Centre Hall reporter. [volume] (Centre Hall, Pa.) 1868-1871, 1871-02-17
4 Scran From Bnrmah.

ln the happy days when ksrhathan
Parth WAS King of the burmese, potter
formed in has heart an evil plot against
the prosperity OF his ueighbor. wealthy
Nasherman who lived in the same VII
lage The onyious potter, bent on iniur,
ing his good ueighhor, went 10 the pal
ace Of the king and thus addressed him
80, illustriuus prince is II not well
known ia the mountains and valleys ol
our land that all the calamities which
have como so severely and Suddenly upon
your kingdom Of late years. have arisen
/ from the fact that your majesty has no
longer the charm Of white elephant,
since the unfortunate death Of the lucky
white elephant which belonged 10 youI
I father, who now rcposes in rapture ii
/ the seventh heaven of the blessed lmmor'
tails ? Do you not know, q king, that
/ the elephant which now carries Won II
( but common black beast, which brings
only black luck 20 MS Having, there,
/ fore, your prosperity and glory at heart,
O king, and kissing the dust from your
golden feet, | venture to propose the
I following plan a. your majesty There Is
a washerman in this city ofeXtmOrlinary
skill in washing or dyeing white every
thing brought 10 him, however black II
may he, and however difficult 10 make
white and beautiful Let now, my lord
the king consider well the word of his
servant, and bid this skillful washerman
10 wash your elephant white, SO that the
white days Of prosperity may once more
dawn upon your blessed majesty and ON
the realm,
The king, who was weak in mind,
heard the potter's project with delight,
and readily assented 10 H. He sum
moncd the skillful wAshermn, whose
fame was great, and thus addressed him
II command thee, most loyal subject
thy skill in washing my elephant white,
that / may enjoy white days Of prosper
ity even as my father before me.
But the washerman, who was "a shrewd
man, and ready withal, suspecting the
plot Of the potter 10 ruin him by so vain
"A project, thus spoke u the king
20 my lord king that | may wash
my lords royal elephant white, a suitable
Westinghouse must be erected, and also
IA pot Of corresponding size must be CON
structed, and then | viii wash your ma
jcsty's highly respected elephant white,
and feel myself thrice blessed III having
carried ont my lord the kings wishes,
On this the king summoned the potter
ana enjoined him. on pain ~ his royal
displeasure, "a construct a vast pot Of
sufficient dimensions to hold the royal
elephant, AS well as u sufficient quantity
OF water and other constituents for the
ablu;ion. The potter. in fear and trcm-
bling. collected an immense mass u clay,
on. Of which he constructed pot large
enough 10 hold the royal elephant.
When. however, the elephant stepped
into this huge pot il broke into several
pieces. Another pot WAS made Of CON
siderable thickness by the potter, who,
do rs he would, could not even 10y his
largest fires bake il thoroughly, SO as TO
make il both compact and strong. So
the unfortunate potter was IN this diem
ma il he made a thin pot IL was broken
by the weight of the elephant. and II he
made il thick enough 30 resist such a
weight, he could not, with all his efforts
get the pot sufficiently baked and was
obliged AZ last 10 give mp the task ns be-
yond his power, and 10 brave the royal
displcasure, which consigned him 20 a
prison for the rest Of his hio, and confs-
Gated his goods
Plot not against thy neighhor, SAYS
the Burmese proyerb, "lCst thine own
property suffer by the plot "a proycrb
which is here well enforced