The Ocala banner. (Ocala, Marion County, Fla.) 1883-194?, 1911-07-21
SONG OF THE PRINTING PRESS
(By Thos. E. Watson.)

VIC hoShAhSAy III ulOllOu SACilo a
fascination over most of us. The
wonderful work of it, and the or
ganized power of it, thrill one,
through and through.
When our immense Babcock press
was put together Git has more than
1900 separate parts) and the cleo
trio connection was made, the roar
and rythm of it was something al
together new to my experience. /
listened, enthralled. Then the history
of printing flashed across me; and l
recalled the most numberless ways
and degrees in which the type-set
word affects humanity.
Then and there, the conception of
the following piece of blank-verse
occurred to me.
At first had no idea of giving it
the present form; but when, after
several days of occasional reflection
on the subject, 1 came to write it
out, the words of themselves took
the metre, which is a verbal repro
duction of the sound of our big
press.
If Que should recite the poem,
while the machine is at work, he
would find that the long line of nine
syllables, follows exactly the length
of the long stroke of the levers,
while the short line, of seven syl-
tables, corresponds with the second
and shorter motion of the press.
repeat, the adoption of this
peculiar rythm was due to the fact
that the song of the Machine had
fixed itself in my head: uncon-
sciously transferred it to the poem.
No other poem has that peculiar Tilt,
and the swing of it was due to the
sub-conscious action of the brain
Many a time you do thing involun-
tarily: sometimes you do and say
things that you can't recollect: in
such cases 1t is the sub-conscious in
telligence which guides We all
have it; but, in some, it acts oftener
and does more, than in others.
OF course, you will understand that
in the Song of the Printing Press"
the reference is to the work done by
the machine, rather than to the ma
chine itself. T. E. W.
My voice is the roar of the thunder:
My force is that of the storm.
] stop not because it is winter:
| reck not the Summers sun.
My feet are the tireless plodders;
My hands, they never are still.
run, | run with my message;
! go, go with my creed.
/ fly on the wings of the morning:
fly on the wings of the night.
OF all the great teachers I'm chiefest;
OF all the great sewers, the lord;
leap to the front, in the battle;
cover the rear. in retreat:
I'm the sapper, undermining founda-
tions;
fight in the open field.
I'm the cloud-guide that leads in the
daytime:
The pillar of fire at night.
I'm loved by the Lovers of learning;
I'm feared by lawless and bad:
I'm courted by men of ambition
The vain, they fiatter and feed,
Philanthropy leans on my shoulders,
Diplomats tell me their lies.
The populace sees the mere surface
l enter behind the scenes.
I'm the hope of a weary people,
I'm the mouthpiece of their woe.
I'm the Friend of the friendless and
wretched:
I'm the foe of oppression and sin.
gaze in the sun. like the eagle;
Like Ajax. the lightning. dare.
My home Is the millionaires palace;
My home is the laborers cot.
My home is in town and in country:
My home. it floats over the wave:
My home is the house of the happy:
My home is the house of despair.
An angel. visit affliction;
A devil, / crush the weak.
A hero, strike for the Righteous,
Traitors! | strike for the Wrong.
I'm honest, and care not for riches;
Venal, serve for price.
q patriot, lead the state upward;
Corrupted. drag the state down.
Virtuous. the ground yields its harv-
est:
Vicious, SOW dragons teeth.
I'm the source of innocent laughter:
I'm the source of scalding tears.
i sing-and the lowly are lifted:
l sing-the great are brought low.
l sing-and the temple is shaken:
| sing-the throne topples down.
l sing-and Freedom is victor.
sing-aad Liberty dies.
I'm the steed of the poet, and on me
He rides his way into fame.
The scholar, mounting my chariot,
AScends to the skies of renown.
The orators silvery trumpet,
The statesman's golden horn:
I'm the bearer of good tidings:
I'm the messenger of grief.
I'm the voice Of peace and progress:
Or the herald of war and waste.