The Washington times., 1921-04-10
Powerful Skeleton of Gorilla and
the Comparatively Puny
Frame Of Man.

NA/ important! from some Polnts VI
w view he looks little. not particu
larly respectable old man, and then, again,
yo,f might think he was scarcely human.
Really, there are strong reasons for
treating him as an extremely important in
Nv dual Although he is comparatively
small, he can pull three strong men on
and although he looks bit dis
equitable and low-brow Cd. he is said to be
worth s150,0O0 ~
John Daniel is the most petted and pam
persd individual among the l,5oo men,
women and animals employed In the big
circus in Madison Square Garden.
John Daniel never does anything he
doesn't want to do; is never fined or pun
ished: eats and drinks what he pleases---
without regard to prohibition; gets up
when he likes and behaves just about as
he Jolly well pleases all the time.
John Daniel is a young gorilla-the only
gorilla now in captivity and the only goriI
la as big and old who has ever been In
captivity He is beyond question the most
human of all the monkey family. IL you
have any doubt about this take good
look at him and then examine his two dis
tant cousins of the chimpanzee family,
who are kept in a neighboring cage.
Chimpanzees have been regarded as
very nearly human, but when you look at
John Daniels big brown eye, his high brow
and his well modelled hands You know
that he. is pretty nearly your own kind
John is only four and half years old.
John Daniel sleeps in a bed, sits down
at a table and eats his meals in clean'y
manner, washes up his own plates ana
dishes and acts generally Just like a
young human being. Perhaps the most
remarkable fact about him is that he has
learned to do all these things without any
commlsion, such as is used with ordinary
animals to teach them tricks. Most OF
his habits he has learned by imitation
and others because his guardians have
pointed out to him in friendly way that
IL was the best thing to do.
John Daniel has to have at least three
good drinks of whiskey a day and some
times glass of sherry or port. The
drinks have been found necessary to Keep
him alive and in health, for 1t has only
been possible to preserve him by care
fully studied and rather novel system OF
diet
The drinks not only keep his digestion
i'm good order--their effect Is profoundly
, psychological. They prevent him from
failing into state Of melancholia, which
would soon end in death, the kind OF
death that has overtaken every young
. rilla who has ever been in captivity.
When John Daniel Is left many hours
without an alcoholic stimulant, II has been
noticed that he falls into state OF deep
IL r,lancholy and detection. He appears to
he thinking Of the African forests and
mountains from which he was torn In
his infancy and contrasting them un-
favorably with his present noisy and con-
fining surroundings.
AT such times he crouches down motion
less like an utterly hopeless man. Pie
will not lift his head or smile. He VIII
not touch a morsel Of food. Finally his
keeper, John T. Benson, is forced to mix
mn a good stiff drink and coax him to take
II.
John Daniel" says Mr.. Benson tn .
pleading voice. Wont you please take
a little drink. Do II to please me-"