The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1892-10-16
THE FAIRERT LILY.
Class Poem-Garf,eld University

| Class Poem-Garfeld University
| wild ming prairie of changing green.
| Where the winds stir ever shadowy sheen;
| Now all fair golden, now golden brown,
/ As the sportive wind sweeps The tall grass
down;
| AS it losses it high. and bends it low,
| As the wild winds come. and the wild winds go
| Over the prairies from far away,
With the waking morn. with the dying day;
Nesting low. where breezes blow.
'Mong the gold, when summers old:
Lifting high, to the azure sky,
A dainty face, in modest grace,
And heart of gold. in purple fold.
The Periclesian lilies grow
The farest lilies that men know.
Centuries ago, and long before the days
OF our dear English tongue, and when the
ways
OF the world were siraple. far over the seas,
Lived a man of Athens-Per:cles.
Ruler he was of that fair old city,
Kindly and courteous, brave and witty;
Forty long years he ruled-and WE'LL
His honor his virtue. the histories tell:
| How he decked Athens with marble and gold;
Built temples libraries. and arches untold:
Gave to the people books, pictures and plays
Well, the world calls those Golden Days"
For Athens he worked. he suffered and died.
And his name. today, is her greatest pride.
in far Western state. and where of late,
The COW boy swore at his dug-out door,
And the coyote yelled. by want impelied,
And the red man bold his scalps re-told:
Where the buffalo roaned. nor thought of
returning,
And the settlers heart with anger was burn
ing,
city was born-named Wichita,
For a chief who was scalped by bloody kaw.-
Some twenty years later TO Wichita came
university. hearing Presidents name.
Then handful of boys, on culture intent,
A society started; to antiquity sent
A committee-to dig for "a learned name
The committee-ah. golden. glorious fame!
Returned from the jeweled isle of the seas.
With name from Athens-Pericles!
And So today, the echoing Western leas,
Send back the Athenian name of Pericles.
From near and far, DER lea and scaur,
Is borne a name of golden fame,
name from the jeweied isle of the seas,
name well beioyed-Pericles.
three.
In solemn conclave meeting of this society,
Another committee was infinitely told
To bring Pericles' colors-purple and gold
The royal purple, so rich and rare,
The shining gold. like the mermaid's hairi
The warm. dark purple of Ethiope's queen.
The sun-bright gold, with its glittering sheeni
The swaying purple of Israels tent.
The flashing gold for Cherubm lent
Purple rich purple, the hearts own hue.
And gold, bright gold, of the sunlight true!
The royal purple, so rich and rare;
The shining gold, like the mermaids hair.
A day or two after, her lovers to please,
| Dame Nature honored brave Pericles!
| The campus all with purple aglow,
The warm hearts of gold. low, low,
| In the depths of the lilies Winds caress
| The purple and gold, and linger to bless
| The warm. rich purple, SO deep and rare.
| The shining gold. like the mermaid, IS hair.
| Nesting low, where breeZes blow,
| 'AIong the gold. when summers old,
Lifting high, to the azure sky,
| A dainty face, in simple grace.
| And heart of gold, in purple fold.
The Periclesan lilies grow
| Loveliest lilies that men know!