Many monkeys have such a grave and quiet way of doing things, and look at us with such bright and meaning eyes, that we are brought to think that if they could talk they would have something to say worth hearing. In fact, there are people who think they could talk if they chose. There is the story of the Southern slaves who thought they showed their wit in not talking, since if they did they would have a hoe put in their hands and be set at hoeing.
A traveller, writing about Java, tells us something of the same sort. He speaks of a sultan who had a well trained corps of monkeys and apes. "The orang-outangs and long-armed apes," he says, "had been trained to go through a variety of military exercises; and when one of us expressed surprise at their seeming intelligence the Sultan said gravely: 'They are as really men as you and I, and have the power of speech if they chose to use it. They do not talk because they do not wish to work and be made slaves of.'"
The Malays in all the islands believe this and in their language orang-outang means "man of the woods."
Certainly monkeys can be trained to act very much like men. Mrs. Lee tells us of one that has been taught by a Frenchman to act in a very polite fashion. One day she met this monkey as he was on his way up stairs. He made way for her very politely and stood on one side to let her pass.
"Good morning," she said, and he took off his cap and made a low bow. "Are you going away? Where is your passport?"
At this question he took a square piece of paper out of his cap and showed it to her.
His master, who was following Mrs. Lee, now told him that the lady's dress was dusty. He at once went to the man, took a brush out of his pocket, and raising the hem of Mrs. Lee's dress, brushed it and did the same with her shoes.
But while monkeys can be trained to do some surprising things, they are not all alike. Some can be taught easily and some not at all. Darwin tells us of a man whose work it was to train monkeys to act, and who bought them from the Zoölogical Society for twenty dollars apiece. He offered double the price if he might keep them for three or four days so as to pick out a good one.
When asked how he could tell this in so short a time he said that what he wanted was a monkey that would pay attention. If when he was talking to one he could not keep its attention, but it turned aside to look at a fly on the wall or other trifle, it was of no use. To force such a monkey to act by whipping would only make it sulky. But a monkey that gave him close attention when he was talking or showing it something could always be trained.