Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1873-05-07
A TALK WITH BARNUYS cANNI-
3.--r - nATa 49, --rrl. sar


Kate Field In the New York Tribune hra
I was exceedingly thrilled hy the
appearance OF the two young gentle
men from the Cannibal Island, who
are beautifully embossed in green
and red, aud eompassionated them
for the sacrifices they make In pat
ting on blankets and civil zation, Is
it right to deprive them Of their daily
bread-I mean their daily baby ?
Think VII at self-restrains they must
exercise while gazing upon the tooth
some infants that congregate, at the
circus, and, like cherubim and sera-
phim continually DO cry. That they do
gaze and smack their Overhanging lips
/ know, because, after going through
their cannibalistie dance, they SAT
behind me and howled in a subdued
uaanner. The North American In
dian who occupied an adjoining seat
favored me with O translation Of their
charming conversation, by which ]
learned many important facts concern
ing man as an artieieOf diet. It aD-
pesrs that babies, affer Rll, do not
make the daintiest morsels. Tender
thew are. of course, but being imma-
turs. they have not the rich flavor of
a 'yonthfal adult. Thisseems to me
reasonabla.s Vealgis tender, but can
IL be fayorably compared with beef2
The cases are parallel. The embossed
Young men consider babies excellent
for entrees, but for roests there Is
nothing like plump maidens in their
teens. Men OF twenty are. not bad
eating When older they are invari-
blv Boiled Commenting upon the
audience the critics did not consider
It appetiziug, and, strange as it may
appear, I felt somewhat hurt by the
remark, for who Is not vain enough
10 wish to look good enough to eat 2
Fancy being. snipwrekced OFF the
Feiee Islands, and discarded Dy canni-
balls as tough subject, while your
companions are literally killed with
attention. Can you not imagine that
under such circumstances, 8 peculiar
jealousy of the superior tenderness Of
YOUR friends would be a thorn in the
flesh, rendering existence atemporary
burden ? II we lived among people
who adored squinting, should we not
all take 10 il, and cherish Il as the ap-
pIs of our eve /? And five fell among
anthropophagi, would not cur love OF
approbation make Us long to be as
sucenlent IS young pigs ? What glory
tn eacepe from the jaws of death, il
the laws repudiate rs So long az
memory holds seat in this distracted
bfain, ] shall entertain unpleasant
feelings toward the embossed young
gentlemen who did not long to fastell
their affections-othe their teeth
-on me. Itwas worse than q crime
II was bad tast. Roaming among the
Wild animals I made the acquaintance
of the eassowary, In which j have
been deeply interested since child
hoods sunny hours, for then twas
Oft sang touching hymDTunning
thus:- i = AIl- aa1if l1r--I 81 8. F..
III were csssowary, ~ @
Far away in fimbuctoo, at
/ should eat missionary,
Hat, and boots, and hymn book tOO.''
From that hour to the present time
the cassowary has occupied q large
niche in my heart. The desire to
gaze upon q bird capable ofdigesting
food to which even the oetrlch never
aspfred pursued me by day and tinc-
tured nv dreams by night. What
yoa seek for all your life you will
come upon saddenly when the whole
familyls at dinner, says ThOreau.
I met the cassOWaFy II dinner. He
dinning alone, having left his family
In Africa. and i must say that ! new
or met with a greater disappointment.
Were IL not for the touching intima-
tion of the hymn should believe it
impossible for him to eat q missiona-
ny. A quieter, more amiable bird
never stood on two legs. A polite
n. - 80
his temper and his feathers remained
unruf1ed. Perhaps il cur geograPh-
ical position had changed to Tlmb1e-
too, and 1 had been missionary With
hymn book In hand, the eass0Yary
might hsve realized my expectations.
AS it was, one more Illusion vanished
and weRded my way home, saddeF
and wiser, hs-,q