A Great Speech from a Great Man
Pinocchio has been hanged by assassins, cut down by a falcon, and taken to the home of Fairy. The most famous doctors in all the realm have been summoned in consultation. One after another they arrive and place themselves around the bed of Pinocchio—a crow, an owl, and a talking cricket. The Fairy gives them a brief history of the case and then asks them a simple question: Is the puppet dead or alive?
Crow advances first, feels the puppet's pulse, then his nose, then the toe of his foot. Having done this carefully, he steps back and solemnly renders the following opinion, “To my belief, the puppet is already quite dead; but if unfortunately he should not be dead, then it would be a sign that he is still alive.”
Next the owl comes forward, examines the patient, steps back and says, “I regret to be obliged to contradict the crow, my illustrious friend and colleague, but in my opinion the puppet is still alive; but if unfortunately he should not be alive, then it would be a sign he is dead indeed.”
All the while, Cricket stands quietly by. He is a little fellow and except for a tall black hat, is quite ordinary in appearance. However, if one looks closely, it is evident that he is unimpressed by the performance of his fellow consultants.
“And you—have you nothing to say?” asked the Fairy.
“In my opinion,” replied Cricket, “the wisest thing a prudent doctor can do, when he doesn't know what he is talking about, is to be silent.” And with that he turned and walked away.1
Pinocchio has been hanged by assassins, cut down by a falcon, and taken to the home of Fairy. The most famous doctors in all the realm have been summoned in consultation. One after another they arrive and place themselves around the bed of Pinocchio—a crow, an owl, and a talking cricket. The Fairy gives them a brief history of the case and then asks them a simple question: Is the puppet dead or alive?
Crow advances first, feels the puppet's pulse, then his nose, then the toe of his foot. Having done this carefully, he steps back and solemnly renders the following opinion, “To my belief, the puppet is already quite dead; but if unfortunately he should not be dead, then it would be a sign that he is still alive.”
Next the owl comes forward, examines the patient, steps back and says, “I regret to be obliged to contradict the crow, my illustrious friend and colleague, but in my opinion the puppet is still alive; but if unfortunately he should not be alive, then it would be a sign he is dead indeed.”
All the while, Cricket stands quietly by. He is a little fellow and except for a tall black hat, is quite ordinary in appearance. However, if one looks closely, it is evident that he is unimpressed by the performance of his fellow consultants.
“And you—have you nothing to say?” asked the Fairy.
“In my opinion,” replied Cricket, “the wisest thing a prudent doctor can do, when he doesn't know what he is talking about, is to be silent.” And with that he turned and walked away.1
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