With fingers weary and worn, Stitch! stitch! stitch! In poverty, hunger, and dirt; FROM "THE WATER-BABIES" BY CHARLES KINGSLEY "When all the world is young, lad, and all the trees are green, And ev'ry goose a swan, lad, and ev'ry lass a queen; Then hey for boot and horse, lad, and round the world away, Young blood must have its course, lad, and ev'ry dog his day. "When all the world is old, lad, and all the trees are brown, And all the sport is stale, lad, and all the wheels run down; Creep home, and take your place there, the spent and maimed among, God grant you find one face there, you loved when all was young." BATTLE-HYMN OF THE REPUBLIC BY JULIA WARD HOWE Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord: He is trampling out the vintage where the grapes of wrath are stored; He hath loosed the fateful lightning of his terrible swift sword. His truth is marching on. I have seen him in the watch-fires of a hundred circling camps; They have builded him an altar in the evening dews and damps; I can read his righteous sentence by the dim and flaring lamps. His day is marching on. I have read a fiery gospel, writ in burnished rows of steel: "As ye deal with my contemners, so with you my grace shall deal; Let the Hero, born of woman, crush the serpent with his heel, Since God is marching on." He has sounded forth the trumpet that shall never call retreat; He is sifting out the hearts of men before his judgment seat: O, be swift, my soul, to answer him! be jubilant my feet! Our God is marching on. In the beauty of the lilies Christ was born across the sea, With a glory in his bosom that transfigures you and me; As he died to make men holy, let us die to make men free, While God is marching on. ABOU BEN ADHEM BY LEIGH HUNT Abou Ben Adhem (may his tribe increase!) "What writest thou?" The vision raised its head, And, with a look made of all sweet accord, Answered, "The names of those who love the Lord." "And is mine one?" said Abou. "Nay, not so," Replied the angel. Abou spoke more low, The angel wrote, and vanished. The next night And showed the names whom love of God had blessed,- OUR FAME BY JOHN A. JOYCE A thousand years of glory Shall immortalize our fame With a tale in song and story To keep green the hallowed name, A band of noble brothers Led by gallant Grant and Lee. In the May-time of our duty, Through the sunlit, fleeting hour. O'er the graves we bless to-day, And we'll pluck the purest posies To enwreath the "Blue" and " Gray." And down the circling ages, From the father to the son, We'll tell on golden pages How the field was lost and won; And how a band of brothers Fought each other hard and true To bind the Union arches O'er the "Gray" and o'er the " Blue," And rearing a lasting temple So complete in every plan, To justice, truth, and mercy And the liberty of man! FANCY BY JOHN KEATS Ever let the Fancy roam, At a touch sweet Pleasure melteth, Then let wingèd Fancy wander Through the thought still spread beyond her Open wide the mind's cage-door, She'll dart forth, and cloudward soar. O sweet Fancy! let her loose; When the soundless earth is muffled, And the caked snow is shuffled |