382 THE GROOMS ORACLE. 
Meeting, last year; who would hear of no other title than ‘an 
Oracle, 7 which should dictate to the whole groom genus?* (oinne 
quod exit in oom;) “no matter whether pad-groom or training- 
groom, my lady’s groom, or hunting stud-groom.” Finding that 
this was the scope and drift of our author’s labours, we must 
confess we felt uneasy lest they should turn out to be “labours 
lost;” knowing, as we do, of our own personal knowledge, many 
species of this “ genus,” who cannot turn to -any account either 
books or pens: we have experienced some relief, however, from 
this embarrassment since perusing a sentence in the very next 
page of the Preface, wherein our author assures us, that—“At 
this day, they (hoc omne genus) READ ; and that (he adds) is a 
sufficient guarantee that they STUDY!!”—cracking oats, we can 
imagine, upon the corn-bin. 
Grooming, like hunting, is one of those subjects that cut a 
very poor figure upon paper, though, in the practice, nothing 
turns out to be more delectable than the one, or more beneficial than 
the other; it is a department of horse-knowledge concerning 
which no professional man can manifest ignorance without run¬ 
ning the risk of having much detracted from confidence in his 
medical skill: and indeed with much reason ; for one who is un¬ 
able to manage a horse in health must undertake his treatment 
in a state of disease under many disadvantages. So far, there¬ 
fore, are we from setting our face against publications of this de¬ 
scription, that we contend the subject is one, even proficiency in 
a knowledge of which is requisite to constitute the efficient prac¬ 
titioner; at the same time, such knowledge is to be acquired to 
any useful degree in the stable alone, not in the studv—rather 
by dint of practice and actual observation, than by reading or 
studying. We do not mean to contend, in saying thus much, 
that grooming does not come within the province of letters; its 
general principles certainly do—they may be said to form the 
hygiene branch of veterinary science: for, the greater the distance 
the groom may consider himself placed out of the specific or legi¬ 
timate range of the veterinarian, the more, we can inform him, his 
confined and bigotted understanding is leading him astray; and the 
clearer he is making the proofs to us that the little knowledge he 
has scraped up in the tap-room and the stable, is doing both him 
and his master infinitely more harm than good. 
A single glance into the volume before us is sufficient to show 
that the subject has not been taken up in the scientific manner 
which meets our views: the author may probably tell us, that he 
cares nothing about principles, his aim being to make a practical 
groom : why then jie must go himself into the stable, and prac¬ 
tically teach that which he desires should be practically learnt. 
