The times-news. [volume] (Hendersonville, N.C.) 1927-current, 1937-01-26

A must came into PaurS eyes
as he watched them. His amber
spectacles logged, and. he impa-
tiently jerked them off and thrust
them into his pocket. He had been
honorary colonel of this regiment.
I They were his men; he knew all
Of the officers and half of the
men. They were great men and a
great regiment; he looked on with
a lump in his throat as the steady
blue ranks swept past him, the
jaunty caps bobbing over bronzed
1 faces.
Then, as the roar mounted to a
crescendo, there came an open
touring car. Standing in the ton
neau was a slight, straight figure
in a plain business suit, bare
headed, white, earnest face look
ing out over the town-Joseph,
King of Northumbra.
The car moved abreast. lnstinc-
lively. Paul snatched off his hat
and held it over his heart. He
stood in an exposed position, and
caught the royal eye; Joseph
turned his head and looked
squarcly at him, and Paul saw a
start of quick recognition. Then
the car moved on again, a COM
pany of local militia filled the gap
behind it--and the royal pageant
had passed.
Paul climbed down. The crowd
was surging down the street, fol-
lowing the parade, to find place
by the waterfront where the cere-
mony of breaking ground for the
new coal dock was to take place.
For want Of anything better to do,
he followed.
This, he told himself. was a
kings only function-to be orna-
mental at public occasions like
this; the laying of cornerstones,
the unwilling Of statues, and the
like. Well, he would go along and
see how Joseph did it. II il was all
a king could do, il at least ought
to be done we'll. He would have q
look at it.
He followed the crowd, and
came out presently in an open
space on the waterfront. The
morning was gray, but the sun was
trying to shine: and even as Paul
entered the open space, and found
a place in the packed ranks, sud
den ray of light pierced the clouds
and lit up the buntnig-draped
stand where royalty had just taken
its place. The crowd too kit as an
omen and reared approval. Then
a band struck up tn enational an
them, heads were barred, and the
whole city became silent as its peo-
pie lifte dtheir voices in song.
Paul saw the slight figure step
to the front of the platform and
begin to speak. The first words
were lost; then a shift of the wind,
or a diminution in the noises Of
the crowd, let them through, and
he heard Joseph saying:
%. and | like to think that
what we are doing here is to be-
gin new battle - not battle
against external foes, but new
fight in the age-old campaign
against the external enemies of
our race; hunger. want, cold and
misery. ..'h
"The English had a great poet,
William Blake, and he wrote some
great lines which I think we can
borrow for our own nation. Let
me quote them to you:
"And did the Countenance divine
Shine forth upon our 'clouded
hills? ....
And was Jerusalem builded here
Among these dark Satanic Mills"
Joseph paused; then, gripping
the railing in front of him, he
leaned forward, his earnest young
face shining, and went o nwith the
poem in an imprisoned voice that
reached every man in the great
throng:
Bring me my Bow of burning
gold!
Bring me my Arrows Of desire!
Bring me my Spear! o clouds,
unfold!
Bring me my Chariot of fire!
81 will not cease from mental
fight,
Nor shall my sword sleep in my
hand,
Till we have built Jerusalem
In this our green and pleasant
land"
The young king remained lean
ing forward, his face alight; and
suddenly the great crowd respond
ed, and q tremendous shout went
up to the sky, as the people caught
the vision he had held out to them
the building Of a white and shin
ing city amid their coal tipplcs
and Stag heaps, the constructing
of a Drawer and better society,
the vanquishing of the ancient
enemies of man, the union of all
faiths and all men in an amending
struggle to build on the imperfect
earth the holy city Of God.
Paul found that he had left the
crowd, somehow, and was walking
along toward the wharf where he
had moored his sloop. The words
Of Blake's mighty poem still RAM
in his ears; before his eyes re-
manned the picture of his brother
! Joseph. so young and so sincere,
standing tense before his subjects
and lighting in their hearts the
flame that enables men to tram
scend themselves. ...
And as he thought of this, there
4 n.,,l - la.k rnals,a