Grand Haven Daily Tribune  April 7, 1898

Have Faith, and Struggle On.

—

DAVID FLETCHER HUNTON.

—

A robin came one early spring,

Into a shade tree, tall and fair;

And every morning she would sing

To all our little children there.

I’d seen her come, day after day—

She and her mate—with bits of stuff,

The children thought they were at play

But I know better well enough!

Within a week, the work was done,

Their pretty nest was all complete;

But some bad boys—they said “for fun”—

Pulled down the nest into the street.

The birds kept looking at the wreck,

With seeming sadness in their hearts;

But soon, with many a nod and beck,

They flew away to other parts.

We thought they would not come again,

And told our children so,

But on the morrow—in the rain—

We saw the Robins come and go;

And so we watched them for an hour,

And found them building as before,

They did not mind the April shower,

Which drenched the sidewalk at our door.

This time they built up near the top

Of that fine maple near the street;

They worked right on and did not stop

Until their nest was quite complete.

This nest was made of bits of hair,

Pieces of leaves, and grass, and wood;

We saw it swaying in the air,

And thought the Robins built it good.

We told the children everything

About that new-made second nest;

They loved to hear the “red breast” sing,

And said, he had a “dandy vest.”

Alas! that night a big cyclone

Blew down that tree top to the street!

The nest was ruined—and was thrown

Into our neighbor’s rustic seat!

Oh! how the little children cried,

To hear the Robins “peep” and “peep!”

And they declared—as oft they sighed—

That they could “surely see them weep!”

And then I said, “they’ll build no more

“And we shall see them fly away,

“They’ll seek some tree down by the shore;

“I’m sure we’ll miss them every day.”

But they were braver, far, than men:

They peeped awhile if distressed,

In that same tree, they tried again,

And for a third time, built a nest;

They worked and sung, and sung and worked,

And brought material from the lawn;

We could not see that either shirked,

But they had Faith and struggled on.

They Persevered and they were firm

And tried to do their very best;

I looked again—each had a worm—

And five wide mouths were in the nest.

MORAL.

It will not do to be “cast down,”

And languish into helplessness;

Dame fortune may not always frown

Perseverance means a success.