Willmar tribune., 1909-08-25
A WISE DEDUCTION,
By r. A. mitchell.

ciation.l
There lived in Asia Minor q man
named KaIaidjien. a great philosopher.
who spent years in hunting for the
source of evil. At last he settled down
to the conclusion that all the trouble
In the world came from woman's van
ity. Kalaidjien about the time he
made this discovery was presented by
his wife with daughter. He gave
orders that the child should be brought
up with limited number of compan-
ions and attendants, none of whom
should ever refer to her personal ap-
pearance and on no account should she
ever be allowed to look upon her face
In a mirror.
Moira-that was the child's name
grew up to be very beautiful WON.
an. By and by young man came
courting her. or rather asked for her
from her father. To the request the
latter replied:
Wears of study, Tatios"-that was
the suitor's name-''have convinced me
that the source of evil is in woman's
vanity. For that reason have guarded
my daughter that this fendish spirit
should not be permitted to enter into
her. No one has ever told her that
she is beautiful. nor has she ever seen
her face reflected. She shall be your
wife on your promise to carry out this
policy which have begun"
The lover consented. and the couple
were married. The brides mother at
the time of the wedding secretly pre-
sented her daughter with mirror: but.
hoping to avert the consequences
against which Kalaidjien had so long
guarded. she told MORA that whenever
she looked into it she would see her
mothers face as it would appear in
heaven. Shortly after the wedding the
mother died. and the daughter found
the mirror an inestimable treasure.
The mother. in order to insure the Sc
cret of its possession being kept. had
told her that If she revealed it she (the
mother) would grow old and ugly in
heaven and be cast out into hell. Moira.
greatly dreading such consequence.
carefully hid the mirror in a secret
drawer in her cabinet. only opened by
key which she kept on her person
Once month her husband was
obliged to go to distant city on busi-
ness. and then MORA would take out
her mirror and reverently feast her
eyes upon her mother in paradise.
Meanwhile Tatios kept up the sur
veillance over his wife that her father
had instituted. In western countries
this would have been impossible. but
not so In the east. where every man is
master Of his own household. Under
the influence Of a beautiful face which
fectionately MORA every year grew
spiritually more and more beautiful.
though physically she passed her
prime. like other women, and her phys
ical beauty began to wane. But she
saw only in her reflected face the spir
itual and did not recognize the decay
of the physical.
When Tatios was about to 90 on one
of his journeys he decided to take his
wife with him. MORA. fearing for the
safety Of her treasure. locked it in a
box and. taking it to temple. gave it
in charge Of a priest to keep till hel
return. 1t happened that Tatios sa'
her go out and. being suspicious. fol-
lowed her and watched her carry the
box into the temple. He said nothing
a hprf 1,0
cret which his wife had apart from
him and on her return to his home
went to the temple and demanded the
box. The priest would give it to no
one but her who had left it. so Tatios
demanded that she go to the temple
and open the box before him.
MORA was in agony that her mother
could look ut her no longer and. be-.
coming ugly. would be cast out OF
heaven. She told her husband hel
secret and, as he was unmovable. went
with him to the temple and gave him
the box with the key, and. opening it
he took out the mirror. knowing that
all the care he had for many years
exercised had been aborted. he was in
great anger.
"Woman." he said, "you have been
looking at your own face. When you
first saw it it was young and beauti.
full. Now it is old and faded. Look.
undeceived by your fancy. and see
that what tell you is truev'
MORA. convinced that she was look.
ing at her own reflection. ceased to see
in it spiritual beauty. viewing only
the image Of an old woman. Angered
with her husband that he should have
spoiled the charm, she cursed him.
At this point the priest said to the
husband:
''Oh. Tatios. you have been acting
on the assumption that evil has its
source in the vanity of woman. Look
rather within thyself. Believing tha,
her good mother looked down upon bel
from heaven. your wife has been kept
pure In the contemplation Of her owr
image. 1t is the use made of beauty
not beauty. itself, that brings good
or evil and mans mastery of it, fol
mans selfish desires must always brine
evil. You have destroyed source Of
good within your wife. and she ha.
cursed you.''
] The husband, seeing what he hat