The Chronicler
Death that takes Lincoln spares him the disillusion and the time of waste that comes after him. The face of Freedom is covered and she turns her gaze away from the land.
The Choir
(Fortissimo)
Allons! Through struggles and wars!
The goal that was named cannot be countermanded.
Four Voices
We found our own, O my Soul, in the calm and cool of the daybreak.
[The beginnings of light upon the scene show Freedom weeping upon her balustrade, alone on the stair between the two halves of the Choir.
In the distance the Chorus begins to sing that great chantey of American labor, “I’ve been working on the Railroad.”
At the back of the stage, just below the beginning of the stair, is a pathway of light into which, from either side of the scene, come single lines of men who bear upon their shoulders rails and ties. Across the stage they build the transcontinental railroad, forming sculptural and beautiful groups as they bend over the joints of the rails and swing their sledges. When the task is completed, the headlights of engines shine along the lines.