The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1900-02-01

he has SOrrOwed much. The eyes must
be washed with tears that are to be-
hold me, and, according as q man has
suffered, speak,
"And the hunter cried:
"'Oh, you who have lived here so
long, tell me. what is that great wild
bird have seen sailing in the blue I
They would have me believe she is a
dream, the shadow of my own head
1.-THE old man smiled.
"'Her name Is Truth. He who has
once seen her never rests again. Till
death he desires her.
"And the hunter cried:
"'Oh. tell me where may find her!
"But the man said:
"'You have not suffered enough and
went.
"Then the hunter took from his
breast the shuttle Of Imagination and
wound on it the thread Of his Wishes,
and all night he sat and wove a net.
''In the morning he spread the golden
net open on the ground, and into it he
threw a few grains Of credulity, which
his father had left him and which he
kept in his breast pocket. They were
like white puffballs. and when you trOd
on them a brown dust flew out. Then
he sat by to see what would happen.
The first that came into the net was a
snow white bird, with doves eyes, and
he sang beautiful song. "A human
God, a human God, a human God! it
sang. The second that came was black
and mystical, with dark, lovely eyes,
that looked into the depths Of your
soul, and be sang only this-'ImmOr-
tality!'
"And the hunter took them both in
his arms. for he said:
"They are surely Of the beautiful
family of Truth
"Then came another, green and gold,
who sang in shrill voice, like one cry
ing in the market place, Reward after
death, reward after death!'
"And he said:
"'You are not so fair, but you are
fair, too and he took it.
"And others came, brightly colored,
singing pleasant songs till all the
gathered all his birds together and
built a strong iron cage, called a new
creed, and put all his birds in it.
"Then the people came about, dane
ing and singing.
"'Oh, happy hunter! they cried. oh,
wonderful man! Oh. delightful birds!
Oh, lovely songs!
mo one asked where the birds had
come from nor how they had been
caught, but they danced and sang be-
fore them. And the hunter, too, was
glad, for he said:
"'Surely Truth is among them. In
time she will mott her feathers. and
shall see her snow white FORM
But the time passed, and the people
sang and danced, but the hunters
heart grew heavy. He crept alone, as
Of old, to weep. The terrible desire
had awakened again in his breast. One
day, as he sat alone weeping, it chanc-
ed that Wisdom met him. He told the
old man what he had done.
"And Wisdom smiled sadly.
"'Many men, he said, have spread
that net for Truth, but they have never
found her. On the grains Of credulity
she will not feed; in the net of wishes
her feet cannot be held; IN the air Of
these valleys she will not breathe. The
birds you have caught are of the brood
Of Lies-lovely and beautiful, but still
lies. Truth knows them not
"And the hunter cried out in bitter
ness:
land must 1, then, sit still, to be
devoured of this great burningT
"And the old man said:
Listen. and in that you have suf-
fered much and-wept much l will tell
you what know. He who sets out to
search for Truth must leave these val
legs Of superstition forever, taking
with him not one shred that has be-
longed to them. Alone he must wan
der down into the Land Of Absolute
Negation and Denial. He must abide
there. He must resist temptation.
When the light breaks, he must arise
and follow it into the country of dry
sunshine. The mountains Of stern
reality will rise before him. He must
climb them. Beyond them lies Truth
"And he will hold her fast! He will
hold her in his hands! the hunter cried.
"Wisdom shook his head.
He will never see her, never hold
her. The time is not yet
"Then there is no hope? cried the
hunter.
"There Is this said Wisdom. Some
men have climbed on those mountains
circle above circle Of bare rock they
have scaled-and, wandering there in
those high regions, some have CHANGED
to pick up on the ground one white,
silver feather dropped from the wing
of Truth. And it shall come to pass
said the old man. raising himself
prophetically and pointing with his fin
ger to the sky-'it shall come to pass,
when enough of those silver feathers
shall have been gathered by the hands
of men and shall have been woven into
a cord, and the cord into a net, that in
that net Truth may be captured. Moth
ing but Truth can hold Truth
"The hunter arose. 4 will CO. he
said. ..s ~, "a F..
"But Wisdom detained him.
MARK you well-who leaves these
valleys never returns to them. Though