The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1904-05-12
THE DEsPISED TOAD.
POPULAR HATRED or THE ANIMAL IS
or GREAT ANTIQUITY.

ti0us Lore the Uncouth and Mis-
shapen Creature Plays No Small
Part-The Belief In Toad stones.
The unfortunate toad has from time
immemorial been an object of distrust
and aversion, especially among the
common people. A pleasing tale runs
that gentleman. walking along
country lane, came suddenly upon a
village boy belaborlng the crushed
body Of toad with heavy stick and
exclaiming at each blow, "I'll larn %
to be toadp whereat the indignant
newcomer, selling the miscreapt by
his collar, vigorously applied a cane
to his legs, remarking, "I'll larn you
to be boyw The popular hatred of
the toad, indeed, is of such antiquity
and ia still SO general as to seem In
eradicable. That the creature is not
dangerously poisonous 1t Is hopeless
to attempt to convince the ordinary
rustic, Doubtless this belief has its
origin In the acrid secretion which the
toad has the power Of emitting when
disturbed or annoyed unduly and
which will cause dog that has in
cautiously picked up d toad to foam
at the mouth. Again, the uncouth ap-
pearance OF the creature has Ind much
to do with the feeling of repulsion
with which 1t has always been regard
ed Squat like toad" is the phrase
by which Milton describes the evil one
essaying to reach the ear of Eve.
Superstition, in truth, has laid a firm
hold on the toad's misshapen figure.
The belief, not only In the existence of
toad stones," but in their efficacy as
h sovereign remedy for certain Ills,
which Is still common In parts of the
country, IL Of very ancient date.
There is to be found In the heads OF
old and great toads," says Fenton,
writing in 1860, "a stone they call
borax, or stelon. which, being used as
rings, gives forewarning of venom"
Tn the Londesborough collection is a
silver ring Of the fifteenth century In
which one Ut these toad stones is set. |
They were supposed always to bear
on their surface figure resembling a
toad, being somewhat similar trinkets,
one may imagine, to the scarabmus
ornament Of the Egyptians. Another
early writer remarks, "A toad stone
called 'crepandia,' touching any part
envenomed by the bite OF rat, wasp,
spider or o!her yenomous beast, ceases
the pain and swelling thereof" 1t
was believed thai when brought near
to poison the stone saeated and chang
ed color, thus conyeyln@ to Its wear
ers timely warning Of danger,
II is to these pecullar amulets that
Is supposed to refer In
"As You Like It:''
Sweet are the uses of adversely,
Which, like the toad, ugly and venomous,
Wears yet a precious Jewel in his head.
Is 1t not probable, however, that the
poet, being poet is here alluding to
the eye Of the toad, an object, as all
who are really familiar with the ap.
pearanee of this humble batrachian
VIII agree, than which there are few
more beautiful I'm nature?
Perhaps the most familiar supersti-
ion In regard to toads Is that, still rife,
which supposes them capable of exist
ng for an indefinite period in the inte.
'ior Of rocks, stones or hermetieally
iealed cavities Numberless "authen-
ic instances" of this remarkable pow
Y have been brought forward from
lime to time. The following exam
bic from ap old book Is tyyieai. 'In
"a ) Mr.. George Wills N \ vngAor. met
with toad, which - ,,ly inn
hured In a stone wah ~ was
hen building. In the me-. he
vail he made a close cell of llme NS
tone, Just fit for the magnitude of itA
'ody and seemingly 80 plastered as to \
'revent the admission of air In. 1909, {
ixteen years afterward, 1t was found
necessary to open a gap in this wall |
or q passage Of carts, when the poor t
reature was found alive In Its strong
old. 1t seemed at first In a very tor 8
Id state, but It soon recovered anima-
on and activity and, as If sensible Of t
he blessings of freedom, made Its way
collection Of stones and disappear
d." 1t Ia known that toads can exist
or a long time without food, and 1t is !
enerally believed that they live to a a
reat age, and doubtless these two pe- L
nliasfties have had much to do with d
ie superstition In regard to their sup $
osed penchant for hermit's life. The :
allacy, however, was completely ex- p
osed by Dean Buckland, father of s
rank Buckland, the great naturalist, +
'ho went to the trouble of testing the
'uth OF the theory by an exhaustive 4
sries OF experiments. 1t need only be b
that none of his victims sur
lved the Incarceration.
In legendary as in superstltious lore
le toad plays no small part. 1t may 81
1t be generally known that the feur- p
Ills of France was originally in shape II
toad. Thus at least runs the tale. h
owls, king of France, bore on his ban p
r the device of three toads, or ''botes," a
they were called in old French. His W
ptism gave great umbrage to the Arb OF
IS, who rebelled and assembled a 81
rye host against him under King
Indat Clovis while ON his way to
set the heretics was granted vision,
lerein' he saw In the heavens his de- ~ ~
% Of three toads miraculously chang I
into three lilies "or' on a banner ia
eur" Such banner he caused In "
Intly to be made. calling It his 'lif- v v
nbe."-London Globe II
The Only One.
Charles" said Miss Passay coyly, =.
eaking Of her fanee, sis quite In '.
'idual He is different from other y, y
N" ~