Daily Yellowstone journal., 1889-06-13
Thursday. June IL, 1889.
M%uIILArlNe tcRsss.
Densuncine the IariIr"u, Practice Of
Docking the Animals Tails.

Densuncsag the Earblr"u, Practice Of
Docking the Animals Tails.
TIE Legislature Of Massachusetts, bias
enacted a law against the practice OF
docking the tails of horses.
That is a lnw in the interest Of hu.
mainly and common ens
The mutilation of IA horse by chop
ping of his tail is no less a mutilation
In reality than the cutting of OF his
ears, or taking out one of his eyes. In
either case il is not only an atrocious
ACT Of cruelty TO the horse, intlicting
needless pain, but produces a disfig-
urement.
Ii is not only in bad taste. il is es-
sentially barbarous. Ii belongs prop
erly with the customs of tribes that
fatten their heads, bore holes through
their lips or noses, for the purpose of
wearing a billet Of wood suspended
from such localities by a cord. and
otherwise disfigure the features made
by nature.
As 10 the bad taste, il is an old
Latin adage hat there is no diSputing
about tastes; and there may very
likely be people who would say that a
INITIATED horse, with tail chopped
souarely off aud left very short, is a
nc graceful aud beautiful creature
tnan one whose sweeping tail has not
been chopped off. We are not going
10 argue the point; but il may be said
that nature, in providing a horse or
a COW with a tail, intended 10 give
those animals an appendage which,
while it actually improves their APP.
p~earance, affords them at the same
time a means of swishing off flies and
other singing and annoying insects.
A COW with her tail cut off is not a
worse mutilated animal than a dock.
ed" horse.
There was formerly a refinement of
~atrocity added TO the docking" in
the shape of ''pricking'-to use a
horse jockey phrase of fifty years ago
which consisted in deeply stabbing
the tail on either side, close TO the
body, producing great pain and much
bleeding, and then compelling the
poor animal TO have the injured mem.
Der drawn up night and day, for some
time, TO help make il sore" so that
in healing il would acquire such "a
tendency that il would not readily as
sumo its natural position again, and
so, in jockey parlance, the horse
would be said to carry a good tail"
This idea of carrying a good tail"
seems 10 have rested upon the belief
that a horses tail should assume the
position and shape of a ROSTERS. Ii
is, we think, less held now by horse
~fanciers.
One added reason against the dock
ing" OF horses tails is the fact that
the practice, barbarous as il is, lacks
yer the merit Of originality. 1t isa
weak and slayish imitation. 1t is an
ape like imitation Of the English prac-
tice. Because English fox hunters
and horse owners know no better than
TO intiict injury upon their horses, we
must needs ape them, even in this
bad custom, as in everything else. 1t
is disgrace TO the imitators, and a
shame 10 any person who lays any
claim TO the possession OF humane feel
ings.
1t is good to see some tendency,
even a little, 10 an abandonment Of
this apish, slavish, cruel practice. By
and by men will be ashamed that they
e resorted TO il. II is only one Of
the cruelties wantonly inflicted upon
the noblest animal that serves man;
but its offense is Of such a nature that
one would say it must become appar-
ent even TO the most needless Of its
uuholders. Hartford Conn Times.