THE PHILOSOPHY OF LIVING

O, yes! we're splendid friends, Old Jack and I:He's growing grave and wrinkles now appearWhere once the smiles his cheeks were wont to ply.He's losing all his energy, I fear.I married him some twenty years agoWhen dancing was a chief delight of his;But now alone I trip the Terpsic toe,For poor, old Jack has got the rheumatiz.He's aging fast: I see it every day!He's fat and short of breath, yet how he snores!His few remaining hairs are saffron-grey,For nicotine keeps oozing from his pores.He seems so childish, but I humor himAltho my friends declare I'm such a dunce.Wrinkled, rheumatic; bare of brains and vim—Good-bye, Old Jack! You were a good oneonce!

O, yes! we're splendid friends, Old Jack and I:He's growing grave and wrinkles now appearWhere once the smiles his cheeks were wont to ply.He's losing all his energy, I fear.

O, yes! we're splendid friends, Old Jack and I:

He's growing grave and wrinkles now appear

Where once the smiles his cheeks were wont to ply.

He's losing all his energy, I fear.

I married him some twenty years agoWhen dancing was a chief delight of his;But now alone I trip the Terpsic toe,For poor, old Jack has got the rheumatiz.

I married him some twenty years ago

When dancing was a chief delight of his;

But now alone I trip the Terpsic toe,

For poor, old Jack has got the rheumatiz.

He's aging fast: I see it every day!He's fat and short of breath, yet how he snores!His few remaining hairs are saffron-grey,For nicotine keeps oozing from his pores.

He's aging fast: I see it every day!

He's fat and short of breath, yet how he snores!

His few remaining hairs are saffron-grey,

For nicotine keeps oozing from his pores.

He seems so childish, but I humor himAltho my friends declare I'm such a dunce.Wrinkled, rheumatic; bare of brains and vim—Good-bye, Old Jack! You were a good oneonce!

He seems so childish, but I humor him

Altho my friends declare I'm such a dunce.

Wrinkled, rheumatic; bare of brains and vim—

Good-bye, Old Jack! You were a good oneonce!

We bivouac here and barely get acquaintedUntil the furlough ends; then we are sainted,Whether our acts deserve rebuke or praise.When we aredeadthe recollection staysOf virtues only: vices are excused,But to thelivingpardon is refused.And yet, alive, I'd rather be unsung,Than any Saint the catacombs among.Tho critics flay me and the censors sneer,'Twere better so, than praises on my bier.And so we walk life's slender rope till, bing!We slip and fall or someone cuts the string.Ambition lures us, but the pinkest peachIs always just beyond us, out of reach:And when, at last, we think we are in lineTo cross the threshold, lo! the Full House sign.We never quite obtain the golden urnTho rainbows beckon every way we turn.Who ever found, I ask you, all he sought?Our best endeavors ofttimes come to naught:And yet we trudge along, loath to confessWe're only groping in a wilderness;Plodding the sands that burn our feet, and hurt;Seeking the Promised Land, our just desert.Had Cæsar reached the zenith of his lifeWhen Brutus cut his friendship with the knife?The ladder broke and he was headlong flungWhile setting foot upon the topmost rung.Thus picture Cæsar giving up the ghostJust when he reached the pinnacle, almost!Did Bonaparte receive his proper due?Hegotit, but too late, at Waterloo.He played with fire, aroused the seething crater,And now, with Nick, inhabits the Equator.So we conclude, delving the lines between,He might as well have clung to Josephine.Tho Tell's renown illumes the Alpine skyWhose target was the Apple of his eye,As much distinction, and applause to boot,Should be bestowed on William's steadyshoot:More praise to him, than the Toxopholite,Who held the apple but eschewed a bite!Theworstof us hath goodness in his breast;Thebestof us but fails, put to the test,—So, in arrears, we strive to pay the priceFor Fortune's frowns or Fate's disastrous diceUntil we're bankrupt or too spent to wrestLong hoped-for treasure from Mad Mammon's chest.Tho life hath ups and downs, the weeping willowOur ends shapes better than the downy pillow.It takes stern measures to incline the bantling,In right direction, without switch or scantling.The optimist with farthings in his pouch,Gets more enjoyment than the wealthy Grouch;Thus cheerfulness, a product underrated,In every household should be cultivated.Give me the man who, tho in direst straits,Will thumb his sharp proboscis at the Fates;Who'll take the flimsy fire escape, or diveInto the net, glad to get out alive;Who, tho the skies be unpropitious, crowdsHis way along, unmindful of the clouds;Who never quits, in life's unequal bout,But keeps on fighting till he's counted out.

We bivouac here and barely get acquaintedUntil the furlough ends; then we are sainted,Whether our acts deserve rebuke or praise.When we aredeadthe recollection staysOf virtues only: vices are excused,But to thelivingpardon is refused.And yet, alive, I'd rather be unsung,Than any Saint the catacombs among.Tho critics flay me and the censors sneer,'Twere better so, than praises on my bier.And so we walk life's slender rope till, bing!We slip and fall or someone cuts the string.Ambition lures us, but the pinkest peachIs always just beyond us, out of reach:And when, at last, we think we are in lineTo cross the threshold, lo! the Full House sign.We never quite obtain the golden urnTho rainbows beckon every way we turn.Who ever found, I ask you, all he sought?Our best endeavors ofttimes come to naught:And yet we trudge along, loath to confessWe're only groping in a wilderness;Plodding the sands that burn our feet, and hurt;Seeking the Promised Land, our just desert.Had Cæsar reached the zenith of his lifeWhen Brutus cut his friendship with the knife?The ladder broke and he was headlong flungWhile setting foot upon the topmost rung.Thus picture Cæsar giving up the ghostJust when he reached the pinnacle, almost!Did Bonaparte receive his proper due?Hegotit, but too late, at Waterloo.He played with fire, aroused the seething crater,And now, with Nick, inhabits the Equator.So we conclude, delving the lines between,He might as well have clung to Josephine.Tho Tell's renown illumes the Alpine skyWhose target was the Apple of his eye,As much distinction, and applause to boot,Should be bestowed on William's steadyshoot:More praise to him, than the Toxopholite,Who held the apple but eschewed a bite!Theworstof us hath goodness in his breast;Thebestof us but fails, put to the test,—So, in arrears, we strive to pay the priceFor Fortune's frowns or Fate's disastrous diceUntil we're bankrupt or too spent to wrestLong hoped-for treasure from Mad Mammon's chest.Tho life hath ups and downs, the weeping willowOur ends shapes better than the downy pillow.It takes stern measures to incline the bantling,In right direction, without switch or scantling.The optimist with farthings in his pouch,Gets more enjoyment than the wealthy Grouch;Thus cheerfulness, a product underrated,In every household should be cultivated.Give me the man who, tho in direst straits,Will thumb his sharp proboscis at the Fates;Who'll take the flimsy fire escape, or diveInto the net, glad to get out alive;Who, tho the skies be unpropitious, crowdsHis way along, unmindful of the clouds;Who never quits, in life's unequal bout,But keeps on fighting till he's counted out.

We bivouac here and barely get acquainted

Until the furlough ends; then we are sainted,

Whether our acts deserve rebuke or praise.

When we aredeadthe recollection stays

Of virtues only: vices are excused,

But to thelivingpardon is refused.

And yet, alive, I'd rather be unsung,

Than any Saint the catacombs among.

Tho critics flay me and the censors sneer,

'Twere better so, than praises on my bier.

And so we walk life's slender rope till, bing!

We slip and fall or someone cuts the string.

Ambition lures us, but the pinkest peach

Is always just beyond us, out of reach:

And when, at last, we think we are in line

To cross the threshold, lo! the Full House sign.

We never quite obtain the golden urn

Tho rainbows beckon every way we turn.

Who ever found, I ask you, all he sought?

Our best endeavors ofttimes come to naught:

And yet we trudge along, loath to confess

We're only groping in a wilderness;

Plodding the sands that burn our feet, and hurt;

Seeking the Promised Land, our just desert.

Had Cæsar reached the zenith of his life

When Brutus cut his friendship with the knife?

The ladder broke and he was headlong flung

While setting foot upon the topmost rung.

Thus picture Cæsar giving up the ghost

Just when he reached the pinnacle, almost!

Did Bonaparte receive his proper due?

Hegotit, but too late, at Waterloo.

He played with fire, aroused the seething crater,

And now, with Nick, inhabits the Equator.

So we conclude, delving the lines between,

He might as well have clung to Josephine.

Tho Tell's renown illumes the Alpine sky

Whose target was the Apple of his eye,

As much distinction, and applause to boot,

Should be bestowed on William's steadyshoot:

More praise to him, than the Toxopholite,

Who held the apple but eschewed a bite!

Theworstof us hath goodness in his breast;

Thebestof us but fails, put to the test,—

So, in arrears, we strive to pay the price

For Fortune's frowns or Fate's disastrous dice

Until we're bankrupt or too spent to wrest

Long hoped-for treasure from Mad Mammon's chest.

Tho life hath ups and downs, the weeping willow

Our ends shapes better than the downy pillow.

It takes stern measures to incline the bantling,

In right direction, without switch or scantling.

The optimist with farthings in his pouch,

Gets more enjoyment than the wealthy Grouch;

Thus cheerfulness, a product underrated,

In every household should be cultivated.

Give me the man who, tho in direst straits,

Will thumb his sharp proboscis at the Fates;

Who'll take the flimsy fire escape, or dive

Into the net, glad to get out alive;

Who, tho the skies be unpropitious, crowds

His way along, unmindful of the clouds;

Who never quits, in life's unequal bout,

But keeps on fighting till he's counted out.

Awake, Americans! Awake! Awake!'Tis April Sixth! Ayearof War and yetThe Hun lines hold: Louvain is unavenged.Be Thou our Guide, O God of Joshua!Thru battles yet unstaged, and Comfort when,From War's Inferno comes the phantom file,The endless, ghastly file of martyred dead.Daughters of Belgium, thy vestal tearsMakewomanhoodstill more an honored name;And Germany, when Reason reappears,Must dearly pay for her revolting shame!Awake, Americans! Our task is grim;For Hell and all the Imps of Sin derideThe Code of Morals, spit upon the Cross,Drive torturing nails into the bleeding fleshOf all Mankind who follow Him thru pathsMade plain and gladsome by the Golden Rule;And foist vilekulturas Refinement's height.And what of skulking Sharks, scum of the sea,That prey on Innocents, while o'er them flyPoised to inflict a further agony,The Vampire Bats that violate the sky?Behold the ravaged homes of Serbia!Where are her people? Ask the godless GothsWhose Car of Kultur crushed beneath its wheelsThis stalwart Race! Ask, too, the Bulgar hordes,The mountain wolves, who pounce upon and rend,In guise of Pacifiers of the Land,Those who escaped the onslaughts of the Huns.Tho sapped by hunger and disease; tho crushedBy overwhelming numbers of the foe,Thy Star, O, Serb, when battles' din be hushed,Shall rise again, suffused with Freedom's glow!Now in the sacred name of God our guide,Home, Country, Honor, Love and Motherhood,Can we indifferent be to ravishment,Wanton destruction, murder steeped in hate—This loathsome litter whelped by Junkerdom?'Tisoursto dare and crush this monstrousThing:Our Allies worn and bleeding, struggle on.Armenian tears, a flood of pent-up grief,Flow on and on, a torrent of despair.Rape! Murder! Pillage! Is there no reliefFor Niobe, deserted, weeping there?Nation Invincible, unsheath thy blade!God be thy leader: Justice be thy Sword!Nor pause until the ruthlessBeastis flayedWith sated steel—and Liberty restored!

Awake, Americans! Awake! Awake!'Tis April Sixth! Ayearof War and yetThe Hun lines hold: Louvain is unavenged.Be Thou our Guide, O God of Joshua!Thru battles yet unstaged, and Comfort when,From War's Inferno comes the phantom file,The endless, ghastly file of martyred dead.

Awake, Americans! Awake! Awake!

'Tis April Sixth! Ayearof War and yet

The Hun lines hold: Louvain is unavenged.

Be Thou our Guide, O God of Joshua!

Thru battles yet unstaged, and Comfort when,

From War's Inferno comes the phantom file,

The endless, ghastly file of martyred dead.

Daughters of Belgium, thy vestal tearsMakewomanhoodstill more an honored name;And Germany, when Reason reappears,Must dearly pay for her revolting shame!

Daughters of Belgium, thy vestal tears

Makewomanhoodstill more an honored name;

And Germany, when Reason reappears,

Must dearly pay for her revolting shame!

Awake, Americans! Our task is grim;For Hell and all the Imps of Sin derideThe Code of Morals, spit upon the Cross,Drive torturing nails into the bleeding fleshOf all Mankind who follow Him thru pathsMade plain and gladsome by the Golden Rule;And foist vilekulturas Refinement's height.

Awake, Americans! Our task is grim;

For Hell and all the Imps of Sin deride

The Code of Morals, spit upon the Cross,

Drive torturing nails into the bleeding flesh

Of all Mankind who follow Him thru paths

Made plain and gladsome by the Golden Rule;

And foist vilekulturas Refinement's height.

And what of skulking Sharks, scum of the sea,That prey on Innocents, while o'er them flyPoised to inflict a further agony,The Vampire Bats that violate the sky?

And what of skulking Sharks, scum of the sea,

That prey on Innocents, while o'er them fly

Poised to inflict a further agony,

The Vampire Bats that violate the sky?

Behold the ravaged homes of Serbia!Where are her people? Ask the godless GothsWhose Car of Kultur crushed beneath its wheelsThis stalwart Race! Ask, too, the Bulgar hordes,The mountain wolves, who pounce upon and rend,In guise of Pacifiers of the Land,Those who escaped the onslaughts of the Huns.

Behold the ravaged homes of Serbia!

Where are her people? Ask the godless Goths

Whose Car of Kultur crushed beneath its wheels

This stalwart Race! Ask, too, the Bulgar hordes,

The mountain wolves, who pounce upon and rend,

In guise of Pacifiers of the Land,

Those who escaped the onslaughts of the Huns.

Tho sapped by hunger and disease; tho crushedBy overwhelming numbers of the foe,Thy Star, O, Serb, when battles' din be hushed,Shall rise again, suffused with Freedom's glow!

Tho sapped by hunger and disease; tho crushed

By overwhelming numbers of the foe,

Thy Star, O, Serb, when battles' din be hushed,

Shall rise again, suffused with Freedom's glow!

Now in the sacred name of God our guide,Home, Country, Honor, Love and Motherhood,Can we indifferent be to ravishment,Wanton destruction, murder steeped in hate—This loathsome litter whelped by Junkerdom?'Tisoursto dare and crush this monstrousThing:Our Allies worn and bleeding, struggle on.

Now in the sacred name of God our guide,

Home, Country, Honor, Love and Motherhood,

Can we indifferent be to ravishment,

Wanton destruction, murder steeped in hate—

This loathsome litter whelped by Junkerdom?

'Tisoursto dare and crush this monstrousThing:

Our Allies worn and bleeding, struggle on.

Armenian tears, a flood of pent-up grief,Flow on and on, a torrent of despair.Rape! Murder! Pillage! Is there no reliefFor Niobe, deserted, weeping there?

Armenian tears, a flood of pent-up grief,

Flow on and on, a torrent of despair.

Rape! Murder! Pillage! Is there no relief

For Niobe, deserted, weeping there?

Nation Invincible, unsheath thy blade!God be thy leader: Justice be thy Sword!Nor pause until the ruthlessBeastis flayedWith sated steel—and Liberty restored!

Nation Invincible, unsheath thy blade!

God be thy leader: Justice be thy Sword!

Nor pause until the ruthlessBeastis flayed

With sated steel—and Liberty restored!

Under a passing cloud the moon was hid.I really was delighted to be ridOfSuperlight, for I was with my Nell,And I could see by her bright eyes as well.We didn't need the aid of spheres above,For that'sourproper sphere—a making love.Midst whispering pines we pledged our love aloud,And thus our plight beganbeneath a cloud.

Under a passing cloud the moon was hid.I really was delighted to be ridOfSuperlight, for I was with my Nell,And I could see by her bright eyes as well.We didn't need the aid of spheres above,For that'sourproper sphere—a making love.Midst whispering pines we pledged our love aloud,And thus our plight beganbeneath a cloud.

Under a passing cloud the moon was hid.

I really was delighted to be rid

OfSuperlight, for I was with my Nell,

And I could see by her bright eyes as well.

We didn't need the aid of spheres above,

For that'sourproper sphere—a making love.

Midst whispering pines we pledged our love aloud,

And thus our plight beganbeneath a cloud.

America! Our home, our native land!The joy of it—the rapture! when we say—We who are freemen and can understand—This is our heritage—the U. S. A.!Hewn from the virgin forests by our sires,And launched by giants capable and true,Our Ship of State was manned, when Freedom's firesWere beacon lights, by sturdy, godly crew,—And so hath kept, steered by the Guiding StarOf Faith, her steadfast course, thru shoal or blast,Aloof from sirens luring from afar,With Stars and Stripes still waving at the mast.Here in our Land, where Plenty hath its store,Where fertile fields teem with abundant grain,Hunger ne'er casts its shadow on the door,And Famine hath no lodge on hill or plain.In truth doth Luxury with Plenty vieTo fill our laps with all the luscious thingsThat Nature doth provide—loath to denyThe satisfaction that such bounty brings.To us was Freedom's heritage bequeathedTo have and hold while life and pride remain:And so our sword must ever be unsheathedTo guard this priceless boon from hurt or stain—So that the war-worn hosts in Europe's maze,Who fight against the Despot's ruthless spear,May see the light of Liberty ablaze,Diffusing matchless splendor over here;And, friendly beacon, be to them a signAnd Bow of Promise, in their dismal sky,The Light of Hope eternally to shineIn God's resplendent galaxy on High.But grim starvation, at the board, presidesAcross the seas, where once the farmsteads pouredAutumnal wealth—and Desolation ridesRough shod along where tramped the Prussian horde.No life remains: the fields are stark and sere;The forests, leaf and branch and root, are fled;The flowers lie trampled on the soldier's bier:Destroyed are e'en the shelters of the dead.The gardens that held plenty in their wombsAre stripped and barren as the sands of Dearth,And now, instead, keep vigil o'er the tombsOf demigods, redeemers of the Earth.The vineyards where the fragrant fruitage hungTo cheer the peaceful peasant in his toilAre desolate where Death his shroud has flungUpon the breadth of France's sacred soil.Wrecked are the homesteads: buzzard broods aboundWhere shell-holes gape, and heaps of carnage riseAbove the naked bosom of the ground,Mutely denying guilt, in sacrifice.Still with the jackal at her wounds doth FranceFight on unmindful of her pains, and lo!We hear her call and, seizing shield and lance,Crusader-like, to her assistance go.Her cause is just: we make her Cause our own!For Liberty doth in the balance swing,And we must guard her, if we fight aloneTo rid the world of this malignantThingThat, in the guise of Kultur, hides its hoofsAnd horns, its tail and spear and hideous face,And, as a pious priest, on Moslem roofs,Extols itself, usurping Allah's place.What blasphemy! Obsessed to germinateIts propaganda, its infernal cult;Condoning Cain's offense, instilling hate,It strikes with poison, dirk and catapultAgainst the precepts of the Prince of Peace;Against the Conscience of the Universe.But hatred, lust and war will never ceaseUntil God's Sword destroys this monstrous curse.Audaciously the Priests of Kultur striveTo spread their doctrine, but the graven godAgainst the Living Christ cannot survive,And in His time will scourged be with His rod.And so our Ship of State to battle hastes,All sails a-drawing, sheets secure and taut,Manned by a stalwart crew, stripped to the waists,Inspired by battles that our fathers fought.In port at last whence Lafayette once sailedTo aid our fight that made Britannia halt,They take their stand where Frenchmen never failedTo hold the Verdun forts against assault.A mighty effort this! To send our forceThree thousand miles, thru shark-infested sea,Beneath dark skies where vultures lay their course,To face the foe and ransom Liberty,Thru sacrificial offering of our sons;To arm and clothe five million men, and thenBuild, to convey and feed them, countless tonsOf mighty vessels—transports, merchantmen;To furnish, in addition, vast suppliesTo allied Powers whose Cause we have embraced,To hearten them—to strengthen friendly tiesAnd stay the hand that layeth Europe waste.A task indeed! But let it not be thoughtBy foemen or by those whom we befriendThat Liberty our trust, so dearly bought,Will not be guarded to the very end.Tho Hercules the Strong should heave in sightAnd challenge us to tests of thews and nerve,We'd enter the arena in our mightAnd win new honors for the Land we serve;For Antaeus and all the myths of old'Gainst whom the supermen of yore engaged,Were never half so mighty, half so boldAs peaceful freemen, righteously enraged:And all the modern Bullies who presumeTo dominate the world against the Right,Must see their day-dreams doomed to blackest gloomWhen Truth prevails against the Imps of Night.So let us fabricate in forge and mill;So let us plant and nurture grain and seed;So let us labor and conserve untilThere be an end to Kultur's cruel creed.Each one of us must fight or toil or save;Co-ordinationbe our battle song;Hardships endure and gravest dangers braveIf we would victors be and right the wrong.God's ways to mortal eyes are not revealed,But Faith our guidance is thru War's grim task,And with His help theHosts of Sinmust yieldAnd Satan be denuded of his mask.

America! Our home, our native land!The joy of it—the rapture! when we say—We who are freemen and can understand—This is our heritage—the U. S. A.!Hewn from the virgin forests by our sires,And launched by giants capable and true,Our Ship of State was manned, when Freedom's firesWere beacon lights, by sturdy, godly crew,—And so hath kept, steered by the Guiding StarOf Faith, her steadfast course, thru shoal or blast,Aloof from sirens luring from afar,With Stars and Stripes still waving at the mast.Here in our Land, where Plenty hath its store,Where fertile fields teem with abundant grain,Hunger ne'er casts its shadow on the door,And Famine hath no lodge on hill or plain.In truth doth Luxury with Plenty vieTo fill our laps with all the luscious thingsThat Nature doth provide—loath to denyThe satisfaction that such bounty brings.To us was Freedom's heritage bequeathedTo have and hold while life and pride remain:And so our sword must ever be unsheathedTo guard this priceless boon from hurt or stain—So that the war-worn hosts in Europe's maze,Who fight against the Despot's ruthless spear,May see the light of Liberty ablaze,Diffusing matchless splendor over here;And, friendly beacon, be to them a signAnd Bow of Promise, in their dismal sky,The Light of Hope eternally to shineIn God's resplendent galaxy on High.But grim starvation, at the board, presidesAcross the seas, where once the farmsteads pouredAutumnal wealth—and Desolation ridesRough shod along where tramped the Prussian horde.No life remains: the fields are stark and sere;The forests, leaf and branch and root, are fled;The flowers lie trampled on the soldier's bier:Destroyed are e'en the shelters of the dead.The gardens that held plenty in their wombsAre stripped and barren as the sands of Dearth,And now, instead, keep vigil o'er the tombsOf demigods, redeemers of the Earth.The vineyards where the fragrant fruitage hungTo cheer the peaceful peasant in his toilAre desolate where Death his shroud has flungUpon the breadth of France's sacred soil.Wrecked are the homesteads: buzzard broods aboundWhere shell-holes gape, and heaps of carnage riseAbove the naked bosom of the ground,Mutely denying guilt, in sacrifice.Still with the jackal at her wounds doth FranceFight on unmindful of her pains, and lo!We hear her call and, seizing shield and lance,Crusader-like, to her assistance go.Her cause is just: we make her Cause our own!For Liberty doth in the balance swing,And we must guard her, if we fight aloneTo rid the world of this malignantThingThat, in the guise of Kultur, hides its hoofsAnd horns, its tail and spear and hideous face,And, as a pious priest, on Moslem roofs,Extols itself, usurping Allah's place.What blasphemy! Obsessed to germinateIts propaganda, its infernal cult;Condoning Cain's offense, instilling hate,It strikes with poison, dirk and catapultAgainst the precepts of the Prince of Peace;Against the Conscience of the Universe.But hatred, lust and war will never ceaseUntil God's Sword destroys this monstrous curse.Audaciously the Priests of Kultur striveTo spread their doctrine, but the graven godAgainst the Living Christ cannot survive,And in His time will scourged be with His rod.And so our Ship of State to battle hastes,All sails a-drawing, sheets secure and taut,Manned by a stalwart crew, stripped to the waists,Inspired by battles that our fathers fought.In port at last whence Lafayette once sailedTo aid our fight that made Britannia halt,They take their stand where Frenchmen never failedTo hold the Verdun forts against assault.A mighty effort this! To send our forceThree thousand miles, thru shark-infested sea,Beneath dark skies where vultures lay their course,To face the foe and ransom Liberty,Thru sacrificial offering of our sons;To arm and clothe five million men, and thenBuild, to convey and feed them, countless tonsOf mighty vessels—transports, merchantmen;To furnish, in addition, vast suppliesTo allied Powers whose Cause we have embraced,To hearten them—to strengthen friendly tiesAnd stay the hand that layeth Europe waste.A task indeed! But let it not be thoughtBy foemen or by those whom we befriendThat Liberty our trust, so dearly bought,Will not be guarded to the very end.Tho Hercules the Strong should heave in sightAnd challenge us to tests of thews and nerve,We'd enter the arena in our mightAnd win new honors for the Land we serve;For Antaeus and all the myths of old'Gainst whom the supermen of yore engaged,Were never half so mighty, half so boldAs peaceful freemen, righteously enraged:And all the modern Bullies who presumeTo dominate the world against the Right,Must see their day-dreams doomed to blackest gloomWhen Truth prevails against the Imps of Night.So let us fabricate in forge and mill;So let us plant and nurture grain and seed;So let us labor and conserve untilThere be an end to Kultur's cruel creed.Each one of us must fight or toil or save;Co-ordinationbe our battle song;Hardships endure and gravest dangers braveIf we would victors be and right the wrong.God's ways to mortal eyes are not revealed,But Faith our guidance is thru War's grim task,And with His help theHosts of Sinmust yieldAnd Satan be denuded of his mask.

America! Our home, our native land!

The joy of it—the rapture! when we say—

We who are freemen and can understand—

This is our heritage—the U. S. A.!

Hewn from the virgin forests by our sires,

And launched by giants capable and true,

Our Ship of State was manned, when Freedom's fires

Were beacon lights, by sturdy, godly crew,—

And so hath kept, steered by the Guiding Star

Of Faith, her steadfast course, thru shoal or blast,

Aloof from sirens luring from afar,

With Stars and Stripes still waving at the mast.

Here in our Land, where Plenty hath its store,

Where fertile fields teem with abundant grain,

Hunger ne'er casts its shadow on the door,

And Famine hath no lodge on hill or plain.

In truth doth Luxury with Plenty vie

To fill our laps with all the luscious things

That Nature doth provide—loath to deny

The satisfaction that such bounty brings.

To us was Freedom's heritage bequeathed

To have and hold while life and pride remain:

And so our sword must ever be unsheathed

To guard this priceless boon from hurt or stain—

So that the war-worn hosts in Europe's maze,

Who fight against the Despot's ruthless spear,

May see the light of Liberty ablaze,

Diffusing matchless splendor over here;

And, friendly beacon, be to them a sign

And Bow of Promise, in their dismal sky,

The Light of Hope eternally to shine

In God's resplendent galaxy on High.

But grim starvation, at the board, presides

Across the seas, where once the farmsteads poured

Autumnal wealth—and Desolation rides

Rough shod along where tramped the Prussian horde.

No life remains: the fields are stark and sere;

The forests, leaf and branch and root, are fled;

The flowers lie trampled on the soldier's bier:

Destroyed are e'en the shelters of the dead.

The gardens that held plenty in their wombs

Are stripped and barren as the sands of Dearth,

And now, instead, keep vigil o'er the tombs

Of demigods, redeemers of the Earth.

The vineyards where the fragrant fruitage hung

To cheer the peaceful peasant in his toil

Are desolate where Death his shroud has flung

Upon the breadth of France's sacred soil.

Wrecked are the homesteads: buzzard broods abound

Where shell-holes gape, and heaps of carnage rise

Above the naked bosom of the ground,

Mutely denying guilt, in sacrifice.

Still with the jackal at her wounds doth France

Fight on unmindful of her pains, and lo!

We hear her call and, seizing shield and lance,

Crusader-like, to her assistance go.

Her cause is just: we make her Cause our own!

For Liberty doth in the balance swing,

And we must guard her, if we fight alone

To rid the world of this malignantThing

That, in the guise of Kultur, hides its hoofs

And horns, its tail and spear and hideous face,

And, as a pious priest, on Moslem roofs,

Extols itself, usurping Allah's place.

What blasphemy! Obsessed to germinate

Its propaganda, its infernal cult;

Condoning Cain's offense, instilling hate,

It strikes with poison, dirk and catapult

Against the precepts of the Prince of Peace;

Against the Conscience of the Universe.

But hatred, lust and war will never cease

Until God's Sword destroys this monstrous curse.

Audaciously the Priests of Kultur strive

To spread their doctrine, but the graven god

Against the Living Christ cannot survive,

And in His time will scourged be with His rod.

And so our Ship of State to battle hastes,

All sails a-drawing, sheets secure and taut,

Manned by a stalwart crew, stripped to the waists,

Inspired by battles that our fathers fought.

In port at last whence Lafayette once sailed

To aid our fight that made Britannia halt,

They take their stand where Frenchmen never failed

To hold the Verdun forts against assault.

A mighty effort this! To send our force

Three thousand miles, thru shark-infested sea,

Beneath dark skies where vultures lay their course,

To face the foe and ransom Liberty,

Thru sacrificial offering of our sons;

To arm and clothe five million men, and then

Build, to convey and feed them, countless tons

Of mighty vessels—transports, merchantmen;

To furnish, in addition, vast supplies

To allied Powers whose Cause we have embraced,

To hearten them—to strengthen friendly ties

And stay the hand that layeth Europe waste.

A task indeed! But let it not be thought

By foemen or by those whom we befriend

That Liberty our trust, so dearly bought,

Will not be guarded to the very end.

Tho Hercules the Strong should heave in sight

And challenge us to tests of thews and nerve,

We'd enter the arena in our might

And win new honors for the Land we serve;

For Antaeus and all the myths of old

'Gainst whom the supermen of yore engaged,

Were never half so mighty, half so bold

As peaceful freemen, righteously enraged:

And all the modern Bullies who presume

To dominate the world against the Right,

Must see their day-dreams doomed to blackest gloom

When Truth prevails against the Imps of Night.

So let us fabricate in forge and mill;

So let us plant and nurture grain and seed;

So let us labor and conserve until

There be an end to Kultur's cruel creed.

Each one of us must fight or toil or save;

Co-ordinationbe our battle song;

Hardships endure and gravest dangers brave

If we would victors be and right the wrong.

God's ways to mortal eyes are not revealed,

But Faith our guidance is thru War's grim task,

And with His help theHosts of Sinmust yield

And Satan be denuded of his mask.

I like the good old-fashioned way—A handshake or a slap,—The boys who jab your ribs and say"You're all right, Bill, Old Chap!"I like the lad who sees you firstAnd always shouts your name,—Who, tho your luck be at its worst,Says—"Cheer up, Bill! Be game!"I like the chum who's always gladTo soothe you when you're ill,—Who, when he finds you broke and sad,Says—"Here's a Dollar, Bill!"I'd like to grab him by the throatAnd hold his mouth tight shut,—Who, questioned, makes you out the goat—"Who? Bill? He's all right,but—!"

I like the good old-fashioned way—A handshake or a slap,—The boys who jab your ribs and say"You're all right, Bill, Old Chap!"

I like the good old-fashioned way—

A handshake or a slap,—

The boys who jab your ribs and say

"You're all right, Bill, Old Chap!"

I like the lad who sees you firstAnd always shouts your name,—Who, tho your luck be at its worst,Says—"Cheer up, Bill! Be game!"

I like the lad who sees you first

And always shouts your name,—

Who, tho your luck be at its worst,

Says—"Cheer up, Bill! Be game!"

I like the chum who's always gladTo soothe you when you're ill,—Who, when he finds you broke and sad,Says—"Here's a Dollar, Bill!"

I like the chum who's always glad

To soothe you when you're ill,—

Who, when he finds you broke and sad,

Says—"Here's a Dollar, Bill!"

I'd like to grab him by the throatAnd hold his mouth tight shut,—Who, questioned, makes you out the goat—"Who? Bill? He's all right,but—!"

I'd like to grab him by the throat

And hold his mouth tight shut,—

Who, questioned, makes you out the goat—

"Who? Bill? He's all right,but—!"

Go where the winds keep vigil o'er the trees,Rocking the tender saplings in the breeze;Go where the sunbeams play on rill and stream,Making the purling waters all agleam;Go where the birds rehearse their songs and trillsIn cool retreats, led by the Whippoorwills;Go where the bees, midst clover blooms, indulgeTheir honey habit till their bellies bulge;Go where the trout, in alder-arbored brooks,Abate their hunger but eschew the hooks;Go where the flowers, by fairy weavers spun,Pour out their grateful incense to the Sun;Go where the deer in secret nooks disportAnd Nature, clad in verdure, holds her Court;Go where—nay, stay! Yonder the artist stands,With brush and prismy palette in her hands,Before her easel, where the canvas seemsA masterpiece in wondrous color schemes.What artistry! What fascinating viewsDame Nature paints! Behold the rainbow huesThat tint the dainty flowers and make the roseBlush to its sepals when it seeks repose;That tinge the moors and fields and turquoise sky,And stain the Autumn leaves with crimson dye!So tarry here, where moss and bluebells growUpon the floor of Nature's Studio!

Go where the winds keep vigil o'er the trees,Rocking the tender saplings in the breeze;Go where the sunbeams play on rill and stream,Making the purling waters all agleam;Go where the birds rehearse their songs and trillsIn cool retreats, led by the Whippoorwills;Go where the bees, midst clover blooms, indulgeTheir honey habit till their bellies bulge;Go where the trout, in alder-arbored brooks,Abate their hunger but eschew the hooks;Go where the flowers, by fairy weavers spun,Pour out their grateful incense to the Sun;Go where the deer in secret nooks disportAnd Nature, clad in verdure, holds her Court;Go where—nay, stay! Yonder the artist stands,With brush and prismy palette in her hands,Before her easel, where the canvas seemsA masterpiece in wondrous color schemes.What artistry! What fascinating viewsDame Nature paints! Behold the rainbow huesThat tint the dainty flowers and make the roseBlush to its sepals when it seeks repose;That tinge the moors and fields and turquoise sky,And stain the Autumn leaves with crimson dye!So tarry here, where moss and bluebells growUpon the floor of Nature's Studio!

Go where the winds keep vigil o'er the trees,

Rocking the tender saplings in the breeze;

Go where the sunbeams play on rill and stream,

Making the purling waters all agleam;

Go where the birds rehearse their songs and trills

In cool retreats, led by the Whippoorwills;

Go where the bees, midst clover blooms, indulge

Their honey habit till their bellies bulge;

Go where the trout, in alder-arbored brooks,

Abate their hunger but eschew the hooks;

Go where the flowers, by fairy weavers spun,

Pour out their grateful incense to the Sun;

Go where the deer in secret nooks disport

And Nature, clad in verdure, holds her Court;

Go where—nay, stay! Yonder the artist stands,

With brush and prismy palette in her hands,

Before her easel, where the canvas seems

A masterpiece in wondrous color schemes.

What artistry! What fascinating views

Dame Nature paints! Behold the rainbow hues

That tint the dainty flowers and make the rose

Blush to its sepals when it seeks repose;

That tinge the moors and fields and turquoise sky,

And stain the Autumn leaves with crimson dye!

So tarry here, where moss and bluebells grow

Upon the floor of Nature's Studio!

With heads uncovered and with cautious treadApproach ye here! where lie our martyred deadIn graves unmarked, here, there and everywhere:So lest, ashamed, ye trample them, beware!

With heads uncovered and with cautious treadApproach ye here! where lie our martyred deadIn graves unmarked, here, there and everywhere:So lest, ashamed, ye trample them, beware!

With heads uncovered and with cautious tread

Approach ye here! where lie our martyred dead

In graves unmarked, here, there and everywhere:

So lest, ashamed, ye trample them, beware!

God bless our Allies! damn the Huns!And consecrate our swords and guns!

God bless our Allies! damn the Huns!And consecrate our swords and guns!

God bless our Allies! damn the Huns!

And consecrate our swords and guns!

They say that a stitch that is timely saves nine:You haven't your needle? O, well then, take mine;And all my Dream Outfit—my pipe and my dope!I've smoked my last hempto the end of my rope.

They say that a stitch that is timely saves nine:You haven't your needle? O, well then, take mine;And all my Dream Outfit—my pipe and my dope!I've smoked my last hempto the end of my rope.

They say that a stitch that is timely saves nine:

You haven't your needle? O, well then, take mine;

And all my Dream Outfit—my pipe and my dope!

I've smoked my last hempto the end of my rope.


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