(Adapted from a poem by John G. Saxe)
_We should not be sure of our opinions until we have seen all sides
of the question._
There were six men of Hindoostan who were blind, but each man
thought he could see as well with his hands as any one else could
with his eyes. Whenever they touched anything they thought they
knew all about it, though they had felt only a small part.
Now, these six blind men had never seen an elephant. They did not
know what an elephant was like because nobody could describe an
elephant so that they could know what it was like. Besides that,
these blind men never believed what anybody told them.
One day an elephant came to their town and they decided to pay him
a visit. The first blind man approached the elephant and stumbled
against his big broad side. He felt along the rough hide up and
down and as far as he could reach.
“Why, bless me! the elephant is just like a wall or the side of my
house. I had no idea an elephant was like that!” said the first
blind man.
Then the second blind man approached the elephant and caught hold
of his hard tusks with the sharp points. He felt along the smooth
tusk as far as he could reach.
“Why, bless me! the elephant is very like a spear. I had no idea an
elephant looked like that!” said the second blind man.
Then the third blind man approached the elephant and caught hold of
his trunk. The old elephant moved his trunk from side to side, and
squirmed, while the third blind man felt of it as far as he could.
“I see the elephant is very like a snake. I had no idea an elephant
was like that!” said the third blind man.
The fourth blind man now came up and took hold of the elephant’s
leg. He felt how big and solid it was and he felt along the leg as
far as he could reach.
“It is very clear to me that an elephant is very like a tree. I had
no idea an elephant was like that!” said the fourth blind man.
The fifth blind man came and put his hand on the elephant’s ear. He
felt along the big ear as far as he could.
“Well, this elephant is very like a fan. I had no idea an elephant
looked like that!” said the fifth blind man.
The sixth blind man came up and caught the elephant by the tail. He
pulled and twisted as hard as he could.
“I see, the elephant is very like a rope. I had no idea an elephant
was like that!” said the sixth blind man.
And they quarreled all one day and late into the night, and they
never did know what the elephant was like.