THE KEROSENE TIN.

Auckland Star, Volume LXIV, Issue 225, 23 September 1933, Page 1 (Supplement)

THE KEROSENE TIN.

(By LADY ADAMS.) (With apologies to Walt Whitman.) I sing tlip song of the kerosene tin, Of the travelled tin, welcome bringer of light : Cherished when empty, not east away upon the heap. But. its official function fulfilled, Entering intimately the daily lives of its receivers, With shelter, protection, guardianship, The dispeller of darkness reaches a new, a noble transfiguration. Piled high in walls, flattened and spread for roof, It has achieved the consummation of man's desire; A home, defence from wind and storm, site of the hearth. Offering to ingenuity a challenge and a prize. The strong tin, forming box or bin. Shelf for the treasured books, ' Table to save the tired housewife's steps, Termeatcs daily life with usefulness. The farmer fills the tins with foaming milk, Or heaves a tin of water from his well. Where ducks and hens may fresh their thirsty throats: When autumn brings its harvest to the land The tin will hold wild raspberries for ,lam ; Or for the early seedlings in the spring The tin forms forcing-pan till days are warm. Those who walk daintily in city streets Shut in and safe and smothered. Know nothing of the peril and pain, The cheer, the courage, the exultant life Symbolised by the empty, glistening tin ; The kerosene tin. I