Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1877-11-21

The London Spectator gives the follow
ing account Of the process Of training Al
rican elephants at Alexandria Park, near
London;
The 'juniorest elephant is selected to
have his lesson first, and comes Singing
down to the ring in his heavy Lrol; the oc,
casion is quite II private one, but there is
Nubian looking on, who has learned the
English method of applauding, and he
softly claps his black palms together as
the pupil entangles himself in his rope to
begin with, and feels up Mr.. Felix's sleeve
for consolation in the shape of carrots.
He does not get them at this stage of the
proceedings, but he knows they are com
ing, and il is very funny to observe him, in
the midst of his lesson, twiIching his
trunk in some new direction, which it
suddenly occurs to him to explore; then
he resumes his studies, as if he had not had
IL momenIary distraction.
" He weighs seven hundred weight al
present, and if he can only be kept from
injurious food and int1ammatory diseases
will grow to ten feet high, it is expected,
and furnish remarkable reiutation of the
general notion that African elephants cam
not be highly trained. They are not, in
deed, equal to the Indian elephants in in
lelligencc; one has only to look at their
brain box to see that, but the four little
elephants, all newly come into Mr.. Felix's
hands are making rapid progress under
The system OF kindness, patience, praise,
reward and mo knocking about Come,
my babyn That's fine boyr 'Ah,
brave, brave; you are II beaulyH Fine
boy, beautiful bow Such are the phrases
perpctualy repeated, which encourage
the big.lillle scholar us he climbs on IL
wooden pedestal, lifts one clumsy leg after
an other, admonshed by Il gentle tap of
his teachers sick never used to hurt or
brighten him-or turns bis numbering
body in the valse, which, when he is per-
feet in the accomplishment, will be hailed
with peculiar delight by the public.
I" The valse is performance which the
little elephants learn very readily. They
are at first held by one huge. tapping ear,
and turned by the teacher, whose steps
they follow-lhe movement comes easily
to hem; after two or three lessons they
need only TO have the stick held on the
side from which they are to turn, few
more, and the wave of the teachers hand
IN the required direction is enough. Three
of MI. Felix's pupils are us yet not sutf-
GENTLY advanced to appear in public; it
was most Interesting to see how they took
in The idea of what was required Of them
and to hear him praise them when they
succeeded in doing what he indicated. He
never lets them be tired ;and observes them
so closely, that when the clever little
black elephant was coming on finely in
the art of rolling barrel with his fore
lect-it was delightful TO see his satisfac-
ton when he discerned what he was to do,
and that bis his hind feet were to be kept
clear Of the barrel-Mr. Felix stopped the
lesson at once, on seeing him begin to
tremble
Good marks in the circus school trans
late themselves into Jumps of sugar and
chunks Of carrot, and bad ones into deri
sive observations about the selErespect
which the idle pupil ought to feel, but
doesn't. One OF Mr. Felix's pupils is still
very timid; he was scared and i'll during
his voyage to this ungcnial cline, and at
last he would not let any one approach
him; but he is n promising young,ter
now, and lends his bark-like neck to q
friendly scratch with much affabilty. On
none of these animals is to be seen scar
OF II prod, the mo knocking about sys-
tenn is to be traced in their bodies and in
their manners, and they look for their re-
wards-addressed to their stomachs-w |
cheerful confidence. One of them, the
nervous one, had an anxious and puzzled
look during portion of his lesson; but
reiterated assurances of his bravery, his
beauty, and his babyhood induced him to
perk up as the nurses say, wonderfully"