Life should be a ship in motion,
Truth its compass in calm and gale;
Duty its pilot o'er the ocean;
Time the sea, and hope the sail;
Thoughts should be the crew to man it;
Reason, the captain in command;
Society, the gale to fan it;
It's destiny, the Happy Land! Life should be a fruitful garden,
Fair in blossom, and rich in seed;
Conscience, the sharp and faithful warden,
Watchful against the frost and weed.
Study should its labyrinths trace
Where wisdom's pleasant waters flow;
And industry the garden grace
With plants that choicest gifts bestow. Life should be a golden tissue,
Virtue its sterling weight and worth;
Light should from its lustre issue,
And its price above all on earth!
Not a stain or spot should dim it,
Nor moth nor mildew cause it rust;
Love should be the fringe to trim it,
And its wardrobe should be trust! Life should be a noble river,
Whither soe'er its course may go;
Pure its waters--stagnant never,
Or in its ebb, or in its flow.
If mid desert, rock, and mountain,
Chafed, its troubled current roll,
It should be of good the fountain
From its source unto its goal. Life should be a battle--royal,
The soul its precious crown at stake;
Fears, the people, armed and loyal,
Valiant, cautious, wide-awake;
Mind, the citadel's defender,
Should ev'ry wild disorder quell,
And never to the foe surrender
The heart, where truth and honour dwell.