The Universal KinshipMoore, J. Howard (John Howard)
Philosophy
The Universal Kinship
Moore, J. Howard (John Howard)
Evolution; Human beings; Sociology
A few months ago, John, one of the monkeys at Lincoln Park, Chicago,
was suffering from a terrible abscess on the cheek, and an operation
became necessary in order to save the little fellow’s life. It was
a pathetic sight to see the look of trust in the monkey’s eyes
when the surgeon was ready to begin the operation, and the courage
and fortitude displayed by the sufferer were almost human. At the
first touch of the knife the monkey pressed his head hard against
the knee of the assistant and grabbed the forefinger of each of the
assistant’s hands, just as a person does who is about to undergo a
painful operation. The swelling was first cut open and washed with
antiseptic, when the cheek-bone was scraped and a small piece of it
removed. After being again washed in antiseptic, the wound was sewed
up, and John was lifted gently back into his cage—not, however,
until he had licked the hands of the surgeon and kissed his face in
gratitude. The little hero never uttered a sound from the time the
knife first touched his face until he was put back into his cage. A
similar act of intelligence is recorded of an orang. Having been
once bled on account of illness, and not feeling well some time
afterward, this orang went from one person to another, and, pointing
to the vein in his arm, signified his desire to have the operation
repeated. Both of these instances are examples of reason of a very
high order—of a higher order, indeed, than many children and some
grown people exhibit in similar circumstances. The chimpanzee,
Mafuca, learned how to unlock her cage, and stole the key and hid it
under her arm for future use. After watching the carpenter boring
holes with his brad-awl, she took the brad-awl and bored holes in
her table. She poured out milk for herself at meals, and always
carefully stopped pouring before the cup ran over.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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