I love some of the old stories that have come down through the centuries. It may be just me but some of those early writers seem to be much better at it than a lot of us these days.
Edward Fudge tells this story:
"One day through the primeval wood, a calf walked home as good calves should. But made a trail all bent askew, a crooked trail as all calves do.
Since then 300 years have fled, and I infer the calf is dead. But still he left behind his trail-and thereby hangs my moral tale.
The trail was taken up next day by a lone dog that passed that way. And then a wise bellwether sheep pursued the trail o'er vale and steep, and drew the flock behind him, too, as good bellwethers always do.
And from that day, o'er hill and glade, through those old woods a path was made. And many men wound in and out, and dodged and turned and bent about, and uttered words of righteous wrath because 'twas such a crooked path.
Edward Fudge tells this story:
"One day through the primeval wood, a calf walked home as good calves should. But made a trail all bent askew, a crooked trail as all calves do.
Since then 300 years have fled, and I infer the calf is dead. But still he left behind his trail-and thereby hangs my moral tale.
The trail was taken up next day by a lone dog that passed that way. And then a wise bellwether sheep pursued the trail o'er vale and steep, and drew the flock behind him, too, as good bellwethers always do.
And from that day, o'er hill and glade, through those old woods a path was made. And many men wound in and out, and dodged and turned and bent about, and uttered words of righteous wrath because 'twas such a crooked path.
But still they followed the first migrations of that calf, who through this winding woodway stalked because he wobbled when he walked.
This forest path became a lane, that bent and turned and turned again. This crooked lane became a road, where many a poor horse with his load toiled on beneath the burning sun, and traveled some three miles in one. And thus a century and a half they trod the footsteps of that calf.
The years passed on in swiftness fleet. The road became a village street; and this, before men were aware, a city's crowded thoroughfare. And soon the central street was this of a renowned metropolis. And men two centuries and a half trod in the footsteps of that calf.
Each day a hundred thousand rout followed this zigzag calf about, and over his crooked journey went the traffic of a continent.
A hundred thousand men were led by one calf, near three centuries dead. They followed still his crooked way, and lost 100 years a day. For thus such reverence is lent to well established precedent.
A moral lesson this might teach were I ordained and called to preach. For men are prone to go it blind along the calf paths of the mind, and work away from sun to sun to do what other men have done.
They follow in the beaten track, and out and in, and forth and back, and still their dubious course pursue, to keep the path that others do.
They keep the path a sacred groove, along which all their lives they move. But how the wise old woods do laugh, who saw the first primeval calf.
Ah, many thing this tale might teach, but I am not ordained to preach!"
I think there might be a lesson there for all of us
z35W7z4v9z8w
