Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1905-12-06

ELEPHANT ,iNTELIIGENCE.

wherein the Fable Brand Differs
Fron THE Real Iisc variety.
The elephant Is always credited with
something next 10 omniscience He Is
the genius u the animal tribe. He has
that prodigIous patience which is said
to be part of genius. He cannot sleep
at night IL the logs he has been set TO
pile that day have not been laid till the
plumb line would show not a lo- piled
the fraction OF an inch cut OF line. He
gets up IN the middle of the hight and
jois down ideas and new designs for
piling logs. All this IN the fable.
But in reality the elephant is stu
pid beast. Ii Is n'''d 10 teach him. He
learns logaritbsas with the greatest
difficulty, and counterpart he could
probably never master lie can pick
up n forty ton bowlder. but he cannot
pick up an idea. Some few tricks he
does acquire. but he is like some chill
dren--he learns hard and forgets hard
Some Englishmen undertook not long
ago 70 prepare a jungle born specimen
for the circus. After awhile they got
him TO wave flag But the stupid
beast had no sense Of time, and, being
left alone for day and 8 night. he
was found still waving the flag when
bis keepers returned. He had no more
sense OF time than "a blind man. One
OF the easiest tricks to teach an ele-
plant Is 10 step DEITY over the pros
trate body ~ man, but il is the hard
est trick 10 teach the man.
Some elephants have even been edu-
Gated 10 step over row OF babies
without loss Of life. The babies learn
this as easily as the elephant In fact.
the chief interest in beholding this
sublime spectacle il in watching the
meek establishment OF the babies as
they look up and observe those great
tree trunks of elephant legs slowly de-
scending over their heads and landing
safely at their side. The process has
about il beautiful feature in its au-
tomato working. IL Is the babes fas-
cinatIon in watching the elephants
ponderous legs that keeps him stu and
out OF harms way.
But to teach an elephant the com
mon circus trick OF focusing his four
big feet OH a tub Is one OF the most
difficult OF all The elephant Is as
choice as a political candidate where
he stands. Man viii sometimes stand
on ceremony. but the elephant must al
ways have solid footing. And his
crowning piece OF stupidity is that be
viii permit himself to be put TO the
bother Of going through all these silly
performances of the circus by nothing
but mere puny man
Be his head what 1t will. the ele-
plants heart IS of different stuff.
There Is the story OF the elephant in
the circus chat fell in love with the
baby girl of one OF its keepers He
would nor perform, he would not eat
unless the babe were right beside him.
Often the child had to be brought into
the elephants stall and be showed to
him like a talisman TO quiet some OBJ
streperous humor. When the circus
had any journey to make II was an
Indispensable precaution that the baby
be shown TO this elephant Only when
he had seen ii and had been with Ii
awhile and felt assured that 1t was
not TO be left behind would he walk
into his car and be shipped on his way.
II was touching in the extreme.
But the baby died. and trouble was
in store The elephant endured it for
a time, but his keepers knew what TO
expect. He brooded over his loss; be
| eyed his keepers and the world with
suspicion: he felt himself tricked and
neglected. He had TO be guarded from
the public. They ceased to have him
on show Finally he refused any lon
| ger to run through his tricks. and be
ended one day by kicking the circus to
| pieces Boston Transcript