OBLIGATIONS TO APPRENTICES. XWe 



horse's value to the owner. A man of bad judgment, or of dis- 

 honest purpose, though practically competent, can cause great suf- 

 fering to a horse and work great injury to his owner if he chooses 

 to do so. Not only science, but conscientiousness, is necessary in 

 the equipment of a common farrier. 



Now, I would urge all interested in this matter to get together 

 and help to lift this question out of the mire in which it has ]3een 

 so long. I am constantly surprised to see so much jealousy exist- 

 ing among farriers, and so little confidence shown in one another. 

 No one who runs a horseshoeing shop can expect to hold all the 

 horses he shoes from year to year. If one customer goes to some 

 other shop, another customer will come from elsewhere to fill his 

 place. What we need is to so perfect our profession that we may 

 have confidence in one another. As soon as we reach this point, 

 we will begin to prosper in our business, and the public will realize 

 that if they would maintain the usefulness of their horses they 

 will have to patronize only scientific farriers who will consci- 

 entiously j^reserve the usefulness of their property. Let us get 

 together. 



I think, first of all, we should get into touch with the Humane 

 Society, and induce that organization to make it a part of its 

 business to see that dumb animals are protected from cruelty and 

 ill-usage in the horseshoer's shop as well as elsewhere. Few men 

 shoe horses with the deliberate purpose of crippling them and de- 

 stroying their usefulness for life. Yet this is being done every 

 day, here in your city, and right under the eyes of the Humane 

 Society. Go to the man that lamed the horse, and his excuse will 

 be, "I did the best I know how." This does not excuse him, nor 

 us, nor the owner of the horse, nor the Humane Society. Such 

 incompetent men should not be allowed to shoe horses. Ignorance 

 is no excuse before the law, and it should be no excuse before pub- 

 lic opinion. 



One of the most competent agents of the Humane Society 

 should be engaged to go from shop to shop and examine the work, 

 done. He will soon discover the man who is a scientific shoer, 



