The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1911-05-25
MATNE MINSTRELS

Sing the Praises of the Sixteen Counties.
The Maine Women's Club Of New York
had delightful session, April 18th,
when the subject was "The Wandering
Minstrels," a composite epic. and the
sentiment was this:
Counties sixteen shall claim
These bards when dead,
While these bards living
Worked for daily bread.
The rhymes are interesting and go to
show the loyalty to the good old Pine
Tree State of Names daughters, who
now dwell in New York. This is the
jingle for Waldo county, written for this
merry meeting, at the State Apartment,
the Waldorf-A Astoria:
WALDO.
Listen, my Children and you shall hear,
Not of the ride of Paul Revere
Not of some conqueror great. whose name
Echoes along the halls of fame;
But in simple verse I'll sing to you
Of a land where the skies are always blue
Or nearly always, for way down there
II 1t rains little they do not care;
But remember it's darkest just before dawn,
And watch for the sunlight that comes with
the morn.
A land where the ploughman tils the ground,
Where health, and wealth, and plenty are
found;
Where the trees the finest apples bear, -
And the garden vegetables rich and rare
Delicious squash, and pumpkins fine,
Succulent succotash on which to dine,
Juicy melons, tomatoes sweet
Fit to lay at monarch's feet.
And many another tempting bit,
whose elusive sweetness seems to fit
More truly into some strange old tale
VI AlaQdln'S lamD. the search for the Grail
And oh, almost forgot to tell
OF the kindly animals that dwell
In this Utopia l could speak
" cows that look, not fierce, but meek,
OF hens, that when encouraged, lay
Not one, but three or four eggs day;
Ut sheep that keep on raising wool
Until their masters purse is full;
OF ducks and turkeys; with eyes so red,
Who never complain when off comes their
And there be fish of wondrous size,
And fowl of the air that many prize
AS game for the hunters bullet sure
(Their meat is tender, rich, and pure).
And the name ms of this place-would you have
Or perhaps you know, I've described it so well.
In sixteen hundred, ninety-six,
While William and Mary strove to hold
Dominion over Englands realms,
And James, the pretender, waxed bold.
A child was born, of Dutch descent
Whose name was destined long to last,
And be more famed in days to come
Than in the days which then had past.
He sailed to Boston town to live;
Successful merchant first became;
At last soldier fierce and bold,
A household byword was his name.
Now he was adventurous, careless and free,
When he met with misfortune he went on a
spree,
A rolicksome. frolicsome. gay one was he,
Was General Samuel Waldo.
He sailed up New Engands coast line to see
What kind of place Maine was destined to be,
When he saw Waldo County CRIED "Name it
for me-
Did General Samuel Waldo.
Two towns and a mountain he also allowed
The privilege of using his surname SO proud,
And they with perpetual fame are endowed
By General Samuel Waldo.
I've written all that really know,
And some I've guessed, but I'm sure it's so,
And now that Pm the end of my rhyme,
For I'm warned that I've very little time,
Just let me say, by way of advice,
If one of you wants for place that's nice
In which to escape the summers heat
There's nothing else that can compete
w 18th the quiet, restful, peaceful coast,
That is Waldo County's proudest boast.
Don't sail to Italy, France Spain,
But come and grow young meath the pines of
Maine.