Abou Ben Adhem

When I was in eighth grade, certain literary works were required memorization for all eighth graders in the city of Nashville. These included, among others, a speech called “Spartacus to the Gladiators” and a poem by Leigh Hunt called “Abou Ben Adhem.” We recited these before the class and did so perfectly. Once in a while now, some of the lines to the latter run through my mind and I wonder who chose that poem for us to learn. I don’t have the permission to copy it here for you to read, but you can locate it easily on the Internet. If you are interested in what has happened and is happening to our schools, take a look at this poem. Some of you might see it as a Christian poem, but it is not. In a day when the Bible was read and prayers were prayed in public schools, this sort of thing was already creeping in.

♥