St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1881-12-24
SOME EASTERN PARALLELS.

That there are more ways than
one of seeing everything is shown
in the parable of the tiger and the
man, who were both looking at a
picture in which the man was
drawn as victorious, and the beast
subdued. "Dost thou see the
bravery of the man, how he has
overcome the tiger?" The tiger
gave answer: "The painter was q
man. If tiger had been the paint
er, then the drawing would not
have been in this manner.
Rochefoucauld once said: CHOW
can you expect a friend to keep
your secret. when. by telling 1t to
him, You prove that you are incapa-
BILE of keeping it yoursslf?" To be-
ware of how you coshde Ill your
friends is given in the tale OF q
miser. who said to friend: Il now
have Thousand rupees, which l
will brrv out of the city; and will
not tell The secret to any one beside
Yourself" They then went out OF
the city and buried the money I'M
der tree. Some days after the
miser went to the tree to see il his
money was safe, and found that it
had disappeared. At once he sus-
pected bis friend, but be dared not
question him, as he was sure that
he would never confess it. So he
had recourse 20 this strategem. Go
ing to him. he said: "a great deal
of money has Come into my hands,
which l want to put in the same
place. If you will come tomorrow
we will so together" TIE friend.
coveting the larger sum. replaced
the smaller. In the meantime the
miser went and found it, and hav-
ing secured his money, he deter
mined mover again to conhde in .
friend.
One of the Kings of Persia sent .
skiliful physician to the prophet
Mohammed. After remaining for
some wears in Arabia without any
one making trial of his skill as o
physician, he went to Mohammed
and complained, saying: ''rhey
sent me to dispense medicine to
your companions, but to this day no
one hath taken notice of me, that I
might have an opportunity of per-
forming the service to which I had
been appointed" Mohammed re-
Piled: at is rule with these peo-
pie never to eai till they are hard
pressed by hunger, and to leave off
-eatingSwhile they have good appe-
tite." The physician said: AYE.
indeed, this is the way to emily
good health" He then made his
obeisance and departed.
We all know what a degrading
thing avarice is-how it bennmbs
mans finer instincts, and lowers
and degrades bis better nature.
More especially is this the case if
this undue love of money has de-
veloped within man q want of
scrupulous honor as to how he
comes by his money, SO that ne but
gets it. An Eastern parable illus
trates this:
A Russian priest hnew that q
moujik, or peasant, had come upon
buried treasure in the shape of q
pot of money, and the priest, being
excessively avaricious. determil ell
that he would get possession Of it.
So he killed one Of his own goats,
and took off its skin-horns, beard
and all complete; and having pull
ed the skin over himself he told his
wife to bring a needle and thread,
and fasten it up all around 30 that
it might not slip off IN this guise
he went to the moujik's cottage at
dead of night, and began knocking
and scratching, when the peasant
jumped up and cried: who's
there?" The evil one!" replied the
priest; and demanded that the
moujik should at once give him back
the pot of money he bad found.
The peasant looked out OF the win
dow, and seeing the costs horns and
beard, he was certain bis visitor
was none other than he represented
himself to he; and In great terror,
he seized the pot Of gold, carried it
outside, and flung it on the ground.
I've lived before now without
money" said he. land now I'll so
on living without it." The priest
S. lied the money and FASTENED
home. Come, said lie to his wife,
"the money is in our hands now.
Here. put it well ont of sight, and
take sharp knife, cut the thread,
and pull the goats skin off me be-
fore any one sees it." She took the