The Arsenal at Springfield

Maoriland Worker, Volume 13, Issue 30, 25 July 1923, Page 1

The Arsenal at Springfield

By H. W. LONGFELLOW. ! This is the Arsenal. From floor to J ceiling, j Ljks a huge organ, riae the burI nished arms; a | But from tbeir silent pipes no anthem i pealing j Startles the villagers with strange -I ..•• alarms. i - i i Ah!"Avhat a sound will rise—how wild and dreary— J "When the death-angel touches | those swift keys! i What loud lament and dismal j Miserere j Will mingle with their awful sym- : phonies! i'l hear even now the infinite fierce ! chorus— The cries of agony, the endless groan, Which, through the ages that have gone before us, i In long reverberations reach our own. Is it, O man, with such discordant noises, With suc-h accursed instruments as these, i Thou drownest Nature's sweet and kindly voices, j And jarrest the celestial harmonies? j Were half the power that fills the j world with terror, j Were half the wealth bestowed on i camps and courts, ! Given to redeem the human mind { from error, There Avere no need of arsenals and forts.