The Twentieth Century Epic

Chapter 16: A Fable—Two Frogs

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About This Book

The poet delivers a wide-ranging, didactic critique of modern society, arguing that centralization, expanding public systems, and proliferating laws concentrate power and weaken individual liberty. He targets taxation schemes, legal technicalities, political corruption, and cultural institutions for contributing to economic strain and moral decline, warning that unchecked bureaucratic growth risks social unrest. Rather than retribution, he urges rehabilitation for offenders, lower pay for officeholders to curb graft, and a return to limited government grounded in natural law, civic responsibility, and practical ethics. Occasional digressions consider art, science, and war as contexts for these moral and political prescriptions.

A Fable—Two Frogs

Two little frogs their legs began to turn,

Haply leaped and jumped into a churn.

The churn was filled about half full

Of milk from which we our butter pull.

One frog to his mate did say:—

“We’re here to stay and can’t get away.

Now you may paddle and your head addle,

But I’ll bebobdaddle if I’ll saddle

On myself the task to get out of the flask,

I’m going to die, and no use to cry,

So good-bye,” and down he went dead.

The other made no reply, but paddled ahead

And paid no heed to what the first had said.

By and by a big chunk of butter came

And, upon the same froggie rode

Feeling the load off his mind throw’d.

In a short time there came a grunting swine

Walking slowly up out of his grime,

And shaking off his slime, rooted the churn over,

Letting little froggie jump in clover.