Scripture Verse

Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love Him. 1 Corinthians 2:9

Introduction

Words: Belle Bush, in The Palm of Vic­to­ry, ed­it­ed by Le­roy H. Dow­ling (St. Lou­is, Mis­sou­ri: L. H. Dow­ling, 1874), page 17.

Music: Pan­ta­nal James H. Ro­se­crans (🔊 pdf nwc).

If you know where to get a good pho­to of Bush (head & shoul­ders, at least 200×300 pix­els),

portrait
James H. Rosecrans
(1843–1926)

Lyrics

’Tis beau­ti­ful to live on earth,
To work, to watch and pray,
To feel the ties of love and hope
Grow strong­er day by day;
’Tis beau­ti­ful to look with­in,
And watch the waves of thought
That come and go in cease­less tides,
By truth and fan­cy taught.

’Tis beau­ti­ful to love and trust
The friends that round us live;
To look with pi­ty on the weak,
And all their faults for­give,
’Tis beau­ti­ful to trust in God,
To feel our souls grow strong,
And know that ev­ery day we strive
To tri­umph ov­er wrong.

’Tis beau­ti­ful to die, when life,
With all its du­ties done,
Drifts on, as does a sum­mer cloud,
To greet the set­ting sun;
It will be beau­ti­ful to pass
On to the Bet­ter Shore,
And in the ma­ny man­sions meet
The loved ones gone be­fore.