554 THE HORSE. 



native prudence and foresight incline them to shun any mode of 

 investment in which the chances of loss and gain are so nearly 

 equal. 



The turf and its gaming accompaniment have been only the 

 nurses of trotting. They have furnished a field where those inte- 

 rested in the horse could gratify their taste, and see the results of 

 their labor and expenditure in breeding and training. But the 

 growth of a more general appreciation of trotting has widened 

 and enlarged the arena for the display of it, and the turf has 

 assumed a secondary place. The decay of betting, its leading 

 feature, is the best evidence of the fact. During the past year a 

 large majority of the races throughout the country were for purses 

 offered by associations formed for the improvement of stock ; and 

 in all the exhibitions the excitement and pleasure were princi- 

 pally derived from a genuine interest in the performances of 

 favorite animals. 



In conclusion, the peculiar adaptation of driving, as a pastime, 

 to the character and needs of a large portion of the people, affords 

 an assurance of its enduring popularity. The undivided pursuit 

 of wealth has made native-born Americans in the highest degree 

 active, intense, and calculating. The fierce competition resulting 

 from the predominance of the commercial spirit makes the largest 

 demand upon their intellectual and vital energies. The life of the 

 American, especially in towns, is one of unremitting endeavor; 

 and an adequate means of relief and recreation is one of the 

 chief requirements of the time. Driving furnishes the means. 

 The act of driving is an easy and pleasant diversion. It gratifies 

 a natural inclination to control, and affords moderate exercise. 

 The docility, spirit, and power of the horse engages the sym- 

 pathies; while the trials or brushes on the road, to which emula- 

 tion on the part of owners of fast horses gives rise, add zest and 

 piquancy. 



The change from the town to the open country is gradual. 

 There is a preparation for the effect of the landscape. The influ- 

 ence of nature in restoring mental equilibrium, and counteracting 

 the effect of perplexing and absorbing employment, cannot be 

 over-estimated. It furnishes the great corrective of American 

 life, and the eagerness with which it is sought is evidenced in the 

 national art. A fine nervous temperament makes the majority of 

 the population peculiarly open to this influence; and, whether 

 acknowledged or not, the facilities which driving affords for enjoy- 

 ing it constitutes one of the strongest claims of this pastime to 

 popular favor. 



