FOR THE CHILDREN"

Gisborne Times, Volume XXVII, Issue 2670, 27 November 1909, Page 4 (Supplement)

FOR THE CHILDREN"

THE FABLES OF BUDDHA. There was once a , King of Persia who read that on wio mountains of India - " was , ® tree wliich gave a medicine tliut brought the dead to life. The king f3\?nt liis chief physician to India to get some, of this medicine, and 'the physician met a- wise man who said: “Your king d*d not understand the book. By the mountains of India are meant the greatest of her wise men. The Tree of uno is the wisdom that grows from their minds, and their writings are the medicine which brings the dead tel life. The wise man then gave the physician a book of fables. This book of fables has been translated into many languages. Some of its tales were composed by the Buddha, the great religious teacher, and others were collected by Buddhist monks, about 2,300 years ago. Here are some of the stories : THE STRONGEST THING. An Indian magician was walking one evening by the bank of the Ganges, when an owl flew by, oarring in its beak a little mouse. Being frightened it dropped the mouse, and the magician, who< was a kind-hearted man, took the little creature home, and healed it. and changed it into a- very beautiful girl. “Now, mv dear,” he said, “I must find you a husband. Whom would you like to marry I am a great magician, able to perform wonderful things, and I can carry out your slighest with.” The adopted daughter of the magician seemed pleased; her eyes twinkled. “I should like to marry the most pew. orful being in the universe,” she sa d. “There is nothing in the universe more powerful than the Sun,” said the magician. “I will marry him to you.” So he asked the Sun to marry her. . ‘l‘ am not the most powerful being,” said the Sun. “Look at the great Cloud that covers me and hides my light. He is far greater and stronger than I.” “Well, you must marry my adopted daughter,” said the magician to the Cloud. “There’s somebody stronger than I,” said the Cloud. “Trie Wind, tossss me about just os he pleases.” But the magician found that the Wind was not as powerful as the Mountain which towered, terraoe upon terrace, right up into the sky, and stopped the fiercest tempest. “And there’s somebody stronger than I,” said the Mountain. “Look at the Mouse which bores holes in my side, and lives there whether I like it or not. All my strength will not frighten him away.” The magician was grieved at the result of his enquiries. He feit sure that his adopted daughter would never stoop so low r as to marry a Mouse. To his great surprise, however, she was delighted to hear that the Mouse was the strongest creature in the world. So the magician changed her back into mouse, the shape in which he found her, and the two were hapiiilv married. You can alter one’s appearance, but that does not alter their nature. THE WISE AND FOOLISH FAIRIES. V When the Fairies of the Tree set out to choose their dwelling-places, some were wise and some were foolish. The wise fairies shunned the trees that stood alone in open fields, and settled in a thick forest. But the foolish fairies said: “Why should we crowd together in a forest Let us go and live in lonely trees near •villages, where men will bring us gifts.” But one night a great tempest swept over the country. The lonely trees were blown down, and' the foolish fair-, ies became homeless. But the great, dense forest resisted t-lie fury of the storm, and none of the trees there were injured. And the wise fairies said to the foolish fairies: “People should stand united like a forest. It- is only the solitary tree growing unurotect-ed upon the bleak downs, or in open fields that is overthrown or broken by a storm.” Union is strength. THE CRANE AND THE WISE CRAB. A Crane grew too old and feeble to catch the fish that lived in a lake close to his nest. So he resolved to do by cunning what he could no longer do by force. And he said to a crab in the lake: “My dear friend, whatever will you and all the fishes do now ? Some men are coming presently to drain every drop of water out of a lake. You'-u all be caught- and killed!” On hearing this dreadful news, all the fishes assembled to try . and find some way of escape.. £ > . “I have thought of a- plan,” said the cunning old Crane. “Of course, I eat one or two of you now and then; but IMpn’t want you to perish in a heap for want of water. What" good would that do to me? Now - , there is a large pond just a few hundred yards away. Let me carry you, one by one, in iiiy beak to this safe place.”

The fishes, got] an; old carp to go with, the' Crane and seo'if" there was such a pond. The Crane took him very gently in his beak and showed him the njgjri stretch of water, and then put hitff back among his companions, and when the fishes heard about the pond they cried: ,${ '“Very well, Mr. Crane; you can take us all with you!’ The cunning old Crane meant to tako the fishes one by one in his beak, anti eat them under a tree far away from the pond; but, unhappily for him, he ■ began with the wise Crab. “Come along,” he said to the Crab, “and let me take you in my beak to the new pond.” “I don’t like to trust myself in your beak,” said the Crab. “You might Jet me fall and break my shell. We crabs have a famous grip. Let me catch hold of you round the neck, and then you can take me.” The Crane did not see that the Crab was trying to outwit -him, and agreed to the proposal. But when the Crab was fixed on his neck, instead of going to the pond, he went to the tree. “Where is the pond?” said the Crab. “Pond?” said the wicked old Crane. “Do you think I’m taking ' all this trouble for nothing? Tile whole thing is just a trick for catching you and the other fishes, one bv one, and eating you.” “Just what I thought,” said the Crab. And he drove, his claws into the neck of the wicked old Crane and killed him. . The wicked and the cunning are always caught in their own traps-