The Cincinnati daily star. [volume] ([Cincinnati, Ohio]) 1875-1880, 1879-11-14
The Story of Ewes Children.
lCornhill Magazine.l

Hans Sachs surpasses himself in the
story of "Eve's Unlike Children" the best
known and most delicious of all his pro-
ductions Adam and Eve cast out of
Paradise sit wearied and depressed with
their days work. Adam, trying to com.
fort his wife, mentions, in off-hand fash
ion. how an angel has just given him a
piece of news. God will visit them to-
morrow to hold high feast (hohe fest and
see how they are keeping house and bring
ing up the children. Therefore, let Eve
sweep The rooms, spread the floors with
sweet straw, wash the children, and dress
them in their best. The first part of the
injunction is easily obeyed, but not so the
second.
For Ewes children are sharply sep
arated into two groups. Some are very
good, pretty and obedieDt; the others are
bad, dirty, unruly and deformed. Abel
and those like him nre soon made tidy,
but Cain and his fellows are playing and
quarreling in the gutter, ald fatty re-
fuse to let themselves be washed. When
Abel announces who is coming, Gain re-
plies, "pd liefer he would stay away"
When his father bids him prepare for the
prayer, sacrifice and sermon of the NOR
row. the wicked child wishes that
"prayer, sermon and sacrifice had never
been invented" At this Eve loses her
patience, and exclaims she will leave
them the eyesores that they are, and God
will find them a dirty rabble, foul as
pigs; but i'll one version she relents, and
slows them away in the loft, under the
straw, in the chimney.
Next day the visitor come as an
nounced, and after hospitable welcome
asks to see the children. Those who are
dressed, with Abel at their head, advance
singing psalm, and shake hands with
the guest. He asks them questions out
of Luthers Catechism on the Lord g
Prayer, the Greed, the meaning of Amen,
the Commandments, with what they for
bid or require, and the children come of
with flying colors. Reassured by their
success, Eve ventures to produce the
other lot; but when they come tumbling
in dirty, naked, shapeless, unkempt, God
can not keep from laughing, (der Her
tet des rostigen haufens lachen.) They
offer him their left hands, make fright
full mess Of the Catechism, and excuse
themselves on the plea that they don't
see the use Of it, that they can't remem.
Der it, that they did not know He was
coming. The examiner is much dis
pleased and determines TO punish them
they and their seed shall be
mechanics, fishermen, and peas
ants, but Abel and the good children shall
be kings, mobiles, rich merchants, and pro-
fessors, (gelehrten.) Eve, in pity for he,
offspring, offers objections, but is told tha,
all is for the best, only in this way car
there be order in the world. Even here
then, Hans writes with an object, and
with the very Lutheran one of justifyine
the existence Of ranks. in this sense
Melancthon tells the story in another YER
sion, and to any who have found it irrev
erent, We may say with Hans himself
that he has it from the Latin Of Melanc
thon. But such an excuse is unnecessary
Even the f.ure of the Deity is not irrev
erent, but only quaint, and a: heart trufy
Protestant. Tieck characterizes him a
"strict but affable Superintendent.
| Scotchmen will rather think of the ole
Presbyterian catechists who used to max,
the rounds of the outlying districts, stop
ping at the farms and examining tn
whole househoM-parents, children
strangers, and seryants--on the Bible ant
Shorter Catechism.