Jerry and the Bear, The Law's plan of developing an individual, folly of
clinging to old, worn out sheaths. The story of Jerry and the Bear.
Who Jerry was? He meets the bear, the fight, the result,
the consequences, the change in Jerry, the moral The Law, in
its efforts to develop man into a self reliant being, into an individual,
first tries the simpler plan of bringing a steady pressure to bear in the direction
of gradual progress and growth, impelling the man to think and act himself into
a more positive condition each day. After a while, the man, feeling
behind him the steady push of life, and being conscious of the attracting power
of the absolute drawing him to higher things, leading him up the mountain path
of attainment, learns to trust the propelling and attracting power, and, ceasing
his resistance, moves along in the direction of gradual unfoldment and growth. He
casts off sheath after sheath and grows. He does not attempt to impede or
interfere with his development, but cheerfully and joyfully presses forward to his unfoldment.
He finds pleasure in each stage, and should pain manifest itself, he knows
it as the growing pains of the child a promise of greater things. There
are some, however, who seem determined to cling to their old sheaths and
resist the pressure of growth to the utmost. They are unable to withstand the
steady pressure and the attracting power carrying them forward, and their resistance brings them
much pain in friction, and they are pushed this way and that by the
pressure of the growing self, resisting and struggling all the time. The law
has several ways of dealing with these people for their own good, and often
with a supreme effort, tears them from the surrounding sheath to which they are
clinging and forces them into a broader and wider life, against their wishes,
and in spite of their struggles and cries. Many of us, looking back
over our past lives, smile as we recognize how we were forced into new
fields of work and endeavor, how we were broadened out in spite of ourselves,
how we were torn from our old surroundings and environments, in spite of
our lamentations, reproaches, and cries, and placed amid new scenes and faces.
This thing is repeated over and over again until we learn the lesson and
cease to be unduly attached to persons and things, and become willing to yield
ourselves to the onward moving force and cooperate with the law instead of opposing it.
Many men and women who steadily refuse to stand erect and assert their independence
are deliberately worked into a position where they must declare their freedom from the things
upon which they have been leaning, and are forced to stand up and face
conditions from which they have shrunk all their lives. The law has a way
of picking up those shivering mortals who stand around the river's edge and throwing them
into the stream, bidding them to strike out and swim. It prefers the
easier way of teaching you to swim by degrees, of acquiring knowledge by easy
stages. But if you refuse to learn in this way, it will resort
to the vigorous plan just mentioned. But swim you must, one way or
the other. I am going to tell you a story, not a particularly
pretty one, but one that will give you an idea of what I mean
and how the plan works. It's about animals, but many a truth has
been conveyed by fables in which animals were the actors and This homely little tale
from the wilderness may convey to your minds the point of this talk better than
do my words. Here's the story. Once upon a time a man away
up in one of the northwestern states owned a dog named Jerry. He was
not very much on looks and less in good qualities. He was not of
any fancy breed, just dog, that's all. He had drifted on to
the farm from somewhere and had been kicked and cuffed around in his early youth
until he was afraid to claim a right to live at all. He grew
up into a worthless animal, snapped at by smaller dogs, bullied by those
of his own size, looked down upon by all. He expected to be
kicked by everybody in sight, and of course got kicked. Men and dogs
who go around expecting to be abused always draw upon them the thing they fear
and expect. His tail seemed a magnet which attracted all the tin cans around
that neighborhood. Pitying did not seem to do him any good. It only
made him more miserable and abject than ever, Just as it acts in the
case of some people. The poor chap gradually dropped down to the lowest state
of dogdom, and his case seemed hopeless. The farmer would drive to town
every once in a while, and Jerry would sneak along under the wagon in
manner seeming to apologize for taking up even that space. His appearance would be
the signal for all the dogs of the several farms along the road to chase
down to the wagon, rout him out, and roll him over in the
US, the performance being repeated at every farm to and from the town.
The farmer, at last, feeling that the dog was bringing his establishment into
disrepute, and knowing that Hopkins Jerry was becoming a township jest, determined to
put an end to the animal's unhappy career. But destiny intervened, possibly in
order to give me a tale, to point the moral of this talk,
and to give you something to remember in trying circumstances. Jerry strayed away from
the farm one evening, being chased a part of the distance by some of
the smaller dogs who delighted in bullying him. He traveled some distance from home
and entered the woods. Bear tracks had been discovered in that region, and
some of the boys had dug a pit baiting it with some choice tidbit pleasing
to his bearship, and covering it over with a thin roof which would yield
to a light weight. Jerry started across the roof and in he went.
Some hours after, a young bear came sniffing around, and he too dropped
in the pit. Then the trouble commenced. The bear, feeling infuriated by
his unceremonious drop, reached out for Jerry and gave him a scratch, which
caused him to yell. The bear, seeing that there was no fight in
his opponent, chased him round and round the pit until it seemed only a
matter of a few minutes more until the dog would be relieved of his misery.
Things took an unexpected turn, however, The bear knocked Jerry over on
his back and began giving him the finishing touches. This seemed to bring to
life the last remaining touch of self respect left in the poor brute, and
with a mighty effort, he sprang straight at the bear's throat and gave him
a bite in which was concentrated all the repressed bites of a lifetime. The
bear, with a roar, sprang back to the other side of the pit.
It was hard to tell which was the most surprised of the two,
the bear at the sudden courage of his opponent, or Jerry at the fact
that he could fight bear. The dog's self respect and confidence went up nearly
to par. The bear's caution adjusted itself accordingly. After a bit, the
bear cautiously worked his way over toward Jerry, but the dog snarled fiercely and
showed his teeth. They had several rounds before things quieted down, and each
time Jerry showed his medal, and although he was badly scratched, he had
bestowed upon the bear several tokens of his valor. His self respect and confidence
was now an assured thing, and the bear treated him with considerable deference and
consideration. After matters adjusted themselves, the bear and the dog each retired to
their respective sides of the pit and clared a truce. In the morning,
the boys came to the pit, shot the bear and lifted Jerry out and
carried him home. His tail was several inches shorter and one ear was missing,
and his body was scarred and scratched like the face of a Heidelberg student.
But away down in his heart. He felt good, and he showed
it. The farmer, feeling proud of the animal, carefully nursed him until
he was able to move around the house, and then allowed him to go
out of doors. As soon as he appeared, the other dogs made a
rush for him, but something in his look caused them to keep at a
safe distance, and they contented themselves with barking at him and keeping out of
reach. He did not seem anxious to fight, but he had that look
of confidence in his eyes that kept them where they belonged. He had ceased
to fear. His tail no longer drooped between his legs, but was held
aloft, as is the tail of every self respecting dog, and somehow that
tail did not have the attracting power for tin cans that had formerly marked it.
The boys recognized that Jerry had advanced in the scale, and there was
something about him that they liked and respected. About ten days after the dog
got well, the farmer took a trip to town, and Jerry accompanied him,
trotting along in an unconcerned manner, alongside behind, or any other place
that suited him. As the first farmhouse was reached, the dogs came rushing
down to have some fun with our friend. They pitched in to him as
of yore. Something happened. The pack ran yelping back to the house for
surgical attention, and Jerry trotted on just the same. This scene was repeated
at every farm along the road, Jerry repeating the object lesson each time,
finishing up his task by rolling into the dust the big bull terrier in front
of the post office, who heretofore had been the terror of the town.
The homeward trip was a triumphal progress for the dog, and all his old
foes vied with each other in tail wagging and other demonstrations designed to let Jerry
know that they were proud to be his friends, but he paid little attention
to them. He had developed into a canine philosopher. After that, he
led a happy life. He was not seeking fight, but no boy or
dog seemed to seek fight with him. He had cast out fear thought.
He feared nothing that walked on legs. He had met bear. Now,
some of my critics will call the attention of their readers to the fact that
I am advising fight not so good friends. I am using this dog story
as an illustration, and am trying to show you how the law will sometimes
force a man into tight quarters in order to bring out his courage and self
confidence. It knows the man has it in him, and it proceeds to
use vigorous methods to bring it out into action, providing always that the man
has not developed it before. When a man has been placed in a position
where he faces the worst and is compelled to grapple with the bear, he
finds that he has reserved force within him of which he never dreamt before,
and he puts forth all his energy to save himself. He finds that,
when he boldly faces the difficulty, the difficulty seems as much afraid of him
as he had been of it. He gains more confidence, until at last
he eats off the foe and rests secure in his own strength. He finds
that to the man who has abolished fear, and who can smilingly face any
situation, fate is very respectful and obliging, although to the man who fears
it is a tormentor In proportion to a man's fear will be his troubles.
When he reaches the position when he can laugh in the face of fortune,
he will find her ceasing her coquetries and falling desperately in love with him.
And after the man has met the great difficulty, fought the mighty fight,
he finds that he has ceased to fear the little troubles and trials of life.
He feels his strength, he knows his source of power. He holds
his head erect and breathes in the pure air of heaven, and feels the
warm blood tingling through his veins. He has found himself, He has met bear