The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1879-01-23


For US, grown old and sad with cares and
Brotheriess,' sisterless. our way. we wend
To deaths dark house from which we shall
not rove;
Aud so we cease; yet one thing hath no end.
There is no end to love.
The Funniest General in I'LL the
World.
Procopius, or Procope, the famous Tat
general, vas a Bohemian, and became
commander of the Hussites, who were
almost an army of giants, in 1924. He
won many victories with his terrible army.
and caused the princes Of Moravia,
Austria and Saxony to sue for terms at his
feet. The fame OF his great deeds and
wonderful victories filled all Europe for
eleven years, when he was killed in battle
in l434.
In the summer of 1433. good natured
Procopius and his tall army came march
ing through the hot mountain passes into
Saxony, and encamped in very lovely
valley on the banks of the Saale, and in
vested the old walled town Of Naumburg.
1t was cherry time-a lovely time of the
year to lay siege to the tough old town
and the valley was full Of cherry trees,
which was calculated to make fat Procopc
and the tall besiegers, who we're very
fond of the good things in the world,
contented and happy. So while part of
the army besieged the town, the rest
went cheIrying, aRd very comfortable
time they had.
But the Saxons who were shut up in
Naumburg were resolute and stubborn,
and refused to yield. The golden moon
that hung over the Saale on the still
nights when June perfumed the vale
with roses, waned aud halved, quartcred
and rounded again; but the Saxons gave
no sign OF coming to terms with the fat
general. And Procopius, although gen.
orally so clever and good-natured, began,
we are very. very sorry to say, to lose his
patience and his temper.
was far past midsummer. The roses
were falling, and the cherries were rot
| ting, and Procope himself was getting
sour. So one morning he put on his
usually out of sorts, and he sent terrible
! message to the good people OF Naum-
burg that, if they did not surrender the
town before the end of the week, all the
people in it should at last be put to the
sword.
Oh, then there was distress in Naun.-
burg. Yet the sturdy old Saxon lords
refused to surrender the town.
| But at last the store Of food in the
town was nearly gone; and strong walls
grow weak when the people have no
bread. The women began to be hungry,
and the children to cry for food.
What was to be done7 They called a
council, but the council could do nothing
The besiegers were strong without, and
| the corn was gone within, and their lives
were forfeited if they opened the gates to
the enemy.
There came to the council an old Ger
man schoolmaster, and when the lords
and chief men could offer nothing, he
begged leave to say few wolds to them.
"Procope," said he, bowling very low,
so that his queue stuck out like horn
behind, It's very fat
"That will not help our leanness," said
the lords.
"Fat men are very clever" said the
spare old pedagogue.
"All the more inglorious to die at the
hands of clever man." said the lords.
"And clever, fat men love children, "
said the pedagogue, looking very wise
THAT docs lot help our case," said the
lords.
"a man who loves child will not
harm parent" said the old pedagogue
but The Hussites do not love our chill
dren."
"E7ery man has tender place in his
heart" said the wise pedagcgue. ''Get
at that, and one is SAFE"
"But how does that apply to us2' asked
the lords.
| LISTEN" said the pcdagogue, looking
still more wise, and bringing the tip Of
one finger over into the palm of the ether
hand in very knowing way. 'Procope
loves children; and when they are around
him, he grows jolly and mellow, and bis
heart gets warm, and sternness all melts
away like a glacier in the spring sunshine
Send the children of the town out of the
gates to him. Tell them to cling about
his knees. and climb up into his lap, and
when he begins to pity them, and grow
fond OF them, tell them to beg mercy fol
US aud the ioodless town of Naumburg.
That quiet summer afternoon the gate
of Naumburg swung open, and a long
procession of little boys and girls issued
forth and wendell their way through tn.
astonished Hussites to the gay pavilion
of Pr0copius. We fancy we can SEE
them now; and an old German picture
we have seen helps our fancy. This ode
, picture represents the old pedagogue tol
, towing behind with bundle of book,
under one arm, and brisk switch in tn,
other hand, with which latter implement
he was refreshing the memories of some
of the little boys in the rear, by wis,
application in the usual way.
When Procope saw them coming b,
seemed nightly pleased, and with larg'
eyes and putting lips he waddled out t,
meet them. The little girls seized hin
around his funny legs, and Rugged hin
tight, and tho little boys all began t.
say:
"Oh, good Procope. we've come to 20,
: to protect u.s."
What could Procopius do2 He triet
to be hard, but it was impossible. s.
he sat down under big cherry tree nea
by, and the boys and girls in few min
utes were running all over him like goat
over mountain. His heart was besieged
: and a'breach was soon made in its weak
, est place.
:, He put his hand on one little boy
hair and kissed another little girl, VIII,
, looked SO pretty and innocent that h'
could not he. p it. And his great arm
clasped half dozen children at once
and his heart grew warm and mellow
and he found that he could resist NJ
longer. So the clever fat general sudden.
~ cried out:
sits no use. ! can't see the children
suffer, you know. guess I shall have
to surrender"
Then he ordered the Hussites to bring
him baskets Of cherries, and he and the
children had cherry feast and great wa.
the happiness on the banks of the Saale
near the foodless town of Naumburg.