HERALD Official Organ Of The Slavonic Benevolent Order Of The State Of Texas. Founded 1897. BENEVOLENCE
VOLUME 54 — NO. 20
HUMANITY
BROTHERHOOD
Postmaster: Please Send Form 3579 with Undeliverable Copies to: SUPREME LODGE, SPJST, P. 0. Box 100, TEMPLE, TEXAS
MAY 18, 1966
FROM THE EDITOR'S DESK THE BLACKSMITH AND DEATH
QUOTES .. .
A poor blacksmith, called Willie the Wisp, many many years ago had finished his day's work and had started down a hill on his way home. Halfway down the hill he fell down. Angry, he said to himself, "If I ever come down this hill again, I hope death takes me." The next day, however, he had forgotten all about the incident and walked down the hill on the way home from work. At the bottom of the hill his path was blocked by an odd-looking stranger who said: "You cannot pass." "Who are you?" asked Willie. "I'm Death," the stranger replied. "I heard what you said yesterday when you fell down the hill and Im here to get you."
You can avoid criticism only by saying nothing, doing nothing, being nothing. — Lyndon B. Johnson
"But I'm not ready to die yet," protested Willie. "I'm young and I'm poor and I have a family and I need a few more years to get things in order for my family." Death listened and said that he would give Willie ten years in which to get ready to die and also would give him three wishes — any three wishes he desired to make. Willie took up the proposition and said that first he wished to be a doctor. "Under one condition," replied Death, "and that is when you are treating a patient, if you see me at the head of the bed of the ill person, you are to give up, as the person will die.
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In all cases of heartache, the application of another man's disappointment draws out the pain and allays the irritation. —Lytton Cowards falter, but danger is often overcome by those who nobly dare. — Queen Elizabeth. The best things in life are still free, but the tax experts are working overtime on the problem. But if I am at the foot of the bed, you are to go right on treating the patient, for he will get well." Regarding the second wish, Willie said that every spring he had cherries on his trees but that he never had been able to eat any of them because someone always got there first and took them. He said he would like to be able to eat his own cherries. "You may have your wish," answered Death. "If you see anyone getting your cherries, just shout 'stick there' and they'll learn to leave your trees alone." And for his third wish, Willie the Blacksmith said that at home he never got to sit in his comfortable leather
chair, that his wife or one of the children always was in the chair when he wanted it. He was given this wish, too, with Death telling him to say "stick there" if anybody was occupying the chair and he would get it for himself. Ten years passed and Willie prospered as a doctor. Then one day he saw an odd looking person eating the cherries from his tree and he shouted, "stick there!" The stranger looked around and Willie saw it was Death. Death admitted that he was caught by Willie in his cherry tree and Willie worked ten more years of life from Death because of the act. These ten years passed quickly, with Willie getting richer all the time. But one day near the end of this period, Willie found Death in his leather chair and got ten more years of life from him. By this time, Willie was one of the most famous doctors in Europe and he went to London to treat a duke who was desperately ill. When Willie went to the duke's bed he saw Death standing at the head. Doctor Willie ordered all persons out of the sick room and when they departed, he turned the bed around and Death was at the foot. The duke then began to get better and recovered. This made Death very angry and he told Willie he would be back the next day to get him, that his time was