The Maryville times. (Maryville, Tenn.) 1884-1944, 1892-01-27

WOIndn mas DutJer tuD. ney De"
lieve that the man was put there be-
cause he stressed thorns and brambles
on the church path, so as to prevent
the people from attending mass on Sun
day morning; the woman because she
made butter on that day.
1nstend of a man and a woman, the
Swedish peasantry have placed a boy
and girl in the moon. They say that
the luminary kidnapped them as they
were carrying water for their mother,
and accordingly the children are sup
posed to be carrying pail of water be-
tween them. The same legend also ex-
lists in Icelandic mythology.
The natives of Ceylon explain the
lunar spot as representing hare. The
manner in which it got there is thus
explained: Buddha, the great deity,
while a hermit on the earth, got lost in
the forest one day. In great anxiety
he wandered about until he met a
hare, who addressed him in the follow
ing manner: st is in my power to ex-
tricate you from your difficulty. Take
your left hand path, and it will lead
| you out of the forest"
81 am greatly obliged to YOU" said
Buddha, but unfortunately l am very
poor and very hungry, and have moth
ing to offer you as a reward for your
kindness"
IF you are hungry, returned the
hare, 81 am again at your service.
Make fire, kill me, roast me and eat
me-"
Buddha built fire, and the hare
jumped into it, but instead of eating it,
he prayed that the generous animal
might be placed in the moon, and
there it has remained ever since.
The North American Indians have
many pretty traditions regarding the
people who live in the moon. Among
the Mandans the moon was regarded
as the residence of 1.-The old woman
that never dies" the goddess of maize
and OF fruits, she who wears a
white band from the front to the
back Of her head" She is said to have
six children, three sons and three
daughters. The eldest son is the day
the second is the sun, and the third is
the night. The eldest daughter is the
morning star. and they call her 'the
woman who wears plume;" the sec
ond is the high star which revolves
around the pole; the third daughter il
"the woman of the west" the evening
star.
Most beautiful of all is the fancy O.
the Ojibways, who think they see in the
moon the graceful form of the beauti
full Ne-she-kay be-nais, or the Lon.
Bird. She was the daughter of a chief
and all the young braves wanted to
marry her. but she had no love only
for her father, and would not listen tc
their addresses At last her father
died. and Ne-she-kay-b e-nais fell
all alone in the world. Then sht
looked up 10 the full moon, and cried
Would that had such as thee to love
o Beautiful Orb! then would the Lone
Bird sorrow no longer in her loneli
ness"
The Great Manitou was so pleased
with the fidelity and pity of the nader
that he Immediately transferred her t,
the bosom of the moon, where she still
lives to look down upon the daughter
of her nation.
might relate to you many more o
these singular stories, but these mus
do for one time. l shall not tell you
lust what think I have seen myself
but / merely give you the myths t.
think about, and leave it to your owl
bright eyes, blue and black, gray ant
hazel, to picture for themselves "th'
folks who live in the moon. Frederic
Myron Colby. in Examiner