Evening star., 1933-04-11
NEW ROCKS
AT RANDOM
M. C..

with Edward Anthony. New York:
The Century Co.
Many volumes have been written
and many words have been uttered
during the past fifty years on the Pc
culiarities, the habits and the tastes
OF the American people. All sorts OF
reasons have been proclaimed by psy-
biologists and other learned delivers
| into the intellectual and emotional re-
| actions of the United States brand OF
mankind, as well as by just plain
| ordinary students of human nature
The accumulated opinions expressed
! on this subject would very nearly fill
to its capacity a good-sized library
and yet not one of these works OF
wisdom has produced an ounce of SUBJ
| stantial proof In support of q theory
nor has any one of them, or all OF
them put together, changed by a hairs
| breadth the likes and dislikes of the
mass of the people.
Some day maybe one Of the worlds
great sages will discover the reason
why the American temperament is
unlike that of any other national group
on the earth. When that memorable
day arrives the aforementioned wise
man is likely to prove to be an humble
| to fame as a leader Of thought, and
| his verdict will probably be based upon
something as simple as the quality OF
water we drink, the style of hats We
wear, the sort of curtains We hang al
our windows or the price we pay fol
secondhand name plate to hang or
| the front door. A super-Sage, indeed
| will be he who can accurately account
for the queer impulses which drive the
human machine to extraordinary ma.
terial achievements and which ir
almost nine cases out of ten never seek
to satisfy the natural craving Of the
spirit for the enjoyment of beautiful and
cultural things.
Given a choice between visiting 9
famous art gallery or prizefight, the
average American will choose the lat
ter: If the choice should be between
| symphonic music or going to a bal
game, he will take the ball game; OF
if the choice should lie between see-
! ing an immortal drama or going to the
circus, the vote would be in favor Of
the big tent. Why? The answer is
simple. Mr.. United States Citizen and
his family like thrills. Why they like
thrills is the question which must be
answered by the sage of the future
There are wonderful thrills, of course
in beautiful paintings and sculptures, in
music and in drama, but these are toe
spiritual, too intangible for the masses
Of this country, as at present consti-
tuted, to grasp and enjoy. The thrill;
they demand are of the variety that
hit them in the pit Of the stomach and
| give them the same sensation which
| is experienced when an elevator ir
which they are riding makes a rapic
plunge.
This extraordinary taste for thrills al
the expense of living beings has lee
to the development of many remarkable
| professions in this country, and thi,
interesting story by Clyde Beatty is the
outgroWth Of one of them. Collaborat-
ing with Mr. Beatty in the writing o1
THE Big Cage" Edward Anthony, who
was q co-author of Bring EN- Back
Alive" has helped wonderfully to give
the tale smoothness and style.
| Twelve years ago Clyde Beatty rar
away from high school and joined &
circus as cage boy. Today he Is tht
outstanding living trainer of wild ami
mails and Is producing acts which have
been believed by the greatest trainers o.
other generations to be impossible. Ths
most remarkable act of all has beer
developed during the past five years
and 1t consists of forty lions and tigers
natural enemies of the jungle-per-
forming stunts In q thirty -two-foot
arena. In one decade this daring youth
has risen from cage boy to heights
| never before attained by any member
OF his profession.
It has been the job Of Clyde Beatty
to train all species Of wild animals, bui
this volume is devoted almost exclu.
sively to the processes of educating
| the big cats OF the jungle to under
stand simple cues which mean the per.
| formance of extraordinary acts. In the
earlier days of the travelling circus 9
| few comparatively simple stunts suf-
| feed to crafty the demands Of the
| grandstand peanut eaters and poT
drinkers for thrills. But that reasonably
| placid audience has vanished and in its
| place has grown more selfish group ol
| spectators, avidly demanding bigger anc
more dangerous thrills.
| The trainer of wild animals has beer
called upon to produce these more
| complex and more risky thrills, and
up to the present time the author oi
| this book has delivered more of them
than any other individual in the pro-
fession. The fact that the profession
is one in which danger is incessant
would seem to be no handicap tc
Beatty, for he loves it. He knows that
his charges will never entertain q
spark of affection for him and that
| though they respect him in most in
stances to his face, he can never turn
| attack. He knows also that only pa
tience and kindness and respect fol
the endurance of his pupils during
their training can win them to dc
his bidding, and he has never struck
an animal except in self-defense when
trapped in an attack. Even then his
only defense Is an ordinary kitchen
chair, used to divert the attention OF
the animal and not to strike, to scare
or to anger the attacker.
Into the discard for all time goes all
the clap-trap about training animals
for theatrical performances by means
of cruelty. The majority of people al
ready know that the difference between
wild and domestic animals in this re-
spect is that the latter can be cowed
by ill-treatment and that the former
can not only never be cowed. but that
they hold grudges and will never for
give an offense. Mr.. Beatty'S chapter
on this phase of his work Is one which
every individual should read and take
to heart, for it is lesson on ethics in
the handling of all creatures. whether
denizens of the jungle or the cats which
nocturnally congregate on back fences.
There are chapters on how these
enormous cats are given their school,
ing, and the surprising and unaccount-
able things they do. They have their
individual hatreds and loves for each
other, and they never fail to take ad-
vantage of an opportunity to settle a
fight with rival. In many instances
their performances are much the same
as would be those Of members of the
human race in the same circumstances.
There are many stories about individual
lions and tigers who are favorites with
the audiences, presenting the trials and
tribulations of their trainer in getting
them educated. and in keeping them In
order and on their good behavior dur
ing performance.
Other chapters tell Of many narrow