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>>> AGAIN WE CLOSE WITH SOME OF
THE BEST HUMORIST WRITING, JAMES
THURBER, THIS STARTED IF YOU
DON'T KNOW WHEN I WOULD READ HIM
TO MY LATE FATHER IN THE
HOSPITAL.
DAD SAID YOU WOULD ENJOY THIS
AND BY ALL INDICATIONS HE WAS
RIGHT, AS USUAL.
THIS WEEK, THREE GEMS FROM
"FABLES FOR OUR TIME AND FAMOUS
POEMS I WILL STRATD" PUBLISHE
FIRST IN 1940 AND I'M AGAIN
READING FROM "THURBER, WRITINGS
AND DRAWINGS," JUST REPRINTED
BECAUSE YOU ASKED FOR IT.
FIRST, "THE MOUSE WHO WENT TO
THE COUNTRY," BY JAMES THURBER.
ONCE UPON A SUNDAY THERE WAS A
CITY MOUSE WHO WENT TO VISIT A
COUNTRY MOUSE.
HE HID AWAY ON THE TRAIN THE
COUNTRY MOUSE TOLD HIM TO TAKE,
ONLY TO FIND OUT THAT ON SUNDAYS
IT DID NOT STOP AT BEDDINGTON.
HENCE THE CITY MOUSE COULD NOT
GET OFF AT BEDDINGTON AND MEET
THE COUNTRY MOUSE.
THE CITY MOUSE WAS CARRIED ON TO
MIDDLEBURG WHERE HE WAITED THREE
HOURS FOR A TRAIN TO TAKE HIM
BACK.
WHEN HE GOT BACK TO BEDDINGTON,
HE FOUND THE LAST BUS JUST LEFT
SO HE RAN AND HE RAN AND HE RAN
AND HE FINALLY CAUGHT THE BUS
AND CREPT ABOARD, ONLY TO FIND
IT WAS NOT THE BUS FOR THE
JUNCTION AT ALL BUT WAS GOING IN
THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION THROUGH
PELLS HOLLOW TO A PLACE CALLED
WHIMBERBY.
WHEN THE BUS STOPPED, HE GOT OUT
IN HEAVY RAIN.
TO HELL WITH IT.
HE WALKED BACK TO THE CITY.
THE MORAL?
STAY WHERE YOU ARE.
YOU'RE SITTING PRETTY.
"THE MOUSE WHO WENT TO THE
COUNTRY."
AND NOW, "THE MOTH AND THE
STAR."
BY JAMES THURBER.
A YOUNG AND IMPRESSIONABLE MOTH
ONCE SET HIS HEART ON A CERTAIN
STAR.
HE TOLD HIS MOTHER ABOUT THIS
AND SHE COUNSELLED HIM TO SET
HIS HEART ON A BRIDGE LAMP
INSTEAD.
STARS AREN'T THE THING TO HANG
AROUND, SHE SAID.
LAMPS ARE THE THINGS TO HANG
AROUND.
YOU GET SOMEWHERE THAT WAY, SAID
THE MOTH'S FATHER.
YOU DON'T GET ANYWHERE CHASING
STARS.
EVERY EVENING HE WOULD START
FLYING TOWARD IT, EVERY MOURNING
HE'D FLY BACK HOME.
ONE DAY HIS FATHER SAID, YOU
HAVEN'T BURNED A WING IN MONTHS,
BOY.
LOOKS TO ME AS IF YOU'RE NEVER
GOING TO.
ALL YOUR BROTHERS HAVE BEEN
BADLY BURNED, FLYING AROUND
STREET LAMPS AND ALL YOUR
SISTERS HAVE BEEN TERRIBLY
SINGED FLYING AROUND HOUSE
LAMPS.
GET OUT OF HERE AND GET YOURSELF
SCORCHED.
A BIG STRAPPING MOTH LIKE YOU
WITHOUT A MARK ON HIM?
THE MOTH LEFT HIS FATHER'S
HOUSE.
BUT HE WOULD NOT FLY AROUND
STREETLIGHT LAMPS AND WOULD NOT
FLY AROUND HOUSE LAMPS.
HE WENT ON TRYING TO REACH THE
STAR WHICH WAS 4 1/3 LIGHT YEARS
AWAY.
THE MOTH TO IT WAS JUST CAUGHT
THE TOP BRANCHES OF THE ELM.
HE NEVER DID REACH THE STAR, BUT
HE WENT ON RIGHT ON TRYING NIGHT
AFTER NIGHT.
AND WHEN HE WAS A VERY, VERY OLD
MOTH.
HE THOUGHT TO REACH HE HAD
REACHED THE STAR AND HE WENT
AROUND SAYING SO.
THIS GAVE HIM A DEEP AND LASTING
PLEASURE AND HE LIVED TO A GREAT
OLD AGE.
HIS PARENTS AND HIS BROTHERS AND
SISTERS HAD ALL BEEN BURNED TO
DEATH WHEN THEY WERE QUITE
YOUNG.
MORAL?
WHO FLIES AFAR FROM THE SPHERE
OF OUR SORROW IS HERE TODAY AND
HERE TOMORROW.
"THE MOTH AND THE STAR."
AND LASTLY TONIGHT, AND BEST
TONIGHT, "THE OWL WHO WAS GOD."
BY JAMES THURBER.
ONCE UPON A STARLESS MIDNIGHT
THERE WAS AN OWL WHO SAT ON A
BRANCH OF AN OAK TREE.
TWO GROUND MOLES TRIED TO SLIP
QUIETLY BY UNNOTICED.
YOU, SAID THE OWL.
WHO?
THEY QUIVERED IN FEAR AND
ASTONISHMENT, FOR THEY DIDN'T
KNOW IT WAS POSSIBLE FOR ANYONE
TO SEE THEM IN THAT DARKNESS.
YOU, TOO, SAID THE OWL.
THE MOLES HURRIED AWAY AND TOLD
THE OTHER CEO TERS THAT THE OWL
WAS GREATEST AND WISEST OF ALL
ANIMALS BECAUSE HE COULD SEE IN
THE DARK AND COULD ANSWER ANY
QUESTION.
I'LL SEE ABOUT THAT SAID A
SECRETARY BIRD AND CALLED ON THE
OWL WHEN IT WAS VERY DARK.
HOW MANY CLAWS AM I HOLDING UP,
SAID THE SECRETARY BIRD.
TWO, SAID THE OWL.
AND THAT WAS RIGHT.
CAN YOU GIVE ME ANOTHER
EXPRESSION FOR THAT IS TO SAY OR
NAMELY, ASKED THE SECRETARY
BIRD.
TO WIT.
WHY DOES A LOVER CALL ON HIS
LOVE, ASK THEED SECRETARY BIRD.
TO WOO.
SAID THE OWL.
THE SECRETARY BIRD HASTENED BACK
TO THE CREATURED AND SAID INDEED
THE OWL WAS THE GREATEST AND
WISEST BECAUSE HE COULD SEE IN
THE DARK AND BECAUSE HE COULD
ANSWER ANY QUESTION.
CAN HE SEE IN THE DAYTIME TOO?
ASKED A RED FOX.
YES, ECHOED A DOOR MOUSE AND A
FRENCH POODLE.
CAN HE SEE IN THE DAYTIME, TOO?
ALL THE OTHER CREATURES LASTED
LOUDLY AT THIS SILLY QUESTION
AND SAT UPON THE RED FOX AND
THEIR FRIENDS AND DROVE THEM OUT
OF THE REGION.
THEN SENT A MESSENGER TO THE OWL
AND ASKED HIM TO BE THEIR
LEADER.
WHEN THE OWL APPEARED AMONG THE
OWL, IT WAS HIGH NOON AND THE
SUN WAS SHINING BRIGHTLY.
HE WALKED VERY SLOWLY WHICH GAVE
HIM THE APPEARANCE OF GREAT
DIGNITY AND HE PEERED ABOUT HIM
WITH LARGE STARING EYES WHICH
GAVE HIM AN AIR OF TREMENDOUS
IMPORTANCE.
HE'S GOD, SCREAMED A PLYMOUTH
ROCK HEN.
WHEN HE BUMPED INTO THINGS, THEY
BUMPED INTO THINGS TOO.
FINALLY HE CAME TO A CONCRETE
HIGHWAY AND STARTED UP THE
MIDDLE OF IT.
ALL THE CREATURES FOLLOWED HIM.
PRESENTLY A HAWK OBSERVED A
TRUCK COMING TOWARD THEM AT 50
MILES AN HOUR AND HE REPORTED TO
THE SECRETARY BIRD AND THE
SECRETARY BIRD REPORTED TO THE
OWL.
THERE'S DANGER AHEAD, SAID THE
SECRETARY BIRD.
TO WIT, SAID THE OWL.
SECRETARY BIRD TOLD HIM, AREN'T
YOU AFRAID, HE ASKED.
WHO, SAID THE OWL CALMLY.
FOR HE COULD NOT SEE THE TRUCK.
HE'S GOD, CRIED ALL THE
CREATURES AGAIN AND THEY WERE
STILL CRYING, HE'S GOD.
WHEN THE TRUCK HIT THEM AND RAN
THEM DOWN.
SOME OF THE ANIMALS WERE MERELY
INJURED BUT MOST OF THEM,
INCLUDING THE OWL, WERE KILLED.
MORAL?
YOU CAN FOOL TOO MANY OF THE
PEOPLE TOO MUCH OF THE TIME.
"THE OWL WHO WAS GOD."
AND THAT IS "COUNTDOWN,"
PORTIONS WRITTEN BY JAMES
THURBER.
AND NOW TO DISCUSS ARIZONA'S
EXPANDING FIGHT AGAINST THE
ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS AND NOW THEIR