1、This Fable is Intended for YouWise men of ancient times ingeniously discoveredhow to tell people the truth without being blunt totheir faces. You see， they held a magic mirrorbefore the people， in which all sorts of animals andvarious wondrous things appeared， producingamusing as wel
2、l as instructive pictures. They calledthese fables， and whatever wise or foolish deedsthe animals performed， the people were to imaginethemselves in their places and thereby think，“Thisfable is intended for you！” In this way no one'sfeelings were hurt. Let us give you an example. t
3、here were two high mountains， and at the top of each stood a castle. In the valley belowran a hungry dog， sniffing along the ground as if in search of mice or quail. Suddenly atrumpet sounded from one of the castles， to announce that mealtime was approaching. Thedog immediately start
4、ed running up the mountain， hoping to get his share； but when he washalfway up， the trumpeter ceased blowing， and a trumpet from the other castlecommenced.“Up here，” thought the dog，“they will have finished eating before I arrive， butover there they are just getting ready to eat.” So
5、 he ran down， and up the other mountain.But now the first trumpet started again， while the second stopped. The dog ran down again，and up again； and this he continued until both trumpets stopped blowing， and the mealswere over in both castles. Now guess what the wise men of ancient t
6、imes would have said about this fable， and whothe fool could be who runs himself ragged without gaining anything， either here or there？
