Requires the aid of those who in debateAs mercenaries lost in early youthThe fine distinction between lie and truth—Who cheat in argument and set a snareTo take the feet of Justice unaware—Who serve with livelier zeal when rogues assistWith perjury, embracery (the listIs long to quote) than when an honest soul,Scorning to plot, conspire, intrigue, cajole,Reminds them (their astonishment how great!)He'd rather suffer wrong than perpetrate.I grant, in short, 'tis better all aroundThat ambidextrous consciences aboundIn courts of law to do the dirty workThat self-respecting scavengers would shirk.What then? Who serves however clean a planBy doing dirty work, he is a dirty man!
ACCEPTED
Charles Shortridge once to St. Peter came.'Down!' cried the saint with his face aflame;''Tis writ that every hardy liarShall dwell forever and ever in fire!''That's what I said the night that I died,'The sinner, turning away, replied.'What! you said that?' cried the saint—'what! what!You said 'twas so writ? Then, faith, 'tis not!I'm a devil at quoting, but I beginTo fail in my memory. Pray walk in.'
A PROMISED FAST TRAIN
I turned my eyes upon the Future's scrollAnd saw its pictured prophecies unroll.I saw that magical life-laden trainFlash its long glories o'er Nebraska's plain.I saw it smoothly up the mountain glide.'O happy, happy passengers!' I cried.For Pleasure, singing, drowned the engine's roar,And Hope on joyous pinions flew before.Then dived the train adown the sunset slope—Pleasure was silent and unseen was Hope.Crashes and shrieks attested the decayThat greed had wrought upon that iron way.The rusted rails broke down the rotting ties,And clouds of flying spikes obscured the skies.My coward eyes I drew away, distressed,And fixed them on the terminus to-West,Where soon, its melancholy tale to tell,One bloody car-wheel wabbled in and fell!
ONE OF THE SAINTS
Big Smith is an Oakland School Board man,And he looks as good as ever he can;And he's such a cold and a chaste Big SmithThat snowflakes all are his kin and kith.Wherever his eye he chances to throwThe crystals of ice begin to grow;And the fruits and flowers he sees are lostBy the singeing touch of a sudden frost.The women all shiver whenever he's near,And look upon us with a look austere—Effect of the Smithian atmosphere.Such, in a word, is the moral planOf the Big, Big Smith, the School Board man.When told that Madame Ferrier had taughtHernani in school, his fist he broughtLike a trip-hammer down on his bulbous knee,And he roared: 'Her Nanny? By gum, we'll seeIf the public's time she dares devoteTo the educatin' of any dam goat!''You do not entirely comprehend—Hernani's a play,' said his learned friend,'By Victor Hugo—immoral and bad.What's worse, it's French!' 'Well, well, my lad,'Said Smith, 'if he cuts a swath so wideI'll have him took re'glar up and tried!'And he smiled so sweetly the other chapThought that himself was a Finn or Lapp