New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-08-05
PRINCE BULL. A Fairy Tale.
By Charles Dickens.

Blue Hill, Me-, July 30, 1917.
PRINCE BULL. A Fairy Tale.
BY Charles Dickens.
Once upon time-and, of course, it was
in the Golden Age, and hope you know when
that was, for / am sure don't, though have
tried hard to find out--there lived in a rich
ard fertile country a powerful prince whose
name was Bull He had gone through great
deal of fighting in his time about all sorts of
things, including nothing, but had gradually
settled down to be a steady, peaceable, good
natured, corpulent, rather sleepy, prince.
This puissant prince was married to
lovely princess whose name was Fair Free
dom. She had brought him a large fortune
and had borne him an immense number OF
children, and had set them to spinning, and
farming, and engineering, and soldering, and
saioring, and doctoring, and lawyering, and
preaching, and all kinds Of trades. The cof-
fers of Prince Bull were full CT treasure, his
cellars were crammed with delicious wines
from all parts Of the world, the richest gold
and silver plate that ever was seen adorned
his sideboards, his sons were strong, his
daughters were handsome, and, in short, you
might have supposed that II ever there lived
upon earth fortunate and happy prince the
name of that prince, take him for all in ALL
was assuredly Prince Bull.
But appearances, as we all know, are not
always TO be trusted-far from it; and II
they had led you to this conclusion respect
ing Prince Bull they would have led you
wrong, as they often have led me.
The MuddIing Godmother
For this good prince had two sharp thorns
in his pillow, two hard knobs in his crown,
two heavy loads on his mind, two unbridled
nightmares in his sleep, two rocks ahead
servants to suit him, and he had tyrannlcai
old godmother, whose name was Tape
She was fairy, this Tape, and was bright
red all over She was disgustingly prim ana
formal, and could never bend a hairs breadth
this way or that way out OF her naturally
crooked shape. But she was very potent IN
her wicked art She could stop the fastest
thing in the world, change the strongest
thing into the weakest and the most usefu!
into the most useless. To do this she had
only to put her cold hand upon it and repeat
her own name Tape. Then 1t withered away
At the court Of Prince Bull-at least
don't mean literally at his court, because he
was very genteel prince and readily yieided
70 hi, eodmother when she always reserved
that for his hereditary lords and ladies-in
the dominions Of Prince Bull, among the
great mass of the community who were called
in the language of that polite country the
mobs and the snobs, were number OF very
ingenious men who were always busy with
some invention or other for promoting the
nrosperity of the princes subjects and aug
menting the princes power. But whenever
they submitted their models for the princes
approval his godmother stepped forward, laid
her hand upon them and said Tape Hence
IL came to pass that when any particularly
good discovery was made the discoverer usu-
ally carried il of to some other prince IN
foreign parts who had no old godmother who
said Tape. This was not on the whole an adj
vantapeous state of things for Prince Bull, to
the best of my understanding.
The worst of it was that Prince Bull had, in
course Of years, lapsed into such state of
subsection to this unlucky godmother that he
never made any serious effort to rid himself
~ her tyranny. I have said this was the
worst of il, but there was wrong, because
there is worse consequence still behind
The princes numerous family became so
downright sick and tired Of Tape that when
they should have helped the prince out Of the
difficulties into which that evil creature had
led him they fell into dangerous habit OF
moodily keeping away from him in an impas-
sive and Indifferent manner, as though they
had quite forgotten that no harm could hap
pen to the prince, their father, without its
inevitably affecting themselves.
Prince Bull Goes to War
Such was the aspect of affairs at the court
of Prince Bull when this great prince found
it necessary to 60 to war with Prince Bear.
He had been for some time very doubtful OF
his servants, who, being indolent and ad-
dicted to enriching their families at his ex-
pense, domineered over him dreadfully,
threatening to discharge themselves If they
were found the least fault with, pretending
they had done a wonderful amount of work
when they had done nothing. making the
most unmeaning speeches that ever were
heard in the princes name, and uniformly
showing themselves to be very inefficient in
deed Though that some Of them had excel
lent characters from previous situations is
not to be denied. Well, Prince Bull called his
servants together and said to them, one and