The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1900-02-01


I alongside the first degree of space in the
| world of form. 1t is the initial apprehen-
| sion of the vital nature. always preceding
! the apprehension of melody and harmony
! and in the case of the serpent is incapable
of development because the spinal system
| is complete in itself, and has no termipa-
ton in a cerebrum. His experiments to
demonstrate this are worthy of Sir John
Lubbock, and certainly make quick work
with the spake-charmng business of the
Indian fakirs. He claims to have proved
over and over again that the cobra and
the American rattIesnake are absolutely
harness unless your irritate them by I'M
rhythmical action or noise when they are
not already irritated by a desire for food
He utterly denied to the ophidians any
volition. You have seen, he says, the
rabbits playing upon the body of the py-
thon that has been fed. He will not even
/ recognize them unless he is moved to it
by his stomach. So also. you have seen
the decapitated rattlesnake continue to
strike with its headless body in automatic
obedience to its sys,em Your mounte-
bank carries the cobra in his bosom with
out fear so long as nothing irritates him.
But, should some unforeseen external
cause awaken in him the springs of ac-
ton, he is transferred in an instant into
a death-dealing monster.
Among other instances cited in illustra-
ton of this theory is that of a public per-
former at Madras. who in 1860 was eXhib-
iting with an enormous boa before an as
semblage. AS had been his practice for
! years, he wound the animal about his
| body. While standing thus enveloped be
| fore the people, muffled sound of crack
ling was suddenly heard, and the mass
! of man and snake fell over to the ground.
! The serpent had suddenly crushed him,
! and at the autopsy 100 fractures Were
Cd On hnlU NJ there
/ was a Slight rent of about two inches
| cause d by a hidden stiletto that the man
| had worn, and to this the Indian experts
! attributed the disaster. An occurrence il
| Illustrative of the same fact came under
| the writer's notice. y student friend had
! obtained twelve-foot South American
| boa or anaconda for experiment, and in
| order to familiarize himself and servants
! with it had it brought into his study
| every day and turned loose. AS it evinc-
| ed no mischievOus propensities, it was
| allowed to have its own way the better
! to observe its natural habits. On the Oc-
| casion referred to it had slowly wound
| itself about a bamboo rocker with its
! head laid on the seat of the chair. While
in this position a Maltese cat came in at
| the rarity open study door, about eight
! feet away There was a sudden cracking
| smash, and the serpent struck the open
| door banging it shut The chair was
| crushed
| with unexpected velocity began to travel
! around the apartment. Had this incident
| been reported by the usual narrator OF
| animal instinct, the sudden action of the
| snake would have attributed to the cat
| But the fact was that projecting splint-
| err of the chair caused the unexpected con
! striction, as was demonstrated afterwards
| when the snake was subjected to a SINH
lar experience while coiled around an or
! binary lime barrel
The snake-dealers learn very quickly
that a serpent is a piece of mechanism
that is compare lively helpless unless the
neculiar conditions of his muscular con
formation are disturbed. The contractors
are powerless for any lateral demOustra-
lion. If you can keep one at fun length
he is disarmed. This has been showr
over and over again in those animal tour
naments which the Raiahs of India get
up for their amusement. The pitting OF
a large python against number of jack
ais is a frequent diversion, and the quad
rupeds, after one or two of their number
are killed. invariably range themselves
in a line and advance upon the serpent
at a moment when he is extended. They
then plant their feet upon his body anC
hold him down, and he is helplessly pound
ed to death. The rattesnake canno
strike unless his body is first drawn into
concentric circles. II one of them is il
| a small Hollow tOB, YOU Can SdlciS pun
him out by The head. a feat mat you
can often see the Indian boys do, only q
gopher hole takes the place Of a log.
An enormous amount of occult nonsense
has accumulated about the reptiian grour
that has employed the ingenuity of arcn-
biologists, biologists and theolog ans. A
great deal of it no doubt springs from the
literal acceptation of the Biblical asser
ton that the serpent was more subtle
than any beast OF the field, and the az
ter reference OF Jesus to the wisdom OF
the serpent" The application of these
savings literally to the snake as we nov
know him is no longer possible Ever
his power to charm his prey has gon,
by the board along with his power t.
tempt But that he glides in his essen
tial vital qualities on our planet, me
mortal of the most primitive forces of or
ganization, and turks in our own natures
a constant reminder of the mysterious
triad Of energies within us, one of whicl
must eat the dust and go prone is thu
conclusion that Francois Delsarte arriv
ed at.