The Louisiana Democrat., 1891-08-05
DUROFF THE ANIMAL TRAINER.
a Man who Preferred to Teach Five Geese
PafEer Than One R0y.

a Man who Preferred to Teach Five Geese
Rather Than One Boy.
Signor Domino, biographer of clowns,
bareback riders and circus people gen.
orally, has written curious lot OF
"reminiscences Of the Russian Durotf,
the famous trainer of trick animals in
the present generation.
Duroff was originally an instructor il
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
loclity 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
itincrant circus, to the scandalizing OF
his former colleagues.
Domino met him one morning in the
empty ring of the Circus Schumann.
After talking q few minutes Duroff
said:
'And now you must excuse me for an
hour as have class to instruct at this
time
''But surely You haven't gone back to
tcaching?" exclaimed Domino.
mo, no; you don't understand. l
have just begun teaching, in fact. The
recitation in question is by my rats and
mice"
Domino got permission to listen to
the recitation. Duroff fetched lead
chest and set it down in the middle of
the ring, lifted the cover little, and
then began chirping, trilling and whist
ling on little lead flute. A mouse
stuck its head through the crack under
the cover, tumbled out, and trotted
gaily over to Duroff's feet Another
mouse followed, and then big rat
plunged out into the ring. 1t 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
Durof's feet. The clown stepped a
few yards backward and his little flocl,
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 then
to come up, and in an instant they wer,
on his shoulders, in his coat pockets
and racing up and down the back o
his head. He caught three rats by tn,
tail, swung them round, and then lie
them shoot off into space. The instan
they struck they were up again. They
ran back to Durotf, climbed to hi.
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.
Durof was the first man to train pig
dance round a ring, and waltz to orders
He had then also taught rooster tC
crow at command, and had instructed
successfully goose in the business ot
fetching and carrying. Domino, afte,
discussing these triumphs of training
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
Duroff did not catch Domino's exact
words, and answered:
"instruct children? Instruct ami
mails? These are two processes which
can hardly be compared The difficult
ties vary so-there is no comparison
"You misunderstood me-" explained
Domino. 81 acknowledge that YOU
work now is much more difficult"
More difficult? More difficult?'
shouted Duroff. "You must be crazy
Why, it is easier, indescribably easier.
would rather teach ten pigs than a
single child. I would rather teach five
geese than boy. A pig or COOS,
never forgets, is never impudent i:
never noisy. But child With it yo,
never know where or how to begin, ant
when you stop-bumps!-all forgot
ten. - n. Y. Sun.