Ambrose Bierce:

The Moral Principle and the Material Interest

  Recommended:  one of the following biographical sketches of Ambrose Bierce.  (These are listed roughly in order of simplest to most comprehensive.)


A Moral Principle met a Material Interest on a bridge wide enough for but one.

"Down, you base thing!" thundered the Moral Principle, "and let me pass over you!"

The Material Interest merely looked in the other's eyes without saying anything.

"Ah," said the Moral Principle, hesitatingly, "let us draw lots to see which shall retire till the other has crossed."

The Material Interest maintained an unbroken silence and an unwavering stare.

"In order to avoid a conflict," the Moral Principle resumed, somewhat uneasily, "I shall myself lie down and let you walk over me."

Then the Material Interest found a tongue, and by a strange coincidence it was its own tongue. "I don't think you are very good walking," it said. "I am a little particular about what I have underfoot. Suppose you get off into the water."

It occurred that way.

From Ambrose Bierce, Fantastic Fables (1899)

  There is a Study Guide to this piece.

Ambrose Bierce on the web

   Bierce's Fantastic Fables are offered at several sites, among which are the Free Online Library, the Nimble Wisdom Online Booklist, and Americanliterature.com.

   Many more works by Bierce are available at Project Gutenberg and at the Online Books Library at the University of Pennsylvania.

  Suggestions are welcome.  Please send your comments to lyman@ksu.edu .

   This page last updated 22 January 2004 .