Whose Side Is The Lord On?

During the Civil War, soldiers on both sides prayed for victory before each battle. Both presidents, Abraham Lincoln and Jefferson Davis, asked their supporters to pray for victories. The average citizen leaned on their faith to get them through the war. That was never more true for the citizens of Albany, who were terrorized pretty much throughout the entire campaign by one of the war's most feared guerrilla's, Champ Ferguson. Religious people used their faith to get them through the war, and in the end it was their faith that helped them come to terms with the outcome and pretty much the whole entire meaning of the war. Each side in the war, as in any war, believed God was on their side and in the end, said the outcome was simply God's will.

We often hear the question asked, "Who is on the Lord's side?" But, in war, have you ever wondered which side the Lord is on?

During the 1st Kentucky Cavalry was organized at Liberty, Burkesville and Monticello and mustered in for a three year enlistment on October 28, 1861 under the command of Colonel Frank Wolford of Liberty. The unit included 85 volunteers from Albany. They were known as The Wildcats after a battle on Wildcat Mountain near London, Kentucky. There were several brave and gallant men in the 1st Kentucky Calvary, including Colonel William Hoskins, Captain John Morrison and Major J.A. Brents of Albany, but no one was more dedicated to the troops of the First Kentucky Calvary than its Chaplin, W. H. Honnell of Harrodsburg. At age 35, he was a model clergyman, not that he preached much, or appeared sanctimonious, or intruded his religious notions upon any one, but because of his devotion to the sick and wounded. Not a soldier could be taken sick without his knowing it. He visited and conversed with all, ascertained their wants, and had them supplied if it was possible. Nor was this conduct occasional, it was continual and unceasing. His name was blessed a thousand times by sick and helpless soldiers. When any died, he was foremost in providing them a decent and Christian burial. He was not only kind and tender to the sick and wounded, but treated every one with gentleness and respect. Further, he was no coward. He delighted to be upon the battlefield, encouraging the soldiers by his presence, waiting upon and caring for the wounded, and praying for the success of arms while the battle was in progress. When marching, he was always in front near his gallant Colonel, and when the conflict raged, he could be seen where the danger was greatest. He was at the battle of Mill Springs, administering to the necessities of the disabled, and was near General Felix Zollicoffer when he fell. Dismounting from his horse, the chaplain lifted the General from out of the road, where excited combatants were dashing to and fro, and carried his dying form to a place where it would not be trampled beneath the horses' feet.

Chaplain Honnell was also at the front during the fight at Lebanon, Tennessee. He became separated from his regiment, and rode into the rebel ranks, mistaking them for Union troops...

Colonel Morgan: "You take a position yonder," directing him to the rear.
Honnell: "I desire to go to my own regiment."
Morgan: "I told you where to go."
Honnell: "I don't like to be treated in such a way. I am chaplain of the 1st Kentucky cavalry, and want to go to my regiment."
Morgan: "It is hard for you to understand that I am Colonel Morgan, and you are my prisoner. My men need your prayers as well as Wolford's."

Honnell saw the position he was in, and submitted quietly. When Morgan commenced his retreat, he took Honnell along with him. After traveling at a pretty rapid gait for some distance, and the Unionists getting pretty close to them, Morgan said, "Well, Chaplain, I suppose we will have to separate, but before going you must pray." About this time a squad of Union cavalry dashed up, and Morgan had to proceed without the Chaplain's prayer.

As the above story indicates, during the Civil War both sides believed that God was on their side. During his second inaugural address on March 5, 1865, President Abraham Lincoln said “Neither party expected for the war the magnitude or the duration which it has already attained. Each looked for an easier triumph. Both read the same Bible and pray to the same God, and each invokes His aid against the other.”

So how could God be on BOTH sides?

Lincoln reframed the question and offered a startling conclusion: Neither side could claim God’s special favor. “The prayers of both could not be answered. That of neither has been answered fully. The Almighty has His own purposes.”

President George W. Bush once said, "Faith teaches us to respect those with whom we disagree. It teaches us to tolerate one another. And it teaches us that the proper way to treat human beings created in the divine image is with civility. Yet, you also know that civility does not require us to abandon deeply held beliefs. Civility and firm resolve can live easily with one another."

When we have deeply held beliefs, like most do, it is tempting to believe God is only on our side. But, there is a chance that He may very well be on their side, too!

So, then what?

Like it or not, the fact is God's offer of mercy is for ALL people.

I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour; Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth. 1 Timothy 2:1-4

Ode To A Mule

James Arness died today. Gunsmoke was every one's favorite TV show back when I was a kid. For years, at my house, we watched every single episode that came on the TV. There's isn't any need to explain the show because I am sure that most of you have seen an episode of Gunsmoke at one time or another.

When I heard that Mr. Arness has passed away, I went online, because I wanted to read some quotes from the TV show - more specifically, I wanted to read some dialogue between Festus, played by singer Ken Curtis (Sons of the Pioneers), and the rest of the cast. Festus had a way of speaking, but he always spoke the truth and what he said always made sense, well in a Festus-sort-of way, I guess.

So, I went online to do that, and well, one click led to another click, and then another and another, and before I knew it, I found myself on YouTube, and that's when I heard, for the first time in many years, this beautiful story that I want to share with you.

If you paid close attention to Gunsmoke, you know that Festus took care of mules and all their names were Ruth -- even if they were jacks. Festus' mule was always a jack but HIS name was always RUTH!

In the words of Festus Hagen, here's why.....

You ask how come I call my old mule, Ruth, when in fact the solemn truth is that he's a jack, and not no jenny, that's for sure. Well, they's no call for you to know, but since you asked, I'll tell you so just settle back and heed to what I say.

It started in 1861, the war, well it had just begun to be a war. I wasn't much, so to speak, a mule skinner, not one to seek fame nor fortune, especially in no war.

Now, every man's got a pride. Most times it's deep inside about his job and mine was attending mules. My favorite was a long-eared jenny. Now, I reckon you'll think that I'm a ninny 'cause I loved her just like I'd love my mother. She was faithful, stout and she was smart, and friend, she had lots of heart. If she'd been a man, I'd a loved her like a brother.

Well, we'd fought back with all we had, but still the war was a going bad, for in '64 Schofield hit us Tennessee boys hard, and just thirty miles away, at dawn, near Spring Hill on a early 'morn, five generals that wore Confederate gray had chitin's and bacon and eggs and grits. Lord, they'd planned to give 'em fits but the tide of war just went the other way. The five brave men that led Hood's charge was met by a artillery barrage that mowed 'em down just like so much hay.

Now, somebody had to get them men and, by golly I can't remember when I've ever been so proud as I was that day. "Just take 'ol Ruth," the Captain said, and when it got dark, I slowly led my jenny to the Harpeth Rivers bank. I'd found them boys in gray and when on Ruth's back they stiffly lay, I started back, but then my spirit sorta sank. A dad-blamed sentry opened fire and them Yankee's did conspire to add me to their list of casualties. Well, 'ol Ruth, she just plowed along not a listening to the bullet song, just brushed 'em off like they was a swarm of bee's.

Well, somehow we got back that night, and I thanked God I was alright. I'd brought them boys from where they was a laying. I hadn't even got a scratch, so I lit my pipe and when the match flared up, I seen 'ol Ruth was just a swaying'. Blood was running down her side. My throat choked up and then I cried, and she looked at me and her eyes was soft and brown. She seemed to say, "Now, don't cry for me, we had a job to do, you see!" And, then 'old Ruth just seemed to slide right down.

There's a marker that I put on her grave that reads, "Here lies a mule that gave her life and that's the truth. Now, every mule I'll ever own will bare your name. So, be it known while I'm alive, they'll always be a Ruth "

Yeah, they'll always be a Ruth.

What a beautiful story, in the words of Festus Hagen. Now, to get the full effect, you have to click on the video below and hear 'Festus' tell it. It is a very moving and inspirational piece. By the way, Ken Curtis died in 1991.

R.I.P. Marshall Dillon!

The Water Is Wide ~ James Taylor

For Amy.

Remembering The Storekeeper

Henry Clay Huffaker was born in 1832 at Beaver Creek in Wayne County. He married Margaret Shearer in 1855 and to their union were born thirteen children, seven boys and six girls. The 8th born was Juliann "Hettie" Huffaker. Hettie married Ulysses Grant Frost in 1889. Their youngest child, Vada, was my grandmother. Hettie's second oldest sister, Laura, married Daniel Rector. Their youngest child, Wendell, married Lela Cooper. After the family moved to Albany, the oldest child, Clay, left home for the U.S. Navy, never to return again. He was aboard the USS Arizona when the Japanese struck Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941.

The first torpedo in the assault on Pearl Harbor hit the USS Raleigh at about 7:55 a.m., Sunday morning. Battleship Row was hit at 7:57 a.m. The USS ARIZONA was moored inboard of the repair ship Vestal when the attack occurred. At 8:10 a.m. a Japanese Type 97 Attack Bomber dropped a bomb that struck the Arizona between the No. 1 and No. 2 turret. This bomb was a converted armor piercing artillery shell that ignited the Arizona's forward magazine. Blazing furiously, the once majestic battleship Arizona violently exploded, sinking to the bottom of the harbor. .

This December 7th will mark 70 years that 1,177 men, including Storekeeper 3rd Class Clay Cooper Rector of Albany, rest at the bottom of the harbor, encased in the Arizona's rusty hull. In the Navy's known history, there has never been a ship that has taken so many of its crew down with her.

This Memorial Day, the Notorious Meddler pauses to remember Clay Cooper Rector, and the others aboard the USS ARIZONA who paid the supreme sacrifice while in service to the United States of America.

David Williams Is Not The First Gubernatorial Candidate Born In Cumberland County

Kentucky State Senator David Williams of Burkesville is not the first gubernatorial candidate born in Cumberland County. Two other gentlemen, born in Cumberland County, actually served as Governor.

Thomas Elliot Bramlette was Governor of Kentucky from 1863 to 1867. He was born January 3, 1817, to Ambrose Shrewsbury Bramlette and Sarah Elliott Bramlette, in a part of Cumberland County that is now in Clinton County. In 1841, Thomas Bramlette was elected representative of Clinton County in the State Legislature. In 1852 he moved to Adair County. In 1856, he was elected Judge for the 6th District. In 1861 he accepted a colonel's commission in the Federal Army and raised the Third Kentucky Regiment of Infantry. In 1862 he resigned from the Army and accepted President Lincoln's offer of the United States District Attorney ship. In 1863 he was commissioned major-general and while organizing his division was nominated as the Union candidate for governor of Kentucky, which was followed by his election in August, by a large majority. As governor, he acted to curb Confederate guerilla raids. Bramlette opposed the Freedmen’s Bureau and the 14th and 15th Amendments to the U.S. Constitution. He advocated the establishment of what became the University of Kentucky. During his service he was offered a seat in congress, but declined to become a candidate. In 1864 the convention in Louisville instructed their delegates to vote for McClellan and Bramlette as their candidates for president and vice-president, but he again declined to allow his name to be used. On his retirement from office he resumed the practice of law in Louisville. Thomas Bramlette died on January 12, 1875 in Louisville. He is buried at Cave Hill Cemetery. As a wartime governor, Bramlette disagreed with President Lincoln over the enlistment of African American troops, the suspension of habeas corpus, and civilian arrests. After Lincoln’s assassination the governor recognized the enduring legacy of Lincoln’s policies. He said, "We may differ with him, and have differed with him, but when the judgment of future events has come, we found we were differing blindly; that he was right and we were wrong . . . experience and time have demonstrated that his was the only line of salvation for our country."

Preston Hopkins Leslie was Governor of Kentucky Governor from 1871 to 1875. Like Bramlette, he was born on March 8, 1819 in a part of Cumberland County that is now in Clinton County. He was a member of the same Church I am a member of -- Clear Fork Baptist Church. Leslie studied law and was admitted to the bar on October 10, 1840, and served as the deputy clerk of the Clinton County courts. On November 11, 1841, he married Louisa Black. The couple had seven children. In 1841, Leslie moved his family to Monroe County, where he became county attorney in 1842. When his wife died in 1858, Leslie married Mary Kuykendall and they had three children. Leslie was elected as a Whig to the Kentucky House of Representatives in 1844. In 1850 he was elected State Senator for Barren and Monroe counties. When the Whig Party faded from prominence Leslie became a Democrat. He declined nominations for a seat in the United States Congress and on the Kentucky Court of Appeals, choosing instead to work on his farm. Leslie returned to the state Senate in 1867. He was Senate president from 1869 to 1871. When Governor John Stevenson resigned in February of 1871, because there was no lieutenant governor at the time, Leslie, as Senate president became the Governor. Later that same year he was elected to his own term. During his tenure, an educational system for blacks was created, the sale of liquor was controlled and the penal system was improved. Leslie was appointed territorial governor of Montana in 1887, but two years later the territory's political machinery turned against him and he was removed from office. Later, he was appointed district attorney for Montana. He continued to practice law well into his nineties, and was being considered for a district court judgeship in Montana when he fell ill with pneumonia and died on February 7, 1907, at the age of 94. He is buried at Forest Vale Cemetery in Helena.

This past Tuesday, David Williams and his running mate, Ritchie Farmer, the fomer Kentucky Wildcat basketball star, and current Kentucky Commissioner of Agriculture, won the Republican nomination for Governor and Lieutenant Governor.

Marina and Ian's Prom 2011

Watch "Marina & Ian's Prom 2011" on YouTube

A Struggle For Freedom

The Palatine of the Rhine in Germany was a historical territory of the Holy Roman Empire, administered by a count. The land was divided into two regions. The Upper Palatinate, located in northern Bavaria, remained under Bavarian authority, and the Lower Palatinate, located between Luxembourg and the Rhine River, was an independent state. Heidelberg was its capital until the 18th century. The boundaries of the Palatinate varied with the political and dynastic fortunes of the counts palatine.

In 1356, a Papal decree made the Count an Elector of the Holy Roman Empire, and during the Reformation, the Palatinate accepted Protestantism and became the foremost Calvinist region in Germany. After Martin Luther published his 95 Theses on the door of the castle church at Wittenberg on October 31, 1517, many of his followers came under considerable religious persecution for their beliefs. Perhaps for reasons of mutual comfort and support, these folks who shared a common view on religion, gathered in the Palatine.

In 1618, E lector Friedrich V’s acceptance of Bohemia’s offer of its crown touched off the Thirty Years War. From 1618 to 1648 was one of the most destructive conflicts in European history, and the beginning of much persecution the Palatines would have to endure for the next 100 years.

The Palatine country suffered greatly from the horrors of fire and sword as well as from pillage and plunder by the French armies as the Roman Catholic armies sought to crush the religious freedom of a politically-divided Protestantism. Many armies and bands of mercenaries, both of friends and foe, devoured the substance of the Palatines. The Thirty Years War was a complicated catastrophe from which the Palatinate never really recovered. Instead of politically leading Germany, the Palatinate became a spoil, fought over by other states and countries.

A weakened Palatinate was no match for French ruler Louis XIV, who, seeking to increase his Empire sent his forces to ravage the region of the Palatine. Every large city on the Rhine above Cologne was sacked. The War of the Palatinate from 1688 to 1697 only served to further weaken an already famine Palatine. The result was a large scale emigration from 1689-1697.

In 1702, the War of the Spanish Succession began in Europe and lasted until 1713, causing a great deal of instability for the Palatines. To make matters worse, there was a major freeze in the winter of 1708 in the Palatinate. It was the harshest winter the Palatinate has seen in 100 years. On January 10, 1709 the Rhine River froze and was closed for five weeks. Wine froze into ice. Grapevines died. Cattle died in their sheds.

While the land of the Palatinate had originally been good for its inhabitants, many of whom were farmers, vineyard operators etc., residents finally came to the realization that oppressive taxation, religious bickering, hunger for more and better land, the advertising of the English colonies in America and the favorable attitude of the British government toward settlement in the North American colonies were reasons enough to abandon their homeland. The scene was set for a mass migration and over the next century that is what happened as literally thousands upon thousands of Palatines fled to America.

Hans Jacob Speck and his family lived near Baden, Germany, in the Ruppurr-Karlsruhe district, which was roughly 61.9km, or about an hour, south of Heidelberg. Jacob was born in the year 1670 and had worked most of his life as a butcher. He died on January 14, 1736.

About a year after his father died, Jacob's son, Michael Martin, better known as Martin Speck, took a boat ride down the Rhine River to Rotterdam, where he boarded the ship Friendship and sailed to Dover, England. On September 20, 1738, approximately one year after he began his journey, Martin set foot on American soil when his ship reached port in Philadelphia.

Martin, who was born in 1703 during the War of the Spanish Succession, had grown up as his father had lived....suffering the effects of war and famine throughout the Palatinate. I imagine that he lay awake at night wondering what life might be like in the new world, and now he was in America and would live out his days without the sufferings that continued back in his homeland.

Supposedly, this is correct: Hans Jacob Speck, Martin Speck, Jacob Speck, Sr., George Speck, John Speck, William Calvin Speck, James Wiley Speck, Obed Speck, Cecil Speck, Darrell Speck, ME.

In 1933, 3,358 Jews lived in Karlsruhe. In 1945, because of the actions of the Nazi regime, there were only 18 Jews in Karlsruhe. Many had been exported or expelled or emigrated. Between 1933 and 1945, more than 1,000 of them were killed.


Many of Martin's relatives also migrated to America. For more reading on the Palatine saga read The Palatine Project

Something To Think About

In the Bible, in the sixth chapter of Genesis, we read, "And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And it repented the LORD that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart."

I read those verses the other day and it started me thinking about the things I think about and as I began to study the issue for a story, I ran across an article that was written several years ago by Charles Greer, who at the time was primarily a consultant and industry trainer for salespeople and technicians in the air conditioning and plumbing industries. His article about what we think was too good to pass up, so I am going to re-post parts of it here. Mr. Greer writes some good stuff so it it well worth the read.

Several years ago, the National Science Foundation said we think a thousand thoughts per hour, or about 12,000 thoughts per day. A deep thinker will think 50,000 thoughts per day. 

Imagine that, fifty percent of the time, we are positive in our thinking. For many, that still means twenty-five thousand negative thoughts are being programmed every day, along with the consequent negative realities that are created by them. Watch your thoughts—they are blueprints for actions. A great deal of what we see depends on what we're looking for. Ugly thoughts make ugly faces. It is important that we review our thoughts each day. Many of us are not aware of how much we actually think or how negative our attitudes might be. We must not let our thoughts take charge of us.

Positive thinking is the only way to produce positive results.

Every thought you think, everything you believe contains enough creative power to bring about the condition or experience or circumstance you're thinking about. The things you habitually think about, the thoughts you habitually think, the things you habitually say to yourself will mold and shape every aspect of your life.

What are you thinking about?

Negative self-talk is as bad a habit as you can have and most people are afflicted with it. Habits are first cobwebs, then they become chains. Chains of habits are too weak to be felt until they are too strong to be broken. Bad habits are like comfortable beds, asy to get into, but hard to get out of. Bad men excuse their faults while good men abandon them.

The happiness of your life depends on the quality of your thoughts. The city of happiness is in the state of mind. Happiness comes when we stop complaining about our troubles and begin to be thankful for the troubles we don't have. Some people find happiness in making the most of what they haven't got. Some people bring happiness wherever they go, others whenever they do. Every day, do something every day to make others happy, even if it means just leaving them alone.

The most important things in life are not things. Joy is not in things; it is in us. We act as though comfort and luxury were the chief requirements of life, when all we need to make us happy is something to be enthusiastic about. The need is not for more money, less disease, etc., but to change one's way of thinking.

You are only poor when you want more than you have. Poverty is a state of mind, and it's caused by a neighbor's new car. It is better to be short of cash than to be short of character. A poor man can be happy, but a happy man isn't poor. The happiest people are those who discover that what they should be doing and what they are doing are the same things.

An open mind is fine but be careful what you shovel into it. Be bold in what you stand for, be careful what you fall for. Unless we find beauty and happiness in our own backyards, we will never find them in the mountains.

To read the entire article by Charles Greer click here.

A Tribute To Elizabeth Taylor

Actress Elizabeth Taylor died Tuesday at age 79. She is well known here in Kentucky for her 1956 movie, Raintree County, which was filmed in different parts of the state.

Expected to be the next Gone With the Wind, the 3-hour Civil War drama, Raintree County, turned out to be a disappointment at the box office. But to Kentuckians, that did not matter. Elizabeth Taylor, a 24-year-old actress, dressed in her almost-scandalous form-fitting capri pants, had been here.

Raintree County premiered in Louisville in October 1957. At the time of the filming, Ms. Taylor was divorcing husband No. 2, Michael Wilding, for husband No. 3, Mike Todd, and Danville telephone operators reportedly said they heard plenty of phone calls between the three of them. While Ms. Taylor was on location in Danville, Todd sent her 200 long-stemmed roses and a $30,000 black pearl ring, Ms. Taylor's biographer, C. David Heymann, wrote in his 1995 book Liz.

MGM Studios and more than 100 actors moved into Danville to shoot the movie, which, cost $6 million dollars. It was the most expensive American film ever made at that time.

Raintree County was based on a novel by Ross Lockridge Jr. It earned four Academy Award nominations. The making of the movie was a big deal in Kentucky. Nearly half of the filming took place in Danville. A home near Somerset was used in the movie. Today, it is known as Raintree Inn. 15,000 pounds of props, 3,500 costumes, 216 tons of equipment, 135 crew members, and 119 speaking roles for a cast that included Eva Marie Saint, Nigel Patrick, Rod Taylor, Agnes Moorehead, and Lee Marvin. More than 300 locals, including a few from this area, served as extras.

Danville resident, Eleanor McDonald, recalled, “Stretch pants had just been invented and we’d never seen them before. They looked like you’d just melt and pour yourself into them. Elizabeth Taylor was wearing them and I thought my husband would fall off the back porch when he saw her. Oh, she was pretty.”

March Madness

People have gone plumb mad.

How can a person sit in front of the TV day and night between Thursday to Sunday and watch nothing but basketball is beyond me?

Wait, I am talking about own brother, and even my.....MOTHER!

It's March Madness!

And, there is a rumbling going on right now within the boundaries of the Wildcat Nation. 

Yes, the Kentucky Wildcats have their own nation. It stretches way beyond the outer limits of the universe...way beyond a galaxy far, far away.

Hello, I am the Notorious Meddler and I am a recovering Wildcats fanatic. It's true. All I needed on game day was a radio or a TV, and a pizza place that delivered, and it was GO BIG BLUE!

...and then, Duke defeated Kentucky in 1992.

But, lets not talk about that...

I would rather go back to when it all began -- the 1979 Magic Versus Bird NCAA Final Between Michigan State and Indiana State. It was the nation's top two players going up against one another. Life was good,and it was only the beginning.

I was h-double o-k, hooked, bay-bee!

Then came that fateful night on March 28, 1992. (Refer to the comment I made just five lines ago.)

That night, my poor TV must have been a nervous wreck. I did, after all, threaten to do it harm on more than one occasion by picking it up and throwing it out into the front yard. Poor, poor TV!

Normal U.K. fans will not understand what I am saying when I admit that I was too fanatical about the Wildcats, but I was, and after the greatest college basketball game EVER was over, so was my desire to be so fanatical about the Cats, or for any team or sport for that matter, Well, except the mighy, mighty Bulldogs of CCHS! Oh, don't get me wrong, I love Kentucky Basketball and am glad when we win, but nowadays I am not so into it that it controls me. I tried to watch the Kentucky-West Virginia game Saturday but I fell asleep with two minutes left to play.

According to one dictionary, being a fanatic means wildly excessive or irrational devotion, dedication, or enthusiasm. That's a Kentucky Wildcats fan!

My grandmother is the reason I was a Wildcats fanatic. She was one, too. She would sit in her rocking chair, dressed from head to toe in U.K. blue and white, holding a basketball that had been signed by then-coach, Tubby Smith. She was a die hard fan and always cheered enthusiastically for her beloved Wildcats.

There are over 4.3 million people living in Kentucky and most of them are fanatical about the University of Kentucky men's basketball team.

Once, after the Wildcats had played a poor game, legendary coach, Adolph Rupp, bumped into an elderly lady at the airport. "Sorry ma'am, no offense." She replied, "D--- little defense either."

It's March Madness.

People have gone plumb mad!

The Kneeling Camel

The camel, at the close of day

Kneels down upon the sandy plain

To have his burden lifted off

And rest to gain

My soul, thou too shouldst to thy knees

When the daylight draweth to a close

And let thy Master lift thy load

And grant repose

Else how canst thou tomorrow meet

With all tomorrow's work to do

If thou thy burden all the night

Dost carry through

The camel kneels at break of day

To have his guide replace his load

Then rises up again to take

The desert road

Sou thou shouldst kneel at morning's dawn

That God may give thee daily care

Assured that He no load too great

Will make thee bear

Anna Temple