Beautiful the children's faces! Spite of all that mars and sears: To my inmost heart appealing; Calling forth love's tenderest feeling; Steeping all my soul with tears. Eloquent the children's faces -- Poverty's lean look, which saith, Save us! save us! woe surrounds us; Little knowledge sore confounds us: Life is but a lingering death! Give us light amid our darkness; Let us know the good from ill; Hate us not for all our blindness; Love us, lead us, show us kindness -- You can make us what you will. We are willing; we are ready; We would learn, if you would teach; We have hearts that yearn towards duty; We have minds alive to beauty; Souls that any heights can reach! Raise us by your Christian knowledge: Consecrate to man our powers; Let us take our proper station; We, the rising generation, Let us stamp the age as ours! We shall be what you will make us: -- Make us wise, and make us good! Make us strong for time of trial; Teach us temperance, self-denial, Patience, kindness, fortitude! Look into our childish faces; See ye not our willing hearts? Only love us, only lead us; Only let us know you need us, And we all will do our parts. We are thousands, many thousands! Every day our ranks increase; Let us march beneath your banner, We, the legion of true honour, Combating for love and peace! Train us! try us! days slide onward, They can ne'er be ours again: Save us, save! from our undoing! Save from ignorance and ruin; Make us worthy to be MEN! Send us to our weeping mothers, Angel-stamped in heart and brow! We may be our father's teachers: We may be the mightiest preachers, In the day that dawneth now! Such the children's mute appealing, All my inmost soul was stirred; And my heart was bowed with sadness, When a cry, like summer's gladness, Said, "The children's prayer is heard!" | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...THE LILY IN CRYSTAL by ROBERT HERRICK A BATTLE BALLAD TO GENERAL J.E. JOHNSTON by FRANCIS ORRERY TICKNOR THE VACANT CAGE (1) by CHARLES TENNYSON TURNER KENTUCKY BELLE by CONSTANCE FENIMORE WOOLSON THE WATER WHEEL by ABU ABD ALLAH |