Democratic Sentinel, Volume 18, Number 15, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 27 April 1894 — MONKEY MANNERS. [ARTICLE]

MONKEY MANNERS.

Some Surprising Accomplishments of the Anthropoids. Speaking of the intelligence of apes, says a naturalist in the Washington Star, anthropoids are capable of acquiring some very surprising accomplishments, though their limitations are distinct. Chimpanzees have been taught to wait on the table and to sweep out rooms. A distinguished Frenchman published a book a while ago, in which he expressed the opinion that chimpanzees would, sooner or later, take the place of domestic servants. He owned one , of these animals, which he trained to light the fire and to wake his master when the oven was hot. Buffon, in 1740, had a chimpanzee which ate at the table, opened a napkin and employed it rightly, used a fork and spoon, poured out wine and clinked glasses, poured out tea and put sugar in it, washed windows and tried to imitate its owner in writing with a pen. A young gorilla at the Berlin aquarium slept in an ordinary bed, covering himself with the and ate at table with the keeper. He drank water from a glass, carrying the latter steadily to his mouth without spilling the contents, and setting it down carefully. He died of consumption, unfortunately. This melancholy fate seems always to attend gorillas and chimpanzees in confinement. Thus there is not any hopeful prospect for the plan which has been suggested for developing the intelligence of apes by keeping a number of them together'and mating the most intellectual specimens together, with a view to securing by such artificial selection a survival of the fittest in the course of generations. By this means it was hoped to obtain a highly developed typejof anthropoid which might be attractive socially, and, perhaps, even subject to missionary influence. About one year in a cage usually winds up the existence of a gorilla or chimpanzee. Gorillas, by the way, often gather about fires that have been deserted in their native forests, greatly enjoying the warmth. But the limitation of their intelligence is very plainly indicated by the fact that it never occurs to them to prolong their pleasure by putting on more wood. When pillaging a field of sugar cane, they never think of trying to pull up the stalks one by one, but gather as many as they can in their arms and try to wrench all together out of the earth. It is understood that the ancient Egyptians made use of baboons, which they employed to gather oranges. At all events, many carvings on the tombs exhibit scenes in which monkeys in trees are picking fruit while people stand below with baskets.”