Part 1 — THE SACRIFICE

The blood that flows for freedom is God's blood! Who dies for man's redemption, dies with Christ! The plan of expiation is unchanged: And, as One died, supremely good, for all, So one dies still, that many more may live. So fall our saviours on the bloody field, In deadly swamps, along the foul lagoons, On the long march, in crowded hospitals, Of wounds, of weariness, of pain and thirst, Of wasting fevers and of sudden plagues, Of pestilence, that lurks within the camp, Of long home-sickness, and of hope deferred, Of languishing, in hostile prisons chained— And, with their blood, they wash the nation clean, And furnish expiation for the sin That those who slay them have been guilty of. So God selects the noblest of the land: He culls the qualities that are His own— Our courage, patience, love of human kind, Our strong devotion to the cause of Right, Our noblest aspirations for the time When every man shall stand erect and free, Self-elevated, God-appointed king! Knowing no equals, save his brother men; Ruling no lieges, save his own desires; The undisputed sovereign of himself, Owning no higher sovereignty but God. God culls these qualities, that are Himself— These sparks of Deity that live in man— And, in man's person, offers up Himself, A long, perpetual sacrifice for sin. This is the plan—the changeless plan of Heav'n: The good die, that the evil may be purged; The noble perish, that the base may live; The free are bound, that slaves may break their bonds; Those who have happy homes are self-exiled, That other exiles may have happy homes; The bravest sons of Freedom's land are slain, That the oppressed of tyrant realms may live; The guilty land is washed in innocent blood; And slavery is atoned for by the free.

Oh! desolate mother, wailing for thy son, Be comforted. He was a chosen one. The Lord selected him from other men, Because the Eternal Eye discerned in him Some noble attribute, some spark divine, Some unseen quality, that was from God, And is a part of God, howe'er obscured By human weakness, or by human sin— Something deemed worthy for the sacrifice That shall redeem a nation. Weep no more; For thou art blessed among womankind!