,
You can see on any plate
That was made in Cochin China years ago.

[Illustration: Moral Blindness. This illustrated poem depicts the two
woman fighting, people plugging their ears near the goose, and running
away from the goat.]

MORAL BLINDNESS

There was an old woman, as I've heard say,
Who owned but a single goose.
And the dame lived over toward Truxton way,
And the animal ran at loose.
It cackled up and it cackled down,
Disturbing the peace of all the town:
Gentle and simple, knight and clown,
From the dawn to the close of the day.

Another old woman, of not much note,
Lived over toward Truxton way,
Who owned a goat with a shaggy black coat,
As I've heard the neighbours say.
And it was the fear of one and all;
Butting the great, butting the small,--
No matter whom,--who happened to fall
In the way of this evil goat.

Said the first old woman, "This ugly goat
Should never thus run at loose."
Said the second, "I wish they'd cut the throat
Of that noisy cackling goose."
And so it happened when e'er that they
Would meet each other upon the way
They'd bicker and hicker the livelong day
In the key of a scolding note.

But all the neighbours, great and small,
Complained of both with grievous tone.
From which I gather that we all
See other's faults and not our own.

H. PYLE

[Illustration: OVERCONFIDENCE. This illustrated poem shows the people
gazing upon the peacock, and later running away covering their ears.]

OVERCONFIDENCE

A peacock sat on ye garden wall
(See picture here to ye right),
An ye folk came crowding-great and small
For it chanced that none in ye town at all
Had ever seen such a sight
If you'd have been there perhaps you'd have heard
Ye folk talk thus, as they looked at ye bird:

"O crickety!--Law!--
O jimmeny me!--
I never yet saw!--
Who ever did see
Such a beautiful sight in the world before,
Since ye animals marched from ye old ark door?
O! Look at ye spots
In his tail! And ye lots
Of green and of blue in his beautiful wings!
I'd give a new shilling to know if he sings!"

Ye peacock says, "Surely, they'll greatly rejoice
To hear but a touch of my delicate voice."
(_Sings._)

"O dear! O dear!--
O stop it!--O do!--
We never did hear
Such a hullballoo!
'Tis worse than ye noise that ye carp