Crocket McElroy

“ The mighty rivers and great lakes,
Where once did float the bark canoe,
Are but the means that nature makes,
To push man’s grand endeavors thru;
And now upon these waters floats
A commerce of a size so vast,
(In more than seven thousand boats)
It never yet has been surpassed.
And pressing on for conquests new,
The teeming millions reach our shore,
And bore the very mountains thru,
In eager reaching out for more;
The earth gives up its lead and gold,
Its silver, copper, salt, and oil,
And countless wealth will yet unfold,
Ere man has ceased to think and toil.{11} ”

“ Travellers who have seen the Rhone and pretty Rhine,
And rode on the waters of the blue Danube fine,
Have seen the famous Nile and the great Amazon,
Say the St. Clair excels in beauty ev’ry one.
’Tis not alone beauty that gives this river fame,
Its great utility adds glory to its name;
When constructing the earth wise Nature took a halt,
And under this river made a vast sea of salt.
In many factories this salt is now refined,
And no where in the world is found a better kind;
The farmers raise fine crops for man and beast to eat,
And large refineries make sugar from the beet. ”

“ Choose the white haired, the aged who fear thee not.
Withdraw, coward! From the unequal contest thou wagest against the young, and{104}
the feeble, and those who love this life not knowing its hardships.
Come on, tyrant! Cross arms with your equals!
We, the aged; we, the experienced; we, who are weary of the world; we, who are sinking down, being crushed into the earth by the heavy burthens of life, care not for thee. ”

“ THE TEACHER.
Trees in the forest grow stately and grand,
Some are beautiful and others are tall,
Each is the product of one mighty hand,
But the teacher’s art can improve them all.
The grass of the fields is useful for food,
And provides dumb beasts a bountiful store,
And the teacher who saw that grass was good,
Made two blades grow where but one grew before.
The wheat and the corn, and all kinds of grain,
Grow wild and scattered without any plan,
And the harvest is poor and reaped with pain,
Until improved by the teaching of man. ”

“ Your friends all know how your warm heart doth bleed,
In sympathy and love for all in need,
How oft by kind words and good deeds you prove,
The depth, and strength, and wealth of human love;
Beautiful flowers will bloom by your side,
And all your friends rejoice you have not died,
If you will stay and do not die tonight.{97}
Do not die tonight. ”

“ Many sorts of people form the population,
And by their enterprise help to make the nation.
Mineral waters cure the rheumatic and lame,
Restore health to people and give the river fame;
Thus good health and pleasure come from river and bank,
And give the location a standing high in rank.
On either side the river a railroad runs along,
Thus accommodating the gay and happy throng,
Who gather for pleasure and spend a little wealth,
In hearty enjoyment and in renewing health. ”

“ So great we’ve grown in width and length,
The truth can hardly be believed;
We do not boast of size or strength,
But of the work we have achieved.
We sixty thousand schools maintain
For the children of our nation,
Where free of cost they can obtain
A liberal education;
And sixty thousand churches, too,
Where people freely worship God,
Learn how to love, be good and true,
For that’s the style on freedom’s sod.{13}
We make ships go ’gainst wind and tide,
Our steamers sail to ev’ry shore,
And on our railroads one can ride
Two hundred thousand miles and more ”

“ And the lone loon’s shrill cry sounds far off, yet is near,
And the wolf lies in wait for the innocent deer.
Where summer nights are short and winter nights are long,
And the tumbling waters keep up an endless song,
Where the forests are thick and in their native state,
But for the woodman’s ax will not have long to wait.
Where many hills contain copper, silver and gold,
And iron mines hold wealth in vast millions untold,{122}
Where precious stones are found of great beauty and worth,
And nickel and sandstone add value to the earth. ”

“ Composed for the occasion of the marriage of my daughter, Flora, to Howard C. Beck, June 17th, 1891.
Howard and Flora, there’s a beautiful land,
Where trees and flowers grow pretty and sweet,
Where many kind friends will lend you a hand,
And line with pleasure a path for your feet.
’Tis not among stars that twinkle with light,
’Tis not in the moon so cheerless and cold,
’Tis not just beyond great shadows of night,
To reach it requires no silver or gold. ”

“ You’ll work for wealth like an honest man,
Be honest! be honest, my soul!
When rogues approach thee with scheme and plan
For helping them rob your fellowman,
With indignation, rebuke and scorn,
Make the rascals wish they’d ne’er been born,
Act bravely! act bravely, my soul!{88}
When brazen women with tricks and snares,
Seek to entrap thee within their lairs,
Beware! O beware! The fatal spell
That hurries men down to death and hell,
Fly away! Fly away, my soul! ”

“ Break the Spanish bonds and set Cuba free;
Remember Spain is feeble, old and slow,
And lost her glory many years ago.
“Wars just for conquest there should never be,
But for the cause of life and liberty,
Nations may grasp the sword of righteousness,
Crush out tyranny and relieve distress.
“No other nation has courage to come,
All other countries to our cries are dumb,
Our prayers will be to our latest breath,
Come, blessed country, and save us from death.{37}”
Thank God! ”

“ And Manitoba’s wheat takes rank among the best,
Millions of tons of grain are yearly carried by,
And fill elevators that tower in the sky.
Lumber comes from the lakes above the river’s head,
And from the many streams by which the lakes are fed,{135}
Copper and iron go east, coal always to the west,
And ordinary goods the way that pays the best.
Tea and silk from China, India and Japan,
And thousands of products, the handiwork of man,
Fruits from California, elegant wines from France,
And ev’ry thing on earth that does man’s wealth enhance. ”

“ Of Mrs. Fidelia Whitaker, the excellent wife of my old and good friend, Byron Whitaker of Detroit, Michigan. Mrs. Whitaker had many fine qualities, and commanded my respect and esteem to a high degree.
Come listen, friends, the while I paint
Upon your hearts a picture true,
Of one whose love was never faint,
But full and strong and true to you.
No master’s skill can I command,
To imitate a face so fair,
But love will help to guide my hand,
And draw the lines with tender care. ”

“ The ever welcome voice of friends,
And on our little waxen files
Preserve it till life’s journey ends;
The sweetest music in the world
Is sung and played for all mankind,
The notes are caught and then unfurled,
And lift man’s heart and cheer his mind. ”

“ Brave are the sailors who stand for the right,
Tho the hours of battle are soon numbered.
Brave are the life savers who plunge in the main,
And rescue the drowning and land them on shore,
But braver the sick who long suffer pain,
And bear it as Christ once bore it before.
{96}
DO NOT DIE TONIGHT.
Written in answer to the poem “If I Should Die Tonight.”
Do not die tonight.
Your friends would sadly miss your pleasant face,
Their joy depart and sorrow take its place,
Their hearts would mourn for one they loved so long,
And solemn hymns displace the joyful song. ”

“ Fields of wheat, oats and corn, and large meadows of grass,
Are admired by watchful travellers as they pass.
Lovely flowers and vines, and lawns of downy green,
Add their attractiveness to beautify the scene,
Hundreds of pleasant homes adorn the pretty shores,
And many grand hotels hold summer guests in scores.
The river’s eight islands are turned to pleasure’s use,
And if it is not found, no man need make excuse. ”

“ Where are the crops of food once stored in domes,
Around ten thousand humble Cuban homes?
Devoured by fire and borne in flames away,
No wonder then that men can truly say—
“There are no reconcentrados now.”
Robbed of their cattle, crops and homes destroyed,
Years of hard labor in hours rendered void,
Huddled near cities, watched like beasts of prey,
Deprived of food they all have passed away,
“There are no reconcentrados now.”
Shorn of liberty, bound in lines of death,
They know their fate and dread the buzzard’s breath ”

“ Their lives they have braved and thousands have saved,
And well they are praised in song.
The soldiers who fight for country and right,
And often suffer great pain,
Deserve the applause of friends of the cause,
That they ventured their lives to gain.
The active and brave, on land and on wave,
We praise for every good deed;
The skill they’ve acquired, is warmly admired,
And people bid them God speed. ”

“ Your lives fill with joy your parents and friends,
Your record keep bright and honor your state,
And tread the true path where happiness tends.
Howard, should Flora once chance to go wrong,
With kind loving words the stain wash away,
When she shows weakness then you should be strong,
And quarrels never will darken your way. ”

“ Watched thy clear blue waters as they slowly pass by,
Reflecting true pictures of the clouds in the sky.
So deep is thy bottom and so broad is thy stream,
Thy volume is greater than thy looks make it seem,
Tho slow is thy current, great force there is in it,
Moving a million tons of water each minute.{120}
Many are the sources that provide the supply,
That keeps this great river from ever running dry,
The inflow and outflow do so nearly conform,
That the river’s level is very uniform. ”

“ As the love that flows warmly and free.
There are men who have merits and wealth,
And kind husbands they gladly would be,
But Mary took a fancy to Hi,
For his love flows so warmly and free.
There are women of beauty and worth,
Whose sweet smiles are a pleasure to see,
But Mary was the choice of them all,
For her love flows so warmly and free.
They have kind friends who admire them both,
And they’re gathered this night just to see,
How well they are enjoying this life,
Where sweet love flows so warmly and free.
{155}
THE HONEST MAN’S FATE.
Written January, 1866. ”

“ And large are the cargoes these great ships can transport,
Food to feed a city, or supply a large fort.
A whole township of crops in one enormous load,
Or railroad rails enough for eighty miles of road,
A copper cargo worth three millions of dollars,
Or cloth enough to clothe four millions of scholars.{134}
Many are the products transported by these ships,
And vast is the volume for they make many trips,
So great is the traffic it is safe to relate,
There’s no other river has a commerce so great. ”

“ The red birch, yellow birch, white birch, hemlock and spruce,
And the numerous trees man converts to his use.
Where millions of acres of farming lands are drained,
And many bright children are in school being trained,
And thousands of people are toiling for their bread,
And rarely go hungry, thank God it can be said.
And hundreds of rivers in the north, south and west,
Are working night and day, and striving at their best,{123}
To empty their contents just so quick as they can,
Into lakes Superior, Huron and Michigan. ”

“ And bravely uphold the cause of truth,
Be noble! be noble, my soul!
And should you perchance be called a fool,
For striving to live by Christian rule,
Be not discouraged, but brave and strong,
Adhere to the right, denounce the wrong,
Have courage! have courage, my soul.
The pleasures of earth and heaven too,
Are due to the good, the wise and true,
Then rejoice, my heart, the way is clear,
To a life of love and right good cheer,
Be happy! be happy, my soul!
{89}
DEAR ROLLA.
Verses on the death of a child about three years old, written to comfort his parents. ”

“ But beneath a tunnel so strange as it may seem,
And cars by the hundreds pass thru it ev’ry day,
Bearing a large commerce upon its destined way.
Far greater the traffic that daily passes thru,
In the thousands of ships that sail thy waters blue,
Sailing ships and steamships, and boats of ev’ry form,
Fit to sail a river, or face an ocean storm.{132}
How wonderful the change since five score years ago,
From the Indian canoe that was so small and slow,
To the mammoth steel ships of immense size and weight,
Large enough to carry eight thousand tons of freight. ”

“ Hiram W. Robertson, on the twentieth anniversary of their marriage, December 16th, 1887. Composed the same evening after supper.
There are fountains away in the north,
From whence waters flow down to the sea,
There’s a heart in the bosom of man,
From whence love courses warmly and free. ”

“ The world is the gainer and life more brisk.{143}
The inventor whose fate
Is to work and create,
And burn out his life by the fires of thought,
Is consoled by the fact,
That his genius and tact,
Have lifted mankind thru work he has wrought. ”

“ Sweet as the love that o’erflowed from your heart.
{91}
MEMORIAL LINES.
On the death of Mrs. Maggie Blood, an exceedingly bright and popular young wife.
O God! why teach us how to love so strong?
Why make our hearts so warm, soft and tender?
Why fill the world with happiness and song,
Since we must all to cold death surrender?
Why take from us this good and noble life,
In spite of love and skill in human arts? ”

“ Thy waters clear,
And pure atmosphere,
Strengthen many an invalid;
Thou givest wealth to man his portion,
Then ebb and flow just like an ocean,
We rejoice, great sea, thy wealth’s not hid.
{118}
THE DUNDAS VALLEY.
A few miles west of Hamilton, Ontario, is one of the most beautiful sections of country it has ever been my pleasure to see. The Grand Trunk Railway cars run along the side of Dundas Mountain for several miles, and the view of the valley from the cars is magnificent. ”