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


ly held his ground.
Folks may laugh all they're mind
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. i know, because for the past
90 years I've made it the business of
my life TO teach and study horses and
mules, and I guess there are not many
men in this country that know much
more about them than | do"
There was no disputing that. for
Uncle Dan" Boyington, as he is ia
military 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 1t his special work to
show horse trainers and bronco bust
ers how they may accomplish their
aims in more thorough. more sci
entific, and a more human method, by
educating and not breaking the spirit
of the animals
81 have always loved all animals, "
continued Mr. Boyington, "but the way
| first 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 has as much what you might call
system in his work as a man Near
ly every one works differently; and
It is the man who knows this and who
let's 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
lashed and cursed them every time
they lifted a hammer or struck a pick
differently from the way he would
have done it 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
a time he learns from them how to
improve his own methods.
II : Just lH6 same Wlin dIllllldlS, IL
yOn watch those you are working with,
many a time they teach you. Now
often noticed how inteligently a mule
went at his work-yes, | knew you'd
smile at that. But what | mean is
that he always seemed to go at it de-
liberately and in quiet, determined
way. as If he had thought it all out
and knew just what he was going to
do, and exactly how he was going to
do it. Now that is my own method of
working, and | got to kind of re-
specting 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 my mind
that a mule was not stupid, he was
only slow; that he was not obstinate
he was only cautious.
"One night a crowd of us were talk
ing things over. and one of the fel
lONos d NliHSOul IAN, Ilduc lllt Olu COln
parison about somebody's being as
dumb as mule | resented it and
said right out that mules were not
dumb. or stupid either. All the rest
of the crowd declared they were, and
that got my dander up, and right ther
and there | put up hundred dollars
and made a bet with the Missouriar
that | could take a bunch of common
work mules, picked up anywhere
young or old, broke or unbroke, and IL
six months | could drive 'em anywhere
wanted to go without lines. bride
or halter, and have 'em understand
every word said to them.
"Of course the fellows all hootet
at that; but put up the money will
the boss. and started right in to picl
up my bunch of mules. I'd been in
tending to get a bunch together any
way and thought this was a goo tim
to do It, Well, | picked up my littl
mules, about 20 of them. all over tn
country. Some | paid only few dol
lars for Some of 'em were little fel
lows, scarcely more than colts, other
were poor. old. battered creatures
SCARED and lamed with years of bru
tai service and sold off in their oil
age for a mere song When the shoy
went into winter quarters | took m,
little bunch of mules down into tn
country, and out in a big open pas
ture began what | like to call m,
mule school,
Il had made up my mind befor
this that mules were intelligent; bu
nobody was more surprised at the wa
that bunch developed than | was my
self. I've spent my whole life out Oh
the plains, working with and assc
ciating with animals-a good dea
more than | have with men-and
had by this time thought out kin
of system about the way an anima
ought to be taught.