Classic Poem

THE massive monument to crown the Cape
Betwixt the ocean and the bay shall tower
Emblem sublime of Faith's transcendent power.
The passing ship; with alien crew agape,
Shall mark with joy its lofty imposing shape;
Its presence shall commemorate Freedom's flower;
'Twill stand serene in Tempest's darkest hour,
While chilling fogs its granite apex drape.

The whole wide land its heritage shall claim
In quaint old Provincetown's memorial shaft,
Because from those first pioneers who came
Virginia-seeking in that Pilgrim craft
Millions have proudly borne the blood or name
And from the generous fount of Freedom quaffed.

VIRGINIA ALSO

'T IS therefore no provincial celebration,
Nor would I sing alone New England's birth.
We honor equally Virginia's worth —
The brightest star in all the constellation,
Who twice through Duty's sacred consecration
Within a century endured the pangs of dearth.
Her statesmen ranked the princes of the earth
And made her primate leader of the nation.

For Washington and Jefferson and Lee
Were hers, and others in the halls of state
Famous to rule, shape policies, debate;
Through her Louisiana came in fee
And Oregon, washed by the sunset sea;
Through her alone our country had been great!

THE POETS

New ENGLAND had her poets by the score:
Bryant, the classic, cold and crystalline;
Holmes of the wit that sparkled clear like wine;
The delphic Emerson uttering wisdom's lore;
Quaint Whittier, who to Burns close kinship bore;
The well-loved Longfellow, whose jewels shine
With light serene; shrewd Lowell chaste and fine
And Aldrich working unalloyed rich ore.

The South may claim as hers that genius, Poe,
Whose somber tales in France made earliest stir,
And Simms, whose works with Southern color glow,
And musical Lanier, whose numbers flow
With haunting beauty — Nature's minister —
And those that wrought the Southern Messenger .

ONE LAND IS OURS

A H ! dear New England, where my sires were clanned,
Thou art so small! Our country is so vast!
While thou art dwelling on thy glorious past
Lo! with new life thy scarce-known peers expand.
The Muses seek the far Pacific strand;
The population's center shifts so fast
That soon 'twill face the Rockies' icy blast.
Oh, what a wonderful inspiring land!

And 't is all one! The South and North with gore
Once shed in combat fierce are now cemented;
The Stars and Stripes shall float forevermore
Above a people prosperous and contented;
The same skies arch from ocean's shore to shore;
The winds blow free with breath of roses scented.

UNITY OF INTERESTS

O NE is the language, the hope, the prosperity.
If Boston is burnt to the ground, or Chicago,
If Charleston is ruined by earth-shock, San Francisco
Razed from the earth by a double calamity,
Pennsylvania give herself up to her ravishers,
All of the land must suffer the consequence.

Virtue is needed, the grace of unselfishness,
Honesty, purity, truth, generosity.
Hew away prejudice, cultivate sympathy,
Mingle and try to understand perfectly;
West come to East and East travel westward,
South and North learn to cherish each other.

Visit the lakes and follow the rivers;
See and admire the wonders of Nature:
Caverns of Luray, Falls of Niagara,
Yellowstone Park, portentous Yosemite,
Canons gnawed out by insatiate waters,
Cloud-piercing Redwoods and glaciers Alaskan,
Mesas of Idaho, snow-capt Sierras,
Rice-fields of Texas, mines of New Mexico,
Forests of Oregon, farms of Dakota,
New-settled ranches in far Oklohoma.
Talk with your fellow-men, come to have faith in them,
Strive to be humble and modest and optimate;
Then reaching home, wherever that home be,
You will rejoice that you are American.