The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1884-07-30
Temperance.
John Smith and the Tiger.

menagerie.
The evening before election his mind
kept running on the temperance question.
His wife, who is temperance worker,
and his children, who are members Of the
Band of Hope, had pleaded with him
most earnestly to vote the prohibition
ticket. Even the blue-eyed baby boy
asked papa to vote "hibiton," 80 when
baby was big he couldn't get whiskey.
John has q conscience-a very incon.
venient article, as he found while trying
to twist matters in such way as to make
wrong appear right.
"No, no. he said, as he stopped at the
tigers cage to see if everything was
secure, can't do it; must vote with
my party. Although have seen things
in that party that don't seem quite square,
yet party is party.
"Of course temperance is good thing,
but here is personal liberty to be looked
after. A man must do as he pleases or he
has no liberty. Personal liberty Why,
the words themselves carry conviction
They have the true ring, like the
Declaration of Independence and the
Proclamation of Emancipation. How
fierce this tiger is The way he snarls
and shows his teeth is enough to make
even man nervous. Not a very cheerful
place to pass the hight, though for that
matter I've never thought the place par
ticularly gloomy before this. Yes, yes,
personal liberty is the thing to vote for.
Women and children can't reason on such
matters; they 60 by their feelings. 1t
isn't their nature to reason. As Jim
Brown said to-day, women are sort of
natural fanatics. Sort of tigerisb, think,
on this prohibition question. Enough
sight better company, though, than this
snarling beast"
John went his rounds and then settled
himself to read, as usual, E5op's
Fables" This book was to him most
wonderful. Not but that he could have
done better with the animals than Esop
did, by making their talk more in keep.
ing with their natures, if he only had the
knack of getting his thoughts on paper !;
but the book was, nevertheless, quite
wonderful.
The fables that John hit upon that
night, as he opened his book at random,
were The Plague Among the Beasts"
." The Elephant and the Assembly of
Animals" The Lion and the Council
of Beasts" and the 1.-TWO Scythes."
GAIL of them sort of mixed up with per-
sonal liberty and high license" he NUT
tered in disgust.
His next conscious idea was that some.
body had put personal liberty in practice,
by opening all the cages in the menagere.
The animals all proceeded to destroy one
another at fearful rate.
John had hardly taken in the horror of
| tho oil haf0ra ha raal;yaI hot ba
tiger was springiug upon him.
"Oh wait an instant" he cried in
great agony, 81 have a word to say
about"
"About personal liberty ?" snarled the
tiger, Oh l believe in that; can now
give you forcible illustration of it,"
John thought, "This is horrible
nightmare, for tigers don't talk. But l
shall die of fear before 1 get out of it.
When that tiger springs, I'm dead man,
dream or no dream. If can only keep
the, dreadful beast talking" So John
continued aloud, "There seems to be
something wrong; your liberty, in this
case, doesn't seem to be quite my liberty
Tiger: "Of course not; you're help
less. Might is right, the strong devours
the weak. That is the law of nature"
1t occurred to John that this was sub
stantially his position in defending per
sonal liberty and high license. He must
say something, however the tiger was
glaring at him. "The-ahem the-ah
the Christian lsw--law tells US to be mer
ciful to the helpless"
The tiger tossed his head with an air oil
superiority. Although out of his cage he
took several turns about the length of it
and lashed his tail fercely. Then be
cast upon poor John most whitening
glance of reproach and said, "Tigerl
obey the laws that are given them. There
was never one yet so mean as not to pro-
tect his tigress and young"
This appeared to John like taunt, sc
he braced up little, although he consid
cred himself literally in the jaws of death
John: "Of course it is always mean t.
Cypress and destroy the helpless. / fine
a subject. Now if l were a lion dom
you think you might change your view Of
personal liberty ?"
At this the beast was indeed aroused
He snarled 80 fearfully, and showed hi
teeth in such savage way, that Johr
thought the instant for his destruction
had come. The tiger roared forth in wha
might be called a tigers stentorian tones
"Do / fear the tame lion ? Pm the
symbol of power. Neither kindness mol
cruelty can subdue me. l glory in my
fierceness. / roam over the forest jungles
preyipg upon every man or beast tina
comes in my way. Screams of terro
and struggles for life are my delight.
feed upon anguish and blood. Delays arr
useless; l comet
Here the tiger sprung, and John felt thu
sensation of weight upon his breast. Ger
tainly in this case death was relief.
The next day John told his experience
with the tiger, and voted and worked TO
prohibition. He told Jim Brown, will
manly spirit, that he thought it was al
much a fathers duty to protect his hom'
as to stick to his party. No tiger shoult
ever taunt him again for not protecting
his wife and children.-Union Signal.