The economic world of the quarry industry came down the hardest on the hardiest group – the pavers. Quarrying stone was a world which required careful estimation and timely delivery. When the pavers went on strike, they were hampered by a lack of English or common language; they were viewed with contempt and distrust. The quarry owners felt that their workers had no understanding of what an agreement meant.
“My Little Granite Hammer,’ appears in print in 1916, and is a call for a ‘G.U.’ a Grand Union to emerge and work together. The poem signals the adoption of English as a means of direct expression and appeal to all men working with stone – sandstone & marble included.
