The Bryan daily eagle. (Bryan, Tex.) 1895-1898, 1896-03-22

t831FTItt a-~fS - CURIOSITY. /
A&cT Ten years hence he |
l,SagEkG viii almost have at
9ESA talned the dignity |
OF tradrlon. His
tory. which cmbalms The man IN armor
and exalts the pioneer. holdn a place
for him. The niche may be a modest
one but he has had his part In con-
quering a new country. and no i'm
partial record Of western evolution can
omit his picturesque hgure. Before
civilization devours his identity. let us
try to detaln Il & moment In its real
likeness and garb
Dwollers IN the iong-settled commun-
.tics scarcely realize hoE great a
change has come over the far west
during the last decade. Ranches there
VII always be-ranchea Tor grain. hay.
fruit and blooded livcstock-but not for
the rearing o. range cattle Yet the
time "a 10 easy memory when there
vas a craze over the cattle business;
when the cowboy was king AZ Dodge
City; when hundreds Of educated young
men weni vest 70 share the hardship
Of herders To-day the cattle ranches
bro deserted or mOrteaged. or turned
into fgrms A more advanced intel
llgence has penetrated the possibilities
Of Irrigation. and water Is retaining
the wilderness once given over 10 the
long-hofn steer.
The decline OF the raEge-cattle Indus
Try has been as amazing and rapid M
was is rise. The business Is not
simply suffering from siagnation: Il
has almost ceased TO exist Early In
re sightlcs a beef steer running on the
range represented so. one-fourth
that sum would pay for him now.
Thirty dollars was the average price
Tor a COW with a calf al her side: now
whole herds ere disposed Of for IS a
head.
The supreme content with his condi-
ton Il an element Of cowboy character
ihst cclors an bis actlona HIS point
o. vicw is that Of the man on horse
back. He represents the arisl0cracy Of
The plains. and while some persons who
follow their vacations on foot are even
allowed under stress Of circumstances
10 become his employers. 4 Is only the
sternest necessity that makes him
dlsmount. What the ship IA 10 the
5silor. the pony Is TO the cowpuncher
"A term which his American levlty
prefers 70 cowboy or vaquero. One
who sits IN the saddle for years be-
comes the antithesls OF Antaeus. who
gained strength by each contact with
the earth. The cowboy. in common
with the Spaniard and the Comancho
lndian. Is at a disadvaniage when he
walks. Like shelley's skylark. he IS
"sc0rncg Of the ground" The person.
aliiy Of horse and rider Is o. a meas.
urs merged; the one without the other
q only a part OF the whole.
So the Texas anecio,e O. crcditahlc
enough. 70 relates that a cowboy look
iag Tor work vas offered the employ-
mcnt OF digging a well. "Csn do Il on
horseback" was the query and covert
stipulation. OF equal credibility Is
Lieut. Revore's story anent the pro-
vinclal governor In California. This
odicial was careless enough % cross the
street without the aid Of his horse.
Falling. he broke his leg on some OBJ
structlon. A Chicago man would have
sued somebody: but the governor dis
cerned the real cause Of the accident.
exolaimlng. This Is what comes Of
walking on the ground"
when the nature Of a certain work
on cattle ranch compels him TO the
earth. the cowboy cilngs TO bis ac-
coutrements. In a country free from
alarms I have seen him digging post
holes hampered BY his heavy sir
shooter and ehapefajos. When put Al
the humlllatlng task Of planting 20
tatoes-Whleh he afterwards ate with
much rellsh-I have observed that he
removed neither bis sun nor bis huge
spurs
The cowboys attitude towards his
employers from the cas-, has generally
been one OF amiahle liberation. he
recognizes them as a necessary adjunct
TO the business--a source OF supply Of
hronchos 10 bust" And cows to
punch" The owners DO not suffer In
consequence. Under the supervision o.
a foreman or manager who ls himself a
Cow hand" the 'punehers" peculiar
ability. tireless actlvliy-on horse
hack-and contempt for hardships
make him a valuable man. Ike knows
wha, ne owes himself rather than what
he owes the owners, but the distinction
Z does not impair his usefulness