Dear Fergie,

I used to own a copy of the following book, which contained a great variety of recitations, declamations and poetry for "young orators" and was quite popular from its publication through the early decades of the 20th century.

THE IDEAL ORATOR AND MANUAL OF ELOCUTION CONTAINING A PRACTICAL TREATISE ON THE DELSARTE SYSTEM OF PHYSICAL CULTURE AND EXPRESSION, INCLUDING VALUABLE INSTRUCTIONS AND RULES FOR THE CULTIVATION OF THE VOICE AND THE USE OF GESTURES. TOGETHER WITH CHOICE SELECTIONS FOR READINGS AND RECITATIONS NOW USED IN THE LEADING SCHOOLS OF ORATORY. Edited by John Wesley Hanson, Jr. and Lillian Woodward Gunckel. Chicago, Ill.: N. Juul & Co.,1895. 522 pp. Notes: Authors statement given as "Edited by" on title page. Illustrated by original engravings.

The book is in the Walker Collection of the Indiana State University Library; you might e-mail them at librbsc@isugw.indstate.edu and see if your Granny's poem is in it.

I gave away my copy as a gift some years ago; I'll see if I can track it down and ask its current owner to check for the piece, too.

Another long shot, to be sure, but you can't say we ain't giving it the old college (library) try!

Good luck!