Peter McArthur
The well-known Canadian litterateur, author of ‘In Pastures Green To Be Taken With Salt: ‘An Essay on Teaching One’s Grandmother to Suck Eggs The Prodigal and Other Poems’, ‘The Red Cow and Her Friends’, etc. Born at Ekfrid, Ontario, March 10th, 1866. Educated in local public school, at the Strath-roy Collegiate Institute, and at University College, Toronto.
FULFILMENT
‘They shall beat their swords into plowshares. . . . Neither shall they learn war any more.'—Micah, iv., 3.
HO, smith, stand by your anvil
And bare your arm to smite!
Of man s long course of folly
There waits the closing rite.
For while before your smithy
He stays his iron car,
We ll beat our swords to plowshares
LTo serve the god of war.
With blood of slaughtered millions,
He stands there, dripping red,
And shouts to all the nations—
His armies must be fed!
He turns our hope to laughter,
He turns our faith to scorn!
My brothers of the plowshare,
Shall this be meekly borne?
Ho, smith, bow to your labour
And let your strokes be sure!
The work that you shall fashion
Shall evermore endure :
For to your hammer s ringing
A deathless vow we ll make
That through the after ages
No King shall dare to break.
Let it be marked in heaven
That from this fateful day
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