When one of his disciples was guilty of a serious lapse everyone expected the Master to give him some exemplary punishment.
When nothing was done for a whole month someone remonstrated with the Master: “We cannot ignore what has happened. After all, God has given us eyes.”
“Yes,” replied the Master, “and eyelids!”
When someone boasted of the economic and cultural achievements of his country the Master was quite unimpressed. “Have all those achievements made the slightest change in the hearts of your countrymen?” he asked.
And he told of the white man who was captured by cannibals and brought before the chief prior to being roasted alive. Imagine his astonishment when he heard the chieftain speak with a perfect Harvard accent.
“Did your years in Harvard do nothing to change you?” asked the white man.
“Of course they did. They civilized me. After you’re roasted I shall dress for dinner and eat you with knife and fork.”
Said a disappointed visitor, “Why has my stay here yielded no fruit?”
“Could it be because you lacked the courage to shake the tree?” asked the Master benignly.
