The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1914-10-29
GOV. GUILD PAYS
TRIBUTE TO APPLE

Extracts from address delivered by
Hon. Curtis Guild, former governor
Of Massachusetts,. at the recent con-
vention of the National Apple Shippers
Association at Bostonl.
Our American superstition" with
the old verse handed down from Eng
land. An apple a day keeps the doc
tor away" has an origin in no super
stition at all. The use of the apple
does promote health and the modern
medical fact is recorded in the mythol-
ogy of all kinds of nations all over the
world. In the stories of the Arabs, in
the stories of the Persisns, the apple
always appeared as life bringing. as
health giving medium; even 10 the
old poems and songs of the Scandinav-
ians of northern Europe the apple APP
pears in the same light. II was by
constantly psrtaking of the indestruct
ible apple of Idun that the gods in
Vaihslls retained their Immortality.
In historic times the crab apple, so
called on account of its sour, biting
taste, like the nip of a crab, was found
all over Europe. II was first brought
to America, as have told you, but the
real origin as far AS the historians can
discover was exactly where the Bible
puts it, that is to say, the first apple
trees were probably found somewhere
in that district back of Palestine and
Asia Minor. in a rough way toward
Messopotamia, where the Paradise of
the Bible, as you remember, was To-
Gated. Thence they we're slowly spread
over Europe. being taken out first, of
course, by the Pelasgians, Greeks and
Romans, and by them extended through
Europe. The Romans first brought the
cultivated apple to Britain. Still the
typical English apple has French
name and therefore must have been
brought in by the NOrmans after their
invasion. The English 'pippin" comes
from an old French word pepin, which
means a seeding. From England the
Puritan forefathers of New England
brought their favorite fruit to these
shores and thence the apple steadily
travelled west.
| Ii is very interesting to remember
that the birthplace of the apple tree is
also the birthplace of the Caucasian
race and that wherever the white man
|
world, to Greece, to Rome, to northern
Europe, to England, to the United
States, he carried the apple tree with
him.
The apple tree, in its march through
civilization, typities the advance of the
white race, its original friends in its
native home.
Once in America, it crossed the AL
leghany mountains with the pioneers.
wonder how many of you in Ohio, in
Indiana and in Illinois have read the
story Of Johnnie Appleseed, the crazy
man of the Colonial days, who travelled
about with piece of sacking as his
only clothing. bare footed. respected
by the Indians who regarded him, be-
ing insane, as one stricken by the
Great Manitou above, and let him pass
safely. Wherever he went he planted
apple seeds all through the middle
west and the first crop of apples grew
up wild and without cultivation. Cross
ing the Mississippi river, the apple
went with the Mormons into Utah,
where some of the most splendid ap.
Piles raised in the world are grown to.
day. Thence it spread to California,
Oregon and the Pacific coast, and al
last, as our American white soldiers
crossed the Pacific ocean to the Philip
plies and Joined the west to the east
so the apple tree has sent its frui
across the Pacific ocean from the wes
TO the east and American apples raised
in the most western country in the
world are now being exported to Asia
returning to their ancient home--tht
apple tree with the white race having
completed its march around the world