The united opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1881-1970, 1896-06-19
ORIGIN OF A RACE.

land rich in beauty and fertile in pro-
Gluction. Heavy wooded hills sloped
gently down to broad, rolling meadows,
where the muff1ed sound of the pillow
made pleasant music in the long spring
and summer days. The fig tree grew and
was rich with it's golden fruit all the
year round Banana and cocoanut, palm
and plane tree flourished, and the vine
trailed and wound its arms about the
strong tree for support, for it was ever
laden with luscious grapes. Bright
streams flashed in the sunlight, rushing
brooks danced down the shaded rocks,
calm lakes reflected the peace OF heaven.
Nor was this all The people had not
only trained nature to supply their wants
80 abundantly, but had themselves Gre
ated things of beauty The kings palace
was marvel of it's kind. 1t twas OF pure
white marble, supported by pillars that
100 men seemed scarcely able to lift.
And inside this vast abode fountains
played in basins of wrought silver, pre-
cious gems of incredible size supplied
light. wood, carved and bent and twist
and wonderful statuary and tapestries
and paintings adorned the palace.
Surrounding the building were beau
tiful gardens, where flowers glowed and
sparkled from the background OF deep
green grass, like jewels, red and white
and blue and yellow and pink and royal
purple. One would think that from a
land where fortune smiled so joyously
she would never withdraw her good i'll.
For years had King Eacus reigned
in peace over the land, watching its
fruitful growth and giving encourage
ment and reward to labor, and all had
prospered. But suddenly change came.
Juno, the supreme goddess of heaven,
became jealous of the beauty of the
land, which seemed as if it soon might
equal the kingdom on the heights OF
Olympus, and so she sent a plague to
modest and destroy the island.
At first the clouds settleA down upon
the ground, shutting out all warmth
and sunshine, and making the atmos-
phere so dense that the poor mortals
could scarcely breathe. Then for four
months the wind blew from the south,
bringing disease and death in its breath.
The birds ceased to sing The island
was overrun with snakes, which cast
their deadly poison in the streams and
wells. The lack Of water then caused
such terrible thirst that first the birds
dropped dead; then the cattle would fall
in the pillow. The wild animals ap-
preached the confines Of man, for the
wolf forgot it's fierceness, the antelope
it's timidity.
Then the sun beat down in merciless
unpity, lifting the heavy clouds, and
the people began to be affected They
left their houses and swarmed in the
streets and the fields, seeking relief from
their sufferings. The mortality became
so great that the trees We're felled to
supply wood for the funeral pyres.
Mourning and sorrow were in the air
as the nymphs and the dryads died with
the falling of their homes And then at
last things became so terrible that the
living sought no more to bury their
dead.
One day the king sat in his garden.
11G WAS SlCh dU LII hlo ouDJSSe1
were nearly all dead or dying. AS he
sat there he looked on a tree, alive with
busy ants, which alone seemed exempt
from the Sickness And as he looked the
king cried out in his anguish:
sob, Jove, mighty father, if indeed
thou art my father, lift this curse from
off my land. and give me back again
my faithful followers! Or, if thou canst
not do that, give me men like these
ants, who toll and suffer notP'
AS he finished his duplication shaft
of lightning, followed by heavy thun-
derbolt, rent the dark stiffness.
"Ah!' cried the king, raising his
eyes to the skies. ''Jove sends me an
omen! My prayer is heardP'
And from very WEAKNESS, Aacus
dropped his head in his hands and
slumbered.
Then a strange thing happened OF
seemed to happen to the sleeping man.
He saw again the tree, filled with busy
ants, and as he looked they grew in size
larger and larger, and forming into file
came down from the tree. Then trans
SttLlcu w bdhC PieiSC' AiSlSoN
of ants the busy workers seemed to grow
to the form and stature of men, strong,
sturdy, well adapted to labor. Down
they came, in twos and tours, passing
ever onward, and there seemed to be nC
end to the procession.
At last the king awoke and moaneo
aloud
ooh, Jove, wherefore send ye me such
dreams to try my spirit more? Rather
let me sleep forever and live in thai
dream than wake again to desolatior
and sorrowp'
But while he spoke Eacus seemed t.
hear a loud murmur outside the garden
and then his son came running to him
crying joyfully:
'Sire, come out and see the wonder
that is! Higher than your hopes, greater
than you could think, is that which ha'
come to passp'
Eacus went from the garden, ant
there before him he beheld a multitude
even as he had in his dream. And they
came and bowed down before him ant
hailed him as their king.
Then was his heart glad, and when HI