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114
FRIENDS TO VIRTUE
"And what," I mused, "will now be fed
To cater to their mood
Who, as their looks bespeak, have said,—
'Evil, be thou my good'?
"Order will surely be reversed,
Judgement will disappear,
The tricks of knaves will be rehearsed
To catch the plaudits here!"
Yet as I watched the varied throng,
My theories took flight,
For, lo, they still condemned the wrong,
They still approved the right!
The "villain" by his better art
Surprised from them no praise;
They frankly took the hero's part,
Awarding him the bays;
For they, unlike the wise of earth,
Slight tribute paid to skill,—
Anhungered for a higher worth,
Lovers of virtue still!
