The Body that Deserted the Stomach

The human body is a perfect and wonderful thing. The hands are strong for work, the feet are strong for walking. The nose judges whether food is good to eat, the ears hear clearly, and the eyes help a person see all the world and study books. The brain can think great thoughts. That is why we call the human body perfect.

But one day the different parts of the body began to quarrel about their work. Many complaints were brought against the stomach. The hands and feet said, "We work all day long, and yet we get nothing. Do you know who we are working for?"

The eyes said, "We find many chickens, fish, eggs, and much rice and tea for the stomach. He takes everything and does no work for it. He does not even think. Even though he never does anything for us, we are always working for him."

Then they all agreed to refuse to work for the stomach any longer. They said, "Tomorrow we will tell the heart and have him judge who is to be blamed."

So the next day the tongue told the brain about it, and the brain said, "I will see the judge tonight."

When the heart heard the story, he said, "Yes, you are right. If all of you lie down and refuse to help the stomach; if you do not give him any rice or meat for food, or any tea for drink, he will learn then that he cannot live without you."

In a little while the stomach wanted food and said to the hands, "Give me a piece of fish, some rice, and a cup of tea." The hands were quiet and said nothing.

Then the stomach said to the feet, "Will you go out and have Men-Yen bring me a bowl of chop-suey-meen? I am hungry."

The feet answered, "No, sir, we will not work for you any more." And they lay down.

The stomach cried for food, but all said, "We do not care; we will not work for him."

After a while the eyes found they could not see well; and in the theater hall next door the drums drummed hard, but the ears could not hear. The heart-judge said, "How is it now with the stomach?" The brain answered, "We are not working for him, nor helping him any more, and I believe he is going to die. I fear that I, too, will die and that all the others will die. I do not believe we have done right in deserting the stomach. Do you not think it best to tell the feet to go out and bring the stomach some chop-suey-meen? If he had that, he might help us again. We shall all surely die unless we have his aid."

But the unwise judge said, "Let him get his own food; let him do his work for himself."

"He cannot do that," said the brain. "He lives in a place with great walls around him, so he cannot get out. The hands and the feet have always brought his food to him."

The judge said, "Has he spoken about it today?"

And the brain answered, "No."

So they agreed to leave the stomach to himself one day longer.

But that night they were all found dead together, for they could not live without each other.

This fable was told by the Chinese general, Tsii, to the Chinese emperor, about twelve hundred years ago. The emperor had been angry at a province of his own people and wished to send this general, with soldiers, to kill them. But the general would not go, and in his argument with the emperor he used this fable to illustrate his reasons for objection and to show the necessity of each part to all. This fable was translated into Japanese in 1891, and the Japanese have added the following meaning:

The stomach means the emperor. The hands, eyes, feet, and all parts of the body represent the people. Again, the stomach is like a mother, the other parts being the children.

So each one of the people must do something for his nation and emperor. Each child must do something for the family and the mother. These things must be, if the nation is to be powerful, or if the family is to be strong and united.