Democratic Sentinel, Volume 15, Number 7, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 6 March 1891 — Are Animals Intelligent? [ARTICLE]

Are Animals Intelligent?

“Talk about the intelligence of animals,” said Foots with a snort, “look at the horse. He is big enough and strong enough to have his own wav, and yet how meekly he submits to the imposition put upon him by man. A little boy can break a colt, when if the colt would only exercise the power he has he w'ould break every bone the boy had in his body. The horse meekly submits to have a bit put in his mouth, that chafes the tender skin and wears the enamel off his teeth. If he had any sense—even horse sense—would he submit to that ? Then he permits his master to strap an awkward saddle on his back and mount him for a ride, when all he would have to do would be to throw his heels in the air and saddle be the lot of that man. “Then there is the dog,” continued Poots, “sagacious, isn’t he! Yet he has been known to tramp liis w'eai’y round on a dog churn all day without a complaint. The dogs of St. Bernard! Wonderfully intelligent, ain’t they? Work all day lugging men out of an Alpine snow storm and never get a cent for it. And the elephant, too. He works all summer for a circus, just for the gingerbread, popcorn and tobacco quids that the boys feed him. Some puny little man with a hook on the end of a stick puts him through a series of clumsy performances that are simply ridiculous for one of his bulk, and yet they say the elephant is intelligent!” —Texas Siftings.