Poets' Corner
Conducted by
Arnold Eugene Jenny .
Nolo: Readers .are Invited to submit their own,
original verse; or favorite poems from other sources,
classical or contemporary. If found to be of sufficient
merit as poetry - not just anything versified - such
contributions will be considered for publication In The
Poets' Corner. Mail to Poets' Corner, Mail Tribune. 33
North Fir Street, Medford. Copy should be typed, double
spaced, and only on one side of the paper.
O . ,
Poet on Poetry
What the dead had no speech for, when living,
They can tell you, being dead: the communication
Of the dead is tongued with fire beyond the language of
the living.
. -T. S. Eliot
Today's verse, says Mr. Eliot, should not be taught, but
should be read only for enjoyment. To enjoy modern verse,
he says, is "primarily a matter of insight" derived from- a
knowledge and appreciation of the poetry of the past. To
obtain that, he urges emphasis on a "historical approach to
English and American literature with obligatory reading of
a selection of classics,"
O
Ozymandias
I met a traveler from an antique land
Who said: Two vast and trunkless legs of stone
Stand in the desert . . . Near them, on the sand.
Half sunk, a shattered visage lies, whose frown,
And wrinkled lip, and sneer of cold command,
Tell that its sculptor well those passions read
Which yet survive, stamped on these lifeless things,
The hand that mocked them, and the heart that fed:
And on the pedestal these words appear:
'My name is Ozymandias, king of Mngs:
Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair!'
Nothing beside remains. Round the decay
Of that collosal wreck, boundless and bare
The lone and level sands stretch far away.
-Percy BIythe Shelley
(Ditto: Hitler, Mussolini, et al.-A.E.J.)
O
Although- Carl BJordaht has reached the Blblfcal three
score and ten, his "Book Burners" which follows and the
letter which accompanied It exhibit a spirit which should take
him well past that mark. Wrote he. quoting another: "You are
Setting old if you no longer plan to set the world on fire
ut are content to kindle a small fire."
BOOK BURNERS
Red lights, green lights, send us on our way:
"Now it's time to go a-head; now it's time to stay":
Puppets of conformity, robots in nonentity,
Herded all, driven all, groping for identity.
Zealots enthroned in power, Socrates suspect;
Demagogues only inspiring respect.
But listen for the laughter, the laughter of the lost,
When the despots have their program and the dupes must
pay the cost.
Off with your blinder, let your blinkers be;
See the program and the future they have planned for you
and me.
Why Invoke amendments? Take your stand, one and all;
Walk on your hind legs and never, never crawl.
Constitution? Bill of rights? Written by fallible men.
Mine is a constitution ancient beyond their ken:
The right o'f the curious mind to search where it will to learn;
Not only in timid volumes the despots choose not to burn.
Red means left, green is right - or that is what they say:
But how is one to know and choose if facts are burned away?
Truth at war with falsehood - this has a'ways been;
Put out the despot's torches then; give Truth her chance
to win.
-Carl Bjordahl
Medford
O
NO REGRETS
I am done with the days I already have lived,
The good days and the bad ones too.
For what can it profit a mortal to live
On the things with which he is through?
I care not a whit for the days that are gone
Or the joy or pain that they brought;
I only admit I'm a far richer soul
For the lessons experience taught;
And never a moment is spent in regret
For water flowed over life's dam,
And borne in its current youth's loftiest dreams-
I'd rather remain as I am: ' (
Contentedly earning and sharing my bread
And always believing the best is ahead.
-Ruby Ellis Rusque
Medford
O
THE CROWD
Always He feared you;
For you knew Him only as the man of loaves and fishes
The man who did marvellous things:
He Who raised Lazarus.
Healed the lame, and made the bland to see.
Fleeing from you, He sought the solace of the garden.
He must have known
That you would cry, "Release unto us Barabbas' "
And fling cruel words at Him
As He climbed to Golgotha alone,
Perhaps He knew
That some day you would build creeds about Him,
And lnsp Him in massive structures of stone.
With costly windows, dignified
While, outside, He waited . . .
Sad . . and alone.
-Irene McKelghan
O
WEDNESDAY IN HOLY WEEK
Man's life is death. Yet Christ endured to live,
Preaching and teaching, toiling to and fro,
Few men accepting what He yearned to give,
Few men with eyes to know
His face, that Face of Love He stooped to show.
Man's death is life. For Christ endured to die
In slow unuttered weariness of pain,
A curse and an astonishment, passed by,
Pointed at, mocked again
By men for whom He shed His blood-in vain?
-Christina Rossettl
r.rmMt ih. riirl Scouts I
To the Editor: In reading
over vour paper (March 20,
'61) I happened to see a piece)
nhnnt the Girl Scouts of Gold ;
Hill, Troop 21. Everything was
mixed up. The name of the
leader is Mrs. Ed (Betty)
Shoemaker. It also misstated
about the girls doing the tree
planting, which was a com
munity service for their Con
servation badges.
On March 2 there was i
wrlteup about the P E. show
To the people of G.H.. your 1 10 cents per meeting. We
Girl Scouts were In full unl-i might be a small unknown
form and they were asked by 'troop, but we want the credit
Mr. Mack to present the col- due us.
ors to open the program. The Thank you for reading my
Boy Scouts from Troop 43, letter.
Gold Hill, retired the colors' Mrs. Edward Shoemaker
,BBluU.,'o o. having anyi Assis'tanTLader Troop 121
publicity, (or should I say Gold Hill, Ore.
i '
ritual, and eloquent preachers;
bad publicity), some people
In G.H. don't know that the
Girl Scouts have been going
on for the last three years. I
am new in Scouting and I am
glad to be part of Troop 121.
My stay might be short by
writing this letter, but I want
everyone to know that I am
proud of Troop 121, U.H
These girls bought their
own 50 star flag and their
troop flag. Some of the mon
ey was from the cookie sale,
the rest from dues, which are
MEDFORD
Communications
Letters to the Editor must bear the name and address of the writer, although under
certain circumstances the use of a pen name or initial for publication is permissible.
The Mail Tribune reserves the right to edit all letters with a view to clarification and
condensation. Letters submitted for publication must not exceed 400 words. The letters
printed in this column do not necessarily represent the views of the paper) In fact the
contrary is often the case.
Religion. Schools
And Dollar Bills
To the Editor: Recently I
read that Florida is taking a
stand for religion In the
schools and intends to fight
for it.
It is just as much a neces
sity for children to learn of
God's love and His Golden
Rules, as it is for them to
learn the three R's, and since
some of the terrible things
that are happening these days
have proved that religion
isn't being taught, and lived,
in the homes, it is a very sure
thing that the public must
take over. What better way
than to teach it to our grow
ing citizens in all schools?
Let everyone of us write
letters wherever it will do
the most good, and remind all
churches, states and to whom
it may concern, that every
school should open with
prayer and fundamentals of
religion. Honesty and clean
living as Jesus Christ taught
it can be told in words that
will not go against the belief
of any church denomination.
I have faith that if we are
unable to fight Communism
alone, God can and will, with
our help. Let us work with
Him.
One of our communicators
says he once sat on a cash
register full of five dollar
gold pieces, but since we Dem
ocrats got in he can't even sit
on a one dollar bill.
What on earth did he try
it for?
A cash register wouldn't be
comfortable seat if filled
with swan's down, and try
ing to find a soft seat on a
tiny dollar bill these years of
high costs! Tut, tut.
I saw a dollar bill once, a
couple of years ago when the
Republicans dropped it. I kept
it for a souvenir for a whole
day, but alas, I had to use it
for a down payment on a
pound of coffee. .
I am glad to hear that It
is in circulation again.
Pearl Spackman,
P. O. Box 33,
Jacksonville, Ore.
In Reply
To the- Editor; Defending
my statement of God's love
for the liar, fornicator, and
the drunkard: "He brought
me up also out of an horrible
pit, out of the miry clay, and
set my feet upon a rock, and
established my goings." Psalm
40:2. .
You and I were just poor
lost sinners, no belter or no
worse, than any front street
drunkard. The scripture says
"For all have sinned and
come short of the glory of
God." Romans 3:23. "All we
like sheep have gone astray,
we have turned every one to
his own way; and the Lord
hath laid on him the iniquity
of us all." Isaiah 53:6.
So what is the answer?
"God so loved the world, that
He gave His only begotten
Son, that whosoever believeth
in him should not perish, but
have everlasting life. John
3:16. "Behold I stand at the
door; and knock; if any man
hear my voice, and open the
door, I will come in to him
and will sup with him, and he
with me." Rev. 3:20. Notice
the scriptures say "any man
that includes all men, the
drunkard as well as the self
righteous. I realize that also we wor
ship a wrathful God, who will
pour out His venegeance on
his enemies. (Romans 12:19.)
Who is His enemy. These are
His enemies: "He that believ
eth on him is not condemned:
but he that believeth not is
condemned already, because
he hath not believed in the
name of the only begotten
Son of God." John 3:18. The
scripture says God does love
the sinner. He isn t willing
that any should perish. II
Peter 3:9.
In studying the scriptures 1
find but one "must." "Marvel
not that I said unto thee, Ye
must be born again." John
3:-7.
Donald L. Ullom
Star Rt. Box 32
Eaqle Point, Ore.
3 or 4 Bucks
To the Editor: Have Just
read "The Medical Big Lie,"
by Dr. Herbert Hartley. 1
would like to ask the kind
doctor to give me Just one
name of one doctor or one hos
pital that will take an older
person to treat without de
manding cash on the barrel
head.
1 am oast 69. I know of
what I speak. I definitely do
not want socialized medicine.
The thing that hurts the aged,
and also the younger genera
tion, is Insurance. The medi
cal profession have soaked the
insurance people, until insur
ance is out of our reach. And
by so doing they have raised
the price so high we older
people cannot pay it.
I want to make it plain to
Dr. Hartley that your article
is not "The Medical Big Lie."
I can prove that one hospital,
also one doctor, had a woman
in for a check up less than 24
hours, and for that 24 hours
the bill was $225. A mistake
MAIL TRIBUNE. MEDFORD.
of course; but after correcting
the mistake, it was $79. All
they gave the lady in question
was a blood check and a shot
of insulin.
You go into a doctor's of
fice, it's just like an assembly
line, 3 to 4 bucks a throw, and
with the advice to come back
in one week. You come in on
your own power, you leave on
your own power. Why keep
them coming back? I always
thought a sick person was in
bed. I'll tell Dr. Hartley why
they keep them coming back;
it's that 3 or 4 bucks.
William Stilwell
Route 2, Box 196M
Central Point, Ore.
The Mess We Are In
To the Editor: Speaking of
the mess we are in, why are
we in a mess? James 5:1-6-"Go
to ye rich men weep and
howl-Why? Because by fraud
the workmen have been cheat
ed of his just pay, and his
cry has come up before God.
Gradually through educa
tion the workmen have come
to realize there is a vast dif
ference between gross profits
of industry and the percen
tage paid workmen.
They say we had a stable
dollar in about 1935 with gold
at $35 an ounce and wages-'
my husband in 1936 worked
haying, all day for $2 and din
ner. So in truth, everything
has to come down or gold
must come up.
So, the talk of competing
with slave labor. Why should
we compete with them, why
not them with us?
Because, we have nothing
but industry to back up our
paper dollar. As long as in
dustry keeps going everything
else will keep going. But we
can't put a cow up for securi
ty and on the butcher's block
at the same time. Yet we have
done that with our gold. It
seems less crucial to bring up
the price of gold than to bring
down everything else. .
So maybe God is about to
do something, but when the
rich men start to weep and
howl - remember, you will be
crying too. All down through
the ages the poor have wept,
and there is no promise of
his tears being . dried until
Christ comes to remove all
sorrow.
So, we are in a mess. In
stead of free enterprise it
may soon be free monopoly.
Small farmers can't make it,
they sell to big farmers, who
use big machinery to do a big
job, and maybe low pay.
For my nickel's worth the
government can take over
everything and run it with
big machines - operated by
machines, and just pension
everybody off.
Then those that want to
dig gold can, and the rest can
"dig tourists." Trouble is
everyone is digging everyone
now.
Maybe going to the moon
will be a nloasure.
Thelma Glad
1427 Lawnridge
Medford
Young Democrats for
Education
To the Editor: We are proud
of our state. For academic
achievement, the Oregon
school system has been rated
third In the nation. There are,
however, ominous dark spots
already left untended too
long, and there are new pro
grams which, Oregon needs to
pioneer if we are to continue
our progress and not further
lag behind the reputation
which Oregon has built for
herself nationwide.
In the spirit of building for
the future and continuing Or
egon's unequivocal position of
better educational opportunity
for ail, to the Legislature and
the people of Oregon, we rec
ommend: -Appropriation of between
$150,000 and $200,000 to pro
vide education for the chil
dren of migrant workers so
that we In Oregon need no
longer participate in the Har
vest of Shame.
-Passage of SB60 for an in
crease in minimum teacher
salaries by $000 to $700. Ore
gon, which once ranked 8th
in the nation for teacher sal
aries now stands 17th, sand
wiched between the 1st, Cali
fornia on the south, and Wash
ington, which also ranks high,
on the north. Many of our
best teachers are being lured
away to our sister states by
higher salaries.
-An Increase in the State
Basic School Support to $125
per child and a program to
boost the amount of school
cost paid through the State
Basic School Fund to 50 per
cent within the next three
years In order to finance edu
cational improvements, cover
inflationary cost rise, and pro
vide local property tax relief.
-Continuation and expan
sion of special educational
programs for the retarded and
gifted children.
-Establishment of commu
nity colleges to provide high
er education opportunities for
more people throughout the
state without swamping our
existing Institutions.
-Passage of a greatly ex
ORE
panded SB453 for state schol
arships so more top quality
students will remain for their
education in Oregon.
Passage of HJM8 memorial
izing the Congress to pass Fed
eral Aid to Education in rec
ognition that high educational
opportunity for every student
in the country is in the best
interests of all Americans and
is the responsibility of all.
Signed by representatives
of nine Young Democratic
Groups in Portland, Eu
gene, Tualitin, Oregon
City and Sherwood, Ore.
The Cat Problem
To the Editor: I have been
a resident of Jackson county
for many years, and as my
section seems to be one of the
favorite dumping grounds for
cats, I would like to voice an
opinion that has been formed
through actual experience.
I have had to cope with the
abandoned animals, either
feeding and caring for them,
or transporting them 8 miles
to the pound or disposing of
them.
When a person who likes
animals has to make a prac
tice of this sort of thing end
lessly, they can't help but
wonder why some public pro
vision is not made to take
care of the problem.
It is hoped that our county
court is aware of their re
sponsibilities to make pro
vision for not only conditions
that represent moneyed inter
ests, but that it is also their
responsibility to provide for
the basic requirements of a
well run community.
(Name on File)
Central Point, Ore.
Wild-Life
To the Editor: Well, Wild
life Week is behind us, the
Capistrano swallows reported- j
ly on time back at the old
mission, but very unlikely due
to the unusually early spring,
for swallows were reported in
the valley here a full month
ago. Also, and good to know,
E.A. is back apparently un
harmed from contact, if any,
with wild night-lifers back
east.
Speaking of wild-life per
se, a recent question was
raised In regards to -noise-making
habits of the American
Puma, mountain lion to the
southwest U.S., panther back
east, cat-a-moiint to old-timers
of the west, and cougar now
here in the far northwest, a
name from the Brazilian word,
kow - gar, meaning large
spotted cat which they are,
though of a tawney color
here.
Really, if one wishes to
know about the cougar, study
the ordinary house cat. They
are the same save in color and
size, unpredictable cowards In
running from a little barking
feisty dog, but also unpre
dictably courageous in stand-,
ing up to a fight with a dog
pack, slashing them to dying
moaning with terrible claws j
as fast as one gets near. And
they sound off in a variety
of growls, yowls and screams i
the same as house-cats do
when occasion demands. Usu
ally though, they tend to be
silent, save for a warning deep
growl to intruders, as the Gold
Hill girl discovered a couple
years ago, escaping harm by
appearing unafraid until out
of sight, as reported in the
MT.
My wife well remembers
the yowling of panthers (as
then .known) when visiting
their Hukill cousins over
Griffin creek way. One time
when she and sister Mahle,
with cousins Tom and Bert,
on their way to a Medford
show in a fringe-top canopy
phaeton, returning late, they
heard a nocturnal prowler lift
a yowling scream to the wood
ed hills of the Siskiyou moun
tains, Bert said: "That, girls,
is a panther screaming." The
sisters uttered a silent thanks
giving to the protection of
their cousins and the fancy
buggy they were safe in.
An old-timer once remark
ed to me that the cat-a-tnounl
slarls off with a throaty gar
gle, "jes' like he wuz swal
lerin' a chunk of my lalg." and
ends up like a high-pitched
woman's voice screaming.
Henry Hukill described It
much the same, often hearing
them prowling their fence
btiildlng camps on the Apple
gate. "We never gave the crit
ters much heed," he remarked.
'Mostly they were yowling an
answer to others across the
canyon."
F. J. Clifford.
Route 2, Box 200F,
Central Point, Ore.
He Once Was Wrong
To the Editor: I would like
to say a word to Mr. Jenny.
There was a day when I too
was on the wrong side of the
fence like you. But 1 came
from the wrong side with the
help of good Christian people
who took the trouble and time
to explain our Constitution to
me. Before this I was so cock
sure I was right. And now
thank God for the courage to
admit I was wrong. I used to
believe In such things as the
New Deal, but have since seen
and experienced the terrible
damage this and similar Ideas
have laid on ourselves and
other countries. !
Our forefather-; gave their
lives for freedom; but by your
interpretation Mr. Jenny, they
also were "super-patriots."
Things like the House Com
mittee On Un-American Ac
tivities (HCUA) I am behind
100 per cent. We must keep
them and instead of trying to
hamstring them, . we should
take steps to make them more
effective in curbing subver
sives. After all, who exposed
such people as Alger Hiss and
Harry Dexter White? When
will the people get the ex
planation of why White com
mitted suicide the day before
his trial?
There is so much evidence
on subversives that all people
have access to. Just write to
their elected Representatives
and Senators in Washington.
For Representatives the ad
dress is House Office Building,
Washington 25, D.C. For Sena
tors the address is, Senate Of
fice Building, Washington 25,
D.C. The evidence is there for
them.
Just remember what J. Ed
gar Hoover has said: "Beyond
any doubt secret communist
agents have worked them
selves into thousands of stra
tegic positions, ready to step
out and act for Russia when
the time comes." And recall
also the words of Dimitrow,
head of the Communist Inter
national: "One sympathizer is
worth more than a dozen com
munists. A university profes
sor or writer who defends or
lends himself to the interests
of the Soviet Union is worth
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a thousand party
Right now a serious effort
is being made to repeal the
Connally Reservation to the
Senate Resolution providing
for tlte adherence of our coun
try to the International Court
of Justice. Subversives are
among those guiding this ef
fort; but consider this-no com
munist nation holds to the
World Court to any extent
whatsoever; but eight Commu
nist nations possessing 10
votes participate in electing
the World Court Judges and
two judges from Communist
nations-the Soviet Union and
Poland-are now serving on
the Court. We should all re
member and keep these six
little words of the Connally
Reservation ". . . as decided
by the United States." These
six little words mean so very
much to the freedom, of the
American people.
Frank Koch,
'412 South First st.,
Central Point, Ore.
Dear Doctor
. To the Editor: I read with
some interest the letter in
communications entitled "The
Medical Big Lie," in which
Dr. Hartley suggested the lack
of proof of statements in an
earlier editorial.
If the doctor refers to sta
tistics and affidavits to sup
port claims made, can it be
that he is so naive as to be
lieve that so called statistics
cannot be tinctured by person
al prejudice and desire, In that
they are biased, that they are
ofttimes only substantiated by
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the fact they are not disprov
ed, like the- silly question
"How many hairs on a squir
rel?" If the answer is ques
tioned you are simply told to
count them.
This manner of- proving a'
contention has been used, and
I suspect it will be used many
more times, as an easy way
to gain the point, but inver
sion, or Inverse ratio if you
wish, does not serve as criteria
of truth.
Since records' and ' state
ments are only written words,
they are no more reliable than
who write and sign them, the
only "Sinion Pure" evidence
the editor- could produce
would be the living persons
unable to get medical care.
But it can.be done.
Dear doctor, in your letter
you speak, to quote in part,
of ''those who are trying to
break down the private enter
prise system". Surely, doctor,
you are applying the term
"private enterprise" to the
functions of the American
Medical Association, for in
truth it does not fit in that
this Association, through Its
members and various branch
es, solicits funds from the pub
lic to enhance its own re
search, to wit the Heart .fund,'
the Cancer fund, Rheumatism
and Arthritis fund, to cite only
a few, and are the profits re
flected in reduced rates to
patients? If not this takes the
"enterprise" of medicine out
of the "private" and into the
"public" category, and on the
same plane as Social Security.
.Then could it not, too, be
considered "socialized medi
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26. 1961
cine" In that it asks the public
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C. R. Burrlll,
122 Vilas rd-
Central Point, Ore. -:
Apologies Accepted
To the Eiitor: With all sorts
of apologies:
Chicken today and feather
tomorrow (in two tones):
How oft w.e sit and cogitate j
(That's' "figger" -' if you
please) :
Kaleidoscopic wonders of life's
great.pageantry; .:
(That's, "life's unending nunv
. bers
of bright, bold patterns,
see?)
Whilst others are so deep
engrossed
("Blowed up" is what that
means)
Accumulating sustenance
(that's "gittin' bread an'
beans")
That they stick around-wlth
their nose on the ground- ,
Til they die in their workln.'
jeans! j
"Gold Hill Billy", .
Gold Hill. Ore. '
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