Evening Republican, Volume 18, Number 276, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 21 November 1914 — Page 2

’HE turkey is truly an American bird. It existed owXhis continent with the Indians botorb tßhimW"’ landed. Only a few years ago among the caves of Arizona the mummified re-., mains of a turkey were found. Practically every cave once occupied by the cliff dwellers of that region contained the bones or feathers of the i turkey, but this specimen is intact. Its age is a matter of speculation among the scientists of the National

museum at Washington, where the specimen is on exhibition. Another interesting fact- resulted from a scientific expedition which Dr. C. Hart Merriam made among the mountains of Arizona; he came across a living species of bird identical with the one found mummified and which is now known to the scientific world by his name. Another recent discovery in connection with the turkey was a Maya hieroglyphic which mentions along with other things ten turkey hens and five turkey cocks. This is thought to be the first record of the turkey in this country and antedates the expedition of Cortes to Mexico in 1519. But the turkey goes back further among the Indians than even the probable date at which the specimen found in the cave existed. Among the Zunis, for instance, there exist many legends, handed down from time immemorial, which have for their subject the turkey. Perhaps none is more interesting than the one which tells why his tail feathers are dark, showing, as it does, not only the place he held in the estimation of Indians but also a noticeable similarity to the flood story of our Bible. Once upon a time, so. the legend runs, there was a flood and the face of the world was covered with water. And the turkey, weary of continually flying, decided to seek some spot on which he might light and rest. But the other birds and animals advised him not to; aniTThe very'gods themselves warned him. • He refused to heed either advice or warnings and set out in search of land. After much effort he discovered a single spot not covered by water and alighted. But he found it only deep mud. So he decided to hunt further for some dry place on which to rest. But, alas, when he came to fly, he found his tail feathers stuck fast in the mud. He pulled and pulled, but could not get them loose. Finally, after a gigantic tug, he managed to free himself. But bits of mud stuck to the end of the tail feathers’ And to this day turkeys have dark spots there —a sign of their disobedience to divine command! ' The turkey plays a more important part in the life of the Indian than in his legends alone. Not only is it regarded as a choice article of food, but in many tribes it is held sacred. In the parts of the country where the turkey was worshiped it was never eaten except when other food was unobtainable. And even then separate portions were divided among various tribes, so that the religious custom would not be violated. Turkey feathers rank next in importance to those of the eagle with all tribes, while the Apaches, the Pamunkeys and Cheyennes chose the turkey's feathers for all ceremonial headdresses and ornaments. The Pamunkey tribe also used turkey feathers for ornamental purposes on their clothing, as well as for their headgears. To this day, when they don their native costumes, the turkey feather is preferred as ornament. If Benjamin Franklin’s w'ords had been heeded the turkey would have been the national bird of the United States. The eagle is a first cousin to the species known of old in the eastern hemisphere. Furthermore, it has appeared upon the banners of many nations. It was a symbol of the Roman empire. It was known in China for ages, and today it appears upon the banners of Russia, Germany and several other nations. The turkey is indigenous to America. Wherever the early European adventurers and settlers arrived they beheld great flocks of turkeys, and ft soon became known that they were a favorite * food among the Indians. After a while turkeys were proudly sent home as trophies of the chase. In this way the turkey became practically a world-favorite as a food. When Cortes, in 1519, ascended to the plateau of Mexico, he found a social life developed to a high degree of refinement. He was entertained with oriental magnificence. All the delicacies to be found within the empire were set before him; and though game was abundant, the turkey held the place of honor among the fowl. This was ithe first time that the Spaniards had eaten turkey. * They also saw great tame flocks of the birds. In fact, since prehistoric times, the turkey "has been domesticated and raised for market. Today in Mexico many of the quaint customs then in vogue are still kept alive. And so it is that the purchaser of today may select his choice of a fowl in the village street Or if he prefers the

SPEAKING of TURKEY

vender will bring it alive to bis door for inspection, fresh from the farm. North of the Rio Grande thqAurkey was equally well known and treasured. The celebrated expedition of Coronado, between 1527 and 1,547, penetrated this unexplored region West of the Mississippi. , His explorations were chiefly in what is today Texas, Arizona and New Mexico, the home of the cliff dwelling Indians of the Southwest. In all the Indian according to those early explorers, turkeys were to be found, both wild and domesticated. Present day scientists have found enclosures in these villages which were at one time used as cages for wild turkeys, which were herded together, later to be domesticated. The wild flocks, according to the chronicles of Coronado, were many times a welcome sight to these explorers, as turkeys often made a toothsome addition to a larder otherwise too scanty for comfort. Cortes, in one of his letters written about 1518, mentions the tuMcey. He carried specimens bf the bird to Spain in 1520, where they came into immediate popularity, and the breeding of turkeys soon became established. It was then that the turkey became known as “pavos” on account of his relationship to the peacock, which was then called “pavo real”—the fowl of kings. It was a long time "before the turkey reached France, for the first turkey eaten there was at the wedding of Charles IX and Elizabeth of Aus* tria, June 27, 1570, or 50 years after Spain had first tasted the bird. Its introduction into England seems to have been in 1524. But, whenever it was, it soon came into popular favor and was given such local names as Black Norfolk and Large Cambridge. It. is an interesting fact that descendants of the parent stock were carried to New England, where, crossed with the original turkey already there, they began the breed that has spread from one end of the country to the other. As in this country, the turkey has come to be looked upon elsewhere as a holiday feast attraction. In Spain, especially during Christmas time, the markets are alive with the voluble arguments of the venders and purchasers and with the unavailing protests of the victims.^-In Madrid some of the principal streets are crowded with troops of these birds driven in from the country farms. , In the early colonial days turkeys were still abundant in Massachusetts, the rest of New England, Maryland, Virginia, thd Carolinas and Florida, while in the last named states th 6 turkey is still found as a native wild fowl, although In greatly decreased numbers

THE EVENING REPUBLICAN. RENSSELAER, IND.

But a short distance from Richmond is a small island Inhabited by a tribe of Indians, the Pamunkeys. They are part of the Powhatans, and under an old colonial treaty they pay no taxes and have their’ own government. They must, however, send to the governor of Virginia each year a gift of game or fowl; and very often this gift takes the form of several large, plump turkeys. Many have been the explanations paade as to how the bird now so popular at Thanksgiving came to be called the turkey, most of which, to the scientist, are nothing but fanciful. One such is the explanation that it comes from the East Indian w'ord “toka,” which, in Hebrew, takes the form “tukki,” the pea-

edge of the turkey. But whatever dispute has arisen as to the name of the turkey, the fact yet remains that the turkey is indigenous to America. Although scientists believe it is possible that there was a species, the original of the present turkey, indigenous to the West India islands, it is generally conceded that all turkeys have descended in some way or other from the three forms known today as the North American, the Mexican and the Honduras, the ocellated varieties. The Mexican turkey is found wild throughout the republic. It is short in shank, with feathers on its body of a metallic black shaded only slightly with bronze, while all its feathers are tipped with white; __ The Honduras turkey today is scattered all over most of Central America and is extremely wild. The bronze turkey, that variety which today holds the place of honor in the North American group of turkeys, is outdone by none when it comes to beauty or size. Black, beautifully shaded with a rich bronze, the breast plumage being dark bronze illuminated with a lustrous finish of coppery gold, its plumage gives full warrant for the name by which this bird is known. The full-grown, healthy bird is a beautiful picture of bronze, black, copper and gold, and sometimes weighs 40 or more pounds. Other varieties known in the barnyard, and even recognized among dealers as having distinctive markings, are in reality only highly developed fowls with preserved peculiarities. In the United States there are six standard varieties recognized and grown. These are the bronze, Narragansett buff, slate, white and black. The chief differences are in size and color of plumage. The bronze and Narragansett are the largest, the buff and slate medium, while the white and black are the smallest. Within late years, however, the white variety has reached such a point of popularity that It has increased in size until with some dealers it occupies third place. - Whatever the turkey may have missed through falling to secure that place of honor suggested for it by Benjamin Franklin —as the national bird—it has nevertheless found a place In the regard of the American people which is held by no other fowl. Time was when a turkey, or as "many as could be carried, might be had for the asking.' Then came the period when 50 cents would buy a plump young fowl. Even so short a time as ten years ago turkeys could be purchased for from 8 to 29 cents a pound, dressed.

cock. As the Jews in South Europe were acquainted with this fowl, it is assumed that they naturally applied the word turkey wherever it was introduced in Spain. Such a roundabout explanation, say those who know, is entirely unnecessary. The bird was called turkey because it was supposed to come from Turkey, where it was known as an Egyptian hen. In France the bird was called “dindon,” or in the feminine “dinde,” as though it .Were the fowl of d’lnde —from India. The Mexican name for the bird_ is “huajolote,” which, scientists say, indicates the old knowl-

Back to the Bible

Application cl the Scriptures to the World Today ao Seen by Eminem Men in Various Walks ol Life

(Copyright. 1814. by Joseph B. Bowles) RELIGION THAT CAME DOWN AT GEZER. (By MELVIN GROVE KYLE, D. D„ LL D., Egyptologist; Lecturer on Biblical Archaeology in Xenia Theological Seminary; author of "The Deciding Voice a of the Monuments In Biblical Criticism.” One of the difficulties with which archaeologists have to contend is the u n attractiveness.

than a few yellow or red-brown pots or bowls of clay enclosing an old Jewish lamp? Yet in the hostory of discovery in Bible lands, the difference between a few sueh unattractive pots and bowls'and the uses made of them marks the difference between a religion that came down and a religion that came up, between a revelation and a mere social and religious development. It was at the great High Place of Gezer, perhaps chief of all the Canaanite high places, at least most conspicuous in situation. It stands upon a promontory that juts out from the Judean hills into the plain of Sharon. R. A". Stewart Macalister of the Palestine Exploration fund had cut his great trenches right across the ruins on the top of the high place. He found history of three millenniums lying in layers like geologic history in our mountains and hills, in America., Cities, built largely of mud and rough stone and with streets that are never swept, “rise on stepping stones of their dead selves to higher things,” and the burials of each succeeding age are identified by the pottery and other relics found in the corresponding layer of ruins. The uncovering of a layer of history just before the conquest by Israel easily identified and dated by the Egyptian scarabs found in the ruins, revealed most gruesome and horrible hints of human sacrifice, more than confirming the suggestions contained in the Bible accounts, and spread them out before the horrified gaze of the explorer. There were rows of little bodies of babes all under eight days of age buried alone and together and at the side of the holy place of the altar. Children do not naturally die thus all at once, of a certain age, and be buried by themselves beside the altar. These are nothing else than human sacrifices, probably of the first-born. During the same period there are other things of dreadful suggestiveness. A body, that of a young girl, is found sawn asunder, and everywhere is evidence of the materialistic superstition that filled the tombs with great pots for the supplies for the dead in the other world.

Immediately after these things comes a break in civilization and a new layer in the ruins. Old things were forgotten. Even the waterworks, a great engineering feat, which gave access by a tunnel through the solid rock to a secret spring for water in time of siege, was lost and forgotten from that time until the explorer laid it bare. This new layer contains the history of the conquest period, also identified by the Egyptian remains found in it and more certainly by the Jewish lamps and Hebrew Jar handles. Now every trace of the sacrifice of babes passes away and other human sacrifices also cease. The gross burial customs are quickly changed and in place of them there appear these two bowls and a lamp, of which' I have spoken. They are found in tombs of the place after the Hebrews came in. The lamp is placed in one bowl and the other turned over it, to typify; as is thought, the going out of a life. What could have made such a change? Was there suddenly such a development toward true religion? Did this wondrous change from the gruesome and horrible to the beautiful and elevating come as a natural growth? Did this change In Canaan come up or come down? It was thia, at the sight of which Professor George Adam Smith exclaimed, “This Is.nothing else than the inspiration of the Almighty.” FORGIVENESS OF INJURIES. (By THEODORE KEMP, LL. D., President Illinois Wesleyan University.) There is a marked difference between the Old Testament and the New in the matter of resenting Injuries. The Old Testament says, “An eye for an eye and a tooth tor a tooth.” The * 4)

even trifling appearance, of much of the evidence upon which the discoveries rest. The public think of discoveries as objects, while the real discovery is the meaning of the objects. If the object does not seem to be much, it is often very difficult to persuade the multitude that the discovery is worth much. Now what is less promising

New Testament through the Ups of Jesus says, “Forgive.” To the question, "Shall I forgive my brother seven times?” Jesus says, “Yea, I say unto you, seventy times seven.” This wag not meant to arbitrarily fix the exact number of times an offending brother should be forgiven, but rather to indicate that forgiveness should' always be extended when it is asked in sincerity. j This is one of the hardest things to do of all that Christ taught But when we recognize that Christ’s teaching revolved around the principle of love rather than that of Justice, or In other words that he made love the controlling principle of life, it Is not difficult to see that the spirit of love br forgiveness is basal In His teachings. It Is a striking fact that when giving the model prayer, known as the Lord’s Prayer, the only petition on which He stopped to comment was that concerning forgiveness when he said, “If ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Heavenly Father forgive your trespasses.” In other words, he taught that it was useless to ask for God’s forgiveness while there was an unforgiving spirit on the part of the one who prays. This is not as generally understood as it should be; and many a prayer goes unanswered because of an unforgiving spirit. It is impossible for us to love our neighbors as ourselves if we will not forgive them when they do us wrong. An unforgiving spirit and unselfish love cannot exist in the same heart. To remember personal injuries is easy, but to forgive and forget is often difficult. To hold a grudge is human, but “to forgive is divine.” There is nothing that will, so break down prejudice, dissipate hard feeldestroy animosity as love. Given this spirit of forgiveness or the spirit of love, and quarrels, grudges, and most of the world’s troubles would • be at an end.

THE BIBLE’S MORAL INFLUENCE. ♦ • ■ (By ROBERT STUART MACARTHUR, D. D., LL. D., President Baptist World Alliance.) I commend the study of the Bible because it places before us the highest standard of moral living to be found in literature. In it are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. When Sir Walter Scott lay dying, he asked his son-in-law, Mr. Lockhart, to read for him. “What boot?” said Mr. Lockhart. “What book?* said Sir Walter; “there is but one book —the Bible —read that.” He who had read so widely, and had contributed so many immortal pages to literature, gave this testimony to < the value of the book. Charles Dickens was in the habit of urging his children never to neglect the reading of the Bible, as it contained the highest rules of morality known among men. The Bible is the true friend of civil and religious liberty. Where it is practically unknown there religious liberty is ’virtually unknown. It condemns all oppression and inspires all worthy national and personal character. It sweetens all domestic life, and is the savor of life in all social relations. It glorifies marriage, beautifies home, and prophesies of heaven. It transforms a house into a home; it makes earth the foretaste of paradise. It makes the wilderness of social life glad and it makes the desert of earth blossom into the gardpp oDpod. Let us love this blessed book, that it may fully control 'qu/ daily lives for the good of man and the glory of God. Most of all, let all men believe in the divine Lord and Savior who is in the fullest sense the divine Word, whom this book makes known. Then, under the influence of this highest Word of God, Shall all men’s good Be each man’s rule, - and universal' peace Lie like a shaft of light across the land, And like a lane of beams athwart the sea, Thro’ all the circle of the golden year.

A Mile In Various Lands.

Here a mile means 1,760 yards, but tn Ireland it means 2,240 yards, and in the Highlands it may mean the old Scotch mile of 1,976 yards. In Switzerland the' mountaineers think 9,153 the proper thing, even when, as it generally is, very much uphill. The Swiss is the longest mile of all, being followed by the Vijenna post mile of 8,296 yards. The Flemish mile is 6,869 yards, the old Prussian 8,237 yards, the Russian (Worst) 4,100 yards and in Denmark they walk 8,244 yards and call it \ stroll of a mile. The Germans have modernized their former different miles into the kilometers (less than the English mile). The Arabs call 2,143 yards a mile, while the Turks are satisfied with 1,826 yards and the Italian, shortens the distance of a mile to 1,766.

Reading of the Bright Thoughts.

“You and Jinx are lifelong friends, are you not?” “We have been, but I am going to engineer a ,quarrel with him pretty soon.” "Engineer a quarrel with him?” "Yes, his first baby will soon be able to talk.” , ... .

A Quick Crop.

“If the weather la right, I harvest alfalfa In six weeks. How’s that for quick crops?” "If the weather is right, I harvest a crop overrilght.” “Nonsense. What do you harvest T' “Ice.”