The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1919-11-20
THE CONQUEST
 0F THE HORSE
By Rabinadranath Tagore

when a new idea struck him.
 He sent for the storekeeper and said: o, keeper of the stores, bring to my. factory a quantity of each of the five elements. For I am ready to . create another creature Lord of the : universe the storekeeper replied, ] when in the first flush of creative extrayagance you began to turn out sucH* congregations as elephants and whales and 4pythons and tigers, you took nc" count, of the stock. Now, all ! the clements that have density and force are 3nearly used up. The supply of earth and water and fire has be- come inconveniently scanty, while of air and ether there is as much as is good for usta and a good deal more.
 The fodr-headed diety looked per plexed and pulled at his four pairs oS moustaches- At last he said, The ffxnitedness of; material gives all the more scope to originality. Send me whatever yoh have left ? This time Brahma was excessively sparing with the earth, water, and fire. The znew creature was not given < either horns or claws, and his teeth were only meant for: chewing; not for i. biting. The prudent care with which fire was used in his formation made him necessary in war without Inak- : ing his warHke-
 This animal was the Horse
 The reckless expenditure of air and ether, which went. into his com position, was amazing And in con- sequence he perpetuaI1y struggled to outreach the wind to outrun space it. self. The other animals run only when they have a reason, but the horse would run for nothing what fn n11+ nf h skin. He had no desire to chase or to kill, but only to fly on and on until he dwindled into a dot, melted into a swoon, blurred into a shadow, and vanished into vacancy
 The Creator was glad He had giy- en for his other creatures habita- tiors-to some the forests to others the caves But in his enjoyment of the dfsin t5rested spirit or speec in the Horse, he gave him an open meadow under the very eye of heaven
 By the; side Of this meadow lived : Man, has. his delight in pi1laging and bling up things. And he is never happy till these grow into a burden. So when he saw this new creative pursuing the wind and kicking at the sky, he said to himself: If only can bind and secure this Horse, I can use his broad back for carrying my loads
 So one day he caught the Horse.
 Then man put a saddle on the Horses back and spiky bit in his mouth He regularly had hard rub ping and scrubbing to keep him fit, and there were the whip and spurs to remind him that it was wrong to have his own will
 Man also put high walls around the Horse, lest if left at large in the open the creature might escape him. So it came to pass that while the Tiger who had his forest remained in the forest, the Lion who had his cave remained in the cave, the Horse who once had the open meadow come to spend his days in a stable. Air and ether had reused the Horse longings for deliverance, but they swiftly de- livered him into bondage.
 When he felt that bondage did not suit him, the Horse kicked at the stable walls
 But this hurt his hoofs much more than 1t hurt the wall Still some of lost its beauty.
 Man felt aggrieved.
 '<what ingratitude' he cried. Do I not give him food and dr1nK: Du not keep high1y-paid men-servants to watch over him day ana night? Indeed he is hard to please
 In their dea~erate attempts to please the Horse, the nen-servants fell upo1. him and 50 vigorously ap- piled all tEsir winning methods that he lost his power to kick and a great deal more besides.
 The Man called his friends and fo1ef13er and said fa them exu1tfngly- Friends. did you ever see so devoted a steed as mine?'
 sNever!' they replied. He seems as still as ditch water and as mild as the religion you profess
 The Horse, as is well known. had no horns, no claws, nor adequate teeth, at his birth. And, when on top of this all kicking at the walls and even into emptiness had been stopped the only way to give vent to his feelings was to neigh.
 But that disturbed Mans sleep.
 Moreover. his neighing was not likely to impress the neighbors as a paean of devotion and thankfulness. So Man invented devices to shut the Horses mouth.
 But the voice cannot be aItogeth- CT suppressed so long as the mistake : is made of leaving any breath in the body. Therefore spasmodic sound of moaning came from his throat now and then.
 One day this noise reached Brah- mas ears.
 The Creator woke up from his meditation. It gave htm a start when he glanced at the meadow and saw no sign of the Horse.
 This is ali your doing cried Brah- ma, in anger to Yana, the God ot Death. You have taken away the Horsep
 Lord of all ereaturest Death re- piled: All your worst suspicious you keep only for me. But. most of the calamities in your beautiful world will be explained if you turn your eyes in the direction of man.
 Brahna looked below. He saw g small enclosure. walled in. from which the dolorous moaning Of his Horse came fitfu1ly.
 Brafana frowned in anger.
 Unless you set free my horse,' said he, I shall take care that he grows teeth and claws like the Tiger
 That would be ungodly.' cried Man sto sencourage fcrocfty. All the. same if Isnnay speak plain truth about a :. IL: