The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1903-06-21
Spirits In Prison

AYE who. prisOned in thess festive
rooms.
~ Lean at the windows for breath
OF air.
Staring upon the darkness that o'erglccuis
The heavens and waiting for the stars
20 bare
Their glittering gIories. yelled All night
IN cloud
know ye soorn the gasiights and the
feast,
saw you leave the music and the crowd
And turn unto the windows opening
east"
He went and preached unto ths
spirits in prison.
Prisoners are we all. The vast throng
dwells in dungeons and knows no light.
The fewest have Ia dreams caught
CLEANS OF other lights. radiant. daz-
zling 10 the purblind eyes. The vision
is OF fadeless light outside the prison
walls. With straining eyes they Esza
through the windows looking eastward.
But the windows are barred. They
bruise their hands I'm vain.
The prison IS the Gaol OF Circurn.
stance.
o my brothers. my sisters, Wa
know each other. We who have
stTiven IN vain TO break the bonds
and go free yet strive on We pass
each other and touch hands tn ths
crowd that knows not. and the real soul
within thrills. for soul hath touched
soul. and each hath understood. Some
times we may not touch hands The
crowd moves too fast We only look
into each others eyes and say TO our
selves Here is a soul that underestimate
o soul, ! know thy aspiration. noble
and tTue-aspiration now 10 may be-.
with scarce hope or fslhllment read
the poem thy hand and brain may not
express. for IN thy prison thou art
chained 20 the treadmiil that KrindH out
bread for others. Oh. 90 be free. free
Thou. too. q my sister Thy dream
is Of Interpretation % showing forth 20
the prisoned multitude the meaning %
its own Joys and sorTows. OF its own
dumb. weak aspiring. Before thee day
and night floats the vision ~ thrills
thee with a power that tugs al brain
and heart. It's liEht makes the life OF all
the prisoned mean and dun Yea. a is
mean and dali I know thee Thy
chains are the heaviest Crueiesf. or all
for they are the convenfionaiities II
the common mind. Thou art not strong
enough 70 break tbeu7 Heaven help
not even out betwiTi the bars
Thou. o my brother. my sister. thou
with thy great drama unex pressed. ny
epic Of life unwriIten the music 81 thy
soul unsunE. thy picture implanted.
whoever thou art. wherever with Thy
life's splendid ideal Unaftained ! know
theei know you all every one.
hear your souls voices souudiesE save
20 the ears q ua who knoss. chanting
ever and svermors the drouinV. rnelzn-
ohoiy fuzus q the maintaining
Al. hack again Only for q moment
gaze through the windows looking east
ward Mount the treadmll. feel fhs
Lash. on IN the lock step.
In the Of spells - the fr~adnoiH o
my brother. my sister I 49, you glide
Rhostllke amid the thronE - the az
knowing ] see v0B tern from them
Silent you Eit IN the circus silent amid
the kangaroo hand shaking. ths affected
voices that squeak artificial Sympathy.
They are not for you You cznnof
breathe their air On 20 Be o14t ~
prison. where men are FREE and real ana
true. where hearts are not cr4ssssd ana
shefs worthy aspiration - falnlledf
yet. o NJ ssethsrr. ~ he came.
share
Ths Ais - Ara this ssfninz a=Y 20
night
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Bre4E froFn car srii aus frsst oar nar.
hocd might
y sno. or fest sfesta graiars On 49,.
siIas
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Tuat - saons sas uxhi -nass ga,
k<srfr
Tsrfs = 80 az Fss-sa-a -m sz-s go.
ELIZA SncHARD coxxEn
lsra~niaE. 6iea rsraa.T fa rzsr-.~-