000 Nuisance calls. Close to 40% of 000 calls are non-genuine. This is a dangerous practice.
Remember the [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Boy_Who_Cried_Wolf]”Boy Who Cried Wolf”[/url].
Teachers have used the fable as a cautionary tale about telling the truth but a recent educational experiment showed that reading “The Boy Who Cried Wolf” increased children’s likelihood of lying while a book on George Washington and the cherry tree decreased it dramatically.The suggestibility and favourable outcome of the behaviour described therefore seems the key to the moral nurture of the young.
The cherry-tree anecdote about George Washington
Arguably the most famous (or infamous) of the exaggerated or invented anecdotes about George Washington is that of the cherry tree attributed by Weems to “…an aged lady who was a distant relative and when a girl spent much of her time in the family…” who referred to young George as “cousin”The following anecdote is a case in point. It is too valuable to be lost and too true to be doubted; for it was communicated to me by the same excellent lady to whom I am indebted for the last.
“When George” said she “was about six years old he was made the wealthy master of a hatchet! of which like most little boys he was immoderately fond and was constantly going about chopping everything that came in his way. One day in the garden where he often amused himself hacking his mother’s pea-sticks he unluckily tried the edge of his hatchet on the body of a beautiful young English cherry-tree which he barked so terribly that I don’t believe the tree ever got the better of it. The next morning the old gentleman finding out what had befallen his tree which by the by was a great favourite came into the house; and with much warmth asked for the mischievous author declaring at the same time that he would not have taken five guineas for his tree. Nobody could tell him anything about it. Presently George and his hatchet made their appearance. “George” said his father “do you know who killed that beautiful little cherry tree yonder in the garden? ” This was a tough question; and George staggered under it for a moment; but quickly recovered himself: and looking at his father with the sweet face of youth brightened with the inexpressible charm of all-conquering truth he bravely cried out “I can’t tell a lie Pa; you know I can’t tell a lie. I did cut it with my hatchet.” “Run to my arms you dearest boy” cried his father in transports “run to my arms; glad am I George that you killed my tree; for you have paid me for it a thousand fold. Such an act of heroism in my son is more worth than a thousand trees though blossomed with silver and their fruits of purest gold.”