1 88 



Byravi and GJiopal. 



*'That proves,"' said Ghopal, "that the 

 stings are very useful to the working bees, 

 who are doubly indebted to Brahma, firstly 

 for providing them withw^eapons to defend 

 the fruits of their toil, and secondly for 

 leaving the drones defenseless, but I fail to 

 see how this can benefit man." 



"Do you suppose," said Byram, "that 

 Brahma talks to man ?" 



" Nay, Byram, I have heard thee say that 

 man's ear is not attuned to the voices of 

 the gods." 



"True," said Byram, "but man's eye is 

 capable of perceiving and understanding 

 the works of Brahma, the Creator, and if 

 Brahma wants to instruct man in social 

 organization, or any other matter, he fur- 

 nishes him models for his study. All man's 

 attempts at social organization are liable to 

 err, and result in disorganization and fail- 

 ure, but ever before his eyes is held up the 

 model of a society taught by Brahma him- 

 self. The ruling principle of that society 

 is that those who will not work, shall be 

 allowed to eat of the labors of the toilers 

 only so long as they continue to perform 

 functions useful to the community. The 

 moment they cease to be useful their doom 

 is fixed. Every creature created by Brahma 

 is created for the performance of useful 

 functions; the moment these cease, Brahma 

 has no further use for it, and the wheels of 

 his chariot roll over it relentlessly. This is 

 the lesson which Brahma is forever preach- 

 ing to man by his servants the bees, a lesson 

 to which my eyes have hitherto been closed, 

 and naturally, for I am myself a drone; but 

 now, oh Ghopal, I thank thee for opening 

 my eyes and teaching me my own useless- 

 ness. Look at the social organization of 

 all the countries of India. The working 

 classes toil not only for their own support, 

 but for the support of the Rajpoots, whose 

 only useful function is to fight and thin 

 each other's ranks; of the Brahmins, whose 

 function is to teach men the will of the 

 gods, but who themselves do not under- 



stand it; and of the Bunyans, who lend the 

 laborers their own money, charge seventy- 

 five per cent, compound interest — a rate so 

 usurious that the toilers pay the amount 

 ten times over without lessening their obli- 

 gation, and thus place the Bunyans in a 

 position to enslave fresh victims. Oh, 

 Brahma, was my father's act in rendering 

 me a cripple a truly pious one? In intent 

 it may have been, but now for the first time 

 1 perceive that my life is a useless one, and 

 for the first time I regret that I am incapa- 

 ble of toil. How different would have been 

 the career of the Hindu people if the first 

 fathers of the race had gone to the bees 

 for instruction, and beheld the will of 

 Brahma, that those who will not work shall 

 not eat of the fruits of others' labors." 



"Then you do not hold with Daloora, the 

 Faquir I met at Hyderabad, that that man 

 is a fool who earns his bread by the sweat 

 of his brow?" 



"Daloora," said Byram, "aimed at the 

 truth and overshot the mark. The toilers 

 are fools, not because they toil for them- 

 selves, but because they allow others to 

 reap the fruits of their labors." 



Once more they started on their journey, 

 but the money was still in Byram's girdle, 

 and Ghopal's heart sank within him as he 

 thought that perhaps some of it might be 

 given in charity before he could catch 

 Byram without any good defense. 



Steadily and silently he trudged along 

 the road, but never before had he found 

 Byram so heavy as on this evening; but he 

 fought bravely against despondency, and 

 after reaching Dowlutpore and partaking 

 of the bread and milk supplied by the 

 pious and solacing himself with his hookah, 

 his courage revived and he renewed the 

 dispute with Byram, combating him at 

 every step, but only to be more than ever 

 convinced that the bees' treatment of the 

 drones was a valuable lesson for man, and 

 one which all societies of men would do 

 well to profit and take example by. 



