[page 2 ... ]

Understandably expressions of friendship are a major subject.

If scribbling in albums
Friendship endures,
With the greatest of pleasure,
I’ll scribble in yours.

You’ll find it will be best
To meet with smiles the pleasant glance
And think all friends are true,
And never trouble trouble, till trouble troubles you.

Old friends are better than new ones
Old faces are always the best –
But a heart that battles with sorrow,
Is better than all the rest.

Make new friends but keep the old
New ones are silver but old ones are gold.

We live but in the present,
The future is unknown;
Tomorrow is a mystery,
Today is all our own.

The years roll by but friendship does not change.

Witticisms, puns and old chestnuts were popular:

Here’s to the love that lies,
In a woman’s eyes,
And lies, and lies, and lies.

Laugh and the world laughs with you
Weep and you weep alone.

God made man
The man made money
God made bees
The bees made honey
God made the devil
The devil made sin
God made a place
To put the devil in.


Always speak well of the dead.
That’s all very well as it goes,
But why not extend it to those
Who have not yet turned up their toes?

One of the most quoted ancients was Omar Khayyan:

Come, fill the Cup, and in the Fire of Spring,
The Winter Garment of Repentance fling;
The Bird of Time has but a little way
To fly – and lo! The Bird is on the Wing.

Euripides also got a Guernsey:

Were all certain nothing would be sure
Joy would be joyless of misfortune free
Were we all wealthy then we are all poor
And death not being life would cease to be.

Henry Wodsworth Longfellow also appeared:

Labour with zeal we will,
Something still remains undone,
Something uncompleted still,
Waits the rising of the sun.

Our God a tower of strength is he,
A goodly walls and weapon,
From all our need He helps us free,
That now to us doth happen.

And, of course, ‘anonymous’ was ever present to offer worldly advice:

Straight is the line of duty
Curved is the line of beauty,
Follow the straight and thou shall see
The curved line ever follows thee.

Try to do the little things as if
They were great and important
Try to do the disagreeable things as if
They were pleasant.
Lived in this spirit, life becomes true service.

The above was typed on the page (which must have been difficult) and signed and dated 1915.

Three men went shooting one day –
The blind man saw them,
The man without arms shot them,
The man without clothes put them in his pocket.