A LITTLE LESSON IN EQUALITY.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXXV, Issue 5, 31 January 1907, Page 37

A LITTLE LESSON IN EQUALITY.

There is a patent moral in the story told by a French cure in a. little village of the Drome district. The organ-blower in the parish church, a sim- ' pie fellow named Jean-Pierre,- had been persuaded by some liberal ' philosophers ' of the village that all men had become equal in every sense of^the word. The organ-blower forthwith -proceeded, to the pres-. bytery, knocked at the door, and, on the pastor's presenting himself, began to stammei in a somewhat embarrassed style : 1 Father, I— J— ' ' Well, Jean-Pierre, what is it ?' ' It isc—it is,. Father, that the thing appears ' to me contrary to the rules of equality.' ' Explain yourself, Jean-Pierre. What thing ?' - ' Oh,' said the organ-blower, growing bolder, ' running the bellows of the organ ! It's real hard work, Father, and it's very poorly paid. Just a hundred francs a year ; and M. Talbcrt . (this was the organist's name) gets twelve hundred. Me ! I bend and" .shift, now to the right, now to the left, and always standing up, while M. Talbert is comfortably seated, and contents himself with making his fingers go, like this, over the (keyboard. That's' not what one calls equality— that sort of thing, Father ! ' ' Then you want — ' ' Yes, Father, I want my salary raised.' _ - ' Well, perhaps you are right, Jean-Pierre. Anyway, I'll reflect on your request.' Several days later the cure met the organ*-blower, and acjosted him. "I 'Jean-Pierre,' said he, 'I've been talking matters over with M. Talbert. He is young, you are getting old, and he finds that the situation is not conformable to the rules of equality. Now, here is what he proposes. He'll tcuke your place at the bellows, and 3'ou his at the keyboard, where you'll have nothing to do but " make your fingers go," being, comfortably seated the while.' . . ' But, 1 replied Jean-Pierre, slightly confused—' but I don't know how to make the fingers go.' ' Oh,' said the pastor, as if greatly astonished — ' oh 1 , then that makes a difference ! .But who would ■ever 'have imagined that you couldn't make your fingers go just as ,M. Talbert does his ? Why, that's point-blank opposed to the rules of equality ! ' And Jean-Pierre's salary was not increased.