Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1887, by

GEORGE JOHNSTON,

In the Office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington, D.C.




PREFACE.


This volume owes its existence to the desire of some of the teachers and
pupils of the public schools in the northeastern part of Cecil county,
to do honor to the memory of the late School Commissioner David Scott.
Shortly after Mr. Scott's death, some of the parties referred to,
proposed to collect enough money by voluntary contributions to erect a
monument over his grave, in order to perpetuate his memory, and also to
show the high regard in which he was held by them. This project being
brought to the knowledge of the editor, he ventured to express the
opinion that the best monument Mr. Scott could have, would be the
collection and publication of his poems in book form. This suggestion
met the approbation of the originators of the project, who asked the
writer to undertake the work of collecting the poems and editing the
book. Subsequent investigation showed that Mr. Scott had not left enough
poems to justify their publication in a volume by themselves; and the
original plan of the work was changed, so as to include, so far as it
has been practicable to do so, the writings of all the native poets of
the county, and those who though not natives, have resided and written