Classic Poem

Praise to the brave and true!
Men prompt to dare and do, —
To do, or die;
Blazoned on history's page,
Men for their stormy age,
Fearless the fight to wage,
Scorning to fly.

They, with prophetic eye,
Saw, through the lurid sky,
The goal they sought, —
A nation of the free,
A land of liberty,
Stretching from sea to sea, —
O glorious thought!

They hailed the coming state,
Patient to toil and wait,
Suffered and bled;
Death strode o'er hill and plain;
With hunger, cold, and pain;
Hope rose, to sink again,
Till years had fled.

But forward, onward still,
They of the iron will
Pressed, undismayed
A nation's love they claim;
Born to immortal fame,
What lustre lights each name,
Never to fade!

Hail, patriots! whose brave hands
Over these fair, free lands
Their flag unfurled;
Men, by all times admired,
To noble deeds inspired,
By whom " the shot " was fired,
" Heard round the world. "

O sons of noble sires,
Who, amid war's dread fires,
To triumph rode!
Proud of the deeds they wrought,
With countless blessings fraught,
Cherish the land they bought, —
The gift of God.