The Washington herald., 1911-03-26


would as soon be descended from the
little heroic monkey who braved his
dreaded enemy to save the life of his
keeper, or from the old baboon. who,
descending from the mountains, carried
away in triumph his young comrade from
a crowd of astonished dogs, as from a
savage who delights to torture his enc
mics. offers up bloody sacrifices. prac-
tees infanticide without remorse. treats
his wives like slaves, knows no decency,
and is haunted by the grossest super
stitions.''
Monkeys are without doubt the most
intelligent creatures of the animal world.
and one or two of them are so amaz-
ingly human in every respect as to be
almost uncanny. One monkey which dis
plays sagacity nearly approaching to
that of a human being is the wonderful
Consul, recently exhibited in London and
other parts of England. While staying in
London Consul had a little fiat all to it.
self at Earl's Court, and here could be
seen eating and drinking and acting like
the average man at home. To see it Sc
dately disrobe, climb into its bed. and
draw the blankets closely about it was
a sight never to be forgotten.
Another clever monkey which died
year or two ago from a chill 1t con-
racted was named Esau. 1t wore even
ing dress and patent leather boots, al
ways walked upright, could write its
own name. had its own banking account.
and could play the piano and work
typewriter. Capt de Lancier caught
Esau when II was a little more than a
year old in the neighborhood of STAN
ley Falls. and it was on the voyage to
England that the groundwork of the
monkeys education was laid.
Apes rs Cashiers.
The extraordinary resemblance to hu-
man beings in both Consurs and Esau's
habits and general behavior had its orr
gin in the system of their earliest train
ing. 1t is impossible to make a cultured
gentleman of a monkey that is well on in
years; it must be trained to the ways Of
polite society when 1t is a baby.
But one can find clever monkeys with
out going to geological collections and
menageries. Some little time ago a
draper employed a monkey to act in the
capacity of shopwalker. According to
all accounts its merry antics were appre-
ciated by customers, and inquisitive
people entered the shop by scores merely
to watch the sirnian
Monkey cashiers are very prominent in
Siam, where vast quantities of base coin
obtain circulation. Siamese apes are con-
spicuous in the offices Of the business
houses there, and the faculty of discrim-
ination between good money and bad
is possessed by them is a remarkable
degree of development. The coins pre-
sented in business payments at a large
shop are, 1t at all suspicious, handed to
the ape cashier, which, placing them be-
tween its teeth. tests them with deliber-
alton. This method OF testing is re-
yarded in SiameSe commercial circles as
nfallible, and the animals decision is
readily accepted by all parties concerned
N the transaction.
During the rush to K1ondyke an enter |
prising syndicate of miners employed |
monkey labor to assist them in gold \
washing, and their initiative qualities |
the animals so quickly prof. |
,ient that large number of Chinese mon |
Seys, which are used to severe cold. were |
shipped to the Yukon at the bidding of |
,ther gold miners Even to-day the Chi |
lese monkey is employed in mines, and |
n China it has for years assisted the |
natives in tea packing.
Like Mime. Sarah Bernhardt. Capt. |
0uchesne. who lived in the Rue d'Alesia,
Paris. kept as a pet an orang-outang.
lie trained this unruly animal to stand
,uard over his premises at night in the |
,lace of the usual watchdog. Nicholas
3argeve, a burglar who had Just COM
,leted his ninth term Of Imprisonment,
made a professional call at the captains
louse, and was Immediately seized by
he ape, which did its best to strangle its
aptive. Bargeve was rescued with some
ifficulty and was conveyed to an in
rmary. He had been driven mad with
right.
Monkey News vender.
In Batignolles, a surburb Of Paris. a
monkey used to sell newspapers in the
treets, while female chimpanzee once
rent out to service at Loango.
A signalman who had lost both his
,gs in a railway accident trained a
aboon to help him in his work at a
rayside post in South Africa, and the
lonkey soon learned the exact time each
ain was due, and pulled over the sig
ais accordingly. IT was never known to
ull over the wrong signal or make the
ightest mistake in the time.
The higher a monkeys intelligence the ,
lore dangerous does 1t become IL an !
cred. In Cape Colony an oficer was in
le habit of teasing q tame baboon kept !
the regimental quarters. One day, !
fter being plagued by the officef. the :
onkey took up a position on the parade :
round, poured water into q hole, and 3
ade some thick mud. When the officer a
1T in an appearance he was bombarded :
ith mud pellets which covered him from !
lad to foot before he could make his :
10 ~ r,,vob IN fhs amusemenf NJ tba \ :