from The Story of the Other Wise Man
Henry Van Dyke
(1852-1933)
So, one by one,
they left the house of Artaban. But Abgarus, the oldest and the one who loved
him the best, lingered after the others had gone, and said, gravely: "My son, it
may be that the light of truth is in this sign that has appeared in the skies,
and then it will surely lead to the Prince and the mighty brightness. Or it may
be that it is only a shadow of the light, as Tigranes has said, and then he who
follows it will have a long pilgrimage and a fruitless search. But it is better
to follow even the shadow of the best than to remain content with the worst. And
those who would see wonderful things must often be ready to travel alone. …"
Henry van Dyke (1852–1933) American clergyman, educator, and author, b. Germantown, Pa., grad. Princeton, 1873, and Princeton Theological Seminary, 1874. He was pastor of the Brick Presbyterian Church, New York City (1883–99), professor of English literature at Princeton (1899–1923), and U.S. minister to the Netherlands (1913–16). Among his popular inspirational writings is the Christmas story The Story of the Other Wise Man (1896).