Martinsburg independent. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1875-1900, 1897-04-17
ELEPHANT SCHOOL.
SUGAR SUCCEEDS THE PROD AS A
MEANS OF PERSUASION.


Instruction Begins In the swaddIing
Clothes stage-DociIity of q sixtecn-
nonths-oId PupiI-sorne of the Things
They Arc Taught to DO.
Tho clevorness of the elephant and the
remarkable tricks which the big animal
performs at the bidding of trainer nre
wei known and have called forth many
explanations of wonder But to see a line
Of elephants march out upon the stage of
variety theater and calmly proceed to
pound drums, balance themselves on one
leg and ride bicycles gives one no idea at
all OF the extraordinary amount Of patient
training that has been necessary to bring
them to do these things just how it is
dono has puzzled many, and, indeed, al
most any one would be greatly interested
BY visit to an elephant school.
Az one of these establishments, recently
opened, the clephantine pupils now number
fotIr, but as the schoolnaster is endeayor-
ing 10 enlarge tho school there viii prob
ably be some additions soon. The school
sessions are held morning and afternoon,
with an intermission for lunch, and no
schoolboy ever felt the chains Of discipline
moro oppressiyely than do these little
their names respectively are Pinto, Mary,
Jennie and Fannie. Tho smallest weighs
about 100 pounds, which is an unusually
light weight for an elephant The full
grown animals weigh as much as 10000
pounds.
Tie schoolmaster is Albert Stalder, an
animal trainer Of ten years experience.
He vas lately found conducting a session
of tho school with q whip in one hand and
"a half pound of loaf sugar in the other.
In front of the schoolmaster sat Pinto, and
this Young lady was actually sitting, the
seat being en- inverted tub. Her fore feet
and trunk were beating the air in mute
appeal to her teacher, who was patiently
and laboriously endeavoring to induce the
unruiy trunk TO curl its prehensile termi-
nus around the handle of bell Ten times
the waving trunk swept the bell ON to the
floor and each time the whip cut the poor
little beasts TANKS heeleyenth time the
trun., carried the bell into the air, and the
clapper rang.
A lew Jumps Of sugar were thrust into
the mouth Of the elephant, and the saga
cious animal, quickly perceiying that be-
tween tho bell and the sugar there was
some subtle connection, was induced to
ring the implement q second and third
time Pinto was kept at this one lesson
until it was time for the next class to be
called up.
When Pinto retired, Jennie shuffied to
The front. This elephant was the smallest
of the quartet. In fact, the little animal
was scarcely bigger than a large sized dog.
The trainer laid aside his whip, remarking
that this baby was too young to castigate.
Sugar is the only means of persuasion used
in ifN'sJ aifafr OF
son began with remarkable series Of
gyInnastie feats. Jennie stood on her head,
balanced herself on one leg and ate humps
of 81 gar from the trainers hands while
stand ing rampant on her hind legs.
Then the baby was put through the
most difficult of all her tasks. 1t was the
language session at the elephant school
The lesson was given to teach Jennie to
talk. Questions were asked by the school
master, to which tho appropriate answer
would b" Yes' or "No" An elephant of
course cannot be expected TO use articu-
late speech, SO the trainer explained that
the baby would reply by lifting and low
CrinT its fore feet. The patience of the
trainer with this diminutiye specimen Of
elephant life was remarkable. Crouching
down the schoolmaster lifted the foot and
Lower d it the requisite number of times
after each question, stroking the baby's
trunk and administering copious doses of
sugar. The infant proved a tractabIe pu-
pill and before the lesson was over she had
made an attempt to answer questions with
out the aid of the teachers hands 1t will
require many weary hours of instruction
before the little animal understands and
responds to the teachers voice. Jennie is
young yet-only 16 months old, in fact,
the swaddling clothes stage of an Gle
phant S existence-and she has in all prob
ability plenty of time before her in which
to grow wise and learned.
Tho remainder of the school, consisting
of Mary and Fannie, was taken in one
class The whip came into use again with
this class, for the trainer explained that
Mary, who is trifle older and conse-
quently less Of baby than Jennie, has O
reputation for being ugly at times. The
class vas called for the study of the bicy-
Gle. The bicycles were big wooden affairs,
like small wagons, and the little animals
had to be urged with both whip and sugar
before they could be induced to trust them
selves to this style Of locomotion. First
the two animals were pushed along by the
school master and his assistant AS they
felt tie machines move the sagacious ba-
bies grabbed the sides to steady themselves,
necesearily touching the pedals that moved
the wheels, causing them to reyolve. In
this vay, explained the teacher, the ele-
tapts would gradually get to know what
was expected Of them, and SO the bicycle
riding would progress from the schoolgirl
TO the exhibition stage of a performing ele-
plant life.
The lesson lasted for an hour and was
accom- panied by prodigious outlay of sug-
ar. Iho little elephants seemed to have a
most capacious nav for the storage Of
sweets. This, explained the instructor, is
new adjunct to training. The old way
was To prod the animals with cruel spikes
and bully and browbeat them into submis-
sion. The present system works much
better. the elephants doing for sugar what
no amount of punishment would induce
them TO do.-Philadelph Press.
identified the Reporter.
r-rDo, Cf bo1,o {ro,,,,,,, $1,000 y5oa1xoGo.l