The diamond drill. (Crystal Falls, Iron County, Mich.) 1887-1996, 1899-11-04
DObley'S Man WithaHOe
ct MIGHT just as well resign at
An Elucidation OF Markham's Poem
for Mrs. DIS Benefit.

JUDI ID wei ~
oncei" exclaimed Mrs. Dobley.
81 had no idea that joining literary
club meant that one had TO perform in
public. / simply can't do it,"
"What do they want you TO do, my
dear?" asked Mr.. Dobley. "A song and
dance or a cakewalk? i wouldn't mind
a little thing like that. You can pick ii
up in no time"
Its nothing like that" said Mrs.
Dobley, passing a typewriter docu-
ment over the breakfast table. "And
you needn't make any fun of the mat
ter, either. The frivolous way in which
you look at everything is tiresome. Now,
what am L 10 do?"
II am sure, my DEAR" began Dob
ley
"Just read thread it," commanded
Mrs. Dobley, and her husband read:
"Honora Coombs Dobley .--Dear Madam:
At the next meeting OF the Literary club
the topic OF discussion will be Markham's
poem. The Man with the Hoe AS you
have been selected as chief speaker OF tho
evening, you will kindly be prepared to re-
cite the poem and give sketch OF che au-
thor's career. Also 10 give your opinions
as to the idea contained In the work. as well
as the general style and literary construc-
tion OF the poem"
"Well, my DEAR" said Mr.. Dobley,
trying TO conceal the fact that he was
quite as perturbed as his wife by the
letter. "Well?"
well? Why didn't they select you?
What did they send that to me for?
What do know about farming?"
you forget, my dear, that this is not
an agricultural club, but literary So
ciety. OF course they refer 10 the ia
nous poem?"
"What poem?"
sis IL possible that you haven't heard
of Markham's masterpiece, The Man
with the Hoe?'" asked Dobley, with
a reproachful look over the top of his
egg.
"Why, haven't read anything but
QUO Nadis' this summer, and | only
half read that. You see il hurts my
eyes. and besides that I'm too busy
Who was he?"
""The Man with the Hoe?' He has
become one of the most typical Of"
"What was the matter with him?
Why didn't he hoe? Where did il hap
penn"
1T began with picture, my dear.
An artist made picture Of man in
a field with hoe"
"IIoeing corn, / suppose; well, what Of
it?"
"Well. IL was a great picture-filled
with depth and feeling and life"
IL suppose il seemed as though he
were really hoeing, did il? I've seen
a picture like that--a girl gathering
roses--you could just see the stems
snap"
mo, II wasn't exactly that. The man
had stopped"
stopped hoeing? What did he do
that for?"
He'd stopped TO rest and was lean
ing OF the hoe"
"Gracious A hoe isn't n bit com
Portable to lean upon. Why didn't he
sit DOWN."
'Why-er-it was just the artists
idea. you see. The man stopping 60
lem on his hoe-the laborer In the field
--don't you see?-typifying the work.
man Of the ages-the empty as-s,'
Markham wrote
Was Il Markham had the hoe?"
"0h, no. Markham was poet and
he saw the picture and saw the poetry
IN II. Then he wrote the poem and
called II. The Man with the Hoe"
WAS II pretty7"
1T was magnificent ldea--the fig
ure OF that man as typical OF the work
mantle patient slave blowing the
field"
what did he have hoe for n be was
plowing9"
"You don't understand. Don't you
catch the idea? Labor-tbe farmer az
work--plodding along without an idea
sweating over his work."
"You just said he'd stopped to rest"
"Er- yes-but when you read w..
you'll see the splendid picture Markham
drew"
"Exsuse me. John; was Markham the