The Caledonian-record. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1920-current, 1922-12-12
VERMONT POEMS
THAT INDICATE
GENIUS TOUCH
Echoes from Green Hills
By CaledOnian-RecOrd
Writer

A timely colume of real verse is
ECHOES from Green Hills" de-
lightful collection Of the poems of
Miss Myrtle Aldrich of West
Burke, just published by the Tut
tie Company of Rutland. They are
Vermont poems that might we'll be
called the modern "Thompson's
Seasons" for there is a touch of
all four of sunshine and showers.
There is all the 10Y of budding
spring; the murmuring brook and
shaking leaf of midsummer; the
glorious-t tinted forests and the
fragrance of harvest and the
sparkle and CLINT of winters snow.
The verses are all cleverly done
and give the reader a touch of the
songs from a real singer. 1t is a
pleasure to read them.
From the foreword of the vol
ume, written by Arthur F. Stone
of St. Johnsbury, it is learned that
Miss Aldrich, handicapped by the
loss of her eyesight in early child
hood in a fall while at play, has
overcome all obstacles and evhibit-
ed rare spirit of optimism in a
life of ceaseless activity. She has
always lived with her mother in
the home at West Burke, where
she was born June %, 1872. After
a common school education She
! entered in 1884 the Perkins Insti-
tute at South Boston and remain
ed there seven years. In that time
she became acquainted with Laura
Bridgeman and Helen Keller; also
with such noted people as Julia
| Ward Howe, Edward Everett Hale
! and Hezekiah ButterWorth. She
/ had an opportunity then to hear
all the finest concerts and best
musicians of the day. She entered
! Montpelier seminary as a junior
, in 1893 and was graduated with
first honors in 1895, besides win
ming the second award in the SEN
ior prize-speaking contest.
/ v
dramatic recitals through northern
New England and Canada. Since
1905 she has been day operator in
the West Burke telephone eX-
change, doing her work with Won
derful accuracy and promptness.
Many of the poems were first
printed in the Caledonian and Re-
publican for which the author is
the faithful West Burke local re-
porter.
One of the finest in the collec-
ton is "When | Grow Old.
When | have gathered all the
fresh sweet bloom of youth
And stand upon life's hilltop, look
ing back,
When have sounded depths of
clear unfettered truth,
Have left some hopes, some
dreams, along my track,
May Peace her cloak of white
around me fold
And love hold fast my hand as
grow old.
When down the western slope of
time | take my way
And leaves of autumn rustic
meath my feet,
May | recall with quiet life's glad
young May,
When dreams were real, and DAYS
were long and sweet.
Keep me, 0 God, from growing
hard and cold;
For, Oh! would be young when
| grow old"
There is a real Christmas touch
in the poem entitled "a Message
of Peace, 1919" which ends the
book and which has these robust
lines:
"Where is the peace of which the
angels sang
When that one guiding star shone
Gear and bright?
Where is the JOY that filled the
Sheperd's hearts
And made a strange, white glory
in the night"
! Miss Aldrich's many friends will
be glad that she has collected hen
songs together in this handsome
volume of green and gold to be
read and enioved for many davg In