From the Omaha Daily Bee, January 19, 1915. By Minedith Hurst.
The severest tests of the elements
Produce the old oak tree—
King—with a forest’s reverence,
Enwrapped in majesty.
Nor yet supreme, for needs must he
Maintain his monarchy.
So let the storms rage wild and free,
And winds blow wrathfully.
Strong characters in life evolve
Through constant stress and pain,
And only by perpetual strife
May they that height sustain.