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THE GENTLE MUSE OF TO-DAY.

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Read at a Reception at the South Chicago Study Club, at Mrs Edward Roby's, May 10, 1893.

The Muses, in the olden days,—
They numbered barely nine,—
'T was theirs to wake the sweetest lays,
To charm and to refine;
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To teach the bliss of life and love,
To make the whole world bright,
Ten thousand rills of joy to start,
To shine, as shines the light.
But we, in later times, have found
A hundred Muses more;
And on each gentle Muse we meet,
Our love and praise we pour;
Each makes earth happier, life more blest,
Brings to our homes a heaven,—
Dear charmers of our secret hearts,
The best gift God has given!
Ardent, they study to expand
The fields already won;
And in their noble deeds surpass
All that the past has done;
By pinnacles of honor gained,
By summits grandly trod,
They prove what woman can attain,
Inspired and helped of God.
We honor all whose hearts are true,
And gladly, proudly, raise
The noblest trophy art can bring
Their glorious course to praise;
A thousand blessings on them rest,—
Blessings from heart and hand,—
The Muses we delight to own,
They are this fairy band.
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