The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1910-07-14
THE STING OF A BEE.

An Eastern fable tells of a potentate
who demanded that there should be
brought to him the stings Of a thousand
bees killed because one of their colony
had dared commit lese majesty by
singing the hand of ROYALTY. When
they were brought in a tiny golden
thimble the king was so amazed to find
that a thousand of the hYpodermic
points made such little mass that he
issued manifesto to the effect that
thereafter no person within the bounds
of the kingdom should complain at the
sting of bee. The lesson of the fable
is that petty annoyances hurt because
they are exaggerated in the mind, that
when they are seen in their actual pro-
portions they are so slight as to merit
only contempt. How much comfort
would come to the majority of persons
if they could but see the tiny size of
the bee stlngs that leads them to acts
of petulance, words of anger, express
oANIAo VI 1SpIOdClls 1IC UGt sung dill
noyances have caused lifelong breaches
of friendship, they have broken up fam
lilies and caused anger and resentment
to take the place of love and fealty.
The big burdens of life often reflect the
nobility of their bearers. The heavy
tasks impart a benediction upon the
toiler, the large duties and responsible
ties confer a distinction, but the little
things the petty things-how they do
wear the spirit and how irksome do
they become. 1t does not do to deny
the hurt of the bee, it does not do to
say that one is imperYious to the stings
of insects. 1t does no good, upon the
other hand, to permit the sting to be
magnified by the mind How much bet
ter to see the instrument of ones an
noyance in its proper proportions and
then to assume an attitude of contempt
Tor IT, - MAINTAIN oneself flee
from the anger, pain and annoyance
that it causes. One may thus become
immune to the sting of the bee. Not
actually so, but he may find out that
some sweetness turks in the compost
ton of even those who delight to hurt.
The power to regard the annoyances of
life as indications that there is sweet
ness at hand, to seek to derive the good
rather than complain at the evil is the
true philosophy of existence. How
puny are the stings of this existence as
contrasted with the benefits that life
brings everyone. How insignificant
the annoyances as contrasted with the
pleasures of life. Those who would
complain about the petty infections and
the contemplate acts of their fellows
towards them have only to look for the
hive and they will be rewarded.
1t is a wonderful faculty to see things
in their proportions and not magnify the
evil and ignore the good. The good is
a thousand times greater than the evil,
the blessings of life many times more
than the ills of existence, yet one must
learn to seek for the one and bear with
the other.
1t is difficult to take this view of life.
Many who can sustain the sings and
arrows of outrageous fortunes cry out
against the sting of the bee. Yet when
one comes to realize how silly, how
wrong is much Of the distress evidenced
over the sting of the bee, the little an
noyance and the infection may be made
hint of the stores of honey ready for
ones cleaning. Few are the graver
troubles, numerous the little annoy
ances, the actual and Anticipated sting
of the bee. Kidding oneself of the
spirit of complaint over trivialities
learn to seek the golden stores of honey
that are found in every Way of life.