The King of the Golden River | Page 4

A civilization founded
upon unrestricted competition therefore seemed to him necessarily
feeble in appreciation of the beautiful, and unequal to its creation. In
this way loyalty to his mission bred apparent disloyalty. Delightful
discourses upon art gave way to fervid pleas for humanity. For the rest
of his life he became a very earnest, if not always very wise, social
reformer and a passionate pleader for what he believed to be true
economic ideals.
There is nothing of all this in "The King of the Golden River." Unlike
his other works, it was written merely to entertain. Scarcely that, since
it was not written for publication at all, but to meet a challenge set him
by a young girl.
The circumstance is interesting. After taking his degree at Oxford,
Ruskin was threatened with consumption and hurried away from the
chill and damp of England to the south of Europe. After two years of
fruitful travel and study he came back improved in health but not strong,
and often depressed in spirit. It was at this time that the Guys, Scotch
friends of his father and mother, came for a visit to his home near
London, and with them their little daughter Euphemia. The coming of
this beautiful, vivacious, light-hearted child opened a new chapter in
Ruskin's life. Though but twelve years old, she sought to enliven the
melancholy student, absorbed in art and geology, and bade him leave
these and write for her a fairy tale. He accepted, and after but two
sittings, presented her with this charming story. The incident proved to
have awakened in him a greater interest than at first appeared, for a few
years later "Effie" Grey became John Ruskin's wife. Meantime she had
given the manuscript to a friend. Nine years after it was written, this
friend, with John Ruskin's permission, gave the story to the world.
It was published in London in 1851, with illustrations by the celebrated

Richard Doyle, and at once became a favorite. Three editions were
printed the first year, and soon it had found its way into German, Italian,
and Welsh. Since then countless children have had cause to be grateful
for the young girl's challenge that won the story of Gluck's golden mug
and the highly satisfactory handling of the Black Brothers by
Southwest Wind, Esquire.
For this edition new drawings have been prepared by Mr. Hiram P.
Barnes. They very successfully preserve the spirit of Doyle's
illustrations, which unfortunately are not technically suitable for
reproduction here.
In the original manuscript there was an epilogue bearing the heading
"Charitie"--a morning hymn of Treasure Valley, whither Gluck had
returned to dwell, and where the inheritance lost by cruelty was
regained by love:
The beams of morning are renewed The valley laughs their light to see
And earth is bright with gratitude And heaven with charitie.
R.H. COE
CONTENTS

CHAPTER I
HOW THE AGRICULTURAL SYSTEM OF THE BLACK
BROTHERS WAS INTERFERED WITH BY SOUTHWEST WIND,
ESQUIRE

CHAPTER II
OF THE PROCEEDINGS OF THE THREE BROTHERS AFTER
THE VISIT OF SOUTHWEST WIND, ESQUIRE; AND HOW

LITTLE GLUCK HAD AN INTERVIEW WITH THE KING OF
GOLDEN RIVER

CHAPTER III
HOW MR. HANS SET OFF ON AN EXPEDITION TO THE
GOLDEN RIVER, AND HOW HE PROSPERED THEREIN

CHAPTER IV
HOW MR. SCHWARTZ SET OFF ON AN EXPEDITION TO THE
GOLDEN RIVER, AND HOW HE PROSPERED THEREIN

CHAPTER V
HOW LITTLE GLUCK SET OFF ON AN EXPEDITION TO THE
GOLDEN RIVER, AND HOW HE PROSPERED THEREIN, WITH
OTHER MATTERS OF INTEREST

THE KING OF THE GOLDEN RIVER
CHAPTER I
HOW THE AGRICULTURAL SYSTEM OF THE BLACK
BROTHERS WAS INTERFERED WITH BY SOUTHWEST WIND,
ESQUIRE
In a secluded and mountainous part of Stiria there was in old time a
valley of the most surprising and luxuriant fertility. It was surrounded
on all sides by steep and rocky mountains rising into peaks which were

always covered with snow and from which a number of torrents
descended in constant cataracts. One of these fell westward over the
face of a crag so high that when the sun had set to everything else, and
all below was darkness, his beams still shone full upon this waterfall,
so that it looked like a shower of gold. It was therefore called by the
people of the neighborhood the Golden River. It was strange that none
of these streams fell into the valley itself. They all descended on the
other side of the mountains and wound away through broad plains and
by populous cities. But the clouds were drawn so constantly to the
snowy hills, and rested so softly in the circular hollow, that in time of
drought and heat, when all the country round was burned up, there was
still rain in the little valley; and its crops