It was a fine day in June, many years ago. Frederick William, king of Prussia, a country in Europe, wanted to get away from the noise of the city. So he went for a walk along a quiet road throughout the country.
As he walked along, he listened to the songs of the birds. He picked some wild flowers that grew by the way. After a while he came to a little schoolhouse. The children were at play. It made him glad to see the children happy.
Soon they were called to their lessons. The king followed them into the schoolroom. At first the children were almost afraid to be in the presence of the king. But his kind face and pleasant ways soon won them. He was pleased to see how well they recited their lessons. After a time the teacher asked him to talk to the children.
“I will now ask you some questions,” said the king, “and the child who gives the best answer shall have a prize.”
Then the king held up an orange.
“You know that we all live in the kingdom of Prussia. But to what kingdom does this belong?” he asked.
The children were timid. They did not know just what to say. Every one sat quite still. At last a bright little boy spoke.
“It belongs to the vegetable kingdom,” he said.
“How do you know?” asked the king.
“It is the fruit of a plant, and all plants belong to the vegetable kingdom,” said the boy.
“That is a good answer,” said the king. “You shall have the orange for your prize.”
Then the king took a gold coin from his pocket. He held it up so that all the children could see it.
“To what kingdom does this coin belong?” he asked.
“It belongs to the mineral kingdom, sir,” said another boy.
“Why so, my lad?” asked the king.
“Because it is a metal, and all metals belong to that kingdom,” the boy answered.
The king was pleased.
“You are quite right,” he answered. “You shall have the coin for your prize.”
The children were delighted. With bright eyes and smiling faces they wondered what he would say next.
“I will ask you only one more question,” said the king, with a twinkle of fun in his eye. “Tell me, children, to what kingdom do I belong?”
The king thought someone would say, “To the animal kingdom.”
The children looked at him, but no one spoke. They were a little afraid, because he was the king.
At last, Christel, a little blue-eyed girl, looked up into his kind eyes.
“I think you belong to the kingdom of heaven,” she said softly.
For a moment there was a breathless silence in the room. You might have heard a leaf fall as all eyes turned to little Christel. Even the surprised king hardly knew what to say.
Then he caught the timid child in his arms and kissed her again and again. With tears in his eyes, he said, “May God help me to prove the truth of what you have said!”
From that day, the Lord had a better servant, the people a wiser king.