The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1883-07-11
oUR COUNTRY.
BY JoHs oBEESLEAF WHITTIER.


Tread a Roselind Park. Woodstock, Conn, Jnl
4, 1883.
We give the natal Gay 10 hope.
eCountry of our love and prayer
The way is down no fatal slope,
But up 70 freer sun and air.
Tried as by furnace-fires, and yet
By Gods grace only stronger made,
To meet new tasks before thee set
Thou shalt not lack the old-time aid.
TIE fathers sleep; but men remsin
AS wise, IS true and brave as they.
Why cOuI the loss and not the gain?
The best is that we have to-day.
Wbate'er of folly, shame or crime
Within Thy mighty bounds transpires,
With speed defyiDg space end time
CCmes to US on the accusing wirts;
While OF thy wealth of noble deeds,
Thy homes Of peace, thy votes unsold,
The loves that pleads fox human needs,
The wrong redressed, but halt is told
Each poor wretch in his prison cell
Or gallows moose. isinteryiewed;
We know the angle sinner wen,
And not the nine and ninety good.
Yet, il on daily scandals fed,
We seem at times to doubt thy worth,
We Snow thee still, when all is said,
The best and dearest SPOT on earth.
From the warn Mexic Gulf, or where,
felted with flowers, Los Angeles
Bssks in the semi tropic air,
To where katshdin's cedar trees
Are dwaIfed and bent by Northern winds,
Thy plenty's horn Is yearly filed;
AlOT c, the rounding century finds
Thy liberal soil by free hands TILED.
A refuge for the wroDged and poor,
hv hos ART haC laes
That, with them, through thy open door,
The old worlds evil ontcasts came.
But. with thy just and equal rule,
Ard lsbor's J. eed AMI breadth OF lands.
+ ee press and rostrum Church a1d school,
Thy sure, if slow, transforming hands
Shall mold even them To thy design,
Making blessing OF the ban:
And Frtedom's chemistry combine
The alien elements OF man.
The power that broke their prison bar
And set the dusky millions free,
And welded in the flame Of war
The Union fast to Liberty.
shall il not deal with other ills.
Redress the red mans grievance, break
The Circean cup which shsmes and kills,
And labor full requital make?
Alone to such as itly bear
Thy civic honors bid them fau,
ADu Call my Oangoters forth 70 share
The rights and duties pledged to all?
No lack was in thy primal stock.
No weakling founders builded here;
Thine were the men of Plymouth Rock,
The Huguenot and cavalier,
And they whose firm endurance gained
The freedom of the souls of men,
Whose hands, unstained with blood, mai
tanned
The sFordless Commonwealth of Penn.
And thine shall be the power Of all
To DO the work which duty bids,
And make the peoples Council Hall
AS lasting as the pyramids
Well have thy later years made good
Thy bTsve-said word q century back,
Thy pledge OF human brotherhood.
The equal claim of white and black.
That word still echoes rour d the world
And all who hear IL turd 10 thee,
And read upon thy fl lg unfurled
The prophecies of destiny.
The great world-lesson all shall lelrn,
The nations of thy school shall sit.
Earths fsrthest mountsin-top sh Ill burn
With wateh-fres from thy own uplit
Great without seeking to be gEett
By fraud or conquest, rich in gold.
But richer in the large estate
OF virtue which thy children hold.
With peace that comes of purity,
And strength TO simple justice due;
SO runs our loyal dream OF thee;
God Of our ersl-mske IL tTuel
o Land of lands! TO thee wee give
Our prayers, our hopes our service ee;
For thee thy sons shall MOLLY live,
And at thy need shall die for x ee.
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