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Show I ORIGIN -OF THE KAISER ILike all other person who have had occasion to contemplate the Prussian ICockatrice" (Kaiser) I have often - wondered from whence it came and what its mission, and why mankind must be so tormented, and while not inclined to skeptisism have marveled -at the toleration and patience of a l wise creator who would so long per- mit its existence in a civilized community, com-munity, . To solve the mystery I interrogated wise, experienced sages and philosophers philoso-phers without avail; I humbly appealed appeal-ed to the God of the Universe and became be-came satisfied that it was a stranger to that dominion; I implored knowledge knowl-edge from the Sun, Moon and Star, all In vain; I climbed the mount among the pines, I breathed the balm born on the mountain breeze, the mountain God held high his hoary head to Heaven, Heav-en, and I said: O, mighty mountain, wake and speak, thy granite heart of stone is as cold and pulseless as love that's dead, and are thou dead? Thou answerest not, and yet thy gifts of nector winding through the wilds: the scattering spray from cascade to the ferns that fringe thy feet: thy thickets thick-ets green where bright winged birds flit swiftly to and from: these and myrid sights and sounds deny that thou are dead. Thy venerable age and experience tells me that thou knowest the conception, birth and mission of "J the "Cockatrice;" oh, mighty moun-T moun-T tain acquaint me with thy knowledge. I slept, and in my dream the moun- tain spake: In decades past, in clamorous Hell, Mephisto reigned to the delight of all his imps and to the terror of the inhabitants of the earth. Upon a fete occasion In that infernal region, desjring to excell all prior fieudishness and infamy, and desiring to specially arm and equip his tor-, tor-, Jf menting imps with a weapon to har-rass, har-rass, degrade and torment the inhabitants inhabi-tants ttf the earth, Mephisto called to-$ to-$ gether his horde of fiends, imparted his wish, and bade them scrape the sewers and filthy alley of Hell and bring the filth to him. With fiendish glee they brought the festered bundle of corruption and rolled it in a covering cover-ing of putrid offscum and placed it near the hottest furnace to hatch, and through the conceptive power of a "'Hell's hottest furnace," it peeped, it lihatxhed, it was born, "The Cocka-f Cocka-f -'trice." Jt was the delight of that dominion do-minion for ages, till about 1859 A. D. some one more adroit, and with more trickery and cunning than Mephisto and his legion, purloined it from his dominion. . I awoke and beheld "in mlttle europe," and I pitied her and her people, peo-ple, The Cockatrice (now called Kaiser) Kais-er) was among them. (Contributed by Victor Bigger.) |
