Poets' Corner
Conducted by
Arnold Eugene Jenny
From "Gamtrdtli"'
O happy they whose lives are linked
In sympathy or mutual love.
Whose hearts and thouchts and heines blend.
Whose pledge on earth is sealed above.
Akaki Tseretli
10th century Georgian poet (Russia)
From Anthology of Georgian Poetry, translated by Verna
Urushadze; courtesy of Dr. Leonard B. Mavlield, Medford.
O
Wild Blaekb.rry Tim
Here is warm mid-summer Joy,
When a barefoot country boy
With berry pail in either hand
Hies for hills and berryland.
Where the long and trailing vine,
Weathered log and stump entwine,
And under tall green bracken run
With fruit of earth and rain and tun.
And here the culminating joy,
A dusty, tired and happy boy
Is homeward bound with pails a-brim
For his Mom who worships him.
George McDonald
Dufur, Ore.
O
Sleepy Town 1904
Did you ever hear of Sleepy Town
On the banks of the river Bear,
Where they all go to bed when the sun goes down,
For they have no street lights there.
The streets are paved with Mother Earth,
The walks are boards nailed down,
With nails sticking up like harrow teeth
. That tear the ladies' gowns.
Here they have a Slow and Easy street.
And the business centers there:
It runs past the sink holes to the west
And east, o'er the river Bear.
Just here you will find Wait-a Bit street
. Where behind-timers go,
And then over there on the banks of the Bear
Many soft "Go-Easys" grow.
Yes, Sleepy Town has a mayor
And aldermen, It Is true.
Yet the streets are dark and gloomy
When the trains are passing through.
But there is one thing they can boast,
And it's quite a pretty sight:
When the mayor gets out with hli automobile
And gives the streets a light.
Wake up, Mr. Mayor, wake up, wake up!
Bring your aldermen up to the mark
And make that lazy old rock crasher work
And banish the mud and the dark.
Eliza L. Palmer
Medford
"Composed by Mrs. Palmer when she was past 80; sub
mitted by her only grand-child, Miss Henriette A. Medynski,
- Medford, herself past 85.
o
Thoughts
Thoughts are funny things that walk across your face:
The bad ones come with dragging feel which leave
an ugly trace;
But good thoughts have such happy feet that smiles
grow as they pass;
And faces, where they come to play, look lovely
In the glass.
Anon.
(Submitted by Jerry Lou McWherter, Talent, Ore.)
-O
The Age of Poets
A study of more than 1.000 poets showed that 41 per
rent of the best work was produced by those In their
twenties. 28 per cent in their thirties, and 11 per cent in
their forties. The other decades show smaller output, rang
ing down to 1 per cent in the seventies. .
-Bruce BUven, in New York limes Magazine, 36762. vision commission with was water. For there was1 Central Point, Ore.
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Poetry Editor Finds Young People Here
Active, Constructive,
By
ARNOLD EUGENE JENNY
Mail Tribune Poetry Editor
This is a salute to Medford
and the Rogue River valley,
particularly to our public
schools and their - and other
- contributors to the Poets'
Corner of the Mail Tribune.
Communications
Letters to the Editor must bear the nam and sddrtu of in wrltar, although undr
certain circumstances th us of a pan na.u or initial for publication is permissible
Th Mail Tribun rciarves th right to edit all letters with a view to clarification and
condensation. Letters submitted for publication must not exceed 400 words. Th Utters
printed in this column do not necessarily represent the views of the paper! in tact the
contrary is often the case.
Reapportionment
To the Editor: Now that the
socalled "East Oregon" reap
portionment scheme has ob
tained enough signatures to
assure it being on the ballot
in the November general elec
tion, every voter should in
form himself on the meaning
of this plan and it's relation
to conditions at this time.
More than half the states in
the nation are engaged in a
tremendous effort to bring
antequated apportionment sys
tems up to date in order to
establish more demo c r a t i c
methods for both state legisla
ture and Congress.
In comparison. Oregon has
one of the most democratic
systems in the Union, for both
legislature and Congress. Ore
gon's constitution establishes
an apportionment based in
population and provides that
it shall be reapportioned
every ten years, following the
federal census. For many
years rural counties controlled
the state legislature and ig
nored this provision of the
Constitution. In 1952 we
passed by referendum a con
stitutional amendment that
took the power to reapportion
out of the hands of the legis
lature and placed final deter
mination wilh the State Su
preme Court and set up ma
chinery that makes such re
alignment mandatory.
This reapportionment did,
in fact, shift a certain amount
of the balance of power in the
legislature to the more popu
lous sections of the state,
which is what it should have
done if we are to maintain a
democratic slate. It has also
given us, on the whole, a more
liberal government than we
had known for many years.
Another strong reason for
rejecting the proposed amend
ment, at this time, is the fact
that the 1981 legislature auth
orized a Constitutional Re-
MEDFORD MAIL THIBUNE.
One hears a lol of unfavor
able criticism of our schools
in this country, most of it un
informed and unwarranted.
that it is a real pleasure to be
able to report on some ex-'choirs, orchestras, bands, de
cellent things done in our baters and orators, to cite
schools, notably right here in j only a few. Scholastically.
Medford and Jackson county. too. Medford's schools enjoy
I authority to rewrite the entire
state constitution. It is under
stood this commission is now
ready to report and that
among other things it offers a
new apportionment plan that,
while increasing the number
of representatives, thus re
ducing the size of the required
district, follows closely the
original constitution by mak
ing the apportionment entire
ly on a population basis. If
this new constitution is ac
cepted by the 1063 Legisla
ture It will be offered to the
people for referendum vote in
1984. Why muddy the water
by trying now to adopt a plan
that may become obsolete in
two years?
D. Ivan Frith.
794 Forlner Lane
Ontario, Ore.
Pages of History
To the Editor: Just this one
more on the Modoc war se
ries, if only to express grati
tude for the editor's quest for
space that is ever a problem
to a newspaper make-up staff.
Aslo appreciation for Dr. Ste
venson and others of South
ern Oregon college who ar
ranged the field-study trip for
their student body and the
spare seals for wife and me.
But best of all, it gave me
chance to throw a little light
from the "other sine'' on the
dark pages of Indian history.
For this light was from the
torch Jeff Riddle handed me
so long ago, to carry on the
work he had so well done In
his book, The Indian History
of Modoc War, to he had only
for study there in 1he refer
ence research department of
our local library, i
The greatest problem, he
reminded me. for his people,
was "water. For there was
MEDFOHD. OREGON
Worthy of Praise
Most Valley residents are
well aware of our public
schools' outstanding achieve
ments in various fields: by
the Black Tornado, Thespians
none at the Stronghold.
Strong-willed squaws snake
bellied down through the
white enemy lines to fill a
badgcrskin water bottle at the
lake, drink all they could
get down so as to fill their
mouth with water to be let
into the parched mouths of
their suffering little ones, as
most of the water had to go
to the fighting men.
But this was ended when
an alert soldier caught a
water seeking squaw and
bashed her head in" with a
rifle butt. A welcomed skift
of April snow was welcome
moisture for melting-drinking,
though bringing suffer
ing to poorly shod feet whose
bloody prints were quite the
same as those of Washington's
men at Valley Forge.
Lack of water forced the
Modocs to retreat to the ice
caves. Here, at the third fight
if memory serves, Ellen's
Man was lost. But he died
gloriously in Modoc thinking,
as two Warm Spring Indian
scout betrayers near by fell
to his aim. This marked the
end of the Modocs as a tribe,
for each blaming the other
for leaving their leader alone
in such an advanced position,
the tribe split into small par
ties and run down by their
own Benedict Arnolds, some
to be hung, others banished
to the Indian's Siberia, the
Indinn territory.
Let me have a little spBce
to thank the young lady
whose name was not ob
tained, but her strong young
hand helping my hurrying
aged feet down the rock
strewn trail to the waiting
bus will never be forgotten.
Maybe she will pick up the
torch when that time arrives.
F. J. Clifford
Route 2, Box 200F
Central Point, Ore.
high rating, comparing fav.
orably with the nation's best.
As a onetime teacher, some
time critic of American edu
cation, and relative newcom
er to Medford. I have been es
pecially Interested and pleas
ed to observe some of this ac
tivity and to Join In praise of
the superior performance wit
nessed. Theipiant Praised
As long ago as March 3,
1961, I had occasion to write
in the Communications De
partment in appreciation of
the Thespians' outstanding
performance of Arthur Mill
er's play, "The Crucible," un
der the able coaching and di
rection of Mrs. Lenore Za
pell of the Medford High
school faculty. About the
same time, invited by Mrs.
Maxlne Smith to give a talk
to her German classes ("auf
deutsch." to the seniors), I
was impressed by the evi
dences of good instruction ob
served. Not long ago I was
impressed similarly by the
work on display at the senior
high school's arts and crafts
exhibition.
Especially gratifying was a
recent experience resulting
from a letter I had in Com
munications, refuting argu
ments in another by John
Casterline, student at Hcrl
rick Junior High. More pleas
ant than the somewhat emo
tional and Irrelevant rejoin
ders by other citizens, was an
invitation from John's Eng
lish teacher, Jerry McDoug
all, to visit one of his classes
to observe the work done by
the students.
Good 'Bull Session'
I countered this gracious in
vitation with another for Mr.
McDougall and several of his
students, including John, to
dinner with me at Rogue Val
ley Manor and a good "bull
session" afterward. That
proved a revealing and stimu
lating experience for me: as
keen a group of young peo
ple as one could wish to
meet anywhere - and I've
known a lot of them in my
time, in various parts of this
and other countries. My sub
vvn
ready to buy your
dream house . . .
Y1T JACKSON
sequent visits, on two succes- Rogue River valley. You, as
sive days, to Mr. McDougall's ' editor of the Poets' Corner,
special class in debating. In I have introduced a feature
the summer session at Mc- j which may well contribute to
Loughlin Junior High, proved 1 the future cultural level of
equally rewarding. My new your communtiy." Congratu
young friends gave excellent lations also have been recciv.
account of themselves In one ed from Mrs. Thomas Curtis
debate witnessed, and I was i of Maywood, 111., widow of
equally Impressed by the high
quality of Mr. MrDougaH's
coaching
Some months ago, in a con
versation with James Back
en, head of the Senior High
School's English department,
I suggested that students do
ing the best writing of verse
submit some of their work to
the Sunday Mail Tribune's
Poets' Corner. Not long after
ward, Mr. Backen 3cnt me a
batch of contributions by
about a dozen students and I
was delighted with the tal
ent displayed. Most of those
poems have since been pub
lished in our "Corner" or are
scheduled for future issues
In some instances, works of
real merit but In need of im
provement achieved accep
tance by following sugges
tions 1 made to the authors: in
a poetry "bull session" at Mr.
Backen's home, and by cor
respondence. Pleased by Column
Commenting on this activ
ity, Mrs. Rena D. Parks of
Portland, a Poets' Corner con
tributor and Unit Chairman
(for branches in various parts
of the state) of the Oregon
State Poetry association,
wrote some lime ago: "I took
your clippings (of the Poets'
Corner) to the study group
meeting of Interested poets
. . . They were amazed and
pleased as I was that your col
umn shows up lo such advan
tage, and that so many around
Medford write verse so well."
And later. Mrs. Parks com
mented: "Your work with
(Medford students) Is the best
news I have heard in a long
time. It is just what our or
ganization hopes will happen
in all high schools in the
state."
Mrs. J. Miriam Cole, also of
Portland and 2d vice presi
dent of the Oregon Verso
weavers' Poetry society,
wrote some months ago: "1
wish to congratulate you up
on the quality of the poems
submitted lo the Medford
Mail Tribune; the paper itself
is a fine advertisement for the
en you are
bAVINOb AND LUAN AbbN-
Home Office
Ashland Branch
BtJNDAY. JULY J9.
I the
1 the
ule poet and author of
only published hOOk of
poems on Lincoln, a number
of whose poems have appear
ed in our "Corner.
Mary Boyd Wagner, of
Klamath Falls pioneer stock
now resident of New York
City; poet, critic and teacher;
author of "Roots," a collec
tion of her poems, one of
which, "Ancestral Home," ap
peared In the Poets' Corner
on June 10 (others scheduled
for later issues), also, has had
high praise for our column
and particularly for the work
of our high school students.
Concerning the lat;er, she
wrote on June 25:
Up With Th. Bast
"Their poetry measures up
with the best being done by
young poets - that is, with
those who have not achieved
professional status. I was one
of the Judges of the last con
test for senior high school
pupils of greater New York.
There were about 45 finalists,
the winners In all of the
schools. It was only these fin
alists which came to me, and
the poems written by the
Medford students (published
in the Poets' Corner, (copies
of which had been sent Mrs.
Wagner) compare favorably
wilh the winners In the con
tests and are much better
than those of most of the com
peting finalists. Won't you
please tell them this."
So, again I salute Medford
and all our contributors who
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have made the Poets' Corner
In the Sunday Mail Trlhun
possible - not least, the as
piring and promising poets
In our high schools of Med
ford and Jackson county
(some of the latter also hav
ing been accepted and sched
j uled for future issues).
j I hplipup (hi arrnnnl
!Ps also as an effective refnia.
Hon of the pessimistic assess
ments of present-day youth
appearing in recent letters in
Communications and such jer
emiads as that in the "Ore-
gonlan" of July 1 by the
gloomy Jenkin Lloyd Jones,
editor of the Tulsa Tribune.
As I stated in the June 12 is
sue of the Mail Tribune: "I
believe today's youth gives
every bit as good account of
itself as any of us oldsters
did when we were young -and
in many respects, much
better. Most of today's young
people are busier than sll-get-out
In more worthwhile activ
ities than any of us antedilu
vians knew in our youth: in
our schools, churches, scout
ing, 4-H and FFA, the YMCA,
and other like organizations
and their equivalents on the
college and university level,
and In after-school employ
ment." SHIP IT LflSME
to or from Oakland, San Fran,
cisco. Lot ArifoUi and othtr
California pointi.
773-7761
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J
1962
rpr-Tr Fitzgerald