We prate much, boasting, of the might of steam, And what its throbbing energies have done; We tell of wealth and glory shrewdly won From intricate devices, where the gleam That lights the clouds becomes a golden stream Of wire-sent power, stupendous: Is there none Of forces else to praise beneath the sun3 These, of themselves, were but a worthless dream. Aye! One thing more the world of work demands, Ere labor can arrive at any goal A human force more firm than turning bands, And more enduring than all wheels that roll A man, with skill and patience in his hands A man, with strength and courage in his soul!