Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-02-02

zen. BENJAMIN LEFENRE.. for
r many wears! prominent in Congress
-! as a member of the House from
Ohio-and who. during his terms of Of
flee. was known the handsomest man
in the United States-has returned from
tour of the world. and. while at his
favorite stamping ground in "a Washing
ton hotel recently told of his experiences
in the far east.
IF any one doubts that animals rea-
son." he said. me fought to see the eie-
plants of Burmah working i'm the teak
wood Yards In the city of Rangoon one
of the great industries is the handling
Of these teakwood logs that come down
the river from the interior by tens of
thousands These logs are too large
and long to be easily handled by men;
hence herds of elephants are trained for
that purpose One Of these great bFutes
will pick up huge teak log. balance IT
delicately between its tusks with ITS
trunk, as you would balance lead
pencil, bear it away to the pile whittier
his keeper has directed and there place
it exactly in position. pulling it with his
trunk, pushing it with his head to and
fro, until it Is as perfectly set in place
as though handled by skilled wood
man.
:.
While these elephants are. for the
most part, owned by the Burmese. the
lockwood industry is in the hands of
English concerns. who hire the beasts
from their native owners. Some time
ago a large firm. finding the natives UNI
reliable in fulfilling their contracts for
furnishing work elephants. bought herd
of young animals and had them skillfuliy
trained in the work of log pilinS. Now,
the native Burmese has no day Of rest,
like the Christian, the Jew and the Turk.
but works every day, resting when the
lazy mood of the tropics falls upon nm:
His elephants, therefore. are accustomed
to work every day in the year, If the
native master sees IT..
AT the business place of this English
firm however. the European rule pre-
vailed an devery Sunday was strictly OBJ
served as day of rest by both man ana
beast Now, it happened awhile ago that
one Saturday afternoon the river on
whose banks the great lumber yard of
this English firm was situated began TO
rise rapidly Early Sunday morning
news from the upper country told OF sun
greater floods on the way down the
stream and it became imperative to move
back from the banks a great quantity OF
valuable logs that would otherwise be
swept out to sea by the rising waters.
BY sunrise the manager had not only
ordered out his own herd, but sent
throughout the district to hire every
available elephant from the native own
erS-
AS the Burmese drivers came rith
their herds. hurrying by the corralS of
the English reared animals. the dryers
of these latter beasts ordered them out
into the customary marching line for
their days work.
But not an elephant moved This
was Sunday, and self-respecting. Eng
Never, The drivers. coaXed and cajoled
them with all the arts of their craft. but
the .hathis' stood fast. blinking their
little eyes and watching with .scornful
indifference their brothers of Burmese
training file past to the teakwood yard.
Then the drivers borrowed some old
veterans in the service from the Bur
mese herds, and, scattering them among
the mutinous herd, sought to lead them
forth by force of example
But still not an elephant moved. Work
on Sunday they would not Nor did this
seem to be a resolution reached by the
concerted movement on their part. Each
elephant had evidently reasoned II out
for himself. The drivers. now frantic
with their failure, sought to gain by force
what they could not effect by persuasion,
and. mounting their beasts, dug their
sharp goads into the necks of the rebels.
Then, as by some preconcerted but UNI
seen signal, each elephant swung up his
trunk, seized his driver about the waist
and set him gently but firmly upon the
ground, though to say: There. now.
this has gone far enough; you mustn't