God Give Us Men: Poem on Strong Character
God give us men! A time like this demands
Strong minds, great hearts, true faith, and ready
hands.
Men whom the lusts of office do not kill;
Men whom the spoils of office cannot buy;
Men who possess opinions and a will;
Men who have honor; men who will not lie;
Men who can stand before a demagogue,
And face his treacherous flatteries without winking;
Tall men, sun-crowned, who live above the fog,
In public duty, and in private thinking;
For while the rabble, with their thumb-worn creeds,
Their large professions and their little deeds,
Mingle in selfish strife, lo! Goodness weeps,
Wrong rules the land, and waiting Justice sleeps.
—Selected.