Hopkinsville Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1889-1918, 1899-10-10
TURTLE AND SUPERSTITION.
Difficulties Of Samoan Experimental
on a Samoan Island.

/ hV DOuJil oSd Iui TIC, tllOu n sllldll
er, is just as rich an article Of diet Al
the green turtle Of the West Indies
The ocean about Samoa swarms witt
turtles, and on certain of the islands
there are beaches much frequented by
them in the season of laying then
eggs, From one Of these beaches q
resident of Apia obtained half a dozen
turtles alive. He had some sort OF
an idea that by keeping them fol
awhile and then turning them loose
they would establish themselves on
his beach and return regularly in the
egg season. 1t was a taking theory;
it had been proved to work in the
case of brook trout and Goldfish, and
it should succeed in the case Of turtle.
He built large pen on his beach in
the suburb of Vaiala. It's walls were
guaranteed turtle-proof; they in
Guided a nice sunny beach, shady
stretch of trees, pool which the tide
never emptied.
Every precaution was taken that
the turtles should not escape, and by
their escape spoil the experiment.
Every provision was made for the
comfort of the captives and the sup
ply was generous Of such articles as
it was supposed that the turtles fed
upon. The new proprietor of this &C
climation station set before him the
task Of habituating his turtles by kind
treatment and abundance of food to
his particular beach. But there were
Others who saw in it nothing but
turtle farm, and at the same time that
the experimenter was making vain
effort to get his pets to come at a
whistle these others were watching
with watering mouths the fattening
Of his turtles.
One fine morning there was break
in the fence of the turtle pen. In the
darkness the wall had been thrown
down and the captives had vanished.
The experiment in acclimation of sea
turtles was at an end. Very naturally
suspicion fell on the Samoan popula-
ton of Vaiala. 1t hardly seemed pos
,ible that the turtles could destroy
the wall after it had stood against
them so long. But Vaiala as COM
was shocked at the suspicion
that it would commit theft and inter
fere with an experiment which would
result so much to the advantage of
the village. And there was another
reason why the village could not have.
done the foul deed. 1t was not a
thing to speak of in public, but the
chief of the town came privately and
divulged it. In the old days Of
heathendom tie Vaiala god inhab-
tied the turtle; it would have been
death to any Vaiala man to eat turtle
meat. Now they were all Christians,
but the people were superstitious and
would not have anything to do with
turtle.
With equal privacy the native pas
tor called and rehearsed the same sad
showing as to the efficacy Of his min
istry, converted though they might
be from their old paganism. Vaiala
was yet too superstitious to have any
thing to do with the missing turtles.
Elders of the town council, maids of
the village, ancient crones who we're
supposed to be as wise as witches, each
came under the veil of secrecy and
confidence with a full confession of
the positive sanctity Of turtles in
Vaiala, and as a result Of that super
stition the certainty that the pre-
served animals had escaped and had
not been eaten by the neighbors.
1t is a problem in ethics. The pen
was surely strong enough to hold the
turtles. The turtle was really the an
ceStral god of Vaiala, and as such not
to be eaten when they we're yet in
hcathendom. Yet Vaiala smiled as
those smile who have eaten turtle
with no Qualms of theology.-Phila-
delphia Inquirer.
Uncultivated Land in Italy.