Classic Poem

I saw an aged man at work —
He turned an auger round;
And ever and anon he'd pause,
And meditate profound.
Good morning, friend, quoth I to him, —
Art thinking when to raise ?
O, no! said he, I 'm thinking on
The old " pod-auger days."

True, by the hardest then we wrought,
With little extra aid;
But honor's were the things we bought,
And honor's those we made.
But now invention stalks abroad,
Deception dogs her ways;
Things different are from what they were
In old " pod-auger days."

Then homely was the fare we had,
And homespun what we wore;
Then scarce a niggard pulled the string
Inside his cabin door.
Then humbugs did n't fly so thick
As half the world to haze;
That sort of bug was scarcely known
In old " pod-auger days."

Then men were strong, and woman fair
Was hearty as the doe;
Then few so dreadful " feeble" were,
They could n't knit and sew;
Then girls could sing, and they could work,
And thrum gridiron lays;
That sort of music took the palm
In old " pod-auger days."

Then men were patriots — rare, indeed,
An Arnold or a Burr ;
They loved their country, and in turn
Were loved and blessed by her.
Then Franklin, Sherman, Rittenhouse
Earned well the nation's praise;
We've not the Congress that we had
In old " pod-auger days."

Then " slow and certain" was the word;
Now, " dei'l the hindmost take;"
Then buyers rattled down the tin ;
Now, words must payment make;
Then, murder-doing villians soon
Were decked in hempen bays;
We did n't murder in our sleep ,
In old " pod-auger days."

So wags the world; — 'tis well enough,
If Wisdom went by steam;
But in my day she used to drive
A plain old-fashioned team;
And Justice with her bandage off
Can now see choice in ways;
She used to sit blind-fold and stern
In old " pod-auger days."