St Stan Illustrated Story

H owever, he was in no hurry to return to school. In fact, he decided to discontinue his studies altogether, arguing within himself that, after all, his own father had not been anxious, at one time, to send him to school, and it was surely far better to be an “obedient” son than a “learned” one. His father, strangely enough, proved easy to convince. Neverthe- less, instead of taking John into his own forge and letting him learn the trade (as he himself had wanted the boy to do at one time), he sent him into the pasture to herd the sheep: John obediently hastened into the fields, delighted, no doubt, that he was not to return to school. How wonderful were those spring days. John would sit down be- side a field shrine, not far from the sheep grazing quietly, and play his home-made flute, or listen in silence to the mysterious voices of nature awakening to life. It didn’t take long, however, for him to see that the life of a shep- herd was not always an idyll. It can be physically exhausting work. In the summer, the sun can beat down mercilessly, and in winter the snow, whipped by the wind, can cause piercing cold. Exposed as he was, day after day, to the varying elements, John carried out his task for many months with constancy and perseverance. Finally, when he was so utterly exhausted, both physically and mentally, that he felt he could no longer continue his work as a shep- herd, he began to reflect deeply and to see that in this life one must work, in one capacity or another; that one may not capriciously squan- der the God-given talent for study. He resolved to return to school and henceforth to resist all temptation to sloth. After almost a year’s in- terruption, then, we find John back at school. Never again was he to permit himself to be swayed by frivolity and indolence. 26