The comet. (Johnson City, Tenn.) 1884-1916, 1894-03-08

paper has since printed about a dozen
more contributions from the same
writer.
Poet Private Stokes does not always
write in dialect, possibly for the reason
in the following verses, that
the American army is not yet suf-
Americanized to have an
American army dialect:
AMERICAN ARMY.
The call is after soundn' assembly for parade:
The sergeants, front an centre have dutifully
said,
"All present or accounted for" an while the
bugles blow.
With "Forward-guide right-march!" we do
the best we know,
Us Englishmen an Frenchmen,
Hungarians and Scotch
Eyetalians and Germans,
An IriShmen an Dutch;
An Seandinavians from above,
An SwitZers from below,
For there you see, before you, the
American Army o!
There's too much pressure on the right-ease
of-ah, see 'em cape. /
shape;
Close up therel gently-not as if you're jumpin'
DER a brook
Heads up an look before you as soler onght
You Englishmen and Frenchmen, &c,
Their 'coutrements are pretty slick, for who
could wear the Blue
An breathe this air an not resolve to do as Ro-
mans do?
An faith, ifnot, they'll quickly learn in quite
another way,
By marchn to the guard house or by losin half
Those Englishmen an Frenchmen, &C.
Here brown men an black men an red men are
seen,
An tall men and an small men an fat men an
With short steps an long steps-a canter an
walk
| An holy Moses! what Babel when you hear 'em
talk.
Those Englishmeu an Frenchmen, &c
Maginnis scowls at Johnny Bull an Yawcob
| Meyer roarS
At Jean Duyal; an have heard the comp'ny
| 'countin' fours'
In seven different languages; on which eventful
| day
dead away,
Mid Englishmen an Frenchmen, &c.
All, will we never see the time when, as our
glanCeS run
Along the line, wello only find Americans--eve-
ry one!
Who love the "sky-born beauties" that from
yonder flagstaff wave,
| of which their mothers sweetly sung--thelr
! fathers bled to save?
No Englishmen nor Frenchmen
Hungarian or Scotch,
| Eyetalians or Germans.
NO IriShmen nor Dutch.
| But true-born staunCh Americans
| Whose hearts with home-love glow
| Then then, my mani you II witness all
! AMERICAN ARMY, Oh
The present writer was told, but is
not certain Of tn fact, that Private
Stokes is an Englishman. Here is one
of his epgrams, which suggests that
he is:
ABORIGINAL WARFARE AL'ANGLETHERE.
A smear of blood "a British yell
The natives run to cover;
A Times dispatch--"God save the Queen
Another Var is over
The sentiment Of that is not strictly
British, to be sure, BUTT does not seem
probable that any one but Britor
could have suited the history of Eng
lands Eastern and African wars suf
, ficiently to be able so sufficiently tc
describe them all in four lines.
This poet is not above his officia
, rank. He uses his pen for his fellow
privates. 1t will be recalled that dur
ing the Columbian celebrations the
newspapers reported the incident o
admittauce to a vaudeville theater be
K ing refused to a sailor from the cruise
t Baltimore because he was in uniform
i This reused the ire of Private Stokes
C He acknowledges, in text to the fol
}, lowing verses, his obligation to Rud
j: yard Kipling:
n POPULAR OPINION.
d | o what is the use O. mincin' things--'ts plail
enough to us
:, sojer or a sailor, now, amt worth darne,
cuss,
e An when he joins the Service, be it plainly un
derstood,
His name is most emphaticaiiy Mud!
Mud! Mud
II For when the lannon's silent, and the sabr
T > hangs at rest,
An Uncle Sans donlinions with the sweets {
y peace are blessed,
q The slippered, snug civilian, sittin' costly t
hum,
re Believes sojer's nuthin' but Bum!
Bum! Buml
n Let Mary Ellen's mommer ketch you sparkir
Al with the lass,
- An, Holy Moses! what stream of insolenc
and sass