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LIBRARY OF CONGRESS. 
 
 Chap. v^O? Copyridit No. 
 
 
 UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. 
 
Library of ConpreH>? 
 
 Iwo Copies: p? 
 JAN 15 1901 
 
 I SECOND COPY 
 
 L_ 
 
 Copyright, 1901. ''X 
 ALICE May VorSE. 
 
 The John M. Rogers Press. 
 wilmington, del. 
 
THE 
 
 POWER OF PRAYER 
 
 A MUSICAL POEM, NARRATING A TRUE INCIDENT 
 OF THE CIVIL WAR. 
 
 COMPOSED AND ILLUSTRATED 
 BY 
 
 ALK K MAV yOTJSK 
 
 Pi'c'sic/i't/l SI.Ki/lc'sbiiri' College of Fxpri'ssioii. B,.i/hinori 
 
 " Not erijoyrqeqt arjd qot sorrow 
 Is our destiqed eqd or way ; 
 
 But 10 act ttiat eacl| to-iqorrow 
 Fiqd us farttier ttiar) to-day. ' 
 
 1901. 
 
DEDICATION. 
 
 Hail Columbia, happy land, 
 A proud and prosperous nation, 
 
 North and South, East and West, 
 The Union Forever! 
 1901. 
 At the dawn of a new century. 
 
 Greeting: 
 From the soulhern-northern, 
 northern-southern city, 
 Baltimore. 
 
GREETING ! 
 
 fp}^^ ^\A)entietl7(;9ntary (/9oman. 
 
 HAIL her, heir of all the ages in the fore- 
 most files of time, daring, independent, 
 free, the triumph of the march of pro- 
 "- gress. 
 "To her mothers and grandmothers be all 
 honor; gentle, tender, loving, modest, sweet and 
 true; while in her their grace and virtue mellow 
 to a rich, ripe fullness of vigor unknown before. 
 "Man may be somewhat afraid of her, and 
 eye askant the yet vague glimpse of the new 
 order of things she heralds — a readjustment, as 
 it were, of rights both his and hers. But one 
 square view of her face to face, fullTledged, and 
 beyond transitional throes, and he will exclaim, 
 as he ever has done, ' Behold ! it is very good.' 
 
 "Yes, she brings a change; she has a mis- 
 sion ; she dares to be aggressive. With resolu- 
 tion, energy, directness, she advances toward 
 
the mark of her high calling, not matrimony, 
 once the sole aim of a woman's ambition, always 
 a high and holy calling, to which her heart will 
 ever give ready response, now lifted by the very 
 freedom of latter-day choice and selection to a 
 level undreamed of before, when lovely woman, 
 no longer a toy, shall respond, in hours of relax- 
 ation and leisure, with understanding and sym- 
 pathy come of sharing the burden and heat of 
 the day, shoulder to shoulder, tall as her mate. 
 
 "God bless her, defend her, exalt her. 
 Temptations beset her unknown to the sweet 
 little woman of old, under shelter of home and 
 fireside ; but stalwart and rugged of moral fibre, 
 master of self and of circumstance, onward 
 she moves to the march of the centuries. 
 'Time's noblest off-spring is the last,' and so we 
 crown her queen." Alice May Youse. 
 
 ( T<in>it at Sc 
 Son. I.;, imi}.) 
 
THE • • • 
 
 POVER^ 
 
 op . , . . 
 
 PRAYER 
 
"Jesus, lover of my soul, 
 Let me to Thy bosom fly ; 
 
 While the nearer waters roll. 
 While the tempest still is high. 
 
desus, lover of rqy soul, 
 Let rqe to Ttiy bosorq fly. 
 
It was on an ocean steamer, 
 And one voice above the rest, 
 
 Beautiful, pure, rich and mellow. 
 All the air with music blest: 
 
Till tt\e storrq of life is past. 
 
"Hide me, my Saviour, hide. 
 Till the storm of life is past. 
 
 Safe into that haven guide, 
 receive my soul at last." 
 
receive rqy soul at lasi, 
 
 T3 
 
Something more, a faint remembrance 
 Broke upon the listener's ear — 
 
 Yes, he thought, 'tis not the first time 
 That sweet voice is mine to hear. 
 
 14 
 
Yes, he tliougt\t, 'tis r|ot t^e first tirqe 
 That sweet voice is rqirie to Inear, 
 
 15 
 
"Other refuge have I none, 
 
 Hangs my helpless soul on Thee, 
 Leave, ah! leave me not alone, 
 
 Still support and comfort me." 
 
 i6 
 
Ottier refuge l^ave I noqe. 
 17 
 
Silence followed. Then the stranger 
 Stept up to the singer rare, 
 
 "Were you in the Civil War, sir?" 
 "A Confederate, I was there." 
 
R Confederate, I v^as itiere. 
 "9 
 
Then a time, a place, were mentioned — 
 " Were you ?" " Yes, and strange to say 
 
 This same hymn was then my comfort 
 That you hear us sing to-day. 
 
Still support aryd corrifort n\e. 
 
Dark the night, so cold and dreary, 
 That my boyish heart felt low, 
 
DarK t^^e riigt\t, so cold arid dreary. 
 
 23 
 
Pacing there on sentry duty, 
 Dangerously near tt^e foe. 
 
 24 
 
Daqgerously riear' tl\e foe. 
 25 
 
Midnight came, the darkness deepened, 
 
 26 
 
Midnigtlt carqe, tl-|e darKness deepened. 
 27 
 
Thoughts of home forebodings brought, 
 So, for comfort, prayer and singing. 
 Dissipated gloomy thought. 
 
 28 
 
Ttiougtus of l:|on|e forebodirigs brouglrtt, 
 
 29 
 
'All my trust on Thee is stayed, 
 All my hope from Thee 1 bring, 
 
 30 
 
Kll rqy trust on Tliee is stayed. 
 
 3C 
 
Cover my defenseless head, 
 With the shadow of Thy Wing.' 
 
Witti tt)e slriadov of Tl:\y wir\g. 
 
 33 
 
 LofC. 
 
Then a strange peace came upon me, 
 No more fear and gloom that night, 
 Dawn came, heralding the morrow, 
 Ere the first faint streak of light." 
 
 34 
 
Tl:|ei] a straqcje peace caiTie upon me. 
 35 
 
Then the other told his story: 
 
 " I, a Union soldier, true, 
 In those woods that very evening. 
 
 With my scouts was passing through 
 
 36 
 
I, a UiYiOn soldier true. 
 
You were standing, and our rifles 
 Covered you. We heard you sinj 
 
 'Cover my defenseless head 
 With the shadow of Thy Wing.' 
 
 3S 
 
You were siar\dir\g, aqd our rifles covered you, 
 
 •39 
 
'T was enough. 'Boys' I said, 'come 
 Lower rifles; we'll go home.' " 
 
 40- 
 
Lower rifles, we'll go lr|OiT|e. 
 
 41 
 
Ja-.- 
 
 23 1901 
 
JAN 15 1901 
 
LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 
 
 lll1iril1:||flll1l'llf!!||L 
 
 015 988 971 3 •