The Republican journal., 1911-03-09
OPTIMISM AND PHILOSOPHY.
A Few Poems by the Late Sam Walter Foss.

Sam Walter Foss was known to thou
sands of persons in New England and
throughout the country from the notes
of optimism and philosophy in his songs.
One of his most notable poems was The
Volunteer Organist:
cloth an Nv silk,
An satins rich as cream that grows on our oil
brindle's milk;
Shined boots, billed shirts, stiff dickeys, and
stove-pipe hats were there,
An doods 18th trouserloons SO tight they
couldn' kneel in prayer.
The elder in his pulpit high, said, as he slowly
"Our organist is KEEP to hum, laid up 18th room
atiz,
An as we have no substitoot, as Brother
Moore amt here,
Will some 'un in the congregation be SO kinds
to volunteer"
An then red-nosed, drunken tramp, of low
toned, rowdy style,
Give an interduct'ry hiccup, an then stagger-
ed up the aisle;
Then thro' the holy atmosphere there creep a
sense er sin,
An thro tibet air er sanctity the odor Nv OF
gin.
linen DG6CGI uiiil loL ut ySlltu, ulS tGttH
sot on edge:
This man purfanes the house er God! Why,
this is sakerlegei'
The tramp didn' hear a word he said, but
! slouched 18th stumblin' feet,
An sprawled an staggered up the steps, an
gained the organ seat.
He then went PAWN thro' the keys, an soon
| there riZ a train
Thet seemed to jest bulge out the heart, an
| 'lectrify the brain;
| An then he slapped down on the thing 18th
hands an head an knees
He slamdashed his hull body down kerfiop up
the keys
The organ reared, the music flood went sweep
ing high an dry,
! 1t sweed into the rafters, an bulgod out to
the sky,
The oil church shook an staggered, an seemed
to reel an sway,
An the elder shouted GLORY" an yelled out
"Hooray!"-
An then he tried tender strain tibet melted
in our ears,
Thet brought up blessed memories and drench-
ed 'em down 18th tears;
An we dreamed Nv ol'time kitchens, 18th Tab
by on the mat
Wv home an luv an baby days, an mother. an
all that
An then he struck a streak Nv hope-a song
from souls forgiven
Thet burst from prison-b bars Nv sin, an storm
| ed the gates Nv heaven;
The mornin' stars they sung together,-no
soul was left Alone
We felt the universe WIZ safe, an God wuz on
his throne!
An then wall Nv deep despair and darkness
came again,
! An long black Grape hung on the doors Nv all
the homes Nv men:
No luv no light, no joy, no hope, no songs Nv
glad delight
An then the tramp, he staggered down an
reeled into the night!
But we knew he'd tor his story, though he
never spoke word,
An it wuz the saddest story tibet our ears he'd
ever heard;
He he'd tol his own life history, an no eyewuz
dry thet day,
Wen the elder rose an simply said; "My
brethren let US pray
In pathos, Mr. Foss had mastery
touch; so sweet and natural that the
tears come to the eyes unbidden as we
read. us Little Bob Tucked In?'' is one
of his sweetest poems along this line:
Young Bob was allus on the jump,
An filed the house with din
An kicked his quilts off every night,
Fast as she tucked him in.
His laigs they went so fast all day,
AS long as it was light,
An got up speed SO they could MT stop,
An kept a-goin' all night.
So Cynthy d keep gittin' up,
An gittin' up ag'in;
I've gotter look an see, says she,
If little Bob's tucked in
She stood above the casket there,
She bent to kiss his face,
To pat stragglin' curl of hair,
Or fix a bit of lace.
Her heart was breakin with the thought
That Bob, SO round an fat,
So full of pranks and fun, should sleep
Within a crib like that.
But still she'd fix his little robe,
An then come back ag'in,
An take long, last look, an see
Her little Bob tucked in"
1.-THE Head and the Heart" furnishes
an apt illustration of good, sound COM
mon sense philosophy worthy of all ac-
ceptation:
Take yer head with YER says OIL Uncle joe
Take yer head with yer an heed it;
Take yer head with yer, wherever you go,
Take yer head with yer. yell need it.
Take yer heart with yer. says OF Uncle Joe,
Take yer heart with yer and heed it;
Take yer heart with yer, wherever we go,
Take yer heart with yer, yell need it."
Mr.. Foss's poem, wen Teller Is
Out of job" can only be thoroughly
appreciated by one who has been SINH
larry situated.
gwen man has no part in the work of the
earth,
Wen teller is out of job,
He feels the whole blund'ring mistake of his
birth
Wen teller is out of job.
He feels he's no share in the whole of the plan
That he's got the mitten from Natures own
ham,
That he's rejected an leftover man,
Wen teller is out of job.
Ev'ry man that's man wants to help push the
world
But he can't if he's out of job;
He is left out behind, on the shelf he is curled,
Wen Teller is out of job.
Amt no juice in the earth an no salt in the sea
Amt no ginger in life in this land of the tree
An the universe amt what it's cracked up to be,
Wen teller is out of job"
In "He Worried About IT, Mr.. Foss
playfully satirized class of individuals
who are always worrying about some
thing, be it the most improbable thing
in the world. He sang: