| |
| PREACH about yesterday, Preacher! | |
| The time so far away: | |
| When the hand of Deity smote and slew, | |
| And the heathen plagued the stiff-necked Jew; | |
| Or when the Man of Sorrow came, | 5 |
| And blessed the people who cursed his name— | |
| Preach about yesterday, Preacher, | |
| Not about today! | |
| |
| Preach about tomorrow, Preacher! | |
| Beyond this world’s decay: | 10 |
| Of the sheepfold Paradise we priced | |
| When we pinned our faith to Jesus Christ; | |
| Of those hot depths that shall receive | |
| The goats who would not so believe— | |
| Preach about tomorrow, Preacher, | 15 |
| Not about today! | |
| |
| Preach about the old sins, Preacher! | |
| And the old virtues, too: | |
| You must not steal nor take man’s life, | |
| You must not covet your neighbor’s wife, | 20 |
| And woman must cling at every cost | |
| To her one virtue, or she is lost— | |
| Preach about the old sins, Preacher! | |
| Not about the new! | |
| |
| Preach about the other man, Preacher! | 25 |
| The man we all can see! | |
| The man of oaths, the man of strife, | |
| The man who drinks and beats his wife, | |
| Who helps his mates to fret and shirk | |
| When all they need is to keep at work— | 30 |
| Preach about the other man, Preacher! | |
| Not about me! | |
| |
