262 CATTLE-BREEDING. 



reeds re-echoing and the winds laden with his 

 whispered "King Midas has ass' ears." It is a 

 true lesson taught by this old world fable that 

 a secret intrusted to a light and vain mind 

 might as well be spoken upon the housetop. 

 Good sense and sound ethics alike condemn the 

 injury resulting from gossiping about our neigh- 

 bors' property to their hurt. We have only a 

 right to investigate and make ourselves, so far 

 as possible, cognizant of the entire history of 

 cattle we are thinking of purchasing, and on 

 the facts learned we may justly form our judg- 

 ment and guide our conduct. 



I am speaking here only of such matters as 

 come under the head of prejudice. I think 

 facts, properly speaking, ought as a rule to be 

 open to public scrutiny. All questions of his- 

 tory are naturally of a public rather than a 

 private nature, and should therefore be ac- 

 cessible to all. All questions of forgery, 

 tampering with records, etc., are also public 

 concern, and one who knowingly conceals such 

 things in most cases makes himself particeps 

 criminis by the very act. We are, however, 

 going beyond the proper purview of our sub- 

 ject here. And yet it is of more importance 

 to get these matters fairly before the mind of 

 the new breeder than would appear upon the 

 surface. 



Let us return now with a little more particu- 



