Who kept the faith and fought the fight; The glory theirs, the duty ours.

The couplet contrasts the completed labor of predecessors with the ongoing responsibility of those who follow. “Kept the faith” and “fought the fight” echo Pauline language (notably 2 Timothy 4:7), casting the earlier generation’s steadfastness and struggle in moral and almost sacred terms. Yet the second line refuses mere celebration: if “the glory” belongs to those who endured and achieved, the living inherit “the duty” to preserve what was won and to continue the work. The epigram thus functions well as a commemorative or memorial sentiment—honoring sacrifice while urging civic or ethical continuity rather than passive reverence.