The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, 1883-03-27
Grows.

Grows have always had justice done
TO their mental capacity. This may
have frequently been rendered them at
the expense Of their moral character.
They have been called shreds of Satan,
clnders from Tartarlls. smuts from hell,
and what not; but no fabulist, from the
time OF Asop or the old Buddhist sto-
RES, has ever ventured to trife 80 far
with the feelings of his readers as to
represent the crow in really foolish
attitude. The tale of the fox and the
crow. where the bird is trioked into
losing his bit of cheese. is not true
case in point; for it does no more than
reveal the crow rs vain bird, and van
lty Is frequent accompaniment of
greatness. Besides, it was intended to
contrast the relative craftlness of the
most cunning of birds and the most
cunning OF beasts, and the obvious
character OF the story was allowed to
prejudice the claims Of the crow; for
those who live upon the earth cannot
be prevented from displaying their
plque at creatures who have the power
OF soaring far above it at will. Never
theless, feeling of compunction and
tardy Justice leads to the immediate
snubbing of the fox in the. fable of the
sour grapes. The supremacy of the
crow is entirely due to his mental
characteristics. Barring his blackness,
which, it is conceded, might just as
we'll signify reverend solemnity as dia-
bolical mischief. there is nothing in his
personal appearance to single him out
,,>l
recognize the fact of his brain-power
when we hear the Burmese story that
Ill the beginning of the world the crows
with an evil reputation rs devilish
characters) quarrelled as to who was to
be king. The other birds saw their
opportunity, and, with double pre-
science, resolved to escape from the
rule of damned intellect, ".and with the
view OF doing 80 established the CIo-
ture. They stopped the argument,
rejected the claims of both owl and
crow, and elected the swan lord of the
6lrd-world. The story has a true
Oriental tinge about it. Western birds
would never have chosen the swan for
king: In fact, without any authority
ut all but their own restless activity
and bullying capacity, they have the
assurance to name the eagle king of
birds, Just as confidently kas if they
had ancient precedent to il. The eagle
does not fulfil the Eastern notion of
royalty at all. He is a great deal too
fond OF exertiug himself, and withdraw
ing into solitary confinement, from all
the world rs if he were a hermit, which
his murderous habits demonstrate to be
absurd. The swan, on the other hand,
is bird of exceeding presence. He
does not choose to exert himself in
Plebeian fashion. He can maltreat and
bully his subjects with the best of the
falcon kind. When he chooses, he can
ty ns we'll as any of them, but he pre-
fers to lead al easy life. and his claim
10 physical proves is sufficiently proved
by the fact that he can on occasion
break a mans leg. The choice of the
brds, therefore, needs no defense, ex-
cept with those who have perverted
Ideas about the characteristics OF roy
atty. The election, however, has per-
manently embittered the relations of
owls and crows, and the crow has in
the course Of time satisfactorily estab-
lished his superiority. He had made
the daytime his own, and feeds then at
his leisure, vindicatively attacking and
buffeting all owls he comes across; while
the latter bird makes his meals at night
only, at first from desire not to meet
the crow, the sight of whom he could
not endure, and latterly because con-
slant habit has so far altered his con-
stitution that he cannot find his way
about in the light of the sun. It may
have been this early warning with the
owl that has led to the fact that in
hlerogiyphics the crow is always made
use OF rs the symbol of contention, dis
cord. and strife, though it is we'll known
that rooks-who to everybody but
scientific people are the same thing as
crows-hoid regular Parllaments and
Vehmgerichts and county assizes, IN
most othodox fashion, and 80 have q
claim to superior civilization; vet it GER
tainly is against them that the victims Of
the crow-moot are not hung on the gal.
lows.