The West Virginian. [volume] (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1914-1974, 1916-05-20
M0NKEYSNATURAL
ACTORS says SMITH
Attract More Attention
Than Any Other Animal
in Circus.

There Is a story in the old Second
Reader. about monkey who. on the
authority Of Mr.. Aesop, always burst
into tears when strolling through a
cemetery. And when, one day, a re.
porter asked him what allied him he
sobbed: 81 always weep like this
when am reminded OF my poor dead
ancestors"
Charlie Smith, superintendent o,
Ringing Brothers menagerie used to
study the Second Reader. Just now
he studies seven ton elephants, nam.
moth hippopotamI and about a thous.
and other charges in fur and feath-
ers. But most OF all he studies mon.
keys. He never tires of gathering a
crowd around one Of the simlan hos.
telries In the menagcric tent on cir
Gus day OF give an illustrated lecture
OF lmonkology. And he never falls
to tell that old yarn from the Second
Reader.
Smith asserts that tho monkeys Mt.
tract more attention than any other
species OF animal In all the 1OS cages
Of the Ringing 200.
a0fE course" he says, NOW we have
added the so.called lion slayer monks
and the several varieties Of black
apes and baboons TO our collection we
have a truly remarkable variety OF
simians. This in part accounts for
the fact that the majority OF patrons
are partial to the monkey exhibit. But
mereSvariety seems hardly sufficient
reason to explain why are preferred
to such priceless animals as the 81
rates, the two horned rhinoceros and
other of our menagerie habitants. any
one of which has greater cash value
than all the monkeys put together.
MY solution is that It is because Mr..
Monkey is a born actor. He turns ev-
ery3cageinto a theatre and 30. in spite
OF his handicap, captures tho crowd.
1t seems as though the rascals &c.
tually feed upon admiration. There's
old Cap. Congo. for instance. Since
he Is thought to be the biggest chin.
panzee ever taken captive and so
quite able to do his act single as
they say In vaudeville. do you sup.
pose he does? Not bit OF il. Cap.
thinks he has to have real act with
a supporting cast. So he has made
friends with Tommy Tickles on OF the
riding dogs. And whenever a suffi.
Client crowd gathers before his glass
front apartment the venerable Cap.
spuss his arms around Tommy as much
as to say, See the happy family OF
course this markes hit with the aud.
fence and many stay for the second
show. Then the tr,lmpets begin to
fan fare for the rising Of the curtain
on the Cinderella spectacle in the
main tent and everybody starts for
their seats. In the meantime the ri.
raffe family has been playing to EN-.
PITY chairs and Miss Saidee, the giant
black African hippoptamus, has been
lucky II she opened her mouth to half
ashouse.
Il don't think am exaggeratlne
when say that two thirds Of the pco.
pie who visit the Ringing show
miss q great part OF the many wonder.
full things In our mcnageric tent be.
cause they get high sign from some
wise old .simian half way down the
avenue of cages and let him and his
vain comrades keep them antil It's
time ito go into the big show tent.
Guess Brother Darwin must have
been about right and Mr.. Aesop, too.
It's Just q case OF that old Second
Reader yarn being reversed for the
monk In the fable cried while folks
who look at the monkeys mostly
laugh"