n6 THE MINDS AND MANNERS 



In the performance o£ Bartholomew's horses, of which I once 

 kept a record in detail, even the most accomplished members 

 of his troupe often had to be commanded again and again before 

 they would obey. A command often was repeated for the 

 fifth or sixth time before the desired result was obtained, I 

 noted particularly that not one of his horses, — which were the 

 most perfectly trained of any ever seen by me, — was an excep- 

 tion to this rule, or performed his tasks with the prompt obedi- 

 ence and self-confidence so noticeable in each one of the sixteen 

 Barnum elephants. The horses usually obeyed with tardiness 

 and hesitation, and very often manifested neivousness and 

 uncertainty. 



In the mind of the elephant, e. g., each elephant, there was 

 no confusion of ideas or lapses of memory, but, on the con- 

 trary, the mental grasp on the whole subject was so secure and 

 comprehensive that the animal felt himself the master of the 

 situation. 



I have never yet seen a performance of trained dogs which 

 could be considered worthy of serious comparison with the ac- 

 complishments of either performing or working elephants. 

 In the matter of native educational capacity the dog can not 

 on any grounds be considered the rival of the elephant. The 

 alleged mental superiority of the dog is based almost wholly 

 upon his powers of independent reasoning and observation as 

 exhibited in a state of almost perfect freedom. Until the ele- 

 phant who has grown to maturity under man's influence, is 

 allowed the dog's freedom to plan and execute, no conclusive 

 comparison between them can be made. 



Moral Qualities of the Elephant. Finally, we come 

 to a consideration of the elephant's moral qualities that have a 

 direct bearing upon our subject. In India, excepting the pro- 

 fessional "rogue," the elephant bears a spotless reputation for 

 patience, amiability and obedience. The "rogue" is an indi- 

 vidual afflicted with either an incorrigible disposition, or else 

 is afflicted with insanity, either temporary or permanent. I 





