Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1879-05-23
The Ideal and Real Mermaid.


Till recently the belief in mermaids
creatures half woman and half fish
was as general % the belief in angels.
Most Of the early navigators protested
to have met them sporting around the
Islands in the tropical seas. Some at.
firmed that they saw them pressing
their young to their breasts and heard
them utter plaintive sounds when
frightened. All agreed that their faces
were extremely beautiful, their bodies
graceful, while their sable tresses were
profuse. The old Greek and Latin po-
cts declared that they enticed sailors to
enter dangerous places and often lured
them on to destruction. Both ancient
and modern artists gave to marble or
canvas the outline and expression Of
mermaids as they existed in their fancy.
The old literature of childhood abound
ed in stories of sirens, tritons and I'm.
dimes, as we'll as of sea-cows, swine,
horses and lions. The old-time natur-
alist showed that they were all species
of one great family Of which the mer-
maid was the most beautiful as we'll as
the most interesting.
Nearly every old sailor OF the gener-
ton preceding this had seen at least
one mermaid. while some old salts had
counted them by hundreds. The water
about the island of Ceylon, whose
balmy breezes" one of our poets has
sung, was famous place for them.
They were supposed to take to il as nat.
urally as landmarks do to q casket of
choice perf4mery. A mariner who had
made half dozen voyages without
seeing a mermaid was regarded as a
fraud by tile craft. Mermaids were
occasionally seen as far north as Beh-
rings straits. In early times they were
reported to be common ON the coast of
Ireland and England. Within the
memory of persons now living it was
reported that mermaid was seen swim.
ming in q cove in the North sea. An
investigation of the matter showed that
the mysterious creature was Sir Hum
phrey Davy bathing, with some sea-
weeds on his head 10 protect it from
the sun. Since that time the belief in
mermaids in British waters has virtual
ly died out, though many persons are
as confidant as ever that they abound
Al IOEclBu seas.
For some weeks past live mermaid
has been on exhibition at the royal
aquarium in London, and thousands OF
persons have seen it. Scientists call it
a manatee, and state that it is a species
of herbivorous cetacea found in the
waters about the West India islands,
where it subsists on sea.weed. The
London Daily Telegraph gives the fol-
lowing description of the creature,
which does not very favorably compare
with the accounts of the old poets and
travellers
I" In the lower world OF creatures the
slug alone presents US with an equally
sober monotony of outline, and, if o
seven-foot slug were sown up in an old
tarpaulin, the result would be tolera.
BILE reproduction of the manatee. One
end would have to be fattened out into
a gigantic beavers tail, and the other
be shaped snoutwise. The details of
mouth, nose, eyes and ears might be
left to the creatures own fancy or to
accident. And the arrangement tor its
tent are delightfully."- simple. For eyes
it has circular aportures which can
neither remain wide open nor shut up
tight, but are constantly contracting
and expanding perhaps at the will OF
the manatee, though apparently of
their own motion. For nose it has two
holes with lids, and when it rises to
the surface of the water for breath the
lids open, and when it sinks again they
shut. The ear.holes are too small to be
seen without keen searching. and are
simply such holes as might be made
anywhere with q gimlet. For q mouth
it has an opening with o flap over it,
convenient as preventing things from
going down its throat when the owner
is not hungry, but sufficiently ugly to
make the manatee the most humble of
creatures and humble, indeed, it looks.
Having no legs, it stands on its tail.
and, to keep its balance, has to bend
the head forward and bow the body. In
this attitude of helpless humility the
strange thing stands motionless many
minutes together, and then, with Q
ghostlike, dreadful solemnity, it begins
slowly to stiffen and straighten its tail,
and thus, gradually rising into an erect
posture, thrusts its nostrils above the
surface"
The enterprising persons who cap
tured this creature and placed it on ex-
hibition have committed great wrong
which the public should be slow to for
give. To gain the paltry sum of one
shilling from each person who visited
their show, they half destroyed world
of pleasure by taking away the belief
in the most wonderful of beings poetic
fancy ever created. 1t will not be long
before science will banish from the
world everything its inhabitants once
held most dear.-Chicago Times.
To SET CoLoRs. An ox's gall will
set any color-silk, cotton or wooden.
I have seen the colors of calico, which
faded at. one washing, fixed by it.
When one lives near q slaughter house
it is worth while to buy cheap, fading
goods and set them in this way. The
gall can be bought for a few cents. Get
out all the liquid and cork it up in .
large vial. One large spoonful Of this
in gallon of warm water is sufficient.
After being washed in this, goods look
H. - Ia