Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1890-11-15


paying the lords for The right to worS
had little loft on which to be happy.
In the course OF time the king died
and the lords died but the charters lived
and new kings and new lords profted
by them.
| At last the people got so restless and
made such grim threats that the lords
were frightened, and when rebellion
was imminent the lords were on the
point of burning up their charters. But
this did not meet the viows of the devil,
and he put it into the heads at the peo-
Pile who were paying for the right to
work to buy the right of their lords for
q lump sum. OF course the lords were
glad to compromise in this way, and 1T
came about that each man VINO worked
in certain place bought the right of his
lord to work there forever, him and his
children after him, and to sell the right
to others. 1t took a good many years to
complete this change but when 1T was
done the devil rubbed his hands and
switched his tail gently, now this Gay
and now that, saying: Surely the devil
will be to payl"
And it was so.
Some of the purchasers from the lords
found that where they had the right to
work they could make good deal with
only little effort and others found that
where they had the right to work they
could only make little with great ef-
fort; and thus it happened that the first
and those who bought of them grew
rich and the others remained poor. And
those that grew rich did just what the
| la u lnno hafnrn than. tlnv sold
permission to work to the poor who had
no charters, and this proved so profta-
BILE that they were able themselves to
obey the old proclamation against work.
ing and yet to live in great comfort.
Like the lords from whom they had
bought, they were lazy and happy.
But the people were constantly beg
, ging to be allowed to work, and the moro
: they begged the less attention was paid
to them. And when they did get chance
, TO work they were not allowed to re-
!, , ceive no matter where they worked or
how much they made, any more than the
people who had charters to work in the
very poorest places in the kingdom. And
that was little enough, as every body
knew.
:. Withal the people increased and null
tiplied and to help them out OF their
i. trouble they invented great machines,
which did marvellous work; but neither
. the people nor the machines could work
without permission of charter owner,
and the more the people worked and the
=, more marvellous their machines the moro
- the charter owners charged them for the
right to work, until even the machines
fell into the hands of few, and the
people could not make new ones, be
cause charters to work had become Sc
" valuable that except in the very poor
y est places only the few were able to buy
- the right to work, and tho poor wert
trying to hire themselves out And Sc
:. it appeared that, happen what might t'
- make work easier and more fruitful, the
% charter owners got all the benefit.
In these days prophet arose who tolt
the people that the charter ownors hao
no right to forbid them to work nor any
J, right to make them pay for working
- But the charter owners rallied at TIL,
prophet as devil (the devil having pu
y, it into their heads to do SOY, saying
~ Have we not bought and paid for thes
y charters?"
And then arose priest who seeini
~ how the people We're oppressed and rot
- bed by the charters, denounced tn
charters and demanded that they b
- abolished; but the devil ordered tn
=, priest to be put down, and he was pu
~ down.
% And yet every one marveled that ther
were so many poor and that the poor in
~ creased. But the priests taught that
~ was not marvellous, for God willed i
~ whereat tho devil again rubbed hi
~ hands together ana gently switched hi
;S tail, now this way, now that, saying
La himself, "It won't be long now until tn
~ devil is to pay!"
'us And he was right.
~, Pretty soon everything was in read
~, ness, and from advising King, and lor
"a and charter owner the devil turned I
o+ advising the poor.
o ,s "See how the rich revel in the wealt
t you have created!" he said to then
"Why do you not burn and murder an
pillage? Is there no manhood in yol
~, Are you slaves?'
~ But at first the people protested tn;
a they were opposed to murder and pi
,a' lage, and asked why they should nj
- abolish the charters as the prophet al
ao priest advised, which would need neith
NV murder nor pillage.
n.y. n.y. Away with your prophet and yo'
nj pricstr' shouted the devil. "They n
,as in league with the rich. Make no hal
nd way measures Let there be no col
no promise! Lay waste Lay waste! Sc
i1 ri will set you an example," and wi
,,,, that the devil touched the tip OF his ia
nd nd to the palace of a charter owner and
,ov stantly it was ablaze; and then the de
40 IFS scheme, so patiently planned, C,
rI aI minated. Like rats from their hol
an- rushed million debased and despera
90 men. Half famished and all in rag
ha. aiming at nothing and caring for not
,ho ing, spurred on by revenge, hittil
'n 'ro right and left, burning, killing, plu
dering, they laid waste the land.
Tho 1aui1 in1aad tn rnut