The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1896-11-30
THE HORSE.


and Treated In Assisnt Tines
Il Is perhaps small matter for
wonder that the nations who firft
tanned the horse for riding attached
high honor 10 the creature. seated on
whose back they secured with such
swiftness. Tho exhilaration of rid
ing is one which custom does not
stale and which affects the civil
lized rider of today, II he be Of an
emotional nature. probably almost
as keenly as IL did the ancient Scyth-
ian, German or Slav. In addition
TO this. neighboring races who had
not this art looked upon those who
had it with kind of superstitious
wonder, weaving strange stories
about them. The horsemen of Thes-
sally appeared to tho other Greeks
through n mist of fables as oentaurs.
half man, half brute. but wholly di-
vine. And in the frank fashion Of all
primitive people tho horseman gavo
back TO the horse the glory that he
received reflected from it and made
of his oomrade in war and chase n
kind of deity.
The ancient Germans took oracles
from white horses, Just as tho Egyp-
tians did from their sacred oxen.
The animals were kept in groves
and gave augury by neighing.
Among tho Slavs tho sword CON-
bined with tho horse to foretell fu-
ture events. The weapons were
planted in tho ground. and tho
horses led among them BY tho
movements of tho beasts tho attend
ing priests judged tho viii Of the
gods. Among tho Norsemen the sac
riice of n horse and tho eating Of its
flesh was a token of sacramental al
legianco 20 Odin.
Among tho ancient Irish, when .
king was crowned in Ulster. it was
customary to slay n white mare and
boil IL in q vat Into this vat the
newly made king descended and
there sat, drinking the broth and
tasting small portions of tho meat
Tho eating Of horsehesh was so well
recognized as q heathen rite that the
early Christian saints forbade il 70
their converts Among the Scyth-
iAns the horse was deemed snored 70
the sun, and its worship crossed the
Himalayas and was early establish.
cd among the Rajput kings.
Next to a human being. who prob
ably was, as n matter of fact, never
sacrificed in ancient India, the horse
was the most acceptable Offering 20
the gods. IL Is laid down in the Pu-
ranas that the saorificer Of 100 horses
Gusts Indra. the king of the gods,
from his throne and reigns in para
disc (swarga) in his stead. There Is
no record, however, Of any ono hav-
ing earned this surprising felicity.
Kings, on attaining the throne. usu-
ally sacrificed horse, their tribu-
tAry princes performing the more
menial duties connected with the
aswamedha (horse sacrilice). In
deed, even the Office of porter in
this solemn rite could only DO as
sumed by one of royal blood. One
Of the books of the great Hindoo epic,
the Mahabharata, contains an &c
count of the ashwamedha held by
Yudhisthira. king Of tho Pandus.
when he had, by the defeat Of the
Karavas, firmly established his rule
over northern India. Tho sacred
horse was turned loose 20 wander
wherever IL listed for q year. while
the loyal army followed it every.
were at n respectful distance. Other
tribes whose pastures IL crossed were
given tho option Of either turning
out in force TO join the triumph OF
the horse or of accepting wager OF
battle. At the end Of the year the
horse was led back to the palace and
| there SACRIFICED IL Ondon STANDARD