The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1878-01-12
A PARABLE.

There was once a wise man to whom
was granted the power to send forth
his thoughts in shapes that other peo-
pie could see. And, as he walked
abroad in the world, he came upon
some whom his wisdom might serve.
One day, having, in street of the city
where he dwelt, rescued from danger a
boy about ten years of age, he went
with him to his mother and begged that
he might take him to his house for a
week. When they heard his name the
parents willingly let their son 90 with
him. And he taught him many things,
and the boy loved and trusted him.
When the boy was asleep in bed the
wise man would go to his room at night
and lay his ear to his ear, and hearEen
to his dreams. Then he would stand
and spread out his arms over him and
look up. And the boy would smile, and
his sleep was the deeper
Once, just an hour after the sage had
thus visited him, the boy awoke and
found himself alone in the middle of
the night. He could not get to sleep
again, and grew 50 restless that he rose
and went down the stair. The moon
shone in at every western window, and
his way was "now in glimmer and now
in gloom" On the first landing he
saw door wide open, which he had
never seen open till now. 1t was the
door of the wizards room.
The farther end of the room was hid
den by curtain stretched quite across
1t, and, curious to see what was behind,
he approached it. But ere he reached
it the curtain slowly divided in the
midst and, drawn back to each side, re-
vealed a place with just light enough in
it from the moonshine to show that it
was dungeon. In the middle of it,
upon the floor, sat a prisoner, with fet-
tiers to his feet and manacles to his
hands; an iron collar was round his
neck, and chain from the collar had
its last link in an iron staple deep-fixed
in the stone floor. His head was sunk
on his bosom, and he sat abiect and
despairing.
"What wicked man he must be.''
thought the boy, and was turning to run
away in terror, when the man lifted his
head, and his look caught and held him
For he saw pale, worn, fierce counte-
e3P Sc (which somehow. through all
filed it, he recognized as his own. For
moment the prisoner gazed at him
mournfully; then wild passion of rage
and despair seized him; he dragged and
tore at his chains, raved and shrieked,
and dashed himself on the ground like
one mad with Imprisonment.
By and by spider came creeping
along the bar of his letters. He put
out his hand, and, with the manacle on
his wrist, crushed it, and smiled. In
stantly through the gloom came a
strong, clear, yet strangely sweet, voice
and the very sweetness had in it
something that made the boy think of
fire. And the voice said:
$50! in the midst of misery, thou
takest delight in destruction! Is it not
well thou art chained? If thou vast
free, thou wouldst in time destroy the
world. Tame thy wild beast, or sit
there till | tame him."
The prisoner peered and stared
through the dusk, but could see no one;
he fell into another fit of furious raving,
| but not hair-breadth would one link
of chain yield to his widest endeavOr.
"Oh, my mother!' he cried, as he
sank again into the grave of exhaustion.
''Thy mother is gone from thee, :"
said the voice, "outworn by thine evil
ways Thou didst choose to have thy
self and not thy mother, and there thou
hast thyself, and she is gone. only
am left to care for thee-not with
kisses and sweet words, but with dun
geon. Unawares to thyself thou hast
forged thine own chains, and riveted
them upon thy limbs. Not Hercules
could free thee or himself from such
Imprisonment"
The man burst out weeping, and
cried with sobs:
"What then am to do, for the bur-
den of them is intolerablep"
voice; for so shall thy chains fall from
thee" 81 will do it, said the man.
"Thy prison is foul" said the voice.
at is" answered the prisoner.
"Cleanse it, then"
"How can | cleanse it when | cannot
move?"
Cannot move! Thy hands were
upon thy face moment gone-and now
they are upon the floor! Near one Of
those hands lies a dead mouse; yondel
is an open window. Cast the dead
thing out into the furnace of life, thai
it may speedily make an end thereof
With sudden obedient resolve tn,
prisoner made the endeavor to reach it
The chain pulled the collar hard, anC
the manacle wrenched his wrist, but h,
caught the dead thing by the tail, ant
, with fierce effort threw it; out of tn
window it flew and fell-and the air o
his dungeon seemed already clearer.
, After silence came the voice again
behind thee lies a BROOM" it said
"reach forth and take it, and swee,
: around thee as far as thy chains vii
Z yield thee scope"
| The man obeyed, and, as he swept
= at every stroke he reached farther. A
: length-how it came he could not tell
4 for his chains hung heavily upon hin
still-he found himself sweeping tn
very foot of the walls.
e A moment more and he stood at tn
open window, looking out into tn