The rich man’s son inherits lands, And piles of brick and stone, and gold;
And he inherits soft white hands And tender flesh that fears the cold. Nor dares to wear a garment old:
A heritage, it seems to me,
One scarce would wish to hold in fee.
The rich man’s son inherits cares,— The bank may break, the factory burn,
A breath may burst his bubble shares; And soft white hands could hardly earn A living that would serve his turn:
A heritage, it seems to me,
One scarce would wish to hold in fee.
The rich man’s son inherits wants. His stomach craves for dainty fare;
With sated heart, he hears the pants Of toiling hinds with brown arms bare, And wearies in his easy-chair;
A heritage, it seems to me.
One scarce would wish to hold in fee.
What doth the poor man’s son inherit? Stout muscles and a sinewy heart,
A hardy frame, a hardier spirit; King of two hands, he does his part In every useful toil and art:
A heritage, it seems to me,
A king might wish to hold in fee.
What doth the poor man’s son inherit? Wishes o’erjoyed with humble things,
A rank adjudged by toil-won merit, Content that from employment springs, A heart that in his labor sings:
A heritage, it seems to me,
A king might wish to hold in fee.
What doth the poor man’s son inherit? A patience learned of being poor,
Courage, if sorrow come, to bear it, A fellow-feeling that is sure To make the outcast bless his door:
A heritage, it seems to me,
A king might wish to hold in fee.
O rich man’s son! there is a toil That with all others level stands;
Large charity doth never soil, But only whiten, soft white hands; This is the best crop from thy lands:
A heritage, it seems to me.
Worth being rich to hold in fee.
O poor man’s son! scorn not thy state; There is worse weariness than thine,
In merely being rich and" great; Toil only gives the soul to shine. And makes rest fragrant and benign:
A heritage, it seems to me.
Worth being poor to hold in fee.
Both, heirs to some six feet of sod, Are equal in the earth at last;
Both, children of the same dear God, Prove title to your heirship vast By record of a well-filled past:
A heritage, it seems to me.
Well worth a life to hold in fee.
This work was published before January 1, 1929, and is in the public domain worldwide because the author died at least 100 years ago.