ORIGINAL FABLES.

Otago Witness, Issue 1956, 20 August 1891, Page 37

ORIGINAL FABLES.

By D. G.

THE DISCONTENTED SEA SHELLS.

On a glorious summer morning a troop of happy children might have been seen disporting themselves upon a lovely stretch of ocean beach. The sand was looking at its very best, for the gently-ebbing tide, as it gradually receded, left to view hundreds of pretty pebbles and sea shells shimmering in the lovely sunshine and snugly esconsed within the golden sand ; whilst the children, as they followed with their bare feet the receding waves, were searching for the pretty Bea shells, and calling out in ecstacy one to another, " Oh, here's a pretty one 1 " " Oh, isn't this lovely! " &c, &c.

No wonder the stony nature of the shells beoame somewhat amenable to such delightful influences, and one more susceptible than the rest became extremely anxious that one of the girls should take a fancy to him. He was certainly very pretty, of a delicate chalky white, and as the moisture from his recent bath reflected the sun's rays, he looked very enticing. Two or three of the children were now close beside him, and he, thinking "Surely they must admire me," was all anxiety to be picked up ; but what was hiE chagrin to hear one say, " Now, no more white ones; we just want pink ones if we can find them," and so they passed on. " Oh, how I wish I was pink ! " he exclaimed. " How horrible to be lying here all unappreciated just becauselam white." Nosooner had he ma4e his complaint than, lo! his wish was granted, and he became pink. "Ah, now," said he, all tremulous with delight, " I shall be more appreciated," and to his great joy he could see some more of his happy band coming along. Eagerly did he listen for some remarks favourable to his desires, but all he heard was, " Oh, I wish I could find some of those lovely pale blue ones " ; and the speaker passed close by the shell which had just been changed without taking any notice of him. This was a terrible disappointment, and again the shell made complaint, desiring to be of the pale blue fraternity ; and again his wish was granted. And now another party of merry girls, came by, and once more is hope aroused within the shell, and that now he may find a resting place in some fair hand. How keen was his disappointment and regret when he overheard the maidens saying, " Oh, we must get some of those pretty white and pink ones. I think they are the best after all." The

poor shell was nearly heartbroken now, and he didn't know what to do, or what to wish for, when jusfc then a horseman came riding along, and the horse treading upon the poor discontented shell, sent him right down beneath the sand, out of all hopes of ever being seen and taken home by any of the gentle visitors to the seaside. Moeal : Discontent and envy always come to grief.

of him as acurate in Paddington, Marylebone, and Enfield, as rector of Newington, as vicar of Kensington, besides being honorary chaplain to the head of the church, who has now so kindly remembored him ; rural dean and chaplain to the Bishop of London ; and, finally, or rather "penultimately, Bishop of Lichfield.

The Hon. and Rev. Edward Oair Glyn, who is apparently to succeed Dr Maclagan as bishop of Lichfield, a3 he succeeded him at Kensington, is neither a great preacher, a profound, scholar, nor a brilliant theologian. But he has been a successful parish priest, and is not lest popular in the court euburb than his immediate predecessor. A Liberal Evangelical, he has been on the best of terms with all his parishioners, and it has been under his auspices that the permanent church of St. Paul's has been erected. He is a good organiser, and a man of most serene temper, who never rubs up anyone the wrong way. No Lord Mayor of London during the present century was more popular than Sir Robert Fowler, whose sudden death from heart disease staitled a great many people with its suddenness. This was because Sir Eoberb, whatever his crotchets — and he had some — was a simple-minded, upright, unaffected, English gentleman, who never said an unkind word of anyone, and never did an unkind action. With aU bis simplicity of manners, which he carried into the House of Commons, and indeed observed in all the relations of life (including his dress), Sir Kobert Jwas an exceptionally able man. He took his degree of M.A. in 1850, he became a Fellow of his college in 1886, he was a banker of considerable eminence, a philanthropist, an excellent magistrate, and he discharged his Parliamentary duties with assiduity and conscientiousness. He belonged emphatically to the old school — th« good old school — »nd his death causes a vacancy in the House of Commons which will not be easily filled by any successor who may be elected. M. Cahours, the distinguished French chemist, has died at an advanced age. He was one of that wonderful band of chemists that, early in this century in Germany, England, and France, raised the vast structure of organic chemistry, and, as an old man, he must have retained all the ardent interesfe,of his youth in original research, to judge by the provisions of his will, for he has left £4000 to assist young chemists without fortune or salaried positions in original investigation. It is so usual in this question of endowment of research to find the scientific man dunning Government or the wealthy to put their hands into their pocket for the resistance of research that it

is a pleasant change to find a scientfic man able to show his good faith and disinterestedness by paying down the money himself. As a rule the scientific men who talk most about Government and private monetary assistance for science are the men who deny themselves least, but Oahours has shown himself ,an exception ; yet the question remains whether his money will really do more good than harm in the long run.