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This fable from the Old Testament is one of the very oldest on record in which a story is practically applied to a human problem. The causes of political corruption apparently have not changed much in three thousand years.
American citizens gather together at certain times to choose mayors and other officers to rule over them, and when they say to the fruitful olive tree, or fig tree, or vine, "Come thou and reign over us," he replies, "Should I forsake my productive factory, or mine, or profession, to be mayor?" But when they say to the bramble, "Come thou and reign over us," he replies, "Put your trust in me, and let those suffer who object to my management of public affairs." Jotham"s lesson of political duty is one greatly needed in the present-day attempt to raise our standard of citizenship.
THE BRAMBLE IS MADE KING
_Judges ix: 6-16_
And all the men of Shechem gathered together, and all the house of Millo, and went, and made Abimelech king, by the plain of the pillar that was in Shechem. And when they told it to Jotham, he went and stood in the top of Mount Gerizim, and lifted up his voice, and cried, and said unto them:--
"Hearken unto me, ye men of Shechem, that G.o.d may hearken unto you. The trees went forth on a time to anoint a king over them; and they said unto the olive tree, "Reign thou over us." But the olive tree said unto them, "Should I leave my fatness, wherewith by me they honor G.o.d and man, and go to be promoted over the trees?"
"And the trees said to the fig tree, "Come thou and reign over us." But the fig tree said unto them, "Should I forsake my sweetness and my good fruit, and go to be promoted over the trees?"
"Then said the trees unto the vine, "Come thou and reign over us." And the vine said unto them, "Should I leave my wine, which cheereth G.o.d and man, and go to be promoted over the trees?"
"Then said all the trees unto the bramble, "Come thou and reign over us." And the bramble said unto the trees, "If in truth ye anoint me king over you, then come and put your trust in my shadow: and if not, let fire come out of the bramble and devour the cedars of Lebanon.""
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The concrete ill.u.s.trations by means of which Jesus constantly taught are called parables.
"Without a parable spake he not unto them." The parable differs from the fable proper in dealing with more fundamental or ideal truth.
The fable moves on the plane of the prudential virtues, the parable on the plane of the higher self-forgetting virtues. Because of that difference there is in the parable "no jesting nor raillery at the weakness, the follies, or the crimes of men." All is deeply earnest, befitting its high spiritual point of view. As a rule the parables use for ill.u.s.tration stories of what might actually happen. Two of the most familiar of the parables follow. What true neighborliness means is the message of "The Good Samaritan."
THE GOOD SAMARITAN
_Luke x:25-37_
And behold, a certain lawyer stood up and tempted him, saying, "Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?" He said unto him, "What is written in the law? how readest thou?" And he answering said, "Thou shalt love the Lord thy G.o.d with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbor as thyself." And He said unto him, "Thou hast answered right; this do, and thou shalt live." But he, willing to justify himself, said unto Jesus, "And who is my neighbor?"
And Jesus answering said, "A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, which stripped him of his raiment, and wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead. And by chance there came down a certain priest that way; and when he saw him, he pa.s.sed by on the other side. And likewise a Levite, when he was at the place, came and looked on him, and pa.s.sed by on the other side. But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was; and when he saw him, he had compa.s.sion on him, and went to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him. And on the morrow, when he departed, he took out two pence and gave them to the host and said unto him, "Take care of him: and whatsoever thou spendest more, when I come again I will repay thee."
"Which now of these three, thinkest thou, was neighbor unto him that fell among the thieves?"
And he said, "He that showed mercy on him."
Then said Jesus unto him, "Go and do thou likewise."
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THE PRODIGAL SON
_Luke xv:10-32_
"Likewise I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of G.o.d over one sinner that repenteth."
And he said, "A certain man had two sons; and the younger of them said to his father, "Father, give me the portion of goods that falleth to me." And he divided unto them his living.
"And not many days after, the younger son gathered all together, and took his journey into a far country, and there wasted his substance with riotous living. And when he had spent all, there arose a mighty famine in that land; and he began to be in want. And he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country; and he sent him into his fields to feed swine. And he would fain have filled his belly with the husks that the swine did eat; and no man gave unto him.
"And when he came to himself, he said, "How many hired servants of my father"s have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger! I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, "Father, I have sinned against heaven and before thee, and am no more worthy to be called thy son; make me as one of thy hired servants.""
"And he arose and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compa.s.sion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him. And the son said unto him, "Father, I have sinned against heaven and in thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy son." But the father said to his servants, "Bring forth the best robe and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet; and bring hither the fatted calf and kill it; and let us eat and be merry; for this my son was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found." And they began to be merry.
"Now his elder son was in the field; and as he came and drew nigh to the house, he heard music and dancing. And he called one of the servants and asked what these things meant. And he said unto him, "Thy brother is come; and thy father hath killed the fatted calf, because he hath received him safe and sound." And he was angry and would not go in; therefore came his father out and entreated him. And he answering, said to his father, "Lo, these many years do I serve thee, neither transgressed I at any time thy commandment; and yet thou never gavest me a kid that I might make merry with my friends. But as soon as this thy son was come, which hath devoured thy living with harlots, thou hast killed for him the fatted calf." And he said unto him, "Son, thou art ever with me; and all that I have is thine. It was meet that we should make merry, and be glad; for this thy brother was dead, and is alive again; and was lost, and is found.""
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This little apologue is taken from _Norwood_ (1867), a novel written by Henry Ward Beecher for the New York _Ledger_ in the days when that periodical, under the direction of Robert Bonner, was the great family weekly of America.
In the course of the fiction Mr. Beecher emphasizes the value of stories for children.
"Story-hunger in children," he says, "is even more urgent than bread-hunger." And after the story has been told: "How charming it is to narrate fables for children. . . . Children are unconscious philosophers. They refuse to pull to pieces their enjoyments to see what they are made of. Rose knew as well as her father that leaves never talked. Yet, Rose never saw a leaf without feeling that there was life and meaning in it."
THE ANXIOUS LEAF
HENRY WARD BEECHER
Once upon a time a little leaf was heard to sigh and cry, as leaves often do when a gentle wind is about.
And the twig said, "What is the matter, little leaf?"
And the leaf said, "The wind just told me that one day it would pull me off and throw me down to die on the ground!"
The twig told it to the branch on which it grew, and the branch told it to the tree. And when the tree heard it, it rustled all over, and sent back word to the leaf, "Do not be afraid; hold on tightly, and you shall not go till you want to." And so the leaf stopped sighing, but went on nestling and singing.
Every time the tree shook itself and stirred up all its leaves, the branches shook themselves, and the little twig shook itself, and the little leaf danced up and down merrily, as if nothing could ever pull it off.
And so it grew all summer long till October. And when the bright days of autumn came, the little leaf saw all the leaves around becoming very beautiful. Some were yellow, and some scarlet, and some striped with both colors.
Then it asked the tree what it meant. And the tree said, "All these leaves are getting ready to fly away, and they have put on these beautiful colors, because of joy."
Then the little leaf began to want to go, and grew very beautiful in thinking of it, and when it was very gay in color, it saw that the branches of the tree had no color in them, and so the leaf said, "Oh, branches! why are you lead color and we golden?"
"We must keep on our work clothes, for our life is not done; but your clothes are for holiday, because your tasks are over."
Just then, a little puff of wind came, and the leaf let go without thinking of it, and the wind took it up, and turned it over and over, and whirled it like a spark of fire in the air and then it fell gently down under the edge of the fence among hundreds of leaves, and fell into a dream and never waked up to tell what it dreamed about!
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