THE APE AND THE FILM.

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 5181, 21 September 1927, Page 4

THE APE AND THE FILM.

A PROFESSOR AFTER KNOWLEDGE

REMARKS BY ENGLISH PAPER. Some little- time ago it occurred to a professor of psychology at Columbia University that ’he might leiarn something from the behaviour of a chimpanzees. This should not surprise anyone. The great apes have always had a, fascination for professors. Long ago one of the latter species proposed to retire to a cage in. the wilds ot ‘Africa, in the hope of learning the simian ’ language. That still remains unknown, but Professor Kohler has assured us after many years’ work upon them that the- apes 'have many ■more human qualities than you would suppose (says, the London Daily Telegraph). If one is hurt another will cry for sympathy. They have memory; thqy can think —not quickly, indeed, no.t ingeniously ; but is not t'he population of England, by the. testimony of those sagesi Carlyle and. Dean Inge, chiefly fools ? What is man that he should despise the laborious mental processes of the chimpanzee ? Your ape love® to dance in “groups or in couples,” to dress up and walk in processions, to collect miscellaneous objects for which he has no sort of use. In fine, he enjoys almost all the characteristically human pleasures. It was quite natural that the -professor at Columbia should, take his chimpanzee to the movies. What we> have to condemn is his peculiar arrangements for Fatima’s entertainment. He ordered a performance at which only Fatima and he and some photographers were present. In the language of a once-familiar ballad, this is not the proper way to treat a lady. Who would care to- go to the pieturesi with a man under such conditions ? The film which he chose depicted life “in the jungle-of Siam.” ThSs again was far from 11106 of him. His idea was that on beholding the monkeys on the screen Fatima would “register” various and strong emotions which the photographers and he vrould record. But Fatima behaved as si perfect lady should. Slue- was, like ifhe turkey in the, poem, More than usually calf. In the monkejys of the film.she showed n,o interest, but she paid particular attention: to the photographers. We regret to add that the professor failed to perceive; the essential hujmanity of this conduct. He reports thsit Fatima “showed a fear reaction,” bu't cannot decide whether she was afrajid of the pictured m/onkeys or the rea 1 photographers. As the latter uo?’d flashlights we ca n attach no importance to this specula* tion. If the proffeissor has never seen flashlight photo; graphs in which men. of iron nerve are shown exhibiting- “a fear reaction-” of the most hideous contortions, he is even more iniicicent than becomes 'the professoriate.. The state of . m.ind of Fatima, v rill command the sympathy of all no trmal people. Which of us wants to look at films showing ordinary men and women in ordinary life ’ We mu? fl; have vamps and cowbo. vs and a pi .’eposterous Adonis floing idoti» c deeds. That obviously was Fatima’s state o f mind. Mere monkeys bored her dr' earily. What she wtanted was sometl ijng unlike anything real. Let us suj ,gest that next time- Columbia shows her a film of professors.