Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About The Oregon daily journal. (Portland, Or.) 1902-1972 | View Entire Issue (May 10, 1908)
THE OREGON SUNDAY - JOURNAL, PORTLAND, SUNDAY "IIOENUTa iHAY ID. 1903 . . s'-7; -ut fyq ttaaiwttjb I'wa i-v, -r 'vsP .XS - U .'fHI flU ?7tf "r.l h ' rVf . Ill lif f7 4!, ST . 1 . '4 ; . 'nflY All''' rrH 1 fl vy , rM ;p v 1 A , i j- , Jf yCtf kwc :.ti a.xi V 1 Punishment Has No Place m the New System of Training A COLLEGE' course for horses that is what is being established in many places in America. In other words, the Baucher method of training is being adopted. Comparatively new to this cduntry, it has long been in use on the continent, of Europe, and accomplishes truly wojjrferful results. Briefly, the Baucher method substitutes science for brute force; kindness for cruelty. It teaches the horse to balance himself, to carry himself properly, and to place himself in position to execute whatever command the rider may give him. ft enables the rider to control his mount at all times, to make rebel lion impossible. Punishment has no place in this course of education. ' Instead, the" interest and sym pathy of the horse are enlisted. He is taught to be obedient, not ruined by the cruel and in judicious use of whip and spur OUR English cousins, from whom much of our horsemanship Is inherited, have always frowned on the higher education of the horse. They teach him to walk, trot and canter, to back and sidestep, and perhaps to rotate on his front and hind feet. That Is about as much training as they consider neces sary or advisable. If ha takes kindly to it, well and good. If he doesn't, he Is frequently ruined by punishment. Our own western methods are even harsher. A green pony ia corraled, a huge saddle thrown on him, a cruel bit Jammed into his mouth, and then a cowpuncher climbs aboard and tortures htm into Submission with a quirt and rowels that bring blood. After he has been thoroughly subjected, he learns to round up cattle. He braces him self when a steer is roped, and keeps the lariat taut This completes his education. . Directly the' opposite of these methods Is that of Baucher, which has long been In use on the continent of Europe, and which is gaining ground in America. What it accomplishes may be seen by visiting the farm of George McMenamln, near Valley Forge, Pa. When a stranger walks down the road leading to his house, the horses in a field to the right come over to the fence to Inspect the. newcomer. If he manifests a friendly Interest they will poke their noses over the fence to, be petted. And when he leaves, after having seen horses of many breeds put through their paces, be will recall that not one of them has shown the slightest fear of & human being. In fact, this humane system of horse training Is much In line with modern methods of reforming human crim inals. It has been found, especially with young offenders, that punishment within four walla usually makes them worse. But when they are put both to school and to work on farms, where they get healthy exercise and wholesome fresh air, their bodies develop and their minds lose their criminal tendencies. So, when a bad horse is to be reformed, be is taught to use his nuscles to the best advantage. At first he tries to rebel. But he finds the trainer ready for him. Suppose he tries to run away. Suddenly he finds his head and neck held in such a position that he can't run. There has been no cruelty to rouse his high spirit to further rebellion. He has been scientifically conquered, and ha yields gradually to science, where torture would have turned him into a veritable wild beast. HEAD THE "BALANCE WHEEL" sty boy's feet could reach .them, the horses' head was turned to the rear wall, and the trainer commanded: "Right." The hunter sidestepped to the right wall until he got. the command. "Left," and then he sidled to the othen wall. "Clear around!" and the sidestep be came a canter in a small circle. . Thus, for a few mo ments the "reformed" hunter went through various evo lutions at the word of command, his head, a large part of the time, being turned from the trainer. After this the erstwhile bad horse was taken out in front of the carriage house to be photographed. With the little fellow still in the saddle, he submitted to the oper-atlon-as soberly as a Judge, "Now come into the field," said Mr. McMenamln, "and we'll do some Jumping," And while two Jumpers were being saddled, he discussed the Baucher system with ref erence to Its fitting horses for whatever work may be required of them. . .. "It is extremely valuable," he said, "for training horses for police work; and has already been adopted by several large cities. Tou see, a policeman should have hia horse under perfect control at all times, and should have the utmost possible freedom of motion for himself. With the Baucher training, he can control his horse as readily with his heels as with his hands. Fur thermore, he can handle hia mount quickly and in a small 't space. For instance, in training a horse, a room sixteen feet square Is plenty big enough. I never use a larger space than that, even wnen I am out of doors. "In the next place, tne training will fit them for learning any special duties that may be required of them, such as following an officer who is forced to dismount, or Standing still at the word of command until he returns. And once they learn these things, they never forget them. No matter how big the crowd or how tight the place an officer may find himself In, he can always depend on plac ing his horse wherever desired, and need never fear that the animal vhll become panic-stricken. "Take Jumping, for Instance. Tou see lots of horses that begin to fret the moment they see a hurdle. That Is because they have not been taught how to handre themselves in getting over it They may have force enough to drive themselves over. But that is not Jumping- A Jymp should be like a wave of the ocean with out beginning or endingT-Just a gradual swell. "To Jump well, a horse must know how to carry him self up to the hurdle, to take the position that will enable him to get over it with the least possible effort and exer tion, and to land easily. "That la the beauty of the Baucher system It teaches 4 horse balance. He keeps himself la balance all the flat English saddle, they could budge neither him nor the horse. When they acknowledged the failure and allowed the rope to slacken, he said: "Pull again." t ' ; ' , . This time the horse moved forward Just a step. The rope was still slack. Forward, to the riaht, to the left it was always the same. The horse followed ths move ments f the men so closely that it was rniposslblo to exert the slightest force. ;; ."';;''.;.,'.: !:' "Now, if X was a policeman, I could kill you, laughed the trainer, as he started at one of the men.; Running away was out of the question. Twisting and turning, for ward and back, the horse was always at his shoulder. "Here's another example," said Mr, McMenamln, as he trotted from the stable toward his house. ''Notice how quickly I can stop this mare" h was 'on a heavy built hackney "without using the reins.--.,. -)i .-'.'"; Up the road he came at a gallop, with tils 'arm's fold ed. Then suddenly -he ddg his purt into fcer sides. In stantly she came to a halt A less well-trained horse would have gone to its knees, but'thls one -only kicke.l up her heels a bit. The feat la'often performed. But it this Instance its marvel was in Its pass and rapidity. These things serve to show what higher education will do for a horse. And yet his college course, as, a ml, is not long. Three months is an ordinary j trm, aa I time. He adjusts himself naturally and easily to what ever task he is set "It is the same in driving. The horse has balance. It Is Just as necessary that he should be In balance to pro duce his best possible gait while being driven as It is when he Is under the saddle. It is Just as necessary that he should yield willing obedience when he Is irt front of a man as when he Is under him." By this time the hurdles were reached, and Mr. Mc Menamln said: To give you an Idea of the adaptlblUty which train ing produces. I want you to see this horse Jump. He is a standard-bred trotter." ; With that he started toward a hurdle at a trot The v horse was tall and strongly built, and he stepped out as if e had been In a show ring. There was no fretting, nor no change of gait When at the hurdle the big fellow simply gathered his hind legs together and literally hop ped over the rails at four feet six. v The Jumping over. Mr. McMenamln proceeded to give a few exhibitions of the practical value of the Baucher ' method of training as applied to police work. "I can brace the horse and myself." be ssad. "so that you can't pull me out of the saddle." With that he tied a rope around his body, and three men took hold of it But although he was In an almost "The head," Mr. McMenamln 'governor,' or 'balance wheel,' of will tell you. "Is the horse. The cardinal principle pt Baucber's method is to teach him to balance iiuuneii. in ilia nvurat m&ia ae varncs uu uuiucn, Therefore, when you place a man on his back, you must teach him to carry himself so that bis center of gravity falls where the saddle Is placed. "Then, when you have a duty for htm to perform, yeu must teaoh him to balance himself so that he can perform It. Tou must, control his head and limbs by controlling the muscles tnat move them. Wait a moment, I'll show you." While he was talking he was in his carriage house, a small place, not over sixteen or eighteen feet wide, and not much longer. He went to the door of a box stall nearby, opened It, and said: - . "This la a thoroughbred stallion." Ordinarily a thoroughbred stallion is no gentle ani mal. But this fellow stuck his head out of the door In quite a friendly fashion. He allowed himself to be sad dled without exhibiting the least trace of nervousness. And when Mr. McMenamln mounted, he proceeded ' to canter in small- circles, to back and sidestep as easily as if he bad been a polo pony. . "Just notice," said the trainer, "that he handles as esslly with the hels.as with the hands." And with that he allowed the reins to loosen, and, by touching his spurs to the big fellow's side, put him rapidly through his paces, with no hesitation and never a mistake. It might be well to remark here that the trainer's spurs serve only to signal to the horse. In place of the usual notched wheel they contain only pennies, which cause not the slightest discomfort "I'll show you another horse." 'said Mr. McMenamln, after he bad kept the thoroughbred stepping; around lively for several minutes. "This fellow," as a big bay hunter was led in, "was so bad when I bought htra that no one could., ride him. I got him cheap," and here his eyes twinkled. - "But Just see him now." . v- For a tew minutes the hunter stepped around the ' small ring with as little show of rebellion as the thor- . otighbred. And then the Junior McMenamln, wee mite of a child, happened alor:. ' . . ,. T Immediately the elder McMenamln dismounted. "Come hTC;-Joe.'? he said, and the little fellow wss boosted into ' she saddle . - w After the stirrups had been knotted Tip so that the WILL take all the microbes that come m with a dollar bill, no matter how many," ' M remarked a man recently. He hadn't t- much faith in the belief that money-carries poison. . .' Yet money paper money especially may be one of the best disseminators of disease. Accord ing to a recent report made by the director of the research laboratory of New York, he found,, upon microscopic examination, that an average piece of paper money, moderately clean, carries 22,500 bacteria. An average dirty bill will have upon it some thing like 73,000 bacteria. Not all bacteria, of course, are harmful, but in such, a number as 73, 000 are many that menace the public health. v: ' BR.T few people will refuse to accept money of any kind, whether It may seem to be "tainted" or not The filthiest kind of notes are taken in the course of business, kre carried In the pocket tor indefi nite periods and passed on to others as th&ugh they were absolutely germproof. ,.-', The mediums of exchange known as money do not afford especially good feeding grounds for microbes while in their virgin state. A note directly from the treasury or a coin fresh from the mint is virtually sterile, so far as its ability to spread disease is concerned. It is only where a note or a coin has passed from hand to hand that It gathers elements of danger; It ao--q uires filth, and In that filth may lurk all sorts of possi bilities for Hi to those handling it. : It may, and generally does, become a breedftig ground for a great variety of germs, many of them those of. dangerous diseases. .,r Authorities of the United States government are not unaware of these conditions. Uncle Bam makes an effort iliai LiirfC ifi tie fKomy against three or four years for human beings. Of coui he may take a post-graduate course, of indefinite lengt As a matter of fact it is impossible to te.ll how hlgv he may be developed. v - - , " y Of all breeds, the thoroughbred is the most IntelUs and highly organised. He learns most quickly, and velops the faculties which most nearly approach to v reasoning power of human beings. ' But what part of 1 actions are due to memory and what to understand!', none can tell. Perhaps if we had. been able. to acquir his language as well as he has acquired ours, we nm, be able to find out In this connection it may be interesting to quote sell Ralley, a noted Kentucky trainer and dealer, to t: effect that In handling horses for forty years he V noticed that in disposition they differed in not the slig!; est respect from human beings. Some were stupid. s; bright Some were petulant some patient And in ti .. tng he has said that he studied their dispositions closely as he would do if he were teaching boys and g Mr, McMenamln, also, says that he has trained horses that seemed to understand what he said to tb But. Hke most true experts In any line, ha says that t is still much to discover. 1 "Between every two lines Baucher," he adds, "there are a hundred for a man work out for hlnuelf." to keep his paper money fairly clean; every year he re deems something like 1600,000,000 worth of old, worn, greasy, dirty bills, replacing them with new'money. Even at that the average issue of paper money re mains a considerable time in circulation. The average period of duty of the dollar bill is twenty month, while the five-dollar bills remain in circulation nearly three years each. Bills of higher denominations remain longer In the hands of the public ' It is in the bills of smaller denominations those of one dollar, two dollars and five dollars that disease germs are more apt to lurk. The grocer, the butcher or the butter man has more or less unclean fingers; he retains more or less grease on them while he works Cad waits on his customers. He cannot stop to wash or wipe his hands every time money Is handed him; he takes it puts it in his drawer, and later takes It out again to make ohange for another customer. N His Intentions may be the best, his general efforts at cleanliness beyond reproach. Tet if the bill that Is given him is full of germs, many of them are transferred to bis fingers. . . A little later fee handles a nt butter or Some other com fnr. It lnnot his fault especially 'miMil nn tn the innocent customer. Yet it may be SO. The dirty dollar bill leaves a trail of menace behind It wherever it may go.; Many forelsn laborera keep their money In leather belts strapped about Oisra .; toll in the heat and sun; the. bills become saturated with perspiration, perhaps. They may pass into the hands of the street car con ductor or the keeper of the corner grocery store. Thty may have come from a room in a tenement m which scarlet fever, diphtheria or tuberculosis holds sway. The germs of typhoid fever may be conveyed in that way from the room of a patient to an Innocent passenger on a street car. . ; "' Some contagious disease may attack yourself or you children scarlet fever, diphtheria or other malady. Tou are nimiui in its source: vou mar dace the Blame l piece of meat at package everywhere or anywhere except on the money you have hi modity the customer calls handled. ; ' 2 i , lly that the germs are thus Many women of the lower classes make Jiurses of h it their stockings; they carry money In those receptacles net t to the akin. If ths bills contain germs when placed ' there, the perspiration may b counted upon to make a bet culture medium for the microbes of disease. UNDER COMPLETE CONTROL It Is in this spirit of Investigation that he d training. What be may discover as to the ment horses is for the future to determine. But one t. certain he has already obtained complete control ii muscles. Every part of their bodies acts upon hi ' tion. In his hands a horse virtually, becomes a j.a. him. Me touches his spur to a horse's side. The v. foreleg and hind leg come forward, every tmicia t tracted.- Or he touches both- sides lightiy, with r vibratory motions. The hind legs respond and bitku ii backward, to the exaggerated pose shown ahuve. clean-bred, well-formed hackney mare he is riding d exactly what he wants, and does it Similarly, he applies his spurs to the slds ct thoroughbred stallion. Quickly enough to product Illusion that he has been lifted by his mane, us : , the illustration, the great good-natured fellow "chm c rears on his hind legs as if he were going to jump a house. ; But be comes down again, as lightly as a Perhaps the most noticeable characteristic of i horses shown off by Mr. McMenamln wa tlielr manner.'' They were well trained, but not cow ft. in particular was a half-breed hackney by the 1m Cassatt's great stallion. Cadet upon whom Mr, . rain exhibited the ''strangle hold." U was m and high strung m appearance as many a "ba 1 .. Yet he never offered to disobey a command. Not many people would have the paimncei t't such a high-bred animal to such a hih .!' of -without taking the heart out of hlin. l.-it In li.i . Mr. McMenamln, he finds such tacks l.f 'i bu v his recreation. He hasn't taken a -ai m i i ears, oecause n says ne h revtr in -t . uman comnanlonsh.lt) he has the nunx ro ii visit hln farm. 't liU pflTipIn ii'hn are Inter'atel ll Yir " ' "It takes a good fellow v he a k-1 h"r--n - , is a very good example of the tiuiu of !..,