THE CHILDRENS SONG Land of our Birth, we pledge to theeOur love and toil in the years to be, When we are grown and take our place, As men and women with our race. Father in Heaven who lovest all, Oh help Thy children when they call;That they may build from age to age, An undefiled heritage. Teach us to bear the yoke in youthWith steadfastness and careful truth;That, in our time, Thy Grace may giveThe Truth whereby the Nations live. Teach us to rule ourselves alway, Controlled and cleanly night and day, That we may bring, if need arise, No maimed or worthless sacrifice. Teach us to look in all our ends, On Thee for judge, and not our friends;That we, with Thee, may walk uncowedBy fear or favour of the crowd. Teach us the Strength that cannot seek, By deed or thought, to hurt the weak;That, under Thee, we may possessMans strength to comfort mans distress. Teach us Delight in simple things, And Mirth that has no bitter springs, Forgiveness free of evil done, And Love to all men neath the sun! Land of our Birth, our faith, our pride, For whose dear sake our fathers died, Oh Motherland, we pledge to thee, Head, heart, and hand through years to be! Kipling OUR COUNTRY Love thou thy land, with love far-broughtFrom out the storied Past, and usedWithin the Present, but transfusedThro future time by power of thought. Tennyson TOM TULLIVER AT SCHOOL It was Mr. Tullivers first visit to see Tom, for the lad must learn not to think too much about home. Well, my lad, he said to Tom, when Mr. Stelling had left the room to announce the arrival to his wife, and Maggie had begun to kiss Tom freely, you look rarely. School agrees with you. Tom wished he had looked rather ill. I dont think I am well, father, said Tom; I wish youd ask Mr. Stelling not to let me do Euclid-it brings on the toothache, I think. (The toothache was the only malady to which Tom had ever been subject.) Euclid, my lad; why, whats that? said Mr. Tulliver. Oh, I dont know. Its definitions, and axioms, and triangles, and things. Its a book Ive got to learn in; theres no sense in it. Go, go! said Mr. Tulliver, reprovingly, you mustnt say so. You must learn what your master tells you. He knows what its right for you to learn. Ill help you now, Tom, said Maggie, with a little air of patronizing consolation. Im come to stay ever so long, if Mrs. Stelling asks me. Ive brought my box and my pinafores, havent I, father? You help me, you silly little thing! said Tom, in such high spirits at this announcement that he quite enjoyed the idea of confounding Maggie by showing her a page of Euclid. I should like to see you doing one of my lessons! Why, I learn Latin too! Girls never learn such things. Theyre too silly. I know what Latin is very well, said Maggie, confidently. Latins a language. There are Latin words in the Dictionary. Theres bonus, a gift.