Story
The
Band of Gold
By Anonymous
A
school boy went to see his teacher to talk about a problem that
was troubling him.
"Everyone
says I am good for nothing," he complained. "No one
believes that I will ever achieve everything. They think I am
stupid and lazy. How can I become a better person? What do I
have to do for people to appreciate me?"
Without
looking at him, the teacher answered, "I'm very sorry,
Lad, but at the moment I have a problem of my own that is occupying
my mind, so I can't help you." He paused and then continued,
"But perhaps if you first help me to solve my own problem
I could look at how to help you with yours."
"Of
course, Sir," said the boy. But inside he felt let down
and small.
The
teacher took a gold ring off his little finger and held it up
saying, "Take your horse and go to the market. There you
must sell this ring for me as I need the money to repay a debt.
Obviously you must get the best price you can, but whatever
you do, don't accept less than one gold coin for it. Go, and
come back with the money as fast as you can."
The
boy took the ring and left. When he arrived at the market, he
started to show it to the stallholders. They seemed very interested
and were keen to know how much the young boy wanted for it.
But when he started to talk about a gold coin, some of them
fell about laughing while others just walked off without a backwards
glance.
Only
one old man was kind enough to explain to him that a gold coin
was far too much to ask for an old ring. Trying to help the
young boy, he offered him a bronze coin for it, and then a silver
coin. But following the instructions of his teacher not to let
it go for less than one gold coin, the boy refused all offers.
After
having approached every stallholder and passer-by in the market
without success, feeling extremely downhearted at his failure,
he got back on his horse and returned to his teacher. How he
wished that he had a gold coin himself that he could use to
buy the ring, thus freeing the teacher of debt so that he in
turn could help him with his own problem!
He
went up to his teacher and said, "I'm sorry, Sir, but I
have failed to achieve what you asked of me. I could have got
two or three silver coins for it, but I believe that we can't
mislead anyone about the value of this ring."
"What
you say is very important," replied the professor with
a smile. "First of all we have to find out the real value
of this ring. Get back on your horse and take it to the jeweller.
Who else can know its value better than he? But whatever he
offers you for it, don't sell it to him. Come back to me with
my ring.
The
boy went to find the jeweller and held out the ring to him for
him to examine. The jeweller scrutinised it through his magnifying
glass, weighed it, and said, "Tell your teacher that if
he wants to sell it today I can only give him 58 gold coins
for it."
"58
gold coins!" exclaimed the boy.
"Yes.
And in a while I might be able to give him 70, but if it's an
urgent sale…"
The
boy ran back to his teacher in a state of excitement to relate
what had happened.
"Sit
down," said the teacher. After having listened to the child's
story, he said, "You are like this band of gold; a unique
jewel of immense value. But it takes a specialist to recognise
your true worth. Did you think just anybody would be able to
realise your value?" So saying, he put his ring back on
his finger.
Questions
1. Why did the teacher ask the boy to try to sell the ring in
the market?
2. How did the market sellers react when he asked for a gold
coin for it?
3. How did the boy feel when no one would pay him that much?
4. How much did the jeweller offer him for the ring? Did he
sell it to him? Why not?
5. How did he feel when he told his teacher how much the jeweller
had offered him for it?
How did you feel when you heard this story?
6. Did it remind you of anything in your own life?
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