He loves not much who loves not honor more;If men lack this then love must lack as well;If this possessed no tongue love’s depths can tell;The heart an ocean filled from shore to shore. Seeing in him the possibilityOf likeness to the great and Blessed One;It may be even now in him begun.I love him […]

With purpose strong to do or die,The race of life he ran,With love supreme to God on high,And equal love to man. Some flaws the earthen vessel marred,Which all could clearly see;Within was found the precious nard;From guile his heart was free. In motive e’er is found the sin;Let that to God be true,And he […]

My old sweetheart is away to-day;I feel as I did of old,In my courting days, when far awayI yearned for her more than gold. I thought of her handsome, smiling face,Her noble and cultured brow,Of her gentle ways, and charming grace;I missed her less then than now. Through the long years of our wedded life,Now […]

I would not cherish a wish or thoughtDispleasing, Lord, to Thee;Thy will is good, and with wisdom fraught,And that suffices me.I cannot alter a plan of Thine,And would not if I could;I acquiesce in the will divine,And find my highest good. At times my vessel drifts near the shore,And the beacon lights expire,The surf-capped waves […]

“paint Me As I Am, Warts and All”– Cromwell Brave soul, ’twere well if all the same would say,And artists aim their patron’s wish t’obey.What signifies a wart, or e’en a scar?Leave both, skilled hand, and paint us as we are.The crowfeet paint, the wrinkles on the brow,The hollow cheek, the form inclined to bow,The […]

When the French soldier from the field returned,Begrimed with smoke and blood, he felt content,As from Napoleon he this fact had learned,That thro’ his marshall, medals would be sent,The name of battlefield each one would bear,And, also, in large letters, “I was there.” In others’ triumphs we may well rejoice,If in their triumphs good to […]

As the caged eagle neared the mountain range,O’er which he oft had soared on pinions strong,He clapped his wings, moved by some impulse strange,And then fell dead his prison floor along. So Moses stood on Pisgah’s heights alone,With sight undimmed, and unabated strength;He gazed with rapture on the vision shown,Of the fair land in all […]

The end we sought is not attained,But wisdom has been won,And thus a higher goal is gained.That like the moon has sadly waned,While this shines as the sun. A shorter route to India’s strandColumbus failed to find.That was an object truly grand,But in the wealth of this fair landGrandeur and good combine.

Beneath the surface of a shallow lake,Where grasses rank and mammoth rushes grow,And playful fish their bright fins nimbly shake,Or madly chase each other to and fro,The larva of the dragon-fly submerged,In family large, had taken their abode,And tho’ the waves around them daily surged,Upon the bending grass they safely rode. Content were they with […]

An artist skilled beyond the sons of menWith pleasure scanned the pictures on the wall,Rare works of art, each one pronounced a gem,The product of his hand, both great and small;Each filled its place in the designer’s plan;Conceived in full before the work began. Pleased was the artist with results as shown;But his ideal was […]

Look down, ye Alleghenies, into the Conemaugh vale,And see the rising waters, and hear the bitter wail;The swollen streams now empty their contents in the lake,The waters rise to kiss the skies and walls of granite shake. Oh, hear that awful booming; the dam has given way!An avalanche of water God’s hand alone can stay!Oh, […]

Somewhere in the realms supernalIs a home prepared for me,Where my joys shall be eternal,And my spirit ever free;Mortal vision helps not here,God conceals it from my sight,By effulgent beams of light;Oh that He would bring it near! But I hear a voice say, softly,“Be content to leave it so,For God’s thoughts are far too […]

The words we speak on the empty air,Are never lost, but recorded there;The process we may not comprehend,Nor how the words with the air may blend,But science shows what results may be;Accept the fact, is enough for me. The waves of sound may have died awayAs ripples faint on a sheltered bay;But though now faint […]

O Thou Eternal One, look downUpon an erring child of earth;Thy handiwork with knowledge crown,Or life will seem of little worth;By Thine own light illume my way,And turn this darkness into day. I hear a whisper in my heart–“Than knowledge, better far is love;Thy knowledge here is but in part,The perfect waits for Thee above:Walk […]

Man is like God in miniature,When he is at his best;His motives and impulses pure,His heart and will at rest;No conflict in himself is felt,His light no earthly beam,While love encircles like a belt,And conscience is supreme. As thus endowed a creature mayThe keenest sufferings feel;Not such as rack the frame of clay,Which art of […]

Looking o’er this written page,Many blurs and blots are seen;Crooked strokes, at every stage–Oh, that it again were clean,As at first I found it, whenI defiled it with my pen! Gladly would I all erase;But along the lines of blueYou could still the failure traceIn the paper’s darkened hue;Though the words could not be seen,You […]

Each human life with mysteries is replete;They press upon us in its early dawn,And multiply apace as years roll on,And at each turn we must their problems meet.Reason is blind, and fails their end to see,Misjudges God and gathers only woe,And from this spring much turbid waters flow.Only the pure in heart from doubt are […]

I saw her first when she was old,Her form devoid of grace;Her locks that once were yellow goldWere white, and on her faceWere furrows deep, which told of pain,And toil, and worldly fret,Which all, alas, had been in vain,But nature claimed the debt. Her eyes were gray and lacked in glow,Her voice some thought was […]

My pansy pets are sleeping wellBeneath their quilt of snow;How they can breathe I cannot tell,Nor how their rootlets grow;But soon the snow will melt awayAnd April showers descend;Then shall appear in colors gayEach little pansy friend. Of pride it may not show a trace;Of lowly mind, alway;But will not blush to show its faceAll […]

Perfection ever is the price of toil.Of marchings long, and hardships by the way,Of burdens borne, oft in the heat of day,‘Tis then as right the victor claims the spoil. The world admires the wreath upon his brow,But he alone can tell how much it cost,And how to gain it he had all things lost.Results […]

The well-built house with walls of brick, or stone,May tremble some if struck by the cyclone;The most established saint may trials feel,As flint may turn the edge of finest steel.Satanic hosts may rush in like a flood,Allied with foes of our own flesh and blood,The elements of earth and hell combine,Yet tho’ he trembles, stands […]

I know in part, but know not all,The part I know is known;What know I not I hope with PaulTo know before the throne.Till then where knowledge fails I trustThe truth God has revealed,As known by me, forever mustBe like the truth concealed. I know God is, tho’ hid from sight,And know He cares for […]

A group of mounted officersRide up and fall in line;Their gleaming swords hang at their sides,Chevrons their arms entwine;They bare their heads as pass alongA train of wounded men,Their shattered comrades from the fieldThey ne’er may meet again. “Salut aux Blessis!” loud they cry.The wounded soldiers hear,And for a time forget their pain,And swell the […]

(Isaiah 33:16) Tossed about in strange commotionLike the surface of the oceanWhen the wind, its waters lashing,Sends great billows, roaring, dashingO’er the breakers, which for agesHave withstood the storms it wages,See those clouds, so like this ocean,How they whirl in strange commotion. Dust and vapor now are meeting,Each the other wildly greeting;As one hand another […]

Two men, well versed in use of arms,Set out, ’tis said, in search of game.Each felt that hunting had its charms,Yet widely differed they in aim.Both felt their need of wholesome foodFor present use and winter’s store;But one was of a careless mood–Than the day’s sport he asked no more. No game he bagged from […]

My greatest grief is not my own;That often proves a blessing,For in my grief God’s care is shown,And as I am not left alone,It never proves distressing; But when my brother’s grief I bearThe weight then seems excessive;His heavy load I inly share,And loaded down by double care,My burden feels oppressive. Yet I remember Him […]

From God’s all bounteous hand descendRare gifts in rich effusion,And with those gifts no poisons blend,Nor is their end delusion;So do not spurn if He bestowThose forms arrayed in beauty;If thus His gifts with radiance glow,Enjoyment is a duty. Come, deck your brows with leaves and flowers,Ye fair ones, nothing fearing;Adorn your homes and train […]

The highest goal is not success,If that be made the aim;But faithfulness, tho’ counted less,Is what God promises to bless:These goals are not the same. And if I am to do my bestIn every line of life,My effort will be surely blest,And I will find in toil sweet rest,Tho’ in a world of strife. And […]

The night of affliction, with its long hours of sadness,Will soon pass away to be remembered no more;And the weeping will end in a morning of gladness;For no sorrow is known on the evergreen shore. In this world we shall have tribulation and sorrow;‘Tis enough for the subject to be as his king;But if we […]

‘Tis said, long since an angel came to earth,Sent by his Lord, to help with loving handA suffering one, afflicted from his birth.The limb was healed as by divine command,But He felt weak, for strength from Him had gone,A sacrifice which love could not withhold;So he sought shelter till the morning dawn,But none received–they prized […]

I fear not, my Father, the tempest’s loud roar,Nor dread the huge breakers on the rock-girded shore;Thy presence is with me, my refuge is near,With help all-sufficient; oh, why should I fear?Tho’ billows of sorrow should roll o’er my head,My sun sink in darkness, and joys be all dead,Thy presence will cheer me, and spectres […]

My lot on earth is not all mirth,Nor is it constant gloom;Some joys decay and fall away,But leave much lasting bloom.My wishes are not always met,And cares press hard at times;Yet joyous strains ne’er sink to fret,Tho’ dollars shrink to dimes. My earthly lot boasts not a cot,No foot of land I own,No bank account […]

The air is chill with the frost of doubt,And men’s hearts are sadly failing;They do not hear the great Victor’s shout;But indulge in bitter wailing.“The old gives place to the new,” they say,“And fond hopes are daily buried;Our cherished views are oft borne away,As if by the tempest hurried. “The world is stirred to its […]

Buttercups and daisies growing everywhere,In the field of clover, on the hillside fair,And in lovely valley, tilled with greatest care. Naught but weeds and rubbish, in the farmer’s eyes,Drawing off the nurture from the grain they prize,And their great luxuriance sore their patience tries. But the dews of heaven give them richest bloom,And their smiling […]

The winter through I lay asleep,Unconscious and unseen;The howling winds disturbed me not,Nor felt the frost tho’ keen.Thick blankets covered me about,And kept me dry and warm,And weeks and months passed quickly byAnd I received no harm.At last I felt uneasy inMy cosy little cot,Tho’ it was lined with softest down.The cause I knew not […]

O beautiful sky of every hue;Golden and purple, crimson and blue,With some sombre lines thrown in between,And some bright spots of emerald green.The earth is wed to the sun it seems,And to grace the robe of his royal brideNo pains are spared, nor a tint untried,And thus complete it with glory gleams. He wields his […]

Exquisite mosses, so lovely and green,Covering the rocks with emerald sheen;Hiding the scars which convulsions have made;Blessing the mound where our angel was laid;Forming a carpet on which we may tread;Clothing with beauty the rotten and dead;Sheathing from storm-blasts the young forest tree–Beautiful mosses, examples for me. Trod under foot by all kinds of men;Gracing […]

The grandest theme for tongue, or pen,Is not the heavens supernal;Nor mighty deeds of God-like men,Though they may be eternal; Nor Alpine heights, nor lovely vale,With brooks and grazing cattle;Nor awful roar of rushing gale,Beyond the noise of battle; Nor clashing arms, nor trembling earth;Nor heaving waves of ocean;Nor record of a nation’s birth;Nor heaven’s […]

Feathery frost on the window-pane,Who placed you there? “I cannot explain,”Each little feather at once replied;“But this I know, I’m the children’s pride,As they think I fell from an angel’s wing,And coming to earth must rich blessings bring. “I once formed part of a lovely bay;The sun shone out, and I turned to spray,And rose […]

O harass not a driven leaf,Nor stubble dry in wrath pursue;A life so brief load not with grief,Nor with thine arrow pierce me through. The fragile leaf, by tempest tost,Is scarcely worth a passing thought;The brook is crossed, and then is lost;There let it lie, a thing of naught. The stubble dry ne’er grows again;To […]

The gem is not this ode itself;Hardly can it aspire so high.Earth has its gems; but all its wealth, Increased by thousands, cannot buyMan’s soul, the gem of priceless worth,Made in God’s image at its birth;Ordained to live for evermore;Redeemed by blood from sin and hell;Transformed by grace, God’s love to tell;And at His feet […]

A grand stairway do these clouds appearAs they heavenward rise, tier upon tier,With clearly-marked space of blue between,Compared with which human art looks mean. Do the angels tread this grand staircase,When they come to earth to bless our race,And lend their aid to each struggling soulAs he ascends toward the heavenly goal? Was this the […]

Doomed to decay are all things here;Whate’er their form or worth,Color and beauty disappear,Or turn to mother earth. The luscious fruits which please the tasteAnd please the eye as well,Sometimes reduced to rot and waste,Ere from the tree they fell– Some gathered with a gentle hand,And stored away with care,To serve a place in banquet […]

Heroic deeds in every ageCommand the world’s esteem;Each finds a place in history’s page,‘Midst gloom a glory beam. And we full oft revert to this,To show man’s true descentFrom Him who is the source of bliss,Tho’ now by passions rent. But we need not consult the past;The present bears this fruit:The hero race will ever […]

The waters of the Big Bear creekGlide slowly on their way;The western lakes they surely seek,Which they will reach some day; But sluggishly they seek their end–They scarcely seem to move;Yet through the fields and round each bendTheir progress daily prove. By debris borne upon their breast,And strewn along each shore,They slowly move, but never […]

A Prize Birthday Poem, 1885. We do not sing of vast domain–Empires as vast as ours are seen,And o’er their millions despots reign;We sing the virtues of our Queen. We think of her when but a maidThe message came, “the King is dead!”And at her feet a crown was laid;In deep distress of mind, she […]

A stately church by pious hands erected long ago,Was found to lack a vesper bell, by which the poor might knowThe hour of prayer, the hour of mass, and who had lately died,The hour when gent and bonny lass, so timid at his side,Would stand before the surpliced priest, and twain would pledgetheir troth,The hour […]

Every flower that decks the way,Whether it be dun or gay,Fills a place in God’s great plan,Serving Him, while pleasing man.Every star that gilds the nightWith its beams of silver lightHas its mission to fulfil,As assigned it by God’s will. Feathered songsters all declareAs they cleave the ambient air,“He who made us made our lays,Giving […]

Every tear that dims the eye,Or bedews the careworn cheek,Will our God, who reigns on high,With a hand so kind and meek,Wipe away, nor leave a traceOf its stain on eye or face. He alone life’s ills can right.Each His tender pity needs;None are hidden from His sight;“Every tear,” the promise reads–Every tear shall cease […]

The Shah Jehan sat with his much-loved wife,The Empress Mahal, one hot summer day,In a cool arbor far from courtly strife,Close by the Jumna, winding on its way. In silence played they long their game of chess,But Jehan’s eyes rose oft to Mahal’s brow,His ardent love he could not well repress,Nor tried–she was his own […]

The yeoman lays aside his soil-stained smock,And from his herd selects a trusty steed,And sallies forth to help in hour of need;Nor dreads the battle’s shock. The artisan from mine, or shop, or store,Responds at duty’s call without delay,Nor stops to ask, “What will my nation pay?”It calls–what needs he more? The man of law–the […]

The leaf is faded, and decayed the flower,The birds have ceased to sing in wayside bower,The babbling brook is silenced by the cold,And hill and vale the frost and snow enfold.The life we see seems hasting to the tombNor sun, nor star, relieves the dismal gloom;The good man suffers with the base and vile,And honesty […]

As fought the Paladins of old,With gleaming swords and spirit bold,To thwart the schemes of base Lothar,Give France to Karl in holy war,So would we battle for the right,Tho’ we may perish in the fight. Our trusty blade, not made of steel,While wounding deep, doth also heal;With this, and clad in Christian mail,The hosts of […]

Five hundred years have nearly passed awaySince that glad morn, when o’er fair Bethl’hem’s plainA light resplendent as the glow of day,Shone down from heaven, and holy angels deignTo sing the sweetest song e’er heard by mortal ear,Which fills sad hearts with joy and drives away their fear. Clovis, of the brave Franks, the king, […]

This lovely lily, so pure and white,Seems covered o’er with celestial light;As if it grew on the “Tree of Life,”And not down here, in this world of strife;Too pure for earth it now seems to be;My queenly wife, it was meant for thee. Its wax-like petals with graceful bend,Drink in the sunbeams as they descend;And […]

Up to Dunbar our Cromwell went,Not to invade was his intent;But they who first King Charles soldNow turn their backs on friends of old,And principles they then held dearWere sacrificed for self, I fear.Another Stuart they receive,Who knew too well how to deceive;The most perfidious of his race,Corrupt in life, and void of grace,The menial […]

The armies met on Marston Moor,‘Midst lightning’s flash and thunder’s roar;As murky clouds sweep o’er the sky,God’s cannonade with man’s will vie.The Royalists in phalanx strong,By fiery Rupert led along,From Bolton’s cruel massacreTowards York, in hope to keep it freeFrom the Roundheads at any cost.“If York be lost, my crown is lost”–Wrote Charles to this […]

“Mamma, what noises do I hear?They keep me wide awake.”“The chirping crickets, little dear;What funny noise they make!” “Yes, ma, but touch their tongues with oil,To take the squeak away;For soon it will their voices spoil,To squeak thus night and day.” Well done, my little girl of three;‘Twould tune our speaking gearTo utter sweeter melodyFor […]

O God, I am ashamed to die,But not the least afraid;Tho’ death’s dark shadow draweth nigh,Atonement has been made For every member of our race,And I on it rely,And hope immortal blooms thro’ grace;I’m not afraid to die. But Thou hast done great things for me,And I have nothing done.To set my sin-bound spirit free,Was […]

We strolled down by the river side,My sister Nell and I,To watch the waters onward glide,And vessels passing by. On Nature’s floor of lovely green,Bedecked with flowers of gold,The purple sassafras as sheen,Which trumpet vines enfold. We played our youthful games for hours,And told our childish tales;Adorned each brow with fragrant flowers,And slept ‘neath cooling […]

‘Tis well to have a goal in mind,A life-aim, high and true;Clear as the day, and well defined,And ever kept in view.But God has strewn along the wayBright flowers of every hue.Gather the brightest while you may,For they were meant for you. Heaven’s joy transcends the joys of earth,But if earth’s joys be pureThey must […]

A painter, high in worldy fame,Was sought to reproduce by artA likeness of the man whose nameSent darts of anguish through the heartOf mighty monarchs in his day;For he by arms subdued the world.Kingdoms and empires owned his swayAnd bowed beneath his flag unfurled. But Alexander bore a scar,Deep marked upon his royal brow;To paint […]

My neighbor’s farm and mine lie side by side,And nothing should our mutual trust divide;But they who made th’ original surveyWere guided by the stars, the records say,So that the line that marks out our domainIs indistinct, and puzzling doubts remain. Our farms are large, and portions near the lineWith rocky soil and stunted spruce […]

My sweet primrose with thy open face,And with fringe-like leaves, without a traceOf coarseness, either in flower or stem,Among all my plants thou art the gem. My lovely lilies soon disappear;Thy bloom is constant through all the year;In summer’s heat and winter’s cold,Undimmed the light of thy floral gold. Or if thy color be pink, […]

Upon the “table-rock” I stand,And gaze into the depths profound,In ecstacy at sights so grand,And deafened by the soundOf rushing waters, as they leapLike maddened steeds, down hillside steep. The falling spray my head bedews,As gently as a vernal shower;Or, as the Holy Ghost imbuesIn consecrated hour,The soul that inly yearns for love,And seeks it […]

This world is but the shadowOf the world that is to be,A ripple on the surfaceOf a deep, unfathomed sea.God’s plans are always perfect,But long ages interveneFrom the planning of the templeTo the glow upon its sheen;But we can be co-workersIn accomplishing his plan;For in God’s purpose is a placeFor every son of man. The […]

“Thank God, we have kept the flag floating.”–General White. Some men, like French, display much dash;They boldly rush upon the foe,Their sword-blades like the lightning flash,As they on helm or hauberk clash;Nor fear the foeman’s blow.We praise them for their gallant deeds;They are the men the Empire needs. But true as they are those who […]

“it Was My Fault”[1] Those men are deemed heroes who rush on the foeRegardless of danger, and seek not to knowWhat others may do;Stern duty demands it–why should they falterIf all they hold dear is laid on the altar,And conscience be true? The greatest of all is the man who can sayWhen battle is over […]

To Mr. Rudyard Kipling[1] True laureate of the Anglo-Saxon race,Whose words have won the hearts of young and old;So free from cant, and yet replete with grace,Or prose or verse it glows like burnished gold;Thy muse is ever loyal to the truth,And those who know thee best forget thy youth. Unbend thy bow and rest […]

The battleship its anchor weighs,And belches forth its thunder;Its commodore all classes praise,And at his victories wonder;And well they may–for braver manNe’er wielded sword or sabre;But tell me, brother, if you can,Who did the lowly labor. Below the deck in engine-room,As oilers and coal-heavers?Amidst the smut and ghastly gloom,Who worked the iron levers?And thus it […]

Some men there are who stand so straight,So equipoised, that others’ fateSeems to depend on their behest;And useless all our every questTo gain perfection or renown,Unless we touch the flowing gownOf these high-priests, whose shadows fallWithin themselves, if fall at all. Others are not as straight as these,But more like rough and gnarled trees;But little […]

In the courts of truth tread softly,Though your tread be firm and bold;Your steps may awaken echoes,Resounding through years untold.The trend of the age is onward,And you should not lag behind;If men’s minds are bound with fetters,Perchance you may some unbind. Our creed, say you, needs revising,In line with the growth of light;Be sure you […]

The fields lie bare before me now,The fruit is gathered in,Not even seen a grazing cow,Nor heard the blackbird’s din.The heath is brown, and ivy pale,The woodbine berries red,And withered leaves borne on the galeSink down on peaty bed. At morn the fence was covered o’erWith a pale sheet of rime;The earth was like a […]

Thy plan is best, though it may not agreeWith my conceptions of my needs and rights,And faith may fail to scale its azure heights;Yet still I trust, and leave my cause with Thee. With single eye I sought to do Thy will.I felt Thy smile and left results with Thee;If they have failed, then that […]

Father of Universal Man,Where’er in this wide world he roam,Not known to thee by kith or clan,Nor height, nor breadth of mental dome,Nor babbling tongue, nor sounding creed,But by his woe and common need. The pushing Anglo-Saxon race,The Celts with wealth of heart and mind,The Esquimaux of leaden face,The Arabs whom no chain can bind,With […]