13. THE MOLE AND HER SON. A young conceited Mole one day prevailed upon his mother to take him out of their dwelling-hole to see some of the fine sights so much admired by the people above them. He proceeded to criticise the surrounding beauties.
"What an execrable view this is," said he, pausing in sight of a beautiful landscape, and twirling his scanty whiskers with an air. "You don't mean to tell me that sky is blue! And the idea of purple grass is positively ridiculous. There's a horse, too, with six legs, and a man taller than his own house. And I'm sure we ought to be able to see the flowers growing on those mountains at this distance! Out of all reason, colour, and proportion. Preposterous!"
"My son, my son," said the mother, "as you are incapable of appreciating what you affect to despise, it is unfortunate that you are not dumb as well as blind, and so might have escaped this exposure of your ignorance."
MORAL. The fool's tongue is like the rattlesnake's alarum, the providential sign by which we may avoid him. [more info]
"What an execrable view this is," said he, pausing in sight of a beautiful landscape, and twirling his scanty whiskers with an air. "You don't mean to tell me that sky is blue! And the idea of purple grass is positively ridiculous. There's a horse, too, with six legs, and a man taller than his own house. And I'm sure we ought to be able to see the flowers growing on those mountains at this distance! Out of all reason, colour, and proportion. Preposterous!"
"My son, my son," said the mother, "as you are incapable of appreciating what you affect to despise, it is unfortunate that you are not dumb as well as blind, and so might have escaped this exposure of your ignorance."
MORAL. The fool's tongue is like the rattlesnake's alarum, the providential sign by which we may avoid him. [more info]
No comments:
Post a Comment