The Cincinnati daily star. [volume] ([Cincinnati, Ohio]) 1875-1880, 1879-10-31
Well, my dear chap was the ready
reply, 'ope certainly couldn't on yours
And it was true enough.
A RabInnical Legend.

| |. And it came to pass, when Solo
mon, the son of David, had finished the
Temple at Jerusalem, that he prepared
feast for his chief craftsmen and arti-
fcers, and spread the table with the fat
ness of the land, and with the wine and
corn and oil thereof.
2. And the seat of the king was apart
on raised dais facing the head of the
table, and the two famous pillars of
bronze, with their beautiful capitals of
of lilies, pomegranates and delicate net
work, stood, one on his right hand and
the other on his left, and the Intel there
of was as canopy over the head of the
king
3. And Solomon had also prepared q
seat of honor, and set it on his right
hand, ready for that craftsman who
might be pronounced most worthy among
all who wrought in building the house of
the Lord.
H. And when all was ready, he called
unto him his chief architects and master
oyerseers, and the ead-arti6cers who
were cunning workers in gold and silver,
in bronze and ivory, and in wood and
stone, yea, all who had labored in build
ing the Temple of the Most High, and he
said unto them:
5. "Come now with me and partake
of the feast which / have prepared.
Stretch forth your hands; eat, drink and
be merry. The skilled artificer is worthy
of honor. Is not the laborer worthy of
his hire? Muzzle not the OK that treadeth
out the corn upon the threshing foor." ;"
6. And when Solomon and his guests
had arrived at the place of the feast, they
beheld man, clad in the garb and COW
cred with the soil of labor, seated in the
chair of honor not yet awarded. And the
king waxed wroth, aud said: "What man.
ner of man art thou? Why comest thou
thus unseemly and unbidden to our
FEAST where none are invited save the
chief workers on the Templer
And the man said: "Please you, |
came not unbidden. Was it not pro.
claimed that this day the chief workmen
of the Temple dine with the king? There
fore am come"
| And when the men had thus spoken
the guests talked with each other, and he
who carved the cherubim spoke aloud and
said: "This fellow is no soul lptor.
know him not"
And he who inlaid the roof with pure
gold said: Neither is he of those who
work in refined metals" And he who
wrought in raising the walls said: "Ht
belongs not with those who are cutters Of
stone."
And one who labored in shaping thu
timbers for the roof said: "We who art
cunning in cedar wood, and know thu
mystery of joining strange timbers to
gether, know him not. He is not of us
Then said King Solomon, "How sayest
thou NOW? Wherefore should not have
thee plucked by thee beard, scourged
with scourge and stoned with stones
even unto death"
But the man was nowise daunted, and
he rose from the seat, and came to where
the wine was set, and took cup of the
wine and raised it high and spake aloud
saying: 30 King! live for ever!' he then
drank long until the cup was emptied.
He now returned to the seat and spake tt
the guests who had rebuked him, and sale
unto the chief of the carvers in stone
"Who made the instruments with which
you carvew
And he answered, "The Blacksmith
And to the chief of the workers il
wood he said, "Who made the tools witt
which you felied the cedars of Lebanon
, and shaped them into pillars and roof fol
the Templew
And he also answered: "The Black
smith,"
Then he spake unto the artifcer il
) gold and ivory and precious stones, say
, ng, "Who fashioned the instrument
2 with which you wrought beautiful orna
| ments for my lord the king?"
: And he too made answer the same
4 ''The Blacksmith"
e Then said the man to Solomon, "Be
1 hold, 0 king! | am he whom, when me
e deride, they called Blacksmith, but whe
l they would honor me, they called IN
f Son of the Forge. These craftsmen sa
truly that am not of them. | am thei
). superior. Without my labor first, thei
d labor could not be. The great Tubt
t Cain, whom all men honor, taught thos
d who in turn taught me my handicraf
h and the mighty Vulcan, who wrought j
d fire and smoke and sweat, as l do, was
IS not deemed fitting he should have eve
the Queen of Beauty to wifef,
'f "Son Of the Forge" said Solomon,
e too honor thee, thou worthy successor
y the great master, Tuba Cain. Take tho
Is this seat at my right hand prepared ft
h the most worthy. 1t is thy due"
3 Thus it came to pass at the feast {
e Solomon, the wise king of Israel, an
from that time forth the smiths were hel
it in high esteem, and greatly increased an
II multiplied in all lands"
n Sussex and SmugglerA.