The Colorado statesman., 1921-08-06
kinn solomon,s Smith.

King SolomonS Smlth.
And It came to pass when Solomon,
the son of David, had finished the
temple of Jerusalem, that he called un-
To him the chief architects, the head
artificers. and cunning workers In sill
yer and gold, and in wood, and in
ivory, and in stOne-yea, all who had
aided in rearing the Temple of the
. Lord and lie said unto them:
sit We down at my table; l have
| prepared feast for all my chief work
ers and cunning artificers stretch
| forth your hands, therefore, and eat,
and drink, and be merry. Is not the
laborer worthy of his nire? Is not the
! skilled artificer deserving of honor?
| Muzzle not the OK that treadeth out
/ the corn"
And when the chief workers were
! seated and the fatness of the land and
the wine and the oil thereof We're set
upon the table, there came one who
knocked loudly at the door and forced
himself even into the festal chamber.
Then Solomon the King was wroth,
and said, "Who and what manner of
man are thOu?' And he answered and
said, "When men wish To honor me
they call me Son of the Forge, but
when they desire TO mock me, they call
me Black Smith: and seeing that the
toll of working in the fire covers me
with sweat and smut the latter name
o King, is not inapt. and i'm truth, thy
servant desires no better" But" said
Solomon. ''why come you thus rudely
and unbidden TO the feast, where none,
save the chief of the workman of the
Temple are invlted?n please ye my
Lord, came rudely," replied the man,
because thy servant obliged me to-
I,,t I 4
den. Was it not proclaimed that the
chief workmen of the Temple were in
vited TO dine with the King of Israeli"
Then he who carved the cherubim
said: "Ths fellow is not sculptor"
And he who raised the walls said, HE
is not a cutter Of stone" And he who
made the roof cried out, He is not
cunning i'm cedar wood neither know
eth he the mystery of uniting pieces of
strange timber together" Then said
solomon. "What hast thou to say, Son
of the Forge, why | should not order
you plucked by the beard. scourged
with II scOurge, and stoned to death
with Stones?'
And when the Son of the Forge
heard this he was in no sort dismayed,
but advancing to the table snatched M
and swallowed Il cup of wine, and said
80 King. live forever. The chief men
of the workers in wood and gold and
stone have said | am not one of them,
and they said truly. I am their super
ior, and they are all my servants" And
he turned him round and said To the
chief of the .carverS i'm stone. "Who
made the tools with which YOU cnrve?"
And he said, The Smith" And
he said to the chief of the
masons "Who made the chisels with
which the stone of the Temple were
Squared?' And he answered, '"rhe
Smith" And he said To the chief of
the workers in wood. "Who made the
tools with which you hewed the trees
of Lebanon and formed them into pill
lars and roof of the Temple? 2" And he
answered. THE Smith" Then said he
to the artificer in gold and in ivory
'Who makes the Instruments by which
you work beautiful things for my
Lord, the King?" And he said, "'rhe
Smith" Enough enough, good fel-
low said solomon, thou hast proved
that | invited thee. and that thou are
all mems father in art Go wash the
smut of the forge from thy face and
come and sit mt my right hand The
chiefs of my workers are but men:
thou art more