The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1902-09-14

me SHINING way INA ltAOs TO ali
Which peace and plenty bring:
With all thy glorious reach TO fall
Where progress's peans rinsl
Not like the Appi.n Way of Old.
With all its blood and tears.
Where captiyes great as slaves were sold
Through many weary years:
Not like the way of sorrows. thine
Where GaiIiean fell:
Not like the ancient paths Of crime
That leadeth Gown TO hell
Along thy course shah pulse the feet,
All tubilant with giee.
That come from every cline TO greet
A nation brave and free,
That come TO bring their votiye gifts
To Wonder cleaning goal.
Seen through thy trembling leafy riffs
Like cIiatels Of gold
Here Kings ana oneens Of every art.
And shining literature.
Shall press thy bed with bounding heart
The wide worlds cynosure,
Along thy emerald -bordersd way
The lords OF commerce great
Shall march TO eager bloodless fray
Before the face OF fate.
Along thy amplitude shall ry
The automatic wheel.
Which caught the spirit Of tn. sky
And harness II to steel,
Or babe IL shine in loops Of wire.
And incandsscent light
With fountains and fsstoons of fire
Annulling all the night,
Or. DER this roadz,his sSinke- road
With vieviess feet shall run.
And every sleeping mind shall Eoad
Beneath the golden sun:
And lifted to the march Of time.
On vibrant viry wing.
The pean grand OF every cline
With spheric song shall ring,
With fiery shuttle now IL weav.s
The funeral shroud OF war.
And strevs his BIER with olive leaves
For peoples wild and far:
weaves bridal robes Of earth's accord
Beneath the raging sea.
And tells the word OF Battles Lord.
Who died 10 make US free
Nor sage's ken. Tor prophets dream
Can match the spiendor given
TO the rapt vision Of the zleam
That shines as out Of heaven.
From yonder turrets. domes. and fanes.
Upon thy ample way
Beside which royal splondor vanes
In light OF freedoms day!
o thou, TIE life. The truth. the way
That ieaesth unto Cod
Lest we forget" 20 thee we pray
For guidance meath thy rod
That ms we tread this road 20 fame
or our Columbia great.
We breathe with holy hush thy name
The buivark OF the State,
Strike. thou the master Of the keys
Upon the minor chord.
The anthem Of our destinies.
To glorify the Lord,
And Ger this land the sweet refrain
Shall ever swelling run:
Peace on e~arth-zood viii 10 man
Good will to every one"
W. F. PACKARD.
Hannibal. No.
These are from the more serious treat
nents OF "the subject of Skinker road"
)f the 500 entries in this contest nine-tenths
the past. present or future OF Skinker
cad the theme. 1t Is er:i-o:y clear that
he great majority OF those entering into
he competition understood that the subject
Skinker road In a sense distinctive
rom all other country roads They dealt
NTH the history. the name. the relationship
o the Worlds Fair. "Skinker Road Is the
tile adopted by four-ffths OF those in the
ompetition.
Competition in a lighter vein was even
numerically ut least. 1t produced
UGH spirited verse as this extract, in
rhich the writer links pleasantly the SEN
iment which DEGREES that the name shall
emain and the prophecy which f~orshadows
he place the road will hold with the
Fair:
yhen we'd wandered through the iabyrinth. O,
Textiles.
And hsd paused before each masterpiece OF Art.
Then we'd stood and watched the flying ships get
ready.
And had seen that santOs-Dumon, 60, the
start,
hen. like children who are weary and are tired
OF the game.
We would turn TO where the waving green
fringe showed.
nd there. beneath the brs.-hes. where the SUM-
light never siances.
We would rest among the trees OF skinker
Road.
o here's a pledge to skinker. and the road ,ha.
bears his name.
lay their frlerds Re ever loyal. and their foes
be put TO shame.
O. views known them and we've tried them. !
and they're true. and straight. and broad.
. a double health 20 SNfnker and to Gear CID
skinker Road
H I. HoRSsBY.
Springfield. NO.
The glory OF the coming is not unmIxed |
kinker road in the following:
PASSING.
eschinx out of the city ana far from m. stree,
here riches and avsrice. struggling meet.
here's an old dusty roadway. In fancy that !
eeems
Ike an AppIan Way to the Country OF Dreams
winds through the thicke,s and over the bui
utted and yellow. but fragrant and sin:
nj the murmur Of breexes and piping Of aua,l |
md enchantment and peace to the rugged old
traE. |
un many a man. who. In heart Of the stytre
as been fighting for years the grim battle Of
life ,
scans sho-e .wee, days ere hi. sses knew tn.
atn :. rsnd.rea. sarssoot % the cid sslalsr
rad
Aea n. boushs Of an oak on tn. hank Of tn.
sds = happier mansion tran narbse ami b-.rk. +.
Z crinson-vinred butterfly. frrpsns his