1883.] THE AMERICAN TROTTING HORSE. 223 



was more probably a philosopher. No, a carriage and horses 

 mean much. I say horses, for I know people, good Christian 

 people, in my own city, who can ride to the store or to market 

 behind one horse on week days, but on Sundays they would rather 

 go to church on foot, or even stay at home, than go with one horse. 

 They have a traditional feeling that their social position requires 

 that they worship with two horses. We see an evidence of this 

 former sentiment regarding the dignity of a span, as contrasted 

 with a single animal, in the use of the phrase "one-horse affair," 

 applied to anything contemptibly small. 



In many countries political and social rank has been related to 

 the possession of horses, and it is still the case in some countries. 

 Fashions, sentiments, the customs of the wealthy, or the aristocratic 

 classes in society (where there is an aristocracy), are the really con- 

 trolling influences as to what kinds of horses are the desirable and 

 high-priced ones raised in times of peace, and as the relative value 

 of the war horse has declined, new breeds have to be made, or old 

 traits developed in new directions, to meet the new fashions. 

 Fast trotters could never be developed until we had a class of 

 influential people, with whom it was fashionable to drive one horse 

 before a light carriage. That class arose in this country; it does 

 not exist even yet in many countries. 



Incidental to the riding habits in the middle ages, there were 

 many fashionable sports that depended upon horses and skill in 

 horsemanship, some of which still survive. For none of these was 

 the trotter suited. Try to imagine gay cavaliers riding in the 

 tournament, and plucking the ring on trotters. Such a thing 

 would be indescribably comic. 



In those days when horsemanship meant so much, and was so 

 much interwoven with social usages and sentiments, when the 

 equery of the king ranked with the prime minister, when princes 

 and nobles vied with each other in the extent and magnificence of 

 their riding schools, when the riding school and menage was the 

 place of most fashionable resort, there arose an immense horse 

 literature. Some of you know what a fancy I have for old horse 

 literature, and have seen the large collection of old and curious 

 books I have pertaining to horses, written long ago, the oldest 

 printed more than-350 years ago; well, I have not read them all, I 

 will admit, but I have read very much of this literature, and 

 scarcely anywhere do I find a good word for a horse that trots. 



