74 THE ARAB THE HORSE OF THE FUTURE 



To return to Australia, it would appear, according 

 to the preacher, that in order to give ' a profitable 

 day's racing to the racing men ' ladies become un- 

 womanly, Governors and Judges almost become law- 

 breakers, and the most noble animal that serves man 

 is being ruined. I am only concerned here with the 

 latter part of it. I do not judge between the preacher 

 and those whom he was preaching at. Let them 

 fight it out between them. Probably they laughed 

 at him. I have only to do with the ruin of a noble 

 breed of animals. My object is to endeavour to 

 push home the conclusion, to those who really desire 

 to improve the breed of horses, and not to ruin it, 

 that their true interests in this matter are identical 

 with the desires of the preacher. At the same time 

 I must add that I rather think the preacher has the 

 better of the Governor. If the mere spirit of 

 gambling exercises a demoralizing influence in many 

 directions, and tends to undermine the whole basis 

 of Society, I submit that Governors who know it and 

 say it should be chary of giving the chance to 

 preachers to denounce them for encouraging such 

 evils. 



I emphatically disclaim any desire in this book to 

 interfere with betting or in any way to denounce 

 betting or betting men. They may bet till they are 

 blind, so far as I am here concerned. They may 

 risk a thousand pounds to a penny as to which 

 sparrow will first hop off a post. My object is to 

 show, on the authority of racing men themselves. 



