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G4EBT > POEM 30.03.09 22:22l 79 Lines 2694 Bytes #999 (0) @ WW
BID : 980502G4EBT
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Subj: Re: I met a man who wasn't...
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From: G4EBT@GB7FCR.#16.GBR.EU
To : POEM@WW
GM1JWC wrote, (in Scottish English):-
> Last night ..
> as I was heading up the stair,
> I met a man, who wisna' there ........
> He wisna' there again, today!
> I wonder why, he went away?
> Somebody must know the writer; even more of consequence .. why,
> did the man go away. Not a word to Bessie, he just up'n scarpered ..
> left; report him, as 'missing' maybe? Do we have a description, or
> maybe a friend who knows him?
The writer was William Hughes Mearns (1875-1965), better known as Hughes
Mearns, an American educator and poet. A graduate of Harvard University
and the University of Pennsylvania, Mearns was a Professor at the
Philadelphia School of Pedagogy from 1905 to 1920.
Fancy.
In case anyone is wondering, rest assured that pedagogy has nothing to do
with kiddie fiddling -that can be left to the priests. And nothing to do
with pedantry either, that can be left in our safe hands on packet.
No, Pedagogy (or paedagogy) is the art or science of being a teacher.
The term generally refers to strategies of instruction, or a style of
instruction, (loosely summed up as 'teacher knows best').
Hearns is mostly remembered now as the author of the poem "Antigonish" (or
"The Little Man Who Wasn't There"), but his ideas, about encouraging the
natural creativity of children, particularly those age 3 through 8, were
novel at the time.
It has been written about him that, "He typed notes of their
conversations; he learned how to make them forget there was an adult
around; never asked them questions and never showed surprise no matter
what they did or said."
Mearns wrote two influential books: Creative Youth 1925, and Creative
Power 1929. Essayist Gabriel Gudding credits those books with "[lighting]
a fuse" under the teaching of creative writing, influencing a generation
of scholars.
Mearns is credited with the relatively well-known rhyme, composed in 1899
as a song for a play he'd written, called The Psyco-ed, performed in 1910.
The poem was first published as "Antigonish" in 1922. The poem also
appears in the movie "Identity" with John Kusak, Ray Liota... and others.
Here's the poem in UK/US English:
Yesterday, upon the stair
I saw a man who wasn't there
He wasn't there again today
I wish, I wish, he'd go away.
"Antigonish" (1899)
Source, wiki (instant erudition for the hard of thinking):
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Hughes_Mearns
Hope that helps.
Best wishes
David, G4EBT @ GB7FCR
British Vintage Wireless Society Member
G-QRP Club Member, No: 1339
Cottingham, East Yorkshire.
Message timed: 18:50 on 2009-Mar-30
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