The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1876-11-09
A PARABLE FOR THE YOUNG.

moi in this world that he was born, but in
world very much like this in some re-
spects, and very different in others. The
world in which this great genius was
born was governed by benefcent and
wise ruler, who had such wisdom and
such power that he decided before each
being was born for what purpose he
him IN the place best suited to the work
he was to do; and he gave into his hands
set of instruments to do the work with.
There was one popularity about these
instruments; they could never be replaced.
On this point this great and wise ruler was
memorable. He said to every being who
was born into his realm:
Here is your set of instruments to
work with. If you take good care of them
they will last a lifetime. If you let them
get rusty or broken, you can perhaps have
them frightened up little or mended, but
they will never be as good as new, and you
can never have another set. Now you see
how important it is that you keep them
always in good order"
This man of whom l speak had a COM
plete set of all the tools necessary for a
sculptor's work, and also a complete set
of painters brushes and colors. He was
wonderful man, for he could make very
beautiful statues, and he could also paint
very beautiful pictures. He became ia
nous while he was very young, and every
body wanted something that he had carved
or painted.
Now, do not know whether it was
that he did not believe what the good
ruler told him about his set of instru-
on working any longer, but this is what
happened: He grew very careless about his
brushes, and let his tools lie out overnight
when it was damp. He left some of his
brushes full of paint for weeks, and the
paint dried in, so that when at last he
tried to wash it out, out came the bristles
by dozens, and the brushes were entirely
ruined. The dampness of the night air
rusted the edges of some of his very finest
tools, and the things which he had to use
to clean OFT the rust were so powerful that
they ate into the fine metal of the tools,
and left the edges so uneven that they
would no longer make fine strokes.
However, he kept on painting and
making statues, and doing the best he
could with the few and imperfect tools he
had left. But people began to say:
What is the matter with this mans
pictures ? and what is the matter with his
statues? He does not do half as good
work as he used to-"
Then he was very angry, and said the
people were OILY envious and malicious;
that lie was the same he always had been,
and his pictures and statues were as good
as ever. But he could not make anybody
else think so. They all knew better.
One day the ruler sent for him and said
to him: NOW you have reached the
prime of your life. 1t is time you should
do some really great work. want a
grand statue made for the gateway of one
of my cities. Here is the design; take it
home and study it, and see if you can I'M
dertake to execute it,
AS soon as the poor sculptor studied the
design, his heart sank within him. There
were several parts of it which required the
finest workmanship of one of his most
delicate instruments. That instrument
was entirely ruined by rust. The edge
was all eaten away into notches. In vain
he tried all possible devices to bring it
again to fine sharp edge. Nothing
could be done with it. The most expert
enCed wOrkmen shook their heads as soon
as they saw it, and said:
No, no, sir; it is too late. If you ha.
brought it to us at first, we might possibly
have made it sharp enough for you to use
little while with great care but it is past
help now.'
Then he ran frantically around the
country, trying to borrow similar in
strument from some one. But one of the
most remarkable peculiarities about these
sets of instruments given by the ruler of
this world l am speaking of, was that
they were of no use at all in the hands of
anybody except the one to whom the ruler
had given them. Several Of the sculptor's
friends were SO sorry for him that they
offered him their instruments in place of
his own; but he tried in vain to use them.
They were not fitted to his hand he could
not make the kind of stroke he wanted to
make with them. So he went sadly back
to the ruler, and said:
"Oh, Sire, | am most unhappy. can
notexecute this beautiful design for your
statue"
But why cannot you execute it?' said
the ruler.
Alas, Sire!" replied the unfortunate
man, "by some sad accident one of my
finest tools was so rusted that it cannot be
restored. Without that tool, it is impossi-
BILE to make this statue"
Then the ruler looked very severely at
him, and said:
''Oh, sculptor, accidents very seldom
happen to the wise and careful. But you
are also a painter. believe. Perhaps
you can paint the picture wish to have
painted Immediately, for my new palace.
Here is the drawing of it. Go home and
study this. This also will be an opportu-
nifty worthy of your genius"
The poor fellow was not much COM
forted by this, for he remembered that he
had not even looked at his brushes for
long time. However, he took the sketch.
thanked the ruler, and withdrew.
1t proved to he the same with the sketch
for the picture as it had been with the de-
sign for the statue. 1t required the finest
workmanship in parts of it; and the
brushes which were needed for this had
been long ago destroyed. Only their han
dies remained. How did the painter re.
greet his folly as he picked up the old de.
faced handles from the floor, and looked
at them hopelessly!
Again he went to the ruler, and with
still greater embarrassment than before,
acknowledged that he was unable to paint
the picture because he had not the proper
brushes.
This time the ruler looked at him with
terrible severity, and spoke in voice OF
the sternest displeasure: -
"What, then, do you expect to do, sir,
AOA U4O AOot Va yOuA NV IL yOuI
ments are in such condition S''
"Alas! Sire, do not know" replied
the pour man, covered with confusion.
You deserve to starve, !" said the ruler
and ordered the servants to show him oui
of the palace.
After this, matters went from bad to
worse with the painter. Every few days
some one of his instruments broke unde,
his hand. They had been SO poorly taken
care of that they did not last half as long
as they were meant to. His work grew
poorer and poorer, until he fell so low
that he was forced to exc out misera
BILE living by painting the walls Of the
commonest houses, and making the
coarsest kind of water.jars out of clay
Finally his last instrumentfailedh him. de
hsd uo0ine lett rs work with; and a. b