Project Gutenberg's Chambers's Edinburgh Journal, No. 449, by Various

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Title: Chambers's Edinburgh Journal, No. 449
Volume 18, New Series, August 7, 1852

Author: Various

Editor: William Chambers
Robert Chambers

Release Date: June 26, 2007 [EBook #21939]

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

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CHAMBERS' EDINBURGH JOURNAL

CONDUCTED BY WILLIAM AND ROBERT CHAMBERS, EDITORS OF 'CHAMBERS'S
INFORMATION FOR THE PEOPLE,' 'CHAMBERS'S EDUCATIONAL COURSE,' &c.

No. 449. NEW SERIES. SATURDAY, AUGUST 7, 1852. PRICE 1-1/2_d._

THE SULTAN'S BEAR.[1]

The sultan being one day rather out of sorts, sent for his Jewish
physician, a man very eminent for skill in his profession, and not
less distinguished by his love of his own nation and his desperate
enmity to the Christians. Finding that his patient had not really much
the matter with him, and thinking a little gossip would not only be
more agreeable, but more likely to do him good, than any medicine
which could be prescribed, the doctor began to discourse on the very
familiar topic of his highness's favourite bear, which was lying at
his feet, and whose virtues and abilities he was never tired of
extolling.

'You would wonder,' said the sultan, 'not only at the natural sagacity
of the creature, and the tact which he shews in a thousand different
ways, but at the amount of knowledge he has collected, and the logical
correctness with which he uses it. He is really a very knowing beast.'
The Jew politely acquiesced in all this and much more; but at length
added: 'It is well that such a clever animal is in such good hands. If
his extraordinary talents are not developed to the utmost, they are at
least not perverted and made a bad use of.'

'I hope not, indeed,' said the sultan. 'But what do you mean by his
talents not being developed? or in what way would they be likely to be
perverted in bad hands?'

'Pardon me,' said the Jew; 'I have spoken rashly bef