458 
VETERINARY SURGEONS 
thing is amiss there, a young man must be well known before he 
is employed ; and many a plant being set upon him, he must 
have a great deal of self-command and prudence if he does not 
sometimes say a word or two too much, and which may be mis¬ 
understood and perverted in a way that he could not dream of. 
But, supposing that he possesses all this self-command, neither 
the groom nor the owner will give him credit for it. They will 
bestow on him very little of their confidence until they have tried 
him; and a long time may pass, and his little patrimony be spent, 
before he will have the opportunity to shew that he may be 
trusted. 
The veterinary surgeon is fond of the horse: he cannot be a 
good surgeon if he is not. If he does not embark in his profes¬ 
sion, and carry on his profession con amove , he is good for 
nothing. He loves to talk of and to witness the powers and 
energies of the horse ; and, placed among those whose sole plea¬ 
sure and whose bread depend upon the speed and the stoutness 
of the horse, who have more or less to do with every exhibition 
and trial of him, and who, from the peer to the groom, has each 
his betting book, it will be very difficult for the young practi¬ 
tioner to refrain from now and then sporting a little on the issue 
of some events. If he does , his doom is sealed beyond redemp¬ 
tion ; for he has to do with those who think every thing fair to 
accomplish their purpose—who are perfectly aware of, and ready 
to resort to any manoeuvre (others would say, rascality) to effect 
their objects, and be on the right side of the post. They 
will judge of the veterinary surgeon by themselves and by all 
around them; and will conclude that he, too, may be disposed to 
do a little to make himself right, and that, therefore, he is a dan¬ 
gerous person to be admitted into their sand a sanctorum , except 
he should be on their side, and even then, they well know that it 
is possible to win a great deal by apparently losing a little. 
These are a few of the circumstances which render it difficult ** 
for a young man to establish himself in a place like Newmarket. 
The old farrier (who, it seems, has pretty well feathered his nest), 
and Mr. Bowles, who lives at a distance, and the heyday of 
whose blood is now pretty well subdued; and his son, profiting 
by the example, and practising all the prudence and caution of 
his father,—they may succeed. The experience of a long series 
