The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1910-04-30
THE BOOK OF GOPHER
4 MODERN ALLEGORY
Mrs. T. G. Winter.

Mrs T. G. Winter.
 President Minneapolis .Woman's Club. Exclusive Service The Survey Press
 Bureau.0
 Behold there arose a mighty king in the land of Gopher and the report the whole earth And the king sat on his throne, with his men of business on his right hand and his bankers on his left hand; and before him and be- hind him there stretched great plains bursting with the fat of the land.
 And the king said unto those on his right and on his lefta Come let us reason together. have built me an hundred Store houses, and the floors thereof overflow with. wheat and with barley and with corn and with flax. mills for the feeding of the nations; and the shores of the mighty river, even of the Father of Waters, are hedged with boards from the north which shall be to me for gold and for silver. Come, therefore, what shall we do. that our greatness shall exceed all the greatness that went before
 And the Queen of Sheba heard in her own country of the fame of the, king of Gopher and she came with bowed herself before him and said: Oh King, live forever. I have come to see with mine own eyes thy ex- ceeding prosperity
 And the king looked upon her and said: Thou art welcome, my sister, in- asmuch as I perceive that thou art wearest a hat that forever conceals thy face from the forward gaze of men, whereon are curious plumeS to put out the eyes of those who come too near, and seeing that thy garments are fearfully and wonderfully made so as to hide all semblances of a Wom- ans shape. Nov, therefore, as thou wilt and it shall be granted unto thee
 Then answered him the queen and said: Though Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like unto me, yet un- der the hat carry brain, and within the curious raiment a heart, and would fain understand with my brain and admire with my heart, the exceeding greatness of my Lord. And the king arose, and his councillors, to show the queen his exceeding pros perity, and they went forth from the gates of the palace.
 And behold the chariots ragged in the streets and joStled one against another in the broad ways. They seemed like and the city was filled with boys and girls playing in the streets thereof, so that the chariots jostled the fhil- dren, and some did they knock sense less and of some they did cut off the legs, yet the chariots. stayed not, but went their way and no man needed.
 Then came a boy forth from a dingy building which is, being interpreted a school, and the boy did cast a ball and the ball crashed through a win dow, and the guards of the city, did hale him away.
 Then said the queen: Oh King, live forever! Why doth no man heed. when the chariots jostle, and why do the guards hale away the boy that breaketh the window?
 And the king answered: There shall be nothing hid from thee, my sister. The streets are for the chariots and not for the boy; and it were bitter thing that the charioteer should slack en his speed. But the boy hath des- troyed property and property is sa- cred-yea more sacred than aught else seeing that children abound, but a dollar is hard to get.
 Then the queen answered and said: Must not the young child play, and shall not a. boy cast a ball? Where be the playgrounds that the young chi1- dren may do that which pertaineth to youth?
 The king spake: Behold the land costeth many shekels of gold and of hard by each other, and shall we spend much money for young child's play? Three miles out there lie playgrounds. Let the. boy walk thither if he would cast a ball.
 Then said she to the king: It seemeth strange thing unto me that out of your abundance ye buy chariots. but child room that he run, and throw out his arms and legs and breathe deep breaths into his lungs and re-
 
 hold the boy is taken away and sit teth in the seat of sinners. Shall he not come out therefrom a sinner him. self?
 Yea, said the king but cannot take the time of nightly men of yalour to consider a young child's play. Let the boy look to himself.
 And the queen looked within the house which is, being interpreted a school, and behold, many children, and some with bright faces did listen to the teacher, and some with eyes that did squfnt like as if they could not see, and some with dull faces as those who hear not, and yet others with open gmouths as those who cannot breathe through their noses.
 Then said the queen, Wherefore do we teach those who cannot learn? Why do ye not heal the eyes of these children that they see. What shall it profit a boy if he know how to bound Afganistan and what shall it avail him he can do partial payments, if he hath not the body of well mann And To these children frown as those who are angry.
 But the king made as if he heard rfot and he answered and said: Do thou come and see the great pile of boards that lie beside the river. even