The Fence Story

A man who prided himself on his morality, and expected to be saved by it, was constantly saying: "I am doing pretty well on the whole. I sometimes get mad and swear, but then I am perfectly honest. I work on the Sabbath when I am particularly busy, but I give a good deal to the poor, and I was never drunk in my life."

This man hired a canny Scotchman to build a fence around his pasture lot. He gave him very particular directions. In the evening, when the Scotchman came in from work, the man said, "Well, Sandy, is the fence built, and is it tight and strong?"

"I can not say it is all tight and strong," Sandy replied, "but it's a good average fence, anyhow. If some parts of it are a little weak, other parts are extra strong. I don't know but I may have left a gap here and there a yard or so wide; but then I made up for it by doubling the number of rails on each side of the gap. I dare say the cattle will find it a good fence on the whole, and will like it, though I cannot just say that it is perfect in every part."

"What!" cried the man in astonishment, not seeing the point, "do you tell me that you built a fence around my lot with weak places and gaps in it? Why, you might as well have built no fence. If there is one opening, or a place where an opening can be made, the cattle will be sure to find it, and will all go through. Don't you know, man, a fence must be perfect, or it is worthless."

"I used to think so," said the dry Scotchman, "but I hear you talk so much about averaging matters with the Lord, I thought it might be well to try it with the cattle. If an average fence will not do for them, I very much fear that an average character will not do in the day of judgment."