Page:The black man.djvu/195

Rh in, and one selected, printed on a neat sheet, and circulated through the vast audience who were present. The following is the piece:—

When Winter's royal robes of white

From hill and vale are gone,

And the glad voices of the spring

Upon the air are borne,

Friends, who have met with us before,

Within these walls shall meet no more.

Forth to a noble work they go:

O, may their hearts keep pure,

And hopeful zeal and strength be theirs

To labor and endure,

That they an earnest faith may prove

By words of truth and deeds of love.

May those, whose holy task it is

To guide impulsive youth,

Fail not to cherish in their souls

A reverence for truth;

For teachings which the lips impart

Must have their source within the heart.

May all who suffer share their love—

The poor and the oppressed;

So shall the blessing of our God

Upon their labors rest.

And may we meet again where all

Are blest and freed from every thrall.