St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1909-08-25
The Country Fair.

| AN SVuutIy AdA'
Oh, the city life hasits joys, no doubt,
Its steam-heated mansions and halls
Its business deals and its automobiles,
Its theatres, suppers and balls;
Its extrayagant toys and it's messen-
ger boys.
Its buildings way up in the air;
But where is the street that can ever
compete
With the good old Country Fair?
Then it's hey no! And it's won't you
go
And see what the Country Fair can
show?
The Plymouth Rocks and the Leghorns,
too;
The browsing sheep for all to view;
The golden wheat, the yellow corn;
The ribbons that everywhere adorn;
The monster hogs with the curly tails
The Jersey cows and the trimming
pails
The luscious pumpkins laidi rows;
And everything that the garden grows
The mild-eyed horses, patient, kind
The frolicsome colts that trot behind ;
The apples, plums and smelly pears,
With all the fruits the orchard bears,
And bowls of berries, black and red ;
And then the band, with martial tread,
In silver braid and scarlet coats,
Playing as if to split their throats-
All! What's on earth that can compare
With the genuine good old Country Fair !?
Oh, city life has it's bunco games,
And its fortunes made while you
wait;
It's frenzied finance and its ceaseless
dance
Round the Goddess of Gold and Hate;
Its green-goods men and it's gamblers
den,
Its CLEAN and its glitter and glare;
But what does it know of the glorious
show
At the good old Country Fair?
Then it's hey no! And it's won't you
go
And see what the County Fair can
show?
The plates of biscuit, crisp and brown;
The finest rolls from every town;
And every conceivable kind OF cake
The same as your mother used to make !;
Fruit cake, pound cake, sponge cake;
tarts
Twisted and crimped and shaped in
hearts;
Jelly cake, silver cake, gold cake, too;
Cakes of every kind and hue,
Ofevery name and shape and size,
Thanked by half a thousand pies;
Sauces and catchup by the score;
Jams and preserves from door to door.
With quilts and counterpanes, stitched
and sewed,
And tides and scarfs by the wagon
load.
While the judges with solemn, porten-
tious face,
Go strolling on from place to place.
And chat and smile and laugh and roar
At every joke-then eat some more
All What's on earth that can compare
With the genuine old-fashioned Country
Fair?
Oh, city life has its trolley cars,
It's policemen clad in blue;
Its electric lights and it's dazzling sights,
Its church and its high-priced pew
But there's many night when you lie
awake,
And think of its trouble and care;
And ahl ifyou knew what was wisest
for you,
You'd go back to the Country Fair
Then it's hey no! And it's won't you
go
And see what the Country Fair can
show
For the horses race, and they run their
best;
And nobody ever wants to rest;
And you eat peanuts and popcorn balls ;
And forget that the market rises and
falls;
And you bring your lunch and sit in the
shade;
And you watch the soldiers on parade;
And you pat your foot to the march of
the band;
And you meet your friends, and shake
their hand;
And you go way up in the big balloon,
Till it looks like you'll drop into Heaven
soon;
And the sun comes down all gold and
red;
And the last good-nights have all been
said
And the crowd has dwindled to Just
few
And life seems so happy and sweet to
you
All! There's nothing on earth that can
compare
With the genuine old-fashioned Country
Fair.