The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1912-01-18
BIOGRAPHIES OF PIE.

Scholars who have to account for an
error in authoritative texts of the clas-
sizes always begin: ' Some ignorant
scribe. :" Let this formula be
borrowed to stigmatize piece of out
rageous treason. The Norwich Record
has had the impudence to propose:
1.-The great pie belt, where pastry is
served three times day and takes the
place of breakfast food, lies north of the
line between Bellows Falls, VT, and
Portland, Me-"
Ha! Has this geographer ever heard
that Massachusetts lies north of Bel
lows Falls? Is Connecticut south of the
Mason and Dixon line? Who constituted
Norwich the topographer of pie? Is it
all an historic myth, then, that Lexing-
ton was won on pie swallowing at break
fast or chewed as the family f1int-lock
was reached down from over the fire.
place, and the tide of tyranny turned
back from Concord Bridge by the valor
bred of New England pastry? We are
a pie-fed nation. Our sinews of war
were made strong to crush rebellion in
81 by the accumulated might of other
things and pie. Our merchant navy in
its roaring fifties was distinguished from
the British chiefly by Yankee pie, and
the poor little British prentice boys the
minute they made port set course for
the Yankee ships, to be asked: eli,
sonny, want square meal, We poor little
limejuicer?" Pie = rich, faky, meaty
New England fishing fleet, and the au-
gust tradition is carried to Georges and
even to the Grand Banks. Even in
goddess city like this we are still faithful
to pie-worship, and though the Alley
was named for the printers variety, it
has transmitted the ceremonial by what
is technically known as a "pie-dive,"
which keeps alive the sacred spark in the
youth of the community.
But avaunt, provincialism! Let US
view this subject nationally. Pie went
West and grew up with the country. Pie
crossed the Alleghanies from Connecti-
cut, and that corner of Ohio known as
the Western Reserve preserves the holy
and serene art in practice as pure as
any known to New England, with pie
thrice day, including holidays and
Sundays" as the boat companies say.
Pie crossed the great plains in the prairie
schooner, pie steadied the aim of the In
jun fighters, and pie has pushed, with
| he great republic, steadily across the
continent. AS the years lengthen more
and more New England's contributions
to our national greatness fall into dis
pute. Her men of letters may, indeed,
have been mutual admiration society
of mediocrities, and she the abandon
ed farm of literature; her orators and
statesmen may reveal many common
streak under the busy scratches of the
historians k-rake; her artists and
sculptors may fall under reproach for
filling the public squares and galleries
with boiler-plate bronzes and portraits as
by glorified sign painters. But the pie
endures. That priceless heritage has
been transmitted for all ages. "North
of Bellows Falls quoth'a! 1t reigns
from New Orleans to the Queen City of
the Unsalted Seas, from harridan Man
haitian to blow hard Seattle We are
nation of pie-eaters. Differ as we may
on tariff reform, on trust-busting, on
the silence of Mr.. Roosevelt, on railroad
regulation, on one issue we can all agree.
One thing we all hold sacred-a pie
Boston TRANSCRIPT