The Nezperce herald. (Nezperce, Idaho) 1900-1957, 1908-04-30


end. meets the eye everywhere.
Nearly every woman who buys one
knows that 1t is In some sense good
luck PIN" but how Il came 20 be con-
sldered such and where the peculiar
and curlously attractive symbol origi-
mated is known 10 comparatively few
persons.
The swastlka is one OF the great re
liglous symbols OF the world II has
been recognized AS religious emblem
by more people. very likely, than has
the cross itself. As such symbol II is
very many hundreds OF years older
than the Christian era, In fact, u Is
perhaps, the very earliest OF religious
signs or characters. II has been re-
yered all over Europe and Asia. and
long before the dawn OF Christianity
our pagan ancestors looked up 10 Il,
as the emblem OF what they worship
ed. II is one OF the Oldest things in
history, and there Is scarcely land
81 whose ruined temples Il Is not
found
-swasiika," the name given Il by
the Brahmins and Buddhists Of India.
is a sanscrit word Simplifying 'of good
fortune" In the Pail tongue Il Is
.suu," which means 1T Is we'll or
$50 be f." which Is much the same
meaning as the sanscrit werd- The
japanese call II ~manjf' and the CHI
nese call II emanjI' and the Chinese
know II as -ouan" or wan" The
French call II lie croix pattee-" the
footed cross. while the ancient Eng
Iish name is -ny-fot." meaning either
four-footed or many-footed-
The most puzzllng and most inter
estins thing about the swnstika Is that
II "a found In nearly all parts OF the
world. IN this country as well as In
Europe and Asia. wherever archaeoio-
gists dig up the buried cities OF the
remote past Drawn. painted. cut.
woven. scratched or otherwise design
ed. not only upon burial urn and sacri-
nclal stone. but also upon utensils and
objects OF everyday use. the curious
symbol appear
II has been found among relies that
mark the bronze age IN Europe and
some nntiQuarlans believe they have
discovered the fact OF its existence IN
the so-caiied polished stone age Of
man.
Prof schiieman found 4 AZ Hissar
Tx IN the buried cities that underlas
the ancient Troy. OF which Homer
sang. which indicates It's existence' al
a period from 1000 70 $500 years ago
Those who look upon the region e
he northwest OF India as the primal
home OF the blonde races OF the world
also consider that ancicnt land as be
Ing the birthplace Of the swastika- X
+. Greg. an eminent English authority
argues that 1T was a much-uscd and
favorife religious symbol among ihs
earlier Aryan races. and was Intended
hy them. In the frst instance, TO rep
resent IN a crnciform shape an ideo
graph or symbol suggested by the fork
ed lightning. Our primal white for
bears worshlped Dyausoltar ,Juplter)
the sky father. and the Jagged light
ming was the natural emblem Of this
awful power.
with the Successive enigratlons Of
the Aryans from northern India al
over Europe. the swastlka spread aud
adopted as a symbol OF Bnddha In the
seventh century before Christ. II was
later carried Into China and Japan
The Arabs and Jews knew Il not. moi
did the ancient Egyptians. but the5
were not OF Aryan blood
Thus the hammer OF Thor. the Scan
dinavian deity for whom Thursday Is
named, was this very sams swasiika
which the maiden OF to-day Is using e
ornament a summer skirt waist II
rns with his mighty hammer. Mol
ner. that Thor Is tabled TO have crush
Cd the head OF the Mldgard serpent
destroyed the giants. restored to iifs
the dead goats which drew his car and
ronnacratod the nyrc Of Bladur, the