The record-union., 1898-01-03
PRAISE FOR THE ASS.
Virtues Of the Humble Moke Have
Been Overlooked.

l.
pliment Humility, patience, charity
and industry have been recognized as
great virtues ever since mankind has
been introspective; but the world has
failed to notice that the ass, which is
the brunt OF the jests of all nations,
possesses these qualities more fully
than any other animal or any human
being, except the proverbial one in
million.
Often we cali the man whom we like
"a rare old dog" and he rather likes
it. If we call him a rare old ass, which
is finer praise, he would get mad, now
ever We write poems in praise OF the
horse, though the horse is in so many
respects the asss inferior. The horse
makes the brilliant cavalry charge, but
it is the ass who brings up the armys
ammunition and the food supplies.
While one rides on a galloping horse
over a plain in safety he despises the
ass, and he still despises the ass when,
| forsaking his 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
slow, nobly doing his work, whether
| in the Andes, the Himalayas. the Rock
| les or in the place of his nativity the
| Orient Wherever he is, his dominant
| characteristics are the same. Wher-
| ever he is, he is generally abused; per-
| haps because he puts up with abuse so
| meekly.
| Always he is the friend of the poor.
| In countries where horses cannot be
afforded he is the sole means of trans
port. All day long he will go over a
/ hot plain or up a rocky mountainSide,
| loaded down with more than any horse
| could bear, though his weight is only
half that of the average horse, while if
| a horse were limited to the food he SUBJ
sists on the horse would fall down in
it's tracks and die. though it had no
| load With the load it would fall down
anyway.
That the ass can be 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 big New
foundland dog, draws the barrels of the
costermongers from door to door in all
parts CT the city.
| All day you may occasionally hear
him out of your window chivy-chivy-
| ing with his rapid and mincing little
steps over the asphalt pavements. At
! the same gait he will carry his barrel,
| we'll loaded with produce, and two big
| costermongers up the side Of a 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 pud-
| ding 1t hurts you more'n i'm"
Until Baroness Burdett-Coutts and
the Society for the Prevention of Cruel
| ty to mals-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 senti-
mental moment in the House OF Com
mons, instead of feeding his little dom
key the costermonger usually beat him; !;
and the moke, too patient and too
humble to attempt to petition the Com
mons itself, tried to thrive on the whip
| ping and succeeded wonderfully.
/ There is no finer playfellow for chill
dren than 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 an
| atomy, and he will only smile the con-
| tented smile of the moke who is living
| in the moke heaven Of currycombs and
| good rationS.
That the ass is not stupid is proved
/ by his equal cleverness with the horse
| in learning tricks, by his picking his
way where a horse cannot go, by his
calmness under conditions that make
| a horse uncontrollably 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 qualities
which make a face educational and per-
haps even beautiful.-New Orleans Pic
| ayune.