Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1935-07-25
Poetry,
By James J. Montague

REMEMBER reading, rather skep-
l. tically, poem by Don Marquis,
which after reciting the trials and
tribulations of various foreign coun-
tries closed with: "They had no poets,
and they died." Iswas minded to re-
monstrate with Mr.. Marquis about
this assertion. / doubted the depend
ence of civilization upon mere rhyme
sters. On doctors, yes, sometimes. On
butchers and grocers, certainly. But
why poets? How could they keep
race from extinction? I looked upon
the fellow who said he would rather
write the songs of a country than
make its laws as wobbly in the bean.
And then to give Mr.. Marquis break
Il aim to be fair minded began
trying to think of any poetry which
had ever done any good in the world.
70 my establishment located one of
them inside Of fifteen minutes of in
tensive cerebration. 1t was piece by
Rose Hartwick Thorpe, and if by any
chance you are not familiar with the
works of the lady, the name of it was
"Curfew Shall Not Ring Tonight" 1t
is quite an exciting poem, with happy
ending. 1t tells how young woman
whose lover is about to be executed-it
doesn't say what for-at the ringing
of the curfew, climbs up into the old
church tower, grabs the clapper of the
bell, and when the sexton pulls on the
rope, swings to and fro, so there isn't
any ringing of the curfew that eve
ming, and Cromwell, who breaks into
the poem just at the right time, let's
the young fellow off.
So now will explain how that poem,
years after it was written, really con-
tributed to human happiness.
The circus was coming to town,
and it was coming on week day. 1t
had come on a week day now for four
or FIVE years. And if you had sug-
gested to parent of that time that it
would be nice thing for him to write
to the principal and tell him you
couldn't go to school on circus day, on
account of the patent necessity of go
ing to the circus he would not have
been able to control his establishment
or his temper. AS to taking in the
night performance, well, bed time was
half past eight o'clock every night, and
how was anybody to get around that?
For two weeks had tried to catch
cold-just a severe enough cold to
keep me out of school, but with no luck.
/ went to school without my rubbers,
sloshing through the cutters on the
way, but nothing happened. / slept
in draught-and in those days Sleep
ing in a draught was regarded as
wanton invitation to destruction. Still
nothing happened. I even thought of
falling out of a tree and breaking my
arm. but that would have kept me out
of ball games for the rest of the sum-
mer. so 1 abandoned the idea.
And then, taking my moody way to
school one morning met Bill McMor-
row. Naturally we fell at once to
discussing the situation, but without
any luck, till suddenly Bills reader
slipped out of his grasp-a grasp
which the seriousness Of the situation
had rendered nerveless and shouted:
by golly, I got it."
"Got what, the bookT
"Naw, not the book. got way out
Of going to school circus day."
"You amt really?"
"Sure l have. Lissen. You know
that piece l gotta speak next Friday"
1.-THE one about the Curfew and all
that?"
.Yeah, that's the one. Suppose the
old bell don't ring on circus day morn
ing. We don't half to go to school,
do WEI"
But how can you stop the bell ring
ing? Me an you and Shep an Carl
Parker an half dozen others can't
keep that janitor from ringing the
bell?
1--WE amt big enough. And besides
n we are to throw him and tie him
wouldn't we all get sent to jailT"
81 amt meanin' to tie him." said
Bill. "But supposin' the bell don't
ring, then whatT
"But why won't it ring?"
"Recause It won't have no clapper
into It, that's why"
"Gosh! That's right. But how
would you get the clapper out of IT."
"IJssen. Tonight you an me will
on down to Waughtals blacksmith
sbon an hook one of them big pairs
Of ninchers he holds the horse shoes
with when putin the caulks onto 'em,
~, .bon we'll climb up into the belfry