Leslie Pinckney Hill was born in Lynchburg, Virginia, on May 14, 1880. A graduate of Harvard University’s bachelors and masters programs, Hill was a poet, playwright, educator, and community leader and organizer.
Beyond the cities I have seen,Beyond the wrack and din,There is a wide and fair demesneWhere I have never been.
Away from desert wastes of greed,Over the peaks of pride,Across the seas of mortal needIts citizens abide.
And through the distance though I seeHow stern must be the fare,My feet are ever fain to beUpon the journey there.
In that far land the only schoolThe dwellers all attendIs built upon the Golden Rule,And man to man is friend.
No war is there nor war’s distress,But truth and love increase—It is a realm of pleasantness,And all her paths are peace.