Much Interest Surrounds the Trained Animals

Cole Bros. Circus Have Many Educated Wild Beasts.

There is always something fearfully beautiful and at the same time interesting about trained animal exhibit. This is more than so when the animals themselves appear to take an interest and pride in their own work. Man's superiority over the brute creation is made evident in two ways. One is by what is known as training, where the animals go through their routine with one eye always on the whip in the trainer's hand and their efforts are made with an unwillingness that shows a submissiveness through fear, and an entire lack of development of intelligence. The other is known as animal education, where they seem to take pride in displaying their accomplishments. They go through their act with apparent pleasure and that sneaking unwillingness is absent.

Cole Brothers world toured shows, which will he here Tuesday, May 18th, will exhibit a number of groups of educated animals, that have won favorable comment throughout the universe. The proficiency they have attained is remarkable. Lions, tigers, leopards, hyenas, panthers and bears, all of them forest bred working together in one huge steel barred arena and responding to the commands of their tutor with the willingness of a petted school girl is not a sight to be seen with any aggregation. The many tricks and acts they have been taught, leads one to think that they possess more brain than instinct, and a brain fully capable of reasoning and retaining.

Educating animals singly has never been regarded as a particularly difficult task, but to educate them in groups, when every member of the group has been a sworn enemy since the existence of time, is not only difficult but remarkably hazardous. This is more than true regarding animals born and captured in the wilds and not bred in captivity. While it is easier and less dangerous to educate animals bred in captivity, they forget quicker that which is taught them, and they never take the least interest in what is taught them. They go through their act in a careless and sleepy way, while the animal bred in the wilds is all alertness and life. Every animal with the Cole Bros. show that takes part in the educated animal exhibition was bred in the wilds and never came in close contact with man until captured.

--Warren Evening Mirror, Warren, Pennsylvania, May 7, 1909, page 3.

Comment: I love this statement, that the animals "have won favorable comment throughout the universe."