A FEW weeks ago we had, in our little paper, a picture of an elephant, and some incidents given to show his sagacity and his kindness. I wish to add another incident, showing the sagacity of this huge, homely creature that looks as if he had not more than enough intelligence to know how to walk. Then we will try to draw a little lesson from the incident.
Not many days ago, in the city of D—., an elephant was being transferred to one of the parks. As his keeper was taking him through the streets he saw, a little distance off, a milk man, with his wagon full of milk and cream, driving toward him. He called to the man not to come near, but he replied that he wanted to see the elephant and he continued to drive towards it. It was not long until the elephant smelt the milk, and hastening up to the wagon, be soon pierced its sides with his strong tusks, then with his trunk lifted the lid from one of the cans, and in a very few minutes emptied it of its contents. By this time the driver, who was thoroughly frightened, was whipping up his horses and trying to get away from the elephant that he had been so anxious to see. But Mr. Elephant had no notion of losing a dinner that was so much to his liking, and trotting along beside the hurrying wagon, he adroitly twisted his trunk about can after can, and jerked them out one by one, until all were on the ground. Then he made his dinner on the milk and cream that had not been spilled. In this way forty-five gallons were soon disposed of, greatly to the dismay of the poor milkman. He had had timely warning, but he did not heed it; and because of this he not only had a great fright, but he lost many dollars’ worth of milk and cream.
Do my little readers see the lesson to be gathered from this little story? I doubt not you do. Then heed the warnings that may be given you. You may not see the danger any more than the milkman saw his danger, but it is there. Some have gone to an untimely grave because they did not heed a timely warning. But there is something worse than an untimely death—a yawning lake of fire, a death that never comes to an end, for those who will not be warned of the judgments to come.
Dear unsaved reader, flee now to the place of safety ere it be forever too late —to Christ the only refuge from the coming wrath!
The milkman was foolish not to heed the warning given; do not let a worse folly be yours, only to suffer in endless woe the awful consequences that must come upon you, if you do not heed the warnings of God’s word.
ML 11/08/1903