Poetry for Merry May
Mr Mandragon
Mr Mandragon , the millionaire , he wouldn 't have wine or wife ,
He couldn't endure complexity ; he lived the simple life.
He ordered his lunch by megaphone in manly, simple tones,
And used all his motors for canvassing voters , and twenty telephones . Besides a dandy little machine ,
Cunning and neat as ever was seen
With a hundred pulleys and cranks between,
Made of metal and kept quite clean,
Tohoist him out of his healthful bed on every day of his life, And wash him and brush him, and shave him and
dress him to live the simple life.
Mr. Mandragon was most refined and quietly , neatly dressed Say all the American newspapers that know refinement best ; Quiet and neat the hair and hat, and the coat quiet and neat A trouser worn upon either leg, while boots adorn the feet ; And not as any one would expect ,
A Tiger Skin, all striped and specked ,
And a Peacock Hat with the tail erect ,
A scarlet tunic with sunflowers decked ,
That might have had a more marked effect,
And pleased the pride of a weaker man that had Yearned for wine or wife;
But fame and the flagon , for Mr. Mandragon Obscured the Simple Life.
Mr. Mandragon , the millionaire , I'm happy to say, is dead. He enjoyed a quiet funeral in a crematorium shed,
And he lies there fluffy and soft and grey,
And certainly quite refined.
When he might have rotted to flowers and fruit With Adam and all mankind.
Or been eaten by bears that fancy blood
Or been burnt on a big tall tower of wood
In a towering flame , as a heathen should, Or even sat with us here at food ,
Merrily taking twopenny rum
and cheese with a pocket knife.
But these were luxuries lost for him That lived for the Simple Life.
lenty of G K Chesterton's writing is good fun. This piece is from PThe Flying Inn, but The Napoleon of Notting Hill and The Man Who was Thursday are recommended , along with the Father
Brown stories.
However, G K Chesteron was a deeply studious intellect. At about the time of his conversion to Roman Catholicism , he wrote a history of England with special attention to the Reformation . About a 100 years ago, he was accorded the non-heritable papal title "Defensor Fides" - only the second Englishman honoured with this . The establishment under King George the Fifth took offence to this, and the Hanovers abrogated the title for themselves. Of course , their family still use it. GB
44 Phonebox Magazine
Olney Duck & Raft Race Will you be ready for this year's
0 lney Duck and Raft Races?
allowing on from the success of last year , when we Fhad over 1400 rubber ducks and 20 rafts of various shapes , sizes and speeds take to the water , this
year's races will take place on Sunday 6th July. The fastest raft last year was crewed by Those ORful Men (the Olney Runners) and the most entertaining was Carlton Goes Congo.
With the races only a few months away, it's about time to start getting your rafting team together. The main purpose of the day is to have fun , but teams enter and compete with different aims. The race categories are Male and Mixed, Female, Junior and, of course , Most Entertaining .
In recent years, we've had many entries from local sports and fitness clubs, school PTAs, pubs and families. It's a great way to build team spirit and , if companies or individuals to sponsor your raft, it's a neat way to fundraise. We'll have stalls and various activities at the race finish too, but more information will follow nearer the time.
For information about race rules and entry, or to apply to have a stall at the finish, please contact The Olney Group. Email mark.luckin@googlemail.com or go to www.theolneygroup.org. If you've not seen the event before, explore the site to see what happens on the day .
The Duck Race is organised by the 1st Olney Scout Group, and the Raft Race is organised by The Olney Group .