The Ring of Truth

A Swiss shepherd boy was kidnapped by passing gypsies. As he was hustled away inside the wagon, he heard the ringing of the village bell. The sound became fainter and fainter as the wagon carried him away. But that bell's special tone made a permanent impression upon his mind. 

Years later, as he grew up, the memory of that bell stirred a restless urge within. It made him weary of the gypsy life. He longed to return to his rightful home. So he broke away from the gypsy camp and began his search. He wandered from country to country, village to village, listening intensely for the special ring of that single bell. He heard many peals as he journeyed along, but he always detected a false ring, and so refused to be lured away.

Finally, while pausing by the roadside to rest, he heard a faintly familiar peal. He turned in its direction. The farther he walked the more swiftly he stepped. Something within him knew that he was hearing his village bell at last. And he followed it all the way home.

Likewise, the ring of truth is inside every man. And this is not something merely mystical or philosophical. It is a practical fact. If a man learns to listen, if he refuses to be lured away by false sounds, he will find his way home. The ring of truth will always be recognized by the man who listens. And every man has the capacity to listen and to follow.