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Emperor Norton
By Mike Nappa and Dr. Norm Wakefield
My deeds will be measured not by my youthful
appearance, but by the concern lines on my
forehead and the laugh lines around my mouth.
—Erma Bombeck, from her last column before dying
of cancer
Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh.
Luke 6:21
Some called him crazy. Others called him a fool. But most San Franciscans in the late 1800s called him Emperor.
Emperor Norton, that is.
His official title was “Emperor of the United States and Protector of Mexico.” He “ruled” San Francisco from 1857 to 1880, spreading smiles and joviality. He was just a man with a happy attitude, a merchant who had tried to corner the rice market—and lost his fortune. Yet, after going from riches to poverty, Norton refused to accept that he had to lose his joy. He “crowned” himself and began parading around the streets of San Francisco in full costume as emperor.
There was something so appealing about a man who insisted on enjoying life that the people of the city by the bay went along with the charade. The good king was granted front row seats at every theatre opening. Tailors carefully created and mended his regal plumed hat, cane, and uniform at no cost. The finest restaurants served this monarch their best meals free. The railroads offered transportation “so he could address his subjects.” Emperor Norton even had an honorary seat in the state legislature!
How did a man with few financial means earn such a lavish lifestyle? He dealt in a currency that’s all too rare—the currency of smiles. His majesty always brought a smile to the faces of others; like the time he ordered a bridge be built to span the bay—the Golden Gate Bridge; or when he decreed that a giant Christmas tree be raised in Union Square for the children of his kingdom.
We fathers can learn a lot from this would-be sovereign. If we would win the hearts of our children, we must be willing to share with them a simple, lasting joy that Jesus gives to life. When we do, our children, like the people of San Francisco, will remember us with fondness.
Funny thing about Emperor Norton. You, too, have probably gotten a little joy from this so-called crazy man. Mark Twain immortalized the emperor in the character of his pauper “king” in the classic novel The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. If you’ve read the book, you, too, have met the emperor of the United States and protector of Mexico.
Dear Jesus, teach me to enjoy life like a man who rules the world!
Coming next week in Notes from Nappaland: “A Walk Down Memory Lane”—another inspirational devotion for fathers!
“Emperor Norton” excerpted from Legacy of Joy ) 1998 Nappaland Communications Inc, and Norm Wakefield.. Published by Promise Press, an imprint of Barbour Publishing, Inc., Uhrichsville, OH. Reprinted with permission.
| Emperor Norton excerpted from Legacy of Joy ) 1998 Nappaland Communications Inc, and Norm Wakefield.. Published by Promise Press, an imprint of Barbour Publishing, Inc., Uhrichsville, OH. Reprinted with permission. To go to the Nappaland Homepage Click Here
To comment on what you’ve read or to contact the authors, please send email to: Nappaland@aol.com. To buy this book, try our Family Central Store. |
