The Washington times., 1905-07-02
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When tyrant feet are tramping upon
the common veal,
Thou dost not bid US bend and writhe
beneath the iron heel.
In Thy name we assert our right by
sword or tongue or pen,
and even the headsman's ak may flash
my message unto men
Thy will! It bids the weak be strong; it
bids the strong be Just;
No lips to fawn, no hand to beg no
brow to seek the dust
whenever man Expresses men beneath
the liberal sun.
Oh. Lord, be there; Thine arm made
bare. Thy righteous will be done
Founded in Fact.
l was talking with John Hay. who Is
to become Ambassador to the Court OF
St James, in his library the other day
about his ballads, Jim Bludso" and
| Little Breeches," and I asked him how
ne came TO write them. says a recent
writer in the New York Herald.
OH he said, they are rough hur-
riedly written pieces, and 1t Is a wonder
how they have lived, but they are found
ed on fact. and l suppose they touch "A
chord in the popular heart. All these
pieces were written within a few weeks,
while l was working with Whitelaw
Reid on the Tribune. in the winter OF
1s71-'T2
Il had e great poetic fever just then,
and l sometimes wrote TWO ballads in
one evening. 1 did not keep it up long,
however, as / did not estimate my work
very highly. and l was q very busy
man, and didn't have much time for
poetic excursions.
Il do not think SO much of Little
Breeches,' bur / rather Ike Jim Bud
So Each of them describes a real Incl
dent. / first heard OF the original OF
Little Breeches' in a sermon preached
by an old-fashoned Methodist minister
in country church at Warsaw Ill.,,
while l was there on a visit TO my moth
err IL 1870 | think, The tale impressed
me. and | dressed il UP in verse and |
suppose II is too late 10 XIII il now
BIudso's Original
Jim Bludso also had a counterpart
in real life. His original was an engi-
neer named Oliver Fairchiid, who piled
for many years before the war UP and
down the Mississippi on the steamer
Fashion l knew him very well, indeed,
and he met his death IN 1860 not Ear
scribed In the poem The old boat
caught fire one dark night. and the
tiiier ropes were burned away, so that
the steering apparatus was poweriess.
Old Oliver held her nozzle agin the
bank till every soul but himself was
ashore.
And Rludso's ghost went UP alone
In the smoke OF the Prairie Belle.
"Excepting my work on the life of
Lincoln and some sketches and poems
in the magazines, | have done little lit
erary work lately. l do not consider
my work over yet, however. and | may
publish something or other before long.
IL time permits.
His Wit Was Ready.
A sense of humor and ready wiz was
one OF Mr.. Hays characteristics. Those
who saw him frequently knew that II
was shown nearly every day In some
connection or other
one day while the British Beer war
was in progress. caller made refer
ence 10 the mule depot established By
BRUSH agents In Alabama. and the pos
sibiiity Of violation Of neutrality laws
in connection with it,
The Secretary had given his opinion on
the subject
And that reminds me. AIR. Secretary.
said the visitor. ''of the Alaskan bound
arg dispute
Mr.. Hay looked the surprise he felt,
for the relation of the mule camp TO the
Alaskan boundary question was not app
parent. Then he said:
Il suppose this conversation is some
thing like sea sickness. One thing brings
up another"
The visitor was covered with confusion
and FASTENED TO make has exit as decor
ousiy as possible under The circum-
stances