Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1880-01-19


the New England Society. in response to the following
sentiment: "The Saxon Grit-which in New England
as in Old England has made race of men to be hon
ored, feared and respected 1t is positive the
earth is hrm."
| Worn with the battle. by Stamford town.
| Fighting the Norman, by Hastings Bay.
| Harold, the Saxons sun went down,
| While the falling one Autumn day.
Then the Norman said. II am lord of the land;
By tenor OF conquest here / sit;
will rule you now with the iron hand;"
| But he had not thought of the Saxon grit.
| He took the land, and he took the men,
And burnt the homesteads from Trent to Tyne,
Made the freemen Serfs by the stroke ofthe pen,
Eat up the corn and drank the wine,
And said to the maiden pure and fair
| "You shall be my leman is most ft
| Your Saxon churl may rot In his Lair"
| But he had not measured the Saxon grit.
To the merry green wood went the bold Robin Hood
With his stronghearted yeomaDary ripe for the fray
Driv4le into the marrow
or all the proud Normans who came in his way
| scorning the fetter, fearless and free,
| Winning by valor or foiling by wit
| Dear to our Saxon folk ever is he,
This merry old rogue, with the Saxon grit.
And Kett. the tanner, whipt out his knife
| And Watt, the smith, his hammer brought down,
| For Ruth, the maid. he loved better than life,
And by breaking head, made hole in the crown.
From Saxon heart rose mighty roar,
sour life shall not be by the Kings permit;
We will fight for the right, for we want more;"
Then the Norman found out the Saxon grit.
| For slow and sure as the oaks had grown
| From the acorns falling that autumn day,
| So the Saxon manhood in thorpe and town,
To a nobler stature grew Away
| Winning by inches, holding by clinches,
| Standing by law and the human right
Many times failing, never once quailing,
| So the new day came out of the night
Then rising afar in the Western sea-,
new world stood In the morn of the day.
Ready to welcome the brave and the free,
Who could wrench out the heart and march away
From the narrow, contracted dear old land,
Where the poor are held by cruel bit,
To ampler spaces for heart and hand
And here was a chance for the Saxon grit
Steadily steering, eagerly peering,
Trusting in God, your fathers came,
Pilgrims and strangers. fronting all danger,
| Cool-headed Saxons, with hearts afame
Bound by the letter but free from the fetter,
And hiding their freedom in Holy Writ,
They gave Deuteronomy hints on economy,
And made new Moses of Saxon grit.
They whitfield and waded through forest and fen,
Fearless as ever of what might befall;
| Pouring out life for the nurture of men;
In faith that by manhood the world wins ALL
Invented baked beans and no end of machines;
Great with the rifle and great with the axe
Sending their notions over the oceans
To all empty stomachs and straighten bent backs.
Swift to take chances that end in the dollar,
Yet open of hand when the dollar is made,
Maintaining the meetn, exalting the scholar,
But little too anxious about good trade;
This is young Jonathan, son of old John,
Positive, peaceable. firm in the right
| Saxon men all Of us, may we be one,
Steady for freedom, and strong in her might.
! Then. slow and sure as the oaks have grown
From the acorns that fell on that old dim day,
So this new manhood in city and town.
To nobler stature will grow alway;
Winning by inches, holding by clinches,
Slower to contention and slower to quit,
Now and then failing, but never once quaiIing
Let us thank God for the Saxon grit