The herald., 1898-03-27
THE HERALD'S MUSE
Brave Marcus, Lets Have War

SAov ~ SAAe>ASs~~t A~S~s S>s~vS y" -
Who sunk the Maine? That is the question
paramount
Which agitates our nation to its very core
And makes us draw the rusty sword from
out its sheath,
And rub the blood stains, oxidized by time.
From of its ancient blade;
And makes US rush infuriate to the wall.
Where hangs our fathers guns.
Which once spoke thunder to our nations
foes.
Show us the men or race that did the
deed
And death or hell were but their mildest
need;
That is the sentiment which stirs our
souls.
IT'S past a peradventure that the venge-
full hand of Spain
Has drawn the blood Of hundreds Of our
brave
Not by the dint of war, but murder grim.
Now, shall we give the murderers their
need?
Or must the Stars and Stripes subside
On the pale bosom of their own'inconse-
quence?
AYE, there's the rub" which chafes the
epidermis
On our souls until the veinous crimson
Nantes on our brow,
And makes wonder IL we yet belong to
that brave race
Who framed its orb to light the slumbering
earth,
And wove its stripes to beat submission
In our foemens breasts.
Must we stand idly by, while nations
crane their necks
And laugh and say. 1.-THE boastful Yankee,
Who in times of peace talks war,
In times of war talks peace;
Who dares the earth when no one wants
to fight,
might;
But when he sees wars frowning visage
grim,
Crawls in a hole and pulls it after him?"
Can this be so? Ye sons of valiant men.
Who wreathed the laurels Of Immortal
fame
Around our nations brow
And bore it's glorious flag through food
and flame.
To the proud eminence from which 1t
flutters now;
Oh, shade of Washington and all those
heroes too,
Who fought at Bunker Hill,
And with inferior arms, welded with
patriotic fire.
Baptized with patriot blood.
Wrested fair freedom from Overwhelming
foes,
And thus ensconsed the screaming eagle
on our flag,
We now invoke your aid, seek your ad-
vice,
And ask you why the Spaniard sinks our
ships
While we lie idly by to witness their de-
struction?
If 'twere an accident in any sense
We seek no war; we ask no recompense;
hate,
dire,
And turns its multi-muscled arms
To strike a deadly blow
At those who sunk the Maine and slew
our men,
To make Spanish holiday
And glut their thirst for blood
We've millions now whose bursting veins
And throbbing hearts all say:
Lets give more color to their holiday"
They've "called our bluff''-aye, more,
they've "bluffed" our CALL"
And still we idly wait in soulless quies-
cence.
Why are our warships craftily designed,
Those wondrous floating fortresses Of
steel,
With adamantine frames,
From which a foeman's shot might well
rebound,
And manned with ponderous guns.
Whose deadly vitals are conceived
To pour the storms of hell
And yet whose sphynx-like silence
Causes US to wonder why they were con-
structed,
And millions spent to frame their noise
less thorax,
fragments
At the breath of war?
Let's try them, friends, in virtues holy
cause;
Let's hear them once intelligently speak
In freedoms name.
twain,
So must we now in Wall streets bonds
remain?
Peace, blushing. covers her diminished
head
Beneath the weight of damning evidence:
So rather than peace, dishonored peace.
Brave Marcus, let's have war.