Father Ryan's Poems

FATHER RYANS II POEMS. Urill Rests with thme who Rrad. A work or thought I what each makes ft to himself, and map Be full of great dark meanings, like the sea With shoala of IIW rushing or Iiko the dr, Benighted with the wing of the wjId dove, Sweeping miles broad oer the far southern W Y, With mighty gIimpses of the central light, -Or mar be nothi ig-bodiless, spiritlem. which some friends call by the higher title of Poems-to which appellation the Author objects, -were written at random, -off and on, -here, --there, -any- vhere, -just when the mood came, with little of study and less of art, -and always in s hurry. Hence they are incomplete in finish, as the Author is -the he thinks they are true in tone. His feet know more of the humble steps that lead up to the AItar and its Mysteries, than of the steeps that lead up to Parnassns and the Hoine of the Muses. And souls wereealways more to bin1 than songs. But still. somehow, -and he could not tell why, -he sometimes tried to sing. Here are his simpl songs. He never dreamed of taking even lowest place in the rank of authors. But friends persisted and finally a youilg lawyer friend, who has entire charge of his busilless in the book, forced him to front the world and its critics. There are verses connected with the war published in this volume not for hai-111-sake, nor for hate-sake, but simply because the Author wrote them.