New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1895-07-23
EOTTS FTTT.

Not Immediately VIII II be Wrltlen, tnouGH one
might think so from the forthgivings OF the
prophetic press. that THE horse was" In spite
Of splitting steam and elementary electricity. and
crcaking cable. and humping bicycle. the horse
will remain with us and do duty for us. and,
when urged thereto by his proud and arrogant
owner. step on us at streetcrossings for several
years yet But he is passing, no doubt. He may
like Thomas c. Plat. whose passing recently
elected jocosc comment on account OF It's slow
ness and reluctancc-be a thousand years gettlng
out Of sight but. all the same, he IS moving nj
reasonably rapid gait out of visible, everyday,
commonplace anthology into the narrow ana eN-
elusive domain Of palaeonology. where. having
ceased 10 he the burden bearer OF the Diped or the
emblem OF chivalry. he will bc strung on wires
for the adornmcnt Of museums and the diffusion
Of scientific information. He is already cheap
in the market. He Is beginning 10 be owned by
ordinary folks. who have neither the gaudy trap
pings which are his proper OUTFIT nor tho spurs
which in all ages have been reckoncd essential
10 the social status Of the horsc-owncr More
over the suppression of pool-sellin has narrowed
his field Of usefulness. Young persons who en-
loved the opportunities for sudden wealth AZ
fordcd by poolroom facilities have no longer any
use for the horse. II seems unfortunate mat Mt.
Richard Croker. who has only just begun 10 ''h'
an interest In him. has lost his control OF poiincs
and gone abroad. Had he continued influential
and remained at home he might nave gwen 'he
horse a pull
With the passing Of the horse will 60, OF course.
all that remains Of the prestige OF the Assyrian
chariotccrs the Roman equities. the Norman
cavaliers the Southern chivalry and the drivers
for Ncw-York brcwerics-all Of whom have IN
and children with great enthusiasm and amid
general applause. The august private coachman.
FOO whose chief delight has been 10 drive over
casual common persons without needing pro-
test or cracking smile, will live only In memory
and not lmpossibly may himself he bumped by
the bounding bicyclist who has succeeded MN
as the terror Of the street. But the horse not
wifhstandng the rank and overbcarng pride
which he seems In some unaccountaDie WHY l"
have communicated 10 his owner, mas not oeeh
such bad animal after all Through the iAtih
he gave name TO the equities and through inc
French 10 chlvalry. but 1t was not his fault II
both put on airs and assumed superiority Dc
cause they rode horseback and wore spurs.
Doubtless his great progenitor. the thrcetoed
protohippus. served our prehensile ancestors ia
much the same way and II Greek was the Ian
Clagc or lnP pl"'H' p'll''' 80 '''""'"'' -
some ancient phiologists. It may be that the
proud and puffcd mp riders of the prohippus
called themselves the Hypocrisy ~ the pre-
historic time II was good name. anyway.
With n irining change In photography II would
bova dtted all the horseback fellows who have
been cracking whips and stepping high ever
since Rut the horse Of the historic period. We
repeat. has been a useful and well meaning am
mol The Psalnlsi 10 be sure, speaks or MN aS
al vain thing" but he was never half 20 VAIN
MS his master: and the prophet jeremiah aliudes
TO him as rushing into battle without much fore
thought: but that Is the riders fault not MS.
That Is the peculiarly OF chiyalry.
In considering the passing OF the horse II Is
proper to say a single word as To the whceirid'r
who Is supplantlng him. II is beginning TO be
noticed that the whecl-rdcr also INDUCES the
vanity and pomp Of the man on horscbach' mat
he rides rapidly and sometimes recklessly; that
in some instances he exhibits the conscious SUI
neriority Of the private coachman and AT others
the brutality Of the driver of the beer wagon;
In short that he puts on airs and assumes that
the pedestrian has no rights which the wh'eE
rider is bound 10 respect. And this suggests mat
the wheel rider may be ambitious Of the disiinc-
ton Of the charo,eer. the equities. the cavaliers,
tho chivalry and The rest We venture 10 ex-
nosuate. Go slow gentlemen; don't get gay or
nroud or oycrbearing Then In after ages the
scientist. examining the remains Of the historic
horse and contrasting him with his successor
will not say. with invIdious emphasis "Weli, he
had his faults but at least he was not an ass.