Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1895-06-30

u Is Only by Endless Patience and
Oft-Ilcprntnh LrasnnH.

According 10 Horr llagonbccls. tn
Snowman, tic tanners Of Wild beast
use no secret methods or magic apclls
In fact. thny proceed very much "a
child would In tanning wild kitten
II u lion IL 70 be taught to ride OF
! horseback II In necessary 10 be ycfl
I patient at nrBt. ana take n grout dCn
Of time. II possible II he best 10 bcpiI
I when he ~ yuunR--luRs than a year Ola
II he was born IN captivity. he d
already nccuntomod 10 see persona out
side his cage, but not inside. Al hli
| inatlnctH are atlll herce,
When tho tanner nNt opens the Gag,
door ana Rtops inside, thu youngatcr III
once displays fear, lie VIII IfuhabIs
4 jump az the trainer, snurlng Hnyngoly
] for that Is his way OF nhnwiuH nlnfm
! The only course that ran be pursued
| ~ 10 beat him 90 with liEht club
the first Lesson he lohrns W that Il " not
l gafeforhim toattnck man. Sometimes In
his excitement and fenr, he viii make
several attacks, one after the other
The trainer merely beats him on, and
IN the end the young lion retires, snarl-
Ing. TO tho FAR corner OF his cage.
The trainer does not follow him, but
sits down quietly on box. or a chair,
inside tho cage. paying no particular
attention TO him. He sits there for nm
hour or two hours, sometimes three
hours at stretch. This IN done 10
aucustom the Hon 10 the presence OF n
man In his cage, and to wear out his
natural fear ana fiereoness. This first
lesson Is repeated on the following day,
and Is continued for a week, or per
hnpR for month.
Next. the trainer takes piece OF
meat into the cage. and. Whiting until
the Hon IL hungry, Offers II on tho end
Of long stick Very likely the lion
NJ "a raj a
for many days or II he aoizes II, his
manner will not be such as 20 indicate
thnnkfulncsg But by patience and por-
nlBtoncc he will be Induced by-and-by
20 come and take his food from the
stick and eventually from tho trainers
hand.
Not infrcquentiy he will try TO bite
the hand that offers tho meat. and
generally speaking. II is deemed a sig
nal victory when young lion viii vol
unfairly approach md take HIS food
from the Keepers hand, Soon nftrr
this he Will allow the trainer TO stroke
his head, Towards n stranger he may
exhibit quite as much feroeity as at
first.
The next step ~ to put chain round
the young fellows neck and lead him
about tho cage; and most trainers
dseIn Il necessary TO bind Hon down
TO the bottom OF the cage once or twice
In order 10 inrtll into MS naturally In
tractablc mind the fact that human
bcnis arc Irresistible and that chains
cannot be broken.
The vnrifuH fehtH which no 10 make
up modern performing Hons cduca-
tion are afterwards taken up one by
ono and taught gradually. The only
''aeorefs" that Herr Hagonbock knows
are endless patience and oft-rcpoatod
IesycnH. Needless cruelty is always
avoided; nevertheless. 4 Is necenhary
that lions, AZ well ms tigers. looparda
and most other wild beasts. should hold
their keepers IN fear Genticnogs and
kindness alone are not sufficient. these |
fierce aninlalH must be made 20 know |
that their trainer IN absolutely master. |
II should be added that there 10 al |
most, Or ruite. as much difference IN |
young Hons an IN boys. Some are much |
more docile and Intelligent than others.
Some ueVelcp good and trustworthy
traits; others prove stolid. and can
never be fully trusted.