Punch (77.1879)

September 20, 1879.] PUNCH, OR THE LONDON CHARIVARI.

123

A MODERN SAGA.

^fVith acknowledgments to Professor Longfellow.)

Named like some Viking old!
Thy deeds, brave Nordenskiolb,
No Scald in song hath told,

No Saga taught us !
Telegram brief and terse
Did the strange tale rehearse.
"Worthy of deathless verse

The news it brought us !

Far in the Northern land
Gathered a gallant band,
Under thy guiding hand,

Swede sturdy as sage ;
And, with unshrinking heart,
For the sixth time made start,
To ope to mind and mart

The North-East Passage.

On, past that Kara Sea,
Erst ice-bound mystery,
Now to its stout keel free,

Slowly yet surely,
Eastward the Vega bore,
Till round that headland hoar,*
Never yet turned before,

Sailed she securely.

Then, spreading wing, she flew
"Where, whilst the white whale blew,
Laboured her learned crew,

Dredging and sounding.
True modern Vikings they,
Born of our better day,
Finding in bloodless fray

Pleasure abounding.;

Fighting a dauntless fight
'Gainst Nature's Titan might,
Winning from Arctic night

Light for their fellows.
Fearless and scorning ease,
Sure stouter souls than these
Ne'er of those northern seas

Braved the chill billows.

On till with ice-pack close
Compassed, and endless snows,
They, midst the frozen floes,

Fixed winter quarters.
Nigh thrice a hundred days,
'Neath half a sun's scant rays,
Locked in those icy ways'

White waste of waters !

Many a hunting bout
Helped the long winter out,
Whilst the Norse savants stout

Searched, watched, and noted.
Then, that grim season past,
Scattered the floes, and fast
Through Behring's Straits at last

Safely they floated.

So Courage wins the game!
Brave Swede, thy Viking name
Banks on the roll of fame,

Northern De Gama !
Who shall applause refuse
To that long Arctic cruise,
Told in that brief, swift news

From Yokohama ?

Three hundred years or more,
On that far Arctic shore,
For way that eastward bore,

Man hath contended.
Now thou hast reached the goal,
Swede, sage and stout of soul,
Skoal! to thee, Norseman, Skoal!

Thus the fight's ended!

Cspe Chelyuskin, or Severo, the northernmost
promontory of Asia.

THE GENTLE CRAFTSMAN. (?)

Irascible Angler (who hasn't had a rise all day). " There !"—(Throwing his Uy-book into the
stream, with a malediction)—" Take tour Choice ! "

POOR NEEDLEMEN!

A vert serious discovery has been made public within the last few days, to which we lose
no time in drawing general attention. A letter in the Times ascribes ignorance to Inspectors
of Elementary Schools—not of dates or decimals, nor of parsing or physical geography, but
of an accomplishment which it may surprise a great many well-informed people to hear that
distinguished Graduates of our Universities, high wranglers, first-class men, Fellows of
Colleges, are expected to possess—Needlework! not embroidery or crewels, but plain,
unadorned, homely, useful needlework !

These hardly-used gentlemen (the Inspectors of Schools), whether married or single,
whether engaged or disengaged, are required to examine the needlework done by the children
in our elementary schools, the "hemming," the " backstitching," the " button-holing," the
" seaming," the "whipping," the "herring-boning," the darning and patching, the cutting-
out and making of shirts and frocks and pinafores ; and we are told, as might be expected,
that they are hardly equal to the obligation; in fact, to bring forth once more a fine old
crusted joke, that their performance of this part of their duty is but so-and-so.