Lexington gazette. [volume] (Lexington, Va.) 1871-1962, 1907-12-04
TEACHING ELEPHANTS.
The Tall, Fat Legged, Small Eyed Kind
the Best Pupils.

the Best Pupils.
On a number Of points all elephant
trainers agree, says Appleton's Mag
zine. These are, first, that the TALL
fat legged, small eyed elephant OF big
girth is not only the handsomest, but
also the most docile and intelligent OK
his kind; second. that an elephant Is
fully aware of his prodigiOus strength
compared with mans and that the rea-
eon an elephant obeys his master Is
rot because he Is afraid Of him, but
hecause he has an affection for him;
third, you may beat bad elephaps
TO death or Kill him by rammlng req
hot irons down his throat In an effort
70 press the "squeal of surrender out
az him. but the one and only way 10
train an elephant to perform tricks IS
| through kindness and patience unend-
ing. last. but not least, without ex-
ception the intelligence of the elephant
| far exceeds that of any other animal.
Elephant trainers maintain that train
ing an elephant to perform Is like
teaching boy circus riding, only less
| difficult.
| A number of the simpler tricks with
which an elephant entertalns his au-
dience come as natural to him as the
lapplng Of milk comes to a GATOR
instance. the blowing of the mouth
harmOnica.
Twenty feet to the right or to the
left of the candidate to be taught 10
lie down four heavy stakes are driven
into the ground, and from each or
these runs a block and tackle con-
Meeting with each leg and manned by
ten or dezen men. When all Is
ready the trainer stands In front OIL
the animal raises his hook and Down!
Down. he orders. The elephant pays
no attention. He stands waving
his trunk and swaying his body from
side TO side. "Downl DOWN. shouts
the trainer again, and upon a signal
some forty men begin to heave ana
tug. the blocks squeak, the ropes
creak. and while the trainer continues
shouting his command the pachy'
derm's legs begin to be drawn from
under him. With scalp raising trum'
net the startled creature begins 10
struggle. lashing with his trunk from
side to side and cropping with Its I'D
against the floor, frantically seeking
for n hold to steady himself, but the
relentless ropes continue to draw MS
legs The huge beast leans at Tor
bidding angle, believing like hero
of steers and drowning the Down
: DOWN. of the trainer. The great body
r begins to totter. For an instant II re
n gains its balance; then 1t fails, crash
ing with a dull thud on to the bed Of
straw. Trumpeting like the screecl
ont of O cracked steam calliope, thu
4 brute tries vainly to struggle TO hi'
n feet. until at the end of three or foul
n minutes he begins to realize that noth
: ing SO very startling has happened an'
: that really he ought to feel very com
! Portable indeed.
To teach him to stand on his heat
/ the trainer again uses the block an'
4 tackle. To forestall the effects OF
It bad fall the floor of the training stabl
II is thickly Uttered with straw. Thei
It the candidate is harnessed with chain
and the bellyband and block and tackl
S as he was when learning to rear, tn
:, difference being that the chains iron
under the belly lead between the him
:. instead of between the forelegs, $
II that the headquarters Instead OF tn
d foreauarters may be raised