The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1910-09-11
MONKEY AS SHE IS SPOKE.

likely specirnen of the Calvus chimpan-
zee. has written a stirring article for
The Independent, the leading race or
gan, entitled MY Recent Work and
Eusie'' It is positively "the only ar
ticle which has been written by Mr.
Garner, since he got back to the States
and We don't mind saying that it would
not have mattered very much if 1T had
never been written.
Since 1903 tho Professor has been in
1.-The field uninterruptedly, pursuing the
studies of apes and monkeys. which
have been his life work, and he ap-
pears to have made not great deal OF
lnroeress since he and the Bicafse mon
KEY were first acquaint. except that he
has reached the conclusion that IN
general, find that most of the words
lof sin1ian speech are much less DELI
nite-more vague-in their significance
mhan I originally supposed. The fact
remains, however, that the meanings
II originally ascribed to them are in
Guided among the significations which,
In these later years, have found them
to carry. This expansion, this new
multiplicity of meanings, in no way
lessons my conviction that the sounds
made by monkeys are really speech
IT appears that the little fellows have
been making something of n monkey
of the Professor; but as it is all 'in
the interest of Science" we must take
1t in good part. It is hoped that the
professor has been a little more care
full in getting under the foundations
of the monkey language than he seems
to have been in the statement of his
historical facts, as, for example, when
he speaks of du Chaillu's discovery OF
the gorilla" discovery which was
really made by the Rev. DR.. ]. Leighton
Wilson, missionary of the Southern
Presbyterian Church in Africa.
Susie, as we have said, belongs to
the Kulu Kamba tribe of monkeys. "the
patrician stock of her race" as the
Professor happily expresses it, or as
we might say, the +. +. V. division Of
the simians. The Professor admits
that "as to the speech of the chimpan-
zee, 1t is almost impossible to convey
the sounds by means of any convention
alities of photography" but Susie, the
Professors prodigy, makes certain
sound, under various circumstances,
which he assumes to be equivalent to
ayes" When the Professor shows her
banana, and she wants it. she speaks
with a sharp sound on a high key.
through her nose, "hwha"; when she
doesn't want it, she says over and over
again. "ola." The Professor assumes
that the first word means yes" and the
second means mo-. and as we have no
way of proving that. he Is not entirely
right about it, we must let it go at
that. But there are all sorts of diff
culties in mastering this new language
For example. there is the word want.
and all of us know what that means in
our vernacular in these enlightened
days; but the monkeys seem to have
kept on talking just as they talket
when our particular branch of the fam.
lily broke away from the parental tree
some thousands of years ago. Now
when chimpanzee wants" anything
1t simply says something that sound.
like sue" in rue" as the F'renchmel
would pronounce 1t. the French having
preserved more nearly than any of TIL,
rest of us, apparently. the original pro
nunciation of their first parents. Al
we have said, upon the authority of tn,
Professor, "hwha" means yes; blu
there are other very distinct words i,
the Similar tongue spelled the same wa,
that might signify protest resentment
alarm, calling, affection or caressine
and content and pleasure" We Shout
be almost willing to gamble tina
feahwha" means yes; but, according a
1t is pronounced, it might mean an
one of the other acts o, emotions tha
we have cited.
The Professor has so far recorded an
interpreted seven sounds, and compile
the vocabulary of the long tailet
white-nosed monkeys of the Gueno
group in this way: "ohui." meaning
want; 'tourh." meaning where ar
you2" "eu-nh," meaning "here'; "khi
III, meaning look OUT khi-iu -hou,
meaning retreat; a-ou-hou,' meann
"stampede and "chu-h." meaniu
"shark! what?" 1t is very importan
to know that the 'ch' is the German eli
final" which Will enable some person
like Ben Hagood. for Instance, who
well versed in the 'ch' final, 10 cate
on much more readily.
AS we understand. these seven SOUND
are emitted by The long-tailed, white
nosed monkeys of the Guenon grou
sind are, therefore, not so much use
In Virginia as down on Edisto Islam
South Carolina. where some Of the abb
rhymes are still supposed TO be Twins
but we are particularly interested jul
now In Susie. who is the siraartest az
that ever hung by her caudal appei
dage to any tree anywhere. Althous
bniy seven months old. she now speal