We are not here to play, to dream, to drift, We have hard work to do and loads to lift. Shun not the struggle, face it, 'tis God's gift. Stand up, speak out, and bravely, in God's name. It matters not how deep-entrenched the wrong, How hard the battle goes, the day how long. Faint not, fight on.
Tomorrow comes the song.
I hope that these few words will remind us of the challenges faced by all of us as we strive to live lives dedicated to truth, to goodness, to civility, and to honorable works. During the Korean War a United States' military officer was captured and subsequently sentenced to death. Before his execution, he was permitted to write just nine lines. Although most of the allotted space was dedicated to his wife, he wrote one line to his son. As you begin your time here at Wake Forest and as you prepare for a life of enlightened citizenship, I hope that you will surround yourselves with things that are true, and honest, and virtuous, and just.