Onward and Upward

Pacific Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Oakland, California · Oct 11, 1877

Onward and Upward.

ONWARD—ever 'mid the strife, Nobly act thy part in life; Upward—Onward—ever right, Be thou foremost in the fight; Do not languish with despair, Bravely do and boldly dare; The strong in heart shall never fail Thou wilt o'er life's ills prevail.

Fear not though the waves be dark That shall gather round thy bark; Steadfast as the ocean-rock, Stem the tide, receive the shock; Strength will conquer, never fear, Let no doubts disturb thee here; Onward be thy great desire, Soaring upward—higher—higher.

As the eagle upward flies Where the sun in gladness lies, Far above the clouds of day That have dimmed the earthly ray, So mayest thou, with purpose true, And a worthy end in view, Rise above the shades of earth That would check all lofty birth.

Onward, then! Though dark and drear Be the sky above thee here; Thou shalt reach the goal at last, Every toil and danger past; Pause not, then, to mourn or weep, Onward up the rugged steep; Every step will bear thee nigher, Every day still upward higher.

Onward, then, and upward stray, Minding not the thorny way, Heeding not the wayside snares, Pausing not at worldly cares; Gaining courage day by day, Walking in the better way; With a purpose firm and true, Thou shalt gain the end in view.