Leading from the Middle

Caption: Illustration by Arthur Rackham, 1912.

“A Hunter was searching in the forest for the tracks of a lion, and, catching sight presently of a Woodman engaged in felling a tree, he went up to him and asked him if he had noticed a lion's footprints anywhere about, or if he knew where his den was. The Woodman answered, ‘If you will come with me, I will show you the lion himself.’ The Hunter turned pale with fear, and his teeth chattered as he replied, ‘Oh, I'm not looking for the lion, thanks, but only for his tracks.’"

“Clothes make the man”, as we can see in Rackham’s droll illustration. Fresh from a visit to the 1912 Abercrombie & Fitch - where the New Yorker went to get his elephant gun - our wannabe hunter is resplendent. In pith helmet, shooting jacket, jodhpurs and puttees, he’s ready for big game. He’s like many of us who sport REI outdoor wear but have the good sense not to clamber up Mt. Everest without the requisite experience and support.
If clothes are words our hunter is well spoken. But, like at work, deeds count more than appearance. Confronted by lion-like change, we’ll need courage and imagination more than a glib tongue or a Hermès tie.

*Source: AESOP'S FABLES A NEW TRANSLATION BY V. S. VERNON JONES WITH AN INTRODUCTION By G. K. CHESTERTON AND ILLUSTRATIONS BY ARTHUR RACKHAM (Publisher: London: W. Heinemann; New York: Doubleday, Page & Co., 1912). Available at Gutenberg.

© John Lubans 2015

 

Your comment: Name: Website: E-mail: Remember Me