Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1881-07-28
Our Young Folks.
JEREMY BLACKS FOURTH OF
JULY

"Fll make a noise" said Jeremy Black,
As the days drew nigh
TO the Fou IN of July;
Il III make more noise than a cannon or pncs
OF hre-crackeis. or pistol. or gun,
Or cannoF-cracker: I'll have suoie fun
With fifty cents than the rest of the boys
With q dollar worth of powder and things
With nf;y cents will make more noise
Than all the rest of the town. by jings!
So he went down
To Abraham Brown,
The tinker back of the Blue Bell Inn,
Who mended the pans for all the town,
And he got him TO make a Thing of tin.
Then both of them tinkered and talked and
Between the mending of pot aud kettle.
Aud drew the patterns with cJalk In hand
Until they managed the thing to settle;
And all the boys were eager to know
What Kind of a Thing they kept tinkering So
Was il anything like a cannon or Rocket.
Or Roman candle, or pin-wheel or gun?
was 1t small enough to go into his pocket?
Or could he lift it when it was done?
Would the thing go OF, or would powder 20
in it?
And dozen of such like questions minute.
But Jeremy Black just gave II sly wink,
And they could not tell what in creation 70
think.
So Fourth of July came around at last,
And the day was fresh and the sun was
Then just as soon as the night was passed,
At the earliest dawn of the dewy light,
TIE boys turned out
With noise and rout,
And loud halioo and lusty shout.
Ana racket OF CRACKERS, and boom and pop,
Till good folks trying to sleep would stop,
And get up and close the window and shut
But Jeremy Black just turned In his bed,
And down in the pillow he nestled his head,
And thought, with grin,
How the Thing OF tin
Would make enough noise to drown the Gin.
At length he arose and dressed himself
And afterward managed his breakfast to
Then took the Thing from the wood-house
And carried it with him out in the street.
Now all the boys came running to sc
What ever the wonderful Thing could be
And 10. twas tish-horn six feet long.
Now stand a little away" said he,
And you IL hear noise so loud and strong
And deep and mighty that il will drown
All popping Of guns and cannons in town.
stepped up to the fire-plug under the tree,
And rested thereon the end of the horn,
Then eI took a breath that was long and deep,
And blew Us he'd not blown since he was born;
And out from the Thing came - never
peep!
He stopped, and wiped his mouth for n
Then blew as if the dickens were in it.
He blew till the hair stood up on his head;
He blew till his forehead and ears grew red;
But out of the horn came-never "a sound.
At first the boys were half afraid
OF the terrible sound that would soon be
But after awhile they began to chaff,
And then to glggle, and then to Laugh.
Poor Jeremy knew that the noise was there
1t only required a little more air.
Once more he blows till his mu scles strain:
Not a sound. And then he began to know,
Though he had endeavored with nigh and
main,
The horn was too large for hin, to blow:
MORAL:
As one goes over this world of ours
One frequently finds a Jeremy Black,
Who overrateS the natural powers
The Fates have granted him - somewhat
slack.
Those people who build, though they may not
know il,
A horn SO large that they never can blowit.
-H0Udrd Pyle, in Hdrper's Young People.