THE VERGER -SOMERSET MAUGHAM

THE VERGER    -SOMERSET MAUGHAM

     The Verger is a short story, written by Somerset Maugham. The story explains that education contributes to certain purposes but in money-making, it is commonsense that plays a vital role.

     Albert Edward, had been the verger of St.Peter’s church for sixteen years. He was a man of distinguished features, who did his job in a dignified way with great dedication. He rendered his service to the best satisfaction of the fashionable parishioners. After the new vicar was appointed, the verger came in trouble with him. The verger was uneducated so the new vicar called the verger and gave him three months time to learn to read and write. But the verger was not ready to learn anything new. He was satisfied with what he had. The new vicar compelled him to resign his job. So the verger resigned his job left the church.

     While he was walking on the street slowly, he was thinking about his future. To fulfill his basic needs he was badly in need of a job. Because of frustration he wanted to smoke a cigarette. He looked for a shop in the long street. There were no shops nearby. There would be many like him who would like to smoke cigarettes. So he planned to open a shop in the street. He consulted this idea with his wife. First, his wife did not accept his idea, later she accepted it. Soon he opened a shop and turned into a shopkeeper. He worked sincerely to develop his business. In a short span of time, he opened another shop in the next street. In a decade, he owned a chain of shops in London. He became very rich.

     Edward deposited his money in the bank. One day the bank manager called Edward and informed him that he had thirty thousand pounds in his account. He also advised him to invest the amount in shares. To get Edward’s concurrence, the manager asked him to sign in an agreement. But Edward told him that he could neither read nor write. The manager was surprised and wondered. The manager asked Edward that what would he had been if he was educated. Edward replied that he would be a verger at St.Peter’s church.