The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1909-07-03
CHAM PLAIN.

VI NdlOl anu vi wal
And DER the throne of France there
rose
The white plume of Navarro;
And red blood fired the hearts of men
In distant lands to roam,
When England's virgin queen lay
dead
And James sat on her throne.
1t was the age of chivalry.
The gallant and the free.
When daring spirits sailed away
To lands beyond the sea.
And 'mong the dauntless ones who
sailed
Across the Spanish main
No drawer ever trod the deck
Than Samuel de Champlain.
Not with the lust of gold he came,
Not with the pirates lance;
He planted on Quebec's proud height,
The banner of New France
And meath it's sheltering folds he
raised
The cross of Christ on high
And sung the hymns of Christendom
Beneath the azure sky.
On streams where white men never
sailed,
On land they ne'er nad trod
Into the unknown world he bore
The banner of his God.
Amidst the dark he CROPPED his way,
Lit by the firefy's CLEAN,
And the reflection of the stars
That danced upon the stream.
The day breaks and the light of morn
Illumes the mountains crest,
And glistening in the golden dawn,
He sees the lakes clear breast.
Oh, dream of dreamsi No mortal
eye
Fer saw scene so fair
OF lake and mount and stream and
tree
And sky of beauty rare.
The dun deer drank its limpid wave
The eagle scared on high,
The moose undaunted roamed it's
shores,
The wild ducks circled by.
The red fox peered from out the green
That fringed the waters blue,
And strange wild birds on plumaged
wing
Ger bay and headland flew.
And as he breasted DER it's wave
Still grander grew the scene,
Headland and bay in bright array
And isles of emeral green;
And mountains rose on either side,
Bathed In the summer air;
No spot | ween was ever seen
That could with this compare.
The woods dark green, the waters
sheen,
To his bewildered eyes
Seemed like some dream, no earthly
scene
But gate of Paradise.
Then landing on its verdant shore,
He knelt upon the sod
And lifting up his voice in prayer,
Gave thanks aloud to God
And standing on its virgin soil,
The flag of France unfurled
And in the name of God and King
He claimed this new found world;
And holding high the crucifix
Above the shining wave,
Unto the fairest lake on earth,
His humble name he gave.
Three hundred years have passed
away
Crimsoned with human blood,
Since that fair summer morning when
Champlain first crossed its flood
Long years of war and massacre,
When nations strove to gain,
This beauteous land whose shores en-
close
The waters of Champlain.
The savage blood of Indians brave,
Has dyed the headlands wild,
And massacre has mingled there
The blood of wife and child
The blood of French and English men
The red blood of the Scot;
New England's sons have drained
their veins,
To we this hallowed spot.
Gone is the Indians scalping knife,
Gone is the flag of France,
Gone is tne slogan of the Scot,
Gone is the English lance,
And over lake and mountain height,
Where'er the eye can roam
Free to the winds both day and night
Our banner waves alone.
Far to the north the British flag,
Floats peaceful in the breeze,
And kindred hands are clasped in
love
Across the stormy seas.
And bonds of commerce Irvine the
flags,
That passions once did part,
And chords of friendship knit the
race