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Show THE GOSPEL OF DEMOCRACY ; : SWOLLEN STREAM Claire Stewart Boyer How big is the twig of Democracy We cling to day by day, As the forces greater than we decree That the old shall be washed away? How long in this deluge of madness Before we will come to know That familiar shores are changing For all that is loose must go? Only a sure foundation Will last when the flood is gone, Let us cling to the roots of Democracy ... It is all we can rest upon; Let our country shed its baggage of leaves Without the pain of remorse, Let its branches bend with plasticity To the onward-surging course; But let us know with faith secure That deep in the soil of time The roots of Democracy gather i- A sustenance sublime: ' Love and understanding, The equality of man, j So that a blossoming action Can shape a world-wide plan; Let us hold to the seed, the ideal, a! Herein is the secret of life, i Let us watch the turbulent flood go on Si In eddies of hatred and strife, ;i But with none of the muddied waters a Tainting the active mind, For Democracy's ambition Is "Justice for all mankind','! Its way of freedom prepared it a For the greatest human task E The Unity of the World is all That humanity could ask! How strong is the song of Democracy? How beautiful? How goqd? Let it sing in our hearts with love enough " To shape World Brotherhood! |