Brave And True
Whatever you are, be brave, boys!
The liar’s a coward and slave, boys!
Though clever at ruses,
And sharp at excuses,
He’s a sneaking and pitiful knave, boys!
Whatever you are, be frank, boys!
‘Tis better than money and rank, boys!
Still cleave to the right,
Be lovers of light,
Be open, aboveboard, and frank, boys!
Whatever you are, be kind, boys!
Be gentle in manner and mind, boys!
The man gentle in mien,
Words and tempers, I ween,
Is the gentleman truly refined, boys!
Whatever you are, be true, boys!
Be visible through and through, boys!
Leave to others the shamming,
The “greening” and the “cramming,”
In fun and in earnest, be true, boys!
—Henry Downton.
A Lie Never Needed
Dare to be true. Nothing can need a lie.
A fault which needs it most, grows two thereby.
—George Herbert.
The Folly Of Falsehood
He who tells a lie is not sensible how great a task he undertakes; for he must be forced to invent twenty more to maintain that one.
—Alexander Pope.
So long as I have lived I have striven to live worthily.
—Alfred, the Great (His dying words.)
Alternate Reading: Acts 13:1-12.