THE BLIND MAN AND THE ELEPHANT
(Adapted from a poem by John G. Saxe)
We should not be sure of our opinions until we have seen all sides of the question.
There were six men of Hindoostan who were blind, but each man thought he could see as well with his hands as any one else could with his eyes. Whenever they touched anything they thought they knew all about it, though they had felt only a small part.
Now, these six blind men had never seen an elephant. They did not know what an elephant was like because nobody could describe an elephant so that they could know what it was like. Besides that, these blind men never believed what anybody told them.
One day an elephant came to their town and they decided to pay him a visit. The first blind man approached the elephant and stumbled against his big broad side. He felt along the rough hide up and down and as far as he could reach.
“Why, bless me! the elephant is just like a wall or the side of my house. I had no idea an elephant was like that!” said the first blind man.
Then the second blind man approached the elephant and caught hold of his hard tusks with the sharp points. He felt along the smooth tusk as far as he could reach.
“Why, bless me! the elephant is very like a spear. I had no idea an elephant looked like that!” said the second blind man.
Then the third blind man approached the elephant and caught hold of his trunk. The old elephant moved his trunk from side to side, and squirmed, while the third blind man felt of it as far as he could.