APES AS WORKERS

Ashburton Guardian, Volume VII, Issue 1754, 31 January 1888, Page 4

APES AS WORKERS

It was reported by telegraph the other 0 day th«t Mr Parke., a farmer at Kingston jin Kentucky, bad succeeded m training ■even latgn monkeys or apss to work ln bis hemp fields, and to bre«k And prepare l tbe hemp for market, (Mr Parke., sooord- f Ing to the despatch baa found that they B do tbe work more rapidly and better than _ negroes, at one quarter the cost The j apes, it Is said, were oent to him by a j, brother In Africa, who had a*en them put v , to slmll-r üßes there, and Mr Parkea is so / L vrell sail«6«>d with tho results of hia «*• j J] perim-wt that he has ordered ten m >re of d th? attia-i-ls. I H Wbetber this particular story be true or a false, there is n<» doubt that tho ra«p j, doede and Intelligent of apes hay* been f Instructed to perform work very like »h*t _ to whloh Mr Parkes is ««ld to bave trained hit ievon monkeys af>cr four months' *■ patient tuition Mr.c. Cumenoe Hoyer, f In a recent artiole la the " Revue _ Sclentlfiqoo" on tbe mental faculties of ( monkeys, Bhows that they are well adapted for some kinds of domestic office., and acquit themselves gracefully In thorn, and she cites carei where thoy bave been ffxcaedb gly v .efui m field and other j work. Pyrard, the Fcenoh traveller of two j centuries ago, says that m bis time the < colonists of Sierra Leone employed ohlm- _ ptnz. r a lo carrying water and beatiog of mortars, and Breton has m ble Chinese pictures a representation of monkey, carrying tea leaves on 'he tops of one of the steep ridges of Chansung Iho j ancient Egyptians, t-10, obtained consider ] able «erv«o.» from the oyu< eeph^lu , a ▼srleiy Of *>abr»o-n, an animal so r.m.ikable for its Inteliigeuo. tbat it w»selected by thoua as the symbol of intalleot Bnffm describes a female ehlmpaosae at Loanco which onn'd mtke ■ ■ ihe bids, sweep tho houae, and help torn the spit. Honz .an exprecsts the opinio)that these female monkeys w< old make excellent n urges for children, their milk being exceedingly rich In butter. Mm?. Boyer, therefore, comes to the ' oonclu-ion that a time is coming ' when these rao-B, bred by mao, will render g-eat services In dally life and industry, •qd will contribute to the general progress.' There is nothlog m ouch a prediction, she co-.ti_.ueß, wbioh does not rest on scientific premises, and nothing m it to laugh at, after the maimer of the smart young men who are now getting np fanny articles on Mr Parkes experi' mnt. The ape Is u -questionably the most intelligent and the moat manlike of tho lower animal, both physically, meutally, and morally. He may ba far away from the superior races of m u n m intellect, but the d.ff.rence b-tween hrn and the lower races is much less marked. Tti6 black ehimp»i sacs cf Africa have feasts like those of the negroes. They livo m communities, fight ia concert, and oar** for their woonded. They are vary olever In the use of their hands and arms, throwing a tones be'ter than streat boys. Boflton's blaok chimpanzee knew how to unlock a door, and if he did not find the key m the look wonld hunt for it. This monkey took its meals like a well-bred p»rson, at. wirh a spocn and fork, used a (late, and served i self with wi_e. I. one of her letters from the Malay Peni.su'a Miai Bird describes a dinner at whioh tha was invited, and at which her of>mpaniona were two apes. '1 be apes had the r curry, chutney, pin .apple, eggs, and banana on porcelain, and so had I,' writes the enterprising lady, who speaks of another Ape, whiob was t»n important member of the family of the British Beuldent at Klang, as walking on its hind legs, and going along quietly by her side like a human eso irr. It had not even a rud • mentsry tail, and when it sat with its arms folded it looked like * a gentlemanly person m a o'O-r-G t lig suit ' Tbe worst d.feot of monk eve is tbat tbey are inveterate thieves. They look upon thi. aving ><« fun and therefore will ptifer even when they have no desire for what they take. Mme. Boyer tells us tha r . they are oipable of sacking a house and carrying ofi everything moveable m lt with tha syatem and ooncert of a band of robbers They ob-erve a k'nd of discipline m tbeir op .ratl< ns, and post tbeir scoots to Inform tn m wh«n it is time to run away.' The mouldy, m Sumatra steal fruits and vegetables from the gardens, and will plunder houses 'Forming a line, m order to pass their ■polls from hand to hand, they so>»le the wads, nut r at ihe doors and windows aod leisurely pillage all tbey can find.' They are are also very greedy, and will get tlp#y when they have th* obaDoe, »nd the dronk^u ape seems wvto Uke a man than ever.