CHRONIC HEPATITIS. 159 
The animals, during that time, depend on the groom for exercise. The 
coachman may be fond of his horses, and, in his ignorance, may think 
they cannot have too much rest, or himself too little work Let the 
master neglect his duty, and the servant soon follows the example. 
The word “duty” was employed in the last sentence. It is of an un- 
pleasant signification, and was used in its harshest sense. Kings owe a 
duty to their subjects; the rich owe a duty to the poor. All authority 
has some obligation connected with it. There is nothing like perfect 
freedom in this world of dependence. Man is the king over living 
things. He may claim his rights, but he at the same time must adopt 
the weight of his office: he cannot assume the one and discard the other. 
A monarch is invested with dominion and authority over men; but the 
stability of the throne is dependent upon the righteousness of the ruler. 
If he who wears the crown abuses his trust, he may possess “a right 
divine,” but he is speedily without subjects. So, if man is unjust to the 
creatures ever which he is placed, nature snatches them from his grasp ; 
and he may be invested with every power, but he soon wants animals 
upon which to exercise it. 
View the matter in another light, as an affair only of worldly pru- 
dence. Knives, formed of the hardest steel, if purchased and put away, 
in a short time are worthless, because of rust. A house wears faster 
when untenanted than when properly inhabited. 
A horse cannot remain for days in the stable and retain its condition. 
The carriage proprietor has not only to find food, but he is equally 
bound to support the health of his animals, or the service for which he 
bargained will be rudely terminated. Too many do net think of this. 
Too many take out the carriage to-day, only because it accords with 
their convenience. All, however, complain of the uncertainty which 
appertains to horse-flesh. The frame of the horse is stronger than 
machinery; but it cannot resist the willfulness of human misrule. Let 
that man, whose stable troubles him, question his own conduct. Let 
him examine the house in which he has thrust life. Let him see to the 
servants he has engaged, and to the food for which he pays; and after 
all, let him inquire into his own behavior: the error will be found, not in 
the creatures over which he exercises dominion, but in those who are 
invested with authority. 
If people will start carriages, the vehicle must be taken out every day, 
let the weather freeze, rain, or shine. The hard earth of sunshine is fre- 
quently more injurious to the feet than either cold or wet are to the 
body. The lady, when out visiting, has more than her own pleasure to 
consult; for all horses fed on the best and underworked, or retained 
standing long befoie the street door, are exposed to chronic hepatitis. 
