The Opelousas courier., 1905-09-30
IN PLACE OF CATS PAW.
FORKS NOT THOUGHT OF TILL
AFTER FOOD BECAME HOT.
Used Very Early by sayages-some
Examples From Fiji Islands Now
at Free MISUNDERSTANDING
Recent With Civilized Raees,

az Free Museam-comparative!y
Recent With Civilized Raees.
Some eating forks made by the Fiji
Islanders and recently received and
arranged for display at the Free Mu-
scum of Science and Art are interest
ing not only in themselves. but III re,
calling the fact that fingers were, in
deed, made before forks" as the
III saw says, and that the use OF
such implements among civilized peo-
pies, except, perhaps, the Chinese, are
of surprisingly recent origin. It ap-
pears, also, SO far es the history of
savage can be traced-Wbich is,
OF course, not go Far ae the history OF
the civilized faces-that forks are not
a mark of civilization and that say.
ages used them in some form as early
as, If not earlier. than civilized PEG,
pies.
Nothing, It seems, is modern or re-
cent with the Chinese, and the use OF
the chop sticks. which are a form of
fork, runs back with them into al
tiqnity. With the white races, how
ever, the fork did not come into use
until the late Middle Ages, and tnes,
for a long time was used sparingiy,
having a hard fghs to Establish II,
self. No evidence Of the use Of forks
is found among Assyrian or Egyptian
excavations, none among the ancient
Romans or the ruins Of Herculaneum
or Pompeii. Forks appeared On the
continent Of Europe earlier than In
England, but they were almost I'm.
known and were not to be found even
on the tables of the wealthy at the
time Columbus sailed to discove.
America. It is probable, indeed. that
cur American forefathara VINO landed
on these shores did not know to-
much about the fork:
Gloves Tor Hot Feod.
It was not until long after the cook.
Ing of food came in that forks We're
thought of, but it is likely, neverthe
less. that their use was first suggested
by that same instinct which caused
the monkey to use the cats paws tc
extract the hot ehestnuts from the
fire. In the time of Aristophanes
gloves were worn at meals, and writ
ers CT that time speak of persons
whose fingers had become callous
from eating hot foods. In France
when forks were first introduced
priests were inclined to regard them
as objects of sinful w~orldliness, ans
In Italy. where they appeared still
earlier, such ~"insensate luxury" as
the use of forks was severely cen
sured by the ecelesiastics.
In EnglA4d when the fork was frs
introduced it was regarded as an at
fectation II not as being actually lin
clean and ill-mannered. Ben johnson
made fun of 1T and so did Beaumont
and Fletcher. AS late as 1888 oul
Governor Winthrop received from {
friend in England the rare gift of a;
Irish skeayne or fork, the use OF whicl
the sender found necessary to de
scribe, adding, "the future a%pplicatio,
Of which I leave to your discretion,
evidently meaning that forks at tina
time were not universally a~cknowledg
ed as desirable,
Forks of Savages.
The Fiji forks now to be seen n
the Free Museum are of wood will
the end for holding them not unlike
the modern clothespin. They are o
n +hrna fNs.r ~ AVE- v " r.yhfph q =,
not placed fiat, side by side, but il
a circle. The prongs, on an average
are nearly three inches long and th'
m%outhfuls taken by the Fiji are eyi
IDENTIFY enormous Also to be seen a
the Museum are forks from Borneo
These are really tongs made Of WOO,
and are similar In their use to tn
Chinese chop-stick, the morsel CT foos
being grasped between the two arm
and not pierced by prongs. Exam
pies of the forks used by other say
age tribes are to be seen at the Mu
scum. All of them are of wood an
none present the brilliant appearance
either in design or workmanship
which is to be found SO numerousl!
In the silver shops at this season o
weddings and wedding presents. It /:
well established that the use of thes.
forks by savages originated witt
them and antedates their knowledge
of civilized peoples.
After forks were finally accepted
and established among civilized ma
tions they began to vary in the mum
Der of prongs, the shape and the size
but for d long time they were made
to special order and singly, and were
carried to the table by the owner be
cause the supplying of them by ths
host was regarded is a possible at
front to the guest, conveying the sug
gestion that he did not know how t.
eat properly without them. The mod
ern silver fork, fat and with fou'
prongs, is a product of the nineteenth
century, while the new things In spe
cial forks for oysters, salads, ices an,
pies are being evolved every day.
Philadelphia Record.
Il