Anti-slavery bugle. [volume] (New-Lisbon, Ohio) 1845-1861, 1849-07-21
KING SOLOMON'S BLACKSMITH.

AND it came to pass when Solomon,
the son of David, had finished the Tenn
pie Of Jerusalem, that he called unto him
the chief architects, the head a~rlifcers,
and cunning workers in silver and gold,
and in wood and in ivory and in stone
yea, all who had aided in rearing the
Temple of the Lord, and he said unto
them,-"Sit We down at my table |
have prepared a feast for all my chief
workers and cunning arifcers.- Stretch
forth your hands, therefore, and eat and
drink and be merry. Is not the laborer
worthy Of his hire Is not the skilful
u%riificer deserving of honor? Muzzle
not the OK that treadelh out the corn"
And when Solomon and The chiefwork-
men were seated, and the fairness of the
land and the oil thereof was set upon the
table, there came one who knocked loud
ly at the door, and forced himself even
into the fes,al chamber. Then Solomon
the King was wroth, and said-"What
manner OF man art hot :" And the
man answered and said,-"When men
wish ~ honor me, they call me Son of
the Forge; but when they desire 10
mock me, they call me blacksmith and
seeing that the toll Of working in fire
covers me with sweat and smut, the lat
ter name, o King, is not inapt, and, in
truth, thy servant desires no better"
"Bu,," said Solomon, "why came
you thus rudely and unbidden TO the
feast, where none save The chief work.
men Of the temple were invited to dine
with the King of Israel 2" Then he
who carved The cherubim said "The
fellow is no sculptor."-And he who in
laid the roof with pure gold said -
''Neilher is he a workman in fine met.
ais" And he who raised the walls,
said "He is no cutter of stone" And
he who made the roof, cried out: "He
is not cunning in cedar-wood and nei-
lher knoweth he the mystery Of uniting
strange pieces together"
Then said Solomon, "what hast thou
to say, Son of the Forge, why l should
not order Thee to be plucked by the beard,
scourged with a scourge, and stoned to
death with stones? ?" And when the Son
of The Forge heard this, he was in no
sort dismayed, but advancing TO the ia
BILE, snatched up and swallowed a cup of
wine, aud said, 30 King, live forever!-
The chief men Of the workers in wood
and gold and stone have said that | am
not of them, and they have said truly
| am their superior: before they lived
was | created. ! am their master, and
they are all my servants" And he
turned him round, and said 10 the chief
of the carvers in stone, "Who made
the tools with which you carve 7" And
he said, "The blacksmith" And he
said TO the chief of the masons, ''Who
made the chisels with which the stones
of The Temple were squared I" And he
said, "The blacksmith" And he said
to the chief of the workers in wood
"Who made the tools with which you
hewed the trees on Lebanon, and formed
them into the pillars and roof of the tenn
pIel" And he said, "The blacksmith"
Then said he to the artificers in gold
and in ivory, "Who. makes your in
s,rumen,s, by which you work beautiful
things for my Lord the King!"-And they
said "The blacksmith"
"Enough, enough" said Solomon
''lhou hast proved that | invited thee
and that thou art all mems father in art
Go wash the smut of the forge from thy
face, and come and sir at my right hand
The chiefs Of my workmen are but men
thou arr more" So it happened at thC
feast of Solomon, and blacksmilhs have
been honored ever since.