A Riddle by Epsilon

International Tract and Missionary Society · Oakland, California · Jul 17, 1884

A Riddle.

By Epsilon

Ques. Why are you loading that cannon with such warlike missiles?

Ans. In order to slay those ten men who stand in a compacted group.

Q. Then do you consider those men your enemies?

A. I hate one of them, but the other nine I highly esteem.

Q. Why would you slay nine friends in order to get rid of one enemy? Would you not be loser instead of gainer?

A. It does look so, but since my enemy is always in the compacted group, there is no way to get rid of him but to slay the whole ten.

Q. Has this one man some bad trait, that you hate him so much?

A. Really, I cannot say that he has a single bad trait, but I was taught to hate him, and some of my neighbors hate him also.

Q. Have your neighbors any just cause for hating him?

A. They say that the king dismissed him from the group, and gave a commission to a better man to take his place.

Q. Have you, or your neighbors ever seen the commission of a new appointment?

A. No; if such a commission was ever written, it was lost long ago.

Q. Did the king ever find fault with this hated man?

A. No; the king has often spoken highly of him, and commended him to the people.

Q. Did the king's son turn the people against him?

A. There is no record that he did so; on the contrary, he, too, highly commended him. But they say that the king's son turned him out of office.

Q. Have you no other evidence than hearsay that he was dismissed?

A. No; but the other man takes best with the people. He was of old very popular with the outside barbarians.

Q. Does it not seem that some of the people are trying to ring in this popular barbarian?

A. If the voice of the people is the voice of God, it ought to be the voice of the kings.

Q. How did you learn that the voice of the people is the voice of God?

A. By hearsay.

Q. If you credit hearsay, would you not likely believe at least seven lies to one truth?

A. Perhaps so. EPSILON.