SELECTING AN HONEST OFFICER : (Time for tales)

Once the Sultan of Turkey consulted his Grand Vizier and asked him to find an honest man to collector-in-chief the taxes of his empire. The Vizier advised the Sultan to invite all the applicants to his palace.


“I will show you an honest officer who can be the chief of tax collectors in the Empire. But I will place a condition before them. They will have to pass through a dark corridor and dance before you when they appear in the court. The applicants arrived at the invitation of the Sultan, and they were told to advance before the Sultan one at a time, through a dark empty corridor. As soon as they assembled before the Sultan to the last man the Sultan addressed them: “Now, Gentlemen, my first test for you is that I should very much like to see you all dance in front of me.”


But, to the Sultan’s astonishment all the applicants refused with many blushes, and pleaded with the Sultan to spare them from this trial, except one man who danced cheerfully and well.


“This is the honest man,” said the Grand Vizier, pointing to the dancer.


In the dark corridor, the Grand Vizier had placed sacks of gold coins, which were minted for the Sultan, and all the dishonest men had filled their pockets to the full as they passed through the dark corridor and advanced towards the Sultan. If they had danced, their pockets would have jingled with the gold coins, which they had stolen from the money sacks, and so they refused the command of the Sultan.


Naturally, the dancer was selected for the position, which was a highly paid job, and the Grand Vizier had ordered his guards to empty the pockets of each applicant as they left the presence of the Sultan in the Durbar Hall.