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 and
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 co-operate 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 dust, 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 tid-bit 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 mettle, 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 declared 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 into 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
postoffice, 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
Fearthought. 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 reserve 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 beats 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.