156

[Newspaper clipping]

THE BANKER AND THE LIGHT-
HOUSE.

We stood a moment at the water's edge
And saw a rugged lighthouse far at
sea,
Warning the pilots of a dangerous
ledge,
And then this Western banker said
to me:

"A lighthouse has a curious appeal.
To me there's something noble in its
form,
A grandeur and a dignity I feel;
It never breaks or cringes in a storm.

"The fury of the wind can move it not,
Into the night it sends its light afar.
A few brave men, among our changing
lot,
In times of stress much like a light-
house are.

"I know, in all my circle, one or two
Who brave the storms unmoved, erect
and straight,
Holding their place 'gainst all the fates
may go--
Strong, rugged, noble characters, and
great."

And as we turn to leave, and looked
once more
To watch the angry waters break and
roll
Against the lighthouse far away from
shore,
Thought I, this banker has a poet's
soul.

--Edgar A. Guest.
(Copyright, 1923, by Edgar A. Guest.)