The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1912-02-23
0. A. r. GATHERING
Feature Of the Meeting Was Poem
BY Mise Perkins

prevailed, many Oh the uemperS WSle
prevented from being present. Fol
lowing the regular business meeting,
an interesting program was carried
out, including poem in honor OF
Washingtons birthday written by Miss
jeanette Perkins and read by Miss
Jennie Valentine. Mrs. A. ]. Holden
rendered several charming piano sell
ections. A light collation. followed.
Miss Perkins poem is as follows.
This day has been hallowed one in
all our history;
The birthday of George Washington;
"a call to memory,
To bring before our minds once more
amid paeans of praise,
A picture of those days of yore, those
happy good old days"
This day has well been set apart
tbs well to oft review,
The noble progress from the start of
red and white and blue.
The nations start-so we recall the
nations parentage;
Our country's father left us all a
goodly heritage.
And ever has the custom been, for
proper celebration,
To spend the day in envying the
father Of our nation:
In showing to our countrys youth
pictures, heroic size,
OF that first man who told the truth
and the tomb where now he lies
We point to him, we sing Of him, we
try to inculcate.
Ambition in our John and Jim to like
wise be called great.
OF course, we say, America is 1usl
now in its prime,
Conditions differ greatly from thai
far-off good old time"
They're handicapped but they car
all be heroes, just the same
Just pattern after George" we cry
you're on the road TO fame"
But do we want our darling boys des
tined to his rough road?
For ii was through no vale of JOY
our country's father trod.
From tasks of seeming smoothness
which we picture in our dreams
We'd better turn our forces to tn
| task of smoothing seams.
The truth is only fitting on his ami
yersary;
Then bark; His life was nothin
less than solemn tragedy.
And yet the tragic part of all is--t
the humble poet
That, though he lived tragic life
he didn't ever know IT,
We feel for him, our country's chic
We deeply sympathize;
We needs must get handkerchief {
wipe the nations eyes.
There's nothing sadder-there's n
doubt,-than his unhappy youth
Just think Of little George about tn
time he told the truth
His life was bound so fast by rule h
couldn't break away,
He even had TO go to school o
Washingtons birthday
He never heard of Arbor DAY. nc
knew of Lincoln's birth;
He never burned himself to deaf
upon the glorious Fourth;
And If the simplest Joys are bes
well, here's simple joy
+ Yet he could never roam the mea,
ows as a Barefoot Boy"
His slaves were all so dignified,-
might be shocked, you know,
THAT may be why he later tried
do Ii in the SNOWY
The only fun he ever had was cho
ping cherry trees,
4 And he's been punished well for thi
"a sword OF Damocles.
. We've held that Ratchet DER his hea
7 so long it's like a hat,
/, We used to bury hatchets-why can
. we bury that?
He grew apace. and then. anon. l
2 was a general,
Alas for poor George Washington
was a bitter pill
To know that at some future dat
some August 10th, say,
, The real work of a general wou
never come his way.
, He wore a wig; he rode horse; b-
O never cOulu ne Oe
! In the Historical Pageant OF BENIN
ton, V IT,
John Stark Tor II. T. Cushman's) {
a &c postal card
While on a common &c stamp
D George; is it not hard?
The question who is greater?" v
answer in trlce,
: By asking you in turn, Whose hes
7 commands the greater price7"
The fighting over, and all hopes
Pageant glory spent,
To live up in the White House the
the country's father went.
His daughter died, and made b
4 heavy heart bit more sad
o He never had those White Hou
e joys that Taft and Teddy had
e, No color new was giv'n the name
Georges little girl;
Il She could not be the center OF Il
d city's Social Whirl
d (It might have helped, II she hi
known, before she had to die,
r That for her family there would
least be named a pie)
Q or Martha, sweet and gentle dan
i one Joy of Georges life
e We only know one fact beside h
Is being Georges wife.
She is the only woman we have cor
across, so far,
Who never yet was asked to emit,
tain the ID. A. ri
: So friends, instead Of envylng {
man we celebrate.
Our lot is to do all we can now
oommiserate,
To feel for him-our country's chi
to deeply sympathize.
% And haste to get a handkerchief
1t wipe the nations eyes.
II SEES BROTHER DROP DEAD
e CknrLtnn ENaanl.... n