The Savannah morning news., 1902-03-14
nozzIE, THE MIND-READING DOG.
Pedagogues Studying the Remarka-
BILE Things Done by This Dumb
Creature.

PedaRORues Studying the heHhFka-
/ BILE Things Done by This Dumb
Creature.
From the Chicago Tribune.
Principals and assistant superinten-
dents of the Chicago public schools
tried to learn yesterday at the regular
dinner of the Rowland Club if the re-
markable performances of Bozzie H.,
the mind-reading dog. could be dupli-
Gated in children. They questioned
George b. Clason, owner of Bozzie, as
to the methods used in the dogs edu-
cation. Principal j. II. Brayton of the
Raymond School has made a study of
the dog, and vouched for the statement
that there was no trick about the per-
Torrance.
He was responsible for bringing the
dog and its master before the club,
and in introducing the performance
said he had no doubt of the value to
teachers of study of Bozzie's educa-
ton. Government, he said, was one
of the most important factors that en-
tered into the making of a successful
teacher. If teachers could secure from
children such attention as the dog gave
to its masters words, he belived they
might develop some of the phenomena
to be seen in the dogs performance.
Bozzie's specially is arithmetic At
that the dog could beat any of the
high school principals present. Mr.
Clason began the performance by call
ing class in mental arithmetic, giving
Bozzie a place at the foot.
Multiply four by five take away
two. divide by three, add two divide
by four" said Mr.. Clason all in one
breath.
Before any one in the room was
really sure. that the answer was two,
and the moment Mr.. Clason finished
BOzzie gave two short, sharp barks
The class was broken up, as no one
wanted to give the dog a further OPP
pOrtunty to show it's superiority in
arithmetic.
To prove that there was no trick
about the performance. Mr.. Clason
left the room, accompanied by Princl-
pal James e. Armstrong of the Engle-
wood High School. Bozzie remained
in the centre of a circle of interested
observers. Assistant Superintendent A.
G.. Lane was chosen to select a num-
Der and he named eight, Mr.. Clason
returned and told Mr.. Lane to ask
Bozzie for the number. The dog bark
ed eight times.
Mr.. Clason is certain this is mental
/ telepathy and that the dog knows
what people in the room are thinking.
He went out of the room and allowed
the principals to put the dog through
some of its tricks. The absence of the
master apparently worried Bozzie, but
when the animals attention could be
gained 1t answered questions correctly
Mr. Clason explained that the dog
performed best when hungry. He said
it had been fed nothing since the night
before. f. o. Vail of Oak Park thought
this would be of little value as an
educational theory.
You couldn't have secured our at
tention," he said, ''if we had had moth
ing TO eat
Yes" answered Mr.. Clason, but
man is only an order of animal, and
possibly not the highest"
Mr.. Clason then related how he had
discovered the mind reading power in
another dog the day before He pur-
chased a half sister of Bozzie II. from
woman who lives at Riverside, he
said. He found the dog at his house
when he went home on Friday night
He commenced to talk to it and OBJ
served that it paid unusual attention
His cook wrote a number on a piece
of paper and at once the dog barked it,
The younger dog, he believes, will
prove quite as apt pupil as the older
one.
MY theory" said Mr.. Clason. "is
that this power is hereditary in the ami
mails. They come from a race of
Scotch shepherd dogs running back
perhaps several hundred years. All
that time they have been the con-
slant companions of man. They did
not associate with other dogs. but
learned to live entirely with their mas
ters In that way they have come to
possess keen sympathy"
Mr.. BraYton says the secret of Boz
zies education is that Mr.. Clason is a
born teacher" He believes if Mr.
Clason were in the Chicago Normal
School he would develop a remarkable
system of teaching.
why is it," asked Mr.. Brayton,
that some of our young teachers have
what we call the personality that en-
ables them to get hold of their pupils {?
Is there power of mind reading, and,
if so. do teachers possess it? Is it
possible to cultivate this attribute
which works such wonderful results =?
These are all things we want to know.
II have seen this dog respond to
what appeared to be thought trans
ference when the master was a mile
away. l have been in a room alone
with the dog when Mr.. Clason was not
in the building, and have seen the dog
repeatedly tell the number l was think
ing of. If there is something in all
this that we as teachers should know
I believe it well to investigate"
The educators agreed that Bozzie II.
is a remarkable dog. They differed
in their opinions as to any evidences
! of mental telepathy that would cor
respond to the term as used in relation
to the human phenomenon. One of the
most common explanations given was
that the dogs keen senses enable it to