Classic Poem

BY Master J OHN'S DESIRE, ABOUT THE R OD AND THE W HIP .

T HE Rod and Whip had some disputes;
One managed boys, the other brutes.
Each pleaded his superior nature,
The Goad was chosen arbitrator,
A judge acquainted with the matter,
Upright, inflexible, and dry,
And always pointed in reply:—
“'Tis hard,” he said, “to pass a sentence,
“Betwixt two near and old acquaintance;
“The Whip alleges that he drives
“The plough, by which the farmer lives,
“And keeps his horses in obedience,
“And on this ground he claims precedence.
“The Rod asserts, that little boys,
“With nonsense, nastiness, and noise,
“Screaming, and quarrelling, and fighting,
“Not knowing figures, books, or writing,
“Would be far worse than farmer's horses,
“But for the rules which he enforces—
“He proves his claim as clear as day,
“So Whips and Goads must both give way.”