The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1892-06-09
BABIES AND Apes.
Simple Experiments Show
ing Surprising Resem-
b1anCeS Between
Them.
THE BIG TOE TURNS OUTWARD
And The Little Ones Clutch Sticks
With Their Feet-H0W Car.
mencita Keeps Young.

An infant was Growing loudly and lus-
tilY somewhere at the back OF the house.
The sounds were inarticulate to outsiders;
but DR.. Robinson, the baby's father, II he
heard them, would doubtless be able to
interpret them as the interesting remains
of the Simian tongue. For DIR. Louis
Robinson, whenever during the last two
or three years he found a leisure hour In
his busy life, has studied the ape IN the
babe. 1t was in order to obtain some de-
tailed information on this subject from
the author Of "Darwinlsm in the Nur-
sery" that our representative has called
Oh DR.. Robinson at Lewisham:
1.-THE article is intensely interesting"
I said to the doctor, ''but there is not
enough of it. We all want to know
more about your experiments with the
young apes. What are the actual dis
coveries your experiments led TOP"
simply this, That every new born child,
unless it Is sickly or otherwise imperfect
ly developed. has q most wonderful power
in the tlexor muscles of the forearm. which
will support the whole weight of its body.
| during the first few hours after birth, for
a period varying from ten seconds to Two
minutes and a half. Now, everybody
knows that in monkeys the power OF grip
is very fully developed: quadrumann can
do ANYTHING with their hands and arms,
aud in cases of danger thisp oweri Is chief
means of self preservation. l have now
experimented on $50 babies; some of them
an hour or two, some II few days
old-and In two cases only have they
failed to hang by their hands, even the
tiniest supporting the weight of Its body
for ten seconds, most of them much
longer, and in a few cases they have
clung to Il finger or a stick for two min
ntes and u half. And even in the two
cases failure vas due to other causes
than, the infants lack of muscular
strength. l ought to say that l never at
tempted to experiment on weak children.
vino might be iujured by The exposure.
A blanket was placed below the child, so
! that when it dropped it fell on a soft,
warm surface. Whenever it was possible
the experiment was made and the photo
graph taken in the presence OF the
mother.
'.On the face of one, aged sixty min
utes. sat stole indifference; TWO more
looked energetic. though placid. as they
stuck with their round little fists to u
branch at the end of which appeared two
hands, looking very gigantic in COMPARE
son to the very youthful performers.
Some others were evidently expressing
their feelings in the Simian tongue. for
their Notwithstanding sized mouths
they wide open. The
miniature legs, absurdly small In propor-
ton to the arms, were drawn up: the
babes looked indeed like ~tailless infant
apes.
"Observe the big toe," DR.. Robinson
went on. Il have noticed over and over
again that In the case OF young infants 1T
is turned outward, like a thumb, as In
the case of monkeys, whose hind feet are
an additional pair of hands. And when
ever 1 have held II finger or u stick close
to the infants feet while it was hanging
kp ifo krt,,S fharn haG Eonp an ptEnmnt ut
clutchiug the stick with the feet. This
seems to me another Instance OF the sur
vival of the apes instincts in the human
child.
Another curious fuct that struck me
was that even when a child had been
angin by its hands for over a minute
this seems q short period, hut just try to
hang to u horizontal bar. supporting the
wei hit of your body by your hands only,
for u minute or two-it let 60 more be-
cause it wanted to change It's position
than because it was tired. Sometimes l
ga we it my finger to clutch as soon as it
dropped on to the blanket, and | could
feel bv the energetic grip that the little
animal was by no means -
Cor. Pail Mall Gazette.
How CarmoncIta Keeps Looking Young.
Carnenctta is a firm believer in gym.
nastics md hot water. so she told me The
OLHSI dd1. ohO "po SSAh tAeSk Nv
dance, and the low couch upon which she
reclined and the large toilet table almost
entirely filed her dressing room. 1t was
very warm in that little box of Il place.
A large bunch of beautiful la France
roses lay dying on the floor, minglipg
their perfume with the odor OF SDap1sA
cigarettes and an indescribable Oriental
scent, the love of which the dancer had
probably inherited from some far away
Arabian GRANDMOTHER. Il usually get
up about ten O'Clock. take a tepld
bath, and then drink cup of
very warm water for my dlges-
lion. After that l practice for three
quarters of an hour on the trapeze and
with very heavy DUMB bells. About
loon l eat Ru orange or two and ut 4 l
dine, but from the time | get up until
diuner / take absolutely nothing except
the hot water ana oranges. After the
theatre l have supper. of course, but
nothing ever tempts me to interrupt my
native custom OF two meals q day.
II sleep all cam" she continued, and
q dreamy look came into her dark eyes,
and drawing closer around her the red
covering, she curled up like a kitten. II
do not feel strong unless l sleep II good
deal. and cannot dince." Then ner mood
changed, and rising, she put on a dark
gray street dress. Il large black hat, and
threw around her neck a hands 1me
feather boa, aud | was obliged TO admit
that her rather severe regime agreed
with her remarkably well. as l never saw
Il better developed 1glre nor u fresher,
more charming face. Philadelphia Press.
I esn,ir History Eepeats Itself.
o. How true it is that IN costume. as in
everything else history repeats itself
We find tight iaciugqin vogue eight cen
mics ago, and Il small waist was. consid-
Fred beauty blythe subjetts'of William
Rafus aid Heiify r. the women's cos,
1T pleasure. whfeefa fashion prevailed of
co1hnipg the tunic, with Something re-
! moIeB resembling the SWISS bodice,
lac ed in front, which also gave opportuni,
ties for COMPRISING the body out
of its nHtufdl shape. The sleeves
accompanying the Saxon tunic were
made in II series of rolls. hn-
ished OF with a close bracelet or band,
ami served also the purpote of gloves (le'
fore those useful articles were invenusdl.
being full aud long, so that they conli
be pulled over The hand. In the twelfth
century they were cut in diffei cut ways;
.1..atir,aa TiNbf ~ tho rrtSf ntH anplp.