"Will you go to war just for a scrap of paper?"--_Question of the German Chancellor to the British Ambassador, August 3, 1914._ A mocking question! Britain's answer came Swift as the light and searching as the flame. "Yes, for a scrap of paper we will fight Till our last breath, and God defend the right! "A scrap of paper where a name is set Is strong as duty's pledge and honor's debt. "A scrap of paper holds for man and wife The sacrament of love, the bound of life. "A scrap of paper may be Holy Writ With God's eternal word to hallow it. "A scrap of paper binds us both to stand Defenders of a neutral neighbor land. "By God, by faith, by honor, yes! We fight To keep our name upon that paper white." September, 1914 STAND FAST Stand fast, Great Britain! Together England, Scotland, Ireland stand One in the faith that makes a mighty land, True to the bond you gave and will not break And fearless in the fight for conscience' sake! Against Giant Robber clad in steel, With blood of trampled Belgium on his heel, Striding through France to strike you down at last, Britain, stand fast! Stand fast, brave land! The Huns are thundering toward the citadel; They prate of Culture but their path is Hell; Their light is darkness, and the bloody sword They wield and worship is their only Lord. O land where reason stands secure on right, O land where freedom is the source of light, Against the mailed Barbarians' deadly blast, Britain, stand fast! Stand fast, dear land! Thou island mother of a world-wide race, Whose children speak thy tongue and love thy face, Their hearts and hopes are with thee in the strife, Their hands will break the sword that seeks thy life; Fight on until the Teuton madness cease; Fight bravely on, until the word of peace Is spoken in the English tongue at last, Britain, stand fast! September, 1914. LIGHTS OUT (1915) "Lights out" along the land, "Lights out" upon the sea. The night must put her hiding hand O'er peaceful towns where children sleep, And peaceful ships that darkly creep Across the waves, as if they were not free. The dragons of the air, The hell-hounds of the deep, Lurking and prowling everywhere, Go forth to seek their helpless prey, Not knowing whom they maim or slay-- Mad harvesters, who care not what they reap. Out with the tranquil lights, Out with the lights that burn For love and law and human rights! Set back the clock a thousand years: All they have gained now disappears, And the dark ages suddenly return. Kaiser who loosed wild death And terror in the night God grant you draw no quiet breath, Until the madness you began Is ended, and long-suffering man, Set free from war lords, cries, "Let there be Light." October, 1915. Read at the meeting of the American Academy, Boston, November, 1915.