Section 69
The Boy Bathing explained simply
Aesop's Fables by Aesop
Original excerpt
Excerpt preview
A Boy was bathing in a river and got out of his depth, and was in great danger of being drowned. A man who was ping along a road heard his cries for help, and went to the riverside and began to scold him for being so careless as to get into deep water, but made no attempt...
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Public-domain original
A Boy was bathing in a river and got out of his depth, and was in
great danger of being drowned. A man who was ping along a road
heard his cries for help, and went to the riverside and began to scold
him for being so careless as to get into deep water, but made no
attempt to help him. "Oh, sir," cried the Boy, "please help me first
and scold me afterwards."
Give assistance, not advice, in a crisis.
Public-domain original text shown for study context. Underlined terms can be tapped for simple reader notes.
What happens here
A drowning boy asks a passerby for help instead of a lecture.
Why this scene matters
This fable teaches that urgent help should come before criticism.
Characters in this scene
- Boy Bathing: A central figure in the fable’s conflict and lesson.
Simple story version
A boy falls into water and cries for help. The man scolds him, but the boy says rescue should come first.