NATURE AND EDUCATION.—A Fable.
Nature and Education were one day walking together through a nursery of trees. “See,” says Nature, “how straight and fine those firs grow—that is my doing! but as to those oaks, they are all crooked and stunted: that, my good sister, is your fault. You have planted them too close, and not pruned them properly.”—“Nay, sister,” said Education, “I am sure I have taken all possible pains about them; but you gave me bad acorns, so how should they ever make fine trees?”
The dispute grew warm; and, at length, instead of blaming one another for negligence, they began to boast of their own powers, and to challenge each other to a contest for the superiority. It was agreed that each should adopt a favourite, and rear it up in spite of the ill offices of her opponent. Nature fixed upon a vigorous young Weymouth pine, the parent of which had grown to be the mainmast of a man-of-war. “Do what you will to this plant,” said she to her sister, “I am resolved to push it up as straight as an arrow.” Education took under her care a crab-tree. “This,” said she, “I will rear to be at least as valuable as your pine.”
Both went to work. While Nature was feeding her pine with plentyof wholesome juices, Education passed a strong rope round its top, and pulling it downward with all its force, fastened it to the trunk of a neighbouring oak. The pine laboured to ascend, but not being able to surmount the obstacle, it pushed out to one side, and presently became bent like a bow. Still, such was its vigour, that its top, after descending as low as its branches, made a new shoot upward: but its beauty and usefulness were quite destroyed.
The crab-tree cost Education a world of pains. She pruned and pruned, and endeavoured to bring it into shape, but in vain. Nature thrust out a bough this way, and a knot that way, and would not push a single leading shoot upward. The trunk was, indeed, kept tolerably straight by constant efforts; but the head grew awry and ill-fashioned, and made a scrubby figure. At length, Education, despairing of making a sightly plant of it, ingrafted the stock with an apple, and brought it to bear tolerable fruit.
At the end of the experiment, the sisters met to compare their respective success. “Ah, sister!” said Nature, “I see it is in your power to spoil the best of my works.”—“Ah, sister!” said Education, “it is a hard matter to contend against you—however, something may be done by taking pains enough.”