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Title: Thoughts, Moods and Ideals: Crimes of Leisure

Author: W.D. Lighthall

Release Date: January 6, 2005 [EBook #14616]

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

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THOUGHTS, MOODS AND IDEALS

Crimes of Leisure

by

W.D. LIGHTHALL,

ADVOCATE.

Montreal:
"WITNESS" PRINTING HOUSE, ST. JAMES STREET
1887

Dedicated
to
My Friends.

THOUGHTS, MOODS AND IDEALS.

THE CONFUSED DAWN.

YOUNG MAN
What are the Vision and the Cry
That haunt the new Canadian soul?
Dim grandeur spreads we know not why
O'er mountain, forest, tree and knoll,
And murmurs indistinctly fly.--
Some magic moment sure is nigh.
O Seer, the curtain roll!

SEER
The Vision, mortal, it is this--
Dead mountain, forest, knoll and tree
Awaken all endued with bliss,
A native land--O think!--to be--
_Thy_ native land--and ne'er amiss,
Its smile shall like a lover's kiss
From henceforth seem to thee.

The Cry thou couldst not understand,
Which runs through that new realm of light,
From Breton's to Vancouver's strand
O'er many a lovely landscape bright,
It is their waking utterance grand,
The great refrain "A NATIVE LAND!"--
Thine be the ear, the sight.

(1882.)

NATIONAL HYMN.

To Thee whose smile is might and fame,
A nation lifts united praise
And asks but that Thy purpose frame
A _useful_ glory for its days.

We pray no sunset lull of rest,
No pomp and bannered pride of war;
We hold stern labor manliest,
The just side real conqueror.

For strength we thank Thee: keep us strong,
And grant us pride of skilful toil;
For homes we thank Thee: may we long
Have each some Eden rood of soil.

O, keep our mothers kind and dear,
And make the fathers stern and wise;
The maiden soul preserve sincere,
And rise before the young man's eyes.

Crush out the jest of idle minds,
That know not, jesting, when to hush;
Keep on our lips th