Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-11-08
S|M|AN SHOWS MIND IN HANDSOME DRESS
Will Never However, Attain Convention Hall Ready for the
Mans High Mentality. Big Food Show.
Prof. SHEPHERDS VIEWS DRAPED IN GOLD AND WHITE
of Monkeys by Local Exhibits Place Many Artistic
Psychologists ally Draped Booths.
MENTAL FACULTIES GAvEL FALLS AT 730 TONIGHT
and Comp Of land Wiley
Brains ward-Program of
Will Never, However, Attain
Mans High Mentality.
PROF. SHEPHERDS VIEWS
Observation of Monkeys by Local
Psychologists.
TEST OF MENTAL FACULTIES
animals to Be Killed After Certain
Time and Comparisons Of
Brains Made.

After several months observation OF
the eleven Indian monkeys whose ap'
pearance on the top floor of the George
Washington Medical Hall last winter
caused much comment in this city the
scientists of the university have come
TO several positive conclusions regarding
the mental capabilities of the simian
The experiments are being conducted by
the school OF psychology.
The main point of interest is the deter
mination of a monkeys power of mem
DRY as a basis for whatever reasoning
power he may possess.
The idea Of Prof W. T. Shepherd, who
has been conducting the experiments. was
to train the monkeys carefully for several
months and teach them as much as he
could.
After a certain period the training is
to be discontinued and the monkeys left
TO their own devices and allowed TO for
get.
To Examine Brains.
When a sufficient time has elapsed the
monkeys will be killed and their brains
examined. Comparisons will be made of
the brains of monkeys that were not
trained at all, of those killed at .he
height Of their mental development and
of those killed after they have time to
forget much of what was taught them.
Prof Shepherd, who will prepare a
treatise on the subject Of simian psy-
chology. said he has discovered many
interesting facts on the subject.
Physical Man Traced to Monkey.
while the experiments have shown
a. t. Ar1o hun a ~,
being so far as the lower animal facul-
ties are concerned" said Prof. Shepherd,
81 hesitate to believe that the little ami
mails ever will be able to approach the
high standard of mentality of man. BY
this l mean that the monkey never can
attain the highest mental faculties, such
as exercising judgment and reason. How
ever, nature and nature alone. Will be
able to improve the brain. whether 1t be
the brain of man or monkey. l believe,
like Darwin, that the human race sprang
from the monkey, or higher developed
animal of this species. That is, the. phys
ical form of man undoubtedly can be
traced to the monkey.
Experiments with the Cog and the cat
have shown to my satisfaction that the
monkey is superior i'm many ways TO
either of these animals. For instance, i
arranged a test that l might observe the
amount of intelligence displayed by the
three animals, and the monkey carried off
honors. l placed a stick in a piece of
meat and put it within a few inches OF
a cage in which monkey reposed.
Monk Equal to the Occasion.
THE animal could not reach the meat,
but he could touch the stick Without "A
moments hesitation the little fellow
grasped the stick and hauled the meat
into his cage. The same experiment was
worked on cat and a dog. but each of
these animals failed TO see the usefulness
of the stick. They reached and clawed
for the meat but the fact that 1t might
be obtained by moving the stick never
occurred to them"
The monkeys now are in the custody of
DR.. s. I. Franz. professor of experimental
psychology at George Washington Uni
versity. Prof. Shepherd formerly was
connected with George Washington Uni
versity, but now is president of the Co.
lumbia School of Languages. Before
coming to Washington he was president
of the Arkansas Normal School, of Eu-
reka Springs, Ark, and for years was di-
doctor Of psychology at the University of
Oklahoma.