Page:Our American Holidays - Christmas.djvu/27

 "Ring out a slowly dying cause,    And ancient forms of party strife;     Ring in the nobler modes of life, With sweeter manners, purer laws.

"Ring out the want, the care, the sin,    The faithless coldness of the times;     Ring out, ring out my mournful rhymes, But ring the fuller minstrel in.

"Ring out false pride in place and blood,    The civic slander and the spite;     Ring in the love of truth and right, Ring in the common love of good.

"Ring out old shapes of foul disease;    Ring out the narrowing lust of gold;     Ring out the thousand wars of old, Ring in the thousand years of peace.

"Ring in the valient man and free,    The larger heart, the kindlier hand;     Ring out the darkness of the land, Ring in the Christ that is to be." R. H. S.