Idaho news. (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1887-1891, 1888-03-03
The pInk Flnmlngoes, story.


There have lately arrived nj the Zoo
tactical Gardens in Paris pair OF beau
liful pink ilamingocs. They nave pee'
brought from Egypt and are "n ooJ1''
Of great interest 10 the Parislahs' Wno
lo no not cease to admire their wonuer'
mI grace and beauty, Us theY poso
dreamily all day now bending their
long necks almost into the shape Oh u
figure s, now standing upon one Ieg
and now on the other. aud opening anu
shutting their bright eyes, when suihe
like buttons of gold.
The liamingoes are great dreahers'
Standing for hours idle and awake on
one OF their long legs. these pink'w'ng-
ed Egyptian birds seem to DC trape ,.,s.
mo IN thor minds the events OF centur-
les. Ii is possible 10 ima2 nc them, y
they could answer the question, IVY hat
I are YOU thinking about responding 10
the Partisan with sucn an account u
their meditations as tins -,
What are we thinking a6onlf
WHY we are dreaming OF Egypt
whence we came, and where the slght
Of our rose colored wings as we sailed
down over the level land Ike so many
beams ent of from the sun rise, oil the
rising OF the Nile, OF the coming OF the
flood upon which their haryest' anu
livelihood depend.
.Bnt il was not of the Egypt that we
left there, Of that land of poverty and
distress. where the poor husbandmah
wonders what small part OF the harvest
| will be left to him By the taxgatherer'
that we were dreaming just now. We
were thinking what the dear land by the
Nile must have been in the time
that our grandfathers often told US Of.
as we winged our flight from Ethiopia;
of the time when our tribe were gods
there.
"Gods? Yes, the Aamingoes We're
once gods upon tine Nile. The fronts
Of the temples that still stand there will
tell you AS much. They bear the cary
ed pictures Of ilamingoes just like US
the sort who have wings tipped with
purple, and who have eyes Of gold.
"How did we come 10 be gOds'
"You know the early Egyptians, who
had not the true religion thar on pos
sess, set about making relig on OF
their own out Of the living things about
them.
"They found that we and the wad ne
ibis always came just before the rising
Of the River Nile. We came. in truth,
because We knew that the rising Of the
river brought us small rept Lon Of var,
iOus sorts that we wanted 10 eat.
but the superstilous Egyptians. after
time grew to believe that we and the
ibis came 10 tell them that tho Hood in
the river was com ny. and that We
really had hand IN It's rising.
so the, made deities Of rs. Us they
made de,ties Of other animals that they
believed had something to do with the 7
welfare. They made gods Of the very
reptiles that came down tho Nile. But
We did not care for THAI since they gave
us plenty OF these same reptiles to eat
and not only spared us from harm, but
worshiped us with Alteration.
Those were delightful days for the
famingoes! The old birds upOn tie
Nile tell their young nothing else, and
we, rs we balance here with bent neck
through the long day, for you to star q
at, we dream OF nothing else.
Those days are gone upon the Nile.
Your Christian religion came, and pre-
vailed. bacAuse il was not Of ths man /
max, ng. II did away forever with The
divinity of birds and beasts ia Egypt-
alas for the hamingOes! Another re.
ligion now prevails there; but this new
faith has learned from you Christians
that there is but one God-the God who
made men and, namlngoes too; and the
animals are no longer worshiped there.
The Nile still rises just a. Il did.
though no offerings are made to he ibii
and the hamingoes to bring its agOd
and we still come each year to Egypt
just as we did when we were worship
ell there. II Is the law Of God that ",
should do so. We obey that not our
own wills
1T was there that you found and tool
us, to bring Us here. You are kind /,
us. and give us as much good food /,
eat as did the ancient Egyptians who
worshiped us; but we like 10 dream ali
day long Of the time--those DAYS ions
ago-when our tribe came soaring dowI
the Nile, like CLEANS OF sunlight. /,
make the hearts OF the Egyptians plar
and to receive their alteration. =
IOntb's C0mbaaioh
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