Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-12-02
The Eagle as Our EN- blen

From Well Spring.
The emblem Of our country is a familiar
Sight to all who are the happy possessors
OF silver coin. Yet how many of US take
into consideration that to boys and girls
OF other countries it may have been equally
we'll known?
The boys who are studying Roman his
tory must recall the fact that the Romans.
from the time OF Marius up to the time
OF Hadrian. were as proudly the owners OF
the eagle as their emblem as we are
Rome, Russia, Prussia, Poland and even
France under Napoleon each In turn has
headed her professions with this bird en-
piazoned on her standards. Now why is
all this honor given to the eagle? Is he
a bird OF rare qualities? Has he courage
strength OF purpose or any of the qualities
OF our country We wish emphasized by our
emblem?
If We are to believe the majority of our
natural history students we shoulS saw
No to all these questions for nowhere
can we find them attributing to him any
put thieving propensities.
They tell US that, though strong and
quick OF wing, he is willing to let any other
bird make a living for him.
III we had taken naturalists advice
We might have had the COURAGEOUS little
king bird at the head of our nation, but
when our emblem was chosen our an
cestors had so little while been free from
the rule of monarchs that probably even
our free country, would have been dis
tasteful to them.
1 must repeat to you something Benia-
| min Franklin once wrote to a friend on
| this subject. After speaking OF the Latin
used in our motto and of the criticisms
made on it he says:
| Others object to the bald eagle as look.
| ing too much like a dindon or turkey
For my part l wish the bald eagle had not
been chosen as the representative of our
country. He is a bird OF bad moral char
| acter L am, on this account, not dis
| pleased that the figure is not known as a
| bald eagle, but looks like turkey For
/ in truth, the turkey is i'm comparison q
| true. original native of America.
| Eagles have been found in all countries
| but the turkey was peculiar to ours the
i1rSt OF the species seen in Europe being
brought to France by the Jesuits from
| Canada and served at the wedding table
of Charles TX. He is, besides Though a
little vain and silly, it is true. but not the
worst emblem for that. a bird of courage
| and would not hesitate to attack a gren-
adler of the British guards who should
presume to invade his farm yard with a
| red coat on"
Interesting stories are. told of the happy
| eagle, which is a native OF our country
| living in California, New Mexico and south.
| ern Mexico. The Aztecs called them the
winged wolves" on account Of their grea-
| power of destruction.
Moreover. these same people used tc
train these immense birds like falcons fol-
| capturing deer.
| Cortez once owned one OF these trained
| eagles. of which he was very fond. One
| day, unable to make the bird obey at once
| he shot at him, saying:
TN teach him manners"
The eagle sank to the ground. The proud
| imperious Cortez knelt at his pets side
| doing all in his power to revive him. The
| eagle struggled once more. seized the right
| hand of his master and crushed 1t com
| pletely, giving Cortez the only injury h.
| sustained while in Mexico
| If this is the bird We have as our EN-
| blem even Franklin could not accuse hin
| of lack OF courage.
The Sparliards call him the aguila real
the king bird.
But despite the scant praise OF natural
| lists and the old Pennsylvania statesman
| the history and poetry Of all ages and
| countries have made the eagle famous.