New Britain herald., 1917-03-02
SALUTE THE MULE,.
 KING OF THE WAR
Tommy Atkins Loud in Praise
 of LoEly Beast

(correspondence of the Associated Press) With the British armies in France, Feb. 6-Two years and half of the grimmest war in history have wrought the triumph of at least one American institution-the army, mule. He has been weighed anew in the scales of battle. proved on the fire-swept fields of France and Flanders and not found wanting. In warm winter coat and with long. inQuisitive ears Hopping back and forth in the breeze, he marches up among the roaring men who depend 50 much upon him. From Missouri. Georgia. Tennessee. Mississippi. Texas,and other stock farms in the south. he has journeyed to the war and come into his own. The much maMgned, supposedly stub born. balky and generally pestiferous mule. has won place in the heart of the British army from which he can never be dislodged. He was quite an asset in the South African cam. paigns. but now is . real aristocrat of the transport service.
 Magnificent Creature. "A most magnificent creature, replied British Brigadier when ask- cd for an opinion of the lowly Amerf- can mule. And he has a much better character than generally is given to him. He is something like a. camel in that respect. Most people cry down and berate the poor old camel. but once you get to know him he is much to be admired. It is just the same with the mule. He has some ways with him which the British Tommy didn't quite appreciate at first, but now that they are better ac- Quainted and have formed a sort of entente cordiale, the two have utmost respect for each other and carry on at the front with complete under standing and effectiveness"
 The mule had his supreme test on ! this front in the battles Of the Somme. There were days and nights of un- ceasing labor. short rations and little or no attention. The strain. was con- stant and terrific. Tn exact ratio to the number employed. six horses suc- way.
 The horse. of course, is an animal o1 finer fiber and Is far more sensitive | H 1A0 Sk0AAOACo AIACO e. SAASAA AOIO uOA1CU with water he will strive and struggle to get out until he actually dies of 6 broken heart. Not so the mule. H<
 has no imagination and not much o1 an outlook on life. He calmly and philosophically lies in the shell holt
 until some ono comes along and dig,
 him out.
 Thick Hide Valuable.
 The mule, some suppositions to thu
 contrary notwithstanding, is vulner'
 able at times to shot and shell. Man,
 of them have been killed in action
 along with the horses. and others have
 died of wounds. But modern veterin'
 ary skill is working wonders for the
 animals of war and one must be badl,
 hurt indeed to be abandoned. The
 thick skin of the mule saves him from
 many of the troubles that beset the
 horse. It wards off mud blisters and the affections that come from the wet
 and damp and long exposure.
 As to working values. the horse l being far more anxious to please, will
 ordinarily accomplish as much as one and one-third mules. Some horses do 1 the work of a mule and a half. But they cannot "stick it. so long. Visiting veterinary hospital where
 there were hundreds of horses under | medical repair, it was strange, to
 notice but solitary mule among
 them. Someone suggested this was
 strange because the army had found l the mule such a fine animal he had
 been imported by the tens of thou ands. .. That's precisely it, said the doctor l in charge; fits because he is such
 a fine animal that you see so little 1 of him here."
 Because he is generally civil and 1 sometime goes to sleep just abaft a
 howline nine-inch gun, it must not
 be supposed the American mule has
 lost all his old craft and }mulish cum
 ming. At one of the hospitals there is a sulphur ''dip''. or bath. like the cattle dips on western ranches Most
 of the horses will plunge in over their
 heads and swim through. getting the
 full benefit of the disinfection. But
 MT. Mule is rather too suspicious to take such5 chances. He is drawn in
 with great reluctance and holds his
 head high above the yellow liquid. l One old fellow went through six times
 one day but not once did he geet his
 head wet until the sponges were re- sorted to.