Sevier County History Hub

PROGRESS

In "OUR OWN SEVIER", this Centennial year,
The magic of progress is told:
A full hundred years
Is gathered and bound,
In a story both tender and bold.

From the mellowed past we are now holding fast
The heart-throbs of human endeavor,
With pictures of people
Who builded and planned —
Knowing progress is destined forever.

That dusty dirt road, much jolting the load
Of the iron-wheeled wagon of yore,
Got rutted hub deep
By the dirt biting tires —
Until riding became a real chore.

The insatiable race still goes on apace
To stretch black ribbons of roads,
From coast to coast
Over rivers and hills —
For a smoother ride, and larger loads.

The impassable gorge feels the anvil and forge
Of the thrusts of a Juggernaut,
As it bites and grinds
At the mountain side —
And from granite a road is wrought.

The smiling dream of a tiny stream
Is pushed and shouldered aside,
By a lethal monster
Called a machine —
And now, dainty petals have died.

So, our spinning wheels with rubber heels,
On a cushion of pressured air,
Meets the urgent need
As we hurry along —
In our rush from "here" to "there".

We have measured gain in this upward strain,
Where foot-paths to freeways have led;
We may fly, who knows,
Without need of roads —
In the century just ahead.

— Irvin L. Warnock