The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1894-05-18
GOOD WORDS FOR ASSES.


Palm to the Lone-Esred QuadruPed.
OF all mammals it is claimed that man
is the strongest An infantry soldier
marches all day with seventy pounds OF
arms, ammunition and baggage, half
his own weight, while cavalry horse IS
well loaded with two hundred and
fifty, one-quarter his.
Even the wonderful camel will howr
and refuse to rise under burden more
than one-third his own weight, but the
little ass NAV be actually loaded with
three quarters of his own weight, and
will then travel off at four and one-haf
miles an hour and keep it up.
The Syrian ass is often quite big, al
most as tall as polo pony. and good
sized, we'll bred and fine gated white
ass brings more than a good Arabian
As a traveller, day in, day out, he IS
superior in ease to the horse, will go
over roads on which . horse cannot
find a footing, and will do as good
days journey.
fancy that man must yield the palm
of strength to the ass, by whose name
be so keenly resents being called 80
far as have observed in the course OF
nv travels, no animal can equal the ass
in ability to carry loads except perhaps
the woman coolie of Thibet
She is a little bit of thing, rarely
weighing more than one hundred and
ten pounds, and yet she will work
twelve hours a day under a load OF
from eighty to one hundred pounds,
and have heard it said she will carry
one hundred and twenty-five.
1t is odd how we have got to associ-
ate obstinacv and numberless ugly
qualities with the ass This Is all
wrong. The one word which we arc
wont to use to cover all these assumed
vices is mulishness. But . mule 10 a
hybrid, and one of the peculiarittes OF
hvbrids is their general lack of the
stanch virtues II / were to hunt for
a creature whose conduct from birth TO
old age came nearest to exempiifying
the four cardinal virtues l would un-
hesitatiugly choose the ass
The nerves of the horse all end near
the surface; those of the ass are deeply
| imbedded. Blu. If there is any one
| quality for which, a. / grow older. 1
gain in admiration, it is sweet reason
ableness, and this the ass possesses
J while the horse doe. not
| There is an aristocTacy Of asses and
| there are the many headed II Won
| want the former look At one OF the
white Syrian asses He is richly sad
/ died and bridled and has two attendant
| Arabs 70 cater to his wants, for he
must De kept in the finest condition for
his master, the emir. This handsome
fellow is truly a noble, if handsome Il
as handsome does
His manners are perfect, and Ms
/ gaits are as smooth as they are rapid
| He will go off at a running walk which
would not spill drop OF water out OF
q brimfui cup, and which will cover
full six miles an hour. He can cauter
all day At an eight-nile gait, but ais
travelling gait Is the running walk on
the rock. and Ia these gaits he has no
equal He Is far more comfortable
than any horse and in weeks travel
will go quite az far.
The background Of the picture of the
ass is always dire poverty. In prosper
gus countries the ass ]. not considered
In countries whore strict economy 4
necessary 70 the barest existesce. where
every kernel OF wheat every grain OF
rice. every spear of green stuff which
can be eaten il counted where II 10 q
question, not OF whether man can
rise in the world. but whether he ca1
keep body and soul together unsa tae
next harvest, the ass - useful a. DC
other animal can be
One hardly needs 10 feed him HI
can pick up living on the highway. -
l P<x.or, GLIB