The mirror. (Stillwater, Minn.) 1894-1925, 1909-10-28
Character
Restored
An Uptodate Fable, by ST Haskell
Which Teaches a Valuable
Lesson to All who Read 1t.

Once upon a time there was an Old
Genii who had a specially of making
mysterious appearances and disappear
ances encompassed in cloud of smoke
coming out Of the mouth of q bottle.
But after he had been engaged in
this irks0me business for several thou
sand years he grew tired of the perform
ance and decided to make change, so
one day when the bottle was uncorked
he came out and never went back again.
Then the Old Genii wandered up and
down, over the Earth, studying the way
of man, aud he marveled much at what
he saw.
He visited the bazaRrs and fairs and
marts in all parts of the Earth and he
was told in each place that it was in
such places that man acquired his world
" goods-and the Old Genii marveled
much at the various and devious ways
employed by man for acquiring great
store of worldly goods.
And then the Old Genii visited the
stadiums, the arenas, the theaters, the
studios, the great halls where states
msnship held sway, the courts OF kings
and courtiers, the fields OF battle and
the scenes of strife, and he was told in
each place that it was in such places
that man acquired worldly honor and
glory and renown, and asa natural per-
quisite, he also acquired great store
of worldly goods.
But in the marts and in the arenas
and in the halls and courts men W er g
tearing one another down and tramp
ling one another under foot and leaving
pathway strewn with grief and woe
and at this the Old Genii marv eled
again.
AS the Old Genii wandered about
over the Earth he also noticed that there
we're massive structures in all of the
great cities and he was told that the
structures were called mosques in one
place and tabernacles in another, OIL
perhaps they would be called temples
or altars, or cathedrals or synagogues
in other places, but it matters not wha,
they were called. The great wonder to
the Old Genii was that they were L
used for the same purpose-whosovel
entered at the door of one of the mas
sive structures heavily laden with world
ly goods could thereby acquire a good
character and would be given clear
passport to celestial paradise, Eacf
massive structure had special para
disc of its own, but they were all entered
through the same Gate and that gat'
was called Death.
Now the Old Genii was m C h p 81 r
picked when he heard this, and he startet
out to find the Gate called Death ant
at last he came to the Mountain of Nor
tality standing in the Valley of S h a
ows. On one side flowed the Rive
Acheron and on the other the Rive
Styx. When the Old Genii explored
the Mountain of Mortality lie foun'
that it. was followed out into grea
cave, so that the Mountain itself wa
only a shell, with nothing inside, bu
the resonant discord of human strife.
And as the Old Genii was walkin
on the banks of the River Styx he me
q weazened old man with mournfu
face, who said his name was Cbaror
and Charon told the Old Genii that b
had ever lived in the Valley of Shadow
and that he would live there foreve
and aye.
And then the Old Genii told Chi
ron that he had wandered all over tn
Earth, through the haunts of man, an
In the wilderness, and in the deser
looking for gate that man calle
Death. And then Charon smiled-tt
firat time, and the last time but one,
ell eternity.
Charon's smile was so unexpecte
and so o1t Of the ordinary that the mi
that hangs like veil over the waite