The Cheyenne daily leader. [volume] (Cheyenne, Wyo.) 1870-1884, 1878-02-13
Elephant Training.

HOW III BABY ELEPHANTS n TAUGHT
TO DO TIICK
THE London Spectator gives the following
account of the process of training African
elephants at Alexandra Park. near London f:
The a. iuniorest " elephant is selected to
have his lesson first. and comes singing
down to the ring in his heavy trot; the
occasion is quite n private one; but there's
n Nubian looking OF who hns learned the
English method OF applauding. and he softly
claps his black palms together as the pupil
cntansles himself in his rope to begin with.
and feels up Mr.. Felix's sleeve for consoln-
tion in the shape Of carrots. He does not
get then: at this stage Of the proceedings,
but lie knows they arc coming. He weighs
seven hundred 1T present, and II he can
only bo kept from injurious food and intiam-
'natory diseases will grow to ten feet high.
Come. my baby !. " That's n fine boy y
All. brave. brave, you nre a beauty "
"Finc boy. BEAUTIFUL boy" Such are the
phrases, p~erpotunlly repeated. which en-
courage the big little scholar as he climbs
on q wooden pedestal. lifts one clumsy leg
after another, adInunishcd by 4 gentle tap
81 the teachers stick--neyer used TO hurt
or friglIten him.
Tie vSlec is n performance which the ele-
li,ant icaInE very rapidly. They are Mt first
ned 10y one huge. Tapping car. and turned
~ the teacher. whose steps they follow
tho movement comes easily to them; after
Two OF three lessons they need only to have
nc stick he'd on the side from which they
are to tura a fCw more, and the wave oi
the teachers land in the required direction
: enough. Three of Mr.. Felix's pupils ARE
- yet not sufficiently advanced TO appear
N public. /: was most inter, sting to see
Low they took in the idea OF what was re.
w..--I ~ - a. I II -aLAV.
when they succeeded in doing what he midi
Gated. He never lets them be tired md
elways observes them so closely that when
'be clever little black elephant was coming
On finely in the art of rolling a barrel with
his fore ~fcet---it was delightful to see his
satisfaction when he discerned what he was
10 do. and that his hind feet were to be
kept clear of the barrel MI. Felix stopped
the lesson at once on seeing him begin to
trcmble.
Good marks in the circus school translate
themselves into Jumps OF sugar and chunks
Of carrots and bad ones into dcrisivc oh.
.ervations about the self-respect which the
idle pupil ought to feel but doesn't. One
of MI. Felix's pupils is still very tiinid he
was scared and i'll during his voyage to this
ungenial cline; and at first he would not
let any one approach him but he il a prom
ising youngster now, and lends his bark. like
neck to afriendly scratch with much affa'
bility. On non of these animals is to be
seen a scar or n prod" the no knocking
about system is to be traced in their bodies
and in their manners, and they look for
their rewards-addressed to their stomachs
with cheerful confidence. One of them,
the nervous one, had an anxious and puz.
zled look during n portion of the lesson !;
but reiterated assurances of his bravery, his
Dpanty md hia hnlyhpnl iplural him fT
"perk mp" as the nurse says. wonderfully