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The Music of the Bells
On a pedestal in one of the famous old churches of Europe is a statue of a nobleman with a string of bells about his waist. The church was erected centuries before America was discovered, and among the many legends woven into its history, one of the most interesting is the one of the nobleman’s statue. An orphaned brother and sister, the only surviving members of a noble and very wealthy family, owned an immense section of the country and ruled the lives of the peasants of that territory.
The sister was a beautiful character, amiable, charming, and loved by all. The brother was a veritable autocrat, domineering, and egotistical. Whenever anyone antagonized him, he would fly into a violent rage, and if any unfortunate serf dared to disobey him, or interfere with his pleasure, he would strike him down.
The sister, chagrinned at her brother’s conduct, sought to cure him of his annoying weaknesses. Without telling him of her purpose, she suggested that together they build a great church. But each was to erect half of the church independent of the other.
The vanity of the undertaking appealed to the brother, and construction was started. In time, the brother discovered that his sister was making faster progress. The sister told him that this was because he was always quarreling with his workmen. The sister asked him to let her tie a string of bells about him. The bells, she said, would help to hasten the building, because, as he approached the men, they would hear jingling and hasten to work, thus saving much time otherwise lost.
The brother thought it was a novel idea. When he heard the jingle of the bells it was like sweet music in his ears, and it soothed his temper. And when he approached the men, he found everyone busily at work. This also pleased him. Finding them diligent, he praised and encouraged them, and they did better work. Before many days, he was actually popular with his men.
Spurred by a newborn spirit of pride in their work, the men began to vie with their fellows on the sister’s side of the church, and finally finished their half first, to the joy of both brother and sister.
One day, long after the church was finished, the sister revealed to her brother the innocent deception she had played on him to cure him of his evil disposition. The nobleman was so impressed with the lesson he had learned that he had a statue of himself with the bells made, to remind him, and other like him, of the power of goodwill, praise, and encouragement in dealing with others.
by Author Unknown
What is the moral of the story?
On a pedestal in one of the famous old churches of Europe is a statue of a nobleman with a string of bells about his waist. The church was erected centuries before America was discovered, and among the many legends woven into its history, one of the most interesting is the one of the nobleman’s statue. An orphaned brother and sister, the only surviving members of a noble and very wealthy family, owned an immense section of the country and ruled the lives of the peasants of that territory.
The sister was a beautiful character, amiable, charming, and loved by all. The brother was a veritable autocrat, domineering, and egotistical. Whenever anyone antagonized him, he would fly into a violent rage, and if any unfortunate serf dared to disobey him, or interfere with his pleasure, he would strike him down.
The sister, chagrinned at her brother’s conduct, sought to cure him of his annoying weaknesses. Without telling him of her purpose, she suggested that together they build a great church. But each was to erect half of the church independent of the other.
The vanity of the undertaking appealed to the brother, and construction was started. In time, the brother discovered that his sister was making faster progress. The sister told him that this was because he was always quarreling with his workmen. The sister asked him to let her tie a string of bells about him. The bells, she said, would help to hasten the building, because, as he approached the men, they would hear jingling and hasten to work, thus saving much time otherwise lost.
The brother thought it was a novel idea. When he heard the jingle of the bells it was like sweet music in his ears, and it soothed his temper. And when he approached the men, he found everyone busily at work. This also pleased him. Finding them diligent, he praised and encouraged them, and they did better work. Before many days, he was actually popular with his men.
Spurred by a newborn spirit of pride in their work, the men began to vie with their fellows on the sister’s side of the church, and finally finished their half first, to the joy of both brother and sister.
One day, long after the church was finished, the sister revealed to her brother the innocent deception she had played on him to cure him of his evil disposition. The nobleman was so impressed with the lesson he had learned that he had a statue of himself with the bells made, to remind him, and other like him, of the power of goodwill, praise, and encouragement in dealing with others.
by Author Unknown
What is the moral of the story?
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The Wolves Within
An old Grandfather said to his grandson, who came to him with anger at a friend who had done him an injustice . . . “Let me tell you a story. I too, at times, have felt great hate for those who have taken so much, with no sorrow for what they do. But hate wears you down, and does not hurt your enemy. It is like taking poison and wishing your enemy would die. I have struggled with these feelings many times. It is as if there are two wolves inside me; one is good and does no harm. He lives in harmony with all around him and does not take offense when no offense was intended. He will only fight when it is right to do so, and in the right way. But . . . the other wolf . . . ah! The littlest thing will send him into a fit of temper. He fights everyone, all of the time, for no reason. He cannot think because his anger and hate are so great. It is helpless anger, for his anger will change nothing. Sometimes it is hard to live with these two wolves inside me, for both of them try to dominate my spirit.” The boy looked intently into his Grandfather’s eyes and asked, “Which one wins, Grandfather?” The Grandfather smiled and quietly said, “The one I feed.”
by Author Unknown: Native American tale told many times around the Sacred Fire
An old Grandfather said to his grandson, who came to him with anger at a friend who had done him an injustice . . . “Let me tell you a story. I too, at times, have felt great hate for those who have taken so much, with no sorrow for what they do. But hate wears you down, and does not hurt your enemy. It is like taking poison and wishing your enemy would die. I have struggled with these feelings many times. It is as if there are two wolves inside me; one is good and does no harm. He lives in harmony with all around him and does not take offense when no offense was intended. He will only fight when it is right to do so, and in the right way. But . . . the other wolf . . . ah! The littlest thing will send him into a fit of temper. He fights everyone, all of the time, for no reason. He cannot think because his anger and hate are so great. It is helpless anger, for his anger will change nothing. Sometimes it is hard to live with these two wolves inside me, for both of them try to dominate my spirit.” The boy looked intently into his Grandfather’s eyes and asked, “Which one wins, Grandfather?” The Grandfather smiled and quietly said, “The one I feed.”
by Author Unknown: Native American tale told many times around the Sacred Fire
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The Pendulum
There was once a pendulum waiting to be fixed on a new clock. It began to calculate how long it would be before the big wheels were worn out and its work was done. It would be expected to tick night and day, so many times a minute, sixty times that every hour, and twenty-four times that every day and three hundred and sixty-five times that every year. It was awful! Quite a row of figures, enough to stagger you! Millions of ticks! “I can never do it,” said the poor pendulum. But the clockmaster encouraged it. “You can do one tick at a time?” he said. “Oh, yes,” the pendulum could do that. “Well,” he said, “that is all that will be required of you.” So the pendulum went to work, steadily ticking, one tick at a time, and it is ticking yet, quite cheerfully.
by Dwight Lyman Moody
Dwight Lyman Moody, also known as D. L. Moody, was born on 5 February 1837 in Northfield, Massachusetts, United States of America. He was a Christian evangelist and a publisher, connected with the Holiness Movement. He is known as the founder of the Moody Church, Northfield School, and Mount Hermon School in Massachusetts, as well as the Moody Bible Institute and Moody Publishers. Dwight Lyman Moody passed on at 62 years of age on 22 December 1899 in Northfield, Massachusetts, United States of America.
There was once a pendulum waiting to be fixed on a new clock. It began to calculate how long it would be before the big wheels were worn out and its work was done. It would be expected to tick night and day, so many times a minute, sixty times that every hour, and twenty-four times that every day and three hundred and sixty-five times that every year. It was awful! Quite a row of figures, enough to stagger you! Millions of ticks! “I can never do it,” said the poor pendulum. But the clockmaster encouraged it. “You can do one tick at a time?” he said. “Oh, yes,” the pendulum could do that. “Well,” he said, “that is all that will be required of you.” So the pendulum went to work, steadily ticking, one tick at a time, and it is ticking yet, quite cheerfully.
by Dwight Lyman Moody
Dwight Lyman Moody, also known as D. L. Moody, was born on 5 February 1837 in Northfield, Massachusetts, United States of America. He was a Christian evangelist and a publisher, connected with the Holiness Movement. He is known as the founder of the Moody Church, Northfield School, and Mount Hermon School in Massachusetts, as well as the Moody Bible Institute and Moody Publishers. Dwight Lyman Moody passed on at 62 years of age on 22 December 1899 in Northfield, Massachusetts, United States of America.
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How We Treat Our Elderly
An old man was thought to be eating too much food, especially since he was too frail to work and earn his keep. Because the grandfather had become a burden, the head of the household, his son, was determined to be rid of him. He put him in a wheelbarrow, and then started up a mountain. His little eight-year-old grandson went along. He was full of questions. His father explained that grandfather was old and useless and the only thing to do was to take him up to the mountain and leave him there. Then the grandson had a brilliant idea. “I’m glad you brought me along, father, because when you’re old, I’ll know where to take you.”
The moral of the story is that we should be kind to the elderly, because one day, we will be elderly ourselves, and we may very well be treated according to the example we set when we were younger.
by Author Unknown
An old man was thought to be eating too much food, especially since he was too frail to work and earn his keep. Because the grandfather had become a burden, the head of the household, his son, was determined to be rid of him. He put him in a wheelbarrow, and then started up a mountain. His little eight-year-old grandson went along. He was full of questions. His father explained that grandfather was old and useless and the only thing to do was to take him up to the mountain and leave him there. Then the grandson had a brilliant idea. “I’m glad you brought me along, father, because when you’re old, I’ll know where to take you.”
The moral of the story is that we should be kind to the elderly, because one day, we will be elderly ourselves, and we may very well be treated according to the example we set when we were younger.
by Author Unknown
