Sam Walter Foss | |
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| Born | (1858-06-19)June 19, 1858 |
| Died | February 26, 1911(1911-02-26) (aged 52) |
| Resting place | Providence, Rhode Island |
| Occupation | Librarian, poet |
| Alma mater | Tilton School Brown University |
| Notable works | "The Coming American", "The House by the Side of the Road" |
Sam Walter Foss (June 19, 1858 – February 26, 1911) was an American librarian andpoet whose best-known works included "The Coming American" and "The House by the Side of the Road".[1][2][3]
Foss was born in ruralCandia,New Hampshire, the son of Polly (Hardy) and Dyer Foss.[4] His mother died when he was four years old, and he worked on his father's farm and went to school in the winter. Foss attended the Tilton Seminary, nowTilton School, before attending and graduating fromBrown University in 1882. He would eventually be considered illustrious enough to warrant having his name inscribed on themace.
Beginning in 1898, Foss served as librarian at theSomerville Public Library inMassachusetts. He married a minister's daughter, with whom he had a daughter and son. Foss used to write a poem a day for the newspapers, and his five volumes of collected poetry are of the frank and homely “common man” variety.
Foss is buried in theNorth Burial Ground inProvidence, Rhode Island. He is featured on aNew Hampshire historical marker (number 114) alongNew Hampshire Route 43 in Candia.[5] The house that Foss resided in during his time at Tilton Seminary was added to theNational Register of Historic Places in 1980, as "House by the Side of the Road".[6] Which house Foss had in mind when he wrote the like-named poem—in Candia during his childhood or in Tilton during his education—has been a matter of some dispute.[7]
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Foss's most famous poem is "The Coming American", which was published in his 1895 bookWhiffs from Wild Meadows. The poem rambles aimlessly through six pages about America's past, present, and future before turning to its most famous section: a "call" supposedly sent by "our Great Fate" to the future of America. The call begins as follows: "Bring me men to match my mountains / Bring me men to match my plains / Men with empires in their purpose / And new eras in their brains."[8]
The poem is engraved and displayed atEpcot inOrlando, Florida, and also inscribed onto theRocky Mountain Cup trophy, which is contested annually betweenMajor League Soccer teamsReal Salt Lake andColorado Rapids. The first line of the call is displayed prominently on the south facade of theJesse M. Unruh State Office Building inSacramento, California.
Large lettering stating "bring me men" was displayed at theUnited States Air Force Academy on an arch that cadets would pass under, from 1964 until being removed in reaction to the2003 Air Force Academy sexual assault scandal.[9]
SingerLamya's song "Empires (Bring Me Men)" takes its opening lyrics from "The Coming American", and the poem serves as inspiration for the rest of the song.
Longtime baseball announcerErnie Harwell alluded to Foss's "The House by the Side of the Road" whenever he described a batter taking a called third strike: "He stood there like the house by the side of the road and watched it go by."
A recitation of Foss'sTwo Gods provides the lyrics to the song "A Greater God" byMC 900 Ft. Jesus.
Dyer and Polly (Hardy) Foss.
