McCook weekly tribune. (McCook, Neb.) 188?-1886, 1884-02-07
Teaching Animals to Converse.


New York sun
Sir Johh Lubbock, the distinguis he'd
anthropologlst and naturalist, sends TO
the London Nature IL brief discussion
of a subject which is full of interest and
always peculiarly fascinating.
From the earliest times the speaking
of birds and beasts has been the subject
of fable, and every lover of dog or a
herse has mourned that only in fable
was the speech between man and the
brutes. Sir John Lubbock, however,
seriously considers the possibility of
teaching animals to converse with man.
''It has occurred to me-" he says,
''whether some such system "a that fol-
lowed with deaf mutes, especially by
DR.. Howes with Laura Bridgman,
might not prove very instructive if
adapted to the case OF dogs"
Accordingly he has tried experiments
with his dog. He printed in iegible
letters on pieces of stout cardboard
such words as STOOD, " "bone," "out"
The dog was black poodle, breed
which, by the way, is generally known
to be quick at learning tricks; and Sir
John Lubbock got the head master of
deaf and dumb school to assist at the
experiments. They began by giving
the dog food in saucer, over which
was laid the card on which was the
word "food," and beside which WAS
placed an empty saucer covered by
plain card.
"Van," the poodle, soon learned to
distinguish between the two. After
ward he was taught to bring the card
which expressed his wants. ''This he
now does" says Sir John Lubbock,
''and hands it to me quite prettily, and
l then give him Il bone or n little food,
or take him out, according to the card
brought. He still brings sometimes
plain card, in which case 1 point out
his error, and he then takes it back and
not often made by Van. He has learn
ed to distinguish between the card with
the word and the blank card, no matter
how often their relative positions are
changed.
This is only the beginning of the very
interesting experiments Sir John Lub-
book proposes to make. He means to
multiply the cards so that the dog may
be enabled to communicate freely with
him. He also expresses the wish that
other owners of dogs which have dis
played especial intelligence and docil-
ity, would conduct similar experiments,
so that the results may be collated and
compared. 81 confess" he concludes,
81 hope that some positive results might
follow, which would enable US to OBJ
foi ,nto -
minds of animals than we have yet ac-
CURED"
All those familiar with dogs and
who enjoy their frequent companion
ship, will both acknowledge that Sir
John Lubbock has reason for his hope,
and trust with him that the results Sc
cured will enable him to explore hith-
erto secret chambers of the canine in
tellect.
An infant is taught to communicate
its desires in speech only after the e1-
penditure of infinite pains and unwea-
rylng patience on the part of the
mother. 1t is very slow process, and
the teaching goes on during nearly the
whole of the child's waking hours.
The lessons, too, are object lessons.
III lllo CttSc VI tur utdl duu uuIuD anu
blind, the most marvellous results are
attained by the patient teacher.
If like care and pains are spent in
the way indicated by Sir John Lubbock,
may we not also expect to reach results
which will be surprising and of inesti-
mable value in the investigation of ami
NAL intelligence and the mental pro-
cesses of brutes? Dogs have been
taught by circus men and others TO do
a great variety of things which show
the reasoning capacity of the animals;
and the stories of canine intelligence
and canine susceptibilities are innu-
merable and wonderful. But we do
not know of any previous attempt to
pursue this subject after scientific
method, and for the specific scientific
purpose this distinguished naturalist
has in view.
At any rate there is not a more fasci-
mating inquiry than that upon which
Sir John Lubbock has entered; and if
is far from absurd to hope, as flip
pant writer in the New York Times
lately implied, that man will yet have
added to his pleasures the opportunity
of holding converse with his dog.