The Hickman courier. [volume] (Hickman, Ky.) 1859-current, 1872-12-14
Printers Ink.

delivered before the Tennessee Editorial Associ-
alton at their annual meeting at Chattanooga, Now
25th, 1sT2-l
BRorHERs-with pens sharp as the sword of cortes
Mightiest OF weapons IN your wordy war
Whose inks pleasant, pungent aqua-fortis,
Syrup to soothe--or vitrol TO mar:
Since a Ia AJrfcdfne is all the fashion,
Whatever wit or wisdom we may lack3
We choose our subject by the "ruling passion,
So mine is Extraordinarily black;
In truth 30 black any curly kink
Upon the head Of Erebus-tis ." Printers INK.
You have your faults. "they say"-Cbut that's be-
'sThey say" you sometimes tremble in your tracks.
And let old Bachus, and his friend silonus,
Back , yoa by LAYING you a oa ger esek5
The world perhaps should prize you none the less,
Because, though you are powerful" fond Of
Could it have any wine, without the Press?
And then, Of all huidities, the pink
Is your creation-namely . Printers " Ink
The DAYS Of Ed had many potent liquor,
Unless the &" Old Re-li-U6te" OF History lies
Draughts that would drown your g" seven senses
Though You are sage as solomon the Wise.
Queen Cieopatria's pearl dissolved in acid,
For instance as beverage rather raw,
Scathing to tender throat, and muscle hacid
As Jersey lightning taken through straw.
1t must have made the lady bench and blink
Like parties yitrolized with q Printers Ink
There was the draught that finished Alexander,
The princely potentate, almost divine
To speak Of that catastrophe with candor,
But-do you know think, if by some mystic
Connection with warmer world to-day,
SAY some supernal medium, s0trAtualistic,)
Ne ir0uId hnd ont what Aleck had to say,
The Conqueror would rap with realizing wink,
You bet :" Taint half 50 hot as Printers Ink
Then comes the caustic-loving Queen Of Cara,
Who drank her husbands ashes in her wine
To her it might be rich and racy" too-but nary
.'Drapr Of such alkali I'd take in nike
All sorts Of matrimonial eaustic is unpleasant,
And hies, like contradiction, to yer head
This Queens example wouldn't do - present
She drank her husband after he was dead
To take the concentrated lyep Of printers Ink
There was the wine of sweet Lucretia Borgia,
potent sangaree to stop the breath
AZ shSerry-eobbIer brewed by certain Death
Lucretia's blackberries % were slightly pison,"
But her beneyoence 90 was grand and rieh
She Z" treated friends with her peculiar hyson,
And wasn't troubled any more with . SIGH"
But-were she living now, no other drink
Would suit her gentle charities, like Printer
Ink"
There were the slashing Scandinavian heroes
Gay Vikings Z" sloshing round" III tub-like bulls
As full Of fun any hddling Neros,
Who drank each others health from CORY skulls
Rough as the wide aud rushing seas they rode in,
Drinking the blood OF enemies like mead,
When 4aafing claret-cup TO Thor and odin-
4 bitter, battle beverage indeed;
And yet-twas not circumstance" think,
To gall that sometimes seasons . Printers INK
In latter DAYS ne had brew would stagger
Lucretias self, and Cesar Borgia both
A patriotic prison-poisoned lager,
|eOenofniuafed dam mean the Odth.
The drink was not at all Anacreontic,
Rather chaly beate-st least twas . iron-clad,
4 liberal dose would give the great Propontle
- Black yomito'-funereally bad
Bat 10! our patriots nobly lined themselves with
And swallowed it-in guIps of printers Ink! :"
No,c we have drinks that would distract Micawber-
The .semian bowl that Byron sings about
Champagne-with neither " sham" nor - PAIN LEFT
Brevs that bring on the inevitable 81 hic oh ~
And such that adored by Gilpln's spouse
Dashing, deceptive, dancing E" widow Chqsot,
To whom, no doubt, you often pay your vows
Their special q mission IL the world / INNS
To middle men, and palsy . Printers Ink"
In Noah's day the world was drowned with water,
But Noah afterwards was drowned IN VINE
The story Of the Patriarch had oughter'
Teach Us a iesson-did so incline.
Water it seems, could take him over seas,
But wine could only keep him "a half seas over"
1 never 'f point mOrai"-if you please
The morals there-a little under cover.
For you're al Noahs, floating on the brink
OF q small deluge-hoods Of =" Printers mkt
We're now in Chattanooga-lpleasant city
The Indian name is said 10 mean . Look ont -
Or, should yOu deem a foreign language pretty,
IT'S "Frenez gard p Take care what you're
About
If then on seas of circumstance" you've Aoun-
dered-
II on the brine the storm has laid you fat
In lCirlg deeps, ike Noah, are you houndered7
Far looming like the hills Of Never-sink,'
To all who stem the surge Of - Printers Ink"
Through the dim By-gone rolled famous river.
Pactolus-twas old Midas bath we're told,
he made the shining waves with silver SILVER,
And freighted all its sands with lucid gold.
% Look out :" with courage and brave endurance
Seek the bright sands, and don't pretend TO be
Ashamed Of tive may with fun assurance
See far, and yet not be 4 Phar-i-see;
So look and listen-and yOuu hear the clink
OF gold upon the shore of-"Printer's Ink"
" Look outs your Pharos, with its watch-hres
lighted,
warning your vessels of that fatal shore,
Where men lie dazed and dreamless, broken,
blighted,
Drunken with Circe's popped mandragore.
In iotos-lauds the Sybarite reposes,
Yet cold Charybdis underneath il yawns-
And Pleasures Paestum, spite Of all it's roses,
Is watered by the deadly Soils Fons:
IN whose hot depths your energies must sink
Beyond redemption-lost to % Printers Ink
Look ours the watch-word-ever calm and
steady,
Bending TO neither king nor ksiser's nod
Standing like stalwart champions ever ready
N0bly TO work for nan-snd so for God.
Let hearts be high, and every head be Z" level,
Then, If the life be right, and honor true,
No fear Of drifting downward to the devil
mean, Of course,-tie one that dIceilS Nth you!
Or, the "ink-komparabe" imp who scorns to
shrink,
But lives, ana loves, and lies-in Printers Ink"
shoulder to shoulder. Resolute resistance
To WRoSG-and tranple it beneath your feet
side by side in brotherly assistance
Teaching Humanity's strong pulses how to beat
Arm for the RIGHTi Close up-add ono surren-
der
show 10 your fellows in the iercest fight
How royal manhood in supreme splendOr
Becomes true Honor's gallant Red Cross Knight!
Stauneh in your sable armor-link on link.
Stand forth To rule the word-wlth g Brains" and
L. VIRGINIA French.