ABSTRACT
In 1857 Margaret Gatty (1809–1873) published her second collection of Parables from Nature. In keeping with her general theme, that through the study of the natural environment her readers could both learn about the world around them and strengthen their religious faith, she composed “Not Lost, But Gone Before”. Plunging into the depths of a serene, woodland pond, Gatty quickly reveals the underwater life of a dragon-fly grub and his various companions—frogs, eels and minnows. Generally they seem a pretty unimaginative bunch, darting around seeking their prey, but there is one inquisitive little grub who cannot help but wonder: when the frog climbs out of their underwater world, where does he go? The large, yellow frog, with a certain sense of superiority, tries to describe the world of dry land and finally, struggling in vain to describe the air, suggests the grub hop onto his back and accompany him to see for himself what the ‘other world’is like. The grub, however, can not travel outside of the water-world, but the frog nevertheless is able to recount his sighting of a “radiant creature who floats through the air … a glorious Dragon-fly” which he had seen emerge from the grub's body. 1
