2
THE CHEMAWA AMERICAN.
The young man was tired, and said
to his uncle: "Why then, did you not
say so?" But his uncle explained to
him that it was more learned not to
say things right out, but to hint at
them, so that the mind might have
exercise in finding out' what the in
structor meant.
The next day the boy went hunt
ing again and saw the marks of the
bear on a tree. In order to be sure
this time, he went home and asked his
uncle just how he should go about
killing the animal.
The uncle began to explain, but the
more he explained, the more the
nephew could not understand; he
tried his best to comprehend, however
and went back to the tree in which
the bear had his den.
Around the tree he stuck cornstalks
as his uncle had told him to do, and
then beat hard on the sides of the
tree until the bear came out.
When the bear came from the hole
in the tree he walked through the
corn stalks and made off into the
woods as there was no reason why he
should not do so.
Then the boy went back to his
uncle and told him what had
happened.
"Oh! oh!" cried the uncle, "You
should have killed the bear as he was
going away."
"Then" replied the nephew, "why
did you not tell me so in the first
place? After this please make your
explainations less learned and more
to the point, so that I may know what
it is that I am to do. Do not give so
many illustrations in your direc
tions." For a time the uncle and the
nephew got along very well together,
until one day the old man said:
"I am going to give a feast. You
shall carry the invitations. I have
cut sticks to represent so many
friends. Go to the highest tree you
can find and leave this stick there.
Then go along until you find a place
all swamp bad place, leave one stick
there," and so on.
So the boy distributed the sticks as
his uncle directed. But when the day
of the feast came, no guests approach
ed the wigwam of the uncle.
"Did you do as I directed?" asked
the old man.
"Yes." replied the boy.
"Why then has no one come to the
feast?" asked the uncle.
"How do you expect swamps and
trees to come to a feast?" cried the
nephew.
Then the two ate the food prepared,
and as they did so the uncle explained
what he had meant by sending invi
tations to the trees and swamps and
the lesson it was expected to teach the
boy.
But after the meal the boy said:
"Uncle, I am' afraid I shall never
learn wisdom from your parables. I
shall go forth into the world to learn
wisdom by experience, which I think
is the only way I can learn it."
So forth into the world the young
man went, and in time he became
wise, a great chief, and a mighty
hunter, and when he was old he was
sage in counsel. He always remem
bered the attempts of his uncle to
teach him wisdom by precept, and
advocated, instead, that young nun
should learn by experience, as the
only sure way of acquiring know
ledge. Sunday Oregonian.