A CHINESE PARABLE.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XII, Issue 19, 22 January 1877, Page 4

A CHINESE PARABLE.

; ■■■ A JtkSj baa taketi translate froth the Ciiinese ttfe follow! ■■ ing parable, which points a moral thai mayf teeretf,:'^ valuable ;, leiao^l to th^ Occident aa well aa the Or feat:— Fohi, in the course of his wander-* ings, coming toih village, knocked at the door of a rioh woman and beggeol p^rmiaaioa to eater, r '* W&atl " -sakj ah<YVdoyou th.nkl receive^ in. o my ' however/ irovlng Va^aynd?' -^Noi indeed it would be unbefitting a ref apectable wonX^^.^jroar way ! " ! Then he went to the cottage of a poor woman, who at once kindly; begged hica to enter* She/set .before , m& 'tire bfoy fo6d c she hU) : x a? goat's milk, broke a piece of bread into it, and said, "May Fohi bless it that w^ may both have enough!'- - She then prepared for him a coach of straw; and when he fell aaleep, perf ceiving that ho had no shirt, she sa^ up all nigbt and made him one out of some linen she had made by her own hard labor; in the morning aha brought it to him, begging he wodd not despis^ her poor gift. After breakfast, she accompanied him a little way; and ai parting, Fohi said, "May the first work you undertake last until th^ evening! " j When she got home she began to measure ber linen, to see how mucli was left; and she went on measuring and did not come to the end of it until tbe evening, when her bouse and yara were full oi linen; in short she did not know what to do with her wealth; Her rich neighbor, seeing this, wai sorely vexed, and resolved that such good fortune should not escape from her again. j After some months, the traveller came ouee more to- the village; -shi went to meet him, pressed him to go -her bouse,- treated him to the' tieat' food she had, and in the- morning broughi him as¥irtof fine liaet., which she had made some timf before; but r all night she kept a caudle burning in!* her room ; that thastracger, if ; he awoke, . might suppose ahe was making his shirt. After bieakfaat she accompaaiedr him out of the viHhgg; bad whoa they parted, hej aaidi' '• May the firat work you underjtake, Jast >ill ey.ening { " . v ; j • &f.e went her Way hotUe, ih'iokini the whole time of her linen,, and, antic_j> paling r its wonderful ' ihcirease ; but just, then her cowa began to low. ,"Be« fore.'! measure mj ;li.neny". said|;s|iei "I will quickly fetch the c&'wd somi #ater.''Y v - ! - } ;^ : V' : X^l^l'TLOU j But when she poured the waaer iatd tfae'trdhghj her piil never eiiipeietl;' sh^ went on pouring, the 'stresta 'increased, and soon her house and yard were aU under 'water; the ueigbbors complaiaed that every thing was ruined ; the cattle ;.wire dr6wbed, : and with 'difficult^ she "saved her own life,' for the J |?ater y neye|r ceased flowing until the setting of (he fajfl-:i".f; ■■'■*. ,'.-] j i