Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-05-09

are always a source of amusement to the
crowds who throng the circus tents and
who get a keen delight out of a bag of pea
nuts and a swaying trunk that seems built
for handling more satisfying forage; but
apart from this they are utilized in the per-
Torrance In such a way as to establish a
place for themselves on the program among
the ''other actors" Elephants" say the
old circus men, .'cost lot of money, but
from the standpoint of the performer they
are the cheapest thing in the show to the
management They work every day, rarely
get sick, seldom kick and never draw any
salary. They are content to give their
services for board"
Nevertheless it takes months of hard
work and endless patience to teach an ele-
plant a herd of elephants an act that
viii be accepted by the critical public as
clever. The great point in training ele-
plants. with other animals, Is to attune
the human intelligence to that of the brute,
so that the animal can understand what
the trainer is driving at. There is no use
trying to accomplish anything until the
trainer has accomplished this feat. After
that the work is easy. The elephant under
stands what is expected of him, and he
soon learns to do it without urging.
Frank Melville, the equestrian director of
the Barnum & Bailey circus, who has been
q close observer of trained animal displays
for many years, said the other day: AL
though l have never trained an elephant.
and my pupils have usually been horses |
have noticed one interesting thing about
elephants. They learn somewhat slower
than horses. and they are more methodcal;
but they never forget what they have men
tally imbbed, and their act is the same
on the last day of the season it is on the
first Other interesting comparisons can
be made between horses and elephants
Horses do not enjoy performing as a rule,
and they are nervous until their turn comes
q This often ma kos
ahead of their turn and confuse and brea k
up a horse act. The minute they are
through they seem to heave an immense
sigh of relief and when after the big
seventy horse act with the show you see
the horses scarmpering toward the pad
room with their names flying and their
heels in the air 1t is because they are de-
lighted to get through their performance
in the ring. The elephant, on the con-
trary. neve'' anticipates. He thinks the
whole thing out carefully, according to his
mental capacity, and then goes to work
| at it like an actor of the old school, When
| his turn comes he is there, not before.
| And when he is through he displays no
| emotion whatever Once an elephant is
| trained he can be directed into the ring
| and Will go through the performance with
| out further urging. The moment a horse
| trainer turns his back the horses will begin
| to loaf 1t is necessary to watch them con-
| stantly In order to get the best results.
| ne elerIantS uOtf care whether the
I trainer is in evidence or not, and the main
| purpose of the latter in the ring is to ex-
| pedite the act.
| Several Years ago l had a peculiar ex-
| perience along this line. / was with a show
| that had small but clever herd of trained
| elephants One day. just before the ele-
| plant act was to go on. the trainer was
| taken violently ILL., II was suggested that
( the act would have to be cut out but in
| structed the elephant men to send the
| bulls In anyway. / had never handled
| elephants in my life, and these particular
| animals were not familiar with me- but
/ went into the ring. pretended to give a lot
| of commands and let the elephants do as
| they pleased. The result was an excellent
| performance, and the audience never
| twigged the difference.
| Another interesting thing is the fact
| that elephants have never been known to
| kill or injure their keepers during a per
| Torrance. Their brains too busiiy in
| tent their work to think of ANYTHING
| else-and elephants apparently have only
| one idea at time. They are as Interesting
| a study as any animal in the geological
| world. and they have their likes and dis
| likes, their joyous and blue days. and in
| many things they have characteristics so
human to be almost startling There
| never was an old elephant man who didn I
| believe that his big charges had something
| In their great bodies something akin to q
| SOUL
| THE AUTHOR OF RESURRECTION y
Although ne has been a conspicuous figure