I heard the poem back in elementary school in the 50s.
Its about a short-stop in a baseball game and spoofs the position.
I have little memory left of the poem, except for the fact that I enjoyed it and that it was written in the habitant style of William Henry Drummond
Now I’ve checked every one of Drummond’s 69 poems (listed in the link) and it isn’t there, so the poem I have in mind must be from another Canadian author
bump
I think the one you’re talking about is called “De Stop-heem-short”, but I can’t remember who wrote it.
I could only find the first verse online:
I go me once to baseball game,
I laugh and den some more.
It was in New ‘ark on de day
She play wit’ Baltimore.
I’ll see if I can find the rest of it somewhere; I seem to recall it in a Grade school reader.
Thankyou.
Your response led me to the works of Wilson MacDonald and it looks like this poem is in either of his books “Caw-Caw Ballads”, " Paul Marchand and Other Poems" or “Armand Dussualt”.
I don’t think it can be found on-line.
I think another verse is as follows:
The players, dey are dumb
Don’t know nut’ting at all
Don’t know enough to start
Until the umpire yells “Play Ball”
The book is Armand Dussault and other poems by Wilson MacDonald
Illustrations by Guy Rutter
First edition published under title Paul Marchand, 1933
I came online to try to find the same poem. Here’s what I remember of it.
De Stop 'Em Short
I go me once to baseball game,
I laugh and den some more.
It was in New ‘ark on de day
She play wit’ Baltimore.
Dose baseball players, dey were dumb,
Don’t know no ting at all.
Don’t know enough to start to play,
Till the empire say, “Play Ball”
Dat empires’ name he’s Mr. Fake.
He’s little man and slim.
I know 'is name is fake because
They all yell, “Fake,” at 'em.
But when he yell, “Play ball,”
They run from peg pen on the right.
The pitcher come and swings 'is arm,
Just like he wanna fight.
The catcher he’s all doubled up,
I guess it is old age.
By gar, they tink he is a bird,
And put him in a cage.
De stop he’m short is best
of anybody dere.
I don’t like pitcher, catcher much.
The empire, he’s no sport.
But I come back here every day,
To see dat stop he’m short.
Oh, I’ve found the whole poem … you can read it and more by Wilson MacDonald at:
http://www.haldimandcounty.on.ca/uploadedFiles/Residents/Museums/Wilson_Macdonald/Armand%20Dussault.pdf
Interestingly, the poem “Quintrains of Callender” in that collection is about the Dionne Quintuplets. It obliquely refers to how M. Dionne was alternately lionized, castigated, and ignored by the people of his day.
I shudder to think of what our Francophone friends in Quebec and other parts of Canada think of this poetry collection.
I haven’t read the whole collection (never heard of Drummond before), but if Brian1867 had posted [post=13215130]the poem in post 8[/post] without the context of this thread, I’d have thought it was written in a parody of African American English, not in an exaggerated French-Canadian accent. It sounds like the kind of thing you’d recite on stage while wearing blackface makeup. I guess it’s a close equivalent, except with habitants instead of black servants.
I see this collection the way I see the work of painter Cornelius Krieghoff: it’s from another time and should probably be understood in the context of that time. It’s certainly influenced Canadian culture, but it’s mostly a symbol of the attitudes that were common at the time.
What’s potentially offensive about Krieghoff’s stuff?
Are you referring to Drummond, MacDonald, or both ? 
:smack:
Yes, I meant MacDonald. You mentioned this Drummond fellow in the OP so this was the name that stuck to my mind. Sorry about that.
It depicts habitant characters who are largely childlike and carefree. His paintings are picturesque depictings of a simpler people as seen from the outside. I believe The Toll Gate is a good example (and he apparently painted that scene twice). This may also be a good example, if you look at the looks on the characters. Krieghoff’s work reminds me of other depictions of ethnic types (African Americans, for example) that were common at the time but very non-PC today.
A few years ago I read the suggestion that Krieghoff’s paintings had shaped the way Canadians think of Quebec and its people up to the present day. As I’ve said, I think they reflected the mores of the time and should be understood in context.
I don’t really see it. The characters are happy, and the scene is kind of bucolic, but I don’t know that that’s particularly a habitant thing. It’s a “Oh, isn’t the rural life pleasant” thing. Would you be happier if the people were miserable? 
This poem was included in one of the Ontario Educational system’s English Reader. I cannot remember the year but have also looked unsuccessfully for it. I consider it to be the predecessor of The Hockey Sweater and do not understand its disappearance. …
Maybe it was created for the Reader in the style of Drummond … Maybe it was erased from the records during a period of political correctness. If it was considered to be a problematic representation of colloquial expression, the error of erasure over notation could have been made.
Cheers.
Hey,
I read the Armand Dussault (Wilson MacDonald) entry after sending. - Super, that’s it!
Cheers.
I know you asked for this 7 years ago and I h ave been looking for this poem forever. I too heard it in school probably 50+ years ago.
I found this link online that has teh book of poetry by Wilson MacDonald
