Norwich bulletin., 1918-05-18
WHERE THERE IS NO VISION THE PEOPLE PERISH

The old cIock-maker was glad Of the return of so good a, workman, and re- ceived him joyfully. Then Anton told his story-how he had longed for
 something to satisfy his soul. how he had failed to find it even among the good gray monks, and how the words of the legend and perplexed him. Then spoke the wise old cloek-mak-
 CT: "A Vision,' quoth he. Ifs sGme-. thing good and lofty and desir6a1,e
 whica the soul may see, and having
 not, may reach forth to obtain, 1 Without Vision the body may live.
 but the soul is starved. It is deata iii l life. Men may eat, and drink, and
 sleeD, and laugh, and work, and quar-
 rel and beget children, and die, but
 all tc no purpose. They might as
 well die in the first place, and so the Wise Man saith, Without a Vision, the people perish!"
 And what may I do to get a Vi sion, that I may 1fye?" asked Anton.
 He that seeketh. fndeth." replied the l clock maker.
 Where shall I seek? ?" asked Anton.
 "At thine own work bench" was the answer Thou hast been to the mon astery ot the good gray monks and 1 found no Vision there. Thou mayst
 travel the world over and no Vision will reward thy search. Look with
 in tliy heart, Anton, even into its hid- den corners. Whatsoever thou findest that is good and worthy, examine it,
 Thus wilt thou find thy Vision. Do
 thy daily work Anton, and let thy Vision find thee working. Then shalt thou te ready to receive it, and the nearing of thy life and work will be
 made clear to thee"
 Anton marvelled at the words of the wise old man, and pondered them 1r
 his heart as he went back to work at
 his bench, and every day he talked tf 1.-the old clock k-naker, and strove tc learn, until at last the light broke ir upon flNn, and he understood. For the meaning of the legend appears only through much thought and self-exam- . inatlon.
 /. A day came when the old clock maker arose no more from his bed, anc ! Anton took his place as master of the
 shop Now" he said. T will see ii ! I can find a way to work with vision | for I know it is better than to Worf without one"
 Every Sunday he went through the
 market place and talked with his fel- = low tewnsmen He found that there . were many things good and lofty ant | l desirable that were lacking in theil . lives; but he could discover no wa. . l to supply them. His soul was reach 2 ing forth, but it had not yet laid holt U on a Vision.
 One day in his shop, however, ; = Vision came to him. It was littl' . Vision, to be sure, but it was a be . ginning.
 q cannot bring bread to all tn, = poor or bring happiness to the miser able" he said. ''I know only how t. | make clocks. So I will make a clocl q for the people, that they may hav U what only the rich may buy So h r. set to work and built a huge clock with two hands, like one he had see 0 that came from the soath. Its fac U was two cubits across and it wa
 fashioned to run in all weathers. Be . meath the face he carved and Painte l. a legend: Where there is no Visio n. the people perish"
 c, In twelve months the clock was don 'e and he received permission to place Ie on the tower in the market plac, 's5 where all men might see it and req '- the time of day. Many came and sav and learned to tell the time from tn d figures on the dial, and the clock be
 came famous throughout Flanders l. But there were many in the coun !a tryside who seldom came to the tow y and so never were benefited by tn T. clock, and it occurred to Anton one da
 that the reason for this was that tn te roads were so poor. He was now Id man of substance and influence in tn ie town, so he went to the burgomaste ls and told him that he would like f I'd build better roads for the countr er people to use in coming to town.
 It took him a long time to mak 1e the fat burgomaster see this visio1 f1 but at last he succeeded, and the uE le shot of the matter was that in a fe ne years there were fine smooth road
 running in all directions.
 J. Anton's fame spread throughol ee Flanders, and to make 8 long stor ne short the king at last sent for hi 4jr and made him a counsellor at tf it royal palace. This gave him a chanC an to broaden his vision. He saw It greater and happier Flanders, wit of the people prosperous in trade and 1T ad dustry and art, and when he died. fu ed of years and honor. he. left Flande he a better place because of his vision
 JESSIE