The weekly herald. [volume] (Cleveland, Tenn.) 1876-1888, 1877-12-06
Training elephants.

AnG l4NAlVAA nNNaNAAef hANt- ~ -
lowing account ofthe process Of training
African elephants at Alexandra Park,
near London:
The "Juniorest" elephant is selected
10 have his lesson first, and comes sling
ing down to the ring in his heavy trot;
the occasion Is quite a private one; but
there's a Nubian looking on who has
learned the English method Of applaud
ing, 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. lie does not get them
at this stage Of the proceedings, but he
knows they are coming, and 1t Is very
funny to observe him, in the midst Of
his lesson, twitching his trunk in some
new direction, which 1t suddenly occurs
to him TO explore; then he resumes his
studies as II he had not had a momen-
tary distraction.
He weighs seven hundred weight at
present, and fine can only be kept from
injurious food and iniammatory dis
ease, will grow to ten feet high, 1t is
expected, and furnish a remarkable re-
futatlon of the general notion that Afri.
can elephants cannot he highly trained.
They are not. indeed, equal to the In
dian elephant in intelligence; 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 sys-
TEN of kindness, patience, praise, re-
ward, and ono knocking about"
"Come, my baby" "That's a fine
boy ~ "Ah, brave, brave; you are a
beauty I" "Fine boy; beautiful boy ~
Such are the phrases, perpetually re-
peated, which encourages the big little
scholar as he climbs on a wooden pedes-
tai lifts one clumsy leg after another,
admonished by a gentle tap OF the
teachers stick-never used 10 hurt or
Brighten him-or turns his numbering
body in the valse, which, when he is
perfect in the accomplishment, will be
hailed with peculiar delight by the
public.
The valse is a performance which the
elephants learn very readily. They are
are at first held by one huge, tapping
ear, and turned by the teacher, whose
steps they follow-the movement comes
easily to them; after two or three les
sons, they need only to have the stick
held on the side from which they are to
turn, a few more, and the wave of the
teachers hand in the required direction
is enough. Three of MIR. Felix's pupils
are as yet not sufficiently advanced to
appear in public; it was most interest
ing 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 a barrel with his fore
f%eet--it was delightful to see his salts
faction when he discerned what he was
to do, and that his hind feet were to be
kept clear of the barrel-Mr. Felix.
stopped the lesson at once on seeing him
beginyto tremble.
Good marks in the circus school
translate themselves into Jumps of SUI
gar and chunks of carrot, and bad ones
into derisive observations about the
self respect which the idle pupil ought
to feel, but doesn't. One ofMr. Felix's
pupils is still very timid; he was scared
and i'll during his voyage to this ul.-
genial cline, and at first would not let
any II approach him; but he is a
promising youngster now, and lends
his bark.like neck to q friendly scratch
with much affability. On none of these
animals is to be seen a scar Ofa ''prod,"
and the "no knocking about system is
to be traced in their bodies and in their
manners. and they look for their re-
wards-addressed to their stomachs-
with cheerful confidence. One of them
the nervous one, had al anxious and a
puzzled look during a portion of the
lesson but reiterated assurances of his
bravery, his beauty, and his babyhood,
induced him to "perk up" as the nurse
says, wonderfully.