The Emmett index. [volume] (Emmett, Idaho) 1893-1925, 1895-06-08
WHAT'S THE SECRET?
THE QUESTION ONE ASKS WHILE
WATCHING ANIMAL TRAINERS.

Rule and Never Show Slightest Signs Of
Fear-smiIe PlacIdly and Always as Cool
as n Cucumber.
When Macbeth, in tones Of fiercest def
ance, proclaimed his willingness 10 en-
counter "rugged Russian bear, an armed
rhinoceros or Hyrcan tiger" all that
was ever learned of the habits Of these
harmless pets makes it safe 10 assume that
II was greatly to the advantage Of that
murderous Scotchman that his request was
not complied with Strong as he was and
fearless as he is admitted 70 have been,
with his armor on and a sword in his good
/ right hand common sense people will still
feel inclined TO doubt his ability 70 stand
up successfully against such tremendous
odds. Was it a "blun, " or was it that he
had at his command other methods, until
then unknown, by which he hoped TO car
ry the day in such a dreadful combat Had
he red pepper in his mindy Pshawl The
thought is unworthy of a moments con-
sideraton. Had he undertaken TO tackle
the business end of Hyrcan tiger, all the
red pepper in Caledonia would not have
kept the life in his body or the armor on
his back. Hyrcan tigers have inherited
the habit. gross and unreasonable though
it be. of 'getting on the outside" Of any
man who tries to make fun of them at
close quarters.
Compare then and now. In this city in
n comfortably appointed building known
as Tattersalls' you find not one man, but
many men, performing more wonderful
feats with wild animals than ever Mac
beth even dreamed Of performing when
the ghost was worrying the life out of him.
And they make no "bones about it' Ell
ther. They handle Hagenbeck's trained
animals as easily as you would handle
kitten. Is il easy, though? Was the dis
covery of the law of gravitation, or of the
circulation of the blood, or of any other
difficult problem which you can recall,
easyy Each took lifetime of study. So did
the work which, for instance, Professor
Darling, the lion tanner does, or Miss Berg
who was very near to furnishing luscious
mouthfui for the big tiger when exhibit
ing in Chicago Even in this age, when
the wonder at anything extraordinary lasts
no more than day, the wonder at what
you can see the animal tanners do at Ha-
genbeck's will last at least for a year, If
indeed it does not cling to you for all time
as permanent memory.
None of these animal tanners has armor
on his back, or sword in his hand, or
tNtu Itu DtDltI Ill litktt. Intl nON
does he manage to control all these ami
mails and play with them and caress them
and make them howl with fear in big
circular iron cage, not one at time, but
group of different species at time? The
tanner has nothing in his hand but whip,
which he never uses save to the extent of
giving it an occasional crack. Surround
ing him are lions, tigers, boarhounds,
bears, leopards, panthers and crowded
house. Between them and the house are
big iron bars but between them and him
there Is nothing. There is nothing that
you can see at least. But it is there, for
all that. What is itf What can it be-
Don't play the part of the scofling sur
geon, who justified his unbelief in immor-
tally by saying that he had examined even
to the minutest fibers all hooks and cram
MES of the human system and never found
any trace of a soul There are things which
you cannot see, and the power which ena-
bles Professor Darling to do what he likes
in this huge menagerie is one of these
things. Look at that unarmed man with
death threatening him upon every side.
How placidly he smilesi To employ the
old time figure and say that he is as cool
as n cucumber would not be inapt.
But mark how stealthy he is, and how
cautiously he moves around withal Never
was leopard more lynx eyed when prepar-
ing to spring upon his prey. To the ordi-
nary observer these precautions may not
be visible. They are disguised under an
air of the utmost unconcern. But there is
not one moment from the time that Oar
ling or Mehrman or any one of the other
trainers goes into that ring that he is not
on the alert. 1t is this element of danger
more perhaps than anything else which is
inseparable from every performance in this
unique show that draws spectators day
and night Nobody can tell what any one
of these monarchs of the jungle may do in
n given contingency. You can only guess
at it. 1t may be 'muggy" day. Some
one of them may not have had enough to
eat. Down below where they sleep may
have been damp. All this tells. The white
bear in his playful moods may scratch the
boarhound a little too hard; the horse,
frightened beyond endurance, may take
it into his head some day to kick back at
the lion; the panther, biting at the tail
of the tiger, may not be aware that he is
"monkeying with buzzsaw." All this
tells too. Yet the brave man in the ring
takes his chances, and although the con.
sideration of personal profit is behind most
of what people do in this workaday world
it must be n fact that he at least feels a
certain quality of pride-even il he should
never get n penny-of being able to per
form what one in millions of his fellow
countrymen could never hope to accom-
plish.
While the trainer is in the ring showing
what the bear can do the big tiger washe,
his face like cat and anon looks off to
ward the east, as IL longing 10 spring ono,
more into the primeval forest The boar
hound yawns listlessly, and you know h,
is merely dog. The lion, in an attitud,
of disdainful repose, sits upon his haunch
es awaiting the summons of his master
} The horsei Well, you see horse every
: day, but you don see him locked up witt
a wild animals as you do here. As near a.
human intelligence can form an estimate
each one Of these animals resembles tn,
lunatic to this extent, that he is concerned
only with what interests himself. He will
come, though, when called upon and nevei
attempts 70 do more than he is asked
Sometimes an overzealous member OF tn,
, company, generally lion or tiger, viii
essay a role of that kind; but promptly
brought to book by a crack Of the whip
he growls and grows silent.-New Yorl
, Tribune.