The New York herald., 1921-04-21
MONKEYS REJECT
JAZZ AS MUSIC
Simian Ancestry Of Man
Put in Doubt by Scientific
Demonstration.
LIONS SHOW INTEREST
ANY One of Them Could Eas-
lily Have Eaten the Sax
ophonist Raw.
HIPPO SEEKS BOTTOM
Nothing But Steel Bars of the
Central Park Zoo Saves
the DiXieland Band.
LIONS SHOW INTEREST
HIPPO SEEKS BOTTOM

The Darwinian theory was aoso-
lutely overturned at the Central Park
700 yesterday A Jazz band played
without restraint in the monkey house,
though several cops were looking on,
along with some scientists, while the
sinian inhabitants nearly tore their
cages to pieces trying to get at the
players. Human beings are generally
considered TO be crazier than monkeys
about jazz. but if monkeys hate it and
swear at il the way they did yester-
Gay, where does Darwin's theory stand
that the two species were only sepa-
rated By family quarrel? As Prof
Norman Sper one Of the scientists
present said Huh?
The monkeys weren't the only deni-
zens OF the ZOO who seemed enraged
that they and the jazz players were not
on the same side of the bars when this
scientific demonstration was tried on
them to discover whether that poet who
said music hath charms 70 soothe the
savage breast had the right F'reudian
dope Most of the animals endured the
,azz as long as they could, and then.
reaching the breaking point, fought back.
AS Head Keeper Jimmy Coyle pointed
out jazz is a dead issue in the menag-
erie
Tried II First the Lions.
The Dixieland band. quintet of
young men who were among the first
to visit iazz upon this fair land. were
ed 70 the slaughter in the lion house
By Prof Norman Sper who does the
research work for their cabaret per-
formances. With them went Park Com
missioner Francis d. Gallatin, Willis
Holly secretary to the Park Board
Prof f. II. Pike of the department of
psychology at Columbia University
Prof e. L. Scott OF the Columbia de-
partrnent of physiology, DR. Harold d.
Jones Columbia psychology teacher. and
a tribe OF newspaper men.
When the earnest scientists with
their sliphorns, trap drums and cowbels
made their first laboratory test In the
lion house IL must be confessed that
the Akbar family behaved terribly.
Helen. the eighteen-year-old lioness who
is the devoted wife OF Akbar the mag
nficent lion. when she isn't taking
bites out OF him. deported herself with
her debutante daughter. Miss Fulton. as
became matron listening to concert
until the clarinet touched an exposed
nerve In Akbar.
Then he let out yowl, tried to jump
through the bars at the offender and
kept sixteen different fits going at once.
That started all the other leonine con-
cert patrons to practising their war
whoops Their reaction to Jazz was a
dot. Helen made no secret OF the fact
that a fresh jazz cornetist would make
the incest meal Ia the world for her.
Miss Murphy. the bashful hippop potamus,
vent down into her tank and stuffed up
her ears with water
saxophone the Last straw.
The only animal who remained quiet
during the racket was the black leopard.
Bagheeta. who slept on by strong ef-
fort OF will till the saxophonst who had
been grooming syncopation 10 her turned
on Lead. Kindly Light" when Bag
heets became a black volcano with meg
aphone attachment Hymns and jazz
didn't mix with her-you could see she
was sensitive on one OF those subjects
So the band decided they had demon
determine how thick a hide the bears
rad AS soon as they began playing
do You Ever Think OF Me?" jim the
big white polar bear, thought so much
or them his teeth chartered.
His mouth is quivering like that"
said Jimmy O'Rourke, his keeper. be
cause he's scared OF jazz He'd fight
tiger. but this has him buffaloed
Gosh Jazz is somethn' awful in bears
life"
When they played Alice Blue Gown"
Jim sat down pensivcly. stil shimmying
with his mouth. When they rent the
air with Nanny" Jim retired to his
cave--he was singularly lacking IN
filial feeling This selection also drove
Molly. The black bea-. into her den.
while It made Betsy. the Russian bear.
trot around disgustsdly. and Buster. the
brown student Of music. clambered UP
the rocks. and after tie playing ceased
stood poised in the attitude OF one con-
siderinv whether to Jump and end Il all.
nm emerged men and climbed - che
side bars, refusing 2 loaf OF bread from
O'Rourke and indicating that what he
wanted thrown TO him was a raw saxo-
phonist
Tolerated by the Elephants.
The elephants. nexg Visited inside their
arena. while the crowds gathered. took
presently Jewel put out her trunk for
sympathy to Hattia. and tho latter
squealed IN feminine faisetto until w.
H. Middleton. the parks animal expert,
assured her the boys weren't hurting
anything but the air end her ear drums
Then the players rs the wild urge Of the
music cot into their blood. became enl-
boldened and actually drove tho giant
beasts TO the end OF their chains with
their blasting operations. After that
Grace Manning OF Che "Follies Bergere"
where the Dixeland boys study har-
mony, was photographed shimnying
under the uprearing Hattie and tickling
her wishbone--the elephants
In the monkey hous. the animals be-
came frantic at the soLnds, and as Prof.
spcr remarked. syncopation and SHIN
nying did not seem high enough for
their aesthetic sensibiiities Joie. the
ehimpanzee, ran 20 tie topfnost bough
Of his tree and scowled.
The chimpensee," said Prof Scott.
rs considered the hiThegt In Intelligence
among monkeys so ono might infer that
the higher they 90 the further they get
from jazz. The animals this afternoon
certainly showed excitement over the
Jazz. aud the puma stcmod able TO keep
q rhythm. but Il Is hard to gay just what
was proven by this. anyhow"