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THE KING AND THE BEES One day King Solomon was sitting on his throne , and his great men were standing around him . Suddenly the door was thrown open and the Queen of Sheba came in . " O King , " she said , " in my own country , far , far away , I have heard much about your power and glory , but much more about your wisdom . Men have told me that there is no riddle so cunning that you can not solve it . Is this true ? " " It is as you say , O Queen , " answered Solomon . " Well , I have here a puzzle which I think will test your wisdom . Shall I show it to you ? " " Most certainly , O Queen . " Then she held up in each hand a beautiful wreath of flowers . The wreaths were so nearly alike that none of those who were with the king could point out any difference . " One of these wreaths . " said the queen , " is made of flowers plucked from your garden . The other is made of artificial flowers , shaped and colored by a skillful artist . Now , tell me , O King , which is the true , and which is the false ? " The king , for once , was puzzled . He stroked his chin . He looked at the wreaths from every side . He frowned . He bit his lips . " Which is the true ? " the queen again asked . Still the king did not answer . " I have heard that you are the wisest man in the world , " she said , " and surely this simple thing ought not to puzzle you . " The king moved uneasily on his golden throne . His officers and great men shook their heads . Some would have smiled , if they had dared . " Look at the flowers carefully , " said the queen , " and let us have your answer . " Then the king remembered something . He remembered that close by his window there was a climbing vine filled with beautiful sweet flowers . He remembered that he had seen many bees flying among these flowers and gathering honey from them . So he said , " Open the window ! " It was opened . The queen was standing quite near to it with the two wreaths still in her hands . All eyes were turned to see why the king had said , " Open the window . " The next moment two bees flew eagerly in . Then came another and another . All flew to the flowers in the queen's right hand . Not one of the bees so much as looked at those in her left hand . " O Queen of Sheba , the bees have given you my answer , " then said Solomon . And the queen said , " You are wise , King Solomon . You gather knowledge from the little things which common men pass by unnoticed . " King Solomon lived three thousand years ago . He built a great temple in Jerusalem , and was famous for his wisdom . OUR FIRST GREAT PAINTER A long time ago there lived , in Pennsylvania , a little boy whose name was Benjamin West . This boy loved pictures . Indeed , there were few things that he loved more . But he had never seen any pictures except a few small ones in a book . His father and mother were Quakers , and they did not think it was right to spend money for such things . They thought that pictures might take one's mind away from things that were better or more useful .
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