A FABLE FOR THE TIMES. A CORRESPONDENT whose letter is too
lugubrious to bepublished seems to think that, because we are determined not to adopt the Mrs. Gummidge attitude, therefore we have not been aware of the need of prepara- tion, and have supported our Governments in their neglect of such preparation, either before the war or during the war. Perhaps the best answer to him is to reprint our fable of "The Ass, the Phoenix, and the Philanthropist," which we published on November 9th, 1912, a period when the newspapers which are now adopting so melancholic a tone were cheerfully optimistic, and made no serious attempt to draw public attention to our want of preparation. We may add that, as we have pointed out on previous occasions, when we made a great effort in 1909 to get the Government and the country to adopt the true munitions policy of keeping a reserve of a million rifles always ready in this country, we did not receive any support from the .Daily Mail and other newspapers that are now crying over spilt milk, alarming our allies, and making those neutrals who at heart desire to join us frightened lest they should be coming in on the losing side.
FABLES FOR THE TIMES.
THE ASS, THE PHCENIX, AND THE PHILANTHROPIST. (Dedicated to Lord Roberts.)
A Phoenix once visited an Ass at his house, situated on an island and surrounded by many fine stacks of hay. "I have called," said the Phoenix, " to remind you that your fire insurance is very low, so low, indeed, that if you were burned out you could not possibly replace this noble house and these splendid stacks." The Ass was perturbed, but also annoyed, at these words.
" Why," said he, "do you want to bother me like this and put
me to such terrific extra expense P I have gone on comfortably enough for many years with my present insurance and done very well and never had any serious losses. What was good enough in the past ought to be good enough in the present and; the future."
"forget," said the Phoenix, "what a large number of bad characters there are about just now, and how ready they are to set fire to houses and stacks and so ruin honest men. The Turkey's roost Was burned down only last night, and yet she thought herself perfectly safe." "But," said the Ass, though beginning to waver, "consider the expense and worry. I really must think of my peer children. I should be taking the hay out of their mouths "—and with that he turned up the whites of his eyes and looked very solemn.
"I don't pretend that the expense and worry are not heavy," said the Phoenix, "but they will certainly not ruin you. Why, you could save it out of the money you now waste by your extra- vagant way of feeding. If you preserved the good hay that you and your children every day trample down and waste, you could easily pay the extra premium."
" 1" said the Ass, "you are quite mistaken there. Liberty is my watchword, and if you take away my liberty and the liberty of my family to eat what we like, how wo like, and when we like, we shall become more serfs and life won't be worth living. Any- thing is better than such misery. Fools may call it discipline and thrift—I call it Slavery." "I agree," said the Phoenix, "that you ought to keep your liberty, but in reality you would have much more security for freedom if you were properly insured. No bankrupt is ever a free man."
At this moment a Philanthropist who was passing hurried up and exclaimed to the Phoenix : " What is all this P What do you mean, you abandoned bird, by worrying that unfortunate Ass ? You ought to be ashamed of yourself for trying to persuade him to give up his dearly bought liberty. You are a disgrace to humanity, or to the ashes, or whatever else it is from which you spring. Besides you are probably in the pay of the capitalists."
Turning to the Ass he went on : "There is not the slightest
reason why you should upset yourself or feel anxious about the nonsense which the Phoenix has talked to you. His words are only prompted by his own selfish interests. He lives by Fire, and Insurance encourages Fire. You are quite right, too, in thinking that ho wants to make you a slave. As to his suggestion that there are people who want to burn down your home and your hay ricks, I never heard anything so wicked. Do assured that his vapourings about bad characters are all lids. Your neighbours no more want to burn down your house than you want to burn down theirs. But remember they are only too likely to take it as an insult if, as the Phoenix suggests, you insure against them. In that case they are very likely to come and do the exact thing you want to prevent them doing. You will be in greater, not less, danger if you hurt their feelings and rouse their evil passions by acting in this Provocative manner. Have the courage to be free. Listen, however, and I will tell you how you can get all the security you require without any of the painful sacrifices which haV:e been so cruelly demanded of you. I have a sovereign plan for avoiding the evils of fire and for arming your mind against the anxious thoughts that the Phoenix has put into it. Whenever you feel low or have any sense of danger or depression, bray as loud as you can and keep saying over to yourself 'Nobody wants to hurt me. Nobody would be so wicked as to do me an injury when I do not want to injure them.' This will soon banish'all dis- turbing thoughts from your mind, and make you sleep in perfect security. Bray ! bray 1 bray! whenever you feel alarmed !"
At this the Ass felt much relieved and, braying in the most consolatory and self-satisfying manner, kicked the Phoenix out of doors.
Two days after, the Philanthropist again passed that way, and found the Ass sitting bruised, bleeding, and dejected by a heap of smoking ruins.
" This is a very sad sight, my friend," said the Philanthropist. "What has happened to you P I am afraid you forgot to bray as I told you and to suggest to yourself that nobody could ever be so wicked as to hurt yeti. " "Indeed I did not," said the poor Ass. "I brayed exactly as you told me, loud and long, and look at the result ! "I cannot understand it," faltered the Philanthropist. "Some- thing must have gone wrong." Then brightening up he added "But never mind, whatever happens 1'11 never lose faith in braying."
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