The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1905-12-08
Why the World
Needs the Devil


land, skillful locksmith named Zach
arias Werner. His reputation wa
great, not only in Westphalia, but il
Thuringia, even as far as Swabia
Strangers who passed through the lit
tie town of Winterberg never failed t
visit Werner and admire his works.
One Christmas eve a fine-lookin'
gentleman dressed in scarlet stopped
the door of the famous workman ant
asked to see him.. He found him in hi
workship.
"Good-evening," said the stranger tt
the prince of locksmiths "They tel
me that iron in your hands is as dough
In the hands of child"
BAH" modestly replied Werner. II
Is not my skill, but the fire that con
Quers the iron"
Said the stranger: 81 have at my
home fine furnace which never goes
out, day or night. That's where you
lould do fine work. Just now l want q
door made for my house. 1t must open
with the greatest ease from the outside
but it must remain Theoretically closed
to those inside who would attempt to
30 out"
Werner's curiosity was excited. rs
1t far to your house, my lord?"
My lord smiled. THAT, my dear
would depend upon the number OF
FEARS you have lived"
Werner opened his eyes in wonder.
What did the scarlet gentleman mean
Was he joking? The good locksmith
did not like to be made game of. For
that reason he changed the subject.
Here" said he, sis trunk l have
Just finished. l consider the lock on
1t as my masterpiece. The devil him
self could not open it."
The stranger laughed in such a sar-
castle manner that it set the locksmith
10 thinking hard. People are not fools
in Winterberg. That fine gentleman
dressed in red who had furnace in his
house. and a house into which one
could enter, but from which none could
escape-could it be? At this very mo-
ment a slight scorching odor tickled
the nostrils of Werner, and he i'm
agined he saw the wagging of short
tail under the coat tail of the visitor He
kept cool and gave no signs of the emo
ton he felt.
&c.," said he, in the manner of mer-
chant praising his wares, "see how well
this trunk is proportioned. A tall man
could lie in it as in his bed
ooh, hardly"
'Try and see for yourself"
: The gentleman, without apparent
misgiving, entered and lay down in
1t. Hardly had he done so when the lid
came down with a crash, and the key
turned instantly.
'.Mahant! Gretchen! Hilda! Wolf
gang! Bernhardt!" The locksmith
was calling at the top of his voice his
wife, daughter, servant, apprentice.
All came in haste and asked what was
the matter
THE matter is that 1 have jailed the
devil in this trunk. He is locked in and
cannot escape"
In those days wives had the habit of
criticising their husbands and doubted
their power and intelligence. So she
said What! The devil, who is so
cunning, and can do anything he wish
es? The devil, who could put the bridge
of Mayence in his pocket, and transport
the Cologne cathedral on the Taurus!
You imagine you can hold him cap
tive in your worthless trunk! oh, what
are you talking about?"
With a frown Werner said:
Woman, you talk without rehec-
ton. Have>you only looked at my worth
less trunk, as you call it? On the lid,
on the sides-what do you see? Bands
of iron crossing each other forming
the sign of our redemption. What is
the lock itself but cross? How do
you expect him to overcome such obsta-
Giles? Wolfgang, run for the priest,
Dom Aloysius. With two or three exor-
cisms and holy water, he will make es-
cape impossible. The rascal knows it
well. Hear him grunt." Sure enough.
painful groans were heard coming
from the trunk
HE wants air. said Gretchen, "the
poor wretch is suffocating"
What" said Werner, with laugh.
"You pity the enemy of makind? My
trunk is too fine a londging place for
such as he."
Dom Aloysius, being informed of the
great event, arrived in haste, missal
in one hand and sprinkler in the other
He told the devil some hard truths in
Latin, tongue that Satan understands
better than the professors in our uni
versities. He then sprinkled the trunk
with holy water. A little of it perco-
lated through some cracks and caused
the devil intense pain
"All goes WE'LL" said Aloysius. 81
will sprinkle him morning and evening
All! Master Werner, what fine catch
you have made. Hereafter the world
will sin no more, and evil is suppressed
IN the universe"
''Is it possible ?"
Can you doubt it? Think that Satar
was the cause of the first crime which
engendered all the others. He it wa:
who led on our mother Eve into evil
and by her our father Adam and b,
them all their descendants, ourselve:
included. Now that he is not there tt
whisper evil thoughts to men the eartf
will become a paradise. We will all be
come pure, wise and virtuous."