Good Works

On one of the arches in a magnificent cathedral in Europe is sculptured a face of wondrous beauty. It can be seen only once a year when the sun is in a certain position. For then its rays streaming through a small window illuminates the exquisite carving. According to legend, when the structure was being built, an old man came and begged permission to work on some portion of the great church. He had been a well-known artist, but now his trembling hands and failing sight caused the architect to fear that he would mar the beautiful edifice. Out of respect for his age and reputation, however, he allowed the artisan to chisel a design under the shadows of the vaulted roof, thinking no one would ever see it there. After months of painstaking labor, the elderly gentleman could hardly work his way up to the platform high above the floor, yet he insisted on one more climb to make a few finishing touches. When he failed to come down by nightfall, a workman went up and discovered his lifeless body. His tools lay beside him, and his sightless eyes were fixed on the marvelous face he had wrought in the marble. Although he though it would never be seen, he had given his all to produce a masterpiece. An authority on sculpture recently declared, "This is the most magnificent work of all, for love wrought it!"