I bought a lovely very old poetry book , unusual for me, at a Car Boot a couple weeks ago, and inside was a piece of paper folded, with this wonderful American poem pencilled in full and looks like a signature Rev I J Bartlett..prob not original, but you never know 🙂
I wondered does anyone have any idea who Rev I.J.Bartlett was or anything about him, I have been trying to research, but have drawn a blank..
Except for this poem being published in the Madison County Leader & Observer on Thursday November 23 1916 and in The Newark Union Gazette on Saturday March 31st 1917.
In both it states the copy was taken from The Christian Herald by Rev I J Bartlett (who I assume is American) …….Can anyone help ???
The Town of Don’t-You-Worry
There’s a town called Don’t-You-Worry,
On the banks of River Smile;
Where the Cheer up and be Happy
Blossom sweetly all the while.
Where the never Grumble flower
Blooms beside the fragrant Try,
And the Ne’er-give up and Patience
On the banks of River Smile;
Where the Cheer up and be Happy
Blossom sweetly all the while.
Where the never Grumble flower
Blooms beside the fragrant Try,
And the Ne’er-give up and Patience
Point their faces to the sky.
In the valley of Contentment,
In the province of I Will,
You will find this lovely city,
At the foot of no Fret Hill.
There are thoroughfares delightful
In this very charming town,
And on every hand are shade trees
Named the Very Seldom Frown.
In the province of I Will,
You will find this lovely city,
At the foot of no Fret Hill.
There are thoroughfares delightful
In this very charming town,
And on every hand are shade trees
Named the Very Seldom Frown.
Rustic benches quite enticing
You’ll find scattered here and there,
And to each a vine is clinging
Called the Frequent-Earnest Prayer.
Everybody there is happy,
And is singing all the while,
You’ll find scattered here and there,
And to each a vine is clinging
Called the Frequent-Earnest Prayer.
Everybody there is happy,
And is singing all the while,
In the town of Don’t-You-Worry,
On the banks of River Smile.
On the banks of River Smile.
Rev I.J.Bartlett
After seeing and reading this blog Arvind Mallya was inspired to this great piece of music..click below… set to the poem, half way through you see the words scrolling through 🙂
Till next time then………………………………..
LYNN'S WAFFLES 
Detective Willie Wine here….From Blandford!
If you Google….'Reverend John Bartlett'
Second link down will take you to the Wikki
page…Little info there, about him. If it is indeed
him…Born 1784~1849..etc..etc…
Also there is a book called…'A Memoir of the Reverend
John Bartlett'. which you can purchase on line! Again l
just Googled…A Memoir of of the Revered John Bartlett'.
And, the various ways of purchasing the said book….!
Good Luck….! :>).
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Thanks so much, will follow all your info up! Hope it is him 🙂
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What a great find Lynn. and the poem is lovely. I am looking forward to more things you find in car boot sales, and don't forget to look in the charity shops where you sometimes find interesting items. I found a nice sugar shaker at a “what they call bazar here in Crete” late 19th century. Happy hunting.
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Thanks Rita 🙂 charity shops here are not like they used to be a few years ago, they are expensive now & everything is researched & gone through, they sell on the internet to get top prices, so you would be very lucky to find a gem 🙂 Have 2 very large boxfuls to catch up on over the winter..scanning etc !
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Nan1952@yahoo.com I have a framed copy that my grandma passed down to my dad. It's in great condition.
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Oh how lovely 😊 I had never heard of it before, but it's so nice 😊
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Hi, we found this poem in a building in Hull in the UK and are really interested to identify if the Rev I J Bartlett you found is the real author. Did you get any more information about it other than what you posted here? Would love to know. Thanks Rebecca
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Hi Rebecca, how fascinating! No sadly didn’t find any more info. If you manage to find, would love to hear back from you, Kind Regards Lynn
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Please see this is supposedly copyrighted by H. L. Bovenizer (H. Lucille Bovenizer, wife of Herbert Earl Bovenizer of Oakland, California. Herbert Bovenizer and his wife ran a greeting card company, perhaps she wrote and collected poetry from writers for their cards?
Maybe Mr. Bartlett was one of the writers?
(I have this in an old file, pulled it out so fyi. See people are posting it; since I took a copyright class long ago, it is a pertinent issue if folks are using it. (It is a great idea to cheer people up, not trying to be a downer!) Happy Spring!
Maybe someone in the Oakland County Historical Society knows more!
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Fascinating, thanks so much for your information. Hopefully someone will know more. Kind Regards Lynn
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