The Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1885-1886, 1886-02-16
AT THE THEATRE.
Prof. Bartholomew Equine Paradox
Wonderful Intelligence in Horses
...HOw the Professor Accom-.
plishes 1t.

.-HOw the Professor Accom-.
plishes 1t.
At Harper's theatre last evening Prof.
opened a weeks engage
ment with his wond erful equine paradox.
The audience was large and much pleased.
as well it might be. Such accomplish
ment, such originality and novelty in
horse education-we say education for |
it is not mere training-has never been
demonstrated before. There is no rou.
tine about the performance, clearly exhib' |
iting the fact that there is treason and uc-
Outstanding in the heads Of those animals,
as the professor expresses it. The horses
appear TO be fond Of their appearance
upon the stage and enter into the spirit
of the entertainment with rs much appar-
ent enjoyment as does the awe-stricken
audience. As the curtain rises bell
rings--it is the first bell for school-and
here the horses enter from all sides frol-
icsome and gay, like school children on
the play ground before the "last bell'
rings The second bell shows the great
discipline of the scholars coming of their
own accord from wild confusion to per-
feet order, to receive their teacher The
professor arrives-their beloved teacher
Bucephslus takes his hat and deposits ii
in a safe place, Chevalier does the same
with his overcoat, Nellie brings the mail,
Mustang rings the bell the school forms
in classes, wonderful mathematical eXer-
cises by Sprite.
Caesar, the horse marvel, is now intro
duced, and his performance is wonderful
indeed. At commands from the audience,
he will circle to the right or left, cut figure
eight walk forward, backward or side,
ways, approach the professor, or throw
himself IN position as il asleep, and he
can't be mixed on any of these CONS
mands it matters not to him in what or
| der they are given. Chevalier then as
tonishes the audience by his faculty of
promptly distinguishing colors, and finds
either red or white when concealed in
sawdust upon the stage. The scholars
are here dismissed for recess-the boys
going out on one side of the stage and
the girls on the other, BuCephalus re
turns and dances polka aud marches.
Ceser troIs and dances a jig on An ele
waited plane hardly large enough to &C
commodate his feet, yet he keeps perfect
time to the music, Abdallah walks. trots,
gallOps PAGES, marches. and reverses at
commands from the audience, quickly
changing from one act to the other. Tie
school of leap frog follows. in which each
horse displays marked amount OF leal-
ousy over the triumDhs OF any Cf the
others. The grace and ease with which
all leap, especially Sprite. never fails to
elicit admiration. Beauty and the bar
rel next follows, pretty little exhbi-
ton OF perseverance and horse pluck
Nellie rolls the barrel over an inclined
plank. These accomplishments are com
ical. surprising and beautiful. Nellie adj,
mires Beauty's act while standing with
her fore feet on pedestal, and beauty
reciprocates by standing with all her toul
feet on a pedestal twelve inches square
during Nellie's performance
Prince and Pope, in their extraordinary
exhibition of reasoning from cause to
effect comes next. In this unequaled feat
the most stubborn doubter is convinced
that horses do possess the power of rea
son. Pope will turn on the teter plank
which is less than twenty inches in width
the only horse in the world that has &C
complished it. The horses then form
themselves in beautiful and imposing
tableaux. The court scene follows. i
is as near reality as possible, showing the
Judge, jury, lawyers, prisoner IN the dock
witness on the stand, two lawyers argu,
ing the case with their fore feet on The
table and books, and officers of the court
The jury retire. Verdict not guilty Sher'
i'll releases prisoner. Thanks to the cour
and jury.
After an inteimission of five min
utes the marvellous military drIl
takes place and is something so near hu
man intelligence that it seems hard to dis
possess ones self of the idea that thu
animals are not sensible beings, the dis
cipine is so perfect. They 60 through
all the intricate evolutions, form in twt
lines, move off in platoons of two and di
visions OF four wheel to the right aut
left, form hollow squire, march in com
pany front. about face, present and Shout
der arms, and generally conduct them
selves like regular soldiers, in fact put tt
blush many pretentious military compa
MES. A night in camp. the soldiers havt
retired with sentinels on guard; an alarm
is heard, battle, firing of a cannon
brilliant tabeaux The horses when ap
plauded during any part of the perfor
: nance, manifest their appreciation of tn
, compliment by approaching the footlight
: and bowling their Acknowledgements.
An ARGUS reporter today ventured t
1 ask the professor as to his mode of nc
: complishing so much with his horses an
Z he replied. Kindness and firmness. sill