MESSAGE VERSUS MESSENGER.

White Ribbon, Volume 29, Issue 345, 18 March 1924, Page 8

MESSAGE VERSUS MESSENGER.

From “The Brawn,” U.B.A. Said the blue-crane to the seagull, as they conversed one day on the sands, “Why pride yourself so on your strength and your power of flight? Look at the grains of sand under our feet on this shore, on the thousands of shores in the world, at the sea-gulls in the air, and who, 1 beg* of you, can distinguish one sea-gull from another?” "Ah,” replied the sea-gull, “with what a limited vision you see. I have a mission in life; I point to heaven in my flight, and when the poor earthbound humans gaze up at me, circling in the blue, their thoughts rise to when* their bodies cannot follow, and they dream to aspire to that which is not of the earth. Heavenward I carry their thoughts, their slowly, so slowly, moving thoughts, as I fly so straight and swiftly above them. No other gull in this whole world knows in* is capable of carrying this message to hu inanity. Only when the careless, roving glanoe of a human being is caught and held by the beauty of my grace and the glint of the sun on my snowy wings, only when they see me. I toll you, crane, do their hearts lift upwards to the Highest. Is not that something to bo proud of, crane, I ask you? I, only I, can do this thing. “1 ook. there from the marshes conn* two of those poor humans, with those silly black sticks In their hands, that they love to use for the killing of om deluded cousins, the ducks. Watch me, crane I will fly toward them, plunge straight down, and then* circle up and up before them, and they will be so spell bound at the beauty anil grace of my flight that their hearts and souls will lift heavenward. Heavenward. and I. only T. ran do this thing.” Scarcely could the crane hear the last words, so swiftly had the seagull flown away. Straight to a point above the tw*o, the man and the girl, she soared. They lifted their heads and stopped to watch its approach High she circled, then down, and up and down again. The man moved; there was a fl.ash and a crash, and st might er and more swiftly than any flight for food or fun she had ever executed, the sea-gull plunged to the .-arth and lay motionless at the feet of the girl. For the space of a sharply drawn breath the girl stood speechless, then

turning on the man, gre y eyes liilrd with scorn and loathing, she cried in a voice that vibrated with the strength of her feeling: “That was not sport. It was a dead sure shot. The poor tiling had no chance. It was a silly little boy trick.” “Itear.” said the man. facing her scorn, and scarcely fighting down the laughter that it caused him. ”1 wanted to show you that I could kill something: no harm is done. (lulls are as numerous as the sands on the sea-shore. One useless sea-gull out of so many will never he missed.” “I wonder.” mused the blue crane aloud one day, as lie rested on the seashore. “I wonder what has become of the sea-gull, the mighty sea gull, the only one who had a message of lighl to carry to humanity; a message which only he, just he alone, out of so many sea-gulls, was destined to deliver. Perchance he is so busy circling in the air over men’s heads .and raising their thoughts to the Highest that he has no time to sport himself on our sunny, peaceful shore.” "I know.” said the pelican, overhearing the crane's mtisings. “T know what befell him T was resting in the reeds of the marsh, and T saw and heard it all. The man and the girl who go daily to the marshes to kill our cousins the ducks were returning home by my side of the mnrsh. and as this sea-gull rinded over their heads, rais Ing their thoughts to the Highest, the man tired, and the sea-gull fell dead at the feet of the girl, and she was angry because it was a dead shot, and the man laughed, and the girl wept, and said. ‘T love to watch the sea-gulls all over the world; they always seem so happy and carefree and safe; they make one think of what Heaven may perhaps be like. They lift my heart at times to things that are not of this earth.’ and the man said. ‘Dear, look In our rang" of vision now are millions of sea-gulls still flvlng in the air to carry their message to your heart. How may one poor sea-gull more or less affect this message?’ ” “It is ever thus," returned the blue crane, continuing her musings. “As soon as we think that we only T onh T, can carry’ this message to humanity, just so soon does our usefulness cease. Tt behoves us always to remember that it is the Message that Is ever the important thing, and not the Messenger.” RYPRR WYT.DRR