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Show low the nimble and Oft Despised American X Mule las Become tie "Most XV Efficient" Unit at the Front 1ST for tie Allies, Provtaf ' Himself More Sensible , aid More .Courageous ' llai tie Horse and A More Valuable" Even . ;, mIIan tie Motor Track . in tie Combined Perils of Bottomless Shell Pits and the Hying Beat! ,-. ' of Modem Warfare . Wmk How tie Humble and Oft Despised American ' S Jill ; llik Mule las Become the "Most Pv k ' mills . Efficient" Unit at fie Front x JH plli3 ftr the Allies, Proving , ' . ; V iV) V SH! ' .pflf Himself More Sensible ,:; " - ? 'V ".v v , 1111 rpfl and More -Courageous -. .."; y- V Alllf Than the Horse and : - V yr I .; vHfli - fitv Sk Than the Motor Truck . . : - ly'l'.yytijn- in tie Combined Perils of Bottomless y . i' -H-yh'S' r.ssa-rs: y p watchpd tie wprk of the males along the Shell Pits and the Flying Deatl : 'Vs- . --t(y:y . - o. ttw e . - I if' aoter tlnn tradition gives him. Some of , J? TkitT J1.ao vuo-fP tiot , ' V .-v v ' , ' his peoulla ities were revealed in rather of Modern Warfare , - c-. , r rsrr: x SaV r s , ' tanditi!? hom ever, has conduced to mutual VMMBBICA has long clung flf ''tv - f t' v V V " f admiraHon and the Tommy an his mules l' - desperately to neutral- f ' r X ,4 - ' , v t , re "'dispensable factors in our V A W Ity. It has been the U I . v , n f ' ??,r i' ' ! J opeiitions. 1 be mule goes calmly and ef- C A task of genius to keep ! " iS X',- . J f 1 ' . - fieJently roto places where the horse be- A JL JL X from becoming actively ' s - a i f , ' ' -f t ' 1 f V come frantic ' and panic-stricken, and A embroiled In the -world , I ' , iJf "here 1116 motDr 'tmt"ks wa"ow lnt0 the fcft war whose lurid flames ! t " i ' ' muck and stay . there, sans traction, and have lit Europe for ' " M ' s , hopeie h mired."- thre years. In a measure we have been SS " t f v v 'it ucoeMfui. I .n-" , , , No Mud too Deep for Him. Yet it is charged that we have aided j 54 s j"s.N ? I --SSz It l a well known fact that most pew- the allies in every battle! n " ) X-'frA. t v " x J "v ( rf ul motor driven vehicles are almost For we have given them the American i ' " t t l14 1 1 r 2i-- 1 elpless in a ea of mud, or in narrow and army mule, next to men and guns the most r ' ' I' i2-- '-ctremely rough roads. .Here the hauling i valuable thing that the allied armies pos- l!" VV x iS-" - i ,tolve upon horse and mule supply and sess. The long-eared, ready-heeled, grace- "t" T Mv)" 5V'ifi E A tilleiv trains If shell fire is severe and less American mule has usurped the proud " " ' - " i utiDuous the horse's nervousness an place of the battle charger in the present ' J ' 0 . t t 4 " ' nicky impulses tend to eliminate him. : European war. He has inscribed his name k ' 'rW j' C ' v 3 eimg the mule triumphant, by a process In the scarlet pages that tell the story 7 v V "M-C ?t- A . 1 ' llmmatlon which may indeed be termed Mr of the Verdun and the Somme campaigns. - ' i f 4""" X ft 4 lhe survival of the fittest." I He and his performances have become no f 4 j4 nd no mud is too deep,: no road tooyf less of a sensation than the "42 centimeter" ' f ' ji'",k i ockv noi mountain pass too steep for the '' - guns, the British "tanks" and the French It! i ' -'tT! i " " P"V4 " " 4 P itient plodding, methodical mule. His To's." 1 i ' ; j', , k'Jf , 4 tough hide pi otects him from many braises Every fighting man from the generals . '1 1 i " -"" 'v 5 V"" " V ' f' 1 and abla lon that incapacitate the horse, to the humblest "Poilu" or "Tommy" haa a ?il 4((l I ' C ' ' ' " ? 'lii VM Hel void of imagination, so that the warm word of. praise for the American "'i s " ' r v," ij-vVv'' J?- J future hold for him nothing more hor-mule. hor-mule. For where the horse would bolt in k V y .i 'Jf 4 S w ' w F T ' i fif nble than is actually unfolded. Familiar-senseless Familiar-senseless panic, adding confusion to dis- """ ' ? ""i I 5 T V 1 l -"Ki ,tv ,nbue nim with a fine contempt for aster, where the most powerful gasoline h s? v , fv J ( V" , f 1 -t ? , 7"-, ' 1 S all varieties of shell fire. He Is the great- " i truck or tractor would stall or founder, the l ' i v , .'' ? - - 5 I est of brute philosophers, and it Is his army mule goes calmly and sensibly, doing v4? V " i " If SsV 1 VSSS& - stu king adapt ibility to circumstances that his allotted work faithfully and efficiently. - W!Zm r r 1 " i 4 i $ ha, made him invaluable iu the battle-torn Where shells must be had for mountain Here he is man's best friend in the lfliF' " ' J ?- helds of northern France, batteries, where petrol is urgently needed, European war. He'll pull a load 14.-1 4 ' W tx- ir 4 That nothing surprises him is illusrrat-where illusrrat-where a flghUng unit stands in peril of where a horse is afraid to go and rM " 1 " - - , , lS ed by an American tour-losing tour-losing Its effectiveness through lack of , . , . lt ,. v A i X z ' Ist's account of unloading supplies, the American mu!e becomes a T " V " 1 T V' ' ' ' V- .Z1 V, "JU JX Tl operation, . In i French figure of transcendant Importance. And after his day s work he U sleep M' Is ; ' , - , - ' V" , JTS v 'Port twin crane," he To use a phrase 'peculiar to the land of beside the guns or amid bursting x J I 1 r ZZZ y?i-' r7y tt says, "had Jammed, lea v-his v-his nativity "he delivers the goods." shells, the bravest and calmest of w tr i ' j '-S'"4 -Jl""-12 iQg a horse and a mule The humble mule, transported in thou- four-footed beasts the American W A r ?YSC jC- V TeST'' ' suspended over the. dock, sands across the ocean from Missouri and ul ' I ' Jgfft!i'lr-S&:':' ikTO. In the queer canvas con-Georgia con-Georgia and Texas, to the bloodstained m. y ( ' , v fe' mJJ' r JSi S!i4w V vV-" ' trivance tiat is buckled , fields of Flanderg and Belgium, haa dona V i V A "t Vs" Vsv 11 around their bodies in his martial work well. "roads," as -they were flatteringly alluded i 1 -zZ2 hZLC'1 '""''SS'fe ' ' jfeVs t1le Process of unloading The superiority of the American army to, were covered with about thirty inches " iJ i C FZK "4 t ) vjy ''''l" VVwA'J ' them'. The horse, after mule over all other forms of military trans- of thick, yellow Chinese "loess" mud. The L---si;;:; 1 V J C'! ' yi'y V'! a brief survey of the sit-' portatlon was first made manifest when heavy horses of the British and German ?Lv tAf" " ' k "-T uation' '1pme panic- the allied column marched against Pekin columns were easily mired, plunged and 'yWlW JffsliWH--) J, 'rZI ' stricken at his strange during the Boxer uprising of 1900. The tangled and fell, and created no end of Hie cavalry charge, such as shown in this painting by '-'y' WJsC X'-VX predicament and strug- nviable reputation of the mnle established confusion. The smaller American army Lafauze of the Battle of Marengo, has gone the way ' A " ' s s "t ' Vn 1VW gled uselessly and inces- there has been sustained in the recent dee- mules, alert and business-like, never lost ;v of the plumed kmght and other rornaic Enre, m ITPX ' - J, 2 CK jV WAW santiy all during the time laration of a British officer on the Somme their heads, never became fractious under V a j i. .. I . , . ,., jtA ' VJTa W''t4p4 VJTTO' W that repairs were being J front, that one American mule is worth the strain of-constant heavy pulling, but . And SS the olJy of war in which f V ) ? , Wfi Xk V jmi effected. The mule, on any sir horses, In endurance and efficiency. went at the task doggedly and sensibly. the horse excels the mule. f.V'i.' flt' ' Jz s the ther haUd' neVer "I tors proud of the American mul and kept the 'wheels of the American ar- 't , ' , Vji "1 k" f 1 vIva'w' moved a muscle, but ' teams," declares Color Sergeant George A. tillei-y and suppUes trains turning, when ish armies, remembering the wonderful ef- p h i 1 osophlcnllv f lv'SvA '' 'y'&' t''A. SV' peered down below him, Campbell, U. S. A., retired, who was a every other vehicle on the line was hope- ficiency of the American mule, prevailed Bursting shells s j X'ty ' - f ' "vXV'nC watching the bustling member of that famous expeditionary 'essly stalled. Their work was regarded "pon their government to Import thou and inundated L," i Ji- r,l J " V p -1fVrSn1 dk With intercst' nnd force. "The going was exceedingly heavy, with amazement by the officers of the sands of them upon the outbreak of h mine critei ma f F - fyt S ' 1 yMy t " V Ik seemin3'y accepting his and the difficulties encountered by the ar- other armies." tilities Today the mule of Geoigi Mis be new things tt ' r, I ' X T'', 171 ' ,Sx aerial suspension as a tillery trains were lnnumerabla. The - And the officers of tha-French and Brit- souri and Texa are fighting on eveiy al him but he doe ' k, , ' - V 4 V SZr ' U HNKY matter of course." lied front In Europe. not let them 1'ir Vfci iX-X-'t uTZir-rAWv Y-.-Cfe-.V ' 'viR Being less complexly JASM'ERICA has long clung 1 de3Perately to neutral- fcr A W Ity. It has been the J task of genius to keep jL Jfew from becoming actively J f embroiled In the world QmtrJi whose lurid flames have lit Europe for three years. In a measure we have been successful. Yet It Is charged that we have aided the allies in every battle! For we have given them the American army mule, next to men and guns the most valuable thing that the allied armies possess. pos-sess. The long-eared, ready-heeled, graceless grace-less American mule has usurped the proud place of the battle charger in the present European war. He has inscribed his name In the scarlet pages that tell the story of the Verdun and the Somme campaigns. He and his performances have become no less of a sensation than the "42 centimeter" - guns, the British "tanks" and the French "To's." Every fighting man from the generals to the humblest "Poilu" or "Tommy" has a warm word of -praise for the American mule. For where the horse would bolt in senseless panic, adding confusion to disaster, dis-aster, where the most powerful gasoline truck or tractor would stall or founder, the army mule goes calmly and sensibly, doing his allotted work faithfully and efficiently. Where shells must be had for mountain batteries, where petrol is urgently needed, where a fighting unit stands in peril of losing its effectiveness through lack of supplies, the American mule becomes a figure of transcendant Importance. To use a phrase 'peculiar to the land of his nativity "he delivers the goods." The hnmble mule, transported in thousands thou-sands across the ocean from Missouri and Georgia and Texas, to the bloodstained fields of Flanderg and Belgium, haa dona his martial work well. The superiority of the American army mule over all other forms of military transportation trans-portation was first made manifest when the allied column marched against Pekin during the Boxer uprising of 1900. The nviable reputation of the ninle established there has been sustained in the recent declaration dec-laration of a British officer on the Somme front, that one American mule is worth any air horses, In endurance and efficiency. "I was proud of the American mul teams," declares Color Sergeant George A. Campbell, L S. A., retired, who was a member of that famous expeditionary force. "The going was exceedingly heavy, and the difficulties encountered by the artillery ar-tillery trains were lnnumerabla. The Here he is man's best friend in the European war. He'll pull a load where a horse is afraid to go and a motor truck sinks in the mire. And after his day's work he'll sleep beside the guns or amid bursting shells, the bravest and calmest of four-footed beasts the American mule. "roads," as they were flatteringly alluded to, were covered with about thirty inches of thick, yellow Chinese "loess" mud. The heavy horses of the British and German columns were easily mired, plunged and tangled and fell, and created no end of confusion. The' smaller American army mules, alert and business-like, never lost their heads, never became fractious under the strain of constant heavy pulling, but went at the task doggedly and sensibly, and kept the wheels of the American artillery ar-tillery and supplies trains turning, when every other vehicle on the line was hopelessly hope-lessly stalled. Their work was regarded with amazement by the officers of the other armies." - And the officers of the -French and Brit- The cavalry charge, such as shown m this pamting by Lalauze of the Battle of Marengo, has gone the way . of the plumed knight and other romantic figures n war. And charging is the only part of war in which the horse excels the mule. ish armies, remembering the wonderful efficiency ef-ficiency of the American mule, prevailed upon their governments to Import thousands thou-sands of them upon the outbreak of hostilities. hos-tilities. Today the mules of Georgia. Missouri Mis-souri and Texas are fighting on every allied al-lied front In Europe-Courage Europe-Courage Equals Thoroughbred's. Artillery and infantry, aeroplane bombs and blinding searchlights, long hours without with-out food, heart-breaking hauls over mountain moun-tain passes and flooded lowlands, the blood smell and the shrieks of wounded horses all these have failed to dismay him. Hls courage Is as great as that of the finest thoroughbred cavalry horse, and his endurance en-durance and sterling common sense is vastly greater. For "horse sense" Is, after nil, a myth. A far more appropriate term would be "mule sense." With the passing of the cavalry charge, has come the decline of the horse's battle prowess. The horse Is at best a hysterical creature, unreasoning and erratic in emergencies. A mule is uever so frightened, on the other hand, that he doesn't retain control of such wits as he pos.ses.ses. When u horse fulls or its mate Is killed beside it, he Immediately kicks and plunges blindly, augmenting the confusiun already created, and doing more to hinder than to help (he work In which he Is en-gaguiL en-gaguiL The mule views things mure t p h i 1 osophlcnllv Bursting shells and inundated mine craters may be new things tit him, but he does not let them jar ms assurance. A horse falling into a water filled, shell hole will plunge and struggle strug-gle blindly until he actually breaks The Biblical story of how Balaam beat his donkey when the latter saw an angel in the road illustrates the low regard in which the animals for ages have been held. The mule has inherited much of the family stigma. The painting is by Schsiorr. his heart. The mule, however, makes a few perfunctory efforts to extricate himself, him-self, and if they are unavailing, calmly waits until better brains than his own are applied to the problem of getting him out. A mule suffers from no mental disorder dis-order other than a penchant for stubbornness, stubborn-ness, which has become incorporated into popular expressions. The theory that a mule must be worked under continual abuse is a most fallacious one, according to Harvey It Hey, for many years superintendent superin-tendent of the U. S. government mule corral at Washington. "Army mules have become a byword for toughness and ability to withstand abuse," he declares, "but the mule Is rather stubborn more because ho has been mismanaged mis-managed and abused than because beating beat-ing is a requisite to conquer bnlkiness. A properly treated mule Is rarely stubborn, and they will work In situations that will break the heart of a horse. A mule's penchant for kicking Is not all a matter of comic cartoons by any means. The mule does kick readily, and, one might say, almost eagerly. There 'are those who will testify that he does so even enthusiastically." enthusi-astically." Learn to Understand Him. The British "Tommies" didn't understand under-stand the American mule's temperamental peculiarities when the first few thousand were landed fur service "somewhere in France." And more than one volunteer mule handler was eased over a guu caisson cais-son as a result of too much brusqueuess ill shoving and hauling Ills charge around. For the British artillery plug will stand treatment that sends a mule on a campaign cam-paign of extermination. "A most magnificent creature," ts the verdict of a British army officer who has watched the work of the mules along the Somme front with critical interest. "TheNrmile. has a rather better character char-acter than tradition gives him. Some of , his peculiarities were revealed in rather startling .fashion when the "Tommies" first began to handle him. A better understanding, under-standing, however, has conduced to mutual admiration: and the Tommy anii his mules are - now - indispensable factors in our operations. ''The mule goes calmly and ef-' ef-' ficlentby -into.' jrlaces where the' horse becomes; be-comes; frantic' and panic-stricken, and where -the motor 'trucks wallow into the muck and staV. there, sans traction, and hopelessly mired.".- No Mud too Deep for Him. It is a well-known fact that most pew-wful pew-wful motor driven vehicles are almost helpless in a sea of mud, or in narrow and extremely rough roads. Here the hauling ; 'evolves upon horse and mule supply and ::'tlllerv trains. If shell fire Is severe and i uutiDuous. the horse's nervousness anV ;:;;nicky impulses tend to eliminate him, ; :eavmg the mule triumphant, by a process Cl ')!' elimination which may indeed be termed ; ihe "survival of the fittest." JT i And no mud is too deep,: no road toor loclrv nor mountain pass too steep for the '' patient, plodding, methodical mule. His tough hide protects him from many braises and abrasions that incapacitate the horse. He is devoid of imagination, so that the future holds for him nothing more horrible hor-rible than is actually unfolded. Familiarity Familiar-ity imbues him with a fine contempt for all varieties of shell fire. He Is the great- ' ; est of brute philosophers, and It Is his striking. adaptability to circumstances that has made him invaluable in the battle-torn fields of northern France. That nothing surprises him is Illustrat ed by an American tourist's tour-ist's account of unloading operations in a French port. "A twin crane," he says, "had Jammed, leaving leav-ing a horse and a mule suspended over the. dock, in the queer canvas con-' trivance that is buckled , around their bodies in the process of unloading them'. The horse, after a brief survey of the sit-' uation, became panic-stricken panic-stricken at his strange predicament and struggled strug-gled uselessly and incessantly inces-santly all during the time that repairs were being J effected. The mule, on the other hand, never moved a muscle, but peered down below him, watching the bustling dock with intercst, and seemingly accepting his aerial suspension as a matter of course." Being less complexly constituted, the mule withstands cold, rain and fatigue better than the horse. He is almost immune im-mune from the ailments peculiar to the horse, and faces scanty rations and cold, damp work with a vastly greater measure of composure. The noucbalanre with whicli he parades along the lines of roaring guns, with artillery cases dragging behind or strapped to his back, have won the admiration of the French and English alike. The day of the horse as a factor In warfare Is passing. The cavalry charge has gone the way of the plumed knight. The wireless and the aeroplane have usurped the function of that thrilling figure, the mounted scout. The mult; Is no longer a creature of jests and caricatures. He Is an ollU-ient fighting unit, a war hero, and triumphant successor to the war horse, lie Is Uncle fam's greatest aid to the allied cause. H cau claim to have "done his bit." Yc ICopyright, 101", bv T. KUv.l |
