Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1870-02-18
Az ILLUSTRATIVE PARABLE.

In illustration Of the Views of death at
which I have limited, lot me repeat 10 you
parable so striking that it is better than
any argument, parable founded upon a
VOL known flct in natural history. The
fact Is thls. The larva or grub ottha drag
only lives wholly In the wator, In tho bot
tom of ponds and pools, whereas tho drag
on-fly lives In tho air, some species OF
which arc very beautiful, having the most
brilliant iridesccnt color. At certain
stage tho larva or grub leaves the wator,
crawls up on somo water plant changes in
TO winged creature. The parable runs
substantially thus:-
SIN certain beautiful pond there dwclt
largo number Of the grubs of tho dragon
fly. They became aware that one after an
other OF their company disappeared and
never returned. They wondered whittier
they won't when they quilted tho world
They had no idea of any world but their
native pond. At Inst one of thon, feeling
the great change approaching, feeling him
self impcllod 10 rise upwards TO the surfac2,
promised TO come back and toll the rcsl
what happened TO him when ho should
| disappear. But tlsn promise WINS not eerk.
! IIc never returned. Then another went,
| and before he went he said to his brothors {;
| our brother has not come back TO us, but,
| dear friends, feel that am going to him,
| Wherever that may be, other to Il now life,
or to that death from which there Is no re-
| turn. Before l go 1 renew tho solemn
| promise he once made TO you. Should the
great hope be true, VIC will come buck and
| tell you so, Farewell And the grub
rose up through the water, but on reaching
the brink of the pond, he seized on plant
of the forgot-mo-nOt, and cllnging 10 Its
firm stalk clambored out of the water into
the opon air. Those who accompanied him
watched him as he left the water, but aher
that they saw him no more. Tho blank Oh
tho departure alone remained to them, and
thoy sank down, sad and uneasy, To THEN
| home below. As before, the hours Of the
| day passed on and not trace of the depart
cd was ever seen, only the brokon sholi
fell back and crumblcd away. lilo Is faith
less said somo. lie forgets us, like bis
| brother cried others. Tho story Of anoth-
! or world IL false muttcred yet others.
| Only a few very murmured, we viii no;
| despair And aGter this othors went up IN
succession, for the time camo TO all who.
tho lustrOus eyes OF the perfect c-catur
shono through the masked face Of Tho grub
and he must needs pass forward to the full
fillmcnt of his destiny. But the result Of
those who were Jeff was always the same
There were over some that doubled and
feared, ever some that disbcllcyed and ridi.
culed, over some That hoped and looked
forward. All! could they but have known
poor things! II those eyes, fittod only fol
tho underworld, could have soon into the
purer element beyondi
"And the dragon-ny, meanwhllo-was hi
roally faiihless? When he burst his prison
house by the waterside, and on glittorinG
wings roso into the summer alrina brighter
world, had he indeed no momory for tn;
dear onos he had so lately left? no tender
concern for their griefs and fears7 All, &c
far from it, no thought of thom amidst Tho
transports of his widest flights, and re
turned ever and ovor 10 tho precincts. ~
that world which had once boon tho OILY
world to him. But to the world of watKrs
he could never moro return. And thus di.
vided and yet near, parted yet united by
love, he hovcrod about tho barrier that lay
between them. Nor was his consistency
long unrewarded, for MS, after his longes
roamings, he never failed to return to th'
old spot, no was there TO welcome hi
omancipatod brothers who soon FOLLOWED
him. And often after that, tho breezy ali
Of the forost-pond would rosound In tn,
bright summer afternoons, with the clash
ing OF dragon files wings, rs they dartcd u
and fro over tho crystal wator In tho rap
turo Of the new life. 1t might be on thos,
occasions, that somo fresh arrival of kind
red form below added II keonor joy 10 the
already joyous existence. Sweet, assured
ly, 1t was to each now conner, when tho rid
do Of his fate was solved, TO find in th,
now regions, not strange and friendlos
abode, but home rich with the welcome.
Of those who had gone before"
Beautiful forest pond, crowded withmpH
torious life, OF whose secrets we know .
little, who would not willingly lingor b,
your banks for study and for thought
FURNEss.