A MASTER'S EYE NECESSARY. 121 



from an ordinary man? Common sense must say, 

 No ; and then common sense must tell us what results 

 we may expect : what they are we have lately had 

 proofs enough of. I think my barrel of gunpowder 

 has been sat upon, and some pretty blows-up we have 

 had. How then are these explosions to be prevented ? 

 This is a poser I allow; but put the question in a 

 modified way, and ask how is the chance of so 

 frequent a recurrence of them to be effected? " Keep 

 a constant and watchful eye on the barrel yourself, or 

 employ some one who will." Who is this some one 

 to be ? A man of tried honour, a man personally 

 attached as a friend, and to render " assurance doubly 

 sure," make it his interest to watch yours as his own. 

 No other man will do it. It is not the hiring good 

 attendants, and leaving children to their care, that 

 will ensure their well doing: it is the careful and 

 anxious eye of the mother that is wanted to watch 

 their daily progress, and afford those thousand-and- 

 one little cares that only a parent will attend to : so 

 it is nothing but a master's eye in himself, or in a 

 second self, that will anxiously watch every change 

 in race-horses, make himself master of their different 

 qualities, and study where to place them to the 

 greatest advantage to their owner in their running. 



It may not be necessary for a lady to dress her 

 child, but she ought to be able to do so : it may not 

 be necessary for an owner to put on bandages or 

 sweaters, but I can only say that if I did not know 

 how to do both properly, I would never pretend to 

 give an opinion in a racing stable, nor should I 

 expect to be attended to if I did. The master or the 

 master's representative should know such things if he 

 means to be attended to : he may leave as much as 



