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Table of Contents

Better than grandeur, better than gold,

Than rank and title a thousand fold,

Is a healthy body, a mind at ease,

And simple pleasures that always please;

A heart that can feel for a neighbor’s woe,

And share his joys with a genial glow;

With sympathies large enough to enfold

All men as brothers, is better than gold.

Better than gold is a thinking mind,

That in the realm of books can find

A treasure surpassing Australian ore,

And live with the great and good of yore:—

The sage’s lore and the poet’s lay,

The glories of empires passed away.

The world’s great dream will thus unfold

And yield a pleasure better than gold.

Better than gold is a peaceful home,

Where all the fireside charities come—

The shrine of love and the haven of life,

Hallowed by mother, or sister, or wife.

However humble the home may be,

Or tried with sorrow by Heaven’s decree,

The blessings that never were bought or sold

And centre there, are better than gold.

—Mrs. J. M. Winton.