New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1888-10-14
THE COWBOY At HOME.
MR.. ROOSEvELT'S NEW BOOK.
RANCH LIFE AND TIE HUNTING TRAIL BY
4o u.s. ias rSs

RANCH LIFE AND TIE HUNTING TRAIL BY
THEODORE ROOSEVELT. 'ustraied by
FREDERIC REMINGTON. 4to~pp. 1885, The
Century Company.
Mr.. Roosevelt has found in ranch life o topic
which it is distinct pr bic service to chronicle
and illustrate seeing that il is not only OF the
most peculiar phases of conts porary activity,
but one which is ephemeral in its nature, and Is
even now beginning to pass away The great
stock range the system OF its management the
peculiar occupations and habits of the genus
cowboy are, each and ALL matters which be-
fore the end of the century may have become
extinct, and concerning which, therefore we cam
not know too much at present Nor could the
topic have better-eluIpped historian. A genuine
ranchman and an accomplished hunter, trained
to habits of close observation, practised in lit
erary composition, Mr.. Roosevelt not only has
his mind filed with exact knowledge concerning
his subject, but is specially fitted. both by natural
aptitude and experience in authorship, to clothe
his facts and ideas attrachvely. His book is
fascinating. The ranch life he de scribes so WV
idly and with such wealth OF illustration is, not
withstanding its pcturcsqucncss, very laborious
and exacting business, demanding from those who
adopt it not only special skill md special prepara-
ton, but a degree of physical toughness and
endurance not given to every one
Mr.. Roosevelt is emphatic in the opinion that as
a rule Eastern men who invest in stock ranges
do foolish thing, whether they 90 upon the range
themselves or leave the management wholly to
Western men. Years Of determined application
can alone mpart the knowledge and the method
necessary to avoid disaster. Young men OF good
physique and plenty OF pick who are resolved
10 live on the ranch and learn the business thor
oughly, may and do succeed but they must serve
an apprenticeship first. and rough one. The
days Of bonanza cattle-rasing are, however,
already over Settlement is crowdng upon the
heels Of the stockmen, and competition Is over
stocking the ranges and rendering the consc-
quences. Of drouth years and especially severe
winters, more and more disastrous " In its
present FORM says Mr.. Roosevelt, stock rails
ing the plains is doomed, and can barely outlast
the century. The great free ranches with their
barbarous, picturesque and curiOusly fascinating
surroundings, mark primitive stage of existence
as surely as do the great tracts of primeval for
ests, and like the latter must pass away before
the onward march of our people; and we who have
felt the charm of the life and have eXllted in its
Astounding vigor and its bold restless freedom,
will not only regret its passing for our own sakes,
but must also feel real sorrow that those who
come after us are not to see, as we have seen,
what is perhaps the plcasantest healthiest and
ihOSt eAcitlng phoSc OF American eAlsteHct-
This detailed account Of ranch life certainly
shows that it may be healthy and often exct-
ing, but opinions will probably differ as to its
nlcasantness For the ranchman himself who
can work or not as he pleases, the life may pro-
duce feeling OF freedom, but it is difficult to
conceive Of the continuous and exhausting labor
Of the cowboys as anything else than servi-
tude OF the hardest kind, and as presenting a
rather curious parallel TO the life of the seaman
before the mast Both are exposed TO constant
perils and both are largely at the mercy Of the
elements both acquire sort OF reckless fatal |
ism. and both, having earned their wages labor-
ously, spend them fooshiy. The cowboy on |
. SPREE acts very like the sailor just of voy-
age. Each seeks TO compensate himself for |
past sufferings and hardships by what he thinks
the highest pleasures and relaxatons Each |
finds his satisfaction in the same barbarous and |
crude forms of dissipation, and cach having |
rapidly squandered his earnings, returns philoso-
phcally 10 work The life OF the cowboy is one of |
severe excrtion during the busy season. and even |
in the winter he is often called upon 10 lace the |
btterest weather in looking after the stock. lie
rides half-brokcn bronchos which Mr. Roosevelt
describes as full OF vices. On his own ranch |
be has been in the habit of making the men break
their own horses. More commonly the ranchmcn
employ specialists-cailed broncho busters
for this work. These men are rough and cruel
IN their methods, of necessity. since they must
10 the work as quickly possible.
BY taking more tine, IL is Of
course done better, and the horses 80 broken
retain fewer vices. Even at the BEST however,
lhc broncho Is an uncertain beast, as Mr. Roose-
gelts candid statements concerning his own home
5rained horses conclusively demonstrate. He
Jays Of these amiable creatures: One OK 10