San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1886-01-23
THE COWBOYS INSTITUTE.
Avery Readable Article on the Subject
from Bill hye.

tory of Montana to-day without being
strongly impressed with the wonderful
growth OF the great cattle growing and
grazing industry of that territory. And
vet Montana Is but the northern extrem.
ity of the great grazing belt which lies
at the foot Of the Rocky Mountains, eX-
tending from the British possessions on
the north to the Mexican border on the
south, extending eastward, too, as far as
the arabic lands of Dakota. Nebraska,
and Kansas.
Montana at this season OF the wear Is
the paradise of the sleek, high-headed,
2.year-old Texas steer, with his tail over
the dash board, as well as the stock
yearling, born on the range, beneath the
glorious mountain sky and under the
auspices of roundup No. 81.
do not say this to advertise the stock
growing business, because it is already
advertised too much, anyway. So many
millionaires have been made with free
grass" and the early-risirg, automatic
branding iron, that every man in the
United States who has a cow that can
stand the Journey seems to be about TO
take her west and embark in business as
q cattle king.
But let me warn the amateur COW man
that la the great grazing regions 1t
takes good many acres OF thin grass to
maintain the adult steer in aifluence for
IL months, and the great pastures at the
base Of the mountains are being pretty
well tested. Moreover, | believe that
these great conventions Of cattlemen,
where free grass and easily acquired for
tunes are naturally advertised, will tend
.la Of
founder the goose that now lays the gOl-
den egg. This, of course, is really none
of my business, but If | didn't now and
then refer to matters that do not con-
Germ me | would be regarded as retiCent.
My intention, however. in approach
ing the great cow industry, which, by
the way, is anything but an industry,
being in fact more like the seductive
manner whereby promiSory note ac-
quires two per cent per month without
even stopping to spit on its hands, was
to refer incidentally to the proposition
of an English friend OF mine. This
friend, seeing at once the great magni-
tude of the COW industry and the neces-
sity for more and more cowboys has
suggested the idea of establishing cow
boys college or training school for self
made young men who desire to become
accomplished. The average English
man will most always think OF some
thing that nobody else would naturally
think of. Now, our cattleman would
have gone on for years with his great
steer emporium without thinking of es-
tablishing an institution where poor
boy might go and learn to rope four
year-Old in such way as TO throw
him on his stomach with a siCkening
thud.
But now that the idea has been turned
loose, | shall look forward to the time
when wealthy men who have been in
the habit of dying and leaving their
money to other institutions will meet
with change of heart and begin to en-
dow the cowboys college and the Nav
erick hotbed OF bronco sciences.
We live in an age of rapid advance
ment in all branches of learning, and
people who do not rise early in the
morning " ill not retain their position In
| the procession. ! look forward with
confidence to the day when no cowboy
will undertake to ride the range with
out diploma. Educated labor is what
we need. Cowboys who can tell you in
scientific terms why it is always the
| biggest steer that eats pigeon weed
in the spring, and why he should
swell up and bust on rising Chicago
| market.
hope that the day is not far distan,
| when in the holster of the cowboy we
| will find the Iliad instead of the killiad
the unabridged dictionary instead of Mr.
Remington's great work on homicide
| AS il is now on the ranges, you nigh
ride till your Mexican saddle achet
before YOU would find q cowbo,
who carries dictionary with him. FO
that reason the language used on tn
general roundup Is at times grammatic
ally inc orrect, and many of our leading
cowboys spell "oavvy-yard" with "k.
"A college for riding, roping, branding
cutting out, corraling, loading and un
loading and handling cattle generally
would be great boon TO eur young
men who are at present cropping in darl
and pitiable ignorance Of the habits o
the untutored COW. Let the young mai
first learn how to sit up three nights il
succession, through bad March snow
storm and "hold" herd Of restless cat
tie. Let him then ride through the no
sun and alkali dust week or two, sub
sisting on chunk of disagreeable sid
pork Just large enough to bait a trap
Then let his horse fall on him and mi ur
his constitution and preamble. "A
these things would give the cow stu
dent an idea Of how to ride the range
The amateur who has never tried to rid
skittish and sulky range has still
great deal to learn.
The young Maverick savant cOul
take a kindergarten course in the stud
of COW brands. Here a wide field open
up to the scholar. The adult steer
the great realm of beef is now a walkin
Chinese wash bill, a Hindoo poem in til
original junk-shop alphabet, foul
legged Greek inscription punctuate
with jimjams, a stenOgrapher's notes {
riot, bird's-eye view Of a prematur
explosion in hardware store.
The cowboy who can at once grappl
with the great problem Of where to pr
the steer with "B bar 3" on left shou
der, key circle G" on left side. "Hea
d Heart on right hip, left ear crol
waffle tie waffle, and seven hands roun,
with Dash Dash" on right should,
"vented" waffle on dew lap vented, an
"P. d. O." &c. D. D." and IN. G.
vented on right side, keeping track
transfers, range, and postoffice Of la
owner, has certainly got future whiC
lies mostly ahead of him.
Perhaps | have said too much on tn
subject, but when | get thorough
awakened on this great porter-hout
S steak problem | am apt to carry Il
l matter too far.
y The Invalid Pensions Committee.
(, WASHINGTON, January 22.-The Hou
: Committee on Invalid Pensions to-di
agreed to report favorably the bill to e
tend the limitation clause OF the AREA