“TO MR. AND MRS. BLOOMER. “The Psalmist says that he who goes forth with tears, Conveying precious seed, shall doubtless come again Rejoicing, bringing with him sheaves. ’Tis fifty years Since you as one were made, and out upon the plain Of Life’s great field together moved, ‘mid hopes and fears, And in your faithful bosoms bearing golden grain. “To-day you come with sheaves, oh rich and golden sheaves! Immortal sheaves, sheaves glowing in the light of heaven So softly sifting down thro’ life’s autumn leaves; And, while the clouds that deck the sky above are riven, I see the angels smile. And who is there that grieves When noble souls in life’s great harvest-field have striven? “This is a day of joy and praise, a crowning day! Together you have walked for fifty years, and He Who made your hearts to beat as one thro’ all the way Has been your guide, His voice has stilled the stormy sea; In darkest hours, you’ve heavenward looked and seen the ray Of cloudless hope shine down with sweet tranquillity. “When worn with toil, His loving arms have given you rest; Sustaining grace He gave when you were weak and faint; When sorrows came, ’twas then the haven of His breast That opened wide and took you in. To each complaint He lent His ear. In all things, you were truly blest And ever upward drawn by love’s divine constraint. “And now upon a lofty Mount you stand and look Back o’er your pilgrim way; back o’er the fields you’ve sown You see the stubborn soil, the burning sun, the nook Where you did rest; and all the way is overstrown With flowers; flower-wreathed you see the plow and pruning-hook. And on that Mount there comes to you a fadeless crown. “To Faithfulness there comes a crown, a Crown of Life; ’Tis one the Lord doth give to those who serve Him well, To heroes true and strong amid the daily strife ’Tween right and wrong. For such, the sweetest anthems swell By holy angels sung, and joy on earth is rife, While thro’ the vanished years you hear a golden bell. “Foremost in every noble work, in every cause Where God leads on, where Light is seen, where Truth is heard, There have you stood from first to last, the eternal laws Of Right obeyed. Where’er your lips could frame a word To voice the thought, a hand could strike the great applause Of onward march, your helpful force has been conferred. “To you, this day, a grateful people tribute bring For all you’ve been to them, for all your steadfastness, For all your words and deeds; for every noble thing, They would this day your true and honest worth confess; They would a golden cup, filled from Affection’s spring, Hold out to you, and thus their gratitude express.