The Project Gutenberg EBook of Poems, by Crocket McElroy This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org/license Title: Poems Author: Crocket McElroy Release Date: July 22, 2016 [EBook #52623] Language: English Character set encoding: UTF-8 *** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK POEMS *** Produced by Larry B. Harrison, Chuck Greif and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images generously made available by The Internet Archive)
BY
CROCKET McELROY.
St. Clair,
Michigan.
CHICAGO,
SCROLL PUBLISHING COMPANY,
1900.
{2}
Copyrighted, 1900,
BY CROCKET McELROY.{3}
TO
Poems of Patriotism. | |
---|---|
Our Country and Our Flag, | 9 |
The Flag of Hobson’s Choice, | 16 |
The Old Soldier, | 21 |
Washington, | 26 |
A Voice for Freedom, | 29 |
The Reconcentrados, | 31 |
The Celebration, | 40 |
Ode to Ontario, | 42 |
The United States and Canada, | 44 |
Ode to Our Country, | 45 |
Poems of Sentiment. | |
The Milk of Human Kindness, | 49 |
The Working Girl, | 52 |
The Wayward Girl, | 56 |
The Rose Cure, | 59 |
To a Snow Drop, | 61 |
A Family Song, | 63 |
Thanksgiving Day, | 64 |
Parental Advice, | 65 |
The Doctor, | 67 |
Brotherly Love, | 69 |
The Minister’s Wife, | 70 |
Nothing to Say, | 73 |
The Heart, | 74 |
My Darling Flora’s Margaret,{5} | 75 |
The Rich Sweet Sound of the Human Voice, | 78 |
The Man for the Times, | 82 |
Poems of Feeling. | |
To My Soul, | 87 |
Dear Rolla, | 89 |
To the Memory of a Good Woman, | 90 |
On the Death of Mrs. Maggie Blood, | 91 |
To the Memory of Mrs. Fidelia Whitaker, | 93 |
Braver the Sick, | 95 |
Do not Die Tonight, | 96 |
On the Death of Mary McElroy, | 98 |
Address to Death, | 100 |
To the Memory of Mrs. Hon. Justin R. Whiting, | 106 |
Captain Archie Morrison, | 109 |
Poems of Description. | |
Where the Wind Blows, | 113 |
Ode to Lake Superior, | 117 |
The Dundas Valley, | 118 |
The St. Clair River, | 119 |
Miscellaneous Poems. | |
Compensation, | 139 |
Expansion, | 146 |
Fear Not, Lorain, | 148 |
The Teacher, | 150 |
A Gem, | 153 |
The China Wedding, | 154 |
The Honest Man’s Fate, | 155 |
Time and Tide, | 156 |
Christmas Day, | 157 |
Progressive Euchre,{6} | 158 |
The Winner, | 162 |
A Walk by Moonlight, | 163 |
The Painter, | 165 |
A Doctor’s Advice, | 166 |
Here I Am, | 168 |
A Christmas Turkey, | 169 |
To Mrs. Harriet S. DeLano and Her Baby, | 170 |
For the Baby, | 171 |
Lines on My Father, | 171 |
Advice to a Young Poet, | 172 |
An Acrostic, | 173 |
Charley’s Puppy, | 174 |
Merry Christmas, | 175 |
Temperance, | 175 |
The Folding Puzzle, | 176 |
In Florence’s Album, | 176 |
In Lizzie Leonard’s Album, | 177 |
In Henrietta’s Album, | 177 |
In Worthy’s Album, | 178 |
In Flora’s Album, | 178 |
In Etta’s Album, | 179 |
In Grace’s Album, | 179 |
The Gallop of Life, | 180 |
Where Are All the People We Knew, | 184 |
The Honest Man, | 187 |
Beautiful Things, | 189 |
The Nurse, | 192 |
A Sweet Disposition, | 195 |
The Scow Race, | 197 |
A Happy Choice, | 201 |
Beautiful Flowers, | 203 |
The Value of a Friend, | 204 |
Written June 10th, 1898, to commemorate in verse the great achievement of Richard P. Hobson and his crew of seven men, in sinking the steamer “Merrimac,” in the mouth of Santiago harbor, island of Cuba, under orders of Admiral Sampson.
Written in 1856, during the struggle in Kansas, between the pro-slavery and anti-slavery settlers.
A Spanish physician on his way from Cuba to Spain, on arriving at New York about October 1, 1898, was asked about the reconcentrados, and answered sarcastically, “There are no reconcentrados now.” This answer was understood to mean that they had all died of starvation excepting the few that were saved by the United States.
The following verses were written in November, 1889, when it was supposed the World’s Fair at Chicago, to celebrate the four hundreth anniversary of the discovery of America, would be held in 1892.
On the manner in which the union of these countries should take place, from an address delivered at Niagara Falls, Ontario, July 4th, 1888.
The following blank verse was written in January, 1864, during the war of the rebellion, when many people in the northern states were advocating peace on almost any terms.
Text: A newspaper item said that shop girls are often insulted on the streets by men who assume that they are immoral because they are poor.
Suggested by reading the testimony of the severe whippings given with the “cat o’ eight tails” in the Industrial School for Girls at Adrian, Michigan. Written May, 1899.
Written for Rose Gearing, a grandchild seven years old, while at Lorain, O., November, 1897.
The following verses were suggested by seeing a large and beautiful drop of snow, in the form of a star, descend slowly and gradually melt away on my clothing. The first three verses came to me spontaneously and come the nearest to being an inspiration of anything I have written up to January, 1888. I had only to write down the words, which were ready without the labor of composition. I mention this fact not because there is any merit in the verses, but because I had a touch of inspiration, and have ever since believed that writers and speakers are sometimes inspired with thoughts that come to them without passing thru the process of thinking. Written December, 1859.
Tune: A Life on the Ocean Wave.
Composed for the occasion of the marriage of my daughter, Flora, to Howard C. Beck, June 17th, 1891.
Written on the occasion of the marriage of my daughter, Worthy, to Rev. G. N. Kennedy, October 17th, 1892.
The following poem was written to soothe and comfort my daughter Flora, when lying low with typhoid fever in Detroit, while her then only child, Margaret, thirteen months old, was at my house in St. Clair. The acts attributed to the child actually occurred.
Verses on the death of a child about three years old, written to comfort his parents.
On the death of Mrs. Maggie Blood, an exceedingly bright and popular young wife.
Of Mrs. Fidelia Whitaker, the excellent wife of my old and good friend, Byron Whitaker of Detroit, Michigan. Mrs. Whitaker had many fine qualities, and commanded my respect and esteem to a high degree.
Written in answer to the poem “If I Should Die Tonight.”
On the death of my niece, Mary McElroy, of Lapeer, Michigan, a bright, intelligent and amiable girl, twenty-one years old.
The following article was suggested and started while sympathizing with a neighbor’s family in the loss of a young child stricken suddenly by death, but was not completed until after the death of a much loved lady school teacher, when it was finished on the request that I write something for the memorial exercises, February, 1894. I was very busy at the time and this, my first literary wrestle with Death, was hot and fast.
To the Memory of Mrs. Hon. Justin R. Whiting, a brilliant woman. May 22nd, 1900.
On the 31st day of May, 1900, a bolt of lightning struck one of the spars on a new steamer nearly finished, but still on the stocks, at St. Clair, Michigan, and instantly killed three men, of whom Archie Morrison was one. Mr. Morrison was a good man. I knew him well, and wrote the following testimonial to his character, to comfort his family and friends.
Written 1855.
A few miles west of Hamilton, Ontario, is one of the most beautiful sections of country it has ever been my pleasure to see. The Grand Trunk Railway cars run along the side of Dundas Mountain for several miles, and the view of the valley from the cars is magnificent. In passing over this route in the summer of 1892 I was charmed by the view and inspired to write the following little poem.
The following poem was written at Lorain, O., November, 1897, and published in the “Evening Herald” of that city. It was intended to stimulate the courage of the people, who were gloomy, altho the prospects were good.
Read at the party given by Mr. and Mrs. Hiram W. Robertson, on the twentieth anniversary of their marriage, December 16th, 1887. Composed the same evening after supper.
Written January, 1866.
Composed while dreaming about time and tide.
Written at the request of my daughter Grace, then eleven years old, to be spoken by her at the holiday exercises in school, December, 1887.
Written on a postal card and mailed to a lady, as a token of my appreciation of her skill as a painter.
“Just Think of Something Else.”
In the summer of 1898 I was taken quite sick at a hotel over two hundred miles from home, and was confined to my room for five days. On complaining to the doctor that I was not getting well fast, he said I should not worry about my sickness, but “Just think of something else.” I took his advice and the same night wrote the following verses.
A little grand-daughter wrote me a little letter and in it she said, “If I were a little flower, this I would do: I would be happy all the day.” Under these words she made a sketch of a bush bearing flowers, and wrote beneath the sketch, “Here I am.” I replied as follows: To the sweet little flower, “Here I am,” formerly Miss Rose.
Lines sent with a large fat turkey to a friend for Christmas, 1862.
Written 1858.
Written for a niece of P. T. Barnum, 1863.
Charley wrote me that his puppy was white but had a black spot on his back.
Written for Children.
The first line was written on the outside, the rest on the inside.
of Lizzie Leonard, a very tall young girl, at her mother’s home near Middleboro, Mass., December, 1881.
End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Poems, by Crocket McElroy *** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK POEMS *** ***** This file should be named 52623-h.htm or 52623-h.zip ***** This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: http://www.gutenberg.org/5/2/6/2/52623/ Produced by Larry B. Harrison, Chuck Greif and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images generously made available by The Internet Archive) Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will be renamed. Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without permission and without paying copyright royalties. Special rules, set forth in the General Terms of Use part of this license, apply to copying and distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works to protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm concept and trademark. Project Gutenberg is a registered trademark, and may not be used if you charge for the eBooks, unless you receive specific permission. If you do not charge anything for copies of this eBook, complying with the rules is very easy. You may use this eBook for nearly any purpose such as creation of derivative works, reports, performances and research. They may be modified and printed and given away--you may do practically ANYTHING with public domain eBooks. Redistribution is subject to the trademark license, especially commercial redistribution. *** START: FULL LICENSE *** THE FULL PROJECT GUTENBERG LICENSE PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE YOU DISTRIBUTE OR USE THIS WORK To protect the Project Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting the free distribution of electronic works, by using or distributing this work (or any other work associated in any way with the phrase "Project Gutenberg"), you agree to comply with all the terms of the Full Project Gutenberg-tm License (available with this file or online at http://gutenberg.org/license). Section 1. General Terms of Use and Redistributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works 1.A. By reading or using any part of this Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work, you indicate that you have read, understand, agree to and accept all the terms of this license and intellectual property (trademark/copyright) agreement. If you do not agree to abide by all the terms of this agreement, you must cease using and return or destroy all copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in your possession. If you paid a fee for obtaining a copy of or access to a Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work and you do not agree to be bound by the terms of this agreement, you may obtain a refund from the person or entity to whom you paid the fee as set forth in paragraph 1.E.8. 1.B. "Project Gutenberg" is a registered trademark. It may only be used on or associated in any way with an electronic work by people who agree to be bound by the terms of this agreement. There are a few things that you can do with most Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works even without complying with the full terms of this agreement. See paragraph 1.C below. There are a lot of things you can do with Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works if you follow the terms of this agreement and help preserve free future access to Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works. See paragraph 1.E below. 1.C. The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation ("the Foundation" or PGLAF), owns a compilation copyright in the collection of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works. Nearly all the individual works in the collection are in the public domain in the United States. If an individual work is in the public domain in the United States and you are located in the United States, we do not claim a right to prevent you from copying, distributing, performing, displaying or creating derivative works based on the work as long as all references to Project Gutenberg are removed. Of course, we hope that you will support the Project Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting free access to electronic works by freely sharing Project Gutenberg-tm works in compliance with the terms of this agreement for keeping the Project Gutenberg-tm name associated with the work. You can easily comply with the terms of this agreement by keeping this work in the same format with its attached full Project Gutenberg-tm License when you share it without charge with others. 1.D. The copyright laws of the place where you are located also govern what you can do with this work. Copyright laws in most countries are in a constant state of change. If you are outside the United States, check the laws of your country in addition to the terms of this agreement before downloading, copying, displaying, performing, distributing or creating derivative works based on this work or any other Project Gutenberg-tm work. The Foundation makes no representations concerning the copyright status of any work in any country outside the United States. 1.E. Unless you have removed all references to Project Gutenberg: 1.E.1. The following sentence, with active links to, or other immediate access to, the full Project Gutenberg-tm License must appear prominently whenever any copy of a Project Gutenberg-tm work (any work on which the phrase "Project Gutenberg" appears, or with which the phrase "Project Gutenberg" is associated) is accessed, displayed, performed, viewed, copied or distributed: This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org/license 1.E.2. If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is derived from the public domain (does not contain a notice indicating that it is posted with permission of the copyright holder), the work can be copied and distributed to anyone in the United States without paying any fees or charges. If you are redistributing or providing access to a work with the phrase "Project Gutenberg" associated with or appearing on the work, you must comply either with the requirements of paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 or obtain permission for the use of the work and the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark as set forth in paragraphs 1.E.8 or 1.E.9. 1.E.3. If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is posted with the permission of the copyright holder, your use and distribution must comply with both paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 and any additional terms imposed by the copyright holder. Additional terms will be linked to the Project Gutenberg-tm License for all works posted with the permission of the copyright holder found at the beginning of this work. 1.E.4. Do not unlink or detach or remove the full Project Gutenberg-tm License terms from this work, or any files containing a part of this work or any other work associated with Project Gutenberg-tm. 1.E.5. Do not copy, display, perform, distribute or redistribute this electronic work, or any part of this electronic work, without prominently displaying the sentence set forth in paragraph 1.E.1 with active links or immediate access to the full terms of the Project Gutenberg-tm License. 1.E.6. You may convert to and distribute this work in any binary, compressed, marked up, nonproprietary or proprietary form, including any word processing or hypertext form. However, if you provide access to or distribute copies of a Project Gutenberg-tm work in a format other than "Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other format used in the official version posted on the official Project Gutenberg-tm web site (www.gutenberg.org), you must, at no additional cost, fee or expense to the user, provide a copy, a means of exporting a copy, or a means of obtaining a copy upon request, of the work in its original "Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other form. Any alternate format must include the full Project Gutenberg-tm License as specified in paragraph 1.E.1. 1.E.7. Do not charge a fee for access to, viewing, displaying, performing, copying or distributing any Project Gutenberg-tm works unless you comply with paragraph 1.E.8 or 1.E.9. 1.E.8. You may charge a reasonable fee for copies of or providing access to or distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works provided that - You pay a royalty fee of 20% of the gross profits you derive from the use of Project Gutenberg-tm works calculated using the method you already use to calculate your applicable taxes. The fee is owed to the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark, but he has agreed to donate royalties under this paragraph to the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation. Royalty payments must be paid within 60 days following each date on which you prepare (or are legally required to prepare) your periodic tax returns. Royalty payments should be clearly marked as such and sent to the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation at the address specified in Section 4, "Information about donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation." - You provide a full refund of any money paid by a user who notifies you in writing (or by e-mail) within 30 days of receipt that s/he does not agree to the terms of the full Project Gutenberg-tm License. You must require such a user to return or destroy all copies of the works possessed in a physical medium and discontinue all use of and all access to other copies of Project Gutenberg-tm works. - You provide, in accordance with paragraph 1.F.3, a full refund of any money paid for a work or a replacement copy, if a defect in the electronic work is discovered and reported to you within 90 days of receipt of the work. - You comply with all other terms of this agreement for free distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm works. 1.E.9. If you wish to charge a fee or distribute a Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work or group of works on different terms than are set forth in this agreement, you must obtain permission in writing from both the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation and Michael Hart, the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark. Contact the Foundation as set forth in Section 3 below. 1.F. 1.F.1. Project Gutenberg volunteers and employees expend considerable effort to identify, do copyright research on, transcribe and proofread public domain works in creating the Project Gutenberg-tm collection. Despite these efforts, Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works, and the medium on which they may be stored, may contain "Defects," such as, but not limited to, incomplete, inaccurate or corrupt data, transcription errors, a copyright or other intellectual property infringement, a defective or damaged disk or other medium, a computer virus, or computer codes that damage or cannot be read by your equipment. 1.F.2. LIMITED WARRANTY, DISCLAIMER OF DAMAGES - Except for the "Right of Replacement or Refund" described in paragraph 1.F.3, the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark, and any other party distributing a Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work under this agreement, disclaim all liability to you for damages, costs and expenses, including legal fees. YOU AGREE THAT YOU HAVE NO REMEDIES FOR NEGLIGENCE, STRICT LIABILITY, BREACH OF WARRANTY OR BREACH OF CONTRACT EXCEPT THOSE PROVIDED IN PARAGRAPH 1.F.3. YOU AGREE THAT THE FOUNDATION, THE TRADEMARK OWNER, AND ANY DISTRIBUTOR UNDER THIS AGREEMENT WILL NOT BE LIABLE TO YOU FOR ACTUAL, DIRECT, INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, PUNITIVE OR INCIDENTAL DAMAGES EVEN IF YOU GIVE NOTICE OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGE. 1.F.3. LIMITED RIGHT OF REPLACEMENT OR REFUND - If you discover a defect in this electronic work within 90 days of receiving it, you can receive a refund of the money (if any) you paid for it by sending a written explanation to the person you received the work from. If you received the work on a physical medium, you must return the medium with your written explanation. The person or entity that provided you with the defective work may elect to provide a replacement copy in lieu of a refund. If you received the work electronically, the person or entity providing it to you may choose to give you a second opportunity to receive the work electronically in lieu of a refund. If the second copy is also defective, you may demand a refund in writing without further opportunities to fix the problem. 1.F.4. Except for the limited right of replacement or refund set forth in paragraph 1.F.3, this work is provided to you 'AS-IS' WITH NO OTHER WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR ANY PURPOSE. 1.F.5. Some states do not allow disclaimers of certain implied warranties or the exclusion or limitation of certain types of damages. If any disclaimer or limitation set forth in this agreement violates the law of the state applicable to this agreement, the agreement shall be interpreted to make the maximum disclaimer or limitation permitted by the applicable state law. The invalidity or unenforceability of any provision of this agreement shall not void the remaining provisions. 1.F.6. INDEMNITY - You agree to indemnify and hold the Foundation, the trademark owner, any agent or employee of the Foundation, anyone providing copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in accordance with this agreement, and any volunteers associated with the production, promotion and distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works, harmless from all liability, costs and expenses, including legal fees, that arise directly or indirectly from any of the following which you do or cause to occur: (a) distribution of this or any Project Gutenberg-tm work, (b) alteration, modification, or additions or deletions to any Project Gutenberg-tm work, and (c) any Defect you cause. Section 2. Information about the Mission of Project Gutenberg-tm Project Gutenberg-tm is synonymous with the free distribution of electronic works in formats readable by the widest variety of computers including obsolete, old, middle-aged and new computers. It exists because of the efforts of hundreds of volunteers and donations from people in all walks of life. Volunteers and financial support to provide volunteers with the assistance they need, are critical to reaching Project Gutenberg-tm's goals and ensuring that the Project Gutenberg-tm collection will remain freely available for generations to come. In 2001, the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation was created to provide a secure and permanent future for Project Gutenberg-tm and future generations. To learn more about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation and how your efforts and donations can help, see Sections 3 and 4 and the Foundation web page at http://www.pglaf.org. Section 3. Information about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation is a non profit 501(c)(3) educational corporation organized under the laws of the state of Mississippi and granted tax exempt status by the Internal Revenue Service. The Foundation's EIN or federal tax identification number is 64-6221541. Its 501(c)(3) letter is posted at http://pglaf.org/fundraising. Contributions to the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation are tax deductible to the full extent permitted by U.S. federal laws and your state's laws. The Foundation's principal office is located at 4557 Melan Dr. S. Fairbanks, AK, 99712., but its volunteers and employees are scattered throughout numerous locations. Its business office is located at 809 North 1500 West, Salt Lake City, UT 84116, (801) 596-1887, email business@pglaf.org. Email contact links and up to date contact information can be found at the Foundation's web site and official page at http://pglaf.org For additional contact information: Dr. Gregory B. Newby Chief Executive and Director gbnewby@pglaf.org Section 4. Information about Donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation Project Gutenberg-tm depends upon and cannot survive without wide spread public support and donations to carry out its mission of increasing the number of public domain and licensed works that can be freely distributed in machine readable form accessible by the widest array of equipment including outdated equipment. Many small donations ($1 to $5,000) are particularly important to maintaining tax exempt status with the IRS. The Foundation is committed to complying with the laws regulating charities and charitable donations in all 50 states of the United States. Compliance requirements are not uniform and it takes a considerable effort, much paperwork and many fees to meet and keep up with these requirements. We do not solicit donations in locations where we have not received written confirmation of compliance. To SEND DONATIONS or determine the status of compliance for any particular state visit http://pglaf.org While we cannot and do not solicit contributions from states where we have not met the solicitation requirements, we know of no prohibition against accepting unsolicited donations from donors in such states who approach us with offers to donate. International donations are gratefully accepted, but we cannot make any statements concerning tax treatment of donations received from outside the United States. U.S. laws alone swamp our small staff. Please check the Project Gutenberg Web pages for current donation methods and addresses. Donations are accepted in a number of other ways including checks, online payments and credit card donations. To donate, please visit: http://pglaf.org/donate Section 5. General Information About Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works. Professor Michael S. Hart is the originator of the Project Gutenberg-tm concept of a library of electronic works that could be freely shared with anyone. For thirty years, he produced and distributed Project Gutenberg-tm eBooks with only a loose network of volunteer support. Project Gutenberg-tm eBooks are often created from several printed editions, all of which are confirmed as Public Domain in the U.S. unless a copyright notice is included. Thus, we do not necessarily keep eBooks in compliance with any particular paper edition. Most people start at our Web site which has the main PG search facility: http://www.gutenberg.org This Web site includes information about Project Gutenberg-tm, including how to make donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, how to help produce our new eBooks, and how to subscribe to our email newsletter to hear about new eBooks.