H. Lavinia Baily

“ For faith to meet the encroaching foe and check his bold career?
And who, like Deborah, will arise and lead a valiant band
To drive the Tyrant from her gates, the Traffic from her land?
Who will, like Gideon and his men, the light of truth dare throw
On darkest evil, and the trump of coming victory blow?
Or who, like David, will come forth in God's great name, alone,
And lay the boastful giant low, as once with sling and stone?
When Avarice and unholy Pride against the good contend,
The battle is the Lord's and He His people will defend. ”

“ Call in thy fleet-winged missiles from the sea;
Art thou not great enough to suffer wrong,
Land of the brave, the freest of the free?
Put up thy sword. 'Tis nobler to endure
Than to avenge thee at another's cost;
And while thy claim and purpose are made sure,
Behold that other's life and honor lost.
Put up thy sword. It hath not hushed the cry
That called it all too rashly from its sheath;
Still o'er the fated isle her children lie
And find surcease from anguish but in death.
Put up thy sword, O Country, strong and free,
Let strife and avarice and oppression cease ”

“ ON NEW YEAR, 1897 TO G. D. AND S. F. B.
God bless you thro' this bright new year,
The first you spend together;
Give peace and trust thro' cloudy days,
Joy in its sunny weather.
And may the days as days go by,
Still richer seem and sweeter,
And passing seasons make your lives
In every good completer.
There are not words to tell the love
In which I could caress you;
Your dear united names I breathe,
And once more pray, God bless you.
TO ANNA ON HER SIXTEENTH BIRTHDAY
Sixteen! ”

“ O when shall we hear it again?
"Peace on earth," rang the chorus seraphic,
"And good will evermore among men."
Here is fierce anger and hatred and death,
Pitiless slaughter of pitiless foe;
Blessings and curses poured forth in a breath;
Brave self-forgetting, and measureless woe.
But where is the song of the angels?
O when shall we hear it again?
"Peace on earth," rang the chorus seraphic,
"And good will evermore among men."
Blue waves of ocean are reddened with gore,
Victor and victim earth holds to her breast;
Hearts that will thrill with ambition no more ”

“ Once more I saw when Israel quailed before Philistia's pride;
While great Goliath, day by day, Jehovah's power defied.
The weak and timid fled away, the valiant shrank with fear;—
'Twas threatened death or dire defeat, and life and fame are dear.
Even Saul, their chosen king, forgot (admiring Israel's boast!)
That he stood head and shoulders high above his martial host.
"And are there none," he cried, "who dare to meet this vaunting foe?
And must the banner of our God trail in dishonor low?" ”

“ Years, ages pass and now I see a land beloved and fair;
And lo! a cruel enemy hath gained possession there.
The riches of this goodly land into his coffers pour;
Insatiate and unscrupulous, his constant cry is "More!"
"More money clinking in my till, more men—my licensed prey;
More boys to feed my traffic when these men have passed away."
Thus man is robbed of purse and soul, home of its peace and joy;
The wife of husband is bereft, the mother of her boy.
The land doth mourn. On every side the spoiler hath his way ”

“ Till armies meet and life and cause are lost.
"Would they but listen 'twere an errand blest
To plead against oppressor for oppressed;
Would they but follow it were joy indeed
Up the white hills of truth and peace to lead.
"But, ah! the multitudes are gone astray,
The powerful of the earth will have their way;
What profit, sister, in our prayers and tears?
Why mar the spring-time gladness of our years
"In vain pursuit of universal good? ”

“ Joy! for the strife of the past was o'er;
Joy! for the promise of war no more;
Joy in the gladness of land and home,
Joy for the world-wide peace to come.
On snow-tipped height of the Andean range
They planted the statue fair and strange;
And there, to the query of the sky,
Its bronze and granite make reply:
"I witness the failure of the sword,
The victory of the Love-sent word;
To dust may crumble rock and hill,
This pledge of nations abideth still."
* * * * *
So now the Boundary Line is laid ”

“ At the third decade life soars grand and high;
But with the fourth its heyday passes by.
The fifth comes on,—a century's half is told;
The sixth,—our little girl is growing old.
Another half-score milestone passed, and then
We've reached the allotted three-score years and ten.
Years may be added; should they come to thee
May Faith and Wisdom their companion be;
Hope thy sure anchor; Peace with thee abide,
And Love still be thy light at eventide. ”

“ The great Red Sea of wrong, while He doth pass, shall stand aside;
Mountains shall bow before Him, and proud Jordan's waves divide.
Each epoch hath its burning bush, and each its palm-tree shade;
[Pg 39] And each its oak of Ophrah, where the pledge of peace is made.
And each its fold, where kingly soul in shepherd guise is found;
And when the Master calleth there the place is "holy ground."
Holy the place; but whose the hour? perchance He calleth thee,
Or thee; who, who will answer now, "Lord, here am I; send me?" ”

“ But the valiant of heart may yet know he hath ever
In his sturdiest foeman a friend.
Nevermore the proud boast or the haughty defiance;—
Without end shall His kingdom increase;
'Tis the day of all nations in Holy Alliance,
'Tis the reign of truth, justice, and peace.
Nevermore shall a nation lift sword against nation,
[Pg 53] The dominion of Hatred is o'er;
'Tis the triumph of Love, 'tis the dawn of Christ's kingdom,
They shall not learn war any more.
RECALL
Put up thy sword, O Nation, grand and strong! ”

“ And veiled in robe of woe, he went his way,
Borne by the passing hours to close of day.
The twilight lingered, and the Evening Star
Looked back upon the world and whispered low:
"These who have spoken surely could not know:—
Earth is a great, pure pearl, and seems from far
Set with fair homes, like gems; in amber glow,
Or emerald green, or gold or roseate snow.
But hush! In palace hall a bitter cry;
A mangled hero is borne in to die;
And in yon lowly cot, a widow's moan;—
A mother's heart-break o'er her only son.
Alas! 'tis true. ”

“ But the strife went on with passing years,
Fed by resentment and pride and fears;
Nor priest nor people could yet define
The rightful range of the Boundary Line.
The strife went on with its loss and shame,
As generations went and came,
And each in its turn the task essayed
To solve the problem so long delayed.
* * * * *
Then kinder, kinglier thought prevailed,
Where threat of sword and gun had failed;
And love-illumined reason wrought
The adjustment long so vainly sought.
"For how can a trifle of earth and air
With the worth of human lives compare? ”

“ The battle is the Lord's and He will vanquish this proud host."
Then spake he to the giant foe: "A loyal servant I
Of Israel's God, whose holy name thou darest to defy.
"In that dread name I charge thee stand, and shield thee as thou may;
[Pg 37] The fowls of air, the beasts of earth shall feast on thee to-day."
'Twas but a pebble from the brook, sent by a loyal will;
But sword and spear not mightier were God's purpose to fulfil.
For one may chase a thousand, and ten thousand flee from two;
The God of right is strong to save by many or by few. ”

“ Ofttimes their scoffings tainted the sweet air,
As with malicious scorn they hailed a name
That calumny itself left clean and fair.
And now that Soul hath entered into rest;
That Voice is silent, and that peerless Life
Hath crossed the threshold where the good and blest
Enter, and cease from sorrow, toil and strife.
O Life and Voice and Soul! O princely one!
Our loyal hearts send greeting to thee now;
Thy name has lighted near a century gone,—
'Twill brighten ages yet to come, Neal Dow.
"PARADISE WILL PAY FOR ALL" LAST WORDS OF SAMUEL A. PURDIE ”

“ Elizabeth of Hungary, a widow at the age of twenty, was sought in marriage by Frederick II., Emperor of Germany. She, having taken a vow never to marry again, declined his offer, and devoted her life to deeds of kindness and charity. She died at the age of twenty-four, and was canonized as a saint by Gregory IX. At this ceremony Frederick placed upon her head a golden crown, saying, "Since thou wouldst not be crowned as my Empress, I crown thee to-day as an immortal Queen in the kingdom of God." ”

“ O, the joy of endeavor, endurance and toil
On thro' summer-time vigor and sweetness,
Of triumph o'er that which would hinder or foil,
Of the patience of hope after tears and turmoil,
In the glory of autumn's completeness.
And the toil and the turmoil and tears have been ours—
[Pg 23] From our ranks we have missed a loved brother
We've encountered the thorns, but we've cherished the flowers;
We've passed under the clouds on to sunnier hours,
And we're still "boys" and "girls" to each other. ”

“ And now to save our young men the White-Ribbon Army
Marches on, on, on round the world.
At the head of the host came the silver-haired mothers,
Arm in arm with the daughters so fair;
While the wives for their husbands, the girls for their brothers,
Raise their voices to heaven in prayer.
[Pg 56] As their pleadings prevail, and "the worst foe" surrenders,
The white banner of peace is unfurled;
And we now may behold them, a joyful procession,
Marching on, on, on round the world.
Chorus
Hark! ”

“ Then up rose Deborah, judge and seer, with all her valiant band,
And drove the oppressor from her gates, his chariots from her land.
And Jael, wife of Heber, slew his captain with the sword;
So woman's hand achieved that day the victory for the Lord.
[Pg 35]
And woman's voice extolled in song the great Deliverer's name:—
"Praise God! He hath avenged His own, for willingly they came.
"The mountains melt before His face, the tribes their strength renew;
The Lord is mighty and doth save by many or by few." ”

“ Wrought thro' such sacrifice, unspared, unpriced,
[Pg 10] His word and purpose must fulfilment see,
And realms by mountains bounded or by seas
Must own allegiance to the Prince of Peace.
"I yield to none"—and as she spoke there sped
Across the opal beauty of the sea
A light-winged vessel, bearing at its head
The starry emblem of the brave and free—
"I yield to none in loyalty and love
For yon bright banner, but I hold it still
As token to the world, all else above,
Of peace on earth and unto man good will.
"God gave His land to be the home of man ”

“ Winsome age lends its placid charm there;
There are laughter and glee as when home-life rejoices
Unshadowed by sorrow or care.
In all noble achievement, all worthy endeavor,
Men in kindly ambition contend ”

“ And all the years to be thou holdest pledged
To give thee from its pages, day by day,
Readings to cheer and bless the blithesome way.
And life is such a volume, only thou,
From garnered storage of the heart and mind,
Must fill unwritten pages, and allow
Fair pictures—of pure thought, of self resigned,
Of kindly deeds—each new-made page to grace;—
[Pg 28] How blest if none thou, later, woulds't efface!
Sixteen! A May-day in the path of life,
A marvelous puzzle on the finger twirled ”

“ I, but a man, and slow of speech, nor wise, nor eloquent."
I marked the answer: "Plead no more thy vain excuse to me;
I am the Lord; my servant thou; my glory thou shalt see.
"I am the Lord; the power is mine; 'tis thine to hear and do;
The Lord almighty is to save, by many or by few." ”

“ In token of peace on the mountain's crest.
MARGARET LEE
Margaret Lee—you do not know her?
Rightly named—a pearl is she;
Half a score of years I've loved her—
Precious Margaret Lee.
"Dimples?" No; nor "golden tresses,"
Nor yet "voice of silvery tone";—
If such phrases must express her,
[Pg 72] Beauty she has none.
Soft brown hair and grey eyes dreaming
Visions that none others see ”

“ Thro the stern lessons of the hour,
Of danger, censure, praise and power,
To be the Man among us, one,
Whom now we hail, since he is gone,
Lincoln, our more than Washington.
1866
ON THE DEATH OF DR. JAMES E. RHOADS
Fallen? No; his part was finished
In the earthly toil and strife ”