February Poem

See if you can memorize this poem and pass it off next time.  It's not super short, but the message is so great and true.  It's a good one to have in your memories. It goes along well with Ben Carson's Speech that you can watch below.

A Nation’s Strength

Ralph Waldo Emerson (1904)

What makes a nation’s pillars high And its foundations strong? What makes it mighty to defy The foes that round it throng? It is not gold. Its kingdoms grand Go down in battle shock; Its shafts are laid on sinking sand, Not on abiding rock. Is it the sword? Ask the red dust Of empires passed away; The blood has turned their stones to rust, Their glory to decay. And is it pride? Ah, that bright crown Has seemed to nations sweet; But God has struck its luster down In ashes at his feet. Not gold but only men can make A people great and strong; Men who for truth and honor’s sake Stand fast and suffer long. Brave men who work while others sleep, Who dare while others fly... They build a nation’s pillars deep And lift them to the sky.