Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1909-04-29

There was printed in this paper
few days ago areport by the Lon
don Daily News of memory test
to which highly-trained chimpanzee
named Consul had been subjected at
Hotel Cecil The apes performance,
to be frank, did not seem remark
able, inasmuch as many a dog would
be regarded as intolerably s,up.d if
he could not recognize his master
after a three-months' absence; and
all that Consul did to show off his
memory was to recognize ioyfuIIy
his manager after d separation OF
that duration. But Consul is undoubt-
edly capable of meeting successfully
q much severer test OF his mental
powers than any other of the lower
animals now alive. No one ever saw
a trained dog that could equal this
apes performance in initiating hui
man kind; aand it is probable tina
all who have Witnessed his public
appearances have come away con
WINGED that, if We are not descend
ants Of the monkeys. the most high
Iy developed apes are the species
nearest to ourselves i'll the scale Of
animal life
What Consul can do is worth tell
ing before it is explained how he
came to do it. He has both a pub
lie and a private life, Of course. like
an opera singer or a president o.
the United States, and each is in
teresting in the extreme. His public
life consists in a daily performance
at the London hippodrome, an ac-
count of which is given in some de
tail 10y the Spectator, which thinks
him about as important, after all,
as a prime minister. 1t is a plea
sure to quote so vivid and enter
tanning a description of Consul as
his
He comes running in dressed in
ordinary mans clothes, and hangs
up first his hat and then his over
coat on pegs on stand. Then he
proceeds to have lunch. He is lifted
into a chair by a valet a napkin is
handed to him. and he tucks it a
round his neck. Then he touches
the electric button at his side. and
looks round with an air of polite
boredom for the waiter. The waiter
brings him a plate of carrot. which
he eats using a knife and fork
mostly, with rather bad manners, the
knife At intervals. while eating. he
drinks out Of wine glass; he pours
his claret-and-water out Of the bottle
with his left hand, and lifts the
glass with his right hand. Having
finished the carrots and claret he
touches the bell again, and the wait
sugar. He pours out a cup OF tea.
adds milk and sugar, and then tastes
the tea with a spoon two or three
times; then, finding it as he likes
it. he drinks il off rather quickly
so as to get the sugar at the bot
tom of the cup. Then he rings the
bell again and looks around for a Gig
aret The cigaret, in a holder. is
brought with a box of matches: he
puts the cigaret-holder in his mouth.
takes it out of his mouth. between
his fingers. blows out the match, re-
places the cigaret. and turns around
in his chair. throwing his arm over
the chair-back with the contented in
dolence of a smoker at peace with
the world. After a little he decides
to go to bed. and undresses himself
carefully. taking off his coat, waist
coat. trousers. and shirt (the shirt
is the uncanniest Of ALL; he is then
left with his boots, which he unlaces
and pulls off. Before going to bed
he washes at a basin, slushes his
head and neck. dries his face with
a towel, brushes his teeth, and Is