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Sligo Independent 2 January 1914
NEVER BREAK A PROMISE.
If you want to be respected,
And to gather many a friend,
There’s a simple rule to follow,
That will bring the wished-
It is this : Be very careful
How your promises you make;
And a promise, once ’tis given,
Never, never, never break!
Keep engagements, to the letter;
Let this praise to you belong ;
“Oh, his word is just as binding
As would be his legal bond ! ”
Thus your name will e’re be honored,
Everywhere it may be heard,
If you never break a promise,
And you always keep your word.
This poem was apparently written by Kate Clyde and was included in a volume of hers called "Golden Days". This and similar poems from the volume were often reproduced in newspapers in the 1890s. "Never Break a Promise", for instance appears in the The North Carolina Teacher in 1883.
I have found no other information about the volume or the author.