Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1921-05-08
THE PARABLE OF SEE
ING THE ELEPHANT.

ING THE ELEPHANT.
/ THERE came unto me q man whc
Z was in perplexity. And he sad,
have given up the attempt TO under.
stand Life. ! believe the old hymn
/ which saith,
This world i all a Fleeing Show,
For mans illusion given;
And | said unto him, ! have had
the advantage Of a College Educa-
ton. And among the things that I
learned in college was song which
said;
The elephant now walks round,
The band begins to play;
The boys before the monkeys cage
Had better keep away.
For the elephant now walks round.
And thus did the song proceed,
forever citing the Fact itself as the
Explanation Of the Fact That is the
philosophy of the Ding an Sich, which
mcaneth, the Thing-in-Itself.
And he said, That is Fool SONG.
and is hardly worth four years Of
College
And I said, Consider the Ding an
Sch, the Elephant. He is the Thesis.
He is tangible ponderable, undeni-
able Reality. But behold how he
fesolveth himself into an Antithesis.
even as Hegel taught He IS not Sta
tick. He walketh around. That
should prepare US for an Hegelian
Synthosis, And he is not unrelated.
He IS preceded by the Band. and
followed by the Monkeys in their
Cage. That suggesteth Einste:n's
Relativity. But consider also the
Boys Wherefore should they keen
away from the Cage Of Monkeys? Is
that thcorem referable to Ethicks or
to Caauistry or to Political Economy?
i it were not for the Boys with their
Peanuts and their Quarters. the
Elephants We're not mere. but in
ETHIOPIA. And in that event, would
he be the same Elephant? Is a
Wild Elephant, in Ethiopia the same
Elephant as an Elephant at the same
time in Jersey City CT in Kalamazoo?
Can we answer save as we % back TO
Plato, and discover the Ideal Ele-
chant who IS before all Particular
And he said, Much learning hath
made thee mad. Thou and Plato
and Hegel and Eeinstein. and all
those other old boys are q Bunch of
Nuts. ''N'
And | said, am not 50 mad as
those who give up the problem, or
who have not the courage to think if
through. Neither am content to
explain the Fact by the Fact as
doth the Song.
As ! said, l have sat in for some
lme at this Greatest Show on Earth,
and l have ceased trying 70 explain
t by reckoning with the Elephant
ma the Camels and the Asses and
he He-goats and the Ringmasters and
he clowns and the Acrobats. Above
hem all, yea, above the Ringmasters
md the BillstickeTs is the Owner, who
olanneth and accomplished.
And the man said, What thou saw
'st Listencth good to me.
and I said am not yet finished 7
am more than q spectator on Iifp'o
1ieachers | am part Of the Show
humble is my Stunt. ! leap through
70 Hoops and do not perform on
ne flying trapeze. Yet do / seek to
make my round in the saw-dust orbit
II this Highly Moral Performance as |
m Honest man may and ought, and
o do mine humble part so that when
come round again to the place
where / entered the ring, whether
men applaud me or no, | shall have
made life's show to every man and
woman | have known a little bette, |
Worth the price Of admission plus |
he war tax.
And he said, did not quite get
hee in all that lingo about Einstein |
and Plato, but what thou now saw
st understand, and thou art Dead |
Right. WILLIAM f. BARTON.