Scan 17

1949 Musicians Directory Buffalo NY, 1949

47 lines. Read by computer on 17 September 2026. No printed page number was found. See the scan on archive.org.

1The Old Violin

3'Twas battered and scarred, and the auctioneer

4Thought it scarce worth his while

5To waste his time on the old violin,

6But he held it with a smile.

7"What am I bidden, good people?" he cried,

8"Who'll start the bidding for me?

9A dollar, a dollar! Now two, only two;

10Two dollars, and who'll make it three?

11Three dollars once, three dollars twice

12Going for three?" But no!

13From the room far back a gray-haired man

14Came forward and pickel up the bow.

15Then, wiping the dust from the old violin

16And tightening up the strings,

17He played a melody pure and sweet

18As sweet as the angel sings.

20The music ceased and the auctioneer,

21With a voice that was quiet and low,

22Said, "What am I bid for the old violin,"

23And he held it up with the bow.

24"A thousand dollars, and who'll make it two,

25Two thousand and who'll make it three?

26Three thousand once, three thousand twice;

27And going and gone," said he.

28The people cheered, but some of them cried,

29"We don't quite understand

30What changed its worth?" Swift came the reply

31"The touch of the master's hand."

33And many a man with life out of tune

34And battered and torn with sin

35Is auctioned cheap to a thoughtless crowd

36Much like the old violin.

37A mess of potage, a glass of wine,

38A game and he travels on,

39He's going once, and going twice,

40He's going and almost gone.

41But the Master comes and the foolish crowd

42Never can quite understand—

43The worth of a soul, and the change that's wrought

44By the touch of the Master's hand.

46—Author Unknown, Masonic Home Journal.

The computer misreads some letters and numbers. Where a name matters to you, read the scan.