The Englishman and Other Poems | Page 7

he, himself, is Christ.
(God rules, God rules alway.)
Oh, when he knows this truth in all its splendour,
What majesty, what glory crowns his life:
And, one with God, his
every thought is tender;
He cannot enter into war, or strife.
His love goes out to every race
and nation;
His whole religion lies in being kind.
THIS IS THE CREED THAT
MEANS THE WORLD'S SALVATION;
THE BIRTH OF CHRIST IN EVERY MORTAL MIND.
(God rules, God rules alway.)
THE CURE
You may talk of reformations, of the Economic Plan,
That shall stem the Social Evil in its course;
But the Ancient Sin of
nations, must be got at in THE MAN.

If you want to cleanse a river, seek the source.
Ever since his first beginning, Man has had his way, in lust.
He has never learned the law of Self-Control;
And the World
condones his sinning, and the Doctors say he must,
And the Churches shut their eyes, and take his toll.
And the lauded 'Lovely Mothers' send the son out into life
With no knowledge-welded armour for the fight;
'He will make his
way like others, through the Oat field, to the Wife';
'He will somehow be led onward, to the light.'
Yes, his leaders, they shall find him. On the highways at each turn,
(Since you did not choose to counsel or to warn,)
They shall tempt
him, then shall bind him; they shall blight, and they shall burn,
Down to offspring and descendants yet unborn.
It can never end through preaching; it can never end through laws;
This social sore, no punishment can heal.
It must be the mother's
teaching of the purpose, and the cause,
And God's glory, lying under sex appeal.
She must feel no fear to name it to the children it has brought;
She must speak of it as sacred, and sublime;
She must beautify, not
shame it, by her speech and by her thought;
Till they listen, and respect it, for all time.
From the heart they rested under ere they saw the light of day,

Must the daughters and the sons be taught this truth;
Till they think of
it with wonder, as a holy thing alway;
While love's wisdom guides them safely through their youth.
Oh, the world has made its devil, and the Mothers let it grow;
And the Man has dragged their thoughts down to the earth. There will
be no Social Evil, when each waking mind shall know
All the grandeur and the beauty hid in birth.
When each Mother sets the fashion to win confidence, and trust,
And to teach the mighty lesson, Self-Control,
We can lift the great
Sex passion from the darkness and the dust,
And enshrine it on the altar of the soul.
THE FORECAST
It may be that I dreamed a dream; it may be that I saw
The forecast of
a time to come by some supernal law.
I seemed to dwell in this same world, and in this modern time; Yet
nowhere was there sight or sound of poverty or crime.
All strife had
ceased; men were disarmed; and quiet Peace had made A thousand
avenues for toil, in place of War's grim trade.
From east to west, from
north to south where highways smooth and broad
Tied State to State,
the waste lands bloomed, like garden spots of God.
There were no
beggars in the streets; there were no unemployed, For each man owned
his plot of ground, and laboured and enjoyed. Sweet children grew like
garden flowers; all strong and fair to see; And when I marvelled at the
sight, thus spake a Voice to me: 'All Motherhood is now an art; the
greatest art on earth;
And nowhere is there known the crime of one
unwelcome birth From rights of parentage the sick and sinful are
debarred;
For Matron Science keeps our house, and at the door stands

guard. We know the cure for darkness lies in letting in the light; And
Prisons are replaced by Schools, where wrong views change to right.

The wisdom, knowledge, study, thought, once bent on beast and sod,
We give now to the human race, the highest work of God;
And, as the
gardener chooses seed, so we select with care;
And as our Man Plant
grows, we give him soil and sun and air. There are no slums; no need
of alms; all men are opulent,
For Mother Earth belongs to them, as
was the First Intent.'
It may be that I dreamed a dream; it may be that I saw
The forecast of
a time to come by some supernal law.
LITTLE GIRLS
Whether you frolic with comrade boys,
Or sit at your studies, or play
with toys,
Whatever your station, or place, or sphere,
For just one
purpose God sent you here;
And always and ever, you are to me -

Dear little Mothers, of Men to be.
So would I guard you from all mean