Waterbury evening Democrat., 1891-08-08
DUROFF THE ANIMAL TRAINER.

Man Who Preferred to Teach Five Geese
 Rather Than One Boy.
 Signcr Domino, biographer of clowns, bareback riders and circus people gen. erally, has written a curious lot of "reminiscences of the Russian Durof, the famous trainer of tricRanimals in the present generation.
 Duroff was originally an instructor in Latin and modern languages in a Rus sian high school. He practiced then his powers over domestic animals-frst, of all, his dog-and decided that the docility of dogs. cats and geese was far greater than the docility of school children. He has never altered His judgment in this respect. He quit teaching boys, therefore, and joined an itinerant circus, to the scandalizing of his former colleagues.
 Domino met him one morning in the empty ring of the Circus Schumann. After talking few minutes Duroff said:
 ''And now you must excuse me for an hour as have a class to instruct at this time"
 'But surely you haven't gone back to teaching?" exclaimed Domino.
 'No, no; you don't understand. I nave Just GedCA1u&S III 4dCL 4A0 recitation in question is by my rats and mice."
 Domino got permission to listen to the recitation. Duroff fetched a lead chest and set 1t down in the middle of the ring, lifted the cover little, and then began chirping, trilling and whist ling on a little lead flute. A mouse stuck its head through the crack under IA gaily over to Duroff's feet Another mouse followed, and then big rat plunged out into the ring. It marched gravely up to Durof and scrambled round the bottoms of his trousers. More rats and mice followed till some thirty were scratching and squealing at Duroff's feet The clown stepped g. few yards backward and his little flock followed. He fed them cake and re- treated again. They followed and he rewarded them as before. Thus he led them round the ring several times. When three or four of them fell be- hind the procession to play or fight, he | attracted their attention by tossing sand at them. Finally he invited them to come up, and in an instant they were l on his shoulders, in his coat pockets, 1 and racing up and down the back of his head. He caught three rats by the tail, swung them round, and then let | them shoot off into space. The instant they struck they were up again. They | ran back to Duroff, climbed to his shoulders, and got the same treatment again After an hour of this the flute was laid aside and the rats and mice were packed away for the day. DuroH was the first man to train pig to grunt accompaniments to songs, dance round ring, and waltz to orders He had then also taught a rooster to | crow at command, and had instructed successfully goose in the business of fetching and carrying. Domino, after discussing these triunphs of training, 1 asked Duroff whether or not he ever tired of his new occupation and wished to return to instructing boys, as he had once done in the Russian high school. DuroH did not catch Domino's exact words, and answered:
 Instruct children? Instruct ani- mals? These are two processes which can hardly be compared. The difficult ties vary so-there is no comparisons
 ''You misunderstood me-" explained Domino. "I acknowledge that your work now is much more difRcnlt-"
 More difficult? More dif6cultP'' shouted Durofe. "You must, be crazy. Why, it is easier, indesoribably easier. I would rather teach ten pigs than a single child would rather teach five geese than boy. A pig Or a goose never forgets, Is never impudent, is never noisy. But childl With 1t you never know where or how to begin, and when you stop-bumps!-an forgot ten. IN Y. Sun.