Long, long ago, Hamburg, a large city on the Elbe River in Germany, was being besieged. One of its brave defenders, a merchant named Wolff, was one evening returning slowly to his home, sad at heart. Along with the other merchants of the city, he had been helping the regular soldiers to defend the walls against the enemy. So constant was the fighting that, for a whole week, he had worn his armour day and night. Now he sadly thought that all the fighting was useless, for on the morrow want of food would force them to open the gates.
As he passed through his garden, he noticed that his cherry-trees, which he had taken great care to keep free from blight, were covered with ripe fruit, so large and juicy that the very sight was refreshing. At that moment, a thought struck him. He knew how much the enemy were suffering from thirst. What would they not give for this fruit? Might he not make an attempt to please them, and thus, perhaps, secure safety for his city?
Without a moment"s delay, he set about carrying outhis plan, for there was no time to be lost. He gatheredtogether three hundred of the children of the city, had them all dressed in white, and loaded them with cherries. Then a gate was thrown open, and they set out on their strange errand.
The leader of the besieging army saw the gate open, and the band of little children marching out. Many of them were nearly hidden by the branches which they carried. He at once thought it was some trick by which the besieged were trying to deceive them, while preparing for an attack on his camp. As the children came nearer, he remembered that he had vowed to kill every man, woman, and child in the city, and was about to give orders that these poor children should be put to death.
But, when he saw the little ones close at hand, and noticed how pale and thin they were from want of food, he thought of his own children at home, and could hardly keep back his tears. Then, as his thirsty, wounded soldiers rushed to get the cool, refreshing fruit, the general knew that he was conquered, not by force of arms, but by the power of kindness.
When the children returned he sent with them wagons laden with food for the starving people of the city, and the next day signed a treaty of peace with those he had vowed to destroy.
For many years afterwards, as the day came round onwhich this event had taken place, it was kept as a holiday in Hamburg, and called " The Feast of Cherries." Large numbers of children in white robes marched through the streets, each one bearing a branch with bunches of cherries on it. The old writer who tells the story is careful to say that, on those occasions, the children kept the cherries for themselves.
Every age of the world"s history has its tales of war and bloodshed and cruelty, of wild struggles, and of great victories. Nowhere among them all do we find the story of a more beautiful victory than that won by the little children of Hamburg.
From The Folks at Home
Author.-Unknown.
General Notes.-Look up Hamburg on the map. Has kindness really more power than force? Have you tried it?