anyway to our corner of this beautiful island.
“I hope you get the gist of what I am saying. If I didn’t think that was possible, I wouldn’t be standing here. In other words, I have faith.”
He listened for a smattering of applause but heard none.
“What I would hope you understand is the necessity of making a determined effort to learn a common tongue so that we can communicate with each other. Only if one knows the word, you might say, can he spread the word.”
The chimps had stopped chewing and seemed to be absorbed in listening.
Cohn said he would like them to enjoy their stay, but if they intended to make this their place of permanent habitation,
he sincerely hoped they would not mind a few observations concerning how certain matters might be arranged for everyone’s mutual benefit.
“Calvin Cohn’s my name, and I guess you can think of me as your protector, if you like the thought. I want you all to know I am not in the least interested in personal power; simply I would like to give the common effort a certain amount of reasonable direction.”
He waited in vain for a random handclap. Cohn’s voice fell a bit. “Take my word for it, I would accept leadership reluctantly—my oceanographic colleagues used to say I had some talent for administration—however, I feel I ought to take responsibility because I’ve had a fairly decent education and perhaps a little more experience than most of you—to help establish what I hope will become an effective social community. Also I’m older than most of you, except maybe the old gentleman snoozing directly above me. Not that age is necessarily wisdom, but in certain ways it helps. Much, however, depends on the Lord.”
Cohn laughed jovially, but when he beheld the two boys grinning in stupefaction, he told himself either shut up or be practical. He then addressed the multitude on the subject of food—that there would be enough around if they took care.
“Don’t, for instance,” Cohn seriously pleaded, “eat just to eat, or because you’re bored. Kindly eat only when you’re legitimately hungry, and then only enough to satisfy that hunger.”
Someone in the tree let out a brash hoot whose source
Cohn was unable to determine, but there was no other discourteous response to speak of.
“Please keep in mind that others have the right to share food sources equally, as free living beings. That’s saying that freedom depends on mutual obligation, which is the bottom line, I’m sure you’ll agree.”
He heard petrified silence. After waiting for a change of heart, if that was the problem rather than their comprehension of his human language, Cohn felt he ought to shift his approach. “Let me tell you a story.”
The apes seemed to lean forward in anticipation.
They understand, he thought excitedly, and went at once into an old tale of a chimpanzee named Leopold, an absentminded gentleman, somewhat a narcissist, who ate without thought of other chimps’ natural rights, until he ate himself into such swollen proportions that, swallowing one last grape, he burst.
Dead silence.
They must know that one, Cohn reflected. Either that or they don’t like the way it ended. He asked if there were any questions, and nobody had one.
Wanting to do it better—get it right—Cohn began another story, about someone he knew who fasted days at a time so he could feed poor people who had nothing at all to eat.
This man’s wife asked, “How will you give them what you don’t eat, if we have nothing to eat anyway?”
“God will take nothing from me and give something to them,” said the old rabbi.
Cohn asked if they had got the point of the story.
But the stunned apes were no longer listening. A stream of dung from where the dominant male stood barely missed Cohn’s head.
An explosion of derisive sounds filled the dense mango, and the apes, one by one, dropped out of its branches and disappeared into the woodland.
Cohn made no attempt to follow them.
“I hope you get the gist of what I am saying. If I didn’t think that was possible, I wouldn’t be standing here. In other words, I have faith.”
He listened for a smattering of applause but heard none.
“What I would hope you understand is the necessity of making a determined effort to learn a common tongue so that we can communicate with each other. Only if one knows the word, you might say, can he spread the word.”
The chimps had stopped chewing and seemed to be absorbed in listening.
Cohn said he would like them to enjoy their stay, but if they intended to make this their place of permanent habitation,
he sincerely hoped they would not mind a few observations concerning how certain matters might be arranged for everyone’s mutual benefit.
“Calvin Cohn’s my name, and I guess you can think of me as your protector, if you like the thought. I want you all to know I am not in the least interested in personal power; simply I would like to give the common effort a certain amount of reasonable direction.”
He waited in vain for a random handclap. Cohn’s voice fell a bit. “Take my word for it, I would accept leadership reluctantly—my oceanographic colleagues used to say I had some talent for administration—however, I feel I ought to take responsibility because I’ve had a fairly decent education and perhaps a little more experience than most of you—to help establish what I hope will become an effective social community. Also I’m older than most of you, except maybe the old gentleman snoozing directly above me. Not that age is necessarily wisdom, but in certain ways it helps. Much, however, depends on the Lord.”
Cohn laughed jovially, but when he beheld the two boys grinning in stupefaction, he told himself either shut up or be practical. He then addressed the multitude on the subject of food—that there would be enough around if they took care.
“Don’t, for instance,” Cohn seriously pleaded, “eat just to eat, or because you’re bored. Kindly eat only when you’re legitimately hungry, and then only enough to satisfy that hunger.”
Someone in the tree let out a brash hoot whose source
Cohn was unable to determine, but there was no other discourteous response to speak of.
“Please keep in mind that others have the right to share food sources equally, as free living beings. That’s saying that freedom depends on mutual obligation, which is the bottom line, I’m sure you’ll agree.”
He heard petrified silence. After waiting for a change of heart, if that was the problem rather than their comprehension of his human language, Cohn felt he ought to shift his approach. “Let me tell you a story.”
The apes seemed to lean forward in anticipation.
They understand, he thought excitedly, and went at once into an old tale of a chimpanzee named Leopold, an absentminded gentleman, somewhat a narcissist, who ate without thought of other chimps’ natural rights, until he ate himself into such swollen proportions that, swallowing one last grape, he burst.
Dead silence.
They must know that one, Cohn reflected. Either that or they don’t like the way it ended. He asked if there were any questions, and nobody had one.
Wanting to do it better—get it right—Cohn began another story, about someone he knew who fasted days at a time so he could feed poor people who had nothing at all to eat.
This man’s wife asked, “How will you give them what you don’t eat, if we have nothing to eat anyway?”
“God will take nothing from me and give something to them,” said the old rabbi.
Cohn asked if they had got the point of the story.
But the stunned apes were no longer listening. A stream of dung from where the dominant male stood barely missed Cohn’s head.
An explosion of derisive sounds filled the dense mango, and the apes, one by one, dropped out of its branches and disappeared into the woodland.
Cohn made no attempt to follow them.
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