If no one planted precious seed
How barren all the land would be,
North and south and east and west,
Never plenty, never rest;
For a harvest rich and free,
Vain to plead.
Be ready, all along the way,
To seek the motive power of life;
Free to sow, to garner in,
Love its sure reward will win.
Undismayed by doubt or strife,
Work away.
If each man did the best he could
In winter as in summer time;
By pleasure’s side, on sorrow’s brink,
His life chain forging link by link;
Easy it would be to climb,
Doing good.
OURS IS THE CHOICE.
Most gracious choice!
What is a soul without a voice?
A noble thought develops noble deeds,
Words give thought freedom, words are wings,
Deft carriers of mysterious things
Too glorious to behold;
They bear swift witness to our needs
And make the true heart bold,
To mirror forth in language quaint,
The image fancy cannot paint.
THE SUM OF LIFE.
Day by day the weeks go by,
Month by month the swift years fly,
Hour by hour we work, we live,
Love and labor, gain and give.