The Land and the People

By Mabel Jones Gabbott

The land was old;

These people new,

Who came in 1492.

And many a battle was fought

Before

The Pilgrims found the rockbound shore,

Where only a few were

Left alive

Of many nations in ’75.

The land was old;

It had waited until

A people came with heart and will

To live in freedom and

Serve the Lord,

To welcome the homeless,

And when the word

Was framed for a nation

Strong and free,

The land was filled from sea to sea.

And the land and the people

Became a sign

Of goodness and hope and trust divine.

Art illustrated by Pat M. Hoggan