The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1912-10-12
COLUMBUS DAY.
An Old Poem Reproduced to Fit the
Occasion.


A reader suggests that the followin
poem, descriptive of the founding O
America and taken from an old booklet
be printed, in view of the celebration o
Columbus day in Vermont:
Columbus was sailor brave,
The first that crossed tn Atlantic wave
In fourteen hundred and ninety-two,
lie came far DER the ocean blue,
! Where ne'cr ship had sailed before
And found wild and savage shore,
| Where naked men in forests prowled,
And bears and panthers roamed an,
howled.
The others came to see the wonder,
| To gather gold and seek for plumber;
| And many cruel deed was done,
! Far South, beneath the tropic sun.
And, at blow, proud Mexico
Was humbled in the dust;
Pizzarro, too, in rich Peru,
With bloody heart and cruel art,
A mighty empire crushed.
All! many red mans blood was split
And many deed was done of guilt,
OF torture, murder, crimes untold.
To get the poor, poor Indians gold.
AT length when years had passed away,
Some English came to Virginia;
Twas sixteen hundred seven; be sure
You let this in your minds endure;
For twas the first bold colony
Planted in North America
Tho Hrat that Ia III fha daarA found ~ ion
On which has since been built a nation.
Well, here they raised far-famed town
On James river called Jamestown.
They struggled hard gainst many sor-
rows,
Sickness and want and Indian arrows; ;
But bold and strong at length they grew,
And were a brave and manly crew.
Twas eight years after thisI mean
The year sixteen hundred fifteen
Some Dutch, from Holland, settled pat
An island which they called Manhattan,
And straight they set themselves to
work
And built the city of New York.
Now let the laughing wags and jokers
Say that the Dutch are stupid smokers
We only tell. that. dull or witty,
They founded famous New York City;
The largest city in the West
For trade and commerce quite the blest!
Then came along in five years more,
The Puritans. or Pilgrims DER;
Be sure the time and month remember
Twas the cold season Of December,
On Plymouth rock the little band
Of weary wanderers first did land;
And hearty thanks to Heaven they
gave,
For kind protection DER the wave.
The scene was Wild for hill and dale
Were clothed in winters snowy veil,
And all the shore the eve could mark
Was covered thick with forests dark,
Within whose gloomy shades afar
Was heard the India whoop of war.
But bold and strong these pilgrims were;
they feared not Indian, wolf. or bear:
Though far from home, feeble band,
.Infriended, in a desert land,
Where wild beasts sought at night their
pray,
And ruthless Indians lurked by day,
BY sickness pressed, by want 'beset,
each i'll they braved, each danger met.
,ong, long they strove, and much en-
dured;
70 sufferings were long Injured;
iut naught their courage could subdue:
Mid want and war their sinews grew,
heir towns increase, their numbers dou-
BILE,
md soon they triumph DER their trou-
bic.
'hus three strong colonies, we see,
ire planted in America:
Few England in the northern part;
lew York within the very heart;
While southwark. DER the hills away,
5 seated fair Virginia. !
he first rude dangers thus o'ercome,
theirs did seek this land for home, 7
nd came like birds in numbers DER, ,
i'll, far along the eastern shore,
hat bounds the blue Atlantic tide,
illage with village proudly We'd; 7
lille Swedes and Fins did settle down :,
Delaware, and build town. !
o MARYLAND, Lord Baltimore
A colony Of papists sent,
sixteen hundred thirty-four, :,
Who there did make a settlement; =,
nd William Penn, the grave peace
maker, ;,
ime DER. with many an honest Quaker, :,
D Pennsylvania: twas done :,
sixteen hundred eighty-one.