Evening star., 1930-04-09
THE EVENING STORY
One of World Famous Works of Literature

gregation, saying: Know 70, o faith.
ful MusSulmanS, what ( am RoinT 10
say to your"
Fearing that. II, a. on the prsyiou
day, they say NO" the Hodja win
leave them again without q Sern1on. the
congregation this time replies: Eyes,
Hod1a, We do know"
Then, II you do know what am
going to say" quietly SayS the Hodja,
of course there is no need of my say
ing It," He again steps down from the
pulpit 70 the CONSERVATION Of the con-
On the third day. the Hodja again
puts the question: Know ye, oh faith
ful Mussulmans, what am going to
say to you?"
Members Of the congregation. deter
mined not TO be disappointed again.
take some counsel among themselves on
the question. Accordingly some Of
them reply: mo. Hodja. we do not
know" Others cry: Yes, Hodja, we
do know"
Very well. then" says the Hodja, as
there are some Of you who do know.
and others who do not know, what 1
was going to say. let those who do know
tell 1t to those that do not know: and
ne quickly descends from the pulpit.
The moral Of this story is not always
in the mind of the clergy. It is this:
IF you can find nothing worth saying,
DO not trespass on the congregation By
trying to say it."
Another story IL told of the Hodja.
He used to teach in the parish school.
He had taught his pupils that, when-
ever he happened TO sneeze, they should
all stand up and, clapping their hands
together, should cry out: God srant
you long life, Hodjal"
This the pupils regularly did when-
ever the Hodja sneezed. One day the
bucket gets loose and falls into the
well OF the schoolhouse. As the pupils
are afraid to go down into the we'll to
fetch up the bucket, Narr-ed-din Hodja
undertakes the task
He accordingly strips and, tying a
rope around his waist, asks his pupils to
lower him carefully into the well and
pull him up again when he gives the
signal. The Hodta goes down and hav.
ing caught the bucket, shouts out to his
pupils to pull him up again. This they
do. The Hodta is nearly out Of the
well, when he suddenly sneezes! Upon
this. his pupils Immediately let 90 the
rope, begin to knock their hands TO.
gether and shout down the well: God
grant you long life, Hodja!"
But the poor Hodja t1mbes down 10
the bottom OF the well with trenen-
dous crash, breaking his head and sew.
eral of his bones.
The moral Of this story is-too neat
for explication
A mendicant knocks at the Hodia's
door
What do you want, my friend?" asks
the Hodja. putting his head out of an
upper floor window.
Come down. Hodja Effendi, and I
will tell you." replies the nendicant.
The Hodia obeyS, and. coming down
to the door, asks again of the man
what Is wanted.
Aims" is the answer.
"Oh, very WE'LL" said the Hodia,
come with me upstairs"
Leading the way, the Hodja conducts
the man to the topmost floor of his
house. Arrived there, he turns round
and remarks: II am very much dis
tressed. my good friend. but have no
aims to give you"
Why did you not say so down be.
loW?" inquiries the man angrily.
why did you not tell me what YOU
wanted when 1 asked you from the win.
dow? Did you not make me come
down to the door?" retorts the HodjA.
The moral whereof Is: BE polite and
| considerate when you peg favors"