Simple Facts For Young South Australians (1864)
(In an easy Metrical dress for Committal to the Memory.)
CHAP. 1 [Includeth Astronomy, Political Economy, Jurisprudence and the like,]
The glorious sun in summer-time
Our system much relaxes,
It shines above the earth sublime
And turns upon its axis.
The moon makes phases every night
As we may duly learn,
From Master Boothby's almanack
And the Grenfell-street concern.
There's stars galore both great and small,
Some dull and some shine,
As C-pp-n, Gr--lle, Bianchi, H-ll,
Push-hard and Quarantini.
There's comets, in their vapour wrapt,
Like Empyrean milos,
And some wear trains and some wear tails,
And some wear only high-lows.*
Our Parliament, next claims my song,
Twin galaxies of glory,
One famed for "lucid" argument
And one for oratory.--
But neither House to hear the name
Of its adjunct can bear,
And one speaks of "another place"
And t'other of "elsewhere."
Their statutes are infallible,
(We trust at least, sincerely;)
And the Law of Real Property
Is perfect--very nearly.
And there be Judges of the law
And Judges of the facts,
And Judges of long arguments,
And Judges of the acts.
Law practitioners there be,
Some, prosy, and some "nipping,"
And some are of a martial turn,
And some have been caught tripping.
And there be suits, and writs, and rules,
Nisi prius, and fi. fa.
And scire-facias--Heaven help those
That have to pay the piper !
And libel actions are devised
A "ribald press" to annihilate
By some, whom to defame, would be
T'add "perfume to the violet."
(To be Continued.)
* "Haloes?"--Typographical demon.
Notes
From the South Australian newspaper the Bunyip Saturday 2 July 1864, p. 4.