The daily chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Ind. Ter. [Okla.]) 1898-1902, 1899-01-18
TURTLES IN SAMOA.
A Matter, of Theology Involved I'm nm
Interesting Experiment In
That Island.

That Island.
-
The South sea turtle, though small.
er, is just as rich an article of diet
MS the green turtle OF the West In.
dies. The ocean about Samoa swarms
with turtles, and on certain of the is.
lands there are beaches much fire.
quented by them in the season of lay
ing their eggs. From one Of these
beaches Il resident Of Apia obtained
naif dozen intIes alive. He had some
sort Of an idea that by keeping them
TOR awhile and then turning them
loose they would establish themselves
ON his beach and return regularly in
the egg season. II was taking the
ury; it had been proved to work in
the case Of brook trout and Goldfish.
and it should succeed in the case OF
the turtle. lie built a large pen on his
beach in the suburb of Naiala. Its
walls were guaranteed turtle-proof;
they. included a nice sunny beach, a
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 captiyes and the supply was gem
erous of such articles as it was sup
posed that the turtles fed upon. The
new proprietor Of this acclmatio sta
ton set before him the task Of habit
uating his turtles by kind treatment
and abundance of food to his particu-
lar beach. But there were others who
saw in il nothing but a turtle farm,
and at the same time that the expert
menter was making vain effort to get
his pets to come al a whistle these
others were watching with watering
mouths the fattening of the turtles.
One fine morning there was a break
in the fence of the turtle pen. In The
darkness the wall had been thrown
down and the cap'ives had vanished.
The experiment in acclimation Of sea
turtles was az an end Very naturally
suspicion fell on the Samoan popula-
tion of Vaiala. II hardly seemed pos
sible that the turtles could destroy the
wall after il had stood against them
so long. But Naiala as a community
was shocked at the suspicion that il
would commit theft and interfere 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 thing to speak of
in public, but the chief of the town
came privately and divulged It. In the
old days of fheathendom the yaiala god
inhabited the turtle. and il would have
been death 10 any Vaiala man to. eat
turtle meat Now they were all Chris
tians, but the people were supersti-
tious and would not have anything to
do with turtle.
With equal privacy the native pastor
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 anything
TO do with the miSsing turtles. Elders
of the town council. maids of the vii
lage, ancient crones who were sup
posed to be as wise as witches. eacn
came under the veil of secrecy and con-
fidence with full confession of the
positive sanctity of turtles in vaiala,
and as result of that superstition the
certainty that the preserved 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 were yet in
heathendom. Yet Vaiala smiled as
those smile who have eaten turtle ~,.h
NO qualms Of theology.-N. Y. Sun.
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