The Richmond palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1855-1875, 1864-01-27
The Morning vow.


The sun Is rising land OF nv birth,
upon thy eastern shore. " lille the young
day is waking to the light, an the heart is
free from care | will sit sit here beneath
this venerable oak, "a sacred tree, and make
my filial VOW to thee, my native land
I Land of the forest, | love thee and here
in the solitude OF thy woods | will pray
I for thee. Land Of mountains. | dare not
I worship-but / dare to love thee. Thy
/ peaks are Freedom affairs, and here will |
pour a lbation. Land OF the waterfall :,
Niagara with its glorious anthem. st. An
thonv its mimic cloudlet, rain and rain
bow, Minnehaha with its liquaI laugh
are thy Naiad temples; lake and laielet,
river and rivulet, are there ancient re
treats here, in solitude, amid the groves
more richly clad than classic Tempe, their
mythic dance went round. Here will |
baptize myself in thy name, ., America,
that l may pray Alright for thee. Land of
the prairie, valley, and dcwv dell; Nat
ure's gardens that mock the vain attempt
of royalty to copy their wild expanse,
where form and color in every variety are
redolcnt with oders, and instinct with life
that Chambers in fIc vine, is smiling in
the blos5oIl, struggling in the bramble,
creeping iii the tendril. hiding in the
mosses, caroiing il the bird. AMI lcaping
in the fawn. where trees, Young and old,
dead and diving. cntwne their parental,
brotherly, sisterlv, and filial arms about
each other Land of beauty, here, amid
thy wildnc,s and thy sweetness, will I
kneel and pray for thee.
Land Of every elm all lands in min
iaturc-thy Borcan Winters and tropical
sunshine. thy eastern shore with its gran
ite hills, and thy western cxpan5e with its
sunny south sides, from limit to limit |
love thee Land of storms, amid thy
rocking pins thyt underngs. ligiitlings
and suhimcst elemental war-hcre, where
thy winds are holding their high carnival,
will | bnecl and pray, O, America. for
thee. Oh lest chill Of creation - first
among the continents u lit thy head from
the primal abyss, II thousand leagues of
ocean engirelle thee; thus would throw
around thee my filial arms and, blessing,
pray for thee Land OF the Statcs-loly
sisterhoo Ia thousand links grapple thee
to nv heart Land of the pill grim " ash
ington, AMI Franklin; an here, too, are
Mt. Vernon, Ashland an | the Hermitage
land OF glory. amid this sacred dust
will l kneel AMI pray for thee. Thy Gre
ator did not make my land like .'the isles
of Greece which peer in separate parts
.ItoNt inc WIVES tftil liIt'i tltc Nv Ills
power a mt from the deep. He did not,
rs at Babel, send confusion when the hills,
mountains, plains, lakas an | rivers sat in
council and said Let us build US = city,
and a tower, whose top may reach unto
heaven; and let us make us n name, Test
are be scattered abroad upon tie face Qt' tie
whole earth = but he did, himself, preside, I
and did sanction the decree. | will pray, |
., America, that this decree may stand /
Thus vas made home for thy adopted /
children. despised in other lands, and here /
their affairs were built while they sang, /
I'VE come, . God, from other kings to
thee.' / will pray that no strange fires
pollute these affairs, but that they NAV still /
be pure
O, erring land scarce four score wears !
have passed since the Deity led thee hv I
the hand, a yonng republic, into the pre-
sence Of the nations. He gave thee a tai /
isman, and wrote his law upon the hearts ]
of thy children O, so early, have thy /
recreant sons taken these words Of heay-
cn--Iibcrty. Independence, Freedom to /
worship Gol-from their hearts. and have 1
inscribed them upon banners flags, trans /
parcncies and bauhles, Union, in the +
dust. But thy sons are not iLnoblc all /
Thine affairs are assaulted, bat ticy crum [
bic not; thy temple is rocking to and fro /
but it falls not. \ hundred iaternecine /
battle fields have startled, but not dis /
mayed thee The patriots grave is ev-
cry where, bat through our tears for these
is seen the bow Of promise. The trees
of hundred forests stand sentinel. each
spreading his branches like a guardian
angel over soldiers sepulcher Although
thy veterans have manned thy ramparts,
thy fate Is yet at equipoise. The bloody |
page Is not yet written. Hostile squad
ron> still rush To battle and to death
Thus my land is bleeding and here amid I
this blood | will kneel and pray for t zee /.
O Christ, rebuNe. | humbly pray, this Gal I
lice of blood Say to the furious sea-
Peace, be still " Columbia. thou art 4
weeping now Sackcloth and mourning
shroud a million firesides. SHALL | for I
sake thee now Nay. amid thy tears /
kneel and pray. o Redeemcr may not
these tears be lost, Treasure them up,
pray thee; and when peace returns. shower
them in divineSt blessings on our heads
Thy battle fields land of our fathers
are but the alphabet with which are being
slowly but sublimely spelled the words OF
thy redemption. On TO glory. We sons of 4
freedom. Jehovah's buckler is in the van,
and when redeemed, we will twine tbs tat
tered battle hags, Columbia. abont the
cross: and lnecling there, thy child still
win pray, America, for thee,
W o. WYANT
Tepay, Ind. Oct %, '63.