agnostic),' which I am not so sure you'll approve of." This last phrase was meant for Cassandra, With inimitable

6

who was devoted to the cause.'

wit, Jason read:

"A is for ANTIS - the allies of sin,
Who scourge Suffragitis with horrible din.

"B is for BALLOT

- the sceptre which rules, Not granted to Women, ex-convicts or fools.

"C is for CHILD LABOR (let plutocrats gloat), How long would it last if Mothers could vote?

"D is for DUTY men owe to their Wives,

To give them the vote

then repent all their lives.

sought at the polls

By feminine creatures with masculine souls.

"F is for FRANCHISE -'Tis plain to be seen

They'll have it, God bless 'em, by nineteen steen steen.

"G is for GIRLS

whenever they start

They'll vote with their head - but more with their heart.

"H is for HUSBAND with resolute jaw,

Who, when you have children, is required by law.

Deprived of a vote through descent from a rib.

"J is for JUSTICE which Women pursue;

They obey all the laws - why not make just a few?

"L is for LADIES chock full of hard knocks

For the masculine voter, while darning his socks.

"M is for MANACLES fetters which years

Have forged on the wrists of the Women, poor dears!

"N is for NATIONS

learning at last

That shy, shrinking Woman's a thing of the Past.

"O is for OAK once for clinging vines suited, But strong grew the vine, so the tree's been uprooted.

"P is for PAPA

once head of the house, But since Mother voted as meek as a mouse.

"Q is for QUIBBLE

dare any man state That Suffragettes do it when pressed in debate?

"R is for REVERENCE which decent man shows
To his charming and arduous suffragist foes.

S is for SEX which being made double
Is really the mainspring of all of this trouble.

"T is for TAXES which Woman must pay,
Concerning their uses she's nothing to say.

"U is for UNION

for thus, hand in hand, Queen Man and King Woman united should stand.

"V is for VOTING - what feminine bliss
Except perhaps flirting, is greater than this?

"W is for wOMAN the Mother of men,

But without any fathers, Mrs. Woman, what then?

"X is for XANTHIPPE

- quite set, as you know,

Did she, too, root for suffrage, so long, long ago?

"Y is for YOKE such as dumb cattle wear,

Let him who'd grind Woman to earth have a care!

"Z is for ZENITH (no more 'don'ts' and 'can'ts') When Woman will stalk through the World wearing 'pants'!"

"Well, I hope the suffrage organizations won't adopt that poem for a constitution," Cassandra remarked, when Jason finished.

66

They could do worse," Jason retorted.

"Come, come," I cried, " neither of you are doing justice to Mr. Haskins as a humorist. Now, personally I think, he hits off a humorous situation with true distinction. I am going to read 'The Tragedy,' which presents a most amusing incident:

"The shoemaker sat

With his rat-a-tat-tat,

While fitting my shoes with new soles, new soles, And there stocking footed

I sat as if rooted

With holes in my socks, blooming holes, holes, holes. Ales, what a sin to

Look out through the window

And see Mary passing, my sweet, my sweet,

But how could I hollo

And how could I follow

With holes in my socks and no shoes on my feet?

I begged the shoemaker,

The blooming old faker,

To give back my shoes, without soles, without heels, But though they weren't done, he

Demanded the money

And turned a deaf ear to my frantic appeals.

So off down the street,

On her dainty, small feet,

Walked Mary, sweet Mary, with swift graceful stride, And but for the shocking

Large holes in my stocking

For sure, without shoes, I'd 'a' walked at her side."

"Sort of blows through you like a clean wind, doesn't it?" remarked Cassandra.

"Wholesome and sweet. Mr. Haskins sees the humors of life in the commonest incidents," Jason commented.

"Yes," I replied; "his verse is something if we had a name for it, that corresponds to the homespun verse of a generation ago. Rag mats and crazy quilts were of the homespun period. Mr. Haskins' humorous muse is of the period of mission furniture and gas mantles she's quite a modern lady."

"A parodist on life," declared Jason.

"That's one thing life can't be - parodied," Psyche contested. "It is only literature that lends itself to parody."

"But I differ with you, Psyche, though I won't argue the point," Jason held to his belief. "I suppose you think that only cynics hold that literature is mostly a parody on life.”

"Cynics don't hold to anything but their egotism," Psyche rebuked.

"Oh, really, I'm not as bad as that, am I?" beseeched Jason. "But do you think Mr. Untermeyer is cynical in his parodies?

"Of course not," broke in Cassandra.

"No, but a trifle satirical," added Psyche. "But you'll admit he strikes a posture," Jason countered.

"I'll not admit anything of the kind. He makes a gesture, but that's quite a different thing from a posture," replied Psyche.

"Oh, it comes to the same thing in the flourish,” Jason satisfied himself.

"Parody is an art, whether it is on life or literature," I interpolated, " and very few have succeeded in it. It seems to be more effective in the form of verse. And poets, because I suppose they are more sharply defined in their characteristic qualities, appear more susceptible to parody. We have, however, carried verse parodies to a farcical extent, and seldom to the heights of critical comedy. Burlesque has been deprived of the exquisite refinement which is, or should be, a part of its nature. It is sadly serious the way we have tried to be seriously funny. Our means have been apt, but we have managed to tinge it a little too coarsely; to rub the bloom which a satiric mood