"More wonder shoes?" he said. "Why any little boy may have a pair if
he wants them. It all depends upon the boy himself whether or not he
has wonder shoes."
THE EMPEROR'S NEW CLOTHES
Many years ago there lived an Emperor who was so exceedingly fond of
fine new clothes that he spent all his money on rich garments. He did
not care for his soldiers, nor for the theatre, nor for driving about,
except for the purpose of showing his new clothes.
He had a dress for every hour of the day, and just as they say of a
king, "He is in Council," they always said of him, "The Emperor is in
his Wardrobe."
Well, the great town in which he lived was very busy. Every day a
number of strangers arrived.
One day two rogues came along, saying they were weavers, and that they
knew how to weave the finest stuff one could imagine. Not only, said
they, were the colors and designs exceedingly beautiful, but the
clothes that were made of their material had the wonderful quality of
being invisible to everybody who was either unfit for his position, or
was extraordinarily stupid.
"They must be splendid clothes," thought the Emperor; "by wearing them
I could easily discover what persons in my kingdom are unfit for their
posts. I could distinguish the wise from the stupid.
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