The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1905-10-29

THE HORSE IN AMERICA. A Practi-
cal Treatise on the Various Types
Common i'm the United States, With
Something of Their History and
Varying characteristics by John
Gilmer Speed. Illustrated. 27S p.
with index and color plates yo.
Cloth. Publishers: Mcclure, Phillips
x CO., New York.
Everybody is interested in the horse,
the animal who judgment and wisdom
dom are universally esteemed so good
that the highest compliment man
can be paid is to say he has morse
sense" The horse is the most useful
of animals, the companion and friend
of man. If he is regarded for his
utility he is indispensable. II he ap-
peals to sporting blood men win and
lose fortunes betting on their favorlte.
On the frontier, where a mans horse
was his chef dependence, horse
thief was mitch more sure of lynch-
ing than the man who had Killed MS
fellow. In one of his books on Wes-
tern life, so high an authority as Pres-
ident Roosevelt excuses if he does not
approve the practice of lynchlng the
man caught stealing the pioneer
horse.
The treatise of Mr.. Speed Che is evil
IDENTIFY named for John Gilmer, the
great North Carolina jurist and states
mani is intended to interest the breed
ing of good types. There are those
who do not agree with his views VINO
will doubt whether it Will have any
lasting influence in increasing popular
favor for the types approved by MI:
Speed. Every lover of the horse will
be pleased with this book which is
sure to have Il wide sale.
M. Speed favors strongly the
Arab and Barb stock to improve the
modern types, and in this provokes
the antagonism Of large class that
regards the very name of Arab as an
anathema. He is a strong advocate
of the Morgans and Clay-ArabianS and
of the Denmarks for saddle purposes,
and an unsparing critic of hackneys,
Orlofs. and other foreign breeds. The
Percheron and Clydesdale he toief-
ates. and the thoroughbred he COM
mends for it's particular purposes, but
to the American types alone does he
appear to give his unqualified lndorse-
ment. Much that he says on this score
is indisputable. but may or MS
theories cannot be accepted so long as
the questions touched upon remain IN
reasonable dispute.
His recital of the history OF famous
meetings, such as the race between
Eclipse and Sir Henry, of Grey Eagle
and Wagner. and of Lecompte and
Lexington, classics of the turf, VIII
be read with unqualified enjoyment,
and his belief in the ability of these
horses to more than hold their own
with the modern racers trained TO
high speed for short stretches rather
than the old four-mile heat races, may
he dismissed as a purely personal
opinion. admitting of no demonstra-
ton and . therefore, more interesting
than important.
He follows this ante-Civil war pc
Rod with a fleeing reference to the
performances of Longfellow, Harry
Bassett. Ten Brock, Prioress, ana
other favorites of old Jerome Park,
and then brings us up to the modern
racing with the story OF Hindoo. MISS
Woodford, Hamburg, FirenZi. Troupa-
dour. The Bard, Salvador, Tenny DOM
inc, Dobbins, Hamburg son OF Han
over; Waterboy, and others.
To trotting and pacing he deVotes
the same attention from the time or
Flora Temple and Dexter to Dan Patch
and Lou Dillon tracing their breed
ING back through Hambletonian 10
Messenger and through Messenger 10
Living Childers. 1.-The best horse In the
studbook." and closes with suggestions
for buying horses, for the handing
and training of them, for the conduct
of the stables. and kindred topics.