 | Jessamine Poems |  |
35
Immorality.
Immorality the terror of our homes,
With hoisted banners in procession comes,
And we sit here as stone
And watch him while he in his demon tread,
Raiseth the sword and strikes fair virtue dead,
And on o'er her form with victorious tread,
He mounts upon her throne.
With hoisted banners in procession comes,
And we sit here as stone
And watch him while he in his demon tread,
Raiseth the sword and strikes fair virtue dead,
And on o'er her form with victorious tread,
He mounts upon her throne.
In tyranny he rules while naught remains,
As o'er our young his fierce sway he gains
Wide spread in home and state,
But hang our heads in shameful regret
That we gave our girls to pay shame's great debt,
And now watch hope's luminaries set
And mourn fair virtue's fate.
As o'er our young his fierce sway he gains
Wide spread in home and state,
But hang our heads in shameful regret
That we gave our girls to pay shame's great debt,
And now watch hope's luminaries set
And mourn fair virtue's fate.
'Neath the tyrant's gaze society belle
Quailed and from her state of purity fell.
And some one came along
And a crape did he o'er her door way hang,
And wrote—“Modesty died of chronic slang,
The kneel of her funeral beer-bells rang
And gamblers sang the song.
Quailed and from her state of purity fell.
And some one came along
And a crape did he o'er her door way hang,
And wrote—“Modesty died of chronic slang,
The kneel of her funeral beer-bells rang
And gamblers sang the song.
For her soul to the sporting house went home
To forever with white-robed demons roam
E'en as her grave was dug;
And the preacher who spoke the sad farewell,
Had made that membership of demons swell;
And that no member in his church would tell,
Gave each a whiskey jug.
To forever with white-robed demons roam
E'en as her grave was dug;
And the preacher who spoke the sad farewell,
Had made that membership of demons swell;
And that no member in his church would tell,
Gave each a whiskey jug.
36
Now both hands in with the tyrant he stands
And force the people, by fierce commands
To recognize “that thing.”
Who owns the saloons and gambling dives
And betrays our homes, our daughters and wives,
And to which our girls with all of their lives,
On to his coat-tail cling.
And force the people, by fierce commands
To recognize “that thing.”
Who owns the saloons and gambling dives
And betrays our homes, our daughters and wives,
And to which our girls with all of their lives,
On to his coat-tail cling.
Oh heaven and God! can this be for long
That purity must be sold for a song
And we sit still and gaze
While our girls on the public thoroughfare
With the sport in his slang do gladly share,
And to chastise them we would not dare,
Oh God! our courage raise.
That purity must be sold for a song
And we sit still and gaze
While our girls on the public thoroughfare
With the sport in his slang do gladly share,
And to chastise them we would not dare,
Oh God! our courage raise.
Let every woman and man and boy,
With determined hearts that beat with joy,
Take up fair virtue's gun
And then onward to battle like a host,
Let not our wives and our daughters be lost
But slay tbe tyrant and count not the cost,
For this work must be done.
With determined hearts that beat with joy,
Take up fair virtue's gun
And then onward to battle like a host,
Let not our wives and our daughters be lost
But slay tbe tyrant and count not the cost,
For this work must be done.
| Jessamine Poems | |