Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1866-11-14
Hosea BigiOw.

Mexican war. wrote a series Of papers in the
Yankee dialect, so full of rich humor, sharp
satire, and sound political philosophy that
they ar once gained a wide and enduring
popularity. In that series of papers Rev. Mr..
Wilbur personated the more cautious element
OF the New England character and its pedan-
nv and served as the channel through which
Mr.. Lowell expressed, in good English and
with more moderation, the views which Hosea
Biglow put into the broad Yankee patois.
Biriofredum Sawin was another character
in those papers W no was the mouth-piece for
the mere drollery of the writer, and served
as the clown Of the show. That series of
papers was collected and published at the time.
OF the popularity of those verses, Lowell
says in the preface to the took before US F.:
Very far from being popular author under
nv own name, so far, indeed, as to be almost
unread, | found the verses of my pseudonym
copied every where L saw them pinned up in
workshops l heard them quoted and their
authorship debated | once, even, when
rumor had at length caught up my name in
one Of its eddies, had the satisfaction of over
hearing it demonstrated, in the pauses OF
concert, that | utterly inc0mI etent to
have written anything of the kind" He
certainly does mt overstate the estimate in
which the millions Of readers in the country,
Is well as the more cultivated few, held the
first effusions Of Hosea Bigow and Birdof-
feslum Sawin.
The ebelliou gave Lowell a new opportunity
10 write another series of papers, which were
contributed to the atlantic Monthly, beginning
10 1861 and ending in 1866, and which have
'ust been collected in volume and printed
bv Ticknor and Fields. This volume is pre-
faced by an introduction Of considerable
length giving the authors reasons for EN-
ploying the Yankee dialect in these compost
tons, and filled with much interesting and
curious information respecting the origin of
what is pow generally regarded the vulgar
isms of this pdtois. This introduction, IN
deed, rises into the dignity OF an essay abound
ing in learning respecting the origin OF much
of our language and is well worthy the
perusaI of every one who has any desire TO
get useful hints respecting style or expression
in writing good English.
OF the contents of the volume itself, a great
deal could be said, and many pages could De
copied prof;ably, but there is the less need OF
this as our readers found IN our columns at
the time of their original publication liberal
extracts from these papers We cannot
refrain however, from letting our readers see
sgain the following political philosophy which
is vet timely, although Johnson has dug his
uolitical grave, and the recent elections don t
look as though Davis was TO be bis successor
We sopy from Mr.. BigIow's speech in March
Meeting
Fus'Iy the Hon bic b. y. Sawin writes
Thet Tor a s5elI he could n sleep nights,
PuzzIn which side wuz preudentest to pm to
Which wuz tn ole homestead, which the
temp'ry lalntO;
Et fust he ledsed It would right-side-up bis
pan
To come out ez a ridge'nal Union mar,
= But now," he sez, - ain nut quite 80
fresh
The wiunIn' horse is goin' to be Secesh;
You might, las sprIng, hev easily walked the
course,
Fore We contrived 70 doctor III Union horse
Now tee're the oues to walk aroun the mex
track
lest vou take hold an read the follerin' ex
trac',
Ou; OF a letter | received last week
From an ole frIen' thet never sprung leak
A Nothun Democrat o tn ole Jarsey blue,
Born coppershearhed an copperfasteneo Iu'
These four years past 1t hez been tough
To saw which side feler went for;
Guideposts eli gone, roads muddy q rough
An nothin' duin' wut t wuz meant for;
Plckets affirm left an right,
Both sides lettin' zip ct sight,
Ilfs war M wuth hardly payn rent Tor.
'Columby gut her back up So
Ii twar nj no use a-tryin' TO stop her,
Wars emptin : riled Ger very dough
An made it rise an act improper:
T wuz foil ez much ez could du
To Ies' lay low aB' worry thru,
'Thgut hcyin TO sell out my copper.
8 Afore the your moi II. men
Could set an sun 'em on the fences,
Cyph ria the chances up, an Then
Jump Of which way bes' pad exI Ienses
Seuee, e wus rcsky airy way,
did NJ hardly darst to say
greed with Paley's Evidences.
Ask Mae ef tfyin' 10 set the fence
War nj ike benz rid upon rail on t,
Headen' your party with sense
o bein trIjInt il the tail on t.
And tryin' TO ihipk thet. on the whole,
You kin o. quasi own your soul
When Belmont gut bill O sale on t
Come peace, L sposed thet folks 'oud like
Their po tics done az in by proxy,
GIVE the moo loves the bag an Strike
A fresh trade with their reg lar doxy
but the drag's broke, now slaverys gone'
An' there's gre; resk they III blunder on
IF they ain't stopped, to real Democ ey.
We've gut Gn awful row to hoe
In this ere Job . reconstructin'
Folks dunno skurce which way to 90,
Where III amt ,rne boghole to be dncked II
But ore things clear there IS crack
Ef we pry bard, 'twlxs white an black,
Where the old makeblte can be tucked IN
No white man in airth & Droao aisie
That ain't willin' u own ez brother,
An eft he's heppened to strike he'
TTunno, fin'iy, but I'd ruther :.
An Padiles, long z they vote all righe,
Though .ley amt JEST na,'ral w hite,
| hold one on 'em good z another
''Wut IS there lef d like to know,
Ell t amt the difference O. color,
To keep up seli-respec' an show
The human natur' of fullah!
Wut good In bein' white, onless
It's fixed by law, nut lef to guess,
That we are smarter an they duller
- Ef we re to hev our exile rights,
T wuut do to low no competition
Ioh f,r her ,Uhi