The world has room for the manly man, with the spirit of manly cheer;
The world delights in the man who smiles when his eyes keep back the tear;
It loves the man who, when things are wrong, can take his place and stand
With his face to the fight and his eyes to the light, and toil with a willing hand;
The manly man is the country’s need, the moment’s need, forsooth,
With a heart that beats to the pulsing troop of the lilied leagues of truth;
The world is his and it waits for him, and it leaps to hear the ring
Of the blow he strikes and the wheels he turns and hammers he dares to swing;
It likes the forward look on his face, the poise of his noble head,
And the onward lunge of his tireless will and the sweep of his dauntless tread!
Hurrah for the manly man who comes with sunlight on his face,
And the strength to do and the will to dare and the courage to find his place!
The world delights in the manly man, and the weak and evil flee
When the manly man goes forth to hold his own on land or sea!

– Unknown

“MAN wants but little here below,
Nor wants that little long.”
‘Tis not with me exactly so;
But ‘tis so in the song.
My wants are many and, if told,
Would muster many a score;
And were each wish a mint of gold,
I still should long for more.

What first I want is daily bread —
And canvas-backs, — and wine —
And all the realms of nature spread
Before me, when I dine.
Four courses scarcely can provide
My appetite to quell;
With four choice cooks from France beside,
To dress my dinner well.

What next I want, at princely cost,
Is elegant attire:
Black sable furs for winter’s frost,
And silks for summer’s fire,
And Cashmere shawls, and Brussels lace
My bosom’s front to deck, —
And diamond rings my hands to grace,
And rubies for my neck.

I want (who does not want?) a wife, —
Affectionate and fair;
To solace all the woes of life,
And all its joys to share.
Of temper sweet, of yielding will,
Of firm, yet placid mind, —
With all my faults to love me still
With sentiment refined.

And as Time’s car incessant runs,
And Fortune fills my store,
I want of daughters and of sons
From eight to half a score.
I want (alas! can mortal dare
Such bliss on earth to crave?)
That all the girls be chaste and fair, —
The boys all wise and brave.

I want a warm and faithful friend,
To cheer the adverse hour,
Who ne’er to flatter will descend,
Nor bend the knee to power, —
A friend to chide me when I’m wrong,
My inmost soul to see;
And that my friendship prove as strong
For him as his for me.

I want the seals of power and place,
The ensigns of command;
Charged by the People’s unbought grace
To rule my native land.
Nor crown nor sceptre would I ask
But from my country’s will,
By day, by night, to ply the task
Her cup of bliss to fill.

I want the voice of honest praise
To follow me behind,
And to be thought in future days
The friend of human-kind,
That after ages, as they rise,
Exulting may proclaim
In choral union to the skies
Their blessings on my name.

These are the Wants of mortal Man, —
I cannot want them long,
For life itself is but a span,
And earthly bliss — a song.
My last great Want — absorbing all —
Is, when beneath the sod,
And summoned to my final call,
The Mercy of my God. 

– John Quincy Adams,
July 11th, 1767 – February 23rd, 1848

*Portrait of John Quincy Adams by George Peter Alexander Healy, 1858 (source)

Let me but do my work from day to day,
In field or forest, at the desk or loom,
In roaring market-place or tranquil room;
Let me but find it in my heart to say,
When vagrant wishes beckon me astray,
“This is my work; my blessing, not my doom;
“Of all who live, I am the one by whom
“This work can best be done in the right way.”

Then shall I see it not too great, nor small,
To suit my spirit and to prove my powers;
Then shall I cheerful greet the labouring hours,
And cheerful turn, when the long shadows fall
At eventide, to play and love and rest,
Because I know for me my work is best.

– Henry Van Dyke

Be strong!
We are not here to play, to dream, to drift,
We have hard work to do, and loads to lift.
Shun not the struggle; face it. ‘Tis God’s gift.

Be strong!
Say not the days are evil, – Who’s to blame?
And fold not the hands and acquiesce, – O shame!
Stand up, speak out, and bravely, in God’s name.

Be strong!
It matters not how deep entrenched the wrong,
How hard the battle goes, the day, how long.
Faint not, fight on! To-morrow comes the song.

– Maltbie Davenport Babcock

*Photo credit

That Easter day with joy was bright: 
the sun shone out with fairer light 
when to their longing eyes restored, 
th’apostles saw their risen Lord.

His risen flesh with radiance glowed, 
his wounded hands and feet he showed; 
those scars their solemn witness gave 
that Christ was risen from the grave.

O Jesus, King of gentleness, 
do thou thyself our hearts possess, 
that we may give thee all our days 
the willing tribute of our praise.

O Lord of all, with us abide 
in this, our joyful Eastertide; 
from ev’ry weapon death can wield 
thine own redeemed forever shield. 

– Early medieval Latin hymn

*Photo credit

All praise to thee, eternal lord,
clothed in a garb of flesh and blood;
choosing a manger for thy throne,
while worlds on worlds are thine alone.

Once did the skies before thee bow;
a virgin’s arms contain thee now:
angels, who did in thee rejoice
now listen for thine infant voice.

A little child, thou art our guest,
that weary ones in thee may rest;
forlorn and lowly is thy birth,
that we may rise to heav’n from earth.

Thou comest in the darksome night
to make us children of the light,
to make us, in the realms divine,
like thine own angels round thee shine.

All this for us thy love hath done;
by this to thee our love is won:
for this we tune our cheerful lays,
and shout our thanks in ceaseless praise.

– “All Praise to Thee, Eternal Lord”, 
Martin Luther, 1524

*Picture source

“Here shall the Press the People’s right maintain,
Unawed by influence and unbribed by gain;
Here Patriot Truth her glorious precepts draw,
Pledged to Religion, Liberty, and Law.”

– Joseph Story, 
Motto of the Salem Register (adopted 1802)

*Salem Register (Massachusetts) newspaper from 1862 (source)