What does it mean to be the salt of the earth? Dr Mitchell Kalpakgian finds a valuable example in the story of the 'Flying Trunk', great for reading aloud.

The attitude that liberal arts is a time-waste is not new. Dr Mitchell Kalpakgian shares inspiration from Cardinal Newman & Hans Christian Andersen.

by Dr. Mitchell Kalpakgian | In Hans Anderson’s 'Fairy Tales,' the little mermaid, youngest of six, makes a crucial life decision that none of her older sisters make.

by Dr. Mitchell Kalpakgian | The business of devils, explains Screwtape, involves diverting human minds from the present and the eternal by leading them into the past and the future.

by Dr. Mitchell Kalpakgian | In the story an old home that dates from several hundred years ago lies in a state of neglect and in need of repair.

In the folk tale, five brothers all choose their profession and perform their work with success and prosperity: a brick maker, a mason, an architect, an innovator, and a critic. However, only the oldest brother unites vocation and avocation, and only his work has effects for the future and for heaven.

In the story the merchant’s son who wasted his money finds himself in desperate circumstances until a friend gives him a magical flying trunk. When he flies with it and descends from the sky, he introduces himself as a Turkish god who has come from above to marry the king’s daughter. Honored with this privilege, the king gladly agrees to the marriage: “Yes, you shall certainly marry our daughter.”

In his fairy tale “The Goblin at the Provision Dealer’s” or in some editions entitled “The Pixy at the Grocer’s,” Hans Andersen depicts the life of a goblin who enjoys ...