The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1895-11-20
PLYMOUTH ROCK CHICK EMS.

Brother Poore,-Hamlin v. Poore,
Of Bird Island, Minn.,-the size of
whose heart is out of all proper
tion to the size of his purse or the
size of his person-sent US last
week, as present, q dozen of the
most magnificent plymouth Rock"
chickens it was ever our good fortune
to lay our eyes on:-great, gentle,
orange-legged, ''sensy." las the Scotch
say, well-behaved, quiet, orderly birds
nearly as big as turkeys. You could
tell by looking at them that they were
Populists. We are inclined to think
that Brother Poore made them Reform
speeches every day while feeding
them. There is nothing of the peck.
nosed, hawk-like, hungry look of the
Republican usurers about them. All
they want is plenty to eat and drink
they have Prohibition principles
and they will wrong nothing that
lives, except bugs; but, thank God,
with uplifted heads, every time they
imbibe their simple beverage, (Which
is more than most men do,) and lay on
fat and lay eggs and be happy.
The plymouth Rocks" are, as their
name implies, a Yankee invention.
Their ancestors came over In the May
flower, and they have a longer pedigree
than Tom Lowry, Whose original
name was O'Leary). The Yankees de-
veloped them, by careful selection,
during centuries; they are indissol-
ubly associated with pumpkin pies,
hard cider and Thanksgiving dinners.
Father High.hat, who was seen,
Hanging of his cat on Monday
For killing of rat on Sunday"
and who whipped the barrel Of beer
for working on the Lords day, fed
them; and his good dame, Sun.bonnet,
between g0ssips about witches and
ghosts, "set" them; and so they grew
to fit into the mould Of human wants,
until now the witches are gone and
the ghosts are gone and the fanati-
cisms are gone, but the chickens re-
main, an everlasting monument to the
intelligence and good sense Of the
New England people. Every time I
look at these speckled beauties ]
think Of Israel Putnam and Bunker
Hill, and John Adams. and the Boston
tea.party," and Daniel Webster and
Horace Greeley, and Wendell Phi illips
and Oliver Wendell Holmes, and
Ralph Waldo Emerson. and John
Greenleaf Whittier, and all the rest
of the immortal men and deeds that
have made the rocky soil of New Eng.
land holy land, like Athens, Their
mopyl@ and Marathon.
Alas! There is more virtue and
greatness in the graveyards of Yam
kee-land today than there 10 In the
marts and temples and streets of the
living.
"Ye have the Pyrrhic dance ~ yet;
Who're Is the Pyrrhic phalanx gomez
OF two such Lessons why forget
The nObler and the manlier onej
Ye have the letters Cadmus gave:
Think ye he meant them for SLAYER"
The spirit Of Plymouth Rock has
migrated with the chickens, and is
now found in the Peoples Party and
the new West, while strangers Guilt
vate the abandoned farms and swarm
al VIC VANAO0o AdNVOlACo1 040 AlECAIuk
newspapers demoralize and degrade
what is left Of q once heroic race
bound bOndsmen, fastened to the
chariot of the money-changers, trot-
ting along In submissive. educated
ignorance. down the causeway Of
time, to hopeless fusure.
In the name Of Oliver CROMWELL
who helped to chop kings head Of
would to God all their heads were off
we remove our hat to the Plymouth
Rock chickens! May they spread over
the whole land, beautiful memorials
of the elder and better days of the Re-
public.-And every time they lay an
egg may they. In their own language,
read the Declaration of Indepe ndence