IPS 3535 A97 R5 11920 Copy 1 mm-xess a lib Pass 1 . Book. ,M7 GopyiightN J copyright Dsposrn 1R b^mes anblR easons BY JACK RAYNER JOHN MURPHY COMPANY PRINTERS BALTIMORE, MARYLAND ."3 V COPYRIGHT 1920, BY JACK RAYNER JOHN MURPHY CO., PRINTERS. BALTIMORE, MD. MAY 13 ' ©CLA566958 p X IrbUatton TO MY MOTHER, I AFFECTIONATELY DEDICATE THIS FIRST BOOK OF MY POEMS. INTRODUCTION This volume of poems is presented with full consciousness that the verses which it contains speaks for themselves, but we feel that it is appropriate to mention the fact that they pro- ceed from a nineteen-year-old author and that many of them were written when Jack Rayner was much younger than he is today. This grandson of the late United States Senator Isidor Rayner appears to us to have inherited much of the brilliancy of mind and power of expression which marked the public career of his distinguished grandsire. He shows rare prom- ise as a poet and a craftsman, as will be granted by most of his readers who remember his imma- turity. CONTENTS PAGB VOICES FROM BEYOND 7 DEATH 8 REVENGE 10 SUCH IS FAME 12 SACRIFICE 14 A REPENTANT SINNER 15 A VOICE FROM THE TOMB 17 NATURE EXACTS ITS TOLL 19 THE RECKONING 21 CRIMINALS 23 LIFE'S QUESTION 26 SWEET SIXTEEN 27 THE DRUNKARD 30 BLIND 31 LAND OF THE FREE 33 THE PRICE 35 CHILDHOOD HOURS 37 MOLLIE'S CAPTAIN 38 OUR ANNIE 40 THE STRAIGHT OR BROAD 41 THE CONVICT 43 THE UNFORTUNATES 46 RECALLED 48 CONTENTS— Continued. PAGE THE MASTER CRIME 50 PAY WITH A SMILE 52 THE BUSY MAN 53 EGOTISTS 54 ALWAYS HOPE FOR THE BEST 55 THE FOLLY OF YOUTH 57 DUST TO DUST 59 A WARNING 61 HATE FOR THE WORLD 62 THE SUPPLIANT 63 INNOCENCE 64 THE MISANTHROPE 65 HUMANITY'S CURSE 67 THE UNTASTED CUP 69 CRY OF THE WILD 70 CREATION 75 LOVE'S DENIAL 78 THE BALLAD OF A STAINLESS SOUL 80 THE REVULSION OF LOVE 85 AT REST 87 Rhymes and Reasons. VOICES FROM BEYOND. I. Can spirits return from the world beyond To converse with their earthly friends, And warn them of dangers and horrors untold, Unknown to the minds of men? As yet no spirit from the great beyond Has revealed the mysteries of hell ; They always say to the medium I'm happy, contented and well. II. Why does a soul that is happy, Reveal all the joys above While a soul that is writhing in torture Cannot warn the ones that it loves? What a blessing to this universe, If a voice from the depths of Hell Could shout its pain in the ears of the world With its warning of horrors to tell. m Rhymes and Reasons. DEATH. Death, death, death, that grim black sister of night, It stretches forth its pitiless hands To crush out the breath of life. Its fingers are wet and clammy With the blood of a million souls, And sightless orbs that seem to say : 'Come, stranger unto my fold/ It fastens its claws on the baby That screams and crys for life, It wrenches the soul from the mother-to-be In her duties as a wife. It tortures the fear-crazed husband As his mate whom the good God gave, Is snatched from the hands of her lover And thrown in the big, black grave. [8] Rhymes and Reasons. Death often tarries at your door Waiting to enter the room, Laughing the while with fiendish glee As it knows its victim's doom. It raps at the door then lingers, Knowing only too well That the tortured body cannot escape The final ring of the bell. We all have to face this specter Whenever it bids us come, Whether it be in the darkness of night Or under the rays of the sun. It waits not for kings or princes Or lords of the mighty land, We're subject to its bidding, And the wave of its mighty hand. [9] Ehymes and Eeasons. REVENGE. Revenge for an act of cruelty, Not physical torturing pain But a willful stab to a bleeding heart As a twig that is snapped in twain. To shatter and break with a heartless laugh- Love that is born of God My hatred and curse will follow through life 'Til death puts me 'neath the sod. How sweet is the word revenge, With its weird and haunting dreams ; Love, how I hate that cursed word And all its alluring themes. Embittered against humanity You've made me, and you alone ; I'll pay in hell for my burning hate For my other sins I'll atone. [10] Rhymes and Reasons. I played you square and honest, My heart you crucified ; You betrayed my trust by deception, With cunning skill you lied. I yielded to all your wishes You've always had your way, I'll follow through life to revenge my hate And pray for the bitter day. [ii] Rhymes and Reasons. SUCH IS FAME. Great men have ruled this universe, As all historians tell; Some have been sent by the hand of God Others were sent from hell. We all admire the great in them Whether its good or bad ; In our minds we see ourselves In the places these men have had. Nero the pompous lunatic Played music while Rome did burn; I admire him for his nonchalance Though sense he would never learn. Pompey, the brave and glorious — Crassus, the billionaire; Caesar, the victor of many a war Was manly, just and fair. [12] Rhymes and Reasons. Alexander, Napoleon and Frederick the Great, Are men who will live in fame ; Powerful, strong and mighty — Forever endures their name. Bismarck, the man who was moulded in iron, His God was his mighty sword; This genius taught the Kaiser, The famous ex-war lord. William Hohenzollern was great like all the rest ; There's plenty of good in the worst of us. There's plenty of bad in the best. He was cruel, vindictive, unscrupulous, still I admire the man who hurled His power and proudly stood erect Alone to conquer the world. [13] Rhymes and Reasons. SACRIFICE. The word that we call sacrifice, Is obsolete as the dead ; It's used to cover a selfish act, By the ignorant and foolish is said. It's used by lying hypocrites And poor benighted fools ; Selfishness is the spice of life, And the world by its power it rules. Everything's done for a motive, The truth must be a fact; The thing that you call sacrifice, Merely covers some selfish act. By doing for others, you're pleasing yourself, Where is that self-less love ? It's not to be found in this big, wide world. It's only with God above. Rhymes and Reasons. A REPENTANT SINNER. Oh God ! have mercy on my soul Forgive me for my sins; I've led a dissipated life Now my atonement begins. I've played in the hands of the devil He's been my only pal, But I've severed the bond between us And bid him a glad farewell. Whiskey and women, dice and cards In return for a soul that's lost; Not that ! Oh God ! for we all are saved By Thy son who died on the cross. Truly, Oh Lord ! I'm sorry, Like a coward I crawl to Thee, When death is claiming its victim Dear God, have mercy on me. [15] Rhymes and Reasons. Oh merciful Heavenly Father, The friend of the homeless waif, In Thine arms, dear Jesus, Take me and keep me safe; Lead me away from temptation, Save me from sinning again, Show me the glories of Paradise, If it is thy will — amen. [16] Rhymes and Reasons. A VOICE FROM THE TOMB. There was silence in the court room As the jury took their seats. I listened for the words that spelt my fate. The judge looked grim and solemn and my law- yer's head was bent. I knew my doom was settled ; ah too late ! The judge said, "Stand upon your feet And listen to what I say ; You stabbed your wife, the one that you just wed, The penalty for this in a civilized age Is to hang by the neck until dead." I gazed about that big dark room, I saw my mother's face. There was horror in those patient eyes of gray. I saw her sway a second. Her face turned ghastly pale. "My God", she said, and fainted dead away. [17] Rhymes and Reasons. At last the dreaded day arrived. They took me from my cell. The guards marched on my right and left, The holy priest behind me With a bible in his hand Praying that my soul may be at rest. The gallows looked dark and gloomy As I mounted the creaky steps. They gently put the rope around my neck. I shivered slightly when I thought of What the judge had said. But my nerve it hadn't failed me even yet. Repent, repent, I beg of you, the holy man he plead. I raised my head to God and said a prayer, "Forgive me Lord, I'm sorry, and take my soul with Thee." And I left a world of misery and of care. [18] Rhymes and Reasons. NATURE EXACTS ITS TOLL. Love is the greatest thing in life That's blessed by the hand of God, A love that's pure and clean and straight Till death puts us 'neath the sod. Is the greatest gift of a merciful Lord To those who do His will, But the vagrants and the sinners With disease and destruction, He'll kill. Back in the years, long, long ago, There lived a woman named Nell, With all the beauty that nature could give But a heart that was black as Hell. She sold her body for money Her soul she flung in the dust, Till disease came rapping at her door "Pay me the toll for your lust." [19] Rhymes and Reasons. With horror she slammed the door in his face, Threw herself on the bed, Tore at the rope of pearls round her neck Till her skin was bruised and red ; Cursing the God that gave her life, Foaming and grovelling with fear, "The mills of the gods grind slowly," Yet they never shed a tear. [20] Rhymes and Reasons. THE RECKONING. There's many a man who's gone to Hell With a curse on his dying lips. There's many a soul that's tortured In that big, deep, dark abyss. There's many a mother waiting For a son who will ne'er return All for the sake of democracy, And a world to be born again. The sorrow that is the hardest to bear, Is to lose your precious sight, And blindly grope your way through life; With never the joy of light. With never the glorious sunshine; And the big, blue sky above, An existence void of happiness As hatred is void of love. [21] Rhymes and Reasons. Hell, awaits the ex-German Emperor, And his band of evil Huns Who ravished and raped poor Belgium For the sake of Kultur and fun. For the sake of their evil passions And their love of power and gain, They made the whole world suffer Then said, they weren't to blame. But there's a day of reckoning For all these frightful crimes, The Kaiser — General Hindenburg — And every German swine — The torture and the suffering They imposed on all mankind, Will return to them a thousand-fold At the bidding of Father Time. [22] Rhymes and Reasons. CRIMINALS. I. In the bitter cold of a winter night She was steadily tramping on, Wearily plodding the unkept streets 'Til night gives way to the dawn. Then like a hunted animal She sneaks to her hidden lair Flings herself on a filthy bed Such is a harlot's share. II. The thief yields to temptation; They're mostly a lazy lot — They aspire to riches through idleness, A bed instead of a cot. They want the good things life can give; All manual labor they shirk. So they rob and plunder as fate directs And run from the demon work. [23] Rhymes and Reasons. III. The murderer is a different type They're such that I can't analyze — Some make a business of this crime And their victim usually dies. There're others who kill through temper, Revenge or burning hate; Frequently murderers of this kind Repent when it is too late. IV. The drunkard is to be pitied, He's weak, not wilfully bad — He fails to see the right and wrong Especially when a lad. Influence and bad companions Wreck his morals and health, But in the end this weakling Is only hurting himself. [24] Rhymes and Reasons. V. The men who're depraved morally Are victims of circumstance, Most always from birth they'll bear this stain They've really not had their chance. The fault is their mothers and fathers, My reasons I won't explain ; Accept what I say or toss it aside, I tell you they're not to blame. VI. Life is what we make it, We all have our sorrow and care. The poor have their chance the same as the rich, The world all over is fair. God has endowed us with a brain, He gives us our chance with the rest Be honest, keep working and really try, And you'll soon take your place with the best. [25] Rhymes and Reasons. LIFE'S QUESTION. What is the use of living When sorrow's your only friend, What is the use of dying Oh God, if that were the end. But it isn't, the Hell you get here Is only a small per cent. You pay your debt in the great Beyond For a life that has been ill-spent. What do you get for a petty theft, A year or so in jail. Do you ever think of the price you'll pay When your soul is called from bail. Whiskey you've drunk, and pleasures you've had, But what is your reward, Your soul is damned with fire and thirst The vengeance of the Lord. [26] Rhymes and Reasons. SWEET SIXTEEN. I. A girl of sixteen, with the bloom of youth And the purity of a nun, Was broken in heart and spirit too By a rich man's only son. II. He opened her heart with flattery Deceit and a lying tongue, Showed her the glories of paradise By a love that was false and wrong. III. Youth answers the fire of love With body, mind and soul ; Giving all, asking nought Like a sheep that is lead from its fold. [27] Ehymes and Reasons. IV. Honor, purity, family and home Are memories of the past. When the god of love speaks, All must come, it respects neither color nor cast. V. The future is a distant blur, The past a gruesome thought ; The present is a blessing Which the hand of love has wrought. VI. How soon you are disillusioned With ideals shattered and wrecked ; As time the worker of wonders On its victims is ready to check. [28] Ehymes and Eeasons. VII. So this girl that gave all, with never a sigh Answering the call of love. With only a tender memory left By the mercy of God above. VIII. Does she say to herself while thinking Of the time that nature called : 'That it's better to have loved and lost Than ne'er to have loved at all/ [29] Rhymes and Reasons. THE DRUNKARD. Oh God ! for a drink of whiskey, A drop of alcohol ! My nerves are all aquiver And my body is wrecked and sore. I sold myself to the devil For wine, women and song ; A few short years of luxury, My, boy it wasn't for long. Don't listen to evil companions Who will laugh when you sink in the mire, Curse you when you are down and out And call you a drunken liar. I pray to the Lord to forgive me, My body is festering away. Dear God roll back the universe And give me yesterday. [30] Ehymes and Reasons. BLIND. Blind, blind, my eyes are gone. Oh God ! why not strike me dead ! What have I done for a curse like this The tears refuse to be shed. My brain's going to snap like the crack of a whip — I can't think, I'm mad, I'm mad. Give me my sight for a moment Oh ! for the sight I once had. Blindly groping my way through life With a weakened and faltering step ; The joys of life forever barred Chained to this horrible debt. Oh for the sunshine and laughter, The blessings of a merciful God ; But life will be black as the gates of hell 'Till I'm buried beneath the sod. [31] Rhymes and Reasons. I welcome the grave with open arms, And pray for the days to pass, When the blankness and the misery Have spent their force at last. When the rattle of this monster Is choking out my breath, HI shriek and cry, "Thank God ! Thank God ! At last I can welcome death." [33] Rhymes and Eeasons. LAND OF THE FREE. The senate and congress rule this land With mighty bands of steel, And Woodrow Wilson on his throne His power his subjects feel. We pay well for our privileges Our king receives his fee — Three cheers for our noble country ! God save our monarchy ! What right has a man to take a drink, What right has man to smoke; What right has a man to make love to a girl Or tell a riske joke. What right has a man to happiness, What right has a man to joy ; What right has a man to live at all, He's a puppet, the government's toy. [33] Rhymes and Reasons. We should trip along with a wrist watch on And chirp pretty lullabies ; And greet our fellow sisters With ever such wistful sighs. We should knit and sew and learn to cook — Play checkers and dominoes. And mercy me the treat of all, We'll be able to darn our hose. [34] Rhymes and Reasons. THE PRICE. Money, the root of all evil The price of a woman's soul Robbing her of her beauty and health Making her wretched and old. All for the sake of a trinket or two, A dress or a pretty hat So she says, "Money, Money, Money will get me all that." II. The common sport of the libertines The drunkards and the thieves; The property of the mistress For the eyes of men to see. Lower and still lower Like a craft on the stormy waves ; Weakly fighting a losing fight With nine toes in the grave. [35] Rhymes and Reasons. III. Wild nights of dissipation, Days of remorse and regret Follows the God of illicit love Making her pay her debt. If women could only understand That a soul without a stain Is respected by man and rewarded by God Then this poem is not in vain. [36] Ehymes and Reasons. CHILDHOOD HOURS. I often think of those good old days When I sat by my Mother's side, And she told me stories of fairies Of goblins and Indians wild. She stroked my head and kissed me And called me her "Angel Boy." Oh ! God, for those happy days again, And that pure, innocent joy. It's all a tender memory, A memory of the past. There's nothing in being sinful And leading a life that's fast. There's nothing in dissipation, It is the truth I say. Give me the love of a Mother, dear Lord And wash my sins away. [37] Rhymes and Reasons. MOLLIE'S CAPTAIN. Mollie is going to be married She's happy as can be, The Bridegroom was a Captain Who failed to cross the sea ; This soldier fought with pen and ink At the battle of 7th and B. The Hero of my -narrative A strong and robust lad, Ah, the fate of our brave soldiers. Alas, the truth is sad; I'm chucking my job as office boy To join the colors, Dad ! So he marched to his office every day A striking leader of men, Like a disciplined soldier of many a war; As he shouldered his mighty pen, Work at your desk, boys ! Work like Hell. The battle will soon begin. [38] Rhymes and Reasons. The heroes of most novels, Are paid with blushing brides So the hero of my story Will tote one by his side. The unlucky part this soldier plays As he takes off his Khaki and bars, He won't be able to show his bride, The glories of war — a scar. [39] Rhymes and Reasons. OUR ANNIE. Annie's very worried, Her boy's across the sea, Her eyes get red and fill with tears As she sips at her cup of tea. She locks things up just as before And mislays all her keys, But her heart is full of sorrow As she sips that cup of tea. Now what would Annie do And what would Annie say, If she didn't have that cup of tea To sip the livelong day ? [40] Rhymes and Reasons. THE STRAIGHT OR BROAD. There're things that strike terror to my soul The horrors, that they convey Crush back the man that's in me And the coward is king of the day. I tremble and shake as a man with the ague And my heart like a lump of lead Weighs down my body and crushes my soul 'Til I take my place with the dead. Oh grave with thy silent blackness Thy wonderful soothing touch, A Mecca for all life's sorrows A friend of the downcast and such — Some curse you and run with deadly fear You who mean all, no harm As a father welcomes his prodigal son You welcome with open arms. [41] Rhymes and Seasons. When a baby first peeps on the light of day With its innocent playful eyes, Ignorant of life's vicissitudes, Deceptions, its sins and lies. Quickly time makes its changes It's merely a toss of the dice A life of religion and sacrifice Or indulgence in crime and vice. God creates, the devil destroys; Which will you take for your friend? Remember the path of pleasure Its price and its fatal end. Remember that all who yield to sin Their soul through folly they sell Simply for frivolous, bloodless joy Its price is destruction and hell. Oh ye who enter the door of vice Look once, see the devil grin; Another weakling gone astray Another victim of sin. But ye on the straight and narrow, Great will be your reward For wordly pleasures can't compare To the happiness given by God. [42] Rhymes and Reasons. THE CONVICT Behind the bars for a lifetime. A convict for life I say; Bars and stripes, stripes and bars, For many a dreary day. Shut off from everything decent, Comrades, cut-throats and thieves, I'm innocent as a new born babe, But guilty, the world believes. How slow the minute passes, The hours seem like years ; Fate mocks me on every side, Laughing at my tears. I'm afraid of the world, I'm afraid of myself, I'm afraid of the great beyond ; I'm cursed and shunned liker a leper, As the days roll wearily on. [43] Rhymes and Reasons. What is life but a make-believe, Why, death is its greatest friend; I'm bitter, I tell you, against the world, Bars and stripes 'til the end. What is there left in life for me, I'm only a child of God ; Death ! why, death is easy ; Living's the thing that's hard. A miserable cot and a crust of bread, Is all that there is left ; Sorrow, remorse, and blank despair, All joys of life I'm bereft. All I can do is count the days, The weeks, the months that pass; Living, barely living, Till life welcomes death at last. Memory, I can't remember, For whiskey had muddled my brain, God ! how I hate the cur, More than Abel was hated by Cain. [44] Rhymes and Reasons. He stole my wife by trickery, The coward, to her he lied; Then laughed in my face, and cursed me, In a flash my memory died. They said he died by a bullet, From a calibre thirty-eight; I didn't kill him, I swear it, I was made the pawn of fate; I lied to save a woman, Whom I'll love till my bones do rot. She told me all, she did it ; She fired that fatal shot. [45] Rhymes and Reasons. THE UNFORTUNATES. Help them, pity them every one Humanity's lowest scum, Worse than the murderer and the thief And the drunken derelict bum. A crime against civilization Yet all of their rotten kind, Forever these moral lepers Will float on the sands of time. Degeneracy born in them Or a wilful perverted act — It's weakness, passion, abnormal mind It's manhood the leper lacks. Thank God I'm no judge to judge them Through life with this cancerous sore They're morally rotten, rotten as hell, Decayed clean through to the core. [46] Ehymes and Reasons. Life has its human wrecks, Drunkards, thieves, and dopes — The wilful, vicious murderers, Who await the hangman's rope. Let me die on the gallows Or die in a drunkard's grave But pervertion and moral degeneracy Spare me dear God and save. [4?] Rhymes and Reasons. RECALLED. To you who have saved me by your love, And the spell of your radiant bloom ; Lighting my darkest hours With sunshine instead of gloom. Bringing me peace and happiness, The emblem of the dove; By your purity, innocence, faith in all, And your wonderful matchless love. To you I give all that's in me, My God I've no good to give ; Only the shell that was once a man, Because of the life that I've lived. Because of indulgence and weakness, Like a poisonous weed I grew; My associates, drunkards and libertines, But now, thank God, I am through. [48] Rhymes and Reasons. I can look the world in the face once more, As I did in the years gone by ; Not crawl away like a sickly dog, That's waiting its chance to die. I'll shout my joy — from the housetops, Crying, I'm through, I'm through ; Sweetheart, I've youth, and life, and love, But the greatest of all, I've you. [49] Rhymes and Reasons. THE MASTER CRIME. I. Don't try to defy the laws of God And the workings of Nature's hand, By taking the life of an unborn babe Then stilling a conscience that's waned. Whether it conies to the girlish wife Or the hardened prostitute, The sin is the same in the eyes of God You're robbing a tree of its fruit. II. Whether it's passion or money, Illicit or licensed love It's murder in the first degree By the laws of the God above. You're taking a life that is human Like a murderer who skulks in the dark, And stabs a defenseless victim Leaving only his fatal mark. [50] Rhymes and Reasons. III. The innocent unborn baby That's nursed in its Mother's womb Waiting to peep at the light of day Unheeding its terrible doom; Its life is crushed in the making, A defenseless pitiful soul Robbed of its place in the big wide world By a deed that is cruel and foul. IV. The wife, the maiden, the prostitute, The sin is just the same. Social duties, figure and health Or to save a blackened name. You ate the fruit that's forbidden Through passion, money or love So pay your debt with a willing heart A law of the God above. [51] Rhymes and Reasons. PAY WITH A SMILE. Life is what you make it, Joy is craved by all; The fool yields to temptation And is bruised by the fatal fall. Happiness comes through goodness, Beware of the evil way Ye fools with your senseless ravings In time you will have to pay. Pay with a smile, laugh at your fears Like a coward, don't whimper and cry. Think of Christ nailed to the cross For the sins of us mortals did die. A hero, love and respect him Worship his stainless name ; You cowards, you worthless weaklings Smile as you pay for your game. [52] Rhymes and Reasons. THE BUSY MAN. Her daddy's got the S. 0. S., He shoots from morn 'til night ; He's full of empty promises That fade with the morning light. Today he'll get an aeroplane, The next day its a Ford, But he ends up at a movie show And says he's terribly bored. He buys a suit for fifty bucks A coat for thirty-two, He motors in his auto With a chauffeur dressed in blue. He smokes a thirty cent cigar Tells Lola to beware, Have bath room clean and cellar straight Exit — the millionaire. [53] Rhymes and Reasons. EGOTISTS. Life is full of egotists You and I and He, He is wrong — I am right — So let the argument be. You spell I with a capital As many of us can see — But take out your I — Put in a You — And forget the pronoun Me. [54] Rhymes and Reasons. ALWAYS HOPE FOR THE BEST. I. You may howl, you may cry You may scream with regret You may pray for the yesterday, But the old, old story repeats itself You have sinned, now's your time to pay. Hearts that are broken by remorse May bleed till the crack of doom But fate in time exacts its price, Whether it's late or soon. II. The old cry of yesterday With its useless and foolish tears Are signs of weakness and cowardice. Don't give way to your terror and fears But straighten your shoulders and swallow The pill, that's bitter as gall to taste Don't let the weakness master the man And throw your whole life to waste. [55] Rhymes and Reasons. III. There's always a land of beginning again With its sunshine and joys untold Far from the misery and mental despair With its terrible strange-hold. When life looks the blackest And hope is gone Then is the time to rejoice For the darkest cloud will soon pass away And the white flag of peace it will hoist. [56] Rhymes and Reasons. THE FOLLY OF YOUTH. Think of the mother, who weeps for her son The babe she nursed at her breast — The babe, who grew into boyhood With many a sweet caress; The boy with his childish playthings And his sturdy manly ways Soon a man as the years slip by To the mother a few short days. First a pack of cigarettes Next a deck of cards Satan is planting his deadly seed; Often the road is hard. Come on fellows, let's get some girls And a luscious bottle of booze; There're only two roads open ; Which one will you choose' [57] Rhymes and Reasons. It's all very well for a year or so Everything turns out right A headache in the morning Women and whiskey at night; Beautiful sensual women Who'll yield to every desire, Liquor, plenty of maddening joy Beware, you who play with fire ! Women are quickly forgotten Gambling soon passes away Those who taste of the wine of life Ninety per cent, will pay. Think I'm a fool, well stick it out — May God rest your weary soul When you scream your regret in the jaws of death Whiskey exacts its toll. You'll probably die in a drunkard's grave Cursed by your family and friends; Again you might swing at the end of a rope My God what a horrible end ! You might be mangled or crushed to death You might be stabbed or shot ; Fill your belly with whiskey But remember that hell is hot. [58] Rhymes and Reasons. DUST TO DUST. In this big world of selfishness Where every man's for himself From the lowly negro that sweeps the streets To the monarch of riches and wealth ; The uppermost thought in the minds of all ; The key to ambition's door Is the word that's broken or made a man The one little word called more. The wrecker of homes and families By the strength of its mighty hand Men are slaves to its bidding 'Tis the power that rules the land. 'Tis the power that makes or crushes It's a friend or a bitter foe Since Adam and Eve 'til the end of time This story 'twill ever be so. [59] Rhymes and Reasons. Men have sacrificed life and love For money power and gain Plunging madly, staking all For that shower of golden rain. What does it all amount too If people would only learn That the rich and the poor man rot alike- To dust ye shall return. [60] Rhymes and Reasons. A WARNING. Take a tip from me, youngster And listen to what I say; Beware of an evil woman She'll always lead you astray. Don't fall for a pretty countenance, With eyes that are soft and bright A face that's camouflaged with rouge And a body that's soft and white. Don't let your passions blind you If you do, you'll have much to regret. For hidden dangers menace you Dangers you've never met. So beware of a pretty female If you don't, you'll have years to atone, I beg you, take a fool's advise ; And leave the women alone. [61] Ehym.es and Reasons. HATE FOR THE WORLD. You the inspiration of my life The healing hand that soothes all sorrow's wounds ; That crushes back the hate, revenge and spite I've held for all since 'parture from my mother's womb. While as a babe I'd frown and cry and scream And hate the one who loved me tenderly Whilst as a boy my brain would form some plan To cruelly hurt my friends revengefully. Who are you to change my views on life? Creation, nature everything I hate. Curse you with your pious tender love — Leave me to myself, my God, and fate. You have inspired me to do things good I don't want good, I chase it from my brain ; Leave me, before I strike you dead, Let hate, revenge and spite forever reign. [62] Rhymes and Reasons. THE SUPPLIANT. Darling, won't you forgive me? Let's start all over again ; Forget our foolish quarreling, And live like women and men. Forget our petty differences, Our silly and useless fights; Life, and love and happiness, Are every mortal's rights. You've hurt me more than words can tell, I'm willing to forget ; I'd die before I'd lose you, 'Cause I've loved you since we met. I'm happy when I'm with you Let's be like we were before; Come, sweetheart, smile and kiss me, And the world is mine, once more. [63] Rhymes and Reasons. INNOCENCE. God bless you my pretty darling And keep you pure and straight Away from life's temptations It's vices forever hate. Let your soul bear not a stain That's polluted by passions sway. Remember remorse is worse than hell And there's always another day. When a man seeks a wife what does he want Not one that is second hand The girl of his choice must truthfully say My body's been no man's land. A man can sink to the depths of hell And rise from the filth and mire If a woman yields to passion's call She'll forever be scarred by the fire. [64] Rhymes and Reasons. THE MISANTHROPE. Curse this damned existence, In every hellish form And all its petty vanities, Its sorrows, its sins and wrongs; If I could put on paper Every wretched, cursed thought, I'd foam like a dog with the rabies At the anger and hate they've wrought. Hate is the only joy in life, Love and respect I despise I gloat on others sorrows, And damn my soul with lies. I curse the pretty sunlight, Flowers and nature's own Can such a moral, degenerate wreck, Ever expect to atone ? [65] Rhymes and Reasons. No ! And what's more I'm not going to, I'll die like I've played the game. I'm only one of a crooked lot Whom the hand of fate has named. I'll croak like a million others While no one will shed a tear, Make way for another victim, A victim of Satan is near. [66] Rhymes and Eeasons. HUMANITY'S CURSE. I. Whiskey, the downfall of Kingdoms, The curse of the human race ; The parent of most every sin and crime And things that are low and base. Robbing young men of their manhood Flinging them into the street Robbing the maiden of purity Morals and everything sweet. II. The enemy of the righteous, The friend of the thief and bum Give way to the Kaiser Alcohol Give way to the demon Rum. Give way to this pitiless savage, Who respects neither God nor Man, But crushes its friends and crushes its foes With a cruel and relentless hand. [67] Rhymes and Reasons. III. Its picture is bright and cheery To the weakling and the fool, It beckons the youth and maiden To join the sinful school. Once the class is started After the ring of the bell The pupils receive their instructions And a one-way ticket to Hell. IV. There's many a one who enters There're few that e'er return Those who come back have paid the price By the scar of its fatal burn. They'll reap the harvest of folly With a blasted and ruined life Such are the victims of whiskey Such is its terrible price. [68] Rhymes and Reasons. THE UNTASTED CUP. My life is an open chapter, Without a single flaw; I've lived like a saint of the olden day For threescore years or more. But give me back my youth again, If only for a day And I'll have a taste of the primrose path And the pleasures I've thrown away. [69] Ehymes and Reasons. CRY OF THE WILD. I. To roam in the wilds of the forest To drink from the bubbling brooks To see the deer and the antelope And gaze on their frightened looks. Free once more and savage, Wild as the wildest deer Knowing nothing caring naught Devoid of terror and fear. II. A child of nature who's carefree Under the gorgeous sun The ground your bed, the sky your roof The world no work, just fun. Civilization a haunting dream Power, money and gain Forgotten we live on another earth The strongest and fittest will reign. [70] Rhymes and Reasons. III. An animal free to stalk in the wilds And sleep in the caves at night Self preservation the only law; Right, what you think is right. For every morsel and scrap of food, Fight like a maddened beast; Crawl away to your hidden lair And enjoy your well earned feast. IV. Grab your mate as the cave man did Thousands of years gone by, Let not your heart with sorrow melt When you hear her pitiful cry. Cruelly hit her when angry Love her at passion's call There's not a woman on God's green earth Who'll resist; they are bound to fall. [71] Rhymes and Reasons. V. First crush her pride, stamp it out Like a poisonous hissing snake. Man is the ruling mortal, Let women tread in his wake. Next make her obey your every wish ; Women are feeble and weak, They'll love your strength and worship your might A companion is all they seek. VI. Love with a woman consists of these — Brutality, passion and hate To hold a female by tenderness Is directly insulting fate. One can't hate what one has loved : It's a spark that never dies. It shows that love is stronger than hate Whoever says otherwise lies. [72] Rhymes and Reasons. VII. Brutality towards a woman shows That love is very strong A man will hurt the one he craves But his temper won't last for long. Deep feeling will cause his every blow Passion directs his aim But love will master everything, All other emotions are tame. VIII. Women are creatures of passion In all its varying forms Brutality, love, revenge and hate The four that are very strong Love the mightiest of them all — A torturing, maddening desire. Her body and soul to the man she lovea Like oil to a raging fire. [73] Rhymes and Eeasons. IX. Oh God who rules this universe With a powerful, mighty hand, Give me the freedom of nature Free from tyrannical bands. Crush all civilization Stamp out envy and greed In the path of the savage we'll follow Caring naught where the path will lead. [74] Rhymes and Reasons. CREATION. Man is a term used to designate The male of the human race, Representing a special family Of the Genus Homo is the case. T'was recorded that man was created, In the Scriptures, by God's own hand. On creation's sixth day a woman and man In God's image were made on this land. The time or duration of human life, After leaving the garden of tears, 'Til the sins of the world were multiplied, Was nearly a thousand years. Then God, m his wrath and anger, Decreed to these wicked swine That the length of their lives should be short- ened To the status of present times. [75] Rhymes and Eeasons. By a process of evolution Is Darwin's creation of man; First from a species of mollusks, Reptiles and birds of the land; Thence to the lowest mammals, In every conceivable shape, 'Til, at last, we come where the roads divide To our ancestors' anthropoid apes. Mankind was divided by Blumcnbach Into races five, so they say — Ethiopian, Caucasian, American, Mongolian and also Malay. Humanity's represented, In all of its wrong and worth, By these races of different origin That inhabit the face of the earth. Man's likeness to other animal forms, I'll only mention a few ; There're appetites, sensuous emotions, And dim sense — perceptions too ; Reproductions in imagination, Though the power behind it is faint — It's humorous to notice these civilized times That we still show some animal taint. [76] Rhymes and Reasons. The points of difference distinguishing Man from mere animal life — Intellect, perception and memory, Reflection and sacrifice, Intellectual synthesis and sentiments, Emotions and power of will. For thousands of years man's existed, We know by the tools we find still. A great many primitive tools of man Have been found, buried deep in caves ; Geologists say that for thousands of years These tools were preserved and saved. We know that for fifty thousand years, The scientists tell us so, That man has existed; through implements found That he used, is a proof that will show. [77] Ehymes and Reasons. LOVE'S DENIAL. There're hundreds of miles between us, There're months of anguish and pain; I want you ; 1 need you always, As a dying flower needs rain. 1 love to be near you ; I love to hear Each word from those precious lips; Each smile that flitters across your face Is wine to my feverish lips. Why, in life, are the things one craves Snatched with spite from our clasp, While things we abhor and the ones we detest Are forced in our unwilling grasp ? You're the only thing that I want in jife, But it's madness for me to love; To have you I've hoped and prayed in vain To an Almighty God above. [78] Rhymes and Reasons. Just for a kiss from those ruby lips, For a press from your pearl-white hand; For a smile or a word, any token of love, I'd go to the ends of the land. Believe the truth when I say to you That, after my God, you're first ; I love you more than life itself, Though my love is a bitter curse. Why can't I have you always, To bask in your sunlit smile ; It radiates beams of happiness And blissful joy all the while. It crushes back every sorrow, And yields to me peace untold, As the Angels of God coming down to earth To gather me unto their fold. [79] Rhymes and Reasons. THE BALLAD OF A STAINLESS SOUL. 'Twas tomorrow the orange blossoms Would sing with the joy of spring ; And lilies, the emblem of purity, On the frail little bride would cling. Everything sweet and innocent, That virginity emulates, Would whisper love on the morrow, When this child of God would mate. They were happy, so very happy, When they parted that April night ; Only a few more hours, dear, Twixt now and the morning light. Only a few short hours, dear, And you'll be my pretty bride ; We'll go through life on wings of love, My angel by my side. [80] Rhymes and Reasons. So they parted that night with happiness And the song of love in their hearts ; Tomorrow, that blessed tomorrow. With its essence of joy to impart. So gently he drew her to his breast, Her warm lips received his kiss — Their souls for a second in paradise, Yielding to untold bliss. After her lover had left her, Alone she strolled down the lane ; Love is more wonderful to the maid Whose soul bears not a stain. This girl, with the bloom of youth on her cheeks, Clean as the driven snow, The greatest asset of womanhood Is purity, all of us know. She'd just reached a turn in the forest, When a negro jumped in her path. "Where are you going, my sweetie ?" He said, with a coarse, brutal laugh. His eyes were flaming with passion, His lips were sensual and cruel ; "Come to my arms, you pretty miss, I'm black, but I'm nobody's fool." [81] ' Rhymes and Reasons. ]n a short while the crime was over, Weakly she struggled home ; Bruised and battered and bleeding — An outcast, alone, alone ! My sweetheart, I'll have to tell him; What care I if the world has seen ; Happiness, love forever are lost, Unclean, my God, I'm unclean. Quickly the hours of night slipped by, Then twilight creepingly came: Madly she prayed for darkness, The blackness to hide her shame. What was there left in life for her, Unclean, to grovel in mud, Cursed by man, pitied by God, Polluted by negro blood. She told him all at their meeting, Horror was stamped in his eyes ; Your soul is as white as the robes of God- The soul is what never dies. I love you, I swear I love you ! For yourself and yourself alone; Not for the sins of a devil from hell Would I have my angel atone. [82] Rhymes and Reasons. 80 they married as fate directed, Though nature refused to sing ; And the lilies that clung to the frail little bride Seemed to feel like a burning fating--- Seemed to blush, but hide their blushes By drooping their pearly heads. Flowers can't cry ; if only they could, What tears of grief they'd have shed. Months later, in a distant town, A baby was to be born; There was love in the eyes of the mother-to-be, Though her body was racked and torn. At last, the little stranger arrived, With joy her husband smiled; He pulled back the covers to kiss his wife And gazed on a negro child. Horrors ! the crowning of horrors ! Madly he left the room; Blood obscured his vision — Death, that grim spectre, loomed. A shot, the crack of a pistol, Blindly he ran to her bed ; The baby screamed for its mother; On the floor lay his angel — dead. [83] / Ehymes and Reasons. Years later in a madhouse, Alone in a dingy cell, A maniac raved from morn till night, Like a soul that is tortured in hell. Screaming with heart-torn anguish, Praying with tear-stained eyes, There's written in blood on one of the walls- The soul is what never dies. [84] Rhymes and Reasons. THE REVULSION OF LOVE. I put my heart in your keeping, My body I flung at your feet ; I worshiped the ground that you walked on ; It's useless these words to repeat. Now that your love has lessened, God knows through no fault of mine, You fling me aside with a brutal laugh And your eyes with hatred do shine Curse the day that I met you, With your passionate, sensual love ! May the curses of hell rest on you, In the presence of God above. May all the sorrow and suffering to me, With hatred and malice you gave, Return to you from the depths of hell To follow you to your grave. [85] Ehymes and Eeasons. May every second of happiness Be embittered by days of regret, 'Til the hate and revenge I hold for you Has been paid its terrible debt ; Til every blow and insult Has been paid its just reward. This curse of hate will follow you, I swear in the name of God- [86] Ehymes and Reasons. AT REST. Like a flower that pleads for water, Like a child craves its mother's breast; Oh God ! for the end of everything And the blessed eternal rest. Give me the grave that beckons And waits for its children to come — Sleep everlasting, peaceful sleep. All dangers we're guarded from. [87] Rhymes and Reasons. PRAYER OF A CHILD. Mother, what voice is that calling ? Why is the room so cold, Why is daddy pacing the floor — He's looking so sick and old. Is it the same old story The story of bills unpaid? Or is it a graver danger That's worrying him so today ? Wrap the comfort around me, Heap more coal on the fire I'm cold mother, I'm awfully cold Let the blaze mount higher. And mother, another favor, Won't you murmur a prayer Say God have mercy on my boy I'm leaving him in your care. [88] Rhymes and Reasons. Mother, your eyes are full of tears And daddy's crying too; Here dry them on my handkerchief They make me unhappy and blue. Why I'll be up in a day or two, In a week I'll be back at school. Mother why do I feel so warm Then all of a sudden feel cool ? Mother, I know that I'm dying Angels of God, I see Dear Lord bless mother and father And take my soul to Thee. God seemed to hear his childish prayer On that bitter December day. I'm leaving you mother darling But heaven's not far away. [89]