East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current, 1910-09-17
THE APPLE KNOWN TO
HISTORY. AND MYTH
niNG OF FRUITS HAS
ESTABLISHED ANTIQUITY
Peter T.. Brill, orchardist ana Student
of hppie autobiography Tells of tbs
Part TIE Fruit Has PLACED in the
past.

spokane. Wash.- Whether the mys-
ticol Tree of knowledge bore apples
,ur figs or pomegranates is still an
open quo stion and one that may prob
ably never be settled satisfactorily to
Ilit majority of the participants at "a
school house debate in the Spokane
valley few evenings ago. But while
t.Ic three judges were unable 10 reach
decision, no one questioned the an
tiquity Of ,hc apple tree. the praises
OF which have been sung for ages by
writers of prose and poetry.
Peter F. Brill, practical orchard
( - anl student Of apple bibli0graphy,
/ spoke az length upon apple culture
as national industry, saying IL con
| tributed millions of dollars annually
to the wealth Of the country and the
nations. He added among other
things:
I'VE have the story of the Apple
Of Discord that figured in ancient
Greece, and modern growers in Am
erica tell of the Apple of Prosperity.
The Grecian story is that while the
guests were seated at the banquet fol-
lowing the nuptials of Peleus and
Thetis, Discord, angered because she
had not been bidden to the feast.
threw a golden apple, inscribed For
the Fairest,' in the midst of the mer-
ry-makers. Juno, Minerva and Venus
each claimed It, and Jupiter, prob
ably fearing Juno and to avoid en-
barrassing himself, appointed Paris
to act as judge. Paris decided in IA
vor of Venus making Juno and MI
nerva his lasting enemies and by their
Vaccinations they brought about the
Trojan war. with dire consequence:
to the Greeks.
another story, also from ancient
sources. is that the most difficult Of
the Twelve Labors imposed upon
Hercules by the decree of Juno. was
the gathering of the golden apples
from the Garden of the Hesperides
guarded by the sleepless dragon witt
hundred heads.
I'VE are told that Atalanta lost hel
race because OF an apple. She hat
many suitors, but to all she replied
she would wed only the youth wh'
could outstrip her in a foot race. /
he failed death was the penalty
Hippomenes was the judge in one Of
these races. :. He believed the youths
were foolish to take such odds, but OF
seeing Atalanta he changed his mint
, and entered the race. Before starting
he besought Venus to assist him, ant
the goddess gave him three COLDER
apples. and instructed him how to us
: them. The signal was given and a
they were running he threw the ap
pies one by one along the course
Atalanta did not stop for the first o
the second, but the third was in he
path and she stopped to pick 1t up
She lost the race but won a husband
'In Morse mythology there Is |
story of a beautiful woman of th'
name of Idun, who represented i'm
mortal youth, and who had In he
keeping a box of apples, which sh
guarded with great care. These won
derful apples had the power OF re
: storing to youth and loveliness who
: ever tasted of them. The Scandi
9 navian gods were not all immortal
and when they felt old age approach
!. ing, they went to Idun for some o
I her magic apples. and in this wa,
kept young and beautiful forever
$ Idun could be generous with the fruit
for no matter how many she CAV
out. the same number always remain
ed In the box, and as they were al
instant cure for wrinkles, wearines
and all infirmities of age, they wer
e in great demand. Prince Ahmed
enchanted apples, mentioned in Ara