The daily morning journal and courier., 1897-05-28
THE ELEPHANT.

His Animosity Dangerous To Arouse
 And Never Forgotten A Highly De-
 veloped Intelligence.
 I like the elephant chiefly for the in- telligent exercise of it's anger. Its vengeance is calculated, well directed and usually most effective. While 1t Is not easily stirred to wrath, if its anil mostly is once aroused it's memory is tenacious, its purpose inflexib1e. The poor fellow who was killed in San gers stables few weeks ago had laid the foundation of his own destruction by some previous act of unkindness or in- patience and, as it appeared before the Coroner's jury, although the elephant had not seen him for months, the moment it did it's anger burst forth and 1t instantly took terrible revenge. An elephants anger, then, Is a call culable quantity a factor in its organi- zation to be counted upon and avoided As a matter of fact, the brain of the elephant is very little larger than that of a manor, let us say, of some men; for, judging by the comparative dis play of intelligence, one would infer that in some cases the elephants brain was as much greater than its keepers as it's body is more ponderous. Its brain is, however, highly conyoluted, and its intellectual powers of a very high grade, indeed, as compared with the brute creation generally. It's powers of perce ption, it's memory and it's emo- tions are all very keen and very much o1a bav lynp al 1t,a,, tc. in India to sulk and go of their feed" for several days when separated from favorite driver, and if they worked at all It was only in morose and unsatis- factory manner, while upon the return of their favorite they have manifested every sigh of joy.
 Tn Europe we do not, I think, see the elephant at his best. The bun-fed beast of the 'Zoo,' or the weary trick trained animal of the circus, is but a poor relation, indeed of the noble brute est. In confinement the elephant does not lost its intelligence or it's affection, but it does lose its sportiveness.
 In a word, 1t is less lively. And why not? Tn Europe we know the elephant chiefly-perhaps exclusively as part of a show" Indeed, in al- most every circus the mammoth creat- ure is the principal starr, taking pre- cedence of the "bearded lady" and the
 nost startling bareback rider; and when Barnum succeeded in spite of bowling protests, in carrying off Jum- bo to his American circus he executed a clever bit of business, indeed, and one which returned him many times over the $10,000 he paid for the genial monster.
 In the Orient the elephant is chiefly valued for his utility; and the uses to which he has been put in the past, and for which he is still employed, have been various and important. Strangely enough, one of the most ancient uses of the elephant was for the purpose of warfare, and in the English Army he still forms part of
 ''The pomp and circumstance of gIo- rious war;
 In early days the elephant was ridden into battle, and when the Romans went into Carthage they at first fled into dismay at the sight of the mighty beasts. They soon learned to frighter them, however, by waving torches ir their faces; and it is recorded thai among other spells of war they took back to Rome several elephants, which they ignorantly styled "Lucanian OK. en- In the British Army the elephant is still used for war purposes; and ] know of no more novel of interestine ] sight than that of an elephant bat. tery" on the march. The elephants employed are all splendid animals. and