Elmore bulletin. [volume] (Rocky Bar, Idaho) 1889-1906, 1891-09-05
HIS HUMANE HOBBY.
A LOVER OF HORSES breaches
AGAINST THE CHECK REIN.
Carrying on Painting In uis Hand Tie
Goes About the streets Lecturing Driv-
er~. and showing fhcm the Cruelty OF
High Checking Experiences
'Down wllh the eheck reInI'

High Checking Experiences
Down with the check reni"
Such is the war cry chosen by gentle
man OF Scandinavian extraction whose
name Is G w Petersen On Sundays,
and ON week DAYS too, he may be seen
at various street corners talking to cosch
men, teamsters and owners of horses lie
holds an oil painting IN his hands and
shows II to the people lie addresses "a al
illustrai ION oi his arguments The picture
represents a horse swan and a man. all
checked up high: and bears the following
peculiar Inscription.
When under high pressure Of low pride
try the check rein on Yourself
Mr. Petersen Is laughed at and ieered
at by the people he addresses ne Is often
taken for crank and told roughly TO
mind his own business, but with the
obstinacy and perseverance, OF Peter the
Hermit. he goes on preaching crusade
against the check rein. He Is one OF those
characters who cannot be discouraged by
obstacles, and who. having once taken up
an Idea, will follow 1t to the end
Laugh AZ me take me for y fool, Mr.
Petersen says, but ! will stick to my
business ana shall denounce the check
rein whenever there Is a.chance"
Mr.. Petersen is not member Of the
Humane sotirty He Is no professional
friend of animals In fact he minds his
own business every workday IN the week.
But as soon as lac feels himself at liberty
to spare all hour or two he takes his pic.
ture and goes out on the street TO carry
on his eccentric propaganda He is a
friend of the horsos, and he suffers when
he sees them suffer
REGARDLESS or COMFORT
Fashion is the curse of this age" said
Mr.. Petersen, people will follow II re.
gardless Of comfort They will put
mountains on their backs and call II the
hustle They will torture themselves in
order to comply with certain forms de
clarcd To be the fashion When people
torture themselves do not care Let
them suffer, they ought to know better.
| then think 10 myself But when see
helpless animals tortured for the sake of
complying with ridiculous demands Of
fashion, | get indignant and cannot stand
IL, The horse Is one of the most beauti
ful animals. because of his fine prupur
tions and graceful, curved outlines Now
look AT that picture What do YOU see
therey You see the laws Of nature vio.
lated. fou see a machine put up ON the
horse In order TO do away with the curved
line his archcd neck forms
That Is the way begin my canversa.
tion with the people handling horses and
using the check rein
II tell them tnat this check rein is not
only disliguring the horse but also iniur
ing his health 1t robs him nf comfort. II
makes him nervous. and he cant see
anything. because of being forced 10 look
upward unto the sky Then point To
the swan. and ask the coachman what
that noble bird would look like II check
rein would be put over her head, Then
point To the checked up man, and ask the
cOachman to tell me how he would feel II
he were checked up in a like manner.
How would you feel, manr | say.
The first few minutes you would proba.
bly, endure this constraiut without much
complaint But then you would begin TO
kick. Ia a short time Your neck would
begin To ache. and your mouth would be
filled with blood from the fruitless efforts
to get the head down You would be
come restless and begin to toss your head
just as your horse Is doing it now. How
would you feel if. while the sun were
binding your eyes. with "a burden to draw
/ or carry unable To see wuere 10 step, you
were whipped into n run, into ditch or
depression in the rough street pavement
Would you feel comfortable? That
why you often see fine horses harnessed
+ to elegant carriages paw vigorously.
champ the bit. toss the head. and turn
the neck. They want TO loosen the check.
lower the head, and get a rest.
HOW THE DRIVER TAKES IT.
The driver smiles or laughs. or STAN
mers something He thinks | am queer
fellow. and goes ON To explain that he
would not mind loosening the check, but
+ the people who employ him We're opposed
+ to II. want more style. and so on
/ We'll, then, say, call your peoples
I attention TO the fact that the horses are
being tortured by the check rein Tell
them that the horses would be killed in a
short time because of the silly fashion
Il thus 20 GA leeturing Often the
drivers ami coachmen really follow my
advice and remedy the thing But often
the people are stubborn and do not care
to listen TO what | say.
Il have discovered that my painting
helps me good deal in my work took
il one Sunday TO the Peoples church at
McNieker's There was a long row of
carriages with tine horses standing in
front of the theatre The horses were
the eoachmen They laughed and fired
at me all kinds of silly remarks. Finally
q young couple drove up In carriage to
the theatre The horse was restless.
showed my picture TO the young gentle
man and explained To him the reason Of
the horse restlessness The yoang gen.
tleman thought he had a fool from the
insane asylum before him The uni.
formed eoachmen stood around grinning
and awaiting developments,
We'll. ! gave them a practical lesson
right there on the spot. ! unchecked
the horse and there he stood quietly and
comfortably showing no signs OF being
unmnnageable The check having been
loosened the horse dropped his head His
neck assumed its natural archcd form.
lie at once became an object of admira
tion for all tho drivers The young gen.
tleman thanked me for my advice, aud
the lady that was with him theaght that
my picture was the best scheme devised
for the welfare of horses.
Ii In only few weeks since began
10 use my picture. and | find Ii much
more eloquent than words Some time
in the near future shall also have other
pictures copied and painted I'll show
them a horse Ia its natural position; q
pair Of horses. one checked and another
loose; span Of horses. easy aud grace.
ful, because OF their not being over
checked. and a pair of work horses with
check reins on. The pictures will be
more telling than words, and the crusade
against the check rein win make rapid
progress. Chicago Tribune.
A Had Memory.