Blest with vict'ry and peace, may the heav'n-rescued land Praise the Power that hath made and preserved us a nation. Then conquer we must, when our cause it is just, HOME, SWEET HOME! 'Mid pleasures and palaces though we may roam, Be it ever so humble, there's no place like home; A charm from the sky seems to hallow us there, Which, seek through the world, is ne'er met with elsewhere. Home, Home, Sweet, Sweet Home! There's no place like Home! There's no place like Home! An exile from home, splendor dazzles in vain, Home, Home, Sweet, Sweet Home! There's no place like Home! There's no place like Home! -John Howard Payne. AMERICA My country, 'tis of thee, Land where my fathers died, My native country, thee, I love thy rocks and rills My heart with rapture thrills Let music swell the breeze, Sweet Freedom's song; Let mortal tongues awake, Our fathers' God, to Thee, Author of liberty, To Thee we sing; Long may our land be bright Great God our King. -Samuel Francis Smith. NOTES Banner of America is a noble tribute to the country that he loves by Denis A. McCarthy, who was born in Ireland (1871). This would be a fine poem to remember as we look up at our flag. It is from a collection called "Heart Songs and Home Songs." Mr. McCarthy has another inspiring patriotic poem called "A Song for the Flag." In these selections and others he shows a great affection for this Land of Opportunity. The Right is More Precious than Peace is from one of President Wilson's eloquent and convincing statements of the reasons why America entered the Great War. Many other extracts from these addresses will be found in the four books of this series. To comment upon them in these notes is unnecessary. They are models of the best thought of the age, expressed with such clearness, force and elegance as to cause them to be read all over the world with the greatest attention and respect. A Brave Lady portrays the courage, the patience, and the resourcefulness found in the home on the frontier. This story is from a book of children's tales called "Two and One", by Charlotte M. Vaile. The Mother's Story is from one of the finest poems of home life ever written, “Snowbound", by John Greenleaf Whittier (1807– 1892). A Timely Jack-o'-Lantern is from "The American History StoryBook " by Albert F. Blaisdell and Francis K. Ball. It is interesting as showing the quick wit of a boy and the atmosphere of a frontier home. Daniel Webster's Schooldays, written by the great orator himself, will be an inspiration to every boy, and will be especially encouraging to the very large number of boys who hate to "speak pieces." The Lights is a poem in which the author, John Joy Bell, expresses beautifully in terms of human sympathy the thoughts of welcome and farewell suggested by the lights upon the ships. This author has written many fine descriptive verses which are enjoyed by children. The Youth of Washington is by Edward Everett, the famous statesman, orator and writer (1794-1865). The Name of Washington is a noble tribute by one of our two greatest presidents, Abraham Lincoln, to the other. When Banners are Waving is a bit of splendid poetry out of that past in which there was more of color and pageantry, but not more of bravery, than in the warfare of modern times. A Troop of the Guard Rides Forth To-day was written as a Harvard Class Day ode by the author and patriot, Hermann Hagedorn. In all of his writings this author strives for the development of the highest American ideals. The American Flag, by Joseph Rodman Drake (1795-1820), is one of the finest and best known lyrics descriptive of our national emblem. An Indian Boy's Training is from "An Indian Boyhood" by Dr. Charles A. Eastman, and possesses the great merit of being a chapter from the life of a real Indian boy, told by himself. An Indian Boy's Stratagem is from the pen of a woman, Grace Coolidge, who has devoted her life to work among the Indians on their reservations. 66 Out Where the West Begins is one of the most beautiful and sympathetic descriptions ever written of that great and vastly important section of the United States which is often summed up in the phrase, Out West.' The author has written many other fine poems but the deep feeling, charming diction and the breezy Western atmosphere of this one cause it to be loved by every reader. The County Fair, by Frank E. Martin and George M. Davis, is from a book called "Firebrands", all the stories of which teach the dangers of carelessness and methods of fire prevention. My Little Gentleman, by Louisa M. Alcott (1832-1888), is from the first volume, "My Boys", of a series of jolly short stories for children called "Aunt Jo's Scrap-Bag." No American storywriter has been so popular with the young people of this country as Miss Alcott. Her works have been translated into many languages and are eagerly read by boys and girls all over the world, |