Mississippi leader. (Jackson, Miss.) 1892-1895, 1895-06-04
THE THOROUGHBRED.
And the Scrubby Little Devils
That Gamble on Him.
Sam Jones Admircs tho Blooded Horse
and Commands Els Breeder But Do
plores Race Track Evils-A Swift
Road to Hell.
lCoPYRIGHT, 1881

look with pleasure on the shining hair,
beautiful form and graceful limbs of
thoroughbred horse Nor have con-
sidered the breeding and training of
thoroughbred horses in itself a vice,
and my chief objection to him has
been like my objection to the violin,
they have been in bad company too
long. But still love the soft strains
of the violin and the style and form
and speed of the thoroughbred horse
and long to see both in better hands.
There is something in good blood. 1t
shows in folks as clearly as in animals.
/ believe that it is q Christian duty
Us well as great privilege of civiliza-
tion to breed up folks and animals to
the highest possible point and to give
both the best possible training. The
Christian world has not been able to
separate the thoroughbred horse from
the scrubby little devils that gamble
on him, and, true to the old proverb,
Birds of feather flock together" the
noble horse has been disgraced by his
companions.
When q man will raise horse worth
fifty thousand dollars and a boy worth
fifty cents, and put halter on the
horse and a rein in the boys hand, it Is
very difficult thing to do much with
the fine horse. When America shall
produce two thousand thoroughbred
horses and turn them over to fifty thou
sand ill-bred, unprincipled, dirty, scrub
race horse gamblers the magnificent
horse has a poor opportunity to serve
man or glorify his creator.
There are two sides to the race-horse
question. The public generally looks
ut but one side. The thoroughbred
horse has a real value, God given and
God approved, as well as his powers for
immortality, and if we only had some
thoroughbred horses instead of scrub
jackasscs in our legislatures, municipal
boards and police forces, we could pro-
tect the thoroughbred horse from his
present disgrace. l have never fought
the thoroughbred horse, and never shall.
He Is higher animal and better ami
NAL than the fellow that bets on him.
| commend the man who takes an
English hound and breeds into him the
instincts of pointeFbred dog. l COM
mend the man who Grains him till he
roams the field with system and care
and points and retrieves with the intel
ligence of man. Such dog sells for
a thousand dollars, when the common
cur is not worth the strychnine 1t
would take to kill him. l commend the
man who gave to the world the thor
oughbred shorthorn, whose straight
back and broad loins and round hips
furnish to the farmer most beauti-
full and profitable animal for his pas
lures and to our tables the delicious and
tender roasts and steaks.
l commend the man who has given to
the world the thoroughbred Jersey and
Devon and Holstcin mixers, whose
mammoth udders furnish to the home
the stream that supplies our tables with
most delicious milk and butter. These
noble animals as compared to the piny-
wood scrubs are to the animal race as
the Harvard graduate compared to the
pinywoods cracker is to the human race.
l commend the man who lassos the wild
horse from the fields and through
constant and careful school of breeding
and training shall give to the world
Nancy Hanks or Proctor Knott.
The man who opposes the breeding
up of any animal is fool. am glad
to see increased attention to the breed
ing up of horses, cattle, dogs, hogs and
folks; and the amount of attention
given to the above animals is about In
the order have named them. In this
age of rapid movement the fast horse
is a necessity. Genuine qualities are
bred into race horses-qualities that
are useful to the general public and
necessary to the comfort and well-being
of the animal in doing the work de-
manded of him.
The quality of getting there with
ease and speed cannot be fully appreci-
ated till blooded team and scrub
team make a trip together. The
blooded horse with grace and speed
and ense moves along with no tagging,
and tugging and goading and very lit
tie tiripg, while the scrub team, goaded
with the lash at almost every step, out
of wind, tagged and pitiful-looking,
brings up the rear. Breeding brings
strength of bone and strength OF
muscle, power of endurance, natural
speed and natural ease of motion as
well as grace and beauty. 1t brings
comfort and blessing to the animal and
pleasure and profit to man.
A tired man has a horseback trip to
make with some haste demanded. He
mounts the scrub, goads him into his
awkward jog, which fags the horse
and tires the man. If he had mounted
o blooded saddler he would have
glided over the road, rocking his rider
into q peaceful rest, making the dis
tance with ease and comfort to him
self and pleasure to the rider. Every
saddling and bridling horse needs the
blood of the racer in his veins to give
him wind and staying qualities, and as
high breeding is q mercy and COM
fort to the animal and a convenience
and delight to the man, believe it is In
perfect harmony with the laws of God.
l believe in the highest development
of everything in US and about us
believe that he is q benefactor who con-
verts the wild rose to tho Marshal
nellie; the wild crab to the golden pip
pin; the Mexican weed to the beautiful
dahlia; cur dog to . trained pointer;
= razorbacl hog to highbred Berk-
shire; pinywood stripper to Jersey
tester; a Mexican pony to Nancy
Hanks, and an ignorant sinner to an
educated Christian gentleman.
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