Cameron County press. [volume] (Emporium, Cameron County, Pa.) 1866-1922, 1910-04-28

ready to begin his education. l don't
believe in driving an animal to learn.
| think all kinds of learning ought to
be a pleasure, and | began to teach
my little mules by playing with them.
They soon grew to like our little
games as much as | did and | was
simply astonished at how they
learned"
Why" said the visitor who for the
first time was visiting the mule school.
that is Froebels system"
Whose system? Froebel? Who
was he? An animal trainer? Never
heard of him. No; l don't know any
thing about systems or anything like
that, all | know is what | studied out
from nature. | believe every animal
thinks, and the first thing | do after
| have got him TO love and trust me,
is to awaken his intelligence. | be-
lieve in letting men, children and ami
mails do their own thinking. | never
use whip in training my animals, and
| never scold or shout at them | tell
them what | want, talk to them, show
them, pet them, and when they make
even an attempt to do what | tell
them. praise and reward them lib
orally. The first time your horse or
mule puts out his nose to your hand
or raises his foot at your command is
like the first time your baby picks out
the crooked S or the round O--it Is
the A, b, G of his education.
when have shown my pupil how
to do a thing once or twice l appeal to
his reason. | give him time and let
him work the thing out in his own
mind. Often | have left the corral
after a lesson, and when | returned |
would find the mules trying to do by
themselves the thing | had been teach
ing them. You would be surprised
how quickly they get the idea. One
of the very first things a man who
works with animals should find out is
that every animal has its own indiyid.
uality, its own ideas, thoughts, plans
and feelings. and that these should be
counted upon and respected.
when man is training a mule he
ought to study it's character and dis
position. All horses-or mules-can't
be taught alike, any more than all
children. Some animals need more
patience, more care, more time to mas
ter their lessons than others. Some,
like some children, are backward and
difident, and these have to be cheered,
encouraged, petted, praised and re-
warded more than others. | am a
great believer in rewards, anyway, and
always have my pockets full of apples
and sugar for my pets. They soon
learn to know it, too; why, have a
little mule out there-but perhaps"
with a modest smile, perhaps you
would like to see my mule school?"
When the visitor had given an en-.
thusiastic assent, she was led to big
green pasture where. scattered over
its velvety eXpanse. 20 or 80 mules
were grazing quietly.
The professor of this novel school
used no bell to call his pupils to their
duties. Walking up to the bars he
called musically: "Oi-ya, oi-ya, oi-ya
and before the echoes of his voice had
died out on the sunny morning air the
mules were galloping toward him from
tNCiS peiiI Va Iic liSih, hlShlh6 up
their heels and braying joyfully as
they came.
Now line up there, boys" he said
speaking In a low, pleasant, conversa
tional tone, "and show the lady what
fine scholars you are"
The rough, shaggy, long
creatures crowded up to the bars, rub
bing their heads against the "profes
sor's" shoulder, nipping at his ears
nuzzling his neck, and showing, as
plainly as dumb creatures could, how
much they loved him.
They were wonderfully intelligent
those plebeian and unlovely little
mules, marvelously intelligent at their
clever and amusing tricks, their intri
cate maneuvers, the varied and sur
prising knowledge they displayed
They marched and counter-marched;
drilled as skillfully as a troop of sol
diers; counted and spelled; waltze(
/ and polkaed; teetered on a plank;
j sat up like dogs on their hindquar
ters, and answered questions by nod
5 eng and shaking their funny, shaggy
q ;v, ~ hf