A NATION'S STRENGTH
Ralph Waldo Emerson (1904)
What makes a nation’s pillars high
And its foundations strong?
What makes it mighty to defy
The foes that round it throng?
It is not gold. Its kingdoms grand
Go down in battle shock;
Its shafts are laid on sinking sand,
Not on abiding rock.
Is it the sword? Ask the red dust
Of empires passed away;
The blood has turned their stones to rust,
Their glory to decay.
And is it pride? Ah, that bright crown
Has seemed to nations sweet;
But God has struck its luster down
In ashes at his feet.
Not gold but only men can make
A people great and strong;
Men who for truth and honor’s sake
Stand fast and suffer long.
Brave men who work while others sleep,
Who dare while others fly...
They build a nation’s pillars deep
And lift them to the sky.
A TOAST TO THE FLAG
JOHN DALY
Here’s to the RED of it:
There’s not a thread of it,
No, nor a shred of it
In all the spread of it
From foot to head,
But heroes bled for it,
Faced steel and lead for it,
Precious blood shed for it,
Bathing it Red!
Here’s to the WHITE of it:
Thrilled by the sight of it,
Who knows the right of it
But feels the might of it
Through the day and night?
Womanhood’s care for it,
Made manhood dare for it,
Purity’s prayer for it
Keeps it so White!
Here’s to the BLUE of it:
Beauteous view of it,
Heavenly hue of it,
Star-spangled dew of it –
Constant and true.
States stand supreme for it,
Diadems gleam for it,
Liberty’s beam for it
Brightens the Blue!
Here’s to the WHOLE of it:
Stars, stripes and pole of it,
Here's to the SOUL of it;
RED, WHITE and BLUE!
Happy Independence Day, dear readers! I hope your day is filled with God's glory of being a free nation! Have a blessed day! What did you do to celebrate the 4th?
