 | HAT old, half-forgotten line of Vergil, “Here- after it will please me to remember these things,“ is responsible for the following verses of fact and fancy, set down at intervals in the fleeting years. They have been inspired by old and familiar scenes and by modern ways and new |
| inventions: by the boundless ocean of Earth And the never-charted sea of Eternity; by love and friendship And home – also by a little of “man's inhumanity to man.” The poems portray the glow of sunsets and the gloom of rain; Summer sports, winter sleigh-rides – many are for the elders, yet Youth is not forgotten: all forming, I hope, a tinted mosaic Played upon with varying effects of light and shadow Few things in daily life have failed to yield me some fabric For poetic fancy as the days have passed. On a morning walk, In a street-car, in noisy waiting stations or the quiet of home, By mountain or stream, insistently have they come upon me, These thoughts in rhyme – not to be denied, though often pressing Calls of Duty would hardly give way. I have no doubt that their Underlying motive would prove to be “Love is founder and builder Of the Universe” – for Love resolves itself into Truth, Loyalty, Energy and many other qualities of which Life is wrought I give therefore my book into the hands of the public with a Hope that associate, neighbor, friend and relative each will find A message he can recognize and call his own. JOHN B. CABLE | |