p. 128 | An Obliging Elephant by Editor

Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Apr 18, 1878

An Obliging Elephant.

By Editor

THE elephant which is the hero of the following anecdote, not only obliged Sir Emerson Tennant by getting out of the way of his horse, but has greatly obliged us by upsetting one of the strongest metaphysical arguments for the immortality of the soul. Many a smaller animal has done the same thing, in its own peculiar way, but this one in a manner corresponding to the power and weight of his own majestic stature. If that elephant had not an immortal soul, as but few will contend that he had, then certainly but few of the human family can consistently claim by nature such an endowment. We are thankful that we hold no theory on this subject which can be upset by any of the brute creation, even though it be an elephant. The anecdote runs thus:—

“THE OBLIGING ELEPHANT.—Sir Emerson Tennant tells of an adventure he had in Ceylon while riding on a narrow road through the forest. He heard a rumbling sound approaching, and directly there came to meet him an elephant bearing on his tusks a large log of wood which he had been directed to carry to the place where it was most needed. Tennant’s horse, unused to these monsters, was frightened, and refused to go forward. The elephant seeing this, evidently decided that he must himself get out of the way. But to do this he was obliged to take the log from his tusks with his trunk and lay it on the ground, which he did, and then backed out of the road between the trees till only his head was visible. But the horse was still too timid to go by, when the thoughtful elephant pushed himself farther back, till all of his body except the end of his trunk had disappeared. Then Sir Emerson succeeded in getting his horse by, but stopped to witness the result. The elephant came out, took the log up again, laid it across his tusks, and went on his way. This story shows not only reasoning, but faithfulness to his task, and a spirit of courtesy to a fellow-traveler not always shown by man.”