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Show .'ihJ I A mr. ;tf irH ,!;f I i - , i IPrizeCMstmasPoem bj y JamesTodmanGoodwift. JanuTcdman (Tooduriiu w Christihas again again a hope1 sublime Transcends the apprehension of a world. Caught in a bloody web of Vandal crime, And ruthlessly, in Fates great havoc hurled. The threnody is halted by the chime , ' Of music sweet: the battle flags are furled, While nr the days serene tranquility, There is a promise of the peace to be. Upheavals, broken hearth, the House of Pain Will pass; eternal summer in their stead. Will come nor will its splendor ever wane, . And those oppressed w ill then be comforted. Mayhap, too, men will look on earthly gain As dross it is no longer will they dread The werewolves of the mart where grubbers weigh -- o o Where bloom the heather, fleur de lis and rose, the linden blossoms in the spring, The pallid women wait, and. watch for those . Who may return: and little children cling About their skirts, and question Ah! who knows What word the twilight or the dawn may bring! Yet heedless hedonists hear not the call Perhaps a war was needed after klh And-whe- But tragedies are not of war alone; The stern attrition of the passing years Enacts the greatest when it claims dur own, And there would be eternities of tears Were we left comfortless. Tlie star that sFone Oer Bethlehem gave solace to the fears Of mortals. In effulgence now as then. It shows theway to saddened sons of men. re " Above what were the lillied fields of France, 4 The Old Flag waves, our boys are Over There; And brooding eyes will light with their advance, And hope has filled the hearts that knew despair; While stalwart guards of Liberty enhance The freedom of the struggling hosts of Care True to themselves, their own,' their countrys right, - Humanity's defenders in Gods sight. o o o 0 o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o Awry is all the world with discontent; Each day records another sinister scheme; Yet while the nations clash, armipotent, ' And weaving spiders nearer home blaspheme, Our valleys smile beneath the firmament; The plumes of harvest, not of battle, gleam. The Infinite in mercy bends above To give His blessings in His boundless love. Fearer Millennium, and Peace on Earth The crumbling thrones, crushed dynasties, attest; Good Will To Men, and for them what theyre worth, j And all men equal who have done their best. Slowly but certain, 6ince the Sayjors birth, A subtle alchemy and Heaven blest Has changed th darkness into rays of gold To light the world before it grows too old. a o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o 3 o o o o o o Their masters pounds of flesh from day to day. Old love words speak once more, old - ties renew? With sacred carols swell the seasons song; , Again Time brings the day of days; anew. Gathers the children in a happy throng; ; And all of us are children in the crew, Who sail the tossing ship of life along; With hearts courageous and with willing hands In faith our guide is One who understands. , Christmas again again the world old thrill Since first He came, all sorrows to assuage; . So if the, frosts of disappointment chill, Find comfort in His blessed heritage. Fear nothing in the place of life you fill. Except to do the wrong, and then the page Of Destiny for genius or for clod Will read: Well done, and leave the rest to God. ; i ; t ! 1 1 f- ? !0', ,M ?u |