Name/Title
What Ho, My Ancients!Entry/Object ID
2023.50.26Scope and Content
WHAT HO, MY ANCIENTS!
BY AN ANONYMOUS CONTRIBUTOR.
What ho, my Ancients ! Attend me, I pray,
For faro would I sing you a song of today!
The hired man asks, "Where in hell's Dingleville?
And what's Greiner's solaces-a Bible or pill?"
(Alas! I can't tell him-I wasn't here then,
When Wallin and Greiner were stalwart young men.)
But, Sires, do you heed me and take it for fact,
The old place is changed like the head of a tack
That's aimed at by woman, and altered so much
That even it's maker won't know it as such.
(Aye! Leave it to woman to ring in the changes!
Man but proposes it's woman arranges !)
The old harbor's gone. The new pier's where they fish from.
But the old swimming hole is no place for a Christian.
And cuddle pups snuggle all over the town
There's snuggle 'pups more than enough to go 'round.
(Hist! The Old Landmark already his sounded retreat,
And the editor works with his back to the Street!)
Our highways are plastered with signs that foretell
That in so many miles there's a certain hotel;
And the fence corners roost a dozen or more
Shouting the praises of garage or store.
(There's one near the factory--with tin on the back-
"Eat Crow or Stay Home"--or something like that.)
Aye, gaffers, the old town has changed quite a bit.
The women wear "britches" that give one a fit.
The prices are higher than Mount Baldy's dome,
And keep on a-climbing till the crowd's started home.
(Labor Day ends it--they flock back pell-mell;
As Chicago Sam Says, "Then it's duller than hell!")Context
In the summer of 1923 F. W. Greiner and Van A. Wallin both sent poetic reminiscences to the Commercial Record newspaper extolling the virtues of the "good ole days." In the above poem published in the August 24 issue, an anonymous contributor, possibly the editor himself, addresses the other poets, calling them "My Ancients" and describes how the place has changed since the one they pictured. Dingleville is the community near the Wallin tannery, on the edge of present-day Clearbrook County Club. The Old Landmark was the Goshorn general store in the building now occupied by Kilwin's. Edson and Dale Crow were Saugatuck restaurant owners.Collection
SDHS NL Inserts, Development, resistance toCataloged By
Winthers, SallyAcquisition
Accession
2023.50Acquisition Method
Found in CollectionNotes
SDHS Newsletter insert pagesLocation
* Untyped Location
Digital data in CatalogItRelationships
Related Person or Organization
Person or Organization
Wallin, Van Arthur 1866-1942, Greiner, Dr. Frank W. 1863-1933, Goshorn, Lintsford Barager 1860-1926General Notes
Note
This information was OCR text scanned from SDHS newsletter supplements. A binder of original paper copies is catalog item 2023.50.01Create Date
November 8, 2023Update Date
November 18, 2023