
1f the whip was removed. /.
50 it is with all trick horses. thew feel
he whip on their fore legs, and find that
y paving they can avoid It. The vhin /.
racks over them and they lie down II !
racks behind them and they 20 ahead. /;
'etore them aud they hack I'D. 1t is ali | /
orce; 1t is not education. 4 horse can !
leTer learn to tell the time of day. He
annot conprehsnd what time means. His E
yes are not delicate enough To see the n
ands and figures An experienced trainer Fl
an handle the whip so cautiously That a
be sndence fail to see it and they i1aae-5;ne C
pc horse is really giving them bis iim5re[- o
ions OF the time of day. A horse can b
and understand lust as mncb u
ne can voluntarily express, and no N
ore For instance, you have noticed n
y horse acknowledge applause. I have e.
ught them that cheering and hand clan
ng mean for them to 60 to the front 81
g stage and bow. They don't know WHY or
Il they know that the applause calls for s.
St that response on their part. / have u