Bellows Falls times. [volume] (Bellows Falls, Vt.) 1856-1965, 1875-09-17
Poetry.
For the Bellows Falls Times.
Centennial Bells.
by AMANDA p. WALKER.

ny AMANDA p. WALKER.
Centennial bells are ringing,
Are ringing notes sublime;
From sea to sea is winging,
Fair Freedoms birthday chime.
Columbia, the I, arless,
Whose every sons king,
Columbia, the peerless.
For thee. for thee they ring
For thee, fair land of beauty,
OF mountain, vale and plain,
Where life's cheerful duty,
And peace and plenty reign.
Blest land of schools and churches.
Where happy homes abound,
Where History's vast researches
No parallel has found.
Land. with glad harvests teeming,
In robes OF JOY arraS ed,
From thrall for whose redeeming
Our mothers toiled and prayed,
Land for whose solemn christening
Our fathers blood flowed free,
To day, the nations listening,
Hear JOY bells rung for thee.
The continents are shaken,
The islands and the seas;
The far of tribes awaken
And ask. What bells are these?"
Old 'lSeventy six advances,
His laureled brow serene,
And with benignant glances,
hehearses what they mean.
He tells how tyrant faction
Oppressed Columb so,
Her soul was reused to action
A hundred years ago.
Inc Ihrone, Its power abusing,
Sore imposts on her laid.
Her plea for rights refusing
Her confidence betrayed
Then in her might uprising
She rends her CALLING chain.
nobler way deyislng
Mans highest good to gain
She made Declaration,
That all the world might see
An Independent Nation
Henceforth her name should be,
The Peoples voice her leader;
The Peoples wants and aims
should be her special pleader,"
In all her courts of claims,
Then Liberty and Union
She bonded hand in hand,
Thencetorth, in close communion,
Her sons shrink not, nor falter
On that mOmentous day,
But firm on Freedoms altar
Life, fortune, honor lay,
Like Israel, bondage fleeing,
They trusted in the Lord
BY faith His right arm seeing,
They buckle on the sword.
Through perils sore distressing,
Through hunger, cold and pain.
Sull dauntless, onward pressing
Till Freedoms goal they gain
Then forth from every steeple
Proclaim the herald bells,
Our Sovereign is the People,
This.this the story tells.
10
Our Eagle. sunward facing,
Bears in its beak the sign,
Still upward, onward tracing
Our national design.
From mountain. plain and valley
The states make up the sum,
At Freedoms call they rally
Il PtUribas Unum.
From ocean o'er to ocean
One impulse stiTs the mind,
A national devotion
In one the many bind.
Our Ship of State surpasses
The ships of every realm;
Her Captain is the Masses.
The People hold the helm.
IL
That pirate craft, Secession,
The traitor brig Intrigue.
Stll true to her profession,
She's distanced many a league
AIOit, the old Flag, swinging
with happy hearts keeps time.
While all the bells are ringing
Our glad centennial chime.
13
Bone, bone. across the water,
The watchful Motherland,
BehOlds her dauntless daughter
A thriving matron stand,
Her ships of commerce sailing
Where'er a sails unfurled,
Her starry banner hailing
With good cheer all the world.
Her industries so stable,
Her larder so replete
There's work for all who're able.
For all the hungry meat.
For every honest ranger
Who deigns on her to call,
A hearty welcome. stranger"
There's bread and work for all.
Is
Her enterprises growing;
Her schools the nations pride;
The Press and Pulpit sowing
Rich blessings far and wide;
Her artisans displaying
Their colors in the van
And dusky freedmen saying
4 also am man
l6
Her heroes. patriots, sages.
With laurels on their brow,
Called up to History's pages
From shop. and desk, and plOw.
Her roll OF honor scanning,
See. at the nations head,
One to the art of tanning
Who thoroughly was bred.
II
And, through the century's mazes,
From Grant to Washington,
Still honor's highest praises
The sons of toll have won.
Then, hail Columbia, peerless,
Home Of the brave and free;
Hail, Constitution. fearless,
Hail, Union. Liberty.
IS
From Lexington's proud story
To YorktOwn's sacred dells.
Ring Freedoms morn of glory
Y glad centennial bells.
Ring, ring for Law and Order,
For Freedoms gentle sway,
That in our peaceful border
There breathes no slave to -dayi
And while the bells are sounding,
Let us with one accord
With gratitude abounding.
Sing praises to the Lord.
Let all tn cir tithes be bringing,
And while the anthem swelIs.