Ceredo advance. [volume] (Ceredo, W. Va.) 1885-1939, 1910-05-04

to-. he declared stoutly; but I've
made a study of 'em-mules, mean
not women-and | am sure there's not
one person in a hundred knows any
thing about the real character Of a
mule. / know. because for the past
20 years I've made 1t the business of
my life to teach and study horses and
mules. and guess there are not many
men in this country that know much
more about them than I do"
There was no disputing that. for
Uncle Dan" Boyington. as he is ia
miliarly known throughout the horse
and cattle country of the great west,
has devoted the best part of his life
to teaching and training animals and
is now making II his special work to
snow horse trainers and bronco bust
ers how they may accomplish their
aims In more thorough. more sci
entihc, and more human method, by
educating and not breaking the spirit
OF the animals.
Il have always loved all animals"
continued Mr.. Boyington. but the way
hrst got interested in mules was by
watching them when was head horse.
man with the Barnum and Bailey cir.
Gus and seeing the amount of intelli.
gence and good. hard common-sense
they brought to bear on their work.
NOW you may not know 1t, but an ami.
NAL mas as much what you might call
system In his work. as a man Near
~ every one works differently: and
IL is the man who knows this and who
lets them use their own Intelligence
and Judgment that gets the most and
the best work out of them. If the con-
tractor who Is employing a gang of
men stood over them with a whip. and
dashed and cursed them every time
they lifted hammer or struck a pick
differently from the way he would
nave done 1t If he was doing the work,
don't believe he would get ahead
very fast with his job: do you? The
good boss watches his men and many
time he learns from them how to
improve his own methods.
Its just the same with animals: If
you watch those you are working with.
many time they teach you. Now |
often noticed how intelligently mule
went at his work-yes. | knew you'd
smile at that. But what I mean is
that he always seemed to go at 1t de-
liberately and in a quiet, determined
way. as If he had thought 1t all out
and knew just what he was going to
do. and exactly how he was going to
do 1t. Now that is my own method Of
working. and got to kind of re.
speeding the mules for It, Often In
loading and unloading the circus
wagons I've seen a mule use the great
est intelligence, sometimes extricating
himself and his load from a difficult or
awkward position with far more com.
nonsense and judgment than were
shown by his driver.
After awhile | made up nv mind
that a mule was not stupid, he was
only slow, that he was not obstinate,
he was only cautious
"One night crowd OF us were talk.
Ing things over. and one OF the fell
lows, Mfssourian, made the old com.
parison about somebody's being as
dumb as a mule I resented 1t and
said right out that mules were not
dumb or stupid either All the rest
OF the crowd declared they we're, and
that got my dander up, and right then
and there ! put UP a hundred dollars
and made bet with the Missourian
that | could take a bunch of common
Work mules, picked up anywhere,
\ young or old, broke or unbroke, and in
! six months could drive EN- anywhere
| ! wanted to go without lines. bride
/ or halter. and have em understand
I every word said to them.
/ "Of course the fellows all booted
at that: but sS1t Up the money with
| the boss. and started right in to pick
/ up my bunch OF mules I'd been In.
/ tending to get bunch together any.
gay and / thought this was a goo time
| 20 do Il. Well, picked up my little
/ .nules about 20 of them. all over the
/ country. Some | paid only few dol.
lars for. Some OF em were little fel.
l ,Ows. scarcely more than colts. others
were poor. old. battered creatures.
SCARED and famed with years OF bru.
tai service and sold off in their old
age for a mere song When the show
went into winter quarters I took my
/ little bunch Of mules down into the
country, and out in big open pas.
ture I began what like to call my
I mule school
II had made up my mind before
this that mules we're intelligent: but
nobody was more surprised at the way
that bunch developed than I was my
self. I've spent my whole life out on
the plains. working with and asso.
ciating With animals good deal
more than nave with men-and
had by this time thought out a kind
I Of system about the way an animal
ought 10 be taught
Il believe the first thing a person
ought to do in training any animal is
to awaken its interest. then its love
Then /wh0n your pupil has learned his
/ arst and best lesson--trust-yo are