Audubon County journal. (Exira, Iowa) 1884-1993, 1910-07-07
Views Afoot
A POOR MANS WILL

| 1t is related that man, who was
about'to die, made his last will and
testament. He YVES not rich; in truth.
he was generally supposed to be very
poor. And yet-as the story goes
when the will was finally opened and
read, there were some who, hearing it,
decided that he was truly richer than
they had believed; and Furthermore,
that this is really true of us all. Here is
the will:
In THE NAME of GOD, AMEN. I,
Charles Lounsbury, being of sound and
disposing mind and memory, do now
make and publish this my Last Will
and Testament, in order, as justly as I
may, to distribute my interests in the
world among succeeding men,
And first, that part of my interests
which is known among men and re-
cognized in the sheep-bound volumes
ofthe law as my property, being incon-
siderable and of none account, make
no account of in this my will.
My right to live, it being but life es-
tate, is not at my disposal, but, these
things excepted, all else in the world 1
now proceed to devise and bequeath.
ITEM-And first, give to good Faith
ers and Mothers but in trust for their
children, nevertheless, all good little
words of praise and allquaint pet names
and | charge said parents TO use them
Ijnstly but generously as the needs of
their children shall require.
ITEM leave to children exclusive.
ly, but only for the life of their child
hood, all and every, the dandelions of
the fields and the daises thereof, with
the right to play among them freely,
according to the custom of the children
warning them atthe same time against
the thistles. And I devise to children
the yellow shores Of creeks and the gol-
den sands beneath the waters thereof,
with the dragon flies that skim the
surface of said waters, and the odorS of
the willows that dip into the said wa
ters, and the white clouds that float
high over the giant trees.
And / leave to children the long, long
days to be merry in, in a thousand ways
and the Night and the Moon and the
train of the Milky Way to wonder at,
but subject, neverth eless, to the rights
hereinafter given to lovers; and 1 give
toieach child the right to choose star
that shall be his, and | direct that the
child's father shall tell him the name
of it, in order that the child shall al
ways remember the name of that star
after he has learned and forgotten as
tronomy.
| ITEM devise to boys jointly all the
useful idle fields and commons where
ball may be played, and all snow clad
hills where one may coast, and all
! streams and ponds where one may
skate to have and to hold the same for
the period of their boyhood. And all
meadows, with the clover blooms and
butterflies thereof ; and all woods with
their appurtenances of squirrels and
whiWing birds and echoes and strange
noises; and all distant places which
may be visited, together with the ad-
ventures there found, do give to said
boys to be theirs. And / give to said
boys each his own place at the tireside
at night with all pictures that may be
seen in the burning wood or coal to en-
: joy without let or hindrance and with
out any incumbrance of cares
IrEM-To lovers devise their imag-
mary world, with whatever they may
need, as the stars of the sky, the red,
red roses by the wall, the snow of the
hawthorn, the sweet strains of music,
or aught else they may desire to figure
to each other the lastingness and beau
: ty of their love.
lrEM-To young men jointly, being
joined in a brave, mad crowd, devise
and beqneath all boisterous, inspiring
sports of rivalry | give to them the
disdain OF weakness and undaunted
> confidence in their own strength. Tho
they are rude and rough, | leave to
them alone the power of making last
ing friendships and of possessing COM
panions; and to them exclusively /
give all merry songs and brave chor-
uses to sing, with smooth voices to
troll them forth.
Item-And to those who are no lon
ger children or youths or lovers | leave
: Memory, and | leave to them the vol
umes of the poems of Burns and Shake
speare, and of other poets if there are
Others, TO the end that they may live
the old days over again freely and fully,
without tthe or diminution: and to
those who are no longer children or
, youths or lovers | leave, too, the know
ledge of what q rare, rare world it is.
] Charles Lounsbury.