The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1906-06-08
PROVIDENCE
can Apologize by Victor Hugo.)

reason: / noticed a number of dead
bees living on the floor of the lookout
where l am accustomed to works
sight that I encounter every spring
The poor things had come in through
the open window. When the windows
were closed they found themselves
prisoners. Unable to see the trans
parent obstacle, they hurled them
selves against the glass panes on al
sides, north, east, south and west, un
til at last they fell to the floor ex
hausted, and died. But, yesterday,
noticed among the bees. great drone
much stronger than the bees, who was
far from being dead, the fine fellow !;
who. in fact was very much alive and
was dashing himself against the panes
with all his might, like the great beast
that he was. "Ah! my fine fellow,
said l, at would have been an evil
day for you had I not come to the
rescue. You would have been done
for, my fine fellow; before nightfall
you would be lying dead, and on COM
ing upstairs in the evening with my
lamp, would have found your poor lit
tie corpse among those of the other
bees. Come, now, like the Emperor
Titus, shall mark the day by good
deed; let us save tn insects life.
Perhaps in the eyes of God drone
is as valuable as a man, and without
any doubt it is more valuable than a
prince.
I threw open the window, and, by
means of a napkin, began chasing the
insect toward it; but the drone per-
sisted in flying in the opposite direc-
ton. l then tried to capture it by
throwing the napkin over it. When
the drone saw that l wished to cap
ture it: it lost it's head completely;
it bounded furiously against the glass
panes, as though it would smash them,
again and again against the glass.
took a fresh start, and dashed itself
Finally it flew the whole length of the
apartment, maddened and desperate.
"Ah. you tryant." it buZzed. "Despot!
you would deprive me of liberty!
Cruel executioner, why do you not
leave me alone? l am happy, and why
- ,-o,, nor.ao,1to MOP
After trying very hard, | brought it
down, and Selling it with the napkin,
I involuntary hurt it. Oh, how it tried
to avenge itself 1t darted out its
sting: it's little nervous body, con-
tractc by my En~e@s, strained itself
with all its strength in an attempt ITO
sting me. But l igncre It's protesta-
tons and, stretching nv land out the
window, opened the mai IA. For
moment the drone seemed stunned,
astonished; then it calmly took flight
out into the infinite.
Well, you see how | saved the drone.
was it's Providence. But (and here
is the moral of my story do we not,
stupid drones that we are, conduct
ourselves in the same manner toward |
he providence of God? We have our /
petty and absurd projects, our small |
and narrow views, our rash designs, |
whose accomplishment is either i'm
possible or injurious to ourselves.
Seeing no farther than our noses and
With our eyes fixed on our immediate
lin. we plunge ahead in our blind in
atuation, like madmen. We would
we would triumph; that is
o say, we would break our heads
against an invisible obstacle.
And when God, who sees all and
Who wishes to save US, upsets our de-
signs, we stupidity complain against
lin, we accuse his Providence. We
10 not comprehend that in Furnishing
is. in overturning our plans and caus-
O deliver us, to open the Infinite to
s.-Translated from Current Litra-
ure from Victor Hugo's posthumous
work.. LA Derniere Gerbe."