Thank God! our country heard the Cuban plea, And gave notice to Spain: “This shall not be; You must not murder and starve any more, The innocent people so near our shore:” “There are no reconcentrados now.” Fired with pity, the American heart, For humanity’s sake took Cuba’s part, And with our heroes on sea and on land, Soon opened the way for charity’s hand: “There are no reconcentrados now.” Forts were destroyed and the proud Spanish fleet, And the Spanish army forced to retreat, And soon as ever we possibly could, We sent to the starving ship loads of food: “There are no reconcentrados now.” There has not been since history began A grander act in the progress of man, By so nobly taking poor Cuba’s part A load was lifted from the human heart: “There are no reconcentrados now.” No braver men e’er fought for liberty, Than risked their lives that Cuba might go free; No holier triumph was ever won, Since the record of war was first begun: “There are no reconcentrados now.” No other nation, either young or old, Ever gave so many millions in gold, To feed the starving and set the bond free, In the grand cause of human liberty: “There are no reconcentrados now.” Henceforth this saying our maxim shall be, We’ll bear it aloft o’er land and o’er sea, And that all civilized nations may know, Will proudly proclaim wherever we go, “There are no reconcentrados now.” Wherever our grand old flag is unfurled, In Cuba, or any part of the world, Love, mercy, and peace will go with it there, And bring the oppressed full freedom to share: “There are no reconcentrados now.” Nations respect us for the good work done, And freely concede the glory we won; We get the honor, the world gets the gain, Mankind is lifted to a higher plain, “There are no reconcentrados now.” United for peace all nations should be, Protecting man in his right to be free, And if one nation man’s freedom restrain, The rest should join and restore it again: “There are no reconcentrados now.” Humanity’s cause henceforth must prevail, No nation will dare man’s rights to assail, The example we set lays down the plan, Nations will follow in lifting up man: “There are no reconcentrados now.” THE CELEBRATION. The following verses were written in November, 1889, when it was supposed the World’s Fair at Chicago, to celebrate the four hundreth anniversary of the discovery of America, would be held in 1892. In eighteen hundred ninety-two We will have a celebration, And prove our manners good and true, By inviting ev’ry nation; We’ll advertise from shore to shore, And tell how we have expanded, For just four hundred years before, Christopher Columbus landed.