Evening journal., 1902-06-04
WEDNESDAY. JUNE 4, 1902
HORSE TALK

HOh0lL lain
The people Of Wilmington having
duly attended the opera during the
season, and having observed Lent with
due ceremony, are now doing the Horse
Show. Not that these things attract
the same persons, but all may be duly
observed without loss of caste or Of
social prestige. But since the horse
Is now the subject for gcneralattention,
it may not be amiss TO discuss him in
the light of his position i'm the world
and his relations to man.
Originally he was a little animal
about the size Of the fox, and he had
FIVE toes for each foot AS he has
progressed in the scale of civilization
occasionally me has dropped a toe,
much to the delight of his human
friends. But it was not tlll he stood
before MS toeless and wearing only
hoofs that he won our highest regard.
Meanwhile man has stood still; there
is nothing to show that we have in
creased in stature since the world be-
gan, and we retain all the signs OF an
undeveloped animal in that we have
never been able to develop a species
with less than five toes per foot
The horse is the friend of man, and
the fact that he remains so is a renec-
ton on his intelligence. But the
books assure us IL is true, and we
must not question It, Somewhere in
the chain Of its development It became
progressive and inventive, and then
deveolped a number Of species The
rhinocerous family are relatives by
marriage. the zebra with It's prison
sripes was. another offshoot, and we
presume the humble ass lis a degener-
ate offspring.
But the progress OF the development
OF our equine friend was not halted By
these little enterprises; he went right
ON, keeping in mind the day when he
should appear for the admiration of
the multitude and wear blue ribbons
in token OF his social superiority.
But like human beings, success in
his case had in it the germs of degen-
eracy and decay Formerly a horse
was horse but now this designation
carries little meaning. The blooded
trotter is a species by itself and has nc
more relation to a dray horse than an
automobile has to a wheelbarrow. AZ
birth his place IN the social fabric is
fixed. and he may not aspire TO any
thing beyond it. There are no bar
riers of caste in man half so absOlut,
as those he has built between the diff
ferent ranks and stations Of the equine
race. Suppose an ambitious Handle
tonian colt should have aspirations fo
career on the race track, his pre-
sumption would be sternly rebuked. I
the horse ever sets up a government Z
will be a monarchy or an aristocracy.
Recently the fear has been expresse
that he will soon be superseded by
machine which consumes coal instea
of hay. Perish the Thought AutomC
biles cannot wear blue ribbons TO a
advantage, and there could be no ques
tion Of caste between machines. The
think Of a circus parade or a vii,
West exhibition with spotted an
striped autos to prance and create e'
element
But our noble friend. with all h
snobbery teaches us many useful le
sons. He may rejoice in a splend
strain Of blood and a noble pedigre
dating back to his five-toed ancestor
but he must live up to it. II heis DO.
to win bue ribbons, he must do it,
DE may find himself between the shat
OF a peddler's wagon. His owner cou
take lesson from this, for a ten-ce
man behind a $1,000 horse is too cor
mon and painful. Perhaps he shoU
own that animal that never moves, a
te unacquainted with blue ribbons
the saw-horse.