The Lamoille news. (Hyde Park, Vt.) 1877-1881, 1877-10-10
A Fire on the Hearth

4 Fire on the Hearfhl Most fitting theme
For Artists fancy or for Poets dreaml
To both it's pickering blaze must ever be
An inspiring cheering sight 10 see;
And cen an Editress, busy with her Paper,
Would pause TO see the flames in fitful caper:
Would pause to watch the curling smoke
Before she wrote n treatise, penned jOkei
And though it's inspiring power may mistate,
I'll let this rhyme upon il, take its fate
But still, fair Editress, be not afraid
To cut it all with scissors or with blade;
Or burn il in the fire it doth describe,
Before the critics censure or with praises bride ;
For it is hard, however strong the will,
To grind out verses in the poetic mill
To be sure we meet with, now and then,
A lot of women and not a few of men
Who 'gainst the sacred muse commit a crime
BY writing "f0r the Press" most wretched rhyme
And call their stuff "a Poem" or "An Ode"l
Which most resembles the croaking of toad!
In all the Normal, High and Grammar Schools
On exhibition Day" you'll find such fools;
With singsong-voice they there rehearse,
To yawning listeners, their hOFfid verse;
While partial parents, foois. friends accord
To fiatter vanity, and poor Verse applaud.
On, may we bring this weakness TO a close
And treatO our audience to common sense and prose.
But if to rhythmic verse our pen IriH run
Let's write in simple style or pleasing fun;
Or, if we mOraliZe, do it briefly,
For that's the Parsons duty-chefiy.
But wander from my theme and duty:
An Open Fire-tO praise its cheerful beauty
For what more beautiful and worthy praise
Than curling smoke and cracking blazer
What sooner warns the heart to praise,
What sooner brightens cloudy days,
Than swapping woods most Jolly heat
That makes us glow from head to feet?
Of all the fancies which our thoughts suggest
In gazing on the fire, which are the best2
And still you gaze, although you answer not;
IL may be sweet potatoes boiling in pot
Or, five sit detected, look forlOrn,
What so can cheer ms popping corn?
For who, when roasted would behave so proper
As those white kernels jumping i'm the pepper?
Or ifwe're hungry, what more can please the eye
Than fire that cooks the luscious pumpkin pie
Then, when hunger s satisfied and we are full
Before the fire well have candy pull;
Or sitting cheerful by its warming blaze
Recall the scenes of other days.
Or listen to some wOnderOus story
Of haunted houses or of fame and glory.
Or, while some one pokes the fire with t0ngs,
The rest amuse themselves in singing songs
And so each minute flies, each hour floats
In cracking jokes, or corn, or telling anecdotes
These are the ways Fire on the Hearth may cheer
When many to it's genial warmth draw near.
But when two lovers sit to watch the fire burn
Their thoughts and fancies take different turn
They need no corn to pop nor pumpkin.piet to eat
They live on vows-though others live on meat
The fire may spark-they keep on sparkling too
And swear to each other they'll be true.
But what n contrast to the lovers two
When one sits there with feelings bluel
At first he leans on elbows, or with vacant stare
And restless feet he tits his chair;
Still all uneasy, the smOuldering wood he pokes
And then takes out his pipe and smokes.
And so, as fire on hearth, in pipe doth burn
His cheerful spirits soon return
But these examples must end
Which show the "Open Fire" a friend;
A friend to bless, q friend to cheer
And make our homes forever dear.
The "Open Fire" a sermon breaches
And in it's blaze a moral teaches:
And may we all it's sermon read
And of it's moral take due heed
Both teach us to be generous, kind
And carefully maintain cheerful mind.
Stowe, Friday, Sept. 2lst 1877