New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1892-11-17
NEW PUBLICATIONS.
THE SPEECH OF MONKEYS. BY r. l.. Garner.
1omo DID. 2l7. Charles L. Webster co.
CAN MONKEYS TALK ?

THE SPEECH OF MONKEYS. BY r. L. Garner.
lomo, PIP. 217. Charles L. Webster a Co.
Considered as a first contribution TO a rev branch
Of scientific investigation Mr.. Carriers book deserves
careful pertisa and this all the more nasmuch as IL
rms counter to prejudice which is deeply rooted IN
bnman nature To the question: Can monkeys tmh
the commonest answer would naturally be densNc
laugh and there are no doubt plenty OF soc'hio" WI
ucated people who would regard the query ~ In some
vague manner almost scandal0us Nevertheless IL HAS
been known TO patient and thorough followers VI
science for time that not only monkeys but iia'
other members OF what used to be called " the Drule
creation have means of inerccmmuncaton "iion
must be called language. vast q'ah''S "
nonsense has been emitted In the e"''' ~
uphold the untenable position that no creature o'.
man possesses language. Some good folks nave seeeu
to think that the possession Of Language by o'ef '
mails wouh be in an indirect way derogauoh Honi
human supremacy. In the same way they REFUSE "
allow to the animal creation any greater n''o
than can be classed under the convenient heau VI "
stinct; though nobody has ever yet sueeeeoe" ia wv
mon strating where instinct ends and reason Des''
Perhaps the time has come in the general advance
~ ebahe off these narrow notions and TO frankly &C
cent the possibility that brutes may possess
reason enough to found language upon al All eF"'''
the author OF this interesting volume mas uoeI'hei'
TO open the question, and by means u Pa'ion' III
vcstigation and long observation he mas gaucieu e
ocnce which he thinks sufficient 10 warrant the prose
cution OF his researches on broader hed' hi'er'o
Mr. Garncr,s experiments have been confined 10 AM
mails domesticated and In captivity. lie las ire
auented geological collections. examined PET hoko'
and reached the conclusion that these animals possess
language or at least the rdiments OF language
Those who have followed Mr. Garner must not De
st,pndntAd because the actual results OF his lihual
INQUIRIES. WHOM summed up appear scanty ana rug
meptarv That IS necessity Of the situation Inc
student had mo precedeats to guide hlm' lie Id"
opened MP an entirely virgin field He had TO dis
cover every step for himself; and IN at'enpuhs /"
fix upon some common standard OF enumeration anu
sound he was DISTRACTED by all the difficulties WHICH
attend studies in phOnetics. Nor was IL 10 w cA-
pected that the investigation would be an easy one.
II MONKEYS can talk at ALL it muSt be assumed th;''
their speech IS rudmenary; that they are behlu Ihe
lowest human saVages in their mental deVe"pnlell'
that their methods OF inercommunCalon are Vi t'e
simplest and most crude. Therefore, the lhterpre'a
tion Of such elementary language would be exceedingly
difficult and when the field of inquiry Is further con
tused hy the presence of many animals OF dfiereht
genus and species and habitat. the prospect OF sue
cessfuI solution is rendered all the DINNER
Mr.. Garner. however has made beginning, from
which larger results may how lie has gone no" u
studv the monkey In his native forests and from lhiS
expedition there is room to hope much We Know
very we'll how savageS differ in language. In central
Africa for instance, there many tribes ana races
which do not understand one another at ALL or ohN
after prolonged mutual Intercourse. freciseIy Ihe
same state OF things must be expected among mohhey'
supposng them to possess language; and 1t follows
that the first steps Of the investigator should he con
fined TO one branch Of the family. If possible. Even
among the monkeys In menagercs and other ca'uh
collections however, Mr.. Garner has found an en-
couraclng amount Of apprehension. The Vocabulary
thus developed appears TO be slender one bnt ,ha'
was TO have been expected. The significant TACT
brought out is that the animals have certain cries ana
noises which are commonly understood among them'
and 10 which all OF them quite evidently attach the
same meaning.
Between such a discovery and the making OF
monkey grammar and dictionary there Is certainly
wide distance: but the discovery in itself Is iui OF
Significance and, followed up with care patience anu
shrewdness, may prove the avenue to lar more com
prehensivo truths. Mr.. Garner, let 1t be "'h''eu
has thus far only beginning but he has al least
broken ground in direction, and there is nothing
in the nature Of things TO render his future success
impossible or even highly improbable CeHaihiy men
with open minds will follow his researches WIN Il
great deal OF interest and will await his return from
Africa with pardonablc impotence.