The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1894-03-28
Prof. Garner,s Monkey Business.

Professor B. L. Garner gave a large
audience in the Princes hall last
night an interesting account of his
work and methods in studying the
| speech Of monkeys and the habits OF
the gorilla and chimpanzee' in their
native forests. He was not himself
startled, he said, to find that monkeys
spoke, though, to some extent, it was
an incredible idea. Mr.. Darwin had
only touched the subject Of speech in
distant manner, though he intimated
rather vaguely his belief that animals
could not talk. Aristotle held the
same opinion, and the church, wheth-
er or not on scriptural authority,
maintained the same view. In the
pursuit Of his subject he had been
terribly in earnest, and had faced ev-
cry kind of hardship. No day had
been too long, no sun too hot for him,
in his endeavors to solve the question,
"Do monkeys talkP'
It was his unconditional opinion
that monkeys talked. These animals
had a limited power of thought.
Many mems power of thought was
limited, but. thought was thought
however great the difference in the
extent of the faculty between man
and man. Every anatomical condi-
ton present in man was present in
monkey. For months he had lived
alone with chimpanzee, with which
he got to be on the most, friendly
terms. He doubted sometimes how
far he was chimpanzee or the ape was
human. He could not say much for
the morals Of. the chimpanzee; but he
could say the same Of many human
beings. He had native boy with
him when he lived with the chimpan-
zee. he was ignorant both Of the
boys speech and that Of the ape. The
boy, however, mastered the chimpan-
zce.langpage sooner than he did. To
his,chimpanzee, as to the boy, he con-
veyed by speech the common require
ments Of life--bread, water and fire
by learning the tongue Of the animal
as he had learned that Of the boy.
God could never have given these
brutes SO much of feeling, emo.
ton and intelligence without Civ
ing them a corresponding power of
speech.
He generally spoke, especially to
the smaller monkeys, by the phono-
graph in which their, speech had been
previously registered. >sUnquestiona-
bly, these animals addressed certain
sounds to the individual and waited
for a response. Intonation, infection
and paradigms were; no doubt, absent,
but these were the product Of centu-
ries Of evolution. There was, how
eyer, undoubted variety in the tones
Of the ape. To his mind the evidence
was clear that monkeys could count,
and his friend ''Moses, the chimpan-
zee, would in obedience to a word.of
command, do his appointed task Of
laying q certain number of blocks in a
certain number Of holes, and after do
ing SO would run up in eager expecta-
tion of his reward. The first night
he spent in the cage with which he
was equipped was one Of the proudest
of his lie. Sometimes, indeed, he
was vas lonely. The gorilla was an ami
NAL Of shy habits, but his own mon
key travelling companions attracted
them, and gorilla now and then
! would pay him visit. He believed
Eke had seen more gorillas than any
EotheF. white man. The natives told
him he would have seen more if he
had belcked his face, but the scarcity
of water deferred him from doing so.
During the nine months hewas on the
coast .heShad5fever twelve times. His
friend Moses was also i'll, and his 9th
er chimpanzee, Aaron, treated Moses
with the greatest care and tenderness.
The natives regarded the cage as a
I;softof Fetish. On one occasion she
was favored with a; prolonged visit
/ from . hdy,girilla, who was chasing
a dog to which he was in the habit Of
giving an occasional bone. He was
not, however, able to hold much con-
yersation With her, as she was too
much astonislled to talk. 1t was his
intention to return to Africa, bring
back number Of chimpanzees, and
Egive practical. illustrations Of theepro-
Egress he had rnade.-Lopdon Times.
An YornrsIpvhJo Dorrof