Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1876-07-14


Heroes stand, with their speaking scare,
Under our nag of stripes and stars;
And aged ones come out again,
with trembling voices to say "Amen."
Men who have Travelled their pilgrim way
Till, hoary and bowed, they greet this day;
And mothers old, whose stalwart sons
Have stood in the battle and manned the guns
Aged mothers, who come out to see
Once more the flag that fioats so free.
Yes, all are here-the young and the DID,
Prattling children and strong men bold,
The maiden, fair with her blooming face,
And the matron, grave with womAnly grace.
And why do they Gomez
What means this throng7
The sounding drum
And the swelling song?
The answer road in your faces to-day,
And these are the words that you seem to say:
eve come to hear the story
OF the brave men Of the past,
Who earned place in glory,
And will hold II to the last
1--WE come the grateful children
OF the fathers that are gone,
Who found for us this heritage
As they sailed toward the setting sun;
"who laid the deep foundations
On which our temple stands
The wonder Of the nations
And the hope Of other lands.
1.-THE mothers and the children
Are gathered here to-day
That they may hear the story
OF the past, so far away.
"And may We all remember
The sturdy, ancient stock
That, in that bleak December,
Stepped forth on Plymouth Rock.
'How they toiied, and how they suffered!
How they fought, and how they diedl
But their toll was not unmeaning,
And their names are now our PRIDE"
These are the words that you seem to say,
As I read your faces upturned to-day.
Let the guns boom cut!
Let the nation shouti
Though the story we tell
Isknown so well.
Let history speak aud tell again
The story Of those hardy men
Who bravsd the perils Of the sea
To find land where thought was free,
Where freely they might bend the knee,
And freedom would birthrlght be.
So hear ye now the story told
OF the brave and sturdy men Of old.
The words are written, the flag is unfurled,
There is hope for freedom throughout the world.
ohow they shout
How the bells ring outl
How they run to and fro
With the news, As they 60
Shouting and singing,
Shouting and singing!
While that old bell,
High in the tower
(Oh, thrilling hourD
Rings out so well:
''shout and sing! Shout and singI
will ring and ringj
The LaAd is free
From river 10 seG!"
And brave men say,
As they bow and pray,
II God will, this shall be
The land Of the brave and the home Of the free.
From cabin to cabin the news hies on,
"Thsy haUe spoken for freedom tAe deed is done ;!
Heart beating with heart, hand clasping hand,
In defense Of the Right they promise to stand.
Speak, eloquent tongues, and tell us again
or our brave fathers, who were brave men,
How they marched with bare feet
Through the snow and the sleet,
On the frozen ground
With mufied sound
And evermore sAid,
As with manly tread
They marched away
To the bloody fray:
ave must not yield
Must not leave the field;
The vow is made, and must not be broken"
And men sto cd behind the words that were spoken.
The battles were fought, and the victory was won
They did their work-it was work, aud well done;
And the nation lives, though many fell
Who stood 30 boldly and fought so we'll.
The words have been written one hundred yeArs;
The battles have been fought one hundred years;
And the nation has lived one hundred years;
And we look back on those hundred years.
Time flies; century is gone,
But still our banner floats alone:
On mountain-top, in fertile plain,
We greet 1t with welcome strain.
How beautiful it is to SEQ
The flag that speaks of liberty!
How glad sight against the sky
That glorious standard waving highl
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Columbia's daughters gladly come,
In answer to the beating drum,
And join with Eest the moving throng,
Long may tney wave those stripes ana stars !