Phoenix weekly herald., 1897-05-27
The Veterans Mute Comrade.

things of the wilderness" prepared to
| revive in pioneers old memories and
speculations, l am confronted with the
| quadrupede; the mute. affsctionate,
| faithful comrsde OF man just now,
| just before the solemn rites of Decora
ton Day, l take the opportunity 30
dress parade once more the veterans
| old "wah-hoss," the Horse OF kppomst-
tox and their worthy descendants OF
the fields and roads for the just appre-
| citation of mankind.
Fhirty-two years ago two great armies
OF horses dispersed from Appomattox
| and all the arena OF the great war
thousands OF them-to help restore the
ruined south, thousands to the roads
| and fields of the north, and thousands
TO help carve new emPiree FROM the
| virgin space that extended from the
Mississippi TO the sea. Everywhere
she old wsh- hoes lived his life usefully
as be had fought his fight braveIy. But
probably by this time the last of him
bias hesrkened to the tattoo of the
"other side5" and who knows that be
did not go 0idden 30 the rest and the
resurrection prepared by the Creator
Tor all creatures who have lived this
life honestly and nobly. God only
knows how pure are the sentiments and
lucid are the ideas OF a horse; but it
seems TO me that a bunch OF them
wistfully regarding me from their ran
cherie pasture; my old mare whinnying
from her stall for the cheplet due her
record in an Apache campaign of six
teen years ego; and the prayer OF the
weary eyes and core gait OF herd OF
rodeo bronchos Just beginning their
long march to the vs1ley-that all these
ask me to voice for them an appeal
for just consideration; that they be not
driven from their place and work by the
side OF man; that they be not turned
out to starve and die to sha utter uu-
doing OF all that is manly in men. And
the shade of the old wah-hoss calls me
from an era that so flled the life OF the
veteran that each of it seemed a year
and each year on age. la the SABRE
clanking OF cavalry in motion, in the
rush and rattle OF artillery, and in the
glad neiRhinR which ever crested the
bugle call of 'ssssm bly," I hear the
pleas OF the wah- boss; shat tho there
are no monuments, no turt-covered
mounds for then in the cemeteries on
which TO place memorial flowers, that
their old comrades OF the Blue and the
Gray recall them, their life and part in
the war; that on each recurring memo
rial day they remsmbsr them with love
and just appreciation when the choir
sings:
Nearer my God to Thee; nearer to
Thee"
L believe that tie horse is no farther
away from man thsn man is from the
angels. In various ways he is both the
companion end oo-lsboFer OF man. Ia
life and nerve force, IN courage, love,
fidelity. pride and ambition the soul of
the horse blends as intimately with that
OF man as mercury emalgsmstes with |
gold. For that and a virtue and indi- |
of his own be has his title to |
place enc opportunity in this life As |
woman is the complement to the highest
phase of a mans soul, drawing him
toward God and perfection, SO the horse
8 the complement TO his manhood, aid
ng him in q combas with hostile condi-
lions that engender in him his force and
Individuality. Ia nobility the plane OF
he horse is little, IL any, below that of
nan. We who have eeen him enthused
~ martial music on the drill ground
md race course; have seen him in the
lash of fire engines and in the rush of
svalry and artillery in action have
cen bin thereby TRANSPORTED into
humanity. We who have seen him
and dying on the battle field
nd IS he faced his death and last
xtremity became translated from the
lace of the brute TO that of the i'm
lortsi, have considered ourselves more
unbly and the life and destiny of our {
lute comrade with more honor.
A brave, handsome man and spirited t
orse, fitted naturally to each other, E
verwhere command the admiration of I
len and the alteration of women A ,
,vely, neatly clad woman, fitted ad- Y
lirably to a beautiful, proud horse, is G
q sg gregation always stuck on itself
nd conscious of the homage it inspires
But alas. the ignoble bicycle seems to
9 crowding off the roads the brave
ian, lovely woman aud spirited horse.
n the pages of the magazine the
cycle cut is odiously visa Wis 10 she =
irest of Gods devices, the plump =
,ung woman in corset and chemisette =
Id the naked Pear soap baby. Men
no pay millions of dollars for a chesply A
ade toy are making nulti-millionaires E.
a half dozen manufacturers and rich -
en- of few hundred jobbers. OIL =
rom the fad and folly, good Lord, de- a
yer us-good Lord, Just as soon as goa \
'ssibly can. ~
By association with the horse and by -
bsisting their souls off the animal en- .,
gy they sought In the fields and =,
rests and along the streams, the -
nth of former generations became =,
,her masters of men or men OF local :.
mes and force. Then there was one :,
portunIty for each man; but at the -,
Wn OF au age when there will be 100 :.
20 gnashing like wolves at the picked q,