Speaker 1: 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