The Saint Paul globe., 1903-08-09

been pursued from the backs Of ele-
plants during tiger hunts through the
jungle, or from the backs of racing
steeds chasing tawny named lions over
the desert, or whether it has been the
more eontempIatfve pastinae of study
ing the savage monarcl1S in their cages
the mysterious passions and the SUI
perb beauty ef-forrn of the jungle folk
have ever eXerted an hypnotic fascina-
ton over man. OF greater interest
even than the study of the animals in
their native wiIds has been the specta-
Gle of the ferocious beasts educated
from their bloodthirsty warfare upon
one another into complete obedience to
the wishes of human trainers.
Another feature that has always
found ready response in human inter-
est is the display of unusual courage
and nerve by men face to face with
unusual danger. so that the annals of a
man whose life has been, passed in a
career of especial daily hazard is UNI
versally fascinating. s"8,
Such a combination Of appeals to hu-
man interest has the Century company
(NeW York; made use of in recent
volume. "The Training of Wild Ami
mails" written by Frank c. Bostock and
edited by Ellen Velvin. Such book,
so carefully planned with the ingredi-
SlitS O1 HeNS value, Htliltiy, dtIuo1dl
events recorded by an unusual man,
seems destined to r-ady response on
the part of the reading public.
Known as "The Animal King"
'"The Animal King as Bosteck is
known to the world, needs no intreduc-
ton to New England readers. as his re-
cent exhibit of wild beasts in Boston is
still a year-old topic Of conversation.
To a iz,tr 0f1J7O nm
of his marYels at the Pan-AmeTiean
exposition, at which time Buffalo pa
per said Of his daring: s'It was he who
only a few weeks ago, alone and I'm
armed save with a riding whip, faced
the man eating tiger, Rajah,' at the
Indianapolis zoo. This same tiger had
killed and partly devoured a luclzless
fellow in the same cage a few weeks
before It was he who, at the Atlantic
City zoo, rushed into the arena when
seven lions and five jaguars were fight
Ing and drove them apart 9Th nothing
but a walking stick, and it was he who
rushed into a cage in Chicag go, unarm-
ed, and tough lion with his bare fists
away from the PROSTATE body Of a
trainer whom the lion had knocked
down and was about to kill"
Of such events the book is replete,
although the author modestly says as
l4ltIS DIS puSSlDIS ABOUT Himself, SO great
Is hiS enthusiasm for his dumb pro-
teges. The title of the volume. is apt
to be misleading, as it is no textbook
for those wishing. to- take. UP the call
ing OF fondling wild Beasts, though it
does describe in minute detail how the
lion trainer manages his pupils from
the kindergarten until the triumphS be-
fore the public.
For students Of psychology the record
of the workings OF the minds of beasts
will be welcome data, while the remi-
niseenees of the arena telling of thrill
ing accidents to trainers and the dis
play of peculiar instincts by the mon
archs of the jungle hold the reader
until the end Of the 256 pages.
Influence Over Wild Beasts.
That animals may be trained, but
never tanned, is insisted upon, a fact
tors at trained animal shows. Yet the
accumulative data shows that the
beasts never lose their passive blood
thirsty instincts, and may become mIr-
defous at any moment. Obedienta as
the " lions appear when Capt. Jack
BonaVlta puts them through their per-
formance, the scars of over SO combats
remind the trainer that at any moment
some one pupil may revert to his in
stlnets Of the desert and precipitate a
wholesale fight. or the least false move
by the trainer may provoke a deadly
attack.
Speaking of the power of man over
beasts, Bostock writes: ''It is doubtful
whether lions, tigers and their kin have
minds developed in a wild state to any
thing like the degree attained by those
Of the smaller fur bearing animals,
such as ermine, fox, wolverine or a
number of the smaller rodents. They
are endowed with so much agility,
strength and endurance that they need
hardly exercise much thought in Sc
curing their livelihood; while the cau-
ton and ingenuity required of the
weaker species, in order not only to get
Iood, but also to escape from their
enemies, tend to sharpen their faculties
daily. The only enemy feared by the
larger wild beasts is man.
Why they should feel this supreme
awe OF man is difficult to explain.
Neither his size no. his erect position
can account for it, and it is only in
long-settled and much-frequented re-
glons that his firearms are dreaded.
The explanation, probably, is that thew
are unable to comprehend his habits.
to fathom his mental attitude, to learn
what he is likely to do next, and are
aWed by the mystery of his conduct. as
we might be by that of some SUPER
natural power who came among us and
threatened our liberty and our happi-
ness"
IAN animal learns by association" !"
writes lie trainer. Though it is a
common belief. fear is not the reason
Tor his obedience to the trainers COM
mands- Habit and ignorance are what
cause the animal to become an apt
pupil 1nathes hands of the trainer T'he
animal becomes accustomed to the
same way Of doing the same things at
much the same time, and ignorance of
MS own power keeps him in this state
of subsection. The man who makes the
best trainer is, the one who rea1izes
their treachery and knows that there fs
Danger at all times and in all places
with wild animals, no matter how well
trained they may be,
"As I said before. no wild s,,;n..7 ,~
ever tanned, only trained, and the best
framing In the Werld is. nothing when
once the animal feels inclined to give
way TO his natural savage instincts. In
time the trained animal becomes so ar
cuSton1ed to performing that wheu he
sees the paraphernaIia of his performs
ance he knows exactly What is expect
ed OF him, and does it naturally and
readily ,!Phe successful performance
of all trained animals depends on this
aimos mostsinstinctive following of ssIong-
accustomed habit, together with the
pleasure the exercise gives to animals
naoltuahy confined In small cages"
How the jaguar Is Trained.
The chapters describing the thrilling
scenes when q man enters a Hons ca se
for the first time and finally overcomes
the hostility of his pupil is blood-curd-