The Republican journal., 1904-06-16
CORNER STONE LAID
OF Carnegie Free Public Library in Water
vile.

OF carre.;e Free Public Library in Water
vile.
The laying of the corner stone of the
Carnegie Library in Waterville occur
red June sth with formal'program, in
which Mayor Cyrus w. Davis, the
clergy. Board of Trade, faculty of Col
by College, school teachers and schol-
ars and others participated. Mrs. F.
W. johnson read the following poem
written for the occasion by Mrs. Martha
Baker Dunn:
The earth has flung her banners wide,
The newborn earth with heart of spring,
Freed from the winters frozen tide
Her glad pulse is awakening;
And the fair city of our pride,
Between her crystal rivers set,
Dreams now of the green countryside
And scents the budding violet
The Messalonskee greets her mate
The silver-sweet Sebasticook
The kennebec forgets her state
To babble like a happy brook;
And, "What, oh, what, oh, what, they call,
"tair city, whose charmed shores we lave,
Mean all these joyous sounds that fall
To drown the music of our wave?
"Why this glad noise of thronging feet,
These childish voices waited free,
And this blithe hustle of the street
Filled close with buoyant company?
"Why stream the banners on the breeze,
Ribbons of color, Wreathlng fair,
And laugh and jest and sounds like these,
Why do they echo everywhere?'
With ringing voice, with beat of drums,
With note of bugle thrilling gay,
Across the wind the answer comes,
1--WE lay the cornerstone today!'
"What COMMISSIONED What walls shall rise,
Mid such acclaim of joy and mirth,
To hide this new made wound that lies
In the brown bosom of the earth?''
Today tits but house of dreams
We build, and yet each seeing eye
Rears it in fancy till it seems
Perfect against the Maytime sky;
A house of friends, house of deeds,
A house whence Wisdom's words are sped,
A house that frames immortal needs,
A house where meet the quick and dead
And on its front, inscribed on high,
This vieWleSS legend there should be,
Unread save by the inward eye,
so grave, where is thy victory"
Ill
We rear in air these visioned walls,
We set the windows all alight,
And now whose steps shall tread the halls,
What jewellers shall we here invite,
What choice guests shall we bid to meet
When our fair mansion is complete?
What voice beloved shall sound most clear
Telling OF unforgotten things:
Whose gracious face shall smile most dear
For the brave message that it brings?
What poet dream the sweetest dream,
In this our house of Academe?
Here, first of all, we welcome you,
Our loved, our own, New England band
Ou are our opponents, the true
Untitled mobiles of our land.
Come, dwell here in cur midst, that we,
Growing like you, may nobler be.
Come, autocrat of varied lore,
Here see your wreathing flag unfurled
Come, sage of Concord, fire once more
That glorious shot heard round the world
Come, Henry Thoreau, breathe again
The pine scent of the woods of Maine.
Dear quaker poet, for thy part
Still our New England legends tell,
Bnt, poet of the quiet heart,
Give us thy need of peace as we'll!
And Lowell, keep cur souls n tune
Longfellow of the MANY moods,
Bring here your SagaS of The seas,
And bid the wind from behring's woods
Blow softly through our springtime trees.
Mingling with that salt breeze that stirs
The Country of the PoinJed FRS
Come, Webster of the silver tongue,
Come, hawthorne of the golden pen,
Come, all We who have said and sung,
Line of fair women and brave men;
Come, help us set our door so wide
That no true soul shall stay outside,
From cape to cape. from sea to sea,
From Homer isle to Shakespeare's shore,
: No ''hgh-erected thought" shall be
| Excluded from this open door;
| With treasure brought from many lands
We build house not made with hands.
And not to pomp and not to power,
| And not to civic pride alone
We cOnsecrate the fateful hour
| In which we lay our cornerstone;
| For to this shadowy altar rail
| We bring the Cup of Holy Grail.
| Nor he alone that cup shall share
| Whose heart is pure; for best and worst
| Alike shall find remission there
Who e'er have felt the sacred thirst.
| Who longs for what that cup can give
| Shall drink its healing draught and live
! With wood and iron, steel and stone,
+! Here on our still, tree-shaded street
! We build neW-World pantheon,
A house where all the gods may meet,
| let consecrate its altar stone
| To the great architect alone.
| Since lust of gold and lust of power,
| Live in our midst while knowledge waits,
Since greed must have its british hour
! While wisdom creth at the gates,
| A steaGfast symbol here we set
To show that God is with rs yat
Builder of all, thy sanction give;
BE this thy temple reared ON high
A token that the spark shall live,
A token that the cod shall die;
So spark and clod alike shall be
But witnesses of thine and thee!
Matrimonial ropvriuh+