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79 men and the other animals A TRAVELER PITCHED HIS tent for the night, and the animals of the forest, who had never before seen a man, sat near his fire, asking him questions about the customs of his country and the habits of his kind. The traveler told in detail of men and the civilization they had built; then, seeing the puzzled expressions on the faces of his audience, he added, "Man and animals [ 154 ] like yourselves are so different that it's hard for you to take in what I'm saying. Now, don't be offended, but animals like you, as everybody knows, are cruel, treacherous , and inclined to be thieving, while man, on the other hand, is of divine origin and has a soul. Man is gentle, kind, and noble, and, unlike other animals, his life is regulated, not by chance, but by a moral code. For instance, to give you some idea of what a man's moral nature is, let me tell you that in my country alone there are ten thousand laws for the suppression of every possible offense." There was silence, and then one of the animals spoke in a bewildered voice: "If men are noble and generous and compassionate, as you say, why do they find it necessary to protect themselves against one another's goodness so carefully?" [ 155 ] ...

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