Once upon a time there lived a rich czar who at times had the oddest desires. One morning he ordered, ”Get me a ship, with which I can travel over water, over land and through the air!”

The very same day he let his chancellor proclaim through herolds in the entire realm, ”Whoever is able to procure a ship by which the czar can travel over water, over land and through the air, will receive his daughter for his wife and will succeed the czar.”

“The news also reached a rich miller who had three sons.
The oldest was called Henry and had prepared himself to take over the mill one day and to manage it - as was his duty.

“He therefore helped his father untiringly day and night in all the responsibilities; for not only exquisite golden-yellow corn had to be procured from all over the world and had to be available in sufficient quantity, it also had to be stored airily - not too dry and not too humid, so that it radiated the natural freshness of the living; this task required a lot of space and a lot of attention.
The grains were tossed and turned many times, as if they should continue to ripen and to air out, before they were ground.

“The grinding was a high art, and from the miller it required vigilant and unceasing attention; for every corn had to be ground so small, that in the flour the various inherent qualities could still be distinguished clearly, yet it should not be crushed so much as to destroy these forces which determined the diverse growth of the corn. In that case the baker would bring back the flour immediately because it tasted too stale.

So every corn was split up either 9 x 12 times, which is 108 times; or 9 x 12 x 5 times, which is 540 times; or 9 x 12 x 5 x 3 times, which is 1620 times. It is not hard to imagine that this was not easy, but this then is the art of the miller.

“And the miller knew his trade well; that is why he was well-known for his good, rich and exceedingly tasty, wholesome flour; everyone who ate from it became strong and alert.

“In all this work the eldest son Henry was an intelligent pupil and an untiring helper to his father.

“The second son of the miller was Charles, and he was all given to the sale of the flour; for if the good is to blossom in all its diversity, it has to reach good people.

“So Charles was dedicated with all his heart to selling, and he saw to it that the reputation and the wealth of the father, indeed the prosperity of the whole family, continued to grow.

“In that manner the youngest son was mostly freed from all work and responsibility; his two elder brothers were so successful in their duty and so astir in their activity, that for the youngest one nothing was left to do.