The Pascagoula democrat-star. (Pascagoula, Miss.) 1878-1920, 1892-10-07
Ghelrmurraf-Sta
A CHCRCH.GOINC HORSE.

CUh u morse rpaS' II, OF uUes he
act solely from instinct! Many be.
lieve that he has reason and intel
ligence; others attribute all hi
acts 10 instinct.
| have horse, now nineteen
years old, that | have owned thir.
teen years. Soon after | com
menced using him, | noticed that
on Sunday, whenever | drove
him down town, he strongly in.
sisted, by pulling on The lines, on
going to the church had been in
the habit Of attending. watch.
ell this disposition constantly after
that, and on every Sunday since,
when driven out, he has continued
TO do The same thing, and if lett to
his own will invariably goes 10 The
church and stops. l thought il pos
sible that he was guided by The
ringing Of the church bells, and
tested him by driving him down
town at all hours OF The day,
before and after the ringing of the
bells; but the result was ,he same.
He invariably insisted on going to
church on that day, no matter how
often | drove him down town.
In going to my Office he never
offers to 60 to the church except on
Sunday. but on that day he inva.
riably begins to turn south 10 The
street leading to the church, from
fifty TO a hundred feet before
reaching The crossil 9, and, If not
checked, turns into the street and
hurries TO the church. lie has
kept this up for at least twelve
years. He never does this on any
other day than Sunday. In bad
weather or in good weather 1t Is
the same.
He knows The meaning Of many
words, such as office, pot office,
school house. mill farm, cemetery.
church, apple corn, grass, water.
and many others. The fact that
he knows the meaning of these
words, or attaches a meaning to
them, | have tested many times IN
many ways. When his corn is
about used mp, it | speak Of il to
him and say, "Deck, your corr j.
Out, You must 90 10 the mill"
even before starting from home, he
turns in at The mill as | 60 by, and
goes up to the Office door, where I
have been in The habit Of ordering
his food.
He also knows Il number of PEG.
lie by name and where they re-
side and if told to stop al the resi-.
Ience o. one of hem, naming him.
he will do so, without any guiding.
These L only a few OF the
many evidences of his intelligence.
Hundreds Of examples might be
given showing his knowledge and
intelligence, ana that he gives very
close attention to and understand,
what is said to him.
Do not these facts strongly indi-
cate that The horse has more than
mere Instinct, that he reasons /;
that ont OF the storeh0use Of hi,
knowledge and experience he
forms conclusions, thoughts par
poses plans2 lie understands Ger.
tain symbols, such as words; he
keeps the run Of time and knows
uniformly when Sunday comes, for
lie has not made a mistake in this
respect tor more than twelve
years past, he uses many and d.
verse means for making his wants
known.
Instinct is suppose to imply in.
heriled knowledge of objects and
relations in respect to which it is
exercised, and will usually, if n,
always, operate where there is no
experience to guide. But this
horses knowledge, in these re
spects, has not been inherited, but
is acquired.
Does the fact Of his observing
Sunday imply a moral sense I
Why does he seek TO 90 to church
ON That day ? II has been said that
animals do reasonable things with
out having the gift of reason /; that
they do things involving distant
foresight without having any
knowledge of the future ; that they
work for that which is to be with.
out seeing Or feeling anything he.
yond what is that they enjoy
but do rot understand that reas.
on works upon and through them,
but is not in them. The facts that
| have related and observed make
me doubt many OF these state.
menls. | find it hard to sharply
define the limits between instinct
and reason. The facts that | have
related indicate reason, in,elll.
gence, motives, and the formula.
toin of plans, methods, and schemes
for carrying on, precOnceived pur.
poses. Some Of The acts, at least.
indicate pure reason based upon
former and remembered sensa.
lions, perceptions and knowledge,
and the purpose TO crafty merely
mental desires.
What motives does this horse
have for going to church every
Sunday, even al a sacrifice some.
timesg 1t Is not for rest, it is not
shelter, it is MT feed, it is not com.
pany, it is not TO crafty any mere.
ly physical want, Tor all these
things he has elsewhere every day.
1t Is not purely an intellectual or
moral want that he seeks to grail.
~. He stands near the church
door, hears much of the exercises,
especially The singing, and will re.
main, almost without motion,
whether tied or not, till the ser.