in trouble , he stopped and said gently , " Dear Madam , is there anything I can do for you ? " poor woman , Alas , alas ! " said the " What can you , or anyone else , do for a broken - hearted mother whose four little children have been taken by death from her arms . Unless I have children to love , life has no brightness for me ."
66 Surely , " said Blessed - Eyes softly and compassionately , " there are yet many children who need your love . Will you not come with me to the palace of the King ?
The woman looked puzzled and perplexed , but so sweet and gentle had been the tone of his voice that she instinctively followed him . I do not know just what happened in the consultation with the King , but this I do know , that only a few days elapsed before the " Court of Honor " rang each day with the voices of happy children as they followed the no longer sad-faced woman around to the concert hall to hear the sweet music , or off to the buildings whose walls were covered with beautiful pictures , or back again to their own handsome building , set apart for their particular use by the King .
Here she told them stories and taught them songs and led them in charming games and
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plays , and trained their little hands into skillful work until throughout the kingdom there was no happier band of children than those who had once been the waifs of the city , wandering through its streets . So full of motherly love was the woman's work with her new children that other beautiful and noble women came , in time , and joined her in it , until at last there was no child in the whole city who had not learned how to use his hands skillfully , how to love sweet music , how to enjoy beautiful pictures and how to be kind and thoughtful towards others .
In time many of these children grew into manhood and womanhood and became musicians , artists , authors , physicians , clergymen , and wonderfully skilled workmen of all sorts . Many of the women married and became loving and wise mothers because of the training they had received from the pale - faced , childless woman in the King's " Court of Honor . " The
At last the good King died , and the question arose , " Who shall be our next King . " counsellors of the nation met together to decide the matter . They sent to the stonemasons far away in the back country and the great master-mason cried , " Let Blessed -Eyes be our King ! Did he not teach me how to
use my strong arms ? Has he not furnished bread for us and our families ?" And the hundreds of stone- cutters and miners and diggers round about shouted aloud , " Long live King Blessed - Eyes ! "
Then they sent to the various villages and towns of the Kingdom and the architects said " Let Blessed-Eyes be King ! Has he not created the great Court of Honor from which we have all learned to make beautiful whatever we build ! " And the carpenters and joiners and plasterers and painters all cried out, " Long live King Blessed -Eyes ! "
Then they sent to the mills and the factories of the great cities and the masterworkmen and designers answered and said , " Why not make Blessed - Eyes our King ? It was he who first introduced Art into our land and showed us how to make as beautiful as pictures our carpets and curtains and walls . Have not these things made our merchandise sought for all over the world . " Then the spinners and weavers and dyers all shouted aloud , " Long live King Blessed - Eyes ! "
Then they sent to all the colleges and schools in the land and the grave presidents and superintendents said , " We know of no better man than Blessed - Eyes . He first taught us that a
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love of the beautiful should be part of each child's education . " Then the youths and the maidens , the boys and the girls , and even the little children shouted until they were hoarse , Long live King Blessed - Eyes ! " 66 ""
Then the whole nation seemed to cry out , " Blessed - Eyes , Blessed - Eyes , Long live King Blessed - Eyes ! There is none among us whom he has not helped . When the news was brought to Blessed- Eyes that all the people desired him to rule over them , he smiled gently and said , " I had hoped to rest now , but if I can serve my country I must do it . " So he was made King and the nation became wise and great and powerful under his reign . For the little children grew up learning to love the beautiful and to see it everywhere until at last there was a whole nation of blessed- eyes , and every city in the land became as beautiful as was the White City by the Lake .
