The Rich Hill tribune. (Rich Hill, Mo.) 1903-1911, 1910-04-14

q but the old
horseman brave
~ held his ground.
Folks may laugh all they're a mind
TO- be declared stoutly. but I've
made a study OF 'em-mules. ! a
not women-and ! am sure there's not
I one person In a hundred knows any.
4 thing about the real character OF a
mule. ! know. because Tor the past
20 years I've made Il the business %
my life 10 teach and study horses and
mules. and ! 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
20 teaching and training animals and
is now making e his special work to
show horse trainers and bronco bust.
ers how they may accomplish their
aims IN a more thorough. a more sci
enuhc, and a more human method. by
educating and not breaking the spirit
VI AAt ANANAtlns
7 have always loved all animals,
continued Mr.. B~oyington. but the =ag
! first got Interested In mules was by
watching them when I was head horse
par with the Barnum and Bailey cir
Gus and seeing the amount Of intelli.
n and good. hard commun-senEe
they brought 20 bear on their work
Nov you may not know Il. but an ami
NAL has as much what you might call
system 10 his work. as a man. Near
ly every one works differently: and
q 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. II 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 g hammer or struck a pick
differently from the way De would
have done Sc n he was doing the work
don't believe he would get ahead
very fast with his sob: do YOU The
good boss watches his men and many
o time he learns from them bow 20
Improve his o~n methods
TITS Just the same with animals: Il
you watch those SOU arc working with.
gnany O time they 4oach you. Now {
often noticcd hos iutcllircuty o mule
Ntnt az ale gFork-ycs. 3 knew you'd
smile az that nug what mean Is
tAat he always seemed 60 go NJ 81 de-
Nheratoly ana IN a quiet, determined
way. as q he had thought Il an out
HnG knew just what be was going 20
do. and exactly how be was going 10
do g. Nov that IS my w method Of
working. and I got 20 Eind Of re
Specuug the mules for e. often in
loading ana unloading che circus
wagons rye seen n mule use the great.
est Intelligence. sometimes oxtrtcating
himself and hts load from a difhcult or
awkward position with Gar more com.
mon.scnse and judgment than we're
sho"n by bis driver
After awhile I made up my mind
that a mule was not stupid. be was
only slow, that he WAS not obstinate.
be was only cautious
"Ouo niFht a crowd 81 us were talk
ing thinEs over. aud onc Of tho lei.
lows. a Miasourian. made the old com.
p%arison about somebody's being 'ns
dumb as a mule resented Il and
said right out that mules were not
dumb, or stupid either. An the rest
OF the crowd declared thcy were. and
that Eot my dnnuer up. M right then
and there I put w a hundred dollars
and made q bet with the MisHourisn
that I could take o bunch Of common
work mules, pickoi up anywhcre,
young or old. broke or unnruko, and IN
Elk months I could drive 'cm anywhere
wanted 20 so without lines. bride
or halter. and have en- understand
vvcry word ! taid 90 them.
"Of course thc fellows an booted
90 that. but I put up the money with
the boaa, and gtartod riEht 10 20 pick
40 my bunch Of mules ia bccn IN.
tending 90 get a bunch together any.
way and / Thought this was a Koo time
90 do e. Well, ! picked up my llttlc
mules. about 20 OF them, all over tho
country. some | paid only a few dol
lars for Some az 'om were llttle fol-
lows. scarcely more thAa colts. others
were poor. old. battered creatures.
SCARED and famed with years OF bru.
tRl service and sold on IN their old
age for n mere o When the show
went into winter quarters I took my
little bunch OF mules down into the
country. and out 10 a bis open pas.
ture | began what | ike to call my
mule school
Il had made or my mind before
this that mules were Intelligent. but
nobody wal more surprised az the way
that bunch developed than ! was my.
self, ryo spent my whole life u ON
the plains. working win and asao-
ciating with animals-a good deal
more than / have with mon-and I
had by this time thought out = kind
Of systom about the way an animal
ought TO be taught
u believe the FIRST thing a person
ought to DO In training N animal IL
an awaken It's intgrgat. then tfs love