New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1895-09-29
THE HISTORY OF FABLES.
THE SHORTEST ONE ON RECORD.

MODERN. By, Thomas s.ora Mew6igsng' Pp' H.
The Iur people in Africa say that once upon
time the animals met and elected the lion to he
their king In those days all the creatures ate
grass and herbs But the lion grew weary OF THIS
diet and his courters suggested that he should
try the flesh Of small animals. SO he began u
eat the children OF his subjects. VINO lrst co'h-
planned and then abandoned HIM since that UNI
ne has been at open war with all OF them Ihis
fable obviously might have moral. but its mar
rators use II only account In a traditional way
for an observed. fact in nature But take another
specimen Phaedrus told this very tale OF the
Hon as the king OF beasts. though the cohc.uu'"s
lines OF his version have now been lost. so that !"
cannot be used by way OF comparison ne "so
told however. OF "A llon dying in old age ana weak
ness upon whom first the Wild boar "reaKeh ven
geance with flashing tUsks for an ancient wrong
Then the bull gored the dying mo.arch with MS
horns Afterward came he jackass. when seeing
that the Hon was at last gasp. kicked him In the
face II die twice over" said the Hon. in suiier-
ing thus from the heels of that disgrace OF nature
Any moraliz.ng on this narrative weakens II. New
ertheless Phaedrus usua prehXed remark 10
the effect that whoever lost his position in the
world was likely to meet With the rid.cule OF the
ill-bred Here the application Is general anu 'n1
satirIcal possibilities OF the fable are overooKed
Not so with bit OF verse from the pen OF r'asu'e''
a French Latinist Of tae time OK Louis XIV. HIS
theme was also the death OF Hon. Al se.t-respec'
ing beasts mourned because the greatest OF them
was breat thing his last. But pestllent mosquito
settled on the lion stung him vciously ana sang
a song of triumph over him Then young Ion
crushed the insect with his paw Ihls was IN
tended literally a fable for "A certain critic VINO
INDUCED his wit in an attack upon learned man
dying of old age. This will teach you added
Fraguicr ,he fate Of those who fear the living but
malign them at DEATH
These specimens illustrate in way the history OF
fables. From age to age the character OF THESE
diminutve nctons considered merely as narratives.
changes little But the use which men nave ior
them is modified by changes in civilization Thai Is
why one doubts when any man. Aesop or Locmah
or whoever may be hit upon. IS named es 'he Al
yentor OF fables for his race. The Greeks cou-d
not have had to wait until Solons time ior s"cn
things That is a better thought OF the AraOlans'
who make their Iocman contemporary ana rela-
tive Of Job the patient man. They hit the trutn
Of the matter in A quaint way when they say that
Iocman lived century after century, so that ne
was as we'll known at the court Of King David as
he was around the ashes Of Jobs house the iact
IL tina, the inventor Of fables Is as immortal as the
Wandering Jew He is human nature Itself. ana he
Is always increasing. little by little, his store OF oo
eersat.on and experience.
This. however is no proof. as against Mr.. New
Digging that such persons as Aeiop ana I'oclndh
never lived. TIE collector Of fades. ne WAC H'''
the genius for taking up and resetting these gems
produced by humanity must be historical person
nd he must in the nature OF things have been more
ant than others to add original bits TO those when
tradition handed down 10 him. But he and his Nlnd
evidently reappear only rarely in the history OF
literature Only one Englishman. John Gay can De
credited with a really original turn for the iabe
The greatest Of French fabul.sis was more skiliui
in polishing what others gave him than IN creating
for himself And so. when tres to solve doubts
about Aesop. one is likely to find new question
for every o.d one that he answers. But MI New
Digging has put important point In clear
light We are not obliged TO believe That Aesop
was ugly and hinchbacked and splay-footed unless
we wish TO 60 so. 1t Is only the later writer's who
:, described him. and these may have been IN
auenced nv the Oriental accounts OF Locman, who
10 sad to nave had all these defects and to have
been black and thick-lipped like negro besides
Roth Locman and Aesop were slaves. As To this
roint there is universal agreement. The stores
thcv told were often very much alike. but thai nap
nened because they both drew from the same stock
~ material The myths as to the family cOnnec-
fiona and long rfe OF Iocman have been alluded to.
Others not less dubious enveloped the personality
NJ Aesop Almost many cities claimed his ma
tivlty as there were Homerc birhplaces The
rick by which he came to his death has the tinge
of folklore II is said that he carried to the tenn
nle OF Apollo al Delphi rich gift from King Croe-
sus but when ne how the priests lived he re-
fused to let them have It, SO they smugg!ed a
Golden goblet into his bag. charged him with theft
and sacrllege and had him killed. one seems
IN have read at least part of this story somewhere
else II lends a personal interest TO the fable OF
the Eagle and the Beetle. which Aesop is said to
have related to his prosecutors warning that
they could not always thrive In their ill-dong.
| Aesop's marriage too. looks mythical He is said
IN have married a very handsome and famous
woman Rhodope. Egyptian OF Greek descent.
But this lady is said also to have been the wife
Of the poetess Sapphos brother. and the tale that
she built one of the pyramids gives her fabulous
air Nevertheless, Mr.. Newblgging argues that she.
being handsome. would hardly have accepted Aesop
| for a husband II he had been fright He forgets
| the case of the poet Scarron and Madame de Main
lemon 1t IL the point that none of the writ
| ers who lived about the time set down for Aesop
| himself sad anything about his defOrmities. and
| the best argument OF all is that of DIR. Bentley,
that slaves were usually bought for their good
looks and for the strength that accompanies shape
| Illness But Aesop may have been born slave.
There is no proof to the contrary.
While Mr. Newbigging pays much attention to
| Aesop he also reviews briefly the history OF fable
| down 10 the most recent times His book Is enter
tanning and 1t is more likely be popular than the
works from which its material Is drawn. Speci-
| mens OF fable from East and West are presented.
Among the rest is given the shortest fable on
record this from Lancashire: AS they went into
the Ark together. said the flea to the elephant,
| Now. then. Mister. thrutching"
| observation-disclosures
| From The London Spectator.
II you admit the following owre true tale to be