Causes of Discontent — Charles Dudley Warner

" ...] "The trees went forth on a time to anoint a king over them; and they said unto the olive-tree, 'Reign thou over us.' "But the olive-tree said unto them, 'Should I leave my fatness wherewith by me they honor God and man, and go to be promoted over the trees?' "And the trees said to the fig-tree, 'Come thou and reign over us.' "But the fig-tree said unto them, 'Should I forsake my sweetness and my good fruit, and go to be promoted over the trees?' "Then said the trees unto the vine, 'Come thou and reign over us.' "And the vine said unto them, 'Should I leave my wine, which cheereth God and man, and go to be promoted over the trees?' "Then said the trees unto the bramble, 'Come thou and reign over us.' "And the bramble said to the trees, 'If in truth ye anoint me king over you, then come and put your trust in my shadow; and if not, let fire come out of the bramble, and devour the cedars of Lebanon.'" In our day a conflagration of the cedars of Lebanon has been the only result of the kingship of the bramble. In the opinion of many, our universal education is one of the chief causes of the discontent. This might be true and not be an argument against education, for a ...]."