It’s ALL ABOUT ME!

Not only did Daddy sing to us, he read to us. His go-to source for reading material was a book titled “A Treasury of the Familiar.” The book is aptly named: it’s a collection of all kinds of writings edited by Ralph L. Woods, and it is a treasure. A sampling of the book reveals that it contains, in part, poems, speeches, memorials, and biblical passages. Daddy would pick a selection or two and read out loud using inflection to tell the story in his interpretation. His selections covered a great variety of writings. Some writings were fun and upbeat while others were much more somber. Some were even mysterious! I’ve heard and read some of the stories so many times that I can still recite portions of all of them. In one case, I can recite the entire poem (probably because it’s my favorite!). That poem, “I Had But Fifty Cents,” is credited as “anonymous” in the treasury. Jimmy recently sent me a link that reveals the author as Sam Devere, who originally published the poem in 1885. The 1885 version is slightly different than the one in this book, but it’s every bit as entertaining.

Another favorite is “The Cremation of Sam McGee” by Robert W. Service. The four of us children would sit, completely riveted, and listen to Daddy read the story. I could (and still can) visualize the entire story. In my mind’s eye, it shows like a movie, and it was a good one. Of it, I can still recite the beginning (as well as many parts):

“There are strange things done in the midnight sun
By the men who moil for gold;
The Arctic Trails have their secret tales
That would make your blood run cold;
The Northern Lights have seen queer sights,
But the queerest they ever did see
Was that night on the marge of Lake LeBarge
I cremated Sam McGee.”

Many evenings we were regaled with tales like “Gunga Din” by Rudyard Kipling, “Casey at the Bat” by Ernest Lawrence Thayer, “Grandfather’s Clock” by Henry Clay Work, and “When Johnny Comes Marching Home” by Patrick S. Gilmore. That’s just to name a few! Some evenings Daddy would pepper the readings with new selections and other times he would stick with the tried and true favorites.

In the sixth grade I had to recite “The Night Before Christmas” and I used the treasury to learn the poem. I carried the book back and forth to school for days. Later, when the book turned up missing the only thing we could come up with was that I’d left it at school. A true loss for the family. When I was about 16, I was in a used book store and happened to see a copy of “A Treasury of the Familiar” on display. Glad to be able to replace the book, I bought it and gave it to Daddy. That was a happy day for me.

The book is a classic in our family. Such a classic that, a few years ago Daddy searched for, found, and bought 4 copies of the book - one for each of us. No easy feat since the book is old (my copy has the copyright as 1942) and out of print. There are different versions of the book and it seemed to become a little more politically correct over the years. How do I know? Some copies contain the tar baby story and some do not.

Of course I read the stories to my children when they were growing up. I didn’t do it as much as I should have and not nearly as many times as Daddy did. He set the bar high! Just like with the songs, I hope my children pass the stories in “A Treasury of the Familiar” on to the next generation!