Lead Thou the Way

[Written on the death of President McKinley.]

Beneath the bitter chastening rod,
     In deep humility, to-day
A nation breathes—In Thee oh, God;
     In Thee we trust, lead Thou the way;
Amid the gloom and tears we pray,
Lead Thou the way, lead Thou the way.

Have we, in blindness nourished wrong
     Unwittingly, through freedom’s claim,
Till vipers writhing ’mid the throng,
     A nation moves to tears and shame?
Our father’s God, turn not away,
Be Thou our tower of strength to-day. [127][128]

The horoscope of time lays bare;
     We see in this most awful deed
The problem solved, the people’s care,
     To pluck from earth the dangerous seed.
Our Nation’s God, give us the will—
Lead Thou the way, be with us still.

The life of our illustrious Chief,
     A benediction sweet has been;
His death so grand, so fraught with grief,
     A benediction brings again,
And while the nation mourns to-day,
The God he trusted leads the way.

The kingly life so lost to earth,
     Was fashioned by a mother’s prayer;
A saintly mother love gave birth
     To character sublimely fair;
To Thee, that mother’s God we pray,
From out the gloom lead Thou the way.