I KNOW another gentleman, whose name I have forgotten; His line of merchandise was wool—or maybe it was cotton. I overheard his partner and himself at conversation Regarding the emoluments of cloth adulteration. "Now, larger dividends accrue from mixing wool with shoddy; We have to stick 'em somehow. Ain't it done by everybody? Besides," he argued clearly as a Mannie Kant magician, "In business, you must do a lot to meet the competition." That night I heard him make a speech—a sturdy and sincere one, If it has ever been my pleasant privilege to hear one, Replete with ringing words it was, and this is how it ended: "The honor of the Stars and Stripes [Applause] must be defended." | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...POSSESSED by RUTH FITCH BARTLETT BURY HIM DEEP by THOMAS LOVELL BEDDOES THE BRIGHT ASSASSIN by WILLIAM ROSE BENET GIACINTA by WILFRID SCAWEN BLUNT HOLLY BERRY AND MISTLETOE by WILLIAM STANLEY BRAITHWAITE |