326 THE CIRCLE. 



more particularly in some of the closing scenes of 

 many of the spectacles at a theatre, if an observer 

 only watches closely he will perceive that they are 

 all eating ; and it must much enhance the gratifica- 

 tion of any feeling mind in witnessing the docility 

 of these animals when we can banish from the mind 

 the very erroneous idea that our gratification is 

 purchased at the cost of suffering and cruelty to the 

 animal. 



There is not perhaps one man in five thousand that 

 has not often been in some stable, but I think I may 

 say there is not one in that number who has been in 

 a stable of amphitheatrical horses, or seen them in 

 their daily morning rehearsals, consequently very few 

 persons indeed know any thing at all about how they 

 are treated : they see them do things quite unnatural 

 to the horse, consequently conclude some unnatural 

 means are employed to subject them. 



To show how little an audience, speaking col- 

 lectively of them, know what it is difficult to teach 

 these horses and what it is not, I may venture to 

 say that when seeing a horse galloping round the 

 ring, they consider such a horse as of very little value 

 to his proprietor when put in comparison with the 

 one that takes a tea-kettle oiF a fire, and such a sup- 

 position is quite a natural one ; they will be surprised 

 to hear that where ten horses may be got that may 

 be made perfect as trick horses, not one among them 

 would perhaps be worth a farthing as a ring-horse. 



The reader must carry in mind that if the trick 

 horse fails or makes a blunder in his performance, 

 the only consequence is a momentary mortification to 

 his teacher, and the next moment he does it perfectly ; 

 but if the ring-horse makes a serious blunder in his 



