Daily State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1861-1865, 1864-07-18
AnInterestsng pa raIlel

Mr. tDIToR:-NiH you DO me The favor to re
print this fragment from the long silent pen of
DIR. JohnsoD-uncourtly. but noble, Samuel
Johnson. Nowhere have we read more splen
did satire upon war, than is contained in this
fable of the yutures \
Specially do We commend il, with such grim
compliments as beseem its author TO those
friends of the vuitures who wear the garb OF
spiritual shepherds From the pulpits where the
red ensign of Mars floats the white banner of
Christ" they now cater for the vutures; and
anon, with hands believed in baptisma waters.
dispense to their Hocks. sacramental bread and
wine. We fear their Christ given commission,
Feed my lambs, is now read. Feed my vul-
lures y CHURCH GoEE.
THE SHEPHERD OF BOHEMIA.
As MAS sitting. said shepherd of Bohemia
within hollow rock, and watching my sheep
that fed in the valley. heard two vultures in
terchangebly crying the summit of cliff,
Both voices were earnest and deliberate Nv
curiosity prevailed over the care of the flock:
climbed slowly and silently from crag to crag,
concealed among the shrubs. till found a cavity
where might sit and listen without suffering OF
giving disturbance.
| soon perceived that my labor would be well
repaid. for an old vulture was sitting on a naked
prominence, with her young about her, whom
she instructiDg in the arts of a vulture 9
life. and preparing by the last lecture, for their
final dsmissiOn 20 the mountains and the skies
My children. said the old vulture you will the
less want my Instructions, because you have had
my practice before your eyes; you have seen me
snatch from the farm the household fowl; YOU
have seen me seize the leyeret in the bush, and
the bird in the pastursge; you know how to fix
your talOns and how to balance your fight when
YOU are laden with your prey. But you remem-
Der the taste of more delicious food. have of
ten RECALLED YOU with the flesh OF man. Tell u,
said the young vutures. where man may be
found, and how he may be known His flesh is
surely the natural food of IA vulture. Why have
YOU never brought man in YOUR talons to the
nestg lie Is too bulky, said the mother: when
we find man we only tear away his flesh,
and leave his bones upon the ground Since
man is big. said the young ones. how do you
kill him? lou are afraid of the wolf and of the
bear. by what power are vutures superior to
MANY Is man more 1efenceless than a sheen?
We have not the strength of manssreturned the
mother, and | am sometimes in doubt whether
We have the subtilitv: and the vultures would
seldom feast upon hIs flesh. had not nature. that
devoted him TO our uses. infused into him strange
ferocity, which | have never observed in anv
other being that feeds upon the earth.
Two herds OF men viii often meet and shake
the earth with noise, and GIL the earth with FIRE
When YOU hear noise, and see fire, with flashes
swiitest wing. for men are surely destroying one
another you will then find the ground smoking
with blood and covered with carcasses of which
many are dismembered and mangled for the con-
venience OF the vultnrc. But when men have
Killed their prey, said the pupil, why DO they not
eat it, When the wolf has killed sheep he
suffers not the vuiture 10 touch it till he has sat
ished himself l. not man another kind of
WOLFF Man. said the mother. is the only beast
WI hat ha not Il ~ 81.
quality makes him so much a benefactor TO our
species. II men Kill our prey. and lay it in our
way, said the Young one, what need shall We
have 0. laborlng for ourselvesi Because man
viii sometimes. replied the mother, remain for a
long time quiet in his den. The old vutures
will tell you when YOU are TO watch his motions
When YOU see men in great numbers moving
ctOse together. like flight of starks. you may
conclude that they are hunting. and that you will
soon revel in human blood But still, said the
young one, would gladly know the reason of
this mutual slaughter. ! could never kill what
could not eat
Ny child, said the mother, this is a question
which | cannot answer. though am reckoned the
most subtitle bird OF the mountain When was
Young | used frequently to visit the ayry of an
old yuture, who dwelt upon the Carpathar.
rocks: he bad made many observations: he
kuew the places that sADrded prev round his
tidstlAAAols - ttF W every NfecuOu The
strongest wing can ay between the rising and
setting OF the summer sun; he bad fed year after
wear on the entrails of men His opinion was.
that men had only the appearance of animal life.
being really vegetables. with power of mo-
ton: and that the bOughs OF an oak are
dashed together by the storm. that swine NAV
fstten upon the falling acorns. so men are by
some nnaccountable power driven one against
auother. till they lose their motion. that vul-
lures may be fed Others think they have Oh
served something of continuance and policy
among these misckievous things; and those that
hover more closely round them, pretend, that
there Is IN every herd one that gives directions
TO the rest, and seems TO be more emincntly de
lighted with wide carnage. What il is that
entities HIN 10 such pre- eminence we know not:
he Is seldom the biggest the swiftest but be
shows by his esgeFness and diligence that he is.
more than any Of the others. friend IN vul-
lures
e A Califurnia correspondent thus speaks
of the wants of his State: What California
needs most 10 day is RAIN. What she wants 10
morrow. i seventy five thousand females. which
woa5d equal the male population. according to
The last census