p. 11 | TWO SCHOOLS by Henry Van Dyke

Pacific Press Publishing Company · Oakland, California · Aug 27, 1902

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 28, No. 35.

TWO SCHOOLS.

By Henry Van Dyke

I PUT my heart to school, In the world where men grow wise, “Go out,” I said, “and learn the rule; Come back when you win the prize.”

My heart came back again, “And where is the prize?” I cried, “The rule was false, and the prize was pain, And the teacher’s name was Pride.”

I put my heart to school, In the woods where wild birds sing, In the fields where flowers spring, Where brooks run cool and clear, And the blue of heaven bends near. “Go out,” I said, “you are only a fool, But perhaps they can teach you here.”

“And why do you stay so long, My heart, and where do you roam?” The answer came with a laugh and a song— “I find this school is home.”

—Henry Van Dyke.