The Eaton Democrat. (Eaton, Ohio) 1875-1903, 1876-01-27
4" "SOMETHING."
ONE OF HANS CHRISTIAN ANDERsEN's
STORIES

STORIES.
al want to be something" said the
eldest of five brothers. al want to do
something in the world. 1 don't care
how humble my position may be in So
ciety, if only effect some good, for that
will really be something. Pll make
bricks, for they are quite indispensable
things, and then l shall truly have done
something"
"But that something will not be
enough" quoth the second brother.
"W6at you intend doing is just as much
as nothing at all. 1t is journeymen's
work, and can be done by a machine.
No, would rather be bricklayer, at
once, for that is something real, and
that's what will be. That brings rank;
as bricklayer, one belongs to guild,
and is a citizen, and has ones own flag
and ones own house of call. Yes, and
if it all goes well, will keep journey
men. l shall become a master brick
layer, and my wife shall become mas
ter's wife-that is what l call some
thing"
"That's nothing at ALL" said the
third. "That is beyound the pale of
the guild, and there are many of those
in town that stand far above the mere
master artisan. You may be an honest
man; but as master you will after
all only belong to those who are ranked
among common men. know something
better than that. will be an architect,
and will thus enter into the territory of
art and speculation. l shall be reckoned
among those who stand high in point of
intellect. l shall certainly have to serve
up from the pickaxe, so to speak; so
must begin as a carpenters apprentice,
and must go about as an assistant in a
cab, though l am accustomed to wear a
silk hat. l shall have to fetch beer and
spirits for the common journeymen, and
they will call me thou for that is in
sulting! But l shall imagine to myself
that the whole thing is only acting, and
kind of masquerade. Tomorrow
that is to say, when 1 have served my
time-I shall go my own way, and the
others will be nothing to me. shall 60
to the academy, and get instructions in
drawing, and shall be called an architect.
That's something! 1 may get to be
called SIR and even sworshipful sir or
even get handle at the front or at the
back of my name, and shall 60 on build
ing and building, Just as those before me
have built. That will always be thing
to remember, and that is what l call
something~
"But don't care at all for that some
thing" said the fourth. II won't sail
in the wake of others and be copyist
/ will be a genius; and will stand ul
greater than all the rest of you together
l shall be the creator of new style, and
will give the plan of building suitable
to the climate and material of the coun-
try, for the nationality of the people, fol
the development of the age-and an ad
ditional story for my own genius"
"But supposing the climate and the
material are bad" said the fifth, "that
would be disastrous circumstance fol
these two exert a great influence Ma
tionality, moreover, may expand itseli
until it becomes afiectation, and the de
velopment of the century may run wilC
with your work, as youth often runs
wild. l quite realize the fact that none
of you will be anything real, howevel
much you may believe in yourselves
But, do what you like, l will not resem
hle you; shall keep on the outside o
things, and criticise whatever you pro
duce. To every work there is attached
something that is not zig something
that has gone wrong; and will ferre
that out and find fault with it: and tina
will be doing something"
And he kept his word; and every
body said concerning this fifth brother
"There is certainly something in him
he has a good head; but be does moth
ing" And by that very means the.
thought something of him.
Now. you see this is only a littl
story; but it will never end so long a
the world lasts. But what became c
the five brothers? Why, this is nothin
and not something. Listen, it is cap
tai story.
The eldest brother, he who manufa,
tured brick, soon became aware of th
} fact that every brick, however small
7 might be, produced for him little coil
e though this coin was only copper; an
many copper pennies laid one upon tt
. other can be changed into shining do
lar; wherever one knocks with such
dollar in ones hand, whether at the b
4 ker's or the butchers, or the tailor's-
wherever it may be, the door flies opeI
e and the visitor is welcomed, and ge
o what he wants. You see that is VIII;
comes of bricks. Some of those belon
; ing to the eldest brother certainly cruz
L bled away, or broke in two, but the
n was use even for these.
), On the high rampant, the wall tn
o kept out the sea, Margaret, a poor W
v man, wished to build herself lit
# house. All the faulty bricks were Civ,
to her, and few perfect ones into Il
J" bargain, for the eldest brother was
Ie good-natured man, though he certain
y did not achieve anything beyond t
manufacture of bricks. The poor "