Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1873-09-03
The Old Fable.

All our young readers may have read Of
the wolf in sleeps clothing. The story
reads thus A wolf, clothing bmsef in the
skin Of a sheep and getting in among the
flock, by this means took the opportunity
to devour many Of them. At last The
shepherd discovered him aud cunnugly fas-
tened a rope about his neck and tied him
up to q tree Some other shepherds hap
pening to pass that way and observing what
be was about drew near and expressed their
surprise at it, "Wbat, says one Of them,
"do you like hanging sheep, brother "
" No, replies the other, but like hang
ing a wolf whenever / catch him, though,
in the habit and garb Of a sheep" Then
he showed them their mistake, and they ap.
plauded the execution. We learn by this
fable that we should not be influenced by
the dress or outside appearance Of any per-
son that the mere habit Of any one should
not excite our interest. The old proverb
says it is not the gay coat that makes the
gentleman But truth obliges US to say
that people are too apt to look upon the
gay coat as a certificate of respec,ability
II is too true that almost any sharper under
the favor Of this tendency may, by dint Of
good coat, a gold ring and a stock Of i'm
pudence, pass himself of as a gentleman
and bear away the substantial benefits at
tached to that dimly defined rank. The
wolf in the fable was playing the hypocrite.
Solomon says, an hypocrite with his mouth
destroyeth his neigbbor" No one should
deceive himself or others by word or ac-
ticn. Proverbs such as the following, should
always be borne in mind "Truth has al
ways fast foundation" " Show me liar
and | will show you thief" Truth will
stand without prop, but lie has no legs
to stand upon" And we should also bear
in mind that lie acted is as bad as a lie
spoken. The old wolf in the fable, although
he had four legs, could not stand upon one,
for he was caught in his own device and
treated as be deserved to be, and so it is
with some persons, they are deep in their
way, but not too deep to be found out, and
then they have to endure the consequences
of their deceitful conduct A farmer one
| day had horse stolen which he found ex-
hibited some time after, at a horse fair.
He went up to the man who had il for sale,
and stated that it was the horse which had
been stolen from him some short time be-
fore No such thing" said the horse
dealer, have had that horse these two
years, so it cannot be yours" A" Had il
two years said the farmer, and at
the same time he went up to the horse
and placed both hands over his eyes
q" Well, then" said he, if you have had
this horse for two years, you must know
something about it. Now then, tell me
which eye is he blind with " The left,
said the horse stealer. No. said the
farmer, this horse is not blind with the
left eye.n " No, no :" said the rogue, " |
mean the right" All, well, but thi,
horse is not Blind in the right eye So il
appears you know nothing about it, and il
cannot be your horse" Whereupon the
fellow was taken up aud punished as he
was proven TO be horse stealer, as well as
horse dealer. An old man saidto hi
grandson, Jcm, my boy, honesty is thu
best policy, have tried both" An ole
proverb says; Ill gotten gotten good
seldom prosper