(_A Fable._)
A Duck that had lately succeeded in hatching a fine brood of
ducklings, and was much concerned on the point of their polite
education, took them down to the river one day in order to teach them
to swim.
"See, my dears!" she said when they were all got to the bank,
addressing her brood in encouraging accents, "this is the way to do
it," and so saying the old duck pushed off from the land, in evident
expectation that her young ones would follow her.
The Ducklings, however, instead of coming after their mother, remained
on the bank, talking and laughing and whispering among themselves in
a very knowing manner; until at last the old bird, provoked by their
levity and wondering what ailed them, called out sharply to them
from mid-stream to come into the water at once; upon which one of the
Ducklings, who had evidently been constituted spokesman for the rest,
made bold to address his mother in the following words.
"You must be a simpleton indeed, Madam," said he, "to imagine that we
are going to do anything so foolish as to endanger our lives in the
reckless fashion in which you are now exposing yours; for though it
may be true that in obedience to some unwritten law of nature (unknown
at present to us) you are floating securely upon the surface of the
stream, instead of sinking to the bottom of it, yet it by no means
follows from thence that we should do the same thing, supposing we
were so foolish as to follow your example. Rest assured, dear Madam,"
continued the Duckling, "that so soon as we have sifted this matter
to the bottom for ourselves, we shall act on the knowledge of it,
according as our experience may suggest to us; but for the present, at
any rate, we prefer to remain where we are."
And so saying, the Duckling, accompanied by the rest of the brood,
turned his back on his natural element, and returned forthwith to the
poultry-yard.
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