Daily national Democrat., 1861-10-16
The Front Teeth and the Grinders.
rApLE.-By OLIVER WENDELL HOLMES.

Once upon time mutiny arose among
the teeth of IA worthy man, in good health
and blessed with sound constitution, COM
monly known as Uncle Samuel The cutting
teeth, or the inciS2rs, and the eve teeth, or
the caHuey though not nearly SO many, all
counted, nor so large, nor So strong as the
grinders, and 10y 10 m,ans SO white, but on
the contrary, very much discUlored, began to
find fault with the grinders as not good
enough company for them. The eye teeth.
being sharp, and fitted for selling and tear
ing, and standing out taller than the rest.
claimed to lead them. Presently one of them
complained that it ached very badly, and
then another, and another. Very soon the
cutting teeth, which pretended they were
supplied with the same nelve, and were proud
OF it, began to ache also. They all agreed
that it was the fault of the grinders.
About this time, Uncle Samuel having used
his old tooth brush (Which never was good
one. having no stiffness in the hr-tles,) for
four weeks, took a new one, recommends 10y
great number of people us a homely but
useful article Tbereupon all the front teeth.
one alter another, declared that Uncle Samuel
meant to scour them white, which WAS "a
thing they would never submit to, though
the whole civilized world was calling ou them
to do so. SO they all insisted in getting out
of the sockets in which they had grown and
stood for SO many years But the wisdom
teeth spoke up for the others and said:
May, there be but twelve of your front
teeth, and there he twenty of us grinders -
W e are the strongest, and good deal nearer
the muscles and the joint, but we cannot spare
you. We have put up with your black stains,
and now we are not going TO let YOU go, un-
der the pretense that you are to be scrubbed
white if you stay. You don't work half so
hard as We do, but you can bite the food well
enough, which we can grind SO Euch better
than you. We belong to each other You
must STAY
Thereupon the front teeth, first the CANNES
or the dog teeth, next the incisors or cutting
teeth. proceeded to declare themselves out OF
the sockets, and no longer belonging to the
jaws of Uncle Samuel.
Then Uncle Samuel arose in his wrath and
shut his jaws tightly together, and swore
that he would keep them shut until those
aching and discolured teeth of his went to
pieces in their sockets, if need were, rather
than have them drawn, standing, as some OF
| them did, ut the very opening of his throat
and stomach
And now, if you will please to observe, all
those teeth are beginning to ache worse than
ever, and to decay very fast, that it will
take great deal of gold to stop the holes
that are forming in them. But the great
| white grinders are as sound as ever and will
remain so until Uncle Samuel thinks the time
has come for opening his mouth In the
meantime they kept on grinding in a quiet
way, though the others have had to stop
biting for Il long time When Uncle Samuel
opens his mouth again, they will doubtless
be as ready for work as ever but those poor
! dscolored teeth will be tender for great
while, and never be so strong as they were
before they foolishly declared themselves out
of their sockets.
The foregoing fable is respectfully dediea
ted to the Southern Plehs, who, under the
lead of their Patrician" masters, have sece-
ded," like their predecessors in the days O
Menenus Agrippa.