  I never shall appeal to any muse of old To give inspiration to my story when it’s told, But, in words all my own, shall my theme unfold; And, for my love of man, I’ll tell you what I can; Tell you what I know that you may truly scan What to do and what to know for the good of man; Tell you where to go, the places you should shun On every working day, when your labor’s done. In telling where to go I will not name the place Where you should show your face, but let each run his race And, for himself decide the spot to cast his lot. I’ll point out mistakes to help put on brakes Against the evils of our day one often makes. From the Charlatan and all designing wise Strip his robe of guise and expose him to your eyes. The fawning sycophant and all his crafty kind Will be painted so they’ll not be hard to find. I’ll speak of laws and customs old with hoary age Taught by rulers, priests, and many an ancient sage That now are practically extinct with non-usage; And regulations new that men had little to do With bribes sometimes when they put them through Legislative halls and Congress we’d now eschew. I’ll speak to you about your manners When you sometimes march with banners; And even with hosannas sitting meekly in your pew Revolving schemes against others you intend to do. The roving politicians all seeking fat positions To feed their hungry maws and all their kin-in-laws Come in for their share when we divide the flaws. Even the society genteel in their swift automobile Had better beware their piccadillos to conceal. Religions of every shade by ancients and moderns made To subdue the gentle folk with all that they have said This subject will meet its due before I’m through, As I started out for things about that need review. Theatres too, with music, painting and art, Might all feel slighted not to have their part In the criticism we bring as they my song may sing; And the pictures my word recalls may be carved on walls In the coming days as was done with other poet’s lays. Developments in science where we place reliance To alleviate the misdirection of our state Should all be alluded to in the story we relate. Wars, with all their frightful havoc spread Where victorious and routed passed over dying and dead, And peace too that came at last That o’er the earth its healing blessings amassed Should have a place when in plates my work is cast; Also ethics, that practical theme so misunderstood, Should here be elucidated for the general good; And a few short digressions would not be out of place In an Epic dedicated to and written for The Human Race. But what is said under each head you may read, So to my task the work shall proceed.
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