The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1877-08-18

More thanth martial strength of earth.
Ihey fix our reverence for the past
And serve to hold affections fast.
However feeble they may seem,
They hold us with II might supreme,
Give common use its honest fee
And deeds their immortality.
But half a century we need
To change or modify creed,
A social usage or Il want,
The little greenhouses we vaunt,
Our cherished habits and our loves,
For eterythiag With al MiHgs moces.
And SO ii comes about that they,
Who date this half Il century
From cradle rhymes, have lived to see
Themselves the idols of our day
Their labor gives the present age,
To us. Il mighty heritage.
Aud now their mighty work is done.
They rest and calmly look upon
The finished splendor of their skill,
The triumph of their faith and will.
They, looking backward, plainly see
Each duty as destiny.
And every work II prophecy
Iheir time, their labors and their place
Made possible the present grace.
For this We honor them TO day.
For this we thank them rcvcrently.
The master was Yankee, cute,
Who taught young ideas how TO shoot
And played Old Hundred on the flute.
Inc preachers III those stlrrlng DAYS
Were wonderful in works and praise.
Their prayers were deeds of active sort
That helped the laymen hold the fort"
They preached-but kept their powder dry"
They seldom prayed without their gun.
They knew an indiana time TO die
Was any hour 'twiXt sun and sun.
But where an Indians spirit went
They never questioned worth cent.
True righteousness will have its way,
And takes the fashion of it, day.
The fashion of its present mood
Is charity, and that Is good.
The poorest earth, well mixed with lcaycn
OF charity, may rise TO heaven.
But when all charity is sin
'Tis hard to tell where rights begin.
Old settlers all remember well
The Indians wild, internal yell
That, like the d" banner cry of hell"
Broke through the stiffness of the night
To blanch their checks with sudden fright,
Zen now their ears will echo back
The startling rifles deadly crack,
The shrieks of many victim slain
Whose cries for mercy were in vain.
In dread thcyH their daily meals,
In watchful dread they powed their fields
Their nights were restless, crossed with fear
OF deadly foes in ambush near.
Their days grew weary with the press
OF unabating watchiulness.
And therefore is 1t that say
Tue righteousness will have its way
And take the fashion of its day.
When charity begins at home,
And dare not from its Jingle roam,
The rifle il the rule of right,
Sharp-shooting Is prayer for light.
In fact, we, of the present day,
Are learning somewhat rapidly
The mood and tense of charity;
Are losing our angelic lcavcn,
And think that charity could make it even
BY densely populating heaven
With lawless saints, too largely loose,
For whom the earth can find no use.
With pride we retrospect the past;
With hope the future years forecast.
The first IL certain history;
The last II doubtful prophcsy.
Fen fancy, while she folds her wing,
Keeps silence where she fears to sing,
Peers forward with perplexing stare
TO catch the color Of the air,
The Eastern sky IL all maze
And veXcd with many colored rays.
Its god-a pale malignant light;
It's rose-is changed to CHASTITY white.
4 blood-red Cross, far reaching, flies
Along the Oriental skies,
disappearing heaven with hooking prayer
Gods lightning strikes 1t In the air!
IN fragments drops the lying Cross,
A gidcd sham, thing OF dross.
The Crescent now droops, drearily,
A dead thing on Black, dead sea.
The Gross and Crescent, both in doubt,
Perhaps in blood will both 90 ont,
And leave the waning eastern nght
TO close in medieval night
But turn we to the shining WEST,
Where now the star of empire rests.
How like 4 miracle OF llght
She lcaped from out the gloomy night
OF dull tradtion--wondrously
TRANSPORTED on a luminous sky!
The horrors of barbara life
That normal state of blood and strife
Was here but yesterday, IL seems.
lis vanished like u hidcOns dream.
Though love and culture felt their way
But fcebly in the mornings ray,
The promisc.Opcning in the sky
Grew larger to the accustomed eye
Until the gates that locked the sun
Wide omen swung-imll light redeemed
And DAY in al its glory bcamcd.
Now we, their children. waiting. stand,
With willing hearts and ready hands
70 take the burden of the age
Aud bless them for the heritage,
We vow to bear the burden on
Until our lives and work are done,
Move upward to the highest height
And forward to the broadcst light,
Work az our fathers bravcly wrought,
Teach rs our fathers bravcly taught.
The pioneers were strong OF hand,
Tall giants ret ~ guard the land
Stout arms were needed for the trust
To wrench, 10 parry and to thrust,
TO conQuot IN The brutal strife
Which made The curse of savage life
They gave H." ir early youth, their prime,
Their manhood to its latest time.
They lived secluded, lonely lives,
with hpt ehcir children aud their wives.
They he'd their churches and their schools,
Their maXims and their moral rules.
The'church was half an arsenal.
rbC block. house " was church as well.
The schoo-housc was "A buckeye fort
And every window wa port
er the singing of Going Back to DiNic'
e quartcttc, Mr.. Momycr made n few re-
S expressing his qualification at the man,
yes for the better hc had noticed in the coun
zee his first sight Of it in 1888 when he wen
Ugh it and Ottawa via the then just opened
lge and Rock Island T. H. If In the futur
Fps on improving as it has during the pas
airs it will be one of the grandcst old coun
N fine world