The Holt County sentinel., 1899-10-20
SolenlpiZed,

Making total OF 80 marriages
solemnized, aud 79 divorces granted in
Holt county during the last 10 years.
This means that in Holt county at least
upon an average there are but about
five failures in marriage in any given
100 cases, s,-a per cent of successes that
in any other business would be con-
sidered SO overwhelmingly great that it
would never again permit Of discussion.
Then, why will people single out the re-
lationship of marriage, and call that a
failure, when not questioning the sue
cess Of the thousands Of business enter
prises of the country that show much
greater per cent of failurers? 1t has
been said that in any matter it takes
the exceptions to make the rule, and il
we apply the same reasoning to the re-
suits Of our investigation of the records
Of our own county upon this marriage
question, we are forced to the conclus
ion that there are barely divorces
enough granted in Holt county to prove
the rule, and that, in Holt county at
least, marriage is grand success.
We have been very much interested
during the last few days to notice from
the market quotations that horees and
mules are again claiming the attention
OF the people, and that prices for the
same are rapidly climbing skyward. The
prices for all kinds of horse flesh has ad-
vanced from 50 to::75 per cent during the
last II months, and are liable to con-
tinue to advance for an indefinite period
in the future. The good times gener
ally, taken in connection with the Fill
pino insurrection and the threatened
war in the Transvaal, have been assigned
as the causes of the advance in prices.
Great Britain has just placed an order
for $1,000 American mules and 12O00
American horses, while the United
States government has been buying a
good many for the army in the Philip
pines. 1t is said that any good ordinary
horse that but a few years ago went
begging at from s25 to $40 is now snapp-
ed up in a twinkling upon the city
market, at from s75 to 500. We are
told that the English buyers that have
appeared at Chicago, St. Louis and
Denver are not nearly so goods judges of
horse flesh as our own government buy
ers are. Or, at least If the English are
as good judges of horses they are much
more carless and easily satisfied than our
people are. Our government buyers
ever since Gen. Grants time have been
expert judges of the horse. The general
himself set the pace and it has been fol
lowed ever since. Gen. Grant was prob.
ably the best judge of horse that our
country has ever known. 1t was natural
with him. He took it up in childhood.
1t is told Of him that at one time when
he was but a small boy his father sent
him to a neighbOr's to buy a certain
horse; Ia horse known to the father very
well, but which the boy had never seen
His father gave him $40. but told him
to get the horse for $50, or 800, il he
could, but il the man would not take
less, then to give him the whole sl20
for the horse. Grant went to the neigh
bors, saw the horse and talked with the
man about buyingit. "How much did
your father say for you to offer me for
the horse" said the man. my father
gave me Sl20 to bring along" said the
boy, land told me to first offer you $50;
il you would not take that to offer you
slO0.-and, il you would not take that,
rather than come home without the
horse, to give you the whole sl20 for
him. OF course the man at once de-
clared that he could not possibly, under
any circumstances, sell the horse for less
than sl2O. But" said young Grant,
'since seeing the horse, l am satisfied
that my father is mistaken about this
horse, and in my judgment he is not
really worth the $50, let alone the Sl20.
and $50 is all will give you for him."
Young Grant, very much to the gentle
mans surprise, pointed out many unde- |
slrable marks about the horse, and the |
man was finally very glad to take the
$50. Gen. Grant had many rules by |
which he Judged horse, some Of which |
were given in rhyme and were frequently
published in the newspapers some 30 or
40 years ago. As some Of them might
interest The SENTINEL's readers we
here quote few:
"A small head for horse that'llgo
A large head for horse that's SLOW"
"Thick ears indicate plug;
While thin ears indicate fine blood"
a long neck for a racer,
A short neck for PAGER"
"a heavy breasted horse for power,
A thin breast cannot work an hour"
"A sway backed horse for artillery,
A straight backed horse fer cavalry"
"A black eyed horse can see aIlriaht.