Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1898-04-03

On the fastest flying fleet,
And when 1 got TO Habana,
There the enemy | would meet"
While all poetry, like all whiskey, is
good-though some kinds of it are better
than others-the above lines strike me as
being worthy Of especial attention and
critical analysis You will first observe
that the sweet rhymster, after the man
ner of all her sex, wishes she were a
man. Were this boon-simpe and mod
est in its way, but altogether impossi-
ble-granted her first move (after pur-
chasing boomers, Of course) would be TO
procure a musket and her "napsack,
two" With this equipment she would be
prepared for the difficulties to follow. Not
content with single vessel, she would
sail to Cuba on a fleet, and not satisfied
with a slow-moving squadron. she would
get the "fastest-hying" boats that plough
the cerulean depths. Last, but by no
means least, on an excursion of this sort
upon her arrival at Habana, there the
enemy she would meet" This climax Is
not run in for poetic effect, but is cold,
picked fact that should be seriously con-
sidered In fact. many OF us, especially
we who are so lucky as TO be men. would
SOW up all right, so far as "sholdering
and utilizing the "fastest-hying feet"
another matter.
a careful consideration of this charm
ingly plucky little verse can but make US
have more confidence in and regard for
the fair ones who are naturally supposed
TO spend most Of their time shivering and
shuddering as soon as things get threat
ar,fn ri (
more TO follow-more to give you conf
dence in our women, and likewise in that
chivalric gentleman now smoking the best
cigars in Habana. Drink in the follow
ing, sip by sip, just as you do with water
when you have the hiccoughs:
'And we have a man
As firm as any tree.
II you want to know his mama
His name is FitZ lee.
He will stand by you boys,
For / know he is brave
And If you fall in battle
You will fill a heros grave"
This handsome compliment, which in
directly compares the flower Of south
ern manhood 10 a block of wood, need
not be read by towards. PoltroOns can
find no comfort in It, 1t is meant exclu-
EiHSS-
I'm a word IL offers six feet of earth TO
every hero-a reward calculated to cause
a tremendous influx of our population
into Cuba and other Spanish soil. You
have a guarantee that Fitz Lee will
stand by you" which. in itself. is a
great inducement Whether he will do
this while you are living, or after you set
the permanent job of filling a hero's
tnI IL
way the proposition is not to be turned
down. Methinks it would make one feel
good. even while filling the most humble
and unpretentous grave, TO have our jo
vial. sunshiny old Fitz standing by"
Unfortunately, the poetess does not spe-
city how long our respected Consul would
do his part. nor does she explain how he
would meet the emergency if several OF
US were 10 avail ourselves OF this oppor-
tunity to iii the desirable class OF graves
mentioned. II seems to me that the ele-
ment Of Lees ubiqu!ty enters considera-
bly, In a scheme OF this sort
Lastly. to show what else the poetess
is willing 20 do. I quote the following:
"But since / am no man
I'll tell you what I'll do
I'll go TO the Tailor-Shop
And make the gray and blue;
And as our soldiers wear them,
And looking very neat
We will stand at the windows
And watch them through the street"
Well. don't know. It seems TO me
these lines are rather disappointing, and
that gray and blue" combination doesn't
exactly suit, especially as our fair friend
has got to go 10 the "tailor-shop" and
tackle the whole sartorial department
all by herself Besides don't want any
woman to make my clothes for me and,
I am not so certain that 7
would be Cooking very neat" when I
lonned the garments. But even concedlng
all this. Il strikes me that our heroine
after so many promises. winds up with a
very humble part. While we appreciate
her inability TO be man. and 10 face
those hardships which ere In soak for
Us, we can't help being panied by the
which falls like pail over |
her poetic muse. After getting us into
clothing which she has made, and start
ng us towards our heroes graves. she
wipes her hands OF the whole business
md retires to some convenient window, |
where. womanlike. she watches us
the street" Simply this, and |
nothing more. IL she had watched us |
through a telescope or opera glasses, or |
syen a smoked glass, We might have been