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Article THE CRAFTSMAN'S JUDGMENT. Page 1 of 2 →
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The Craftsman's Judgment.
THE CRAFTSMAN'S JUDGMENT .
" The truth , xvhen hid from wisdom ' s eyes . Is by simplicity oft found . " —Li / ii ^ . 'tr / fi f-Wuis-. IN the Jerusalem Targum it is recorded , that during the building of the Temple , the illustrious Solomon , King of Israel , had frequent occasion to exercise his judgment in deciding cases of dispute , which occasionally arose between the workmen , and from the satisfaction which his decisions invariably gaveacquired the surname of the Wise
, , a title of which he became at last so vain , that the Great Architect of the world , by whom , doubtless , he had been inspired , thought fit , in his mercy and wisdom , to reprove him ; for as the Rabinical writer , Tarasi , justly observes , "Vanity is as a serpent that devoureth the core of wisdom . "
One of the overseers , or men entrusted with the direction of the works and the payment of the men , being summoned to attend a meeting of his class , called to him two of the Craftsmen , and placed in their hands a sum of gold , directing them , if he did not return by the appointed time , to pay the hire of their fellows in the usual peculiar and Masonic manner , a duty which they both promised faithfully to execute . As several hours were wanting to the time of payment , the two
Craftsmen agreed to bury the treasure which they had received , and proceed to their different occupations . They , accordingly , sought a secure place , and committed the gold to the guardianship of its native earth . About an hour before the hour of paying the people arrived , the overseer returned and demanded of the Craftsmen the treasure which he had confided to them . They told him what they had done with it , and conducted him to the lace where it had been deposited . On their
p arrival , they began to dig , and , after removing the soil , found that the treasure had vanished . The overseer immediately charged the two men with the robbery ; the men each accused the other , and finally were carried by the soldiers whom the officer summoned , before the judgmentseat of the Kinr ? .
It chanced that on that day Solomon presided in royal state , in the midst of his counsellors , to receive the ambassadors of the different monarchs who , hearing of his fame , were solicitous of his alliance , lie naturally wished , therefore , to distinguish himself before them ; hut it pleased the Architect of Ah that his pride should be rebuked . The two Craftsmen , on being questioned by the King , each declared his innocence , and answered every question with the utmost ingenuousness ;
they were examined with the most subtle skill , but nothing could be elicited . " They must have been watched , " exclaimed their Judge , half vexed at the difficulties which presented themselves , " and the treasure stolen by some robber . I see no other solution . " This , however , the men both declared to be impossible . " Not a tree or shrub was in sight , " said Joel , the first of the Craftsmen . " Not shelter for a sparrow , " said Iranthe second ; and then they each began to accuse the other of the
, theft . Finding it impossible to come to a decision , the mortified Solomon hastily dismissed his Council , after first remanding the men to prison , and then sauntered forth alone to enjoy an hour ' s reflection in the Royal Gardens . It chanced that two old Craftsmen , who had been present at the examination , were seated under a cedar tree discussing the affair , and not
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
The Craftsman's Judgment.
THE CRAFTSMAN'S JUDGMENT .
" The truth , xvhen hid from wisdom ' s eyes . Is by simplicity oft found . " —Li / ii ^ . 'tr / fi f-Wuis-. IN the Jerusalem Targum it is recorded , that during the building of the Temple , the illustrious Solomon , King of Israel , had frequent occasion to exercise his judgment in deciding cases of dispute , which occasionally arose between the workmen , and from the satisfaction which his decisions invariably gaveacquired the surname of the Wise
, , a title of which he became at last so vain , that the Great Architect of the world , by whom , doubtless , he had been inspired , thought fit , in his mercy and wisdom , to reprove him ; for as the Rabinical writer , Tarasi , justly observes , "Vanity is as a serpent that devoureth the core of wisdom . "
One of the overseers , or men entrusted with the direction of the works and the payment of the men , being summoned to attend a meeting of his class , called to him two of the Craftsmen , and placed in their hands a sum of gold , directing them , if he did not return by the appointed time , to pay the hire of their fellows in the usual peculiar and Masonic manner , a duty which they both promised faithfully to execute . As several hours were wanting to the time of payment , the two
Craftsmen agreed to bury the treasure which they had received , and proceed to their different occupations . They , accordingly , sought a secure place , and committed the gold to the guardianship of its native earth . About an hour before the hour of paying the people arrived , the overseer returned and demanded of the Craftsmen the treasure which he had confided to them . They told him what they had done with it , and conducted him to the lace where it had been deposited . On their
p arrival , they began to dig , and , after removing the soil , found that the treasure had vanished . The overseer immediately charged the two men with the robbery ; the men each accused the other , and finally were carried by the soldiers whom the officer summoned , before the judgmentseat of the Kinr ? .
It chanced that on that day Solomon presided in royal state , in the midst of his counsellors , to receive the ambassadors of the different monarchs who , hearing of his fame , were solicitous of his alliance , lie naturally wished , therefore , to distinguish himself before them ; hut it pleased the Architect of Ah that his pride should be rebuked . The two Craftsmen , on being questioned by the King , each declared his innocence , and answered every question with the utmost ingenuousness ;
they were examined with the most subtle skill , but nothing could be elicited . " They must have been watched , " exclaimed their Judge , half vexed at the difficulties which presented themselves , " and the treasure stolen by some robber . I see no other solution . " This , however , the men both declared to be impossible . " Not a tree or shrub was in sight , " said Joel , the first of the Craftsmen . " Not shelter for a sparrow , " said Iranthe second ; and then they each began to accuse the other of the
, theft . Finding it impossible to come to a decision , the mortified Solomon hastily dismissed his Council , after first remanding the men to prison , and then sauntered forth alone to enjoy an hour ' s reflection in the Royal Gardens . It chanced that two old Craftsmen , who had been present at the examination , were seated under a cedar tree discussing the affair , and not