Virginian-pilot. (Norfolk, Va.) 1898-1911, 1900-01-21
THE FOOL.

ShS i SINluZaIlOn.
There was a fool and he made his
prayer"
There was fool. and he made his
TO golden calf, erected where
Positions OF state were bought and
sold
Like bales of cotton, for SO much gold.
The fool had gold, plenty or gold;
And the rights of men he bought and
sold.
He lorded it over the rich and
And trod on the lowly of poor
The sacred laws OF the government
He set aside, for his OWL mtent. n
Whom he could not buy, he reviled as
knaves
For scorning the price that would make
them slaves.
He lived like Bahy1on's king of old,
To rule or ruin by power of gold.
This fool had miles where his country
men
Were driven like beasts of dulIest ken.
Wretched and hungry they toiled; yet
He made more Golfers for them to I'LL.
He refused to sec that his golden gain
Were lives and souls that he had slain
He only saw the power it gave
To fetter stronger gaunt labor's slave.
This fool had rcliglon-nay do not
smile
He believed that gold EN- the Lord
He worshipped; twas an edif1ce state
~ and grand,
With ease and splendor on every hand;
Thro' stained glass windows, the mel
lowed rays
Round the golden lectern softly plays.
The carDeted aisles are soft to the
tread
As tender speech above the dead;
The affairs glow with the rarcst bloom
OF flowers that exhale n rich perfume.
The grand. deep notes of the organ roll
Magnificent anthems for his soul
And the fool bends, lightly, his SANITY
knee,
And prnys for--himself and family.
The we'll paid servant Of God on hirh
Would bewail the day when this fool
should die.
If James and Zebedee-Christ's chosen
kin,
His temple of worship should enter In
| fear the smell OF their fishing boat
The rich, proud noses would quickly
note
The air, that was heavy with arts per
fume,
Could hardly their briny ooze GER
come;
And the stately usher would show the
door
To these brothers of christ-thesa- ash.
ermen poor.
The Lord hath love for the poorest OF
earth,
If he brings to his altar true hearts
worth. ~
We are told that he scourged from the
temple door
The changers of money-the curse Of
the poor.
For the million of gold this fool had
To build this church, he had CALLED and
Ten thousand souls to a death of de-
spair;
Miners who toiled in the vilest air
10 earn the wealth that his precious
soul -
Could be bought OF the Lord for a
InililOn dole.
Oh! woe. is the fool who has failed to
read
In the rage of time. proud 1abor,s
need;
He has felled your forests, and sowed
your grain,
He has built your ships that plow 4ba
main,
He has delved in the mines, vile, dark
For warmth and cheer to gladden. your
home;
And for these years Of narrowing toll,
You take his manhood as so much
spoil;
And spent and dying he sinks TO rest
By the babe that starved at his noor
wife's breast
The fool cared not for this pitifu1
AS he Toasted the great, right roy
ally.
There rose an army ten millions strong
The army OF toll, to redress this wrong:
To dethrone this fool who stood alone
Lord of their birthright from zone to
zone;
They bore on their banner child at
rest,
A babe that had starved at its mothers
breast;
They took the fool to his golden hin;
They opened thedoor. and the fool went
They buried him deep in his golden
bed, -s-.'.
With the flag OF liberty at his head,
| On which was pictured q babe at resi-