God, give us men! A time like this demands
Strong minds, great hearts, true faith, andready hands;
Men whom the lust of office does 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 damn his treacherous flatteries without winking!
Tall men, sun-crowned, who live above thefog
In public duty and in private thinking;
For while the rabble, with their thumb-worncreeds,
Their large professions and their littledeeds,
Mingle in selfish strife, lo! Freedom weeps,
Wrong rules the land, and Justice sleeps. |
