The following clip was given to me recently by a precious church member. It came from a newspaper way back in 1956!
A WELL ESTABLISHED PRECEDENT
We are living in a time when there is not too much to laugh about. The daily political sparring, the constant racial agitations, the rising rate of crime, the international intrigue and a thousand and one other unpleasant things do not make for mirth. For us, one of the things we have enjoyed most recently is a re-reading of Sam Foss's great poem "How The Wise Old Woods Could Laugh." For hilarious humor and philosophical insight into human nature, it's a dandy.
HOW THE WISE OLD WOODS COULD LAUGH!
One day, thru the primeval wood,
a calf walked home, as good calves should.
But made a trail all bent askew:
a crooked trail as all calves do.
Since then two hundred years have fled,
and, I infer, the calf is dead.
But still he left behind his trail,
and thereby hangs my moral tale.
The trail was taken up the next day,
by a lone dog that passed that way;
And then a wise bellwether sheep,
pursued the trail over o'er vale and steep,
And drew the flock behind him, too,
as all good bellwethers always do.
And from that day, o'er hill and glade,
through those old woods a path was made;
And many men wound in and out,
and dodged, and turned, and bent about.
And uttered words of righteous wrath,
because 'twas such a crooked path.
But still they followed - do not laugh -
the first migrations of that calf,
And thru this winding wood-way stalked,
because he wobbled when he walked,
This forest path became a lane,
that bent, and turned, and turned again.
This crooked lane became a road,
where many a poor horse with his load,
Toiled on beneath the burning sun,
and traveled some three miles in one.
And thus a century and a half,
they trod the footsteps of that calf.
The years passed on in swiftness fleet,
the road became a village street.
And this, before men were aware,
a city's crowded thoroughfare.
And soon the central street was this,
of a renowned metropolis.
And men two centuries and a half,
trod in the footsteps of that calf.
Each day a hundred thousand route,
followed the zigzag calf about.
And o'er his crooked journey went,
the traffic of a continent.
A hundred thousand men were led,
by one calf near three centuries dead.
They followed still his crooked way,
and lost one hundred years a day.
For thus such reverence is lent,
to well-established precedent.
A moral lesson this might teach.
Were I ordained and called to preach,
For men are prone to go it blind,
along the calf-paths of the mind.
And work away from sun to sun,
to do what other men have done.
They follow in the beaten track,
and out and in, and forth and back.
And still their devious course pursue,
to keep the path that others do.
But how the wise old woods could laugh,
who saw the first primeval calf!
Ah! Many things this tale might teach.
But I am not ordained to preach.
How’s that for continued relevance?! The truth is, far too many of us are simply content to follow the crowd, never taking time to ask ourselves whether what we are doing is purposeful or not. I hope you find this classic little piece thoughtful. I hope it helps you to consider blazing a new trail. At the very least, I hope it challenges you to consider where you are headed in life and why.
A WELL ESTABLISHED PRECEDENT
We are living in a time when there is not too much to laugh about. The daily political sparring, the constant racial agitations, the rising rate of crime, the international intrigue and a thousand and one other unpleasant things do not make for mirth. For us, one of the things we have enjoyed most recently is a re-reading of Sam Foss's great poem "How The Wise Old Woods Could Laugh." For hilarious humor and philosophical insight into human nature, it's a dandy.
HOW THE WISE OLD WOODS COULD LAUGH!
One day, thru the primeval wood,
a calf walked home, as good calves should.
But made a trail all bent askew:
a crooked trail as all calves do.
Since then two hundred years have fled,
and, I infer, the calf is dead.
But still he left behind his trail,
and thereby hangs my moral tale.
The trail was taken up the next day,
by a lone dog that passed that way;
And then a wise bellwether sheep,
pursued the trail over o'er vale and steep,
And drew the flock behind him, too,
as all good bellwethers always do.
And from that day, o'er hill and glade,
through those old woods a path was made;
And many men wound in and out,
and dodged, and turned, and bent about.
And uttered words of righteous wrath,
because 'twas such a crooked path.
But still they followed - do not laugh -
the first migrations of that calf,
And thru this winding wood-way stalked,
because he wobbled when he walked,
This forest path became a lane,
that bent, and turned, and turned again.
This crooked lane became a road,
where many a poor horse with his load,
Toiled on beneath the burning sun,
and traveled some three miles in one.
And thus a century and a half,
they trod the footsteps of that calf.
The years passed on in swiftness fleet,
the road became a village street.
And this, before men were aware,
a city's crowded thoroughfare.
And soon the central street was this,
of a renowned metropolis.
And men two centuries and a half,
trod in the footsteps of that calf.
Each day a hundred thousand route,
followed the zigzag calf about.
And o'er his crooked journey went,
the traffic of a continent.
A hundred thousand men were led,
by one calf near three centuries dead.
They followed still his crooked way,
and lost one hundred years a day.
For thus such reverence is lent,
to well-established precedent.
A moral lesson this might teach.
Were I ordained and called to preach,
For men are prone to go it blind,
along the calf-paths of the mind.
And work away from sun to sun,
to do what other men have done.
They follow in the beaten track,
and out and in, and forth and back.
And still their devious course pursue,
to keep the path that others do.
But how the wise old woods could laugh,
who saw the first primeval calf!
Ah! Many things this tale might teach.
But I am not ordained to preach.
How’s that for continued relevance?! The truth is, far too many of us are simply content to follow the crowd, never taking time to ask ourselves whether what we are doing is purposeful or not. I hope you find this classic little piece thoughtful. I hope it helps you to consider blazing a new trail. At the very least, I hope it challenges you to consider where you are headed in life and why.