Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1883-07-20

country where he now is. l hope t,
have this entertainment in readiness
for the next Winter, and doubt not bu
that it will please more than the oper;
OF the puppet show. | will not say
that a monkey is a better man thar
some of the opera heroes, but certainly
he Is a bctter representative of a mal
than any artificial composition ol
wood and Wire"
In ancient manuscript especially ac
counts are preserved of animals that
initiated men in their various voca
tioIs In one, of the tenth century
Is an engraving showing a bear per.
forming for the benefit of its master
Ina Book of Prayers in the collec
ton Of the Harleian Library, of the
thirteenth century, another bear is
represented bound by a massive
chain and keeping time to the music
of curious drum held by the master
Another cut shows large bear stand
ing on its head, a feat certainly not
to be seen nowadays while few have
the courage to attempt the education
of the savage brute. Still another
cut shows a bear harncssed and driven
by Il monkey astrile its shaggy back.
The Gttractivencss of entertainments
having as Il feature trained animals
in the Cllden time is shown by Thomas
Cartwright in his admonition to
Parliament against using the common
prayer, dated 1872, in which he says:
If there be a bear OF bull to be
baitcd in the afternoon, or jackan-
apes to ride on horseback, ti.a minister
hurries the service over in Il shameful
manner, i'll order to be present at
the show"
Nor were the French far behind in
their love ot theatrical. as st. Folk
writes in his History of Paris"
Our kings, at their coronations.
their marriages, ard at the baptism of
their children, or at the creation Of
noblemen and knights, kept open
court. and the palace was crowded on
such occasions with cheats. buf1'oons.
rope daLcers, tabletellers. jugglers
and pantomimical performers. They
call those jugglers who play upon
the vielle and teach apes and bears
to dance"
Monkeys, as men, always formed
an irresistible attraction, and in the
Bodieian Library an engraving can
be seen showing an ape standing
npod its hands. its legs high in air,
while the master with a whip is
administering, we trust. gentle per
suasion to greater endeavor. Ben
Johnson refers to the tricks of apes
in the prologue of one of his comedies.
In miscellaneous collection in the
Harieian Library there is an account
OF a hairy man Ia monkey who danced
upon the tight rope with a balance,
true to the music;" he also walked
upon the slack rope" while it was
swinging. and drank a glass of ale;
he pulled off his hat, and paid his
respects to the colnpany;" and "smok-
ed tobacco" according to the bill,
las good as any Christian" But all
these feats were afterward outdone
by brother monkey, mentioned be-
fore. who performed many wonderful
tricks at the Haymarket Theatre, both
as rope dancer and an equilibrist.
AT the present day horses have been
taught to obey sighs of their masters
that were undetected by the audience,
and thus find articles concealed, to
seemingly count, to waltz and dance
to music, balance themselves upon the
see saw, and leap through hoops of
fire. but we have yet to hear of the
horse of to day. like one of the thir-
tcenth century, that was actually
trained to walk a tight rope. The
trained horses of Sybaris, a city of
Calabria, were famous, and were
taught to dance to music. 1t is said
that the Crotomans, their enemies,
finding this out. brought on to the
field Of battle vast band of pipers,
and the Sybarian horses, hearing
familiar notes, commenced dancing,
and i'll the confusion their riders were
defeated with great loss. This ac-
count is also mentioned by Aristotle,
and finds a ludicrous parallel in the
company of cavalrymen who once
visited Washington, and were obliged
to hire horses wherever they could
get them. 1t happened when the
parade commenced that the troop was
made up mainly of horse car animals
that We're off duty. This fact coming
to the ears of the local gamins, they
secured Il number of bells, and by
their adroit Use created a continual
halting and starting in the ranks,
much to the chagrin of the warriors.
In the thirteenth century, horses were
trained to carry small oxen upon
their backs, the latter holding a trum-
pet to their mouths and appearing to
blow them after the approved fashion
of knight errants. A manuscript of
half a century later shows horse
standing upon its hind legs after the
fashion of the redoubtable Barnum's,
only retaining the position and dane
ing about to the music of pipe and
taber played by dancing attendant.
In a manuscript of the fourteenth
century in the Bodieian Library is
described a steed trained to engage
in a combat with a single warrior
The soldier advances with a staff and
shield, which the horse strikes with
his hoofs. In another the horse
stands upon his hind legs and plays
upon drum or tabor held by its
master, and another cut shows the
same animal playing upon the same
instrument with its hind legs. This
latter, to say the least, is taking
advantage of very natural line OF
operations, and it is safe to say has
not been willingly attempted by
trainers of to-day. The drawings OF
these performances are at least 45C
years old. The dancing horses, SC
justly admired in the circus of the
present day, are no novelty, if we may
believe the old records; and as early
as 1912, at a great festival, according
to Menestrier. Nj. Phroniel, the riding
master of Louis XIII, of France
with three gentlemen and six 'squires
weni through a complete ballet dance
upon trained steeds, the animal.
dancing, however, only upon theil
hind feet.