Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1878-07-24
The Grasshopper and It's Tale.

Whenever | go to London | always stand
at the corner of the Bank of England for a
minute or two, watching the crowd of busy
men hurrying everywhere. What thousands
of cares they carry How many ankle
tiesl Then I look at the Royal Exchange.
1t is pleasant to see the London sparrows,
though they are little black and grimy,
chipping on the massive cornices, as free and
happy as possible, above the din and awful
hurry of the great city. They have no cares,
no anxieties. They seem to know what the
great letters mean, which are cut on the
stones on which they hop. "The earth is
the Lords and the fitness thereof" God
keeps the sparrows, and they are happy. l
wish the busy city men would watch the
sparrows, and read the great city text.
But the sparrows and the text are not the
most attractive things about the Exchange,
and am sure if you look at it you would
think as | do-that the weathercock is the
most singular and curious thing about the
building. 1t is not like any other weather
cock in England, or, should think, in the
world; for there, twisted on the pinnacle OF
the spire, is monster grasshopper, and I'll
tell you how it came to be there.
About three hundred and fifty years age
a woman with little baby in her arms was
trudging along a country lane. Presently
after looking to see that no one was watch
ing her, she climbed over a gate into the
field, and wrapping the baby in its little
shawl, she laid it down in the grass so gently
as not to wake it !; and then, never even look
ing behind her, she climbed over the gate
again into the lane, and went on her journey
The baby soon awoke, and began to cry
and it cried for a long, long time. And al
last tired and hungry, and hot with the sun
for it was fine summers day, it was
wearied out, and dropped off to sleep again
"But God had heard the voice of the lad,
and see how simply he brought help for the
little one.
By-and-by, down the lane came a school
boy; he was whistling away, as happy al
ever he could be. He had come out o
school and was going home He lived a
the farmhouse little way further up tn,
lane. Now he gathered few primroses
now he scampered after butterfly, now h,
had shy at a bird but just as he came t
the gate over which the woman had climbed
he heard a grasshopper chirping away Sc
loudly that he sprang over the gate to catcl
him and there was the baby, fast asleep
Far more pleased than if he had caught
hundred grasshoppers, the boy took up tn
|
The kind farmers wife, although she ha,
many children of her own, at once deter
mined to keep the little orphan who had beef
saved from death by grasshopper.
Years passed away and the baby became
a strong boy; the boy grew to be a man h
went to London and became merchant
God blessed all he did, and he rose to be tn
most noted man in the city. Queen Eliza
beth was then on the throne, and often di
she send for Sir Thomas Gresham, for tn
little deserted boy had become knight, t
consult him on the great affairs of state.
Just three hundred years ago, Sir Thoma
Gresham founded the Exchange The quee
came to dine with him, and to lay the frs
stone; and there, upon the topmost pinnacle
Sir Thomas placed grasshopper and ther
it is to-day, to tell the busy, toiling city, an
to tell you and me, when we go to see tn
city, that Almighty God will hear the il
fant's cry, and can save valuable life b
even such a little thing as a grasshopper.
So it was that " God heard the voice c
the lad. "-PresJyieridn.