A WONDERFUL HORSE.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXXIII, Issue 3666, 30 October 1912, Page 3

A WONDERFUL HORSE.

ALMOST HUMAN INTELLIGENCE

At the International Anti-Vivisec-tion Congress at Zurich recently, various papers wore read concerning the intelligence of animals and their right to general humane treatment. _ Professor lvraemcr, of Hohenheim, aroused violent opposition from one of the lady delegates by his speech o Thinking Horse, in which he related; some remarkable proofs of reasoning power exhibited by these animals. One* of the stories related was that a horse (trained hv a gentleman who was present), having been taught to express ideas by certain signs, was sent for a time into a forest. When restored to its stable it spelt out “Return, wood, beautiful!” Certain professors from the Pasteur Institute had expressed their wonder at the horse’s intelligence, the result of eight years’ teaching. TJi-e lady, a delegate, from Munich, protested energetically that such exhibitions were nothing but a specula tion, and that the cachet of the Pasteur Institute was the last thing to be desired by a humane society. She suggested sarcastically that the next* resolution to be passed should be that/ horses be promoted to scientific profes - sorships. She then left the hall, still protesting energetically The lecturer mildly remarked that the owner of the horse (who was afterwards feted by the congress) had spent time and money on his hobby, which was no speculation, and that if vivisectionists praised the intelligence of the horse this might bo the* first sign of their awakening to the idea that animals are mere than mere subjects for experiment. He himself had attended the congress solely out of interest in its objects.