PS 3SII LIBRARY OF CONGg| 018 348 719A ^ ^e Philhellenes By William KImberly Palmer This volume of verse dedicated to N. G. VENIOPOULOS NESTOR President, of the Massachusetts Greek Ameri- can National Union To ARISTEDES MEMOS President, Pan-Eperotic Society of Springfield, Massachusetts By the Author 1921 A. D. — Penelope Edition — r h^^ tt^-G^^^ ^-^^4^'%^ I, [iL4.y '^L^^, - HELLAS. Still the story of her Heroes Thrill the hearts of all today And the splendor of their daring Is a legacy alway — And her seers and sages ever And her women of renown Are the world's and ours forever As their shrines with wreathes we crown. W. K. P MARCO BOZARRIS. Epirus gave Great Hellas— This distinguished son, Who fought and dying For Greece victory won. Stands this brave Hero With Leonidas Never from Greek memory, Shall these martyrs pass. w. K. r. John J. Danahey, Printer. Chicopee, Mass. '(St f THE PHILHELLENE8. Samuel Gridley Howe Was a Champion of Greece, Whose memory in that fair land — Shall never, never cease. And Julia Ward Howe, his spouse, Loved in the Old World and the Neir- Since her heart like his was noble, Unselfish, dauntlesr, true. Holmes was a modern Aesop Stedraan a Plutarch true, Gilder ever a true Philhellene And Fitzgreene Halleck too; While Lowell loved their literature And Holland rhymes them true, William of Griswold was their friend And their language to him dear. Was full of cheer unto Life's end And their seers, he did revere. Tennyson was a modern Greek And Browning oft did seek The charm of Grecian song. Find we a man or poet Who has read Grecian lore. And you will find a Soul And friend forever more. The men who love not Hellas In both great Hemispheres, Lack vision and lack virtue For history her reveres. Robert Underwood Johnson, And Prank Fiilir from Kansas Plain,, They love the lore of Hellas The legends that rema-n. John Marshall and Daniel Webster Foremost in all our land, Were champions of freedom. And Hellas did understand. With Madame Edith, his fair spouse, In Hellas, aye renowned, Great Woodrow Wilson, Hellas loves Versed in her Icre profound. By future centuries crowned, And William Redfield still admires This land of freedom's altar fires. And Henry McEiwen of Amsterdam Whose heart was big and warm, Has studied histories of Greece While raged the winter's storm. And Clifford, the composer, At Taormina still, LonVc; on the blue Sicilian sea While song birds thrill. The Paesantry. Before a fireside glowing A relative of mine, Recalls the Parthenon so grand And Hellas so divine. And we speak of the Old Time Legends, Of the Demi-Gods and men Of the heroines and the children That the Bards of the past did pen. Young Irwin Russell, kind and wise A poet of fine fibre he Who wrote, and tlien he ceased to be, A comrade ht lor Paradise, — Was Mary Anderson a Greek? She might have been lor aught I know. Did ever fairer being grow? Look where you w.Il and seek. And Nordica wiiose voice could charm The mood of melancholy far, Unfriendly critics could disarm Lovely of face and like a star. Great Beecher rapt of soul alway Spoke for the Brotherhood of man Prom Jericho to far Japan, And prophesied a better day. As a Philhellene, Fred Douglas wrought And Toussaint L' Overture the same, While Wordsworth has impearled his fame And Dumas Pere and Fils have caught A glow from fine old Greek Romance, And still the millions do entrance. The Indian youth their teachers say, Admire the thought of Plato well — Who over them hath cast his spell At Carlisle Indian school today. Col. Pendleton and his nine sons bold, O RevouJntionary days — And Amos Skeele of Rochester, For them Time's fairest bays. The May Flower Line Forever Mine. And Heroes of '76 most bold Of such and farmer fo'iK as well, And doubt not that from the race Of Hellas line — my sire could trace, Who loved the Life Hellene Their thought — devout — serene. Jonathan Edwards had a poet's eye And Nature loved as the garb of God, And Pere Marquette did the Indian try To teach the truth as the wild he trod. And Dr. Kane did vainly search For Sir John Franklin and his crew,, And Fremont, "Pathfinder" did march Two thousand miles beneath the blue. Ghamplain, Desoto and a Band Of Europe's true and bold, Faced dangers manifold. Bravely they pierced the wilderness, And now with Odysseus understand Much that here caused them deep distreM Frances, born in Illinois, And Carolus, the sage, Speak in the speech of Hellas And prize each golden page. Before that pleasant fireside Erinna and Sappho fair Come floating thro the shadows. As we sit musing there. The Poet-Queen of Wellesley Who wrote our song of peace, May length of days and health be theirs Their influence increase, And unseen, unl^nown workers For God, for Love, for Truth. Who toil unrecognized by man Be theirs eternal youth. In the realm of The Hereafter That passeth not away Their sorrow turned to rapture In God's eternal day. Cardinal Gibbons of Baltimore, And Mercier the great, And Albert and Elizabeth, Are sure of Heaven's gate. For they toiled for years mid pain and tear«, When the earth was desolate. And Gounod their compatriot They valued mighty Hellas As their great music grew And Watterson of Kentucky And "Old Hickory" in his prime, Lcimar of Mississippi, Father Damien sublime. Heard of thy Heroes Hellas And they celestial clime. In Japan-China-India aye — Greek culture hath a part to play In Africa — that vast domam: On Argentina's boundless plain: Where the Pacific rocks to rest The cities of the Golden West In every clime benealh the sun, The lore of Greece hath triumph won. And young Australia welcomes there The art of Greece forever fair Queen Victoria lived to see Hellenes grow powerful and free; And many a soul of Europe's soil To honor G eece for years did toll Countless Anthologies, there be Great Greece composed m praise of the«. Simon Bolivar, the Liberator, Beloved in this Western sphere, And Charles Skeele Palmer of Pittsburgh, YvTiom his Brothers love revere, — And Stockton the Story teller Who would Aesop aye amuse And Livingston and Stanley And Peary of the Cruise; Franklin who bottled lightning Great Morse who girdled the earth; And Cyrus Field and Edison — Marconi of great worth — These are lovers of Hellas ever Whatever their land or birth. Helen who interprets Mozart And that class of long ago. That talked and sang of Hellas Their names they fairly glow Beethoven the majestic, Gladstone the friend of man. And Theodore the citizen, Whose life with joy we scan Washington, the eternal, And Lincoln, surpassed by none And Armstrong who founded Hampton Shine as the steadfast sun. Tom Paine who loved humanity. Bacon, St. Augustine; Shakespeare, the Immortal, Elizabeth the Queen. Jennie Lind, voice of beauty. And Schubert the serene, Natalie, Isabella, Katherine and Dorothy. Robert of Elmwood Terrace, And the sisters near the sea, And the gardener from the prairie, Thy lovers, O Hellas be. The humble, silent workers In city, on sea and land, They love the lore of Hellas And her wisdom understand. But time it is too short to name The Philhellenes of noble fame, St. Terence of a later day. Who shall our souls for all time sway. Grace Dodge who founded well a work And Mary Lyon pioneer, All these were souls who did not shirk But faithful lived from year to year. O Hellas, these are but a few. Of Philhellenes in love with you. Of souls unselfish, forceful strong, Whose memories are embalmed in song. And in the centuries to be, Others shall rise true — wise and free And build upon foundations grand, Bequeathed by Bards of Hellas Land. The Constellations overhead Echo the lore of Hellas fair, The Galaxy — a river bed ,Where flash the gems, priceless and rare. Hercules-Andromeda, all the sky Recall thy Legends bright on high; And Burns of Scotia is a Bard That Socrates would have embraced, Whose songs touch both the rough and hartd And please the purest and the chaste, The Quaker Poet would have claimed. Theocrites, a comrade sure And Simon Bolivar been named "A Hero" by Lycurgas pure, Young Mozart the immortal And Schubert, prince of song Have caught the mood of Orpheus — And to the world belong. Petrarch and Paderewski, McDowell on our shore Remind us of ancient Hellas And the glorious days of yore. And Emmet and Moore of Ireland, And Riibenstein today Are chords in the great choral That sweep the arch of day. Michael Angelo and Dante Goethe and Schiller too Caught fire from the art of Hellas And Raleigh and Spenser true. And Nathan Hale and Putnam And Ethan Allen bold, Will be studied alike in Hellas And where Oregon's tide is rolled. Doctor Francisco P. Moreno Of famous Buenos Aires, "The Jacob Riis of Argentine" Endless renown he shares, With the Pioneers of learning In this western Hemisphere. And whom mankind forever Will admire and love, revere And Marcus Holcomb Governor, Of that "famous Nutmeg State" And Buckingham and Lufberry Who smiling met his fate, And Alexander Agassiz And Artemas and Josh, And Garfield and McKinley, Toe Wheeler — Hobson, Foch, And Marshall Joffre the Rock Who broke the Huns' great shock Queen Elizabeth and Harriet Who wrote of "Uncle Tom" And Kossuth, the Hungarian, Susanna — Mother of Colomb, These all had traits Hellenic And courage, grit and grace, And Humanity Avith reverence Doth their noble actions trace. Corneille, the great French dramatist. And Nikola Tesla too, And John Paul Jones the hero With his immortal crew. Lord Nelson and Garabaldi. And Rossini and Verdi knew And Ellsworth and Will Carey Horace Babcock and Timothy Cole Friends and comrades and neighbors And bound for the self-same goal. And John L. Stoddard, the writer, And Richard H. Stoddard, the Seer, Tall Francis of Faribault Sullivan of Sherman Square. With Hobson of the South Land, Are men to do and dare, "Better be safe than sorry/' .^aid a friend on the Plain to me, And Solon could say As iBen Stedman that day "That's true as true can be." And Frank the Scholar of Norwich, And Hawkes in Persia far, And White who died at Ithica Each name is like a star. While Farragut and Napoleon Well Alexander knew. And they did their work most thoroagh. As all great heroes do. And the beloved physician Who lived on the winding street, 'Doctor Dan" they called him. Hero of many a feat. Was a friend to Greek and Aliens Whose praises they repeat. And fair Modjeska, the actress From Poland far away. And Harriet Beecher Stowe, Wliose influence still doth stay; While Buddha and Confucius say "The Greeks how like to me" For nature hath a kindred touch, In all humanity. i^fayette-Beau Marchais — lEyron Souls we cannot ever forget; Charles Lamb and Victor Hugo How great to them our debt. George Eliot-Chopin-Carlyle That Titan grim and fine Goldsmith and Helen Keller, Add to the group benign. The author of "Uncle Remus" and AriaU>- phanes gay A swapping tale and song and jest. Charles Dudley Warner genial Lincoln who stood the test, Hamilton of Bermuda Kosciuszko, hero, friend Of Washington and Colum'bia, As freedom they defend These and a host of others Of Women— Children — Men Are Philhellenes forever, In the Land of Widening Ken. And Grant and Lee and Jackson brave And Sherman and Thomas grand, Have gained a true Elysium In that far off Holy Land, Where the Saints and Heroes of the earth In joyous ages live, And unto Christ the Eternal Son, Eternal honor give. Charles Canedy of Springfield And Alice who draws the bow, Jefferson, Franklin, Shakespeare And Little of La Crosse, Caruso the beloved, His passing — a world loss. Ililey, a faithful Philhellene, Our Emerson sublime, With his broad sympathy and love Of her mighty men of time. And William Cullen Bryant Whose "Thanatopsis" still Is an echo of Parnassus, The poet of thought and will. And Helen who wrote "Ramona" I met in the mighty mart Where the Greeks in tens of thousands Have anchored to not depart; The Academes of this Nation The lore of the Greeks do prize, And the charm of Homer's Heroes In the Occident never dies. And many a bright young Sappho In this western Hemisphere Hath sung in deathless numbers, Of Hellenic virtues dear. To write the names of the Philhellene* Columbia doth boast Is like counting the numberless pebble* Upon a boundless coast. A Philhellene beloved by me Was Scholar Benjamin Smith, Who knew the language as his own And did their souls of genius throne. Boccaclo, Chaucer, Tolstoi, Cervantes Great of Spain; Charles Dickens and John Bunyan And world beloved Mark Twain, And Joel my friend on the Prairie, My friend in the crowded mart, As kind as the May Day sunshine, A man with a big warm heart; And Zoroaster and Calvin And "Peter the Hermit" be But blossoms bright and wondrous On Life's Eternal tree, Pocohantas — Hiawatha, And Minnehaha fair, And Techumseh and Achilles Have met as comrades there. Rare Evangeline, the beautiful and true. With her long lost lover, They both discover An Acadia endless, new. And she who the first message sent That thrilled the world across the wire, "What hath God Wrought," The continent. It crosses — that unseen flash of fire Charlemagne and Charles Martel Alfred the Great, and those Who as Crusaders sought the shrine Ot the iGreat Christ Divine, And we hear our parents' voices PYom the Immemorial Past As they speak of the Greek Immortals, And tlieir achievements vast. And the Brothers we see beside us Before that fireside fire, And we hear the songs of Hellas And the sounds of the flute and lyre, For Hellas hath a future And her Bards and Seers to be, Shall still augment her glory The Queen of the Inland Sea. And Columbus studied thy mystic lore Before lie came to Cuba's shore. And Irving on the Hudson And Scott of the wizard pen, Would have been comrades of Herodatus And Plutarch of wide ken. Bret Harte of California, And the Argonauts of that time, And lillian Whiting of Boston Ever the lover of Hellas Hark back to the age of Jason And that voyage so sublime; And our daring aviators Wlio flew above the clouds, I hear the praise of coming days As "Old Glory" their dust enshroudi. A.nd Mildred Rita come to bless- The genial ])ii titer's boine In the Days of Davitt- and Whittlesey Who in Paradise now roam. Father Conlin, Pastor of Huly Name And Father Kinnerty too They speak the speech of Hellas And well their work they do. And Arthur ot Arizona Will Baker ot the Y \nd Linda-Nurse ot Camp MacAtbnr Belong to the Tribe of Try. Mary who nursed in far off France The wounded Heroes Grand They loved to see her smiling face "The Rose of No Man's Land." And the Boys who crossed the water The Lads who manned the Ships Their glory glows on History's Page That no Future can eclipse. Such are Thy Philhellenes- O Greee« Of the Present and days of yore. O Lord- for all these Noble SouIb- We love Thee- and adore. "cAmerican Nights" "Philhellenes" "cTVlusic" .75 cents .25 cents .25 cents Mailed on receipt of price By the cAuthor Wm. K. Palmer Chicopee, Mass. U. S. A. m.