Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1909-08-18


was "The Bobolinkn. Next comes ssThe
Mocking Bird, by Alexander Wilson
All these in prose. N. r. Willis tells, in
his graceful and airy style, how:
Under the cross-beam, under the Old south
bell,
The nest OF pigeon Is builded well.
In summer and winter that bird is there,
Out and in. with the morning air.
i love to see him track the street
With his wars eye and active feet,
And often watch him as he springs,
Circling the steep.e with easy wings,
Till across the dial his shape has passed,
And the belfry ed &c is gained at last"
We all remember the 'sDiscontented
Pendulum, which after fifty years OF
faithful service, refused to tick, and the
spitefui conversation that took place be-
tween the pendulum and the dial, the
former complaining Of sbeing very tired OF
ticking eighty-six thousand and four
hundred times every twenty four hours''.
That dear, familiar poem, ssThe Old
Osken Bucket" is one OF this collection,
and we learn from the biographical note
that the writer, Samuel Woodwork, was
a native OF Weymouth, Mass, but lived
in Boston many years, following the
trade OF printer.
'.Old Ironsides" is there, too:
"Ay. .ear her tattered ensign down!
Long has it waved On high,
And many an eye has danced to see
That banner in the sky"
The other volumes of this series con-
tanned much that was interesting; such
as Bryant's Screen River, the first
stanza OF which is:
"when breezes are soft and sky is fair
steal an hour from study and care
And HE me away to the woodland scene
Where wanders the stream with water OF
green,
As IL the bright fringe Of herbs on it's brink
Had given their stain to the wave they
drink;
through,
hue"
Another favorite with some OF the
younger scholars was piece by George p
Morris:
"Woodman, spare that tree
Touch not single bough;
In youth it sheltered me,
And I'll protect 1t now
What boys heart has not been fired by
reading CAPT. Mayne Reic's thrilling de-
scription OF ''Ths Trumpeter Swan and
the BALD Eagle?
1.-THE Pilot" was written by Thomas
Haynes Bayly, an English poet who lived
from 1877 to 1899:
"Oh, pilot, tits fearful night;
There's danger on the deep;
I'll come and pace the deck with thee,
do not dare to sleep"
Charles MacKay, who was an English
author, wrote "Tubal CAIN, a poem
which had the right jingle to suit the boys
and they liked to be called upon to read:
"Old Tubal Cain was a man of might
In the days when the earth was young;
BY the fierce, red light of his furnace bright
The strokes Of his hammer rung;
And he lifted high his brawny hand
On the iron growing clear,
Till the sparks rushed out in scarlet showers,
As he fashioned the sword and spear
Mrs. Child makes the yellow breast ask !:
"Who stole the Birds Nest?''
ITO whit. to whit! to vince!
Will you listen to me:
Who stole four eggs laid,
And the nice nest NADER"
Mary Hewitt wrote pleasingly in those
days on many subjects, and in .'The Voice
OF Spring" she says:
81 am coming. little maiden,
With the pleasant sunshine laden,
With the honey OF the bee;
With the blossom for the tree,
With the flower and the leaf;
Till come the time is brief"
The same writer also wrote ssThe Spider
and the fly, which every child knew by
heart, even as he or she knew
"'Tis lesson you should heed,
Try again;
If at first you don't succeed.
Try again.
In few years Mr.. Hillard issued new
series of books, and made what he called
billiards Sixth Reader, to correspond
to the 'sFirst Glass Reader" in the former
series-a book designed for the most ad-
vanced classes. This volume, as we'll as
billiards Fifth Reader, contained an in
troductory treatise on elocution by Prof.
Mark Bailey, of Yale college. Many OF
the selections were taken from the old
series, and several from the Rev. MIR. Pier
points sAmerican First Glass Book". Mr..
Pierpont wrote both prose and poetry, and
of. the latter perhaps no selection was
more liked than ''The Pilgrim Fathers,
which appeared in Hillard's new 'Sixth
Reader. He wrote this poem for the cele-
bration of the anniversary of the Pilgrim
Society of Plymouth, in December, 1924:
.sThe Pilgrim fathers!-where are they?
The waves that brought them DER
Still roll in the bay and throw their spray,
As they break along the shore;
Still roll in the bay, as they rolled that day,
When the MayAower moored below,
When the sea around was black with storms,