The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1876-06-22

benefit on his people, rolls away stone
from the mouth of q certain deep pit and
from it issues q host of winged messen-
gers who soar away to the southwark and
there surrender themselves as food to the
hungry Africans" These messengers are
the famous locusts of which It is recorded
that John the Baptist ate, and which are
to-day sold by the cart-load in the cities
of Morocco.
With how much affection the Romans
spoke of the locust! "a little, harmless
creature" says one historian, "cele-
brated for its song from most ancient
times"
This same song was SO dear to the
Greeks, " because It seemed to give life to
the solitude of our shady groves and
academic walks, and conveys to our
minds the idea of perfectly happy be-
ing" that they kept the insect in cages,
and gave it pet names, as, The Nightin-
gale Of the Nymphs, -" Sweet Prophet of
the Summer" The Love of the MUSES.. {"
Then, after all this lavishing of affection,
they ate it!
Aristotle, with smack Of the lips, says
of the female locusts, caught before the
depositing of their eggs, and fried in
sweet oil: Quo tempore gustu suavissimo
sunt''-"at which time they are very
| sweet"
Another naturalist says when the cicadm
| first leaves the earth they are plump and
oily, and used in making soap. Bread is
also made of them, and in Africa kind
of sweet cake. This is probably what
Shakespeare refers to when Iago, plotting
against the Moor, says, in his wrath
| 1.-THE food that to him now is as luscious
as locusts shall be to him shortly as bitter
as coloquintida''-the bitter apple of
| Crete.
The little, dew.sucking locusts are not to
be COMPOUNDED with the strengthened
grasshoppers, the Heupferde, or Ebay
horses as the Germans call them, and as
Martin Luther translated the word from
the Hebrew text, for, though used as food,
il is the grasshopper that commits such
depredations on the foliage. 1t was one
of these that the Arabian poet represented
ing: 1--WE are the army 0fthe great God
we have power to consume the world
| The Indians of our Western plains
cook these insects, Invested of their Jump
ers, and stewed in milk or fried in butter
and crumbs; and one who will vouch for
their delicacv heartily recommends them
| - ~AAS 6Aes'oAAOPPSA 0uAOASAo Va tAC
| West. By this means their minds may be
relieved concerning their larder, and we
need spare no more OF our old clo'" to
appease their famine.
Caterpillars are devoured in Australia,
the unwound silk-worm by the economic
al heather Chinee," and squirming
cheese mite by more Christianized peo-
pie, whom we forbear to name, but, as the
nations advance in general civilization,
the custom Of depending on insect diet
seems to be dying away. The snail soup,
still eaten by the peasants Of Southern
France, is, we believe, the nearest ap-
proach to any food of the kind in modern
Europe, and the various grubs, bugs and
hoppers devoured by our wild Indian
tribes are the only instance Of the kind in
the West, though one finds very queer
food in his wanderings over the plains.
Why should the thought Of eating that
which is clearly, healthy, sweet and
nourishing be repulsive? Are the locusts
OF gossamer wing, the neat white ant, and
the sap nourished grub too good for ina
lures daily food?" Every man to his
| taste. "-HdrDer's Bazaar.