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...IS YOUR TOWN NINEVEH? by MARIANNE MOORE WAR VERSE (1914) by EZRA POUND |