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The story behind the logo There was once a large black Spanish hen who had fine little chicks. All of them were ordinary chicks, except one, who looked as if he had been cut in half. All his brothers and sisters had two wings and two legs, and two eyes, but he had only one of each. And he had only half a head and half a beak. So they called him Medio Pollito, which means "Half-Chick" in Spanish. The brother and sister chicks did just what they were told to do, but Medio Pollito did not like to obey his mother. When mother hen called for him to come back to the chicken house, he pretended that he could not hear, because he had only one ear. And the older he became, the more he disobeyed his mother. One day he said: "I am tired of life in the barnyard. I am going to the city to see the King." His mother said, "You aren’t old enough yet. When you are older, we will go to the city together." But Medio Pollito would not listen to anyone. "I am going to visit the King, and I shall have a big house in the city, and become rich, and maybe I will invite you to visit me sometime." With that he hopped down the road toward the city. His mother called out: "Be sure to be kind to everyone you meet." But Medio did not listen, and off he went. He first hopped to a little stream of water, choked by weeds. "Oh, Medio," it cried, "please help me clear away these weeds, so I can flow." "Do you think I have time to take from my travels?" said Medio. "I am off to the city to see the King." And away he hopped. Later he came to some burning grass, and the fire said to him, "Medio, please put some sticks on me so I will not burn out." "Do you think I have time to take from my travels?" said Medio. "I am off to the city to see the King." And away he hopped. As he got closer to the city he came to a tree where the wind was caught in the branches and leaves, and the wind said to Medio: " Oh, please climb up here and free me from the branches, so that I can fly away." "Do you think I have time to take from my travels?" said medio. "I am off to the city to see the King." And away he hopped. As he entered the city, he saw the royal palace, and hopped right into the courtyard. Who should see Medio but the King’s cook, who said: "I think I shall make the King a nice chicken soup for his dinner." And he reached out, and caught Medio, and put him into a pot of water near the stove. Medio felt very wet. "Oh water," he cried, "don’t wet me like this." But the water replied: "You would not help me when I was a little stream, so why should I help you?" Then the fire on the stove began to heat the water. Medio felt very hot. "Oh, fire," he cried, "don’t burn me like this." But the fire replied, "You would not help me when I was going out in the grass, so why should I help you?" The pain was so bad that Medio thought he would die. Just then, the cook raised the lid of the pot to see if the soup was ready. But he saw the ugly little chick, and said: "I can’t send this ugly chick to the King." And he threw Medio out the window.
There he is to this very day. If you look at the top of many a church steeple, you will see a weather vane in the form of a half a chicken. It is Medio Pollito, the chick who would not help others. Now he must help everyone by showing them which way the wind is blowing. |
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Medio
Pollito
There the wind caught him and took him so fast he could
hardly breathe. "Oh, wind," he cried, "don’t carry me
like this. Let me rest or I will die." But the wind replied:
"You would not help me when I was caught in the tree, so why should I
help you?" And with that he lifted Medio Pollito, up in the air to
the top of a church tower, and left him stuck to a steeple.