Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1908-10-10
FROM THE ACORN.

To an ancient. riouS Brahman was
grandson Torn. Full of joy at the
blessing which had again happened to
his house, he said: II will go out hence
and thank the Great Spirit and Father
of Nature. who has blessed us. Per-
haps 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 its fruit benevolence.
With the lively feeling of honoring
the great and benefcent spirit the CID
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 ninety times. Nature Demed to
him again made young and fairer than
ever, for she grows not old to him who
reveres 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
its fertilizing power sent the germ
forth, and the shell burst asunder, but
1t 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
can here do a good work and by deed
fulfill my inward sentiment and the
aim of wise nature advance, 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 for
ward and jeeringly smiled.
"Why smilest thou?" asked the old
man.
The youngster answered, cat thy
childish 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 l intend to
perform to Nature? 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 approaches
to the completion Of the original even
SO much the more she herself inclines
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 treeY
Thus spoke the old man with friend.
" seriousness. The youngster silent
~ withdrew himself, full Of venera-
ton. He had seen the noble old man
In his dignity, and he wished to be
lie him, for frivolity itself must In
Its heart revere virtue.
The Brahman set forward on his way
70 q hill which was overgrown round
about with thorns. He met peddler,
who asked: "Thinkest thou that out
Of an acorn thou canst rear a tree for
myself? 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 Ma
ture so? My son, he who has not
planted earlier than and before yester-
day finds in the planting itself his mo-
tive 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 thorns"
called out herdsman opposite to him.
'Thou carest badly for thy nursing"
Friend" replied the Brahman, $50
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, l
have obtained this of Nature. The
good mother considers equally the ten
derness and strength of her foster chill
dren"
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 great-grand-
sons sprang toward him and asked,
''Where hast thou been so long"
But he assembled them around him
and recounted all which had happened
to him, and the little children caressed
the old man while he spoke. The elder
ones, however, hung on his lips and
hardened to him.
"Oh," said the old man when he had
finished, ''there is certainly no place
fairer than in the lap of Nature, when
the father loves his offspring and in
the quiet circle of his family is be-
loved by his children. Yes, love abound
ing Brahma," cried he and glanced
upward to heaven, Gin the quiet circle