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WITandWISDOM(tm) - March 28, 2005 ISSN 1538-8794 ~~~~~~~ THOUGHTS: "Arrogant people are fearful people. The more arrogant, the more fearful. In truth, arrogant people are fragile." - Dr. Theodore Rubin Source: Quotes of the Day, mailto:rheamo@centurytel.net?subject=Subscribe_Quotes_of_the_Day ~~~~~~~ SPECIAL THOUGHTS: The story is told of the most famous elephant in the world -- a huge, beautiful and gentle beast named Bozo. Children extended open palms filled with peanuts for the Indian elephant, who gently plucked them from little hands and seemed to smile as he ate his treats. But one day, for some inexplicable reason, Bozo changed. He almost stampeded the man who cleaned his cage. He charged children at the circus and became incorrigible. His owner knew he would have to destroy the once-gentle giant. In order to raise money for a new elephant, the circus owner held a cruel exhibition. He sold tickets to witness Bozo's execution and, on the appointed day, his arena was packed. Three men with high-powered rifles rose to take aim at the great beast's head. Just before the signal was given to shoot, a little, stubby man in a brown hat stepped out of the crowd and said to the elephant's owner, "Sir, this is not necessary. Bozo is not a bad elephant." "But he is," the man argued. "We must kill him before he kills someone." "Sir, give me two minutes alone in his cage," the visitor pleaded, "and I'll prove to you that you are wrong. He is not a bad elephant." After a few more moments of discussion (and a written statement absolving the circus of liability if the man should be injured), the keeper finally agreed to allow the man inside Bozo's cage. The man removed his brown derby and entered the cage of the bellowing and trumpeting beast. Before the elephant could charge, the man began to speak to him. Bozo seemed to immediately quiet down upon hearing the man's words. Nearby spectators could also hear the man, but they could not understand him, for he spoke a foreign language. Soon the great animal began to tremble, whine and throw his head about. Then the stranger walked up to Bozo and stroked his trunk. The great elephant tenderly wrapped his trunk around the man, lifted him up and carried him around his cage before carefully depositing him back at the door. Everyone applauded. As the cage door closed behind him, the man said to Bozo's keeper, "You see, he is a good elephant. His problem is that he is an Indian elephant and understands one language." He explained that Bozo was frustrated and confused. He needed someone who could speak his language. "I suggest, sir, that you find someone in London to come in occasionally and talk to the elephant. If you do, you'll have no problems." The man picked up his brown derby and walked away. It was at that time that the circus owner looked carefully at the signature on the paper he held in his hand -- the note absolving the circus of responsibility in the case he was injured inside the elephant's cage. The statement was signed by Rudyard Kipling. Bits and Pieces, Dec. 1991, pp. 19-23 Submitted by Betty Lou Boyd ~~~~~~~ THIS & THAT: What I think of my Mother . . . 4 YEARS OF AGE - My Mommy can do anything! 8 YEARS OF AGE - My Mom knows a lot! A whole lot! 12 YEARS OF AGE - My Mother doesn't really know quite everything. 14 YEARS OF AGE - Naturally, Mother doesn't know that, either! 16 YEARS OF AGE - Mother? She's hopelessly old-fashioned. 18 YEARS OF AGE - That old woman? She's way out of date! 25 YEARS OF AGE - Well, she might know a little bit about it. 35 YEARS OF AGE - Before we decide, let's get Mom's opinion. 45 YEARS OF AGE - Wonder what Mom would have thought about it? 65 YEARS OF AGE - Wish I could talk it over with Mom. Submitted by Kiri Hyatt ~~~~~~~ KEEP SMILING: My mother-in-law loves to cook, and my father-in-law loves gardening. One day she needed an onion, and went to the mesh bag he had hung near the back door to get one. They both found the resultant dish tasty — but different. The next morning, as he reached for the mesh bag, Dad announced that he had better plant those tulip bulbs before it rained. Source: Top Greetings ~~~~~~~ TRIVIA: I'm a state trooper in Alaska, and I've been called to investigate many cases of moose poaching. Some we solved because of the carelessness of the criminals who have left behind incriminating evidence such as a boot print or, in one memorable case, a wallet complete with the poacher's driver's license. But one culprit, we thought, left no clues at all -- until we saw the clear imprint of his license plate when he backed his vehicle up against a snow bank. Contributed to "All In a Day's Work" by Dave Carpenter Source: DailyInBox Presents, http://dailyinbox.com