The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1850-1873, 1872-12-06
THE PRINCE AND HIS RING.
nv ELLA RIrRIEIGH
BY CELIA Blu hLElGd.
N, tho ~ " Tndapan1ar

From the n. Y. Independent.
f, The king was dead, and the prince,
young and inexperienced, came to the
throne. But, because he feared God
and loved justice, he shrank from ex-
ercising authority, and care set heavy
at his heart. Greatly he desired to
associate with him in the government
good and wise men; but, while he
doubted and feared. the days went by
and the vacant offices were still I'M
filled. Judgment was not executed,
for there were no judges the wrongs
of the innocent were not redressed,
nor were the guilty punished. The
people murmured; but still the prince
hesitated and feared to act. At length
he sent for Anciris, the magician, and
said: - ii" ''H ore h''' - ~
'.Fashion for me a talisman that
shall reveal to me the hearts of. men.
Let no evil in deed or word or thought
exist that shall not be revealed by. the
talisman which thou shalt create"
20, mighty prince said Anciris,
to hear is to obey, and the thing which
thou hast commanded shall assuredly
be DONE" .s-fiog
Again the days went by, and the
people marvelled that still the prince
delayed to organize his cabinet ana
name his prime minister. And many
evil things were done on account of
the unsettled state of the empire; but
the prince said nothing, thinking,
"Only few days more and all will be
made right" ''"' - F'r
At length Anciris appeared, and
showed the prince a marvellous ring.
1t was inscribed within and without
with sacred symbols, and was set with
rare gems. 1t had, moreover, the
double power of rendering its wearer
invisible, and revealing to him all the
evil that dwelt in the hearts of those
upon whom he CHANGED to look.
"Now shall be able to choose my
officers with WISDOM" said the prince,
Hiand to administer the laws justly,
never confounding the innocent with
the guilty. / shall know the inmOst
thoughts of my mobiles, and who are
truly attached to my person. No dis
guise will avail anything, for 1 shall
read mems motives as one reads the
pages of an open book"
So the prince put the ring upon his
finger, and went out to test the virtues
of his talisman, aud see what was done
in the city. At first he. could hardly
repress feeling of indignation that no
one rose at his coming, that heads re-
NAMED covered, and the talk went on
regardless of his presence. Then, re-
memberiUg that he was unseen, he
addressed himself to the study of char
acter as it was presented to him under
this new aspect. He listened to the
conversation of the mobiles who had
been his fathers counsellOrs, and was
shocked to see the discrepancy between
their thoughts and words. Startling
revelations met him at every turn.
Men who had expressed the utmost
devotion to his person regarded his
character with secret contempt, and
studied how they might turn bis weak
nesses to their own advantage. Those
who had professed the love of virtue
were self-seekingo and unprincipled.
One was dishonest, another cOvetOus:
this one lustful, that one ambitious;
and even the sanity prime minister
his fathers friend-spoke half-tr 1ths,
and had other motives than those he
avowed. -.---I
"These are the vices of the rich,"
said the prince. "AmOng the lOwly /
shall find the virtue that flies the
palace and the court" l, 1ts
So he wandered from street to street,
looking into the homes of people in
various conditions. He had asked
that the evils of men might be dis
closed to him; but it seemed to him
that he found nothing but evil. All
lives were black with it. Evil propen-
stiles darkeped all characters Even
the little children were wanting in
innocence-already putting forth the
symptoms of terrible depravity. f.f-ss
AT length, overwhelmed with what
he saw, the prince retraced his steps to
the palace, and, seeking his private
apartment, sent for the magician.
"Take back thy evil gift" said he,
plucking the ring from his finger.
"Cast it into the depth of the sea; nay,
hide it at the centre of the world. Let
no man henceforth behold what have
this day seen. Would that as easily
as put by thy gift / might put away
the remembrance of what it has dis
closed, win back from the grave of yes
terday the faith l have lost |"
"If your majesty" said the magi-
clan, twill put the ring on the other
hand, you may find a counter charm
for the knowledge which you deplore.;
for then shall you see the good in
others and the evil that dwells in your
own hearth 80 b 4HfT lrs [7~''s
Again the prince put the ring upon
his finger, and sat silent and with
closed eyes, while all evil he had ever
done, and all that under favoring cir
cumsIances he might have done, was
revealed to him. Raising, at length,
his streaming eyes to heaven, lie said
"God, thank thee that henceforth /
need know the secrets OF no heart save
my owl. May its weaknesses and
sins teach me day by day The lesson Of
Finding SO much imperfec- |
ton in myself, let me not look for per- |
fiction in others , and, striving to i'm !
prove my own life, may l learn charity |
for all men, aud seek ever to he guided |
by thy WISDOM led by thy TRUTH even
as child is led by his father"
That night, as the prince slept, an
angel bore away from bis renem-
brance' the visions of the day; and,
when next he looked into the faces of
his lords and mobiles, into the faces of
his subjects-men and women and lit
tie children-hes saw the good that was
in each, the possible beauty to which,
through the ILLUSTRATIONS of Gods .
they slowly grew. But
the evils OF his own heart he saw clear
ly; and day by day he put them from
him by good works, by humility, and
by unceasing vigilance.
No longer seeking an impossible
perfectohs be madeline best use Of the
at hand. Looking for
honesty, he developed it; imposing
large trusts, he made men trustworthy;
in his own life, he made
virtue the fashion; and, illustrating
IN ever higher standard of excellence,
his people grew daily in goodness and
wisdom. at is good thing to know
The hearts or Others" said the prince;
'but better to keep ones own heart
with all diligence, for out of it are the
ssues of ife.p .isaE .iki
THE New York San giv,s the fol-
owing directions for the treatment
II the horse disease: 8
r"Sprinkle your stable frequently and
with carbolic acid and with
,um camphor dissolved in alcohol. Use
chloride of lime very freely. But
louble the usual amount of bedding
lnder your horses. There is no danger
# rubbing their limbs and loins too
much. Every drop of water they
rink should he Diire and fresh They