The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1914-03-21
THE coBBLER AND THE KAISER.


work much less than they do now;
for there were many feast days in
the year which were kept holidays.
So when Conrad, the Emperor of
Germany, issued proclamation max
ing his birthday a public holiday, and
forbidding anybody on pain of death
to work on that day, all the appren-
tees were pleased, but their masters
were not.
One old cobbler of Nuremberg, who
had great difficulty in. making both
ends meet, took no notice of the
proclamation, and went on working
on the Emperor's birthday. But he
was discovered and taken to the
palace.
why do you disobey my law"
said Conrad.
Sire" said the cobbler very hum
bly,, 81 must earn eight pennies day,
and l cannot do it if l stop on your
birthday"
But why eight pennies?" said the
Emperor.
", Sdlu Lu0 COUUlSI.
1.-TWO l give back and two | lend,
Two l lose, and two l spend
Total eight
81 do not understand" said the
Emperor.
LET me explain" said the cobbler.
81 give back two pennies to my
father, who fed and clothed me
when l was child, and who is too
old to work. 1 lend two pennies to
my own son, to feed and clothe him,
and he will pay me back when l in
turn am unable to work. | have a
wife to whom l give two pennies
every day, and those are lost be-
cause if l die and she marries again
she will think no more of me. Then
1 need two pennies for my own food.
So have pity on me, sire, seeing that
l must work when other people are
on holiday"
Very WELL" said the Emperor,
laughing, you are pardoned. But
mind this, you must never give any
one else the explanation you have
given me, without having seen my
face a hundred times. This is very
serious and if you disobey me again
you shall be imprisoned for life"
In the afternoon the Emperor called
together all his wisest councillors,
and asked them to explain the
saying:
Two 1 give back and two lend,
Two l lose, and two / spend.
Naturally, the wise men were
greatly perplexed. They asked the
Emperor to allow them a week to
think out the problem, but after long
deliberations and long discussions
they could not hit upon the meaning.
But one of them remembered the
cobbler
HE must know something about
it," he said to himself; for it was
after seeing him that the Emperor set
the problem"
Going to the cobbler, he offered him
hundred golden imperial crowns
The cobbler thought for moment
and said:
Let me look at the money
Very carefully he took up each coin
and gazed at it. Then he put the gol
den pieces in a bag, and told the
councillor everything he had said to
the Emperor.
"Ah!" said the Emperor, when the
councillor hurried back to the palace
and explained what the saying meant
you never found that explanation
yourself. The cobbler has betrayed
me-"
In great anger he ordered his sol
diers to bring the cobbler again be
fore him.
you have disobeyed me-" he said
Not at ALL" said the cobbler. "You
said I wasn't to tell anybody until
had seen your face a hundred times
A hundred times, on hundred i'm
perial golden crowns, have I gazed
on your august features, sire, before
I answered the question that was
asked me-"
BE off with you'll" said the EN-
peror, laughing. "And may you en-
joy your good fortune! You have
more sense than all of my council