The St. Mary banner. (Franklin, Parish of St. Mary, La.) 1889-1931, 1913-11-01

serpent is to put with your own tongue
q blot on your own character. Skip
pers who have beheld the monster
have made no entry OF the fact in
their log book lest they be derided
when their vessels are snug in port.
Naturalists have hemmed and hawed
in their writings regarding it Poets
have been reticent upon the theme
all except John Milton, whose remarks
upon Leviathan In Paradise Lost"
have been construed by a modern au-
thority to mean Sea Serpent pure and
simple. For a century the scientific
world has looked at sea serpents
askance.
And yet there is one professional
field in life whose members have sup
piled more data concerning sea ser.
penis and given more profuse informa-
ton In regard to them than all the
shippers and travellers who have ever
circled the glore. From the earliest
times 1t has remained for the ministry
to supply US with our greatest number
of facts" regarding the marine de-
scendant Of Adams happiness. Dea-
cons, priests and bishops have seen
sea serpents galore, and there are on
file the names Of at least dozen cler-
ical men who are involved In the coils
Of sea serpent stories. from CLAUS
Magnus. the archbishop OF Upsala,
down to Rev. P. w. Demboldt, arch
deacon OF Mode: Rev. William jerks.
Rev. Alden Bradford. Rev. Mr.. Cum
mings of Sullivan, and Rev. Alexan-
der Maclean, all good names and hon
est, some Of them from puritanicai
New England.
The bishop Of Pontopiddan. another
worthy divine. believed implicitly in
sea serpents, and even altered the de-
scriptions and drawings Of other men
to crafty hin own enthusiasm In re-
gard to them. The bishop Of Ponto-
pidden. who lived in the middle Of the
eighteenth century. advanced the the
ory that the mermaids of medieval
lore were nothing more nor less than
sea cows that browse upon salt water
greens with their front fippers and
open their mouths sideways. But In
regard to sea serpents the bishop was
not 30 skeptical He described them
on hearsay as numerous. lengthy and
terrible. often 100 feet in length. pos
sibly 600. with eyes as large az pew
ter plates. lilac or blue in color, and
sometimes fiery red with anger.
The good divine even made q jour
ney down the Scandinavian coast to
investigate q tale that q tablecloth
had been made by q fishermau's fam
fly from the skin OF q sea serpent
which tbs reptile had sloughed of In
the pleasant waters Of the harbor Of
Kobberveug. The bishop was honest
enough to state that he had been
gulled In this respect. but did not alter
his opinion regarding sea serpents in
general The illustration in his book
showing a sea serpent reared on his
tail. squirting profuse gallons Of wa
ter out of his snout. was drawn and
exaggested by the bishop Of Pontopid-
dan frhm the sketch made by Bing,
who hsd forever immortalized q sea
serpent beheld by Hans Egede. It is
notable that Hans Egede was himself
an evangelist, whose work as mis-
sionars was taking him to the wilds
OF Greenland when the sea serpent ap-
peare6 before him.
Olass Magnus, the archbishop Of Up
sala, critics at length OF sea serpent.
ascrifing to 1t length Of 200 feet and
q girth OF 20, and stating the beliefs
OF th> sailors Of his time regarding it
--hok 1t was fond Of calves and sheep
and swine, and used to snap the sea.
men from the decks of their own YES
sells.
Rev. Mr.. Cummings OF Sullivan de-
scril,es whopping sea serpent that
he faw not far from Long Island in
July OF 1908. Thirty-seven years
late. another divine, Rev. P. w. Dem
boltt, iuade the startling statement
that not only had he seen the sea SER
pens In the water near his home on
the Norwegian coast, but that he had
shot at It with musket and evidently
wounded 1t quite badly. from the rue
tion that took place In the water after
warys
Rev. alexander Maclean, who flour.
ished 1T about the same time as Rev.
Mr. Cummings. observed OF the island
Of Coll what he first called, In his
clerical manner. an object" 1t ap-
peare1 like a small rock. he said, but
after looking at 1t for some time he
saw IT, elevated above the surface OF
the sea and move In his direction with
q measured and dignified motion. In
intense Alarm the minister steered for
shore. With the sea serpent apparent
" pursuing him. 1t drew so near that