I know, as my life grows older,
And mine eyes have clearer sight--
That under each rank Wrong, somewhere,
There lies the root of Right.
That each sorrow has its purpose--
By the sorrowing oft unguessed,
But as sure as the Sun brings morning,
Whatever is, is best.
I know that each sinful action,
As sure as the night brings shade,
Is sometime, somewhere punished,
Tho' the hour be long delayed.
I know that the soul is aided
Sometimes by the heart's unrest,
And to grow, means often to suffer--
But whatever is, is best.
I know there are no errors,
In the great Eternal plan,
And all things work together
For the final good of man.
And I know when my soul speeds onward
In its grand, Eternal quest,
I shall say, as I look back earthward,
Whatever is, is best.
[By Ella Wheeler Wilcox.]
The Goldsboro Messenger 4 May 1885: 6.
Courtesy of John M. Freiermuth.
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