Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1899-12-21

lie was the poet. my dear; he wrote
the verse"
Il suppose he was paid for it. wasn't
hep"
Il suppose SO, my dear"
Then, what was the trouble? Real
~, John, L can't seem to understand
what all the fuss was about"
Markham wanted to show the mis-
cradle condition Of the Woodworking
farmer-the slavery of the toiler-the
-the-fetters-"
why, John Dobley, you know you
have often said you'd like to be a farmer
because they have everything so easy.
Hoeing and raking is child's play, and
as for blowing it's just like riding
bicycle nowadays. You sit in a sort of
a sulky and the horses know just
where to go. l suppose they will have
| automobiles after awhile"
"He spoke" went on Mr.. Dobley, "of
the emptiness of ages There's a
| grand thought. The empti-"
What did he mean by that?"
"Why-er-so much of that is meta
phor-you see. The main idea is that
the lot of the working man is hope
less. The Man with the Hoe was a
poor wretch bent with toil-a farmer
whose life was"
Why didn't he get one Of the farm
hands to do the hoeing2"
lie probably was a farm hand him
self working for a pittance-"
well, he ought to have been glad he
was working, l think. The ideal What
did he want? A steam hoe2"
NO, my dear; but the idea is what
did life hold for him? OF what was he
thinking as he stood there leaning on
the hoe-that humble implement Of
toil?"
Probably he was thinking OF his
dinner I'm not a bit sorry for that
man. lie had nice open air work and
he could stop 10 rest when he wanted to
aud probably his wife brought him
his dinner every noon time, and he had
nothing TO DO but to hoe. And he wasn't |
even doing that"
wait till you read the poem, Honora.
Markham calls him brother to the OK
What for2"
The OK, you see, is the beast of bur |
den. When the poet spoke Of the la
borer as the brother of the OK he placed |
him as low in the intellectual scale as
it was possible to get him. He asks;
Who blew out the"
Gas"
Mono! Who blew out the light
within his brain - asks Markham.
well, who did?"
III was just a metaphor figure Of
speech"
Why didn't he say what he meant?"
Poets never do that, my dear"
We'll, what did he mean?"
THAT the workman was a miserable
creature, whose life was like an ami
mafs-a-"
Don't he believe in men working?"
"Nes-but-"
Il suppose he likes tramps, then.
Those men that sit around the parks.
'The Man with the Tomato Cam would
be his idea OF the ideal man."
Poets look al these things different
IT,"
We'll, think IL is silly TO pity a
man because he has job. Think of all
the men that can't get work. Suppose
YOU didn't work? Where would we be?'
Its the idea Of man earning his
bread by the sweat of his brow-the
curse Of laboring for hire--for--"
why, this man with the hoe prob
ably had a good, steady place on the
farm. Perhaps he owned it. He prob {
ably had stopped to figure out the
crop. Maybe his wife took boarders
and they had plenty Of money" |!
when you read it, my dear, you will
be able to-"
"Oh, pshaw! l might just as well 6
start in TO idealize the cook and call I
her The Girl with the Frying Pan or {
The Woman with the Rolling Pin"
Really, my dear. | think you will be S
lble TO talk before the club. IL you q
,eep on"
Its the very same th,ngl The cook [
5 a labOring woman, but she's a great :
zeal freer than | am. She has no so
.ial obligations and no calls to make Z
IT to receive. She doesn't have to spend
Ter time dressing and talking 10 folks
when she doesn't want to. She has d
/ comfortable home and just as good :
hings to eat as we have. She has two
lays or every week, Suppose began
o weep over her sad condition and .
allied her sister to the OK Why she'd !
cave the very first thing"
''But a poet would never write about 81
cook.
We'll. a good cook is lot better than
n old farmer who only hoes and looks :,
Anyone could hoe. Why, ! y
imost believe you could hoe"
Il haven't a hoe, my dear"
That's another thing. Suppose the
nan didn't have hoe2 He'd have been g,
rorse oil, wouldn't he? 4 hoe repre-
ents capital. DO you know, John Dob Il
ay, il gets sillier every minute, 70 think q,
( all the sympathy that you're vast Z,
u on that man. II is The Man With :,