A Fable
“Why do people not treat me as they treat you?” said a Wasp to a Canary on bright summer morning.
“What do you mean?” asked the Canary as he preened his bright feathers.
“They make you a cage to live in, and give you seed and water every day,” said the Wasp. “Often, I see them bring you sugar, and fresh pieces of green groundsel and chickweed.”
“Yes, it is very nice,” the Canary chirped.
“It’s not fair! When I come, they all try to drive me away,” Wasp complained. “Sometimes, they even try to kill me!”
“I’m very sorry to hear that,” Canary said.
“And yet, look at me! I am handsome and graceful. The yellow color on my body is as bright as yours, and my shape is very fine,” Wasp said. “I do not understand it at all!”
“But it’s quite easy to understand,” answered the Canary; “when men come to see me, I treat them to a merry song; while you attack them with your sting.”
Moral: As you treat others, others will treat you.
Citation: Rock a Bye Library: A Book of Fables. Boston, MA: Taggard & Thompson, 1859. Edited by S.E. Schlosser. This article is in the public domain and is part of the cited work.
