54 PREVENTING AND OVERCOMING FEAR. 



brought in for treatment, reported to be afraid of a blan- 

 ket : this horse did not have a blanket upon him for seven 

 years, and he would act furiously vicious the moment 

 shown one. All this was caused by a gust of wind rais- 

 ing a blanket from his back, that had been thrown upon 

 him while standing in the street, and falling under his 

 belly, and frightening him greatly. This horse would 

 squeal, strike, and kick, and his eyes blazed like balls of 

 of fire, when shown a blanket. It was only by great care 

 and effort that I was able to make him submit to be 

 touched with one, and submit to be covered with it. A 

 horse brought me in Greencastle, Penn., years ago, was so 

 much afraid of a robe, that he would get away, or kill any 

 one, if he could, who would bring a robe near him. With a 

 robe behind me, and only showing one corner of it, though 

 distant from me fifty feet, the horse was completely frantic, 

 and I believe would have died from the shock, if treated 

 too precipitately. By careful, energetic treatment, I was 

 able in less than an hour to make my success complete, 

 the horse becoming entirely indifferent to it. It was re- 

 garded a great feat. This was one of my little episodes 

 of trial, the horse acting fearfully wild and bad before the 

 class, and at first I made no apparent progress in making 

 him submit to the robe being brought near him. The 

 owner and every member of the class said, " There was no 

 use, that the horse could not be broken." Their perfidy 

 of purpose, too, was so manifest, to break me down if 

 they could, that I was roused to vindicate myself at all 

 hazards. To the owner, on the instant, I pledged in 

 cash the value of the horse as assurance that he would 

 not be injured. To the class I said, If I do not succeed, 

 and perfectly, I will pay every man back the money he 

 paid me. I demand silence and time as my right, with- 

 out favor. I went to work as if for life, and succeeded. 

 But it was a close call. Nothing short of sharp, heroic 

 work would do ; and by careful work I made the reforma- 

 tion perfect. The owner led his horse home with a robe 

 over his back and neck ; the horse as indifferent to it as 

 if never afraid of it. They all declared it the most won- 

 derful performance ever seen of the kind. Every man, 

 if necessary, would have fought for me ; and every man 



