A devout clergyman sought every opportunity to impress upon the mind of his son the fact that God takes care of all his creatures.
Happening, one day, to see a crane wading in quest of food, the good man pointed out to his son the perfect adaptation of the crane to get his living in that manner. “See,” said he, “how his legs are formed for wading! What a long slender bill he has! Observe how nicely he folds his feet when putting them in or drawing them out of the water! He does not cause the slightest ripple. He is thus enabled to approach the fish without giving them any notice of his arrival. . . .”
“Yes,” replied the boy. “I think I see the goodness of God, at least so far as the crane is concerned. But after all, father, don’t you think the arrangement a little tough on the fish?”
This folktale would make a good companion to a previous story about the wolf, the sheep and the shepherds: it’s all about point of view!
