English

All men are equal in their birth,
Heirs of the earth and skies;
All men are equal, when that earth
Fades from their dying eyes.

All wait alike on him, whose pow'r
Upholds the life he gave; —
The sage within his star-lit tow'r, —
The savage in his cave.

'Tis man alone who diff'rence sees,
And speaks of high and low;
Who worships those and tramples these,
While the same path they go.

Ye great! renounce your earth-born pride,
Ye low! your shame and fear;

God gave to Afric's sons
A brow of sable dye,
And spread the country of their birth,
Beneath a burning sky.

To me he gave a form
Of fairer, whiter clay; —
But am I, therefore, in his sight,
Respected more than they?

The hue of deeds and thoughts,
He traces in his book;
'Tis the complexion of the heart ,
On which he deigns to look.

Not by the tinted cheek,

There's a banner in our van,
And we follow as we can,
For at times we scarce can see it,
And at times it flutters high.
But however it be flown,
Still we know it as our own,
And we follow, ever follow,
Where we see the banner fly.

In the struggle and the strife,
In the weariness of life,
The banner-man may stumble,
He may falter in the fight.
But if one should fail or slip,
There are other hands to grip,
And it's forward, ever forward,
From the darkness to the light.

Let thy heart no more be troubled,
Child of woe! when sinners rise;
Though their wealth be more than doubled,
View them not with envious eyes;
They shall wither,
As the grass decays and dies.

Trust the Lord, and do his pleasure,
Rest contented with his will;
Make thy God thy richest treasure,
All thy longing heart he'll fill;
On Jehovah
Roll thy cares, and trust him still.

Then will God, thy face adorning,
Crown thy head with heav'nly light,
Softer than the rays of morning, —

You didn't know of Bendigo! Well, that knocks me out!
Who's your board school teacher? What's he been about?
Chock-a-block with fairy-tales — full of useless cram,
And never heard o' Bendigo, the pride of Nottingham!

Bendy's short for Bendigo. You should see him peel!
Half of him was whalebone, half of him was steel,
Fightin' weight eleven ten, five foot nine in height,
Always ready to oblige if you want a fight.

I could talk of Bendigo from here to kingdom come,
I guess before I ended you would wish your dad was dumb,

They recruited William Evans
From the ploughtail and the spade;
Ten years' service in the Devons
Left him smart as they are made.

Thirty or a trifle older,
Rather over six foot high,
Trim of waist and broad of shoulder,
Yellow-haired and blue of eye;

Short of speech and very solid,
Fixed in purpose as a rock,
Slow, deliberate, and stolid,
Of the real West-country stock.

He had never been to college,
Got his teaching in the corps,
You can pick up useful knowledge

" Tell me what to get and I will get it. "
" Then get that picture — that — the girl in white. "
" Now tell me where you wish that I should set it. "
" Lean it where I can see it — in the light. "

" If there is more, sir, you have but to say it. "
" Then bring those letters — those which lie apart. "
" Here is the packet! Tell me where to lay it. "
" Stoop over, nurse, and lay it on my heart.

" Thanks for your silence, nurse! You understand me!
And now I'll try to manage for myself.

Squire wants the bay horse,
For it is the best.
Squire holds the mortgage;
Where's the interest?
Haven't got the interest,
Can't raise a sou,
Shan't sell the bay horse,
Whatever he may do.

Did you see the bay horse?
Such a one to go!
He took a bit of ridin'
When I showed him at the Show.
First prize the broad jump,
First prize the high,

Heav'n release you, lone ones! bending
'Neath your weary life of pain;
Tears of ceaseless anguish blending
With the bitter cup ye drain;
Yet, think not our pray'rs ascending
Shall forever rise in vain.

God hath rais'd up hearts of feeling,
That have felt for all your woe;
Bear awhile; and soon, revealing
Brighter prospects with its glow,
Light, across your night-clouds stealing,
Hours of freedom yet may show.

Captain Temple, D.S.O.,
With his banjo and retriever.
" Rough, I know, on poor old Flo,
But, by Jove! I couldn't leave her. "
Niger ribbon on his breast,
In his blood the Niger fever,
Captain Temple, D.S.O.,
With his banjo and retriever.

Cox of the Politicals,
With his cigarette and glasses,
Skilled in Pushtoo gutturals,
Odd job man among the Passes,
Keeper of the Zakka Khels,
Tutor of the Khaiber Ghazis,
Cox of the Politicals,
With his cigarette and glasses.