Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1897-03-18

DLING CLOTHES Stage - DoClLiTY
OF A SIXTEEN MONTHS OLD PUPIL.
The cleverneSs of the elephant and the
remarkable tricks which the Zig animal
performs at the bidding of n trainer are
well known and have called forth many
ordinations of wonder But to see a line
of elephants march out upon the stage OF
variety thcater 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
done has puzzled many. and. indeed al
most any one would lie greatly interested
by visit to an elephant school
AT one of these establishments. recently
opened the elei, hantine pupils now number
four, but as the schoolmaster is endeavor
ing to enlarge the school there will prob
ably be some additions soon The school
sessions ore held morning and afternoon
with an intermission for lunch, and nc
schoolboy ever felt the chains of discipline
more oppressivcly than do these little
pachydcrms. They are all babies, and
their names respectively are Pinto Mary,
Jennie and Fannie 20 smallest weighs
about 400 pounGs is an unusually
light weight for chant. The full
grown animals weigh as much as 10000
pounds.
The schoolmastor is Albert Stalder, an
animal trainer of ten years experience.
He was lately found conducting a session
of the school with whip in one hand and
half pound of loaf sugar in the other.
In front of the schoomastcr sat Pinto and
this young lady was actually sitting, the
seat being an inverted tub. Her fore feet
and trunk were beating the air in mute
appeal to her teacher, who was patiently
and laborioGsly cndeuvoring to induce the
unruly trunk to curl its prchcnsile termi'
nus around he handle Of Il DoN. Ten times
the waving trunk SWEPT the lcll on to the
floor, and each time the whip cut the rool
little beast : tanks. The eleventh time the
trunk carried the bell into the air, and the
clal per rang.
\ few lunrs of SUGAR were thrust into
the mouth of the ltfhant, and the saga
cious animal quickly lorccivng that be
tween the bell and the sugar there wa.
some subtle connection was induced tt
ring the imI lcEc'r a second and thirc
time Pinto Was lie, 1T this one lessor
until it was time for The next class to be
call d UP.
When into retired, Jennie shuflled tt
the front. This ClcI haat was the smallest
of the quartet. In fact, the little ANNA
was scarcely liTccr than IL Urge sized dog
Tho trainer Lid aside his whip, remar:ine
that this taly was toe young to eastigate
SUGAR is the only means of persuasion useG
in .Icnnic's training at present Her les
son Ec~an with a remarkable series o.
gym. = tic lcGts. Jennie STOOD on her head
BALANCED Ee"s>li on one leg and ate lumps
OF sugar tr,.A the trainers hands while
stt.Nding r,,n. rant on her hind l. gs.
1 hen the b~Ly was put Through the
most difficult of all her tasks. 1t was tn,
| language session TT the elephant school
| The Lesson was given to teach Jennie t>
talk. Questions We're asked by the school
master, 10 which the appropriate answer
would be"Ycs or No" An elephant, o.
course cannot be expected to Use articu
late speech 50 the trainer cx1 lained thai
the baby would reply by lifting and low
cring its fore feet. The patience of tn,
trainer with this diminutiNe specimen
! ClCI liant lie was remarkable. Crouchins
| down, tla s,.!.lolm2stcr lifted the foot an(
| lowCrld il tie requisite number OF time
after each question, stroking the baby:
/ trunk and administering cOpiouS doses OF
sugar. The infant proved q tractaElc Iu
! pill, and before the lesson was over she h;t
made an attt n4lt toansWcr questions with
out the aid Of the teachers hands. 1t will
require many weary hours of instruction
before the little animal understands ant
resi- onds to the tee hers voice. Jennie il
| young yct--only Is months old, in fact
the swaddlin% clothes stage Of an Gle
| plant cXiStcncc-;tnd she las in all Prob
ability plenty of time before her in which
! to grow wise and learned.
The remainder of the school, consisting
of Nary and Fannie, was taken in on'
class The whip came into use again Will
this class, Cor the trainer explained tina
Mary, who is a trifle older and conse
qucntlv less Of Il baby than Jennie, has {,
re .utAtion for being ugly at times TIL,
class Vas ei,4lCd for the study Of the licy
Gle The bicycles were big wooden affairs
| like sI@all WAGONS, and the little animal
had to re urged with both whip and suga,
! before they could lie induced to trust them
selves to this style of locorotion. FRS
! the two animals were pushed along by TIN
| schoClmastcr and his assistant. AS the,
| felt the machines move the sagaciouS ha
! hiCS grabbed tie sides To steady themselves
nee, ssarily touching the ICd;.ls that moyCt
| TIE wheels, causing them to rcvolve. II
( this way, cyl l&incd the tcacl- ~, the Gle
/ ,'an.s would gradually get to know wha
was CT tct1d Of l4yill, and so The iicNCh
/ riding Nae.I re- l5#s from tie schoolgirl
to The CE4ifition stage of II performing Gle
| plants lie.
/ Tie !. -or lasted fcrun hour ard Wa
! acconI;,ni d alrodigious ontllyo OF sug
ar. Inc [. 1. 81 h@nls seemed To have /
most ca ioas lH&w for Tie storage o