A PLEA TO PEACEWhen mighty issues loom before us, allThe petty great men of the day seem small,Like pigmies standing in a blaze of lightBefore some grim majestic mountain-height.War, with its bloody and impartial hand,Reveals the hidden weakness of a land,Uncrowns the heroes trusting Peace has madeOf men whose honour is a thing of trade,And turns the searchlight full on many a placeWhere proud conventions long have masked disgrace.O lovely Peace! as thou art fair be wise.Demand great men, and great men shall ariseTo do thy bidding. Even as warriors come,Swift at the call of bugle and of drum,So at the voice of Peace, imperativeAs bugle’s call, shall heroes spring to liveFor country and for thee. In every land,In every age, men are what times demand.Demand the best, O Peace, and teach thy sonsThey need not rush in front of death-charged gunsWith murder in their hearts to prove their worth.The grandest heroes who have graced the earthWere love-filled souls who did not seek the fray,But chose the safe, hard, high, and lonely wayOf selfless labour for a suffering world.Beneath our glorious flag again unfurledIn victory such heroes wait to beCalled into bloodless action, Peace, by thee.Be thou insistent in thy stern demand,And wise, great men shall rise up in the land.
When mighty issues loom before us, allThe petty great men of the day seem small,Like pigmies standing in a blaze of lightBefore some grim majestic mountain-height.War, with its bloody and impartial hand,Reveals the hidden weakness of a land,Uncrowns the heroes trusting Peace has madeOf men whose honour is a thing of trade,And turns the searchlight full on many a placeWhere proud conventions long have masked disgrace.O lovely Peace! as thou art fair be wise.Demand great men, and great men shall ariseTo do thy bidding. Even as warriors come,Swift at the call of bugle and of drum,So at the voice of Peace, imperativeAs bugle’s call, shall heroes spring to liveFor country and for thee. In every land,In every age, men are what times demand.Demand the best, O Peace, and teach thy sonsThey need not rush in front of death-charged gunsWith murder in their hearts to prove their worth.The grandest heroes who have graced the earthWere love-filled souls who did not seek the fray,But chose the safe, hard, high, and lonely wayOf selfless labour for a suffering world.Beneath our glorious flag again unfurledIn victory such heroes wait to beCalled into bloodless action, Peace, by thee.Be thou insistent in thy stern demand,And wise, great men shall rise up in the land.