The Minds and Manners of Wild Animals: A Book of Personal Observations

IX THE MAN-LIKENESS OF THE CHIMPANZEE During the past twenty years, millions of thinking people have been startled, and not a few shocked, by the amazing and uncanny human-likeness of the performances of trained chimpanzees on the theatrical stage. Really, when a well trained "chimp" is dressed from head to foot like a man, and is seen going with quickness, precision and spirit through a performance half an hour in length, we go away from it with an uncomfortable feeling that speech is all that he lacks of being a citizen. In 1904 the American public saw Esau. Next came Consul,--in about three or four separate editions! In 1909 we had Peter. Then came I know not how many more, including the giant Casey and Mr. Garner's Susie; and finally in 1918 our own Suzette. The theatre-going public has been well supplied with trained chimpanzees, and the mental capacity of that species is now more widely known and appreciated than that of any other wild animal except the Indian elephant. There are several reasons why chimpanzees predominate on the stage, and why so few performing orang-utans have been seen. They are as follows: 1. The orang is sanguine, and slower in execution than the nervous chimpanzee. 2. The feet of the orang are not good for shoes, and biped work. 3. The orang is rather awkward with its hands, and finally, 4. There are fully twice as many chimps in the market. But the chimpanzee has certain drawbacks of his own. His nervous temper and his forced-draught activities soon wear him out. If he survives to see his sixth or seventh year, it is then that he becomes so strong and so full of ego that he becomes dangerous and requires to be retired.