Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1890-06-25
A JEWISH LEGEND.
BY ADRIAN S. A

BY ADRIAN S. ISAAcS.
Who could be happier than Solomon
His land was at peace; his treasury full
his power acknowledged by the nations
his fleet covered the seas; his court at
tracted the best and wisest. Learning
and science, art and industries, flour.
ished. Jerusalem, the capital, shone
with ~unexampled splendor; its temple
and edifces were the glory of the age,
and thousands of strangers drew neal
from all corners of the earth.
Yet Solomon was i'll at ease, despite
his grandeur. His wisdom, the source
of his strength, was also the. secret OF
his Weakness. He knew all languages,
spoke 5000 proverbs and sang a multi
tude of songs. He knew the speech O.
birds and beasts, and the mystery O.
trees and. flowers. If his knowledge
had not passed these limits all would
have been we'll, but it transcribed
things of earth and penetrated the Sc
crets of the spheres above. 1t was his
familiarity with the stars that gave him
poignant unrest. What, then, did the
stars tell him? What dreadful catastro-
phe was threatening his house? Those
Ou IL II
the armament of blue so peacefully and
trustfully, could they presage woe?
Solomon was blessed not only with
power and wisdom, but also with q
daughter of surprising loneliness.
When the evening shadows fell upon
lions hills he loved to sing to her his
choicest song. In the morning hours
his converse with her was his sole rec
reatiOn. His soul was knitted to hers
She was his inspiration and solace, as
was her mother in the days of his
youth, when, to wed the maiden of his
heart, he left throne and people, anG
wandered, a foot-sore pilgrim, until he
met Mama and plighted his troth. The
years had passed rapidly since then-as
rapidly as the shadowo of a bird in flight
but Solomon lived again his old-time ro-
nance as he saw Naama's eyes in his
daughters countenance. And the
princess repaid the fathers love by a
daughters devotion.
One evening as Solomon was observ-
ing the stars the thought occurred to
him to discover who was destined to be
the princess husband. Long and in
tentIy he gazed at the consultations.
Silent and profound were his media
tons in the watches of the night; and
then, just as the first dim light spanned
the far east, and the morning stars were
singing their cradle song for the new
day, the monarch's heart felt an unac-
customed pang. He read the secret oil
his daughters fate. There it stood
blazoned on the fiery constellation-she
was to wed the poorest man in Israel
she, a princess, and his daughter.
With agonized soul Solomon left his
watch-tower. For once the rising day
possessed no charm for him. Bird
note, fower-fragrance, the music of rip.
pling waters. the magnifcence of his
surroundings, his books and songs and
f~ayorite pastimes, palled upon him
His lovely daughter in vain strove tC
endearment only increased his irrita-
ton. Her voice, once so gentle
seemed to him as harsh as the screams
of candor. The maiden's heart was
troubled indeed as she noticed the
change in the king, and she withdrew
weeping, from his presence.
cit shall not be y Solomon exclaimed
"My daughter wed a beggar A pau
per's child to sit upon the throne O
David! Nay, | shall defeat the Al.
mighty. / shall"
And there fell a deep silence on his
spirit. A picture from the past arose
before his vision. 1t was a king hurled
from his throne on account of his pride
and doomed to wander unknown, anC
to suffer severe prlvatlOns, until he haC
learned to control himself and trust the
Almighty. He saw the ring which he
gave Ashmodai, and heard the fierce
yell of triumph as the demon ascendee
the throne, while he, Solomon the
Great-sank down, down into an I'm
fathomable abyss. Then another pic
tnre arose in memory-the weary fugi
en- and sick at heart, until the lesson O
peace was learned.
Forgive me, forgive me, Almighty =
he cried. "Must / learn again the cos
of mortal pride? Forgive me fol
doubling thy purposes and measuring
my puny powers with the infinite LIE
Thy will be done. I shall watch Thy
wisdom and abide by the result. Ny
heart has lost its anguish and its fear.
Upon the rocky seacoast Solomon haC
a lofty tower constructed. Walls higl
and inaccessible surrounded it on al
sides. People wondered at the build
ing, but Solomon continued the worl
until it was completed. Thither one
night he had the princess brought, anC
placed herin charge of seventy aged Gus
todians.
This shall be your home" said he t.
the eldest and busiest. at is provis
toned for years to come. There is III
door to the fortress, SO no one can en-
ter without the sentinel's knowledge
Be vigilant. Your head shall be the
price of your ~remissness y
The days, the weeks, the months flew
by. One night a poor traveller was wan
derinO along fired and HUNGRY hi,
clothing tattered, his heart utterly cas-