Elmhurst College - Elms Yearbook (Elmhurst, IL)

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1914 CLASS POEM BY ALFRED T. MEYER. The robin gay proclaims tlie birth of Spring And with a voice surpassing Amphion ' s lyre The aerial herald comes to greet his king. And nature with new efforts to inspire. The golden sunbeams and the balmy air, Have raised earth ' s fleecy veil of purest white, And she, the queen of all that ' s grand and fair, Unequaled beauty shows and brings to light. Now Spring, adorned in all his pristine channs, And welcomed by the songster ' s clarion call. Embraces Flora in his stalwart arms. In verdure clothes the fields and forests tall. Where ' er the eye is turned in ecstasy The earth seems resurrected from the dead. Ah surely ! ' tis no dream, not fantasy ! For flow ' rs reveal themselves where ' er we tread. The dewbespangled morning-glory greets us When golden Aurora ' s magic spell is spent; The violet, too, in purple robe now greets us, Jove ' s nectar in the tulip ' s cup is pent. The silvry valley lily rings its bell In greeting to the newborn cerulean sky, And frolicsome Zephyrs dance from hill to dell ; Unburdened is the heart of ev ' ry sigh. 26 But why this scene depicting Spring most sacred. Why let fond mem ' ries linger of the past ? Ah ! ' tis the lane to childhood we again tread : The bygone days o ' er us their spell now cast. Once more we stroll in spirit thru the meadow, The home of larks, of flow ' rs and busy bees ; Where whitefleeced lambs are ambling near the hedgerow There sit we, garlands wreathing under trees. Oh lovely Spring ! Thou king of all the seasons ! We fain would keep Thee with us all the year. But God, for some divine and secret reasons Purposed that youth in due time disappear. Now June has brought the parting of the ways, And summer to lovely Spring has fallen heir ; Gone are the gay and ne ' erforgotten days When hearts were free of every thought of care. Yes, now the gentle days of Spring are o ' er. Life ' s summer with a vict ' ry has begun, — Our banner of brown and gold we ne ' er did lower, — Our just reward, commencement day, is come. To realize Spring ' s hopes and high aml ition We now must strive with all our might and main, — Not caring for the world ' s scorn and derision. Like ivy, upward climb, new heights to gain.

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Happy am I; from care I am free! Why aren ' t they all con- tented, like me? — Carew. Jonas, our efficient electrician, loved skillful manual labor bet- ter than naoderate mental labor. His love was often elsewhere, too; in fact, it became so strong that he decided to leave us be- fore his last year was finished. No matter what difficulty arose, Jonas always wore that same I-should-worry smile Robert Zeiler 25

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Like -unsealed cliffs the future looms before us : A veil of myst ' ry all its hours enshrouds ; Tlie beacon light of faith, though, towers above us And will to sunshine turn all darksome clouds. And if perchance the heart be sad and dreary Because life ' s battle proves too great a strain. Then will our knightly spirit make us cheery, For sunshine always eonieth after rain. To Alma Mater OAve we our strong armor, Our shield of faith was moulded by her hands ; Whene ' er we think of her our heart beats, warmer, Our thanks to her are many as the sands. ' Twas she that started us on our life ' s journey. Endowed us with great gifts of richest gold. Has made us strong like champions of the tourney, Our due respect thru all our life she ' ll hold. And when at last life ' s summer has departed And blushes cease to tinge the rose ' s cheek. When trees, their summer foliage discarded. Their beauty in the redlipp ' d fruitage seek, Then gather we the rich and hard-earned harvest And reap what we in early youth have sown ; No longer will we have to brave the tempest And journey o ' er rugged paths unknown. Eeluctant, with many a painful heartthrob, Depart we from our Alma Mater ' s shore; When surging billows fond ambitions rob. Then think we of the golden days of yore. Oh ! may the lessons taught by her be ever Our pilot on life ' s dark and troubled sea. May time and distance ne ' er our friendship sever. Our aim and motto e ' er ' Excelsior be !