The daily morning journal and courier., 1904-06-10
STRANGE INFORMATION
CONCERNING ELEPHANTS AND
 THEIR TRAINING.
What Mir. Sells Says Concerning These sasaeious Animals and the Wonder full Feats Those in His Big Circus Perform

Perform.
 Tt is contended by many philoso- phers that a man will carve out his own destiny despite his environment. No matter what his parents are or where he lives or the training of his early youth, he will find his way into the groove into which he was born to fit This theory is fatalism to a de- gree, though in this connection it has no bearing upon spiritual or religious matters
 With this somewhat curious introduc- tion to the subject, MT. Peter Sells, one of the proprietors of the Adam Fore lpaugh & Sells Brothers shows, recently entertained several gentlemen with some strange information regarding el- ephants and their training. Continu- ling, MT. Sells said:
 T am moved to make these remarks considering a mans avocation being a matter of his own choice by reason of the wonderful character of the trained elephants with our show. When I speak of them refer especially to that portion of them known as the Adam Forepaugh dancing elephants. They were trained to do all their wonderful work by Adam Forepaugh, Jr., the only child of the famous snowman, who or ganized the show that is part of our consolidation. These elephants were collected by MT. Forepaugh one and two at time. They were selected for uniformity in size and evenness of disposition. An agent in Sfam the home of the Aslatic elephant, was in fstructed to be on the lookout for speci- mems os this sort. and when one was found to buy it and ship it to America at once. The work of establishing the Forepaugh herd was begun when young Adam was a very little boy. At that time Stuart Craven was the most fa- nous elephant trainer in this country and he had charge of the herd. He trained it to perform the usual elephant stunts, the masterpiece being a pyra mid of some seven elephants.
 No one else at that time pretended to know how to handle elephants in the manner he did, and when he was taken seriously i'll one winter MT. Forepaugh N1o HI 61 cat Nloll 600. lOu inuot hilOW that there can be no let up in the training of an elephant He is an ani- mai that is extremely sensitive to cold land must be warmly housed In the winter. Likewise he has an unsuitable appetite and must be kept busy munch- ing hay when he has nothing else to do A hungry elephant would not let such a trifie as a stone wall interfere with his getting his dinner. There is no room in a building in which to give him ex- ercise save in the training ring. Be- sides the elephant is loafer and soon forgets his tricks unless he is kept at them all the time You may see, there fore that Craven's illness was a serious matter.
 From the time he was a little tod dler Addie Forepaugh had always been taken every morning to the elephant Istable at the winter quarters at Phla- delphia. He never seemed to tire of the elephants. He was about ten years old at the time of Craven's illness and was very much put out because he was kept at home during the idleness of the elephants The Winter quarters were some five miles distant from the Fore paugh residehce His father used to tell him that he would not dare let him lgo to the quarters when Mr. Craven was not there, for he would not stay away from the elephant stable, and it would not be safe for him to go near the elephants during Craven's absence.
 "One morning when Addie was called for breakfast he did not respond. It was supposed that he might have slipped out of the house and was play ling with some of the neighbors' chil- dren, and his father ate his breakfast without him and then proceeded to the winter quarters. Going first to the of lice he looked over his mail and an swered it and then started on an in- Ispection of the quarters. Judge of his astonishment when he heard a childish lvoice he knew full well in the elephant lstable shouting Craven'ss orders to the elephants. The old gentleman smiltd and stood outside the door listening to Iyoung Addie and wondering how in the world he had ever reached the quarters from home that early in the morning. As he stood, he said afterwards, he wondered if Addie when he grew up would be so fond of the elephants and handle them. The show man was all ready rich man and he had different ambitions for his only son.
 Suddenly he was startled by a Ishriek. It was unmistakably that of an elephant being punished. Knowing Craven was still confined to his bed he Ihurriedly opened the door, and, strong man that he was, he nearly tainted at what he saw. There in the training ring he saw the elephants going through their several stunts, and flying around among them with his prod in hand and using it as occasion demand ed was his little boy. Stunned with surprise and fear he could not speak for several minutes Meanwhile he saw Ithe mighty mass of moving monsters lobeying with alacrity the every order lof the tiny boy. At first he could lscarce believe it, but when he saw how thoroughly the boy was their master land how obedient they were, he recog- lnized with his knowledge of the ele- Iphant's nature, that the huge beasts acknowledged the boys authority, and he regained his speech.
 "'Here, you little rascal, come out of there! Do you want to be killed? For lGod's sake, come away!' shouted the still frightened father. Get out of here! We don't allow anybody in here --y 1. l