Anti-slavery bugle. [volume] (New-Lisbon, Ohio) 1845-1861, 1857-01-17
NEUROLOGICAL FABLES.

In one sense Of the word all mythology is fable,
and in that sense the word is used in the title Of a
late wo,k, the age Of Fable" which consists of a
series of stories Of the old mythology, tod in prose
but with all the graces Of poetry which the author
co uld transfer from the poets, the original nara
tors.
But the fables we now treat Of are those moro
usually meant by that term. and of which Hsop,
Phnarus ard La FOntaine are the chief sources
These owe their wit in most cases to some sly al
fusion to TIE peculiarities of the Deities to whom
they relate. For instance. Jupiter, the sovereign
of gods and men, is represented by the poets ms
very little superior To his subjects. and therefore
shy Of testing his powers with theirs, as in the
story of
JUPITER ANE ArPoLLo--Jupiter and Apollo
contended which of them was the hest archer.--
Let us try" said Appollo. lie drow his bow and
sent the arrow so exactly in the middle of the tar
get that Jupiter saw no possible chance to do bet
tor. Il see, said he "you shoot wonderfully well.
| should have hard work to beat you; n nevertheless,
som, other day | will try"
Mercury, to whom the next fable relates, was no.
presented asa familiar deity associating much with
mDrtals. not famous for grea. exploits, like Hercu.
les, and on the whole, rather wanting in dignity.
MERCURY AND THE SCULPTOR Mercury, having
a mind to know in what estimate he was held
among men disguised himself ~ a traveller, and in
going into a sculptor's shop, began asking the
price of the different statutes he saw there. Point
ing to an image Of Jupiter he asked how much
he wanted for that. "A drachme," said the i'm.
mage maker. And how much for this of Juno ?
The price was somewhat higher. Mercury's eye
now caught his own immage, and he put the
question what he valued Mercury at. Well
says the sculptor, ''if you give me my price fol
the other two, | will throw you that one into the
bargain"
Sometimes the fables derive their point from
happy allusion to some NEUROLOGICAL story, Il.
this:
How TO TREAT SLANDERERs--."Let alone. my
friend, let alone those feeble malicious enviers Of
your growing fame. Why should your wit i'm
~mortalizo those names, whose natural fate it is t
he forgotten ?"
In tho frantic war which the giants. waged
against the gods, they sent IL monstruus dragon Il
attack Minerva. But Minerva siezsd the drugur
and hurled him up into the sky. There he stil
shines. (ai a cnnstelation) and what has offer
been the reward of victorious deeds became thu
lot of the vanquished dragon.
To undo. stand the following, the reader mus
know that, according to the legend Of Juno hatec
; Hercules, and imposed on him various tasks u
, tutors, ii all of which he trium phed, and tor hi
reward was admitted ut last to JON the assempl,
Of the gods.
HERcULEs.-When Hercules was received int
! heaven, lie made his salutations to Juno first O
all. All heaven, and Juuu herself, were astunishe,
ut this, and some one said, How! do you pa
, special reverence to you enemy Yes, indeed,
said Hercules, ''iUr It was her persecution alun
$ that put me upon doing great things, by which
earned my Abundance into heaven"
All Olympus approved the answer OF the ne
god, and Juno from that time, laid aside he
eumlty.
d. The phenix is a famous bird among poets, VIII
tell us that there ne er is but one Of the species
o II tiins. lie lives five hundred years, and the
e perishes in flames Of his own k~indling, and out
his ashes springs his successor, but remains
Is cunccalment TIL nearly the time of his demise, al
IN then shows himself for IL short time.
re- Tue PBENIx.-After L any hundred years Il
time came for the Pnenix to show himself to mt
once more. lie appeared. and all the birds NJ
beasls Tucked around INN. They gazed, th,
wondered, they broke out into ecstatic praises.
We But suoE the best aud wiscst Of them turned avn
their eyes, and said muurniully. "Ah haple
IT. Phenix hard is his lot, to have neither friend u
n mate, tor he is the only one Of his kind !"
al Such are the fables which the moderns ha
u9 made out Of the material furnished them by I
VI III mythology of the ancients. That mythology
~ AS We have said, but u mass of fables, We. MAJ
D., . of them containing a good moral, and all, wi
~ few EXCEPTIONS, worth knowing, as a key to e
Gu giant literature and art. The Age Of Fable,
re which We have already alluded, is a collection
u, these stories which we have already on u form
w OCCASION mentioned to our readers with approl
W ton. 1t has lately appeared in a new eiitit
illustrated with engraylngs. 1t is full of ent
70 tainment, while it contains no line or syllable Il
no parents would wish to bot out.