Bellows Falls times. [volume] (Bellows Falls, Vt.) 1856-1965, 1899-08-23
! FROM THE ACORN
How a Wise Brahman
Taught Beautiful
Lesson.


To an ancient, pious Brahman was a
grandson born. Full of joy at the bless
ing which had again happened to his
house, he said: 81 will go out hence and
thank the great spirit and father of ma
ture, who has blessed us. Perhaps he
may give me opportunity to honor him,
even through one good deed"
So spoke the Brahman and went. The
blossom of pure joy is gratitude and it's
fruit benevolence.
With the lively feeling of honoring the
great and benefcent spirit, the old man
stepped into the fields, and, in the shade
of the trees, each of his thoughts was
prayer. Still sparkled the drops of
freshly fallen shower ON stalks, blossoms
and leaves.
Although he had already seen the
spring 80 times, nature seemed to him
again made young and fairer than ever,
for she grows not old to him who re-
veres her creator and recognizes in the
figure the benevolent sculptor.
The old man set on his way forward
and on the beaten path he found an
acorn. The rain had already, through it's
fertilizing power, sent the germ forth,
and the shell burst asunder, but it could
not take root on the hard, bare path. He
stopped, took it up and said:
How charming it is to be brought thus
far on my way, for easily hadst thou
been trodden in pieces by the foot of the
wanderer or withered by the solar rays.
| Happy shall be if 1 can here do a good
work and, by deed, fulfill my inward SEN
| timent and the aim of wise nature ad-
| vance, who with each breath shows a
| beneft-even the smallest thankfulness
| is a sweet duty"
A youngster who stood behind the oak
tree and who had caught up the words
| of the Brahman stepped forward and
| jeeringly smiled.
"Why smilest thouT asked the old
man.
| The youngster answered, "At thy child
ish thought, my elder, that thou canst
| rejoice at having rescued the life of an
acornW
"Youngster," said the Brahman, chow
| art thou able to know my thoughts, since
| today is the first time thou hast seen me?
| And why dost thou jeer at the small
service which intend to perform to ma
| ture? To her is the acorn worth as much
| as the tree, and without that this were
| not. Even virtue, my son, begins with
| the little and from this mounts upward
| to the great, but the nearer she ap-
| proaches to the completion of the original
| even so much the more she herself in
| clines to humility and simplicity, and
| then to her is worth the smallest as
much as the highest. Sends not Brahma,
| too, his ray and dew on the blade of
| grass as well as on the palm tree?"
| Thus spoke the old man with friendly
seriousness. The youngster silently with
| drew himself, full Of generation. He had
| seen the noble old man in his dignity,
and he wished to be like him, for frivol-
| ity itself must in its heart revere virtue.
The Brahman set forward on his way to
| hill which was overgrown round about
| with thorns. He met a peddler, who ask
| ed: '"Thinkest thou that out of an acorn
| thou canst rear tree for thyself? Thou
| wilt indeed scarcely have the joy of its
| shade"
The old man answered.: Must one at
| the planting think only on the shade of
| the tree and on oneself? Does nature
| SO? My son, he who has not planted
| earlier than and before yesterday finds
| in the planting itself his motive and his
| JOY"
He came to the hill, on the peak Of
| which, among the thorns, he buried the
acorn and covered it carefully over with
earth and moss.
"Why plantest thou among thornsP
| called out a herdsman opposite to him.
"Thou carest badly for thy nursing"
| Friend" replied the Brahman, 80
| long as the little plant is tender and small
the thorns will shelter it from raw winds
| and injury, and when it grows up it will
work a way through for itself, for it is
| an oak My son, have obtained this of
nature. The good mother considers equal
| ly the tenderness and strength of her fos.
| ter children
| After the old man had completed his
| work he trod gayly on the way back to
| his homestead. As he drew near to his
hut his grandsons and -grandsons
| sprang toward him and asked, Where
| hast thou been so longp"
But he assembled them around him ard
| recounted all which had happened to him,
and the little children caressed the old
man while he spoke. The elder ones, how
ever, hung on his lips and hardened to
him.
"Oh," said the old man when he had
| finished, there is certainly no place fair
er than in the lap of nature, when the
father loves his offspring and in the quiet
circle of his family is beloved by his chill
dren. Yes, love Astounding Brahma"
| cried he, and glanced upward to heaven,
lin the quiet circle of nature and of do
nestle peace stands thy holy templeI"
The new planted oak soon grew forth
| out of the germ and raised itself up
above the thorns and became a spreading,
shady tree. There died the old man. and
his loved ones buried him on the hill, and
whenever they saw the tree and heard its
rustlings they were mindful of the life
and wise sayings of the Brahman, even to
the latest times, and recited from him
and sought to become like him, for the
word of wise man is as a grain of corn
in fruitful ground.-Boston Globe.
Duty is what goes most against the
grain, because in doing that we do only
what we are strictly obliged to and are
seldom much praised for lila Bru-