Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1898-08-17
PRAISE TO BE CALLED AN ASS.
Some OF the Many Virtues of That
Creature Briefly Reviewed.

Creature Briefly Reviewed,
To be called an ass is great cOmpli-
ment. Humility, patience, charity and
industry have been recognized rs great
virtues ever since mankind has been
lntrospective; but the world has failed
to notice that the ass, which IL the
brunt of the jests Of all nations, pos
sesses these qualities more fully than
any other animal or any human being
except the proverbial one in million.
Often We call the man whom we like
rare old dog" and he rather likes 1t.
II we call him q rare old ass, which u
finer praise, he would get mad. how.
ever. We write poems In praise OF ths
horse, though the horse Ia In SO many
respects the ass inferior. The horse
makes the brilliant cavalry charge. but
1t Is the ass who brings up the army 9
ammunition and the food supplies.
While one rides on q galloping horss
over n plain in safety he despises the
ass, and he stin despises the ass when,
forsaking h.s horse. he trusts his life
to the ass In a mountain pass.
The ass Is to be found In every part
of the world. always melancholy and
SOW, nobly doing his work, whether In
the Andes, the Himalayas, the Rock3es
or In, the place Of hts nativity, the ORR.
cnt Wherever he Ia, his dominant char.
acteristics are the same. Wherever
he is, he Is generally abused; perhaps
because he puts up with abuse sc
mee!lly.
Always he is the friend Of the poor
In countries where horses cannot be ar
forded he Is the sole means of trsns-
port. All day long he will so over q
hot plain or up rocky mountain side;
loaded down with more than any horse
could bear, though his weight Is only
half that Of the average horse. while II
horse were limited to the food 1t sub
sists on the horse would fall down in
Its tracks and die, though 1t had nc
load. With the load 1t would fall down.
anyway,
That the ass can he cured Of his only
two Vices of braying and kicking Is
proved by the superior conduct Of the
London moke, who is about a third
cousin of the oriental ass Of myth, OF
fable and biblical story. The mOke,
who Is about the size of a big New
foundland dog, draws the barrels Of the
costermongers who vend fruits and
vegetables from door to door in all
parts Of the city.
All day you may occasionally hear
him out of your window chivy-chivying
with his rapid and mincing little steps
over the asphalt pavements. At the
same gait he will carry his barrel. well
loaded with produce, and two big cos
termongers, up the side of q hill. This
sometimes calls for sharp remarks
about brutes who ought to be in jail
from old gentlemen with white side
whiskers and a kindly expression Of
mouth, to which the costermonger usu-
ally replies: "G'arn. old plum pudding.
1t 'urts you more'n I'm"
Until Baroness Burdett Coutts and
the Society for the Prevention Of Cruel
ty to Animals-organized in imitation
Of the original American society-toOk
the matter In hand and made the pass
age Of the law a matter OF great sentf-
mental moment In the House Of Com
mons instead of feeding his little don
key the costermonger usually beat him.
and the moke, too patient and too hum
BILE to attempt to petition the Commons
Itself. tried to thrive on the whipping
and succeeded wonderfully.
There is no finer playfellow for chill
aren than a moke. When his fuzzy fur
Is washed it Is soft, fluffy and pretty.
A youngster may crawl all over him
and under him and pound and pull him
in every part of his anatomy, and he
will only smile the cOntented smile of
the moke who Is living In the moke
heaven Of currycombs and good ra-
tons.
That the ass is not stupid IS proved
by his equal cieverness with the horse
in learning tricks, by his picking his
way where q horse cannot 60 by his
calmness under conditions that make
a horse uncomfortably fretful. But he
seems homely and out Of proportion,
unless you look at him closely, and the
world too often goes by appearances.
Scrutinize sharply the patient face Of
the ass, and you Will find those quail.
ties which make q face educational and
perhaps ever beautiful.