The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1879-03-20
THE MONKEY og SIAM.
Iais $kiii iH Des"efinE Had Celia. ana EEI.
Ps4.iOn .or KebbiBE Orchard.

isis $kiii in ncs"efiaE Had Cains ana IzIs
Fr..ion .Or SebbIBE Orchard.
Monkeys" says sn Arabic proverb
can talk perfectly well if they choose 50
- do; but they are lar too clever to let
US into their secret. Well they know
that were they to speak, they would be
made to work; so they wisely hold their
tongues" II certain strange stories that
have recently reached our hemisphere
from the distant realm OF Siam be founded
on fact, the "a incomplete man," as some
German psychologists describe our res
pected ancestor, whose fondness forappies
is considered to have exercised consider
ahle influence upon the destiny of hui
manity, is made to work in many several
ways, despite his affected ignorance o
articulate language. His prudent silence
avsils him nsught in the domain of the
White Elephant; and there are-st least
we are assured so by sn old Austrian
resident at the Sismese court-few pro-
LESSONS which ne may not Re taught to
practice with amazing skill and accurate
precision. He is trained to fish for crabs
with his tail, IS comicsl pursuit as can
be imagined, except, perhaps, for the wor-
thy and intelligent ape engaged in it,
who sometimes gets bite" from a
monster crab that he is totally unable to
land, and falls a victim to the superior
weight of his Cancer Ferox, who drags
him into the water, browns and finally
devOurs him. The Siamese ape is also
stated to be in request among native
merchants rs a cashier in their counting
houses. Vast quantities OF base coin OBJ
tain circulation in Siam, and the faculty
of discrimination between good money
and bad would appear to be possessed by
these gifted monkeys in such an extraor-
binary degree of development that no
mere human being, however carefully
traine'i, can compete with them. The
cashier ape meditatively puts into his
mouth each coin presented to him in
business payments, and tests it with
grave elaboration. If it be genuine, he
hands it over to his master. If it be
counterfeit, he sets it down on the cOun.
ter before him with g solemn grimace of
displeasure. His method OF testing is
regarded in commercial circles as inial-
libie and, IS matter offact, his decision
is uniformly accepted by all parties in
terested in the transaction, But, though
a true and valuable servant to his own
particular master, it seems that his moral
character isnoL altogetheriTeprOachsble.
His deplorable passion f, fruit makes him
the terror of Siamee market gardeners,
who find brute force inadequate to res~
train him from visiting theic orchards,
and therefore have recourse to divers
and sundry stratsgems, one of which is
reported to be as successful as it is GER
tainly ingenious. 4 specially active and
enterprising ape is captured and cares
fully sewed up in the skin of tiger-cat
lie is then turned loose in the orchard of
his prediction, and straightwsy CAM
bers, as well as he may, incumbered by
an unfamiliar garment, into the branch
es OF fruit tree smong his .unciotIed
fellows. Scarcely do these latter set
eyes upon him, with all his feline ter
rors thick upon him, when a dreadful
panic strikes them, and they scramble
away with piercing screeches and agon>
izing charteriDg5, Never more do they
return to an orchard which they believe
to be infested by the desdliest enemy of
their race. The startling intelligence is
rapidly disseminated throughout the
monkey society OF the neigaborhoOd, and
the willy gardener enjoys an absolute I'M
munity from depreciation forever after
ward, for the very thought OF tiger-cat
appals the simian soul, and doubtless the
tale Of the awful apparition in Ting
tses orchard " is handed down in quad
rumanous familiesl from generation to
generation.