Modern spiritism; its science and religion - SpiritArchive.org

TRUE SPIRITUALISM 241
His record is in Eccles. ii., and his name is Solomon,
and his conclusion is that all he got was only vanity
and vexation of spirit.
One would think that, when he failed, it would be
difficult for "a mere man" to succeed.
The fact is the world is on a vain pursuit, deluded
by a false proverb, "A bird in the hand is worth
two in the bush." This is a colossal lie, and belief in
it is even now leading mankind to destruction. Let
anyone catch a nightingale or even a thrush, and
try if the proverb be true. He will soon be a sadder
but a wiser man, for he will discover a great truth.
Only "in the bush" does the bird sing, which is all
its value; once in the hand, the song is gone. It is
true he can eat the bird, but will any one tell me
that a roasted nightingale is worth two living ones
"in a bush"? The rubbish of the saying is laid
bare, and yet it is this delusion that leads men
astray.
The Prodigal Son
Take the story of the prodigal son as an illustration
of the drama of mankind. The prodigal, doubtless,
being properly instructed in error, had always understood
that ' '
a bird in the hand was worth two in the
bush"; and hearing the syren songs in the "bush"
of the "far country" (it's always a long journey),
he sets out to prove the truth of his lying proverb.
He is soon disillusioned, and discovers, as do all
men, sooner or later, that happiness consists in the
pursuit, not in the attainment of the object. Once
possessed, the song that lured us on is silent, and
happiness is yet to seek. Such, indeed, is the match-
M.S.
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