The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1900-01-23
HAPPY,
New Years Feast at an English Home
for Aged Nags-Interestins Inmates.
(Fr,m the London Telegraph

(Fr)m the London Telegraph
II aad t!onal proof wers needed OF ten
der regard shown by Engl'shmen to a
horse, II can be found Ia the Home OF
Rest for Horses. which IL situated at Fiji
ar's Plaos Farm, Acton. This philan-
thIopio movement, which Is receiving the
warm support of many OF tbs bsst fami-
lies In the country, was starts1 In tho
year 1856 ut Neasdsn, Its obi act bsing to
enahls the poorer classes to procure, on
moderats terms, rsst and good treatment
for animals that are falling, not from
aga, bat from continuous work. sickness,
or accidental oausss; to provide animals
for poor persons for temporary use while
their own are resting at tae home; AMI
also to balm a suitable asylum for old
favorltesn who's, owners, instead OF de-
stroying or selling them for further Ia
Dor, desire to plaoo them under good
treatment for this remainder of tneir
days paying a remunerative charge for
eucl accommodation. Ihroughthe kind
ness Of Mrs. Gore, who is a consistently
firm supporter of the institution. the
animals IN the home were yesterday en-
abled to emf New Years dinner, the
~ pal con sistinR of carrot Tples. brown
bri adj white bread and sugar. The de-
pref singly heavy fog which co vered town
IN county alike limited the numter
oil visitors who travelled TO the home to u
very few. Nevertheless, they wsre well
able to appreciate the ex 'ellent manage
ment of u q superintendent, Mr.. Davis.
who has &C ,uIisd that position for nine
years, having erfeotig qualified himself
for IL by long experience In the Fourth
Dragon yards.
AS this is the; only inst tuition of the
kird estntlii he'd during the reign of her
Majesty tie Queen, 1t will De interesting
to note thet on the occasion of yesterday s
CEREMONY. there were fnrtY-thres horses
ct the home. The majority OF them
twenty three were old favorites, that Is
to say, horses who have tc)n sent TO this
farm as an asylum for the remainder Of
their days Abe average time each horse
is kept at the home is SIX weeks, but
these cid pensioners are there permanent
~ on a payment Of 426 year. Among
them is the wellknown "bones'-troop
horse formerly OF the Royal Horse
Guards Blue. "Bonss" was at Iel-el-
Kebir, and was suoseque ntly purchased
by Miss Dorothy HARDY, who 'ussd him
as a model for her paintings The vete-
ran was called Bones" because those
who had PIN could never get him to
make UekQ, nut lie mas IeCeHtly soue-
what be lied that description, and now it
is pleasure to witness the good old
black geldinR, with the weight Of TWEEN
ty-two summers sittiLg lightly upon
him. either looking with almost human
Intelligence out OF his roomy and COM
fortasIe hox for those who are known TO
him and who ara kind to him. re,tng tt
his heart's content, or disportiIg himself
In the paddGcks attached 10 he home.
There Is o still older pansiorer on the
farm, known as "Tne Old Man." He ia
thirty -ssven years old, and, like the old
war horse, enjoys IT stful and comfort
able old age. Up and down the boxes
are horses Of various descriptions ami
several donksys. One pensioned brown
gelding enjoys u particularly happy time
in his old age. He is the properly OF q
lady whose love for him is SO irresistible
that, 10 lie able TO constantly see him,
she has taken Up her residence in Acton.
and provides adj sorts OF clothing and np-
paratus TO keep him in comfort.
There has been started in connection
with the home an endowment fund, by
which, on the payment of 4l,000 the
donor or donors would acquire the right
TO have always a continuous succession of
inmates enjoying the benefits of the In
stitutiop. One of the boxes bears nm in.
scription plate with the name Of that ex-
cellent institution on It, "Our Dumb
Friends League" the committee having,
It Is Understood, arranged 20 pay the ne c.
sssary amount of money in order to have
the use OF the lox peTpetually. 1T will,
therefore, be feen that the work of which
Mr.. s. Sutherland Satf I'd Ia the jealous
secretary, has many merits to com lend
It to the consideration Of the philanthror-
ic and to those who love horses.