Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1892-10-23
OF rHE LOWER ANIMALS
Modes of Communication Between man
and his Interiors.

4@@--N
Modes of Communication Between MAJ
and his Interiors.
For any one who knows and loves tn'
slower animals" it is useless to con-
sumo ink and paper to demonstrate
that they communicate ideas by SOUNDS
in some degree to each other, In mucl
greater degree to man. And this las'
communication has doubtless been CON
tinuous and reciprocal ever since man,
for his use or pleasure, has held inter
course with his fellow-creatures-loi
such they undeniably are.
My canary ''peeps" when he is pleased
and swears as plainly as man when ne
is not properly waited on, by means OF
sharp, quick "chirrup." He will also
mutter TO himself when be feels sulky.
When he is minded to sing he will test
his voice over and over again, and say
to himself repeatedly, "that won't DO
in three distinct syllables. Ii q cat
comes near he screams with terror,
using a sound never employed except
to express that emotion. When l close
my hand around him he will not scream
but throws himself on my mercy by an
utterance as expressive Of fearful SUD-
mission as any phrase of man.
My dog not only shows perfect COM
prehension Of at least a score OF differ
ent things / say to him, but l verify De-
lieve can communicate to me any Idea
his mind can grasp. When he is tied
I'D can instantly understand whether
he is calling for water or merely whin-
ing to get loose. When he comes up
stairs to tell me there is strange man
in the kitchen he by no means uses the
same phraseology as when he announces
his conviction that the time has come
to take walk. He expresses doubt or
hesitancy by one growl, threat by an
other, disgust, e. g., at my differing
with him on the walk question, by yet
another.
There is no difficulty whatever In dis
tinguishing between his bark OF anger
and his bark OF joy. His apologize
whine when scoded is used to apologize
and ''beg off, from punishment, and for
that purpose only. It's tone is exactly
that of a child under similar circum-
stances.
As to my cat, she has a vocabulary so
extensive, and uses it so effectively that
am afraid to detail her conversational
accomplishment lest / be suspected OF
exaggeration. l will simply mention
that she asks to be scratched in one way
and for piece of devIled crab in to-
tally different way.
Thus far | have said nothing about
gestures. Barring these, IT is evident
that a man who will seriously under
take to put himself en- rapport with
other animals can exchange communi-
cation with them at least as satiSfac-
torily as he could with another man
confined TO an entirely different Ian
guage. Ny dog, who has had no spe-
cial training, understands some half
dozen gestures, and himself uses the
turning aside Of the head TO indicate
dissent accompanied often by plain
look of disgust at being misunderstood J,
puts up paw to deprecate punishment,
turns up his tail (the warrior brand
ishes his weapon or waves his flag; the
dog has no weapon) by way Of defiance,
lowers it for shame or alarm.
That turning on the back, by the
way, is well understood among dogs as
gesture of surrender. If two strange
dogs meet on the street and one shows
fight, If the other turns on his back, he
will not, as rule, be molested.
No, Mr.. Editor, we lovers Of other
animals do not need Prof. Garner to tell
US that they can and do talk to us and
understand our talk to them. His work
is to devise symbols TO represent their
words and vocally instruct others what
sounds those symbols represent, and
these in turn can impart the informa-
tion to more.
We may thus create class OF persons
capable of speaking monkey talk, and,
within the limits Of their vocal powers,
teaching such animals human speech,
or developing "Volapuk" or "pigeon
English" as common ground TO meet
them on.
But cui bono? Shall we thus help
man? viii not the sole result be to
lower the Flower animas?" Many of
them have already "al the virtues OF
humanity without it's vices" All OF
them are free from its most detestable
vice-hypocrlsy. None OF them lies by
word or gesture or manner. Already
they communicate their desires and
emotions to us with perfect ease. II
we teach them to do more shall we not
run a serious risk Of demoralizing them
so that we shall begin to find among
them individuals as base as their own.
ers?-NelD York Times.