The Irish standard., 1914-05-30

b COL. ROBERT G. INGERsoIL
s ::s:ss:::s:s: ::::::sss
-> HE past rises before me
: !: !: { !; ! ! :: : J
like . dream. Again
We. are in the great
struggle for national
LIE. We hear the
sounds Of preparation
u the music Of bolster.
Gus drums-the silver
en~s voices Of heroic buglss.
IS, We see thousands Of
essemblases, and hear the appeals OF
orators. We geo the pale cheeks Of
women and the flushed faces Of men;
and in those assemblages We see all
the dead whose dust we have covered
With flowers. We lose sight of them
20 more. We are with them when they
enlist In the great army Of freedom.
We see them part with those they love.
Some are walking for the last time In
quiet, woody plaoes. with the maidens
they adore. We hear the whisperings
and the sweet vows Of eternal love
% they hngerinsly part forever. 9th.
ers are bending over cradles, kissing
babes that are asleep. Some are 10.
ceiving the blessings Of old men. Some
are parting with mothers who hold
them and press them to their hearts
again and again and say nothing.
Kisses and tears. tears and Kisses
divine mingling Of agony and love!
And some are talking with wives, and
endeavoring with brave words. spoken
In the old tones, to drive from their
hearts the awful fear. We see them
part. We see the wife standing In
the door with the babe in her arms.
standing in the sunlight sobbing. At
the turn Of the road q hand waves
she answers by holding high in her
loving arms the child. He IL gone.
and forever.
/ We see them all as they march
proudly away under the Haunting flags,
keeping time to the grand, wild music
Of war-marchings down the streets Of
the great cities-through the towns
and across the prairies- TO the
fields Of glory. to do and to die 1oe
the eternal right @4
We 60 with them. one and all. We
are by their side on all the cory fields
lin all the hospltals Of pain-on all
the weary marches. We stand guard
with them in the Wild storm and under
the quiet stars. We are with them in
ravines running with blood-in tho
burrows Of old nelds. We arc with
them between osntsnding hosts, I'M
able to move, Wild with thirst, the life
ebbing slowly away among the with.
cred leaves. We zee them pierced BY
balls and torn. with shells, In the
trenches, by forts, and in the whirl,
wind Of the charge, where men become
iron, with nerves Of steel.
We are with them in the prisons Of
hatred and famine; but human speech
can never tell what they endured.
We are at homo when the news
comes that they are dead. We SEQ
the maiden In the shadow Of her nrst
sorrow. We see the silvered head Of
the old man bowed with the last grief.
me past rises BEFORE 10. ana We sec
tour niiuons OF human beings gov
esned oy me lasn-we see them bound
aand ana fooe-we near the strokes Of
~, maei Wnans-Ms - the hounds track
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y 49, =. ~. !. anu al sn,s ~ oone IN
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