Library of Congress. UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. Chap. -_i___4_^_7_^/ Shelf 9 — 404 july, 1848. A LIST OF BOOKS RECENTLY PUBLISHED BY JAMES MUNROE AND COMPANY, 134 (OTasSfnflton*, ©pposfte Scfjool Street, BOSTON, AND LYCEUM BUILDING, CAMBRIDGE. « I. RALPH WALDO EMERSON. Poems. In one vol- urae, 16mo. Fourth edition, pp. 251. Price 87 cents. ii. CHARLES T. BROOKS. Homage of the Arts ; with Miscellaneous Pieces from Ruchert, Freiligrath, and other German Poets. In one volume, 16mo. pp. 158. Price 62 cents. in. EPES SARGENT. Songs of the Sea, with Other Poems. In one volume, 16mo. pp. 208, IV. WILLIAM ELLERY CHANNING. Poems. First and Second Series. Price 62 cents each. v. VERSES OF A LIFE-TIME, by Caroline Gilman. 16mo. In Press. VI. JOHN PIERPONT. Airs of Palestine, with Other Poems. In one volume, 16mo. Steel Plate, pp. 350. Price $1.00. VII. THE SUNDAY SCHOOL, and OTHER POEMS, by William B. Tappan. 16mo. Illuminated Title. A LIST OF BOOKS RECENTLY PUBLISHED VIII. GOETHE AND SCHILLER. Select Minor Poems. Translated from the German, with Notes. By John S. Dwight. 16mo. pp.460. Price $1.00. IX. ESSAYS. By Ralph Waldo Emekson. First and Second Seiies. Fourth Edition. Revised. 16mo. pp. each 350. Price 75 cents. Either volume sold separate. x. CHARLES T. BROOKS. Songs and Ballads. Trans- lated from Uhland, Korner, Burger, and other German Lyric Poets. With Notes, 12mo. pp. 410. Price $1.00. XI. CHARLES T. BROOKS. William Tell, a Drama, in Five Aets, from the German of Schiller. One volume, 12mo* pp. 120. Price 62 cents. XII. SCHILLER'S WALLENSTEIN. Wallenstein's Camp. Translated from the German of Schiller, by George Moir. With a Memoir of Albert Wallenstein, by G. W. Haven. 16mo. pp. 142. Price 50 cents. XIII. HENRY TAYLOR. Phillip Van Artevelde, a Dra- matic Romance. In one volume, lomo. pp. 252. Price $1.00. XIV. STEPHEN G. BULFINCH. Lays of the Gospel. One volume, 16mo. pp. 206. Price 75 cents. xv. GOETHE'S EGMONT. Egbiont, a Tragedy in Five Acts. Translated from the German. 16mo. pp. 152. Price 38 cents. XVI. THE BONDMAID. Translated from the Swedish, by Mrs. Putnam. One volume, 16mo. pp. 112. Price 50 cents. xvii. LYDIA H. SIGOURNEY. Pleasant Memories of Pleasant Lands. Two Steel Plates. 16mo. pp. 382. Price $1.25. XVIII. LYDIA H. SIGOURNEY Scenes in my Native Land. Two Steel Plates. 16mo. pp. 320. Price $1.25. BY JAMES MUNROE AND COMPANY. TRANSLATIONS i. ESSAYS ON ART. Translated from the German of Goethe, by Samuel Gray Ward. One volume, ]6mo. pp. 264. Price 75 cents. ii. WALT AND VULT, or THE TWINS. Translated from the German of Jean Paul Richter, by Mrs. T. Lee. Two volumes, 16mo. pp. 3*20. Price $1.00 each. FLOWER, FRUIT, AND THORN PIECES; Or the Married LrFE, Death and Wedding of the Advocate of the Poor, FIRMIN STANISLAUS SIEBENKAS. Translated from the German of Jean Paul Richter, by Edward Henry Noel. Two volumes, 16mo. First Series, pp. 348. Second Series, pp. 400. Prico $1.00 each. IV. PHILOSOPHICAL MISCELLANIES. Translated from the French of Cousin, Jouffroy, and B. Constant. With Intro- ductory and Critical Notices. By George Ripley Twc volumes, 12mo. pp. 784. Price $1.00 each. SELECT MINOR POEMS. Translated from the Ger- man of Goethe and Schiller, with Notes. By John S. Dwight. One volume, 12mo. pp. 4G0. Price $1.00. ECKERMAN'S CONVERSATIONS. Conveesa- tions with Goethe in the Last Years of his Life. Translated from the German, by S. M. Fuller. One volume, 12mo. pp. 440. Price $1.00. VII. INTRODUCTION TO ETHICS. Including a Criti- cal Survey of Moral Systems. Translated from the French of Jouffroy, by William H. Channing. Two volumes, 12mo. pp. 732. Prince $1.00 each. VIII. GERMAN LITERATURE. Translated from the German of Wolfgang Menzel, by Cornelius C. Felton. Three volumes, 12mo. pp. 1172. Price $1.00 each. JAMES MUNROE AND COMPANY'S PUBLICATIONS. THEODORE, or THE SCEPTIC'S CONVERSION. History op the Culture of a Protestant Clergyman. Translated from the German of De Wette, by James F. 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Price 62 cents. xvi. HEINE'S LETTERS. Letters Auxiliary to the His- tory of Modern Polite Literature in Germany. Translated from the German, by G. W. Haven. One volume, 16mo. pp. 172. Price 50 cents Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2011 with funding from The Library of Congress http://www.archive.org/details/sundayschoolotheOOtapp THE SUNDAY SCHOOL AND * -.-. OTHER POEMS. BY WILLIAM B. TAPPAN. BOSTON AND CAMBEIDGE: JAMES MUNKOE AND COMPANY. MDCCCXLVIH. , , , .- , , j Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1848, By WILLIAM BINGHAM TAPPAN, In the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the District of Massachusetts. STEREOTYPED BY 8. N. DICKINSON, BOSTON. n hi The "Sunday School and Other Poems," is the fourth and concluding volume of a series, embracing my revised Poems; of which, "Poetry of the Heart," "i Sacred and Miscellaneous Poems," and " Poetry of Life," are the first, second, and third. INDEX OF SUBJECTS PAGE. Alexander Henry, 67 Aspirations in the Pulpit, • 236 Beverly, 156 Bible, 190 Burman's Question, ■ 113 By whom of all thy chosen, Lord, 245 Castaway, 115 Chinese Lady, 118 Cholera, — in prospect of its second invasion, 138 Deaf and Dumb, 193 December, • 187 Flagstaff, 224 Freedom's Hymn, for the Fourth of July, 89 Girard College, Philadelphia, 96 Go ! Dream of by-past Hours, 239 G , an advocate for Temperance, who, by conspiracy, was deceived into a temporary relapse, 232 Grace and Position, 70 Harriet Newell, 180 Hymn, — sung by the Congregation of Pine Street Church, Boston, May 14, 1848, 222 VI INDEX OF SUBJECTS. PAGE. Hymn of Welcome, — on the return of a Pastor from Europe and Asia, • • 107 Hymn, — sung at the Celebration of the Leland Family, at Sherburne, 109 Hymn, — sung at the Installation of Rev. S. Hutchins, late Missionary to India ; at South Brookfield, Mass. Sept. 15, 1847, ■ 133 Hymn for the Millennium, 219 Invocation, • • » • • • 247 J— A— , 123 John Eliot, of Roxbury, , 198 La Lanterne vs. La Guillotine, • • ■ 151 Lazarus, • • • • • « « 181 L e A F , • 125 Lines, — on receiving from the author a copy of " Scenes in the Holy Land, • • • 173 Looking to the Cross — Looking to Jesus, 129 Lucy Ann, at Sixteen, • • • • • 240 Millennial Morn ! thy rosy beams, • 244 Mother, 204 Mrs. Mary E. Van Lennep, — on reading her Memoir by her Mother, • 111 My Children, 93 Stars ! 105 Ordination Hymn, « 131 Parting Hymn, — sung by the Pupils of Phillips Academy, Andover, at the Annual Examination, 1847, • ■ 87 Poet, 213 Portents, • • 209 Prayer for a Son at Sea, • 159 Presbyterian, 197 Psalm of Remembrance, « 175 Queen Victoria's Fancy Dress Ball, • « • • • 216 Religion and Rum, . . 242 Retrospective, ■ 185 Rev. Messrs. Dr. B and G— , of England, 145 Rev. Paul Couch, of Newburyport, 201 INDEX OF SUBJECTS. Vll PAGE. Sapphic for Thanksgiving, 97 Silent Street, - 80 Sin, 249 Slips, 234 Stanzas, 143 Strange Things, 195 Sunday School, 13 Take Wings ! 205 Temperance Jubilee Hymn, 230 " That is able to keep you from Falling," 74 To a Deaf and Dumb Girl, 91 Traits of Nature. • • • 164 True Science, 238 Two Ships, 77 Unspoken at Sea, 169 Verses, — occasioned by the imprisonment of Rev. G C , at the suit of a Rum-distilling Deacon. 228 Verses — written after hearing the Speeches in Faneuil Hall, on a late Anniversary occasion, • 139 Voice of the Sea, 118 Waiting for the Grave, 85 What shall we have ? • 199 When Morning breaks upon the Night, < 135 Which? • 208 Whitefield, — on seeing his remains in their resting-place at New- buryport, Mass., Sept. 11, 1837, ■ 189 Winter, • 127 Ye Spirits of the Just that Soar, 83 INDEX OP FIRST LINES. PAGE. A Mother's Love — how great that Love, 204 And this was Whitefield, 189 A Vessel on the Deeps, 77 " Away to the Lanterne," ■ 151 Bethany ! on thy site, as travellers tell, 181 By whom of all thy chosen, Lord, 245 Child ! remember thy Creator, • 175 Could I name every curious root, 238 Farewell, December ! cheerless as thou art, 187 Go ! dream of by-past hours, • • • • • 239 He sat with men whose high debate, 67 He, who recalled from Gentile lands, "133 His current name that graced for years a Bank, • • • • 96 His Ministers, as fiery flames, 131 How blessed the heir, unvexed by trouble, • • • 143 How many, that a few months since, 185 INDEX OF FIRST LINES. IX PAGE. I grieve not Heaven to thee denies, 91 I knew her not ; — a fountain here, • HI I marvel at thy curious mien, 148 Immortal Sin, of heavenly birth ! 249 In Boston is a street — about a rod, • • - 80 I sing of her whom Heaven has called to win, 13 Men, crossing the blue wave, have told, 113 Millennial Morn ! thy rosy beams, 244 My God, do lips wake martial story, • • • • 209 My prayer goes up this Sabbath morn, 159 Night's dream pursueth me by day, 166 Not so ! in unambitious day, 197 Book ! that bright and burning Day, 190 God of Bethel ! from thy hands, 109 God, to Thee, from whom so long, 219 Jesus, while implores, • 236 Saviour ! Thou ! the Hope and Stay, 224 Oh Stars ! upon the brow of night, 105 On this " broad platform " grimly stand, 139 ' ; Scenes in the Holy Land ! " and I have walked 173 She has gone from our sight, 125 Sit on thy throne, Imperial Dame, 216 Stranger ! that in this Isle-of-Franee, 180 Take wings ! take wings ! and seek the lost, 205 Temptation, toil and suffering here, ■ • • 70 That is able to keep me, an ignorant child, • 74 That thou wast loved, and still hast part, 222 The Christian flouts the turbaned Turk, 242 The dying Papist clasps the Cross, 129 INDEX OF FIRST LINES. PAGE. The flames advance with sweeping stride,- ....... «... 164 The ibol, who counts by millions yellow wealth, - >• • 123 The man whose aflliction his fellow had been, 201 Then Peter said to Jesus, " All we 've left," 199 The patriot sires in glory sleep, 89 There are, who leaving house and lands, 198 The sinner says : " Let Evil rule,"- 208 " The Soul, immortal as its Sire," 107 The waves of passion may be stayed, • • ' 1J8 They say 't is dangerous to ascend, • 234 They 've thrust him in the inner cell, - 228 Thou 'st snatched the youth from Ruin's grave, 115 'T is strange that I should plant or build, 195 Victim of malice — not of lust, 232 i Wearied with play, that night, my sweet first-born, 85 We ask Thee not, God ! to bow, 247 What boots it that yon green hill-side, ( 230 Wlien evil and good were in Eden discovered, 87 When morning breaks upon the night,- 135 When the old Fathers of New England, • • 97 While opens, Lucy Ann, on you, > 240 Why do n't one of the thousand ships, 169 Winter ! there are among the race of men, • • • 127 With what a calm and self-confiding gait, • 138 Ye are alive to bliss, my boys ! 93 Ye cultivated minds, that know, 193 Ye spirits of the Just, that soar, 83 Yet no true Poet would resign, • 213 Ye 've sought our Western shore, ■ 145 Yon starry world hath them received, 156 THE SUNDAY SCHOOL. THE SUNDAY SCHOOL I sing of her whom Heaven has called to win Renown from conflict and a world from sin ; Whose name inspires affection and respect ; Whose firm, yet quiet influence has checked The rising; floods of ignorance and shame : A victor, where the spoils are more than fame ; A friendly beacon on the dangerous coast, Where ships are wrecked and mariners are lost ; A blessed star that watches o'er the way Where perils wait, and heedless travellers stray ; The powerful empress of persuasive rule — - The unassuming, noble Sunday School ! 2 14 THE SUNDAY SCHOOL. The glorious Gospel follows where the ban Pursues his step and rests on sinning man ; The Gospel streams in rich abundance flow, Whose tides can change his crimson into snow; The Gospel's trump proclaims deliverance nigh For souls appointed in their guilt to die ; The Gospel breaks the sighing prisoner's chain, And pours its balm on every mental pain ; By various methods is its knowledge spread, By various calls it wakes the sleeping dead ; The Pulpit speaks, and argument has power To rouse the moments of a careless hour ; In fireside talk the little child is stirred By some fond, faithful Mother's gentle word;- — And hearts are moulded to the happy rule Of true religion in the Sunday School. The Sunday School! — In Puritanic times, The days of Dilworth and of nursery rhymes, When fancy yielded to the Dreamer's art, And I to Bunyan freely gave my heart. And early read, and, sleepless, studied late, To reach with Christian the celestial gate, And helped him as I could in doubtful strife, And battled Death, to gain Eternal Life, — THE SUNDAY SCHOOL. 15 Fought, as the Pilgrim fought, incarnate Sin, And stabbed the fiend Apollyon with a pin, — Surveyed the black, strong currents with a shiver, Yet heard the notes from golden trumpets quiver, And wished I too were past the deep cold river! Or, pondering o'er the Primer's rude designs, I learned by heart the Primer's ruder lines, And wept John Roger's doom — the best of men — Yet wondered if his babes were nine or ten ! — Or drew sweet fictions — just like simple facts — From Hannah More's Repository Tracts, — Of Giles the Poacher, Tawney Rachel's reign, And the good Shepherd of the Salisbury Plain, — Or, as the Sabbath hours began to fail, Threw books aside, and begged a Bible tale Of her, who never could my suit deny, Who watched me with a mother's heart and eye — I say, in Puritanic times 'twas thought [nought, When God, the Builder, called the earth from He made the Sabbath, and ordained it " Blest ! " And then made Adam for the Day of Rest. " Children of parents, passed into the skies ! " Regard me not with stern or doubtful eyes ; Reverence for them I lessen not in you — 16 THE SUNDAY SCHOOL. Those martexts were the Pharisaic few. " The Sabbath Day is wisely made for man/' Our fathers said : " Yet," said the Puritan : " Other than worship for the meeting hours, " And books at home, be far from us and ours ! " Other than conning catechetic lines, "Drawn by the good Assembly of Divines, "And sitting still, the long and solemn Day, " Eschewing naughty Cheerfulness alway, — " By children practised, will insult His claims, "Whose Law is guarded by a thousand flames." Forgive their error ! — ours, that differs wide, Leans not, too often, to Religion's side. Blessed was the spirit of that olden time ! Sundays were ladders for the soul to climb, When she would scale and leap the crystal gates, Where Love to crown the bold invader waits. In the aroma of these riper hours We merge the sweetness of those early flowers. Will children, now, peruse the lines of grace Where children read them, in a Mother's face ? Will she resume inalienable rule, Unwisely yielded to the Sunday School ? Again invite her offspring to her side, THE SUNDAY SCHOOL. 17 And print on yielding hearts the Crucified? With pleasant words, celestial truths instill, That mould Affection, Intellect, and Will? The words, in folly's path, forgotten never ! — The truths that live, in spite of sin, forever! — Why look abroad for precept that has birth, Where God ordained it, at the sacred hearth? Why send the little wanderers out for store Of flowers that climb and nestle round your door? Can hearts and lips, though, prophet-like, they glow With living fire, a Parent's ardor know? May one, endued with super-human grace To lead immortals, take the Mother's place? The Sunday School! — I will not yield her claim To shine with others of exalted name, That, as bright beams, are glancing round the world, Dispersing Error where its cloud is curled; Yet, as the myriad drops of morning dew, Should Sunday Schools in number rise to view, Studding the city like the starry gems, — Blazing, where forests wear their diadems, — Investing frozen Labrador with charms, — Soothing, forever, China's rude alarms, — ■ Sprinkling with grace imperial Rangoon, — Blessing with freedom Africa's Wednoon, — 2* 18 THE SUNDAY SCHOOL. And in barbaric uttermost Japan, Transforming devilish cannibals to Man,— And causing wilderness and prairie here, To bloom with roses as the sweet Cashmere,— My aspiration would be, " Let them die ! Their very name in deep oblivion lie ! If, at the cost of Home's instruction fed, They lift, like parasites, unworthy head, And basely thrive upon the Children's Bread ! " * Lo ! the fair gardens of the Church invite His gracious step whose path is tracked in light. Awake, North Wind ! — Come, thou South ! and That fragrant spices may for Jesus flow. [blow, # " Home must be made the most attractive spot on earth. Both parents must labor to make it so. Fathers must cultivate in themselves a childlike love to the Great Father, and then they will have that kindness and simplicity which attracts, and that elevation of feeling which secures the respect of children. But if business is allowed to consume the time and heart of the heaven-appointed governors and teachers of children ; if religion is to take the form of out-door effort, and pecuniary contribution, solely; if we are to trust to public and Sunday Schools to do what does not pertain to them, what shall hinder the utter degeneracy of the entire people, or the righteous indignation of Heaven from inflicting upon us the judgments which have de- stroyed other nations ? V — Rev. E. N. Kirk. " Religion never thoroughly penetrates life till it becomes do- mestic. Like the patriotic fire, which makes a nation invinci- ble, it never burns with inextinguishable devotion till it burns at the hearth." — Rev. Dr. Bushnell. THE SUNDAY SCHOOL. 19 Ye gardens, perish ! if your plants of pride Are rifled from their soil, — the Mother's side ! And yet it needs not that the Sunday School Should cross, or weaken Home's superior rule. The generous Teacher, taught himself by grace, Only confirms the faithful Parent's place ; Usurps no power, but aids the patient toil That turns the furrow in the goodly soil ; With wisest care and well directed lore, Deepens the truth, securely lodged before; Watches the seed that takes its vigorous root; Rejoices o'er the blossoms, leaves, and fruit ; And sees, at length, the noble plant arise, With all a Parent's fond exulting eyes. Thou ! thus purveying for the watchful skies, — Thou ! thus commissioned, in the vineyard found, — Sunday School Teacher ! occupying ground On which to gaze might Heaven incline from bliss — Art thou sufficient for a work like this ? The artless girl behold ! — behold the boy ! Thou lookest at innocence without alloy ; Transparent rectitude is in that breast ; — The peaceful dove builds there its quiet nest ; — Ah no ! — the swelling, bursting seeds of sin, That sprout to evil, germinate within. 'Tis thine, with heart and spirit, sanctified, To come in contact with this hateful pride ; And, by the help of overpowering Grace, Subdue the passions that usurp God's place. To aid thee are appliances at hand, Enough, and more, to renovate the land. Say, with munitions adequate as these, Why are not rebels humbled on their knees ? In dust, why may not weeping children lie, As, with compassions, Jesus passes by — And the dull Church, so deaf to duty's calls, Rouse, as " hosannas " shake her slumbering walls — The Children's welcome — taught by Love the art ? Why, Teacher ! why ? — is 't want in thee of heart ? He who has led a lamb to Jesus' fold, And one more happy name for heaven enrolled, Has set in motion influence, ceasing never ! Has opened streams of joy that flow forever ! There is, to win, beyond mere human skill, A power that touches and subdues the will To sweet instruction. ■ — She, whose humble seat Is found on Sundays at the Children's feet, — THE SUNDAY SCHOOL. 21 Her " flute-like " voice explaining holy lore, Of which her soul and intellect have store, — Her object lowly, yet too high for pride, — Her perfect pattern, the dear Crucified, — Sees ever in the pupil's beaming face, If in that pupil glows one spark of grace — Deep lines of thought, and in the kindling eye, A soul that questions, and that prompts reply. From heart to heart electric errands go, And high communion child and teacher know ; The gentle words that to the learner call, With reflex influence on the teacher fall ; While tears of strange and sacred pleasure show The fellowship of Heaven begun below ! This, this is Mind with Mind communing; this The foretaste, given, of immortal bliss ; — A holy Daniel or anointed Paul Thus takes the child at mercy's earliest call, Directs its tiny footsteps to the throne, And sees it crowned with glories like his own. " The day of small things " some affect to spurn : Such at the Sunday School may lesson learn ; May see how Heaven prepares from lowly things Exalted honors for the King of kings. A few poor children, gathered in a room, An humble woman teaches ; — one, whose loom Was heard in busy motion all the week — She now imparts, with looks and language meek, The simple lesson, nor to swear nor steal ; And teaches knees, that never bowed, to kneel. She bids the uncouth and semi-barbarous, take A decent garb, for Decency's mere sake ; — - And, as shine down on intellects, opaque, Some gentle rays, the rescued hasten on, Till, leaving Egypt, they have Goshen won; Where coruscations of pure knowledge meet Around the head and bathe in light the feet. Such is the story of the Sunday School, And none will chide its moral but the fool. Immortal he,* whose pitying eye surveyed The dreadful wreck by Sin and Misery made ! * " In 1781 - 82 an errand led Eobert Baikes into a neigh- borhood in his native city of Gloucester, England, which was inhabited chiefly by the lowest class of laborers in a manufac- tory, whose children, from six to twelve or fourteen years of age, were running wild in the street. He was told that on the Lord's day, when all ages and classes were free from employment and restraint, their noise and blasphemy were insufferable. Farmers and others, in the neighboring towns and villages, complained of the depredations upon their property as more frequent and bold THE SUNDAY SCHOOL. 23 Whose love was prompt; whose zeal was all engaged To meet the war with Vice and Error waged ; In that fierce battle to sustain the Right, And chase to hell the empire of old Night. He saw not that his unobtrusive scheme, Which pleased his fancy, partly like a dream, Would substance take so soon ; take wings and fiy — The Principle of Life where children die. Oh, who shall influence ever wield like this? To millions opening founts of perfect bliss ! — Who wake such hope, and widely spreading power Of glorious good, increasing every hour, — All unconfined to climate, sea, or shore, — Still rising, swelling, flowing, evermore ! Nor could the treasure noble Raikes had found Enrich, alone, his native English ground. on that day than on all the rest of the days of the week. To remedy these evils, persons duly qualified were hired, at twenty- two cents a day, to open schools for two hours in the morning and afternoon ; to receive and instruct the ignorant in the art of reading ; to teach the catechism, and to lead them to church. — Mr. Raikes's experiment was entirely successful; his plan was approved by some of the most wise and eminent men in the country ; similar schools were established in other districts, and, in 1811, at least 300,000 children were reported as members of these schools." — Teacher Taught ; published by the Am. S. S. Union. 24 THE SUNDAY SCHOOL. The gift to us some friendly herald brought; By elder Britain was Columbia taught. * Yet here, at first, the timid stranger saw Reserve and doubt — for such is Yankee law. " She comes to us in fair and winning guise ; Yet to be wary, may perhaps be wise." " The Sunday School ? — 't is well — a pretty plan," The Pastor said — and said the good old man, * " The first Sunday School of which we have any knowl- edge in this country, was the one established by Ludwig Thacker, as early as the middle of the last century ; preceding the schools of Raikes in England by thirty or forty years. This was in the town of Ephrata, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. In 1788 Bishop Asbury, it is said, organized a school of this kind in Han- over, Virginia. In December, 1790, incipient measures were adopted in Philadelphia, for ' The First Day or Sunday School Society.' On the 11th of January succeeding, the officers were elected, and the society fully organized. In 1797, a Sunday School was established at Pawtucket, R. I., a manufacturing village, and opened for the benefit of the many operatives there. This school, like those previously established in Philadelphia, was probably designed chiefly for secular, rather than solely for religious instruction. A School, for religious instruction on the Sabbath, was instituted August 22d, 1809, in Pittsburg, Pennsyl- vania. This school coincided in its principal features with the Sabbath Schools at present established. In 1810, a Sunday School was commenced in Beverly, Massachusetts, by two young ladies ; one of whom is yet living. They collected a number of children, for the purpose of bestowing gratuitous instruction, and continued the school, without aid, for many years. Sunday Schools were subsequently organized, at various periods, in other cities and towns of the United States." — Fray's History of Sunday Schools. THE SUNDAY SCHOOL. 25 " 'T is ornamental to the house of prayer, Just like the carpet on my pulpit stair." But when he saw its high results disclose, Indifference ceased, and generous ardor rose. "The Sunday School! a liberal plan, I hold, To win the lambs that bleat around the fold. My slender judgment here was surely wrong; Our Zion's pillar, she, — erect and strong." Yet, chiefly mark ! a wondrous labor done Within the Church; — the mingling into one Consenting minds, of creed diverse ; their aim To spread the savor of Immanuel's Name; — To scatter glory round a world of shame. Like our uncounted leaping springs, that tend Seaward and with receiving ocean blend, These, as they brightly pass to climes above, Merge by the way their currents into Love ; True emblem of the sea without a shore, Whose waves embrace and kiss forevermore. The Church is up from slumber, dust, and tears ! She breaks the spell of eighteen hundred years ! By bold aggression, to retrieve her loss, — • By Union, bring our planet to the Cross. 3 26 THE SUNDAY SCHOOL. In beauty, towering 'mid the sister band Whose peaceful triumphs ring through every land, Who wear American upon their crest, Behold the Pioneer of all the rest ! * [pall ! — Sunday School Union ! f — words that never In music's witchery on the heart they fall ! * The eminent value of the Sunday School as a Pioneer. — " A~ gentleman, long resident in Mississippi, and who has travelled extensively over all parts of it, speaks of the great difficulties which must be encountered in introducing religious institutions into the State ; ' but,' he says, ' if we get the whole people once aroused in the work, they will contribute largely, and the cause of Christ will advance more rapidly through the Sunday School as an instrumentality, than any and all other influences.' " t The American Sunday School Union was organized in Philadelphia, May 1824. It has five specific objects, namely : I. To concentrate the efforts of Sabbath School Societies in different sections of our country. II. To strengthen the hands of the friends of religious instruc- tion on the Lord's day. III. To disseminate useful information. IV. To circulate moral and religious publications in every part of the land. And, lastly, though chiefly, V. To endeavor to plant a Sunday School wherever there is a population. In the first place — " to concentrate the efforts of Sunday School Societies in the different sections of our country.'''' By uniting the Schools in a large district under a general board, it was thought that a convenient medium of intercourse would be secured, and that the efforts of all might be directed to one and the same end, and be sustained by a common sym- pathy ; and by uniting these general boards with a national so- ciety, upon terms mutually advantageous, we hoped still further THE SUNDAY SCHOOL. 27 I know her name! — her toils and objects know, — They are but one — inviting Heaven below. "To Try" — the happy secret of her art, She takes no royal road to reach the heart. She brings no plans — impossible but new. Her work is sure, yet noiseless as the dew. to concentrate and harmonize our counsels, while at the same time we made arrangements to furnish promptly and on the cheapest terms, such facilities in the shape of reward books, tickets, &c, as were at that period in use. The correctness of these views was shown conclusively, in the eagerness with which the proposed connection was sought, — for it may probably be said, without exaggeration, that at one time nineteen twentieths of all the Sunday Schools in the country were connected with us. In process of time, however, single Schools or small Associations were merged in County or State Societies, and many were embraced in denominational organiza- tions. The whole number of Schools and Societies which have been recognized as auxiliaries, is 1364. II. The second object was u to strengthen the hands of the friends of religious education on the Lord's day.'' 1 This we could do chiefly by maturing a practicable and efficient system of instruction, adapted to the general wants of the country — furnishing means of improvement to such as would serve as active laborers, and those excitements to zeal and diligence which the progress of the work might suggest. The results of our enterprise in this respect, are seen, not only in our fifteen volumes of Questions, of which considerably more than a million of copies have been circulated — in our various Helps to the understanding of the sacred volume, and the proper mode of teaching it — in our Geographies, Dictionaries, and Maps — in our works, illustrative of the Jewish religion and history, and the manners and customs of Oriental nations ; but they are 28 THE SUNDAY SCHOOL. Her simple motto, you in Nature find, "Just as the twig is bent the tree's inclined." To snatch from trees a lesson, come with me ! And in the gorgeous Western Valley see, also seen in the valuable manuals and text-books which have issued in later years from other sources, and in the elaborate and expensive volumes of commentaries and annotations upon the Scriptures, which have been prepared by devout and learned men, with special reference to the wants of Sunday School Teachers and juvenile Biblical students. If, to supply proper materials and tools for their work, be to strengthen the hands of the builders, then have we succeeded in this part of our original design. III. The third item was " to disseminate useful information.''' 1 The extent to which this has been done it is impossible to state with accuracy. The eight octavo volumes of our Maga- zine; the four volumes of the Sunday School Journal, in the largest newspaper form, succeeded by thirteen volumes of the re- duced size, contain together an amount of facts, reasonings, illus- trations, and statistics upon the subject of Christian education, not easily accessible elsewhere, in the same compass. The an- nual sermons, by clergymen of various denominations, constitute a volume of peculiar value, setting forth the views entertained by men of different ecclesiastical relations, residing in different sections of the country, and treating the subject according to their various apprehensions of its connections and bearings. The Annual Reports make up several volumes of no inconsiderable size and importance. The Reports of public meetings, and a variety of Pamphlets explaining our design and object, and de- fending the principles of the Society, have been widely circu- lated, and we may safely say, that altogether we have materials of this kind for at least forty-five or fifty large octavo volumes, parts of which have been circulated by thousands and tens of thousands in all the inhabited parts of our land. To all this we THE SUNDAY SCHOOL. 29 Not the apologies for trees tliat deck Our own Piscataqua and Kennebeck,— But the majestic white-armed sycamore, Or cypress, guarding Mississippi's shore. may add the labors of several hundred Missionaries and Agents, who have traversed the country in the Society's service, and disseminated information by means of sermons, addresses, and conversations ; to say nothing of ministers and others who have advocated our cause in public and private. IV. The fourth particular of the design was "to circulate ?noral and religious 'publications in every part of the land ; " and by the good hand of God upon us, we have succeeded in circu- lating above twenty millions of such publications, including each distinct article in our catalogue. It would be interesting to follow each one of these twenty millions of Scriptural publications through the various channels of its circulation, and mark the traces of its benign influence upon the hearts and conduct of individuals — upon the church — upon private character and the public welfare. It would be still more interesting to trace the history of each volume, from the first conception of the subject in the mind of the author to the last perceptible results of its publication. But such a privilege can be enjoyed by no finite mind. That the American Sunday School Union has been the instrument of calling into exercise so much of talents, industry, ingenuity, and piety, as have been employed in the preparation of several hundred original manu- scripts, making as many bound volumes upon our catalogue, and that it has been the means of introducing so extensively the sys- tem of libraries, and in supplying the young in so considerable a measure with appropriate religious reading, are among the claims upon our gratitude. It is an interesting fact, that the plan of District School Li- braries was suggested in our periodicals as early as 1826, and we do not think it arrogant to claim that the influence of Sunday 3* 30 THE SUNDAY SCHOOL. One such, a father in those forests saw, "Where only such acknowledge Nature's law ; And bade his little sprightly son behold Its arrowy straightness and its aspect bold ; Schools and Sunday School Libraries is distinctly visible in the present demand, for cheap popular libraries for common Schools. Would to God we could be farther instrumental in turning into one channel the two streams which seem to have taken their rise in the same fountain, causing them to flow as the waters of sal- vation to the ends of the earth ! V. The fifth and last, and most important design of the or- ganization, was " to plant a Sunday School wherever there is a populationy Though this phraseology is general enough to embrace the globe, it has been confined by repeated construction to the United States. For several years past our attention has been directed chiefly to the Western and Southern States, and considering our measure of means, our success has been much greater than could have been reasonably expected. As to the feasibility of the Western supply, and the peculiar fitness of our Institution to furnish it, the mind of our Board has never wavered for a moment. We have realized no difficulties of which we did not distinctly apprize the community at the outset, and the work done in that interesting section of our country has stood to the utmost extent of our expectations. This wide territory will, in a fleeting day, be studded with cities and towns, adorned with temples of justice, learning, and religion, and crowded with busy millions of our fellow men. Its waters will be traversed by boats or be connected by railroads and canals. The plough and the shuttle, mercantile enterprise, and mechanical industry and ingenuity, will soon work the won- ders there which they have wrought everywhere else. The man that is to mete out justice and right, to minister at the altar, and to exert a commanding influence over the minds of his fellow THE SUNDAY SCHOOL. 31 How consciously it looked in grandeur down, And wore the leafy kingdom's royal crown. "Now," said the parent, "William! only see What's that so like and yet unlike a tree, That rises shortly from its mother-root, And then turns off in angle, quite acute? So gnarled and crooked, crossgrained, coarse and So knotty, stubby, twisted, stunted, tough ; [rough, With beauty none ; with ugliness enough ; So wicked, too, — if graceless trees may sin — It never can the least affection win?" citizens — where is he now? Perhaps trundling a hoop — per- haps riding a plough horse — perhaps in a public school — pos- sibly in a Sunday School. But, wherever he is, and whatever he does, what can be more important than that he should be taught to love truth, to do justly, to be temperate, to be obedient to those that have the rule over him — in a word, to be made familiar with the principles of eternal truth and justice which the Bible alone reveals, and which are the foundation and sanction of all governments, human and divine, personal and social ? And this is the very object at which we aim — and unless all analogy, and all experience, and all philosophy are at fault when their axioms are applied to the discipline of a little child, it is an exalted and an attainable end. Look at the Samuels and Joshuas, or the Absaloms and Ahabs of the past or the present age, and they will show us that whatever there is, strikingly beautiful or strik- ingly deformed, in the picture of manhood, is the result of the few first strokes of the pencil, and not of elaborate correction and perfect finish. — Documents of the American Sunday School Union. 32 THE SUNDAY SCHOOL. Both gazed with curious and with scornful eyes, And both agreed the monster to despise. " Now, William, think ! — and answer give to me — How could a sapling ever yield such tree? What power of evil interposed a change To pain the eye with growth, so vile and strange ? " "I cannot tell," the youngster gravely said, And stopped, and laughed, and tost his curly head — "I cannot tell — unless some clown, quite mellow, Stept on him when he was a little fellow ! " The motto 's true, that we in Nature find : "Just as the twig is bent, the tree's inclined." While some, impelled by whim or pity, seek To crush the strong and elevate the weak, And old tried paths abandon for the new, And schemes Utopian mingle with the true ; The schemes that, sparkling like the sungilt dew, Like dew dissolve — She brings her Plan to sight, All bathed in Truth and lucid as it3 light ; And taking burden pride disdains to bear, She makes the Children her peculiar care. * * " A young German philanthropist, in seeking to carry ""out a favorite plan of benevolence towards the rising race, applied to the American Sunday School Union for help, because it is ' The Society that takes care of the Children.' " — Twenty-third An- nual Report. THE SUNDAY SCHOOL. 33 " Takes care of the Children ! " — there 's many To sneer at a mission so small ; Thank God, in earth's famine, for any Cheap crumbs of his mercy that fall ! For the crying-out wide desolations, In Zion a table is spread; — Coming up are the hungry by nations ; But where shall the Children be fed? 'T is noble — sublimity 's in it, When Charity maketh her proof, And " speech " " resolution " and " minute " Stir arches of Exeter-roof; — By gold, and a word, are at pleasure The Cross and the Lion unfurled, To take of Idolatry measure, And vanquish for Jesus the world. To contest, so brilliant and pleasant, Let princes and emperors lead; — Be lifeguards of noblemen present, And prelates and baronets bleed; — We ask not, we wish not to battle With them; but our disciplined band Marshal onwards, and where the shots rattle Behold us ! the Infantry stand ! 34 THE SUNDAY SCHOOL. In the plebian suburbs of Glos'ter, More glory and royalty meet Round him, who was eager to foster The children that troubled the street; — Aye, nobler, sublimer, and better Her office and honors, we see, Who, patiently, letter by letter, Here teaches the child at the knee. "Takes care of the Children!" — where growing In August are vintage and corn, Who gazes and thinks of the sowing Of sweet little April with scorn? 16 Small things " may be jeered by the scoffer, Yet drops, that in buttercups sleep, Make showers; — and what would he offer But sand, as a wall for the deep ? u Takes care of the Children ! " — nor wasted Is care on the weakest of these; The culturer the product has tasted, And found it the palate to please. There are sheaves pushing higher and faster, And Age has more branches and roots,— But dearer are none to the Master Than Childhood, in blossoms and fruits! THE SUNDAY SCHOOL. 35 Our life is no " dream " — we began it In tears, and on Time's narrow brink, ' Till farewells we wave to this planet, We must wake up and labor and think, — And effort concentrate, not scatter, On objects all worthy of us ; — Where and how, we perceive is no matter, Only blessing fix deep for the curse. Yet, as choice in the vineyard's permitted, Where labor is never in vain, And patience and prayer, unremitted, At last yield the harvest of grain — In a world where the brambles oft sting us, 'T is well to choose pleasantest bowers ; — "Taking care of the Children" will bring us The nearest to Heaven and Flowers ! The Union sends abroad the printed page, For Childhood traced by intellectual Age. Sagacious minds have analyzed the task How to reply when little children ask. And he who answers, to be understood, And kindly answers, as the Teacher should, When Children ask, accomplishes some good. 36 THE SUNDAY SCHOOL. In such memorials men have shrined a name, — ■ Their labored folios all unknown to fame. So Watts forever to the Church belongs, Not in his "Ethics," but in "Moral Songs." The written page, submitted in divan, The critic's eye impartially must scan. Not the Reviewer's, who through dulness wades, Till dull himself, he sends it to the shades; But theirs, of liberal and approved good sense, Who give the priceless toil without expense. Of various sects, yet Truth discerning well, Which wise men purchase and will never sell. Truth, that from Wickliffe, Luther, Zwingle, Huss, Through Reformation's portal came to us. The offered volume must the doctrines show That like pure waters sparkle as they flow; — The flaming sword revealing in each line, WTiose two edged lightnings cut as well as shine. No careless labor, huddled up in haste ; Of dreamy words, no vapid barren waste, To please a spoiled Humanitarian taste. Nor what the Fathers, or the Rabbis preach, But the plain lessons Jesus loved to teach. The Union's model, for ingenuous youth, Dwarfs not — she deems — one precious, vital truth, THE SUNDAY SCHOOL. ol Nor shuts one out. — The Bible rules are few, That show us what to shun, and what to do. The Way of Life is clearly pointed out, And none, who seek, of that bright path may doubt ; Yet none can show the Scripture-flag unfurled With one poor Shibboleth to divide the world. Thus, well approved, nor word nor sentence past Un weighed, unnoted — 'tis a Book at last; And takes its station where, in beauteous line, Six hundred sisters of the household shine ; That, not as beauties, range in idle show, But as untiring messengers will go The Leaves of Healing for each moral woe — To every clime that owns a human ill — To icy Greenland and the warm Brazil ; Where polar Arctic and Antarctic freeze, — Where sunny islands dot the Southern Seas. * * " The amount of books, &c, distributed during the year from the Home Depository, and by its branches and agents, was one hundred and ten thousand, nine hundred and sixteen dollars twelve cents. Eighty-two new publications have been added to our Catalogue the last year. Some of these are of an elementary character ; others are of a grade suited to the most vigorous and best cultivated minds. They make an addition of seven thousand nine hundred and twenty-two pages to our plates ; or forty new 18mo volumes, averaging two hundred pages each, to the attract- ive religious reading of the times." — Twenty-third Annual Re- port of the American Sunday School Union, 4 38 THE SUNDAY SCHOOL. Come ! — for her work is twofold — - come ! and In some fair garden of the glorious West. [rest Yet how may fancy ever fondly hope, Cribbed as she is in this Atlantic slope — To seize the beauties, as they lie exprest In lovely colors, on the glorious West? Of rivers, forests, prairies, mountains, lakes, Of rich savannas, and luxuriant brakes — And, more than all, the nestling spots, where man Woos round him paradise — if mortals can ! Delicious winds to mariners betray The spicy island, bearing far away, Which to discern the keenest vision fails ; — 'Tis present with them in the citron gales. The traveller sees, in every graceful flower That buds and blossoms round Religion's bower, Proof that a culturing hand of skill and taste Has toiled to purpose in the sylvan waste, [dells ; " Such has been here ! " speak woodlands, vales, and " Such has been here ! " the Soul of Fragrance tells. Leaving New England's treasure-world of snow, To softer climes the Missionaries go. Note. — The number of bound Library Books on the Society's Catalogue in January, 1848, was above six hundred. A demand exists, and is increasing for them, in all parts of the known world. THE SUNDAY SCHOOL. 39 Of various creeds, yet in the Saviour one, — The Union sends them to the setting sun. Fifty are furnished from her scanty store ; — She has a heart for fifty hundred more ! * * " To appreciate the labor of twenty-nine of these fifty Missionaries and Agents, during the past year, it is needful to examine it a little in detail. I. First, then, in performing it, thirty-three thousand one hundred and eighty-four miles have been travelled, and this, to a great extent, upon roads difficult to pass, and quite destitute of ordinary comforts and conveniences. II. In the progress of their travels they have delivered one thousand two hundred and thirteen sermons or addresses, to as many Sunday Schools or other public assemblies, on subjects connected with their mission. III. It is part of their work to visit languishing Schools, and if possible revive them ; though their main object is to establish new Schools in destitute places. This has brought them into personal interview with fourteen hundred Schools, em- bracing nearly or quite seven thousand Teachers, and fifty thou- sand Children and Youth. IV. As part of the apparatus needful to accomplish these ends, they are furnished with a limited supply of Sunday School Books, and when they find a School is dwindling away, and that a small donation will be likely to stimulate its friends to new efforts, or when they establish a School in a neigh- borhood without ability to supply its own wants, our Missionaries are authorized to aid them by a partial or entire gratuity. Y. In addition to their Sunday School labor, these twenty-nine brethren have put in circulation useful Books, to the value of ten thousand two hundred and sixteen dollars fifty-two cents, which, at the price of the Society's Ten Dollar Libraries, would be upwards of one hundred thousand volumes, averaging one hundred and twenty pages each. VI. In the progress of their work, they have also carefully distributed upwards of six thousand Bibles and Testaments ; a mode of distribution as safe and effective, and certainly as cheap, as any that could be desired." — Twenty- Third Annual Report of the American Sunday School Union. 40 THE SUNDAY SCHOOL. Behold the hamlet in that clearing seen! Just where the prairie undulates with green. But five years since, and not a log-house rose Where Labor now alternates with Repose. The huts are poor; the furniture is bad; But wholesome food is in abundance had; — In rags and health the boys and girls are clad. No cheerful school-house greets the passer by; No taper steeple points him to the sky. [need, No books are there ; — of books, pray what 's the Where none possess the useful art to read? Sunday unknown, or deemed a stale device, The children grow in ignorance and vice. The habits gross, the manners unrefined, The forest's midnight fitly types the mind, [state What shall be done ? — 'till these improve their And call a preacher, may we dare to wait? And if they call, what shall his doctrines be? For here of sects are more than two or three ; And they, as one, can never well unite ; And each, alone, will trim no gospel light. * * Strong testimony from the spot. — A correspondent of the Sunday School Journal, writing from Natchez, Mississippi, says : " Our people in the river counties have no conception of the destitution in the interior, and a strictly correct Report of some THE SUNDAY SCHOOL. 41 Now comes the Union's faithful agent; he , Surveys the evil, and the cure can see. He visits all — stirs no discordant string. They hear the rustle of an angel's wing ! His lips drop music, never breathed before; — His step leaves fragrance at each willing door. The Sabbath shines upon a reverent throng; The woods are vocal with the prayer and song Poured out where arch and tracery rise to view — God's first cathedral, when the world was new. [man He speaks : — " Your forms and creeds are various ; Has but one Bible — one Salvation-Plan ; — And here 'tis found. There is no other Name Than His, by whom that full redemption came. And you may look — to look, the angels burn ! And you may read what angels fain would learn ! To aid the purpose I at once intend ; And give you Books, as from a distant friend. Receive them — read them, lend them, as your own ; The gift of one that loves you though unknown." Departs the herald ; but the influence stays. A School is planted, and its fruits are praise. portions would scarcely be credited ; and yet this people can be reached, and brought under moral and religious influence, in no other way but through the American Sunday School Union." 4* 42 THE SUNDAY SCHOOL. A Church is gathered, and the dews of grace Drop gently down and fructify the place. * And shall we wait? — Oh no ! the work sustain; Nor let the Union call for aid in vain. * From reports of Missionaries and Agents, sufficient to fill volumes, three or four sketches are subjoined. Mr. J. Adams, laboring in Central Illinois : Formed 28 new Schools, with 196 Teachers, and 1344 Scholars. Visited 74 old " " 567 " " 3700 " Total, 102 763 5044 Delivered 44 Addresses ; travelled 727 miles, and distributed 60 small Libraries. Most of the twenty-eight new Schools were got up and organ- ized in very obscure places, where there was never a Sunday School before, and far away from religious privileges on the Sab- bath. In such places as these the plan of "Union is of incalcu- lable importance, and seems to change the moral aspect of the community around. Formerly the Sabbath was disregarded and awfully profaned, — now, the children and youth, and even pa- rents, are seen collecting in the Sunday School, to pray, to si)ig, to study the Bible, and to see and do what they had never seen and done before — to carry home with them books from their Sunday School Library ; and these books are probably read by every member of the family, once, twice, or three times in the course of the week, with deep interest. Mr. A. W. Corey, of Illinois writes : " The whole number of Schools that have been visited or aided, in connection with my Agency during the last year, is two hundred and nineteen. — - Embracing one thousand four hundred and thirty-six Teachers, and nine thousand six hundred and sixty-eight Scholars. Seven of these Schools are in Missouri, seven in Iowa, sixteen in Wis- consin, and one hundred and eighty-eight in Illinois, distributed THE SUNDAY SCHOOL. 43 The spot, neglected, and obscure, she seeks ; And has an utterance where no Pulpit speaks. Her toiling servants penetrate the wild, Unsearched by minister, and reach the child; among thirty-two counties ; sixty-one are in what is denominated 'Southern Illinois' — a district as destitute of religious instruc- tion as any other of the same size in the Western country. One hundred and eighty of these Schools are entirely new, and most of them in neighborhoods which never before enjoyed a Sunday School. A large proportion of them are in places where they have no preaching, and among a people where a preacher of any particular denomination could not be sustained — Union Schools in which the few resident Christians can unite. " These one hundred and eighty Schools embrace one thou- sand one hundred and fifty-three Teachers, and seven thousand five hundred and sixty-nine Scholars ; making a total of eight thousand seven hundred and twenty-two souls who have been brought, by the blessing of God upon these humble efforts, under the influence of Bible instruction every Sabbath. More than twenty-five thousand useful volumes have been put into circula- tion, where they have already been read many times, and where they will continue to circulate and be read until used up in the service — leaving their ineffaceable impressions upon the immor- tal mind. " Having resided for the last fifteen years in the West, and traversed some portions of it extensively, my heart has often been moved, while I have thought on the intellectual and moral condition — present and prospective — of the millions who dwell in this great valley. I remember many years ago, while still residing east of the mountains, that from almost every state and territory, and village and hamlet of this vast region, a cry of destitution and distress came over into our ears. It was the cry of those who were famishing for want of intellectual and moral food. ' Send us Ministers and Teachers and Bibles, or we and And — what no others can so sitrely do, They bring him out to daylight's cheerful view; And pour effulgence on his gloomy mind ; — [blind. Give ears to Childhood deaf, and eyes to Childhood our Children perish without knowledge. 1 The cry was loud and long ; it entered into our ears and sank down into our hearts. — The whole church was moved, and mighty efforts were made to respond to the call. The ministers of God turned their faces and footsteps towards the setting sun. The Teacher also came, and Bibles by cargoes came ; but the tide of population has also con- tinued to roll in with a mightier swell ; so that after all that has been done for a quarter of a century by the churches of the east — and much has been done to diffuse the blessings of the Gospel — to enlighten and save this great people — all our means of moral and intellectual improvement, are relatively still further in arrears than at the beginning. The elements of evil have been steadily gaining the ascendancy, and righteousness and truth relatively receding. A million of Children and "Youth have been, and still are, growing up in ignorance and sin, without any suitable instruc- tion. Millions more will soon walk in their footsteps. I have looked abroad upon this mighty mass, and asked with deep con- cern, what will be the state of society when these millions become fathers, and mothers, and legislators, and governors, if the intel- lect and heart are left to nature's wildness ? And what will be the condition and fate of my country, when this Valley shall gain a controlling influence, as gain, it she will ? And where will these teeming millions of immortal beings be after myriads of ages have rolled away? Shall they swell the song of the redeemed before the eternal throne, or the wailings of despair in the world of woe ? "In looking after the existing instrumentalities, on which reliance is placed, under God, to effect the mighty (and desired) change, I have turned to the common School ; but I found that multitudes of these are without teachers, and many engaged as THE SUNDAY SCHOOL. 45 Scorn not these tendrils — if you deem them so — Where one may die, a thousand live and grow. And should one fail, recuperative power Restores to life the imperishable flower, instructors, are scarcely able to teach the first rudiments of knowledge — still less the obligations of man to his God. God, I saw, was not in the common Schools. I turned my eye to the minister of God, to him whose messages are in an especial man- ner the wisdom and power of God to salvation. But alas! I found that not one-fourth of the whole mass came under his influence, or within the sound of his voice. But a Sunday School may be planted in every village and hamlet and settlement ; in a thousand places where the gospel cannot come or be preached ; and through the Sunday School, every family and individual may be reached. All the Lord's people scattered over these vast prairies, like sheep without a shepherd, may become prophets and teachers in the Sunday School. Thus many 'shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased ' — the knowledge of the Lord. Impressed with this view, I wrote to the American Sunday School Union, long before I had any expectation of being engaged in the blessed work, that, in my opinion, herein alone is the salvation of these people, and the hope of our country. — Having now spent a year in the work of establishing Schools, so far from having changed my opinion, I am only confirmed in it ; my confidence is greatly increased. I feel indeed that we have struck a mine of wealth, which has only to be ' worked, 1 to pro- duce, by the blessing of God, the best results." Mr. J. W. Vail of Wisconsin reports the organization of thirty new Schools, embracing one hundred and fifty Teachers, and about one thousand Scholars. He has also visited and resusci- tated fifty-two other Schools. " The past year has been one of unparalleled interest, owing to the rush of immigration. Our population now numbers over one hundred and fifty thousand souls. It is a solemn thought that this multitude, men, women, 46 THE SUNDAY SCHOOL, With brighter resurrection from the germ, As soars aurelia from the lowly worm ! Then say not Schools that blossom in the West, Like fruitful vines, are useless and unblest. and children, will be summoned before their Maker within the circle of forty years, a large number before that time, a few after. Whatever is done then for this multitude, must be done quickly. Among our population are twenty thousand Germans, one thou- sand eight hundred French, and twelve thousand Irish, the most of whom are the willing dupes of the Man of Sin, slaves to their wicked propensities, and destitute of a love for the word of God. In addition to these are eight thousand Norwegians, whose minds are as dark, and who are as much enslaved to certain forms, as is the Papist ; and of these forty-one thousand eight hundred, there are very few who have any moral or religious reading. A few possess the Bible, and to those few it is precious ; others have it, but read it not — while others again are entirely destitute, living in a gospel land in heathenish darkness. And of the one hundred thousand Americans, English, and Welch, many are worshipping their farms and merchandise, others are bowing at the shrine of Fashion, and others again boasting of their vileness, and publicly sneering at the pure and precious word of God." The Rev. B. W. Chidlaw, of Ohio, reports the organization of forty-two new Schools, and the reviving and supplying with Books of thirty-four other Schools. These Schools are held in barns, school houses, private dwellings, and Churches — one of them within the walls of the State Prison at Columbus, where there is a Union School of about one hundred Scholars, and twelve Teachers. These various Schools number five hundred Teachers, and three thousand five hundred Scholars. Into -these Schools have been introduced about seven thousand, volumes of Books. The introduction of this pure, elevated, and sanctified juvenile literature into our destitute villages and neighborhoods, is all important for the intellectual and spiritual interest of the rising generation. THE SUNDAY SCHOOL. 47 That where the living preacher has not come, The Sunday School's glad voices must be dumb. Believe such libel, and the chills of night Ten thousand blossoms would forever blight. . A thousand buds, in whose embraces lie A thousand Churches, would, in embryo, die. Hope, that sustains us, taking wings, would fly. And in that Valley, where unceasing strife Death boldly wages with Eternal Life, " In the West we have much to fear from the light literature, the licentious and infidel publications, so wide spread in our midst. Our danger is real and alarming. Would that it were more deeply felt : then would the claims of duty meet a prompt and general response. By the help of God, I have lifted up my voice against this great and growing evil ; and I have reason to hope that I have not cried in vain. In many places much inter- est has been excited, and a new impulse given to the Sunday School cause, and a greater demand for Sunday School Books. This is ground for encouragement and gratitude. The pre-occu- pancy of the mind, and a taste for religious reading, is our hope. In our Sunday Schools, we aim to secure this vantage ground, and God helping us, we shall succeed." Such are a few of the important results secured by the labors of only four Missionaries. The American Sunday School Union, have now fifty-four men of this character, laboring in different parts of the country. They are all fully and successfully em- ployed. The Society is most anxious to secure the means for extending this system of instruction to every family now destitute of it in our whole country, and for this purpose, the Board de- pend wholly upon the free contributions of the churches. — Cir- cular of the American Sunday School Union, 1847. 48 THE SUNDAY SCHOOL. Would thousand thousands to destruction go, Lost by the falsehood, so replete with woe. * 'T is vain to urge : " The scholar's interest dies "When sleeps the pulpit"- — or that "he who cries On Zion's wall is Zion's only voice." — For the Ascension- Gift I will rejoice ; Fools may its teaching folly deem — with God 'T is wisdom ! — Beautiful their feet, all shod In Holiness, that stand upon the mountains, Revealing Him who opened mercy's fountains ! How beautiful the feet of heralds, treading The noble Valley! o'er its prairies spreading The tidings caught in Palestine ; and shedding On youthful hearts the odor of sweet flowers, Distilled from Sharon's Rose, and flung abroad in [showers ! f * Of all marvels, none is so strange as that men, calling themselves Christians, should seek to thwart the efforts of the American Sunday School Union to establish Sabbath Schools in those most destitute places of the West, where as yet there is no stated ministry. We can conceive that enemies of the gospel should regard these nurseries of future churches with dread and hatred. But the language of all who love the Saviour should be that which fell from his own blessed lips, when children^ were brought to him : " Forbid them not ! " — J. M. A. f For the substance of this sketch of the incipient steps taken in hundreds of instances in the Western Valley, and resulting in the permanent establishment of the preached Gospel and its THE SUNDAY SCHOOL. 49 See ! how reversing Logic's ancient laws, Effect goes back, itself producing Cause. The School is offspring of the Day of Rest — ■ The Sunday School gives Sunday to the West ! To fair Wisconsin, scoffers, void of shame, Have idly boasted, " Sunday never came." Where round me fell the curtains of an eve Lovely as God's bright pencils ever leave On Western landscapes — I at leisure rode By silver waters, that in music flowed. A boy was busy in their ripples fishing ; — The nearest journey to a farm house wishing, I craved the way; — the way he kindly told, And left his sport, some pleasant talk to hold. He was but young — of " thirteen years," he said ; With rosy cheeks, large sparkling eyes, and head All prodigal of black and curly hair. He won my love — I spoke him soft and fair : — "And fish you here on Sundays, boy?" said I. My heart leaped up at his sincere reply — " Oh no ! not now ! " and brighter flashed his eye. ordinances, proving most conclusively that the Sunday School on the Union Plan is the pioneer of the Church, the reader is referred to the opinion of Mr. John Adams, Missionary of the American Sunday School Union in Illinois — which is embodied in the Twentieth Annual Report of the Society. 5 50 THE SUNDAY SCHOOL. " I fish no more on Sundays ! " - — " but I read Our little books, and try the words to heed; To break the Sabbath, here, is not the rule, For now we have a happy Sunday School." The School is offspring of the Day of Rest— ■ The Sunday School gives Sunday to the West! Would you to skeptics and opposers preach? I pray you leave them, and the Children teach. A little Child, who letters did not know, To Sunday lessons was allowed to go, If none to him the way of life would show ; "And," interposed his unbelieving sire, "No God you fable, nor eternal fire." His mother said, " He may catch something good,"- — And so he went. At Sunday School he stood Just by a Teacher who explained the power Of God to one yet older ; and that hour, A few plain Bible precepts, simply taught, In their rich beauty to that child were brought ; And, like perfumes hid in the floweret's cup, His little heart the doctrines treasured up. That evening, gazing on the spangled frame, He watched the stars, as, one by one, they came, Each other telling their Creator's Name. — TILE SUNDAY SCHOOL. 51 The glorious Cause of all that's good and fair, The Child acknowledged, and he must declare:- — " Do see the little stars ! — God put them there ! " Save when the brutal father curst and swore, God's Name that hovel never heard before. The infant's lesson, like IthurieFs spear, Flashed to his heart, and gave that parent fear; Nor found he peace, 'till unbelief and pride Were slain, forever, by the Crucified. The Sunday School, in Union, can achieve What hope may look for and what faith believe. Though carnal weapons she may never bring The five smooth pebbles and the simple sling, Wielded by Truth, shall evermore prevail To bring down Error, armed in coat of mail. She takes the Bible for her only rule. She on the Bible plants the Sunday School. No book above it, nor beside, may show ; — But places all immeasurably below. She in the sunlight spreads its contents wide, And asks mankind to study, think, decide. She knows no man, were he as wise as Paul, Whose gifts and graces may the conscience thrall. Each for himself must hear the earnest call. Each, at the peril of his soul must search, And at his peril find, nor idly ask the Church ; — • The humble heart may lofty mysteries scan ! God saves not by communities — his plan Points to the pool the individual man, And moves the water for one leper, crying, As if that moment thousands were not dying ! The Union seeks the little child to take, And teach it lessons as the Saviour spake.* For this great work her forces all unite. For this, she kneels before the throne of light. For this, implores upon herself and toil Grace to prepare and sow the fallow soil. For this, her hundred thousand Teachers go, Armed at all points, to meet the subtle foe. For this she sways o'er willing minds her rule, And counts, by millions, Children in her School. For this, of Bibles, she's the queenly giver; And Books, like waters from that sacred river, In rills, unnumbered, flow at her command, Conveying Truth to every thirsty land.* * To the concise exposition and forcible appeal which close the Twentieth Annual Keport, I am indebted for these just views of the American Sunday School Union's aims and expectations. THE SUNDAY SCHOOL. 53 Flow on ! ye bounteous healing streams of Life, Where transcendental infidels are rife. Dull dreamers, they, who store enquiring Mind With what convenience or mere chance may find ; Or chaff, or bran, or stones, — ■ no matter which ! Maturer Time will see the proper niche Filled with the Good and True, that must prevail When wise Experience holds aloft her scale. Truth lives, and Error dies, and so the dreamers fail ! Such thumb the pages of conceited Self, And leave the Bible on the dusty shelf; And shunning streams that from pure fountains roll, With turbid waters nauseate the soul. In vain they grope for Knowledge, while they turn From her true star to lamps that feebly burn In murky sepulchres, where Error goes, — Where God for judgment holds the ashes of His foes ! And yet, the thousands, ransomed, what are they, Compared with millions, who each lust obey! From Europe's capitals we hear their cry; — In Irish bogs, by loathsome swarms, they lie; — At England's palaces the vagrants die. Or, worse than Lazarus, for without his hope, While sores of sin warn off the dogs, they grope 5* 54 THE SUNDAY SCHOOL. In the dark precincts of the London hells, "Where every sin of damned Gomorrah dwells. Lo ! unconfined to soil or hemisphere, Behold the spawn of guilt and famine here ! Disintegrated particles of man, That chemic laws ne'er bind to place or clan. With us, their black uncomely tents they pitch — We hail the nomads of the Dublin ditch. For us, the foreign prison door unlocks ; — The work-house empties on our ballot box ! "Your picture's sombre; to relieve its gloom, The Sunday School, from sure and fearful doom, Will save the Children ?" — Never! there's no room. Room for the rich, the noble,, and the proud; — Room for the decent poor — not for a carrion crowd. Our Sunday Schools like gardens you behold; The flowers arrayed in crimson, pink, and gold. — What choice perfumes the soul and sense delight ! What rainbow colors fascinate the sight ! Is it for this, celestial Pity takes An earthly form, admired and loved as Raikes, That some with dainties may be overfed, While others die, for lack of daily bread? 'T is wrong ! - — 't is sad perversion ! — shall it be Forever, thus, Philanthropy ! with thee ? THE SUNDAY SCHOOL. No ! for a lovelier spirit wakes and smiles, Whose radiant glory lights the British Isles — Whose wing of swiftness cleaves the yielding air,— Now seen with us — a Genius, good and fair. She walks abroad, and seeks the vilest haunt; And those exiled from all but Sin and Want She kindly gathers ; — calms the ruffian lad ; Revives the drooping ; softly soothes the sad ; Applies fresh waters ; smooths dishevelled curls ; Turns little furies into gentle girls, And savage tempers to the decent rules That love enforces in the Ragged Schools ! * * It is not more than seven or eight years since the attention of benevolent people in London was called to the forlorn con- dition of thousands of youth, of both sexes, who, not only in stature, but in wickedness, had grown beyond the reach of com- mon Sunday Schools, and many of whom had become already notorious for crime. There were parts of the city and suburbs of London in which crowds of these miserable creatures were found. These were justly called " breeding places for the hulks and jails, too horrible to contemplate." As early as 1839-40, a very destitute district in the vicinity of London was explored, and hundreds of people were found in a state of the most deplorable ignorance and poverty. For their sakes an evening service was opened, and the most destitute were furnished with suitable garments to enable them to attend. The effort was frustrated by the abusive and violent conduct of vicious youth, who pelted the people and their Teachers, as well as the building where they were, with stones and other missiles. It was then thought best to attempt to bring these youth under Hark ! to a Voice that from the Valley breaks ; From Western prairies, rivers, forests, lakes ; — Young men ! who crowd the Atlantic's narrow mart, Come! and explore the Mississippi's heart. some good influences. They were already far advanced in crimi- nal courses. The evening service being exchanged for an evening School, the scene which the new assembly presented, beggars all descrip- tion. The Teachers could secure no order, and the intervals of silence within the School were disturbed by the showers of mis- siles on the roof of the building, by those who were without. To preserve the public peace, it was necessary to have the police in attendance. Occasionally, indeed, there was a cessa- tion of noise from screams, catcalls, whistles, falling forms, and other strange sounds, but the moment there was an attempt to sing a hymn, many would begin a profane and often indecent song, and all attempt at worship failed. Not discouraged by these difficulties, the promoters of the School called for aid ; and several warm-hearted, self-denying friends came into the midst of this mob-like company, and thus by dividing the labor, and assigning a small number to the care of each, they seemed to be reduced to some kind of order. Not a session of the School past, however, without some outbreaking of violent rudeness and insult. Of the Girl's School we have statements showing the urgent necessity of similar provision for them. A Report before us says : " Scenes of cruelty and barbarity sometimes occur, even among the female classes. In one class, containing six girls, they quarrelled, and continued fighting until their mouths were literally 'filled with blood.'" The Eeport adds, "The attend- ance of this latter class is very uncertain ; they generally come in gangs, probably at times when they have committed some misdemeanor, to take shelter, for a short season, from the hands of justice." THE SUNDAY SCHOOL. 57 You, taught where oaks the northern mountains Us teach, beneath the persimmon and lime.* [climb, And you, of Woman's all controlling mind, Whose mission 'tis to polish rude mankind, The " Ragged School Union'''' was formed in April, 1844, by a body of Sunday School Teachers connected with various evan- gelical denominations. In a short time public attention was attracted to the scheme. Lord Ashley, and several of the nobil- ity expressed an interest in its success. The first Report gave a list of twenty Schools, having an average attendance of two thousand Children and two hundred Teachers. At Windsor, (one of the royal residences,) a " Ragged School" has been established by a chimney sweep, — himself reclaimed from deep wretchedness, — and he was now overseeing a School of one hundred poor Boys and Girls, from eight to ten years of age. So great confidence is felt in the plan, that at Epping, — a densely populated place, — the sum of fifteen hundred dollars was raised by voluntary subscriptions to open a School. By the last account we have seen, it appears that the number of these Schools, in or near London, is not less than twenty-six. The * To the reasons which the preceding pages offer for such an Appeal, especially to Sunday School Teachers, may be added the fact that the Census of 1840 shows the number of Children in the West, who then attended no School of any kind, to be one million. Over one hundred thousand of these are from the total of one hundred and sixty-nine thousand one hundred and ninety- five Children in Kentucky alone. The Governor of that State, in a late Message, says : " We have on our statute book what is denominated a system of common Schools, but hitherto it has been barren of results." As to Indiana, the State Journal says that "there are over thirty thousand one hundred persons of twenty years of age or more, who are unable either to read or write." 58 THE SUNDAY SCHOOL. Say not your sex precludes you from the toil; The lily hand may win and wear the spoil. A woman's faith and constancy have power To turn the battle in a doubtful hour. average attendance of Pupils, two thousand five hundred ; and of Teachers, two hundred and fifty. The Reports published by these Schools are very interesting, and record many cases of good arising from their operation. In the Report of a School in St. Giles's, it is stated that " great im- provement has taken place in the general conduct of the Scholars. Here there is both a male and female adult class, a sewing class, and also a place for the Scholars to wash before going into School ; thirty-five have become depositors to the provident fund, and thirty-three of the Scholars have been either wholly or partially clothed out of another fund for that purpose, and placed in re- spectable situations during the present year." The intimate knowledge many of the Scholars have acquired of the leading truths and doctrines of Christianity, their attention to the instruc- tions imparted by their Teachers, the correctness with which the weekly texts have been learned, and their altered behavior in and out of School, give hopeful indication that much good has been accomplished. " The School in Jurston Street, Gloucester Street, Westmin- ster Road has been held every Sabbath evening during the last six years, and through it upwards of seven thousand children and young persons, of the most abandoned habits have passed, many of whom have learned not only to read and write, but have become useful and creditable members of society; but as the time for instruction is so limited, it is deemed advisable to open a new and separate School, near the same locality, as a day School. Vast numbers of these youths are continually manifest- ing a desire to attend to instruction, if the time be made to suit their convenience." The following occurs in Gray's Yard Report for the past year : " One boy, whose conduct as a Scholar was THE SUNDAY SCHOOL. 59 k To Woman, lofty energies belong ; — Else false is History — false the Poet's song. Lately we were electrified by news Of glorious triumph over Vera Cruz ; formerly very bad, is now a Teacher in the School, and a member of a Christian Church ; and two others, who had been Scholars, have lately been drafted into the Bible Class of a neighboring School of a better kind. Another youth, who was frequently warned of his danger, resolved to forsake his evil companions, and went to reside elsewhere, in order to be out of their way. He is now filling a useful station in society, and gaining an honest living by industry and care." " The plan of a lending library, on a small scale, has been tried in two or three Schools, and the results are very encourag- ing, the books being generally returned regularly and in good order. The committee are anxious to extend this plan, and also to distribute interesting little story-books and tracts amongst the Children, especially as they are found frequently to read them aloud to their parents at home. The committee intend likewise shortly to supply Bibles and Testaments, at half price, to the Children who can read, and they have reason to believe that many will be thus subscribed for. " The committee have not yet been able to carry out their plan of having a place for washing attached to every School, but a paid teacher has been tried at two or three (in order to have the School open several evenings a-week, as well as Sunday), and it has been found to answer very well. It does not appear to dis- courage or drive away voluntary teachers (who are always wel- come)." It may not be that we have precisely the same class of youth in our cities that are found in London, and perhaps the term " Ragged Schools" would not be appropriate to such an assem- blage here ; but if public statements on the subjects are to be 60 THE SUNDAY SCHOOL. Where men and horses, and artillery trains, Wheel, foot, and fetlock rolled in blood and brains. Yet why rehearse the horrors acted then? You are not ravening soldiers - — you are Men ! * credited, there are thousands who must be constrained by just such means to an abandonment of their evil courses, or they will pursue them to a fatal end. We have room but for a few paragraphs. Of Boston, it is said " that no less than twelve boys, under eighteen years of age, are confined in the city gaol. Gangs of boys roam through the streets every night, seeking opportunities to plunder. During the summer, nearly every shop in the lower part of Broad Street has been broken open, chiefly by these youth ful depredators." " Gangs of vicious boys are prowling about the streets defying the law, and putting peaceful citizens in terror by their notorious and violent proceedings." After stating some instances of vio- lence and outrage,, it is stated : — "In fact no man who is averse to repelling force by force, is safe for a moment near these out- laws." " For months a large portion of all the criminals who have crowded our police and municipal courts have been minors." =& Shooting dovjn Women. — A correspondent of the New York Commercial Advertiser, under date of Mexico, October 29th, 1847, says: " During the night of the 14th, our sharp shoot- ers were scattered and posted over the city, in the cathedral spires, and domes, and on all elevated housetops, whence they picked off the Mexican populace by hundreds. Whenever a Mexican was caught in arms, he was shot at once. Some were thrown headlong from the housetops into the streets below. — Women were shot when discovered in the act of passing loaded muskets to the men in the streets. Never were the infuriated people of Mexico so summarily treated." THE SUNDAY SCHOOL. 61 It chanced the night before the battered walls Yielded in terror of besieging balls, A Spanish Lady, whose betraying signs Revealed the spy, was taken near our lines. " The Farm School, on Thompson's Island, in our harbor, has for years accomplished much in the way of reformation. The Police, too, of Boston are effective, and lately have adopted new measures with the vagrant boys of our streets, with special refer- ence to Sabbath profanation. Yet, sad to say, the above picture of sin and idleness is not overdrawn, nor inapplicable at this moment." In New York, " it is estimated that at least twenty thousand Children and Youth are entirely unreached by Sunday School or other religious influence ; a large portion of whom are already taking the first steps in the path of infamy and crime. Some effort has been made for their rescue, but such effort must be vastly increased, if we would make any perceptible impression." " The temptations and excitements to crime among the young, are greatly multiplied by the corrupting influence of a corrupt press." Of Philadelphia, it is enough to say that the chief actors in firemen's riots, and other outrages upon persons and property, are found to be abandoned and reckless youths. Clubs or Asso- ciations exist with savage and outlandish names — the members of which are often found armed with deadly weapons, with which they have attacked peaceable citizens, as if to show their con- tempt for human life and public peace. It has been estimated that at least a thousand youth could be mustered within two miles of the State House, all prepared, within and without, for the most revolting scenes of violence and outrage. How many thousands are under training to fit them for the same ranks, we may not know; but for these thousands no adequate provision now exists. The wise and good of all classes and denominations are warned of the state of things around 6 62 THE SUNDAY SCHOOL. In the red glare of carnage, death, and hell, Stood, like an angel, Donna Isabel, Calm and observing; and to question dumb Of whence she came ? and wherefore had she come ? The soldiers felt the inexplicable power Of grace and beauty their dark spirits cower; — And, spite of habit, her they could not vex; — She won the treatment ever due her sex. Oar cannon called — still, dauntless, dared refuse Capitulation gallant Vera Cruz. * And while her native city mocked our arms, She — a true Spaniard — wore the lofty charms That Nature gives the generous heart, to hide Its bitter anguish with a veil of pride. them. Will they awaken to a sense of impending danger and open their hearts, hands, and purses, to supply the means of averting it ? — Papers of the American Sunday School Union. A building has been lately erected in Philadelphia, of a size to accommodate one thousand; to be filled from the ranks of those who are not at present connected with any Sunday School, and especially designed for the benefit of the extreme destitute and ignorant, among the Children and Youth. May the example be speedily imitated by sister cities, equally needing just such an edifice ! *It will be seen that this word — of Latin derivation — is pronounced, as in the text, and on page 59, for the sake of the rhyme. It is not, perhaps, a matter of sufficient importance for a note ; yet it is hoped that the license may be pardoned. THE SUNDAY SCHOOL. 63 But when the Stars and Stripes of victory's band Waved o'er the Serpent-Bird of her dear land, Telling that all was lost, save honor, she Her noble soul resigned to agony ; With tears lamenting that the heaps of slain Were not her pillows — she had lived in vain ! To Woman lofty energies belong, And true is History — true the Poet's song. As cloud and fire, twin guides, by night and day Marshalled the tribes along their desert way, When Egypt saw the wondrous pillar glide, And blackness, only, showed one frowning side ; The other, still, to Israel's earnest sight, Shone on their path, a glowing orb of light; So Earth, though dark as Heaven beholds her now, Has precious jewels blazing on her brow. The thoughtful eye sees in her lowly state Immortal forms ; — sees glories on her wait ; Sees her, the object of intense desire To those who stand, or fly, — angelic flames of fire ! A seraph sings, by Love divinely taught ; — Earth, wand'ring Earth, is in that seraph's thought. Around the throne celestial harpers throng ; Earth, in her sin, is subject of their song. 64 THE SUNDAY SCHOOL. Marred by her folly in her Maker's view, She yet has treasure and attractions too. "While roll the cycles of the eternal skies, Earth is the centre of unnumbered eyes; — Yes ! in her dust and ruins has a phase Of marvellous beauty to an angel's gaze. Redemption ! how mysteriously is stirred The heart's deep echo at the charming word ! 'Tis this exalts our planet, sunk so low. And spans her tempests, an ethereal bow. 'Tis this invests her with a robe, whose hue Of shining wonders, Eden never knew. Beyond its wealth, when morning has unrolled Its naming curtains, dipt in molten gold- — Beyond its glory when o'er western skies The twilight drops her veil of crimson dies, The robe of Mercy on the sinner shines ; Woven throughout with Beauty's perfect lines. Have you seen ? have you seen ? where the battle is raging The banners of Light and of Night are unfurled ? Have you heard? have you heard? the hurrah, where engaging THE SUNDAY SCIIOOL. 65 Are the soldiers of God and the Kings of the world ? And this is the conflict of Goodness and Sin, Begun when our father from Paradise fell; And Time has been patiently gathering in And mustering the forces of heaven and hell. We should fear ! we should fear ! as we daily dis- cover New weakness, new folly, we '11 only have loss ; We will hope ! we will hope ! as we old ground recover And take new possessions, we'll win at the Cross. For an angel of Charity with us behold ! — [she 'Tis the Spirit of Union! — the churches has Side by side in the contest for Jesus enrolled; — " Distinct as the billows, yet one as the sea." Have you seen ? have you seen ? where the battle is rairino; The banners of Light and of Night are unfurled ? Have you heard? have you heard? the hurrah, where engaging Are the soldiers of God and the Kings of the world ? 6* 66 THE SUNDAY SCHOOL. Yes ! and we in that strife between Satan and man For Truth take the buckler and helmet and shield ; With the Right, with the Light, with the Leader in van To die in the trenches, or conquer the field! POEMS. THE LATE ALEXANDER HENRY.* PRESIDENT OF THE AMERICAN SUNDAY SCHOOL UNION, He sat with men whose high debate Was not the nation's laws to frame ; Though on their silent toils the State Might build a future glorious name. * First President of the Society, from its organization to his death ; which took place in Philadelphia, August 13th, 1847, in the eighty-second year of his age. At a special meeting of the Board of Officers and Managers of the Society, held at their house, August 16th, the following Eesolutions, with a Preamble, were unanimously adopted : Resolved, That while we thank God for the blessing bestowed in the gift of His servant, now departed from us, we cannot but 68 THE LATE ALEXANDER HENRY. Their silent toils, to supervise A work that spite of Error grows ; — To stud its gloom with starry eyes, And deck the world with Sharon's Rose. Prepared by zeal, religion, skill, And courage for a doubtful plan, 'Twas his the Pilot's post to fill On voyage whose noble aim was Man. Whose noble aim was simply sought Through channels of the Infant Mind ; — To enter and to lodge a thought That should forever bless mankind! deplore the severe loss to the Society, to our country, and to the cause of truth in the world. We reverently bow to the will of the All-wise Disposer of all things ; praying, that He will raise up those who may manfully and successfully bear the banners of His people, in their conflict with the powers of darkness, causing truth and holiness to triumph over ignorance and sin. Resolved, That the Officers and Managers, with all persons in the service of the Society, will attend the funeral of our deceased President. Resolved, That the sympathies of the Board be expressed to the family of Mr. Henry, on this, their great bereavement,, with our prayers that they may enjoy the consolation which God so freely gives to his children, and of which they may assuredly partake, who can confidently trust in the happiness of a faithful, humble follower of the Lord. His keen perception saw the lip Of ready scorn a failure sting; His faith beheld the goodly Ship [bring. Which God's free winds to port would He ventured the uncounted gold Of mind and soul to Jesus given ; He gained on earth a thousand fold, And Mercy's waiting crown in Heaven. A rare and happy lot, that blends The English sense, — the Irish heart, — The good and gifted, constant friends, — And in the Book of Life a part! GRACE AND POSITION. 'In the religious life, we are the creatures, not only of Grace, but of Position." — Upeam. TO MY FRIEND, MISS 3. S. M- , OF SALEM. FOR TWELVE TEARS AFFLICTED WITH SICKNESS. Temptation, toil, and suffering, here, Are methods in the work of Grace. Instrumentalities appear In the relations Mind and Place Each hold to each. God by Position loves to teach. i We tint the heavens with colors warm ; How soft and fair the landscapes lie ! But God calls up the chilling storm ; With sorrows he disturbs our sky. GRACE AND POSITION. 71 Our projects sown Mature to harvests of His own. Hence the afflictions, that like clouds Gather and blacken round the man, — Singly, or in appalling crowds Beleaguering, are within the plan He deigns to trace, "Who acts upon the Mind by Place. Daniel might ne'er these confines spurn, And pierce the everlasting scenes, Till with the lions he should learn What God by sign and vision means. The dreadful den Sharpened the prophet's eagle ken. Paul for his Master could not wield The burning sword of Truth and Right, Till he was smitten in a field Whose glory dimmed the noonday light. Blinded and slain, That he might see and live again. Bunyan, whose Pilgrim keeps the road By which the ransomed gain the sky, 72 GRACE AND POSITION. Whose Progress guides to Heaven's abode, And shall, till sun and planets die, In fiery pains Shows us how Grace through Trial reigns. J Tis wondrous, that by such a path, So different from our fairy dreams,— Beset with sadness, fear, and wrath, Whose miry sloughs engulph our schemes, — Which fiends infest — God leadeth to the saints' sweet rest. And yet, dear heart! these thorns, so rife, That bruise us on the wintry way, Are branches of the Tree of Life, Whose leaves and fruits will ne'er decay. Whose summer bloom Will flourish o'er Creation's tomb. Thou sigh'st for youth so nearly fled ; For years in disappointment spent ; A blighted spirit — body dead ; — Hadst thou accomplished thy intent, To Earth and Heaven What revenues by thee were given ! GRACE AND POSITION. 73 And jet, no earnest herald's lip On Caxmel or in sweet Cashmere, Or where the frozen Arctics dip Their poles— in melody so clear Sings of the Cross, As thou, who 'st gained its wealth by loss. blessed Preacher ! thy faint word Has fallen on some heart with power; Thy faith has some disciple stirred, Thy hope has gilt his darkened hour. The weak has won ! — The suffering saint shall hear : " Well done ! " In this stern warfare thou and I Are creatures of Controlment still, That seeks and brings the wanderer nigh — Educes good from seeming ill — And saves by Grace, That wisely acts on Mind by Place. " THAT IS ABLE TO KEEP YOU FROM FAILING." That is able to keep me, an ignorant child, Who wounds every finger with thorns of the wild ; Oh Father ! so teach me and keep me, as Thine, That the Rose of Religion shall only be mine. That is able to keep me in passionate youth ; Discovering my errors ; alluring to Truth ; — The falsehood of Earth ever willing to show To the heart that dreams not of its wearisome woe. That is able to keep me in manhood's estate, From tempters that woo, and destroyers that wait; From poison that actively courses within, — - The sap of the Upas, whose nature is sin. THAT IS ABLE TO KEEP YOU. 75 That is able to keep me in desolate age ; That leaf, too, has follies inscribed on its page ; The thread of my life may right sympathies bind — From beginning to end 't is with wrong intertwined. That is able to keep me in penury's hour, And the terrible test of prosperity's power; In comfort and ease, or when sickness attends ; In communion of minds ; in bereavement of friends. That is able to keep me in crises of Life ; — On the wave's peaceful bosom ; on billows of strife ; And bring me, with songs, to the coveted shore, Where the storm and the wreck are remembered no more. That is able to keep me if, courting the sun, I soar in my ecstacy — every thing won ! — And as able, when down in the depths of despair, I write myself: "fool — sad eternity's heir." That is able to keep me securer than he Who ventured the trial and lost at the tree ; In Adam I fall, weak as chaff or the sand, — In Christ I arise and immovably stand. 76 THAT IS ABLE TO KEEP YOU. That is able to keep me ; — none truly is kept Over whom, for a moment, the Watchman has slept; Though I walk all my days in the pathway of light, If at last left of Mercy, I stumble in night. That is able to keep me; — and able art Thou Who hast kept to the present — who keepest me now; I am "faint, yet pursuing" — Hove! — keep me then Through faith to salvation, forever, Amen. THE TWO SHIPS. 77 THE TWO SHIPS. "In the year 1620, a Dutch Ship imported into Virginia the first Slaves that were ever seen on the North American continent. In the same year the ' May Flower ' brought the Pilgrims to Plymouth." A vessel on the deeps ! Her stolen freight is human flesh and blood ; Eternal justice sleeps, — Else, sure, would name some attribute of God, When men make void His law, And thus with Mercy's Golden Rule wage war. Insulted billows bear The pirate keel from old worlds to the new ; To poison the free air [blue With bondmen's breath ; and where bend skies of 7* O'er green fresh vale and hill, The vigorous soil with Slavery's scathe to kill. Those "chattels," bought and sold, Those few poor victims, ten score years ago, Such is the lust of gold — Are children's children now, in tears and woe. Freemen by Freedom's power [hour ! Have made them -*- they 're three millions at this Three million slaves To waste o'er cotton and the sugar cane, Then fill their graves, And leave Guilt's legacy, a damning stain On thee, unhappy land ! Which e'en effacing Age immortally shall brand. A vessel on the deeps ! Her noble freight is human flesh and blood; No rifled Slave- Coast weeps; — Around her hover airs and smiles of God; — Peace fans the favoring gales, And Righteousness is with her as she sails. In Winter's dreary reign Of ice and cold, she nears the Western world; — THE TWO SHIPS. 79 The Northern blasts complain ; The clouds of sleet and snow above her curled Fling down their wrath — what then? Her quivering ribs are mighty — they hold men ! Men of the pure old stock, Who haste alike from Prince and Prelate's ban, To build upon the rock A rest for Conscience and a home for Man, Where Truth and Light Shall sway a nation by the rule of Right. Two hundred years have flown; — The South drinks now that Hollander's deep curse ; Her cup alone ! — Blessings are dropping like the dew on us ; "By Heaven," — say heart and lip — " New England owes them to that Pilgrim Ship ! " 80 THE SILENT STREET, THE SILENT STREET In Boston is a Street — about a rod From her famed Common — by men seldom trod ; Never by the mere lounger, or the fair, To kill off time, or sport attractions there. 'Tis shunned by such as play the flutterer's part In folly's sunshine ; — by the wise in heart Its thought is entertained. Ranged on each side Are mansions, not of opulence or pride ; Of structure simple ; taste was not invoked In rearing these. Envy itself, provoked, Could find no food in gorgeous trappings here. Yet taste is wanting not, though still severe ; And you may note, in marble, o'er the door, Each owner's name. Of Fame's selectest store Are some of these. Here, where earth's kindred meet And friends convene, how silent is the Street ! Each, in due time, takes lodgings, and the gate, Closed sullenly upon him, seems to wait, Patient, yet surely, till 'tis oped again, And one more swells the long forgotten train Of those who, once within that sombre cell, Till time breaks up, in solitude shall dwell. Two, lately, 'twas my lot to see, and they Were here to take possession. In array, Not like the accustomed bustle that attends, Methought, the change of habitation ; — friends In concourse, sad, were with them ; — holy rite, With prayer and dirge, was ordered ; and the sight Of these new tenants was unwonted, such As in gay life we see not. There was much Of thought, intense, prevailing, as on them, Mother and child — men looked. A very gem Of beauty was that infant; save, its cheeks Were stilly pale ; and this flower of three weeks — ■ Folding itself in its sweet bud, as 'twere Shrinking away from our rough winds of care — Seemed sleeping. — 'T was a kind and quiet sleep. Its mother, too ! the voice of friendship said : 82 THE SILENT STREET. And truth confirmed it - — " grace and nature shed Early, on her, attraction. She was one Not formed to dazzle in the gairish sun, But loving shade, yet not inactive shade, [fade, She grew and bloomed, and now, where such ne'er She lives, with virtuous names not born to die, And her bright record is inscribed on high." And is she here ? — why weep these ? ■ — why, by Of sickly taper, to this house of night [light Comes she ? They pause, I notice, and delay The journeyer's entrance. Grieving friends give And he, who with that partner long had dwelt [way, In fairer mansion, by her side has knelt In anguish, sore, and takes the last fond look. Oh, God ! 't was the heart's agony that shook Thy servant then. Will he not tarry too ? Is no bed decked within, for love so true ? Ah, in death's undress she is hither brought ; Her couch is damp, her chamber cheerless, — nought To welcome her and babe. — What Street is this, Whose dwellers thus are shorn of home's sweet bliss ? And to the world's turmoil and daily strife, - The business, pleasure, weal and woe of life Are all insensible ? — A willing search Will find it soon. 'Tis under St. Paul's Church. YE SPIRITS OF THE JUST THAT SOAR. 83 YE SPIRITS OF THE JUST THAT SOAR. Ye Spirits of the Just, that soar Beyond those starry fields, sublime, Dwellers in light with whom are o'er The pageants and the tears of time, - Say, are the thoughts we entertain Of yonder unknown worlds, untrue ? Are those bright mysteries only vain ? Dissolved, or unrevealed to you ? Thou disembodied one, whom here 'Twas ours, in fellowship to know — Who, buoyed by Faith, without a fear, Fled from endearments prized below- 84 YE SPIRITS OF THE JUST THAT SOAR. On the dear hopes that soothed thy bed, Has disappointment flung its pall ? Or dost thou bosom now thy head On Him, thou chosest as thy All? Prophets — a long and awful train, Pilgrims, that bowed beneath the rod, And martyrs, who from racks of pain Soared to the presence of your God — Earth gave ye not her poor renown; Humility your only gem — 'T was yours to seek a nobler crown, Say, wear ye now that diadem? Forbear ! — yon ministering one Thine eyes, in flesh, shall never see; The dull cold sepulchre, its own, Mortal ! shall never yield to thee. Yet on futurity's long night A cheering beam of heaven is shed ; Receive thou Revelation's light, And not the visions of the dead. WAITING FOR THE GRAVE. %~J WAITING FOR THE GRATE. Wearied with play, that night, my sweet first-born Betimes had sunk to slumber, and he now Quietly nestled on his pillow, that To Innocence and Childhood lent sweet dreams. He slept, unheeding the wild storm which held, That winter night, rude empire. All within Was quiet, — midnight's stern serenity Dwelt in each chamber, and that house was still And calm, in the repose of loneliness. He is my eldest, and a parent may Indulge his love. Wrapt in his dreams he lay, Tranquil and happy, seeming. He is fair, Yet fairer seemed he than his wont in sleep. 86 WAITING FOR THE GRAVE. His rounded arms were folded, as if toil Were ended now, and lie in balmy rest Should find new vigor for the coming day. His flaxen hair lay carelessly upon His polished brow, and there many a curl Rioted in luxuriance. The red lips, That pouted at my lightest kiss, half closed, Spoke to beholders that within was peace. Near him slept Henry, younger, frailer too; A tender plant that seemed not formed to bear The ruder winds of life. He slumbered where He coveted to slumber — in her arms Who gave him being; for her love was there To shield her darling boy; and dearer now To that sad mother was her little one, And closer to her heart she pressed him, as if fear Had taught her, he too would that couch forsake. For one was not — William, that lovely one — William, who constantly had slumbered there With his twin-brother, shared not now that bed. He too had gone to rest-— a rest how sweet — How holy! — In a farther room he lay, Wrapt in the robe of whiteness that adorns Departed innocence. O, how composed, Sublime, was that deep sleep ! Still he slept on PARTING HYMN. 87 In all the beauty, all the loveliness That late adorned him. Sickness had not stolen One grace that Death had not threefold restored. He lay before me in his coffin, there So tranquil, that unto my stricken heart I said, " he is not dead — my boy but sleeps." Aye, long might I believe so, were it not For the fixed impress, still — something severe — Even in smiles, that Death doth always wear. PARTING HYMN SUNG BY TELE PUPILS OF PHILLIPS' ACADEMY, ANDOVER, AT TKE ANNUAL EXAMINATION, 1847. When evil and good were in Eden discovered, And man, losing innocence, fell from his state, Two angels about him, in company hovered, And went with him out at the sentinelled gate. The angel of Light has since followed him, ever,— So hope on his gourds, a sweet blossom may bloom ; The angel of Shadow has left his side never,— So the wanderer may learn 't is not his to presume. There 's Light when the morning in glory is shining, And slumber and visions and darkness are gone; There's Shadow when gently the sun is declining, And softness and sadness and silence come on. There's Light his horizon of pleasure adorning, When man issues forth at the breaking of day: There 's Shadow succeeding the freshness of morning, When sorrow at evening perplexes his way. And Youth with his barque on the mirroring ocean, The prow to the haven and streamers at helm — Dreams not in his joy of the angry commotion, Where tempests are rising and seas overwhelm. We've lingered awhile on the margin, uncertain,— But now as adventurers, we launch on the wave ; We've patiently waited, — but rises the curtain, And ho ! for the drama that ends with the grave. freedom's hymn. 89 Not so — for the thought that had birth in these bowers, Is living, enlarging, and ripening its plan, — While eternity's dial is telling the hours, To influence the woe or the welfare of man. For him in whose bosom is Rectitude burning, For Youth in his pilgrimage seeking the Right, There 's a Paradise opened, where exiles returning, Find Shadow all lost in effulgence of Light. FREEDOM'S HYIffl FOR THE FOURTH OF JULY. The patriot sires in glory sleep; Their sepulchre is holy earth; And we upon their ashes keep The Sabbath of a nation's birth. God of our battles ! Didst not Thou The right arm of those warriors guide, 8* 90 FREEDOMS HYMN. When they for Freedom dealt the blow, And freely gave their own heart's tide? And didst not Thou along our shore Bid angel Peace extend her wing; And blood-stained banners wave no more, And useful Arts and Commerce spring? These are thy works, oh God ! and we, The sons who never could be slaves, Who proudly view fair Freedom's tree Expanding o'er our father's graves — - We crush the mind ! we forge the chain ! And from the soil by charter given, This hallowed hour, the sigh of pain Ascends, accusing us to Heaven. Will mockery ask, this Day, what spoil Shall hearts in glad oblation yield, — The first-fruits of a teeming soil? Or choicest cattle from the field? Will solemn vows — where pgeans swell, Lauding our fabric's goodly plan — Atone, while stripes and fetters tell That man is pitiless to man ? TO A DEAF AND DUMB GIRL. 91 Yain all! — Jehovah has no need Of our first-fruits or altar's smoke ; Dearer to God is Mercy's deed ; Nobler to break Oppression's yoke. TO A DEAF AND DUMB GIRL. I grieve not Heaven to thee denies The attribute of speech, "When reading in those starry eyes All that the mind can teach. I grieve not no assuring tone Of love, bids thee rejoice ; — Thou favored one ! to thee is given The Spirit's soothing voice. I grieve not that to thee Life's scroll — For such is Heaven's will — Is unrevealed, thy gentle soul Reads not that page of ill. 92 TO A DEAF AND DUMB GIRL. Oh, happy maiden ! trace not thou Those characters of fire ; They tell of wrongs, of bitter strife, And blight of fond desire. The flickering light that gilds our day, On thee may never shine,— I grieve not, for the steady ray Of peace is ever thine. And pure and tranquil is that rest Where thought, untroubled, flows, As waveless ocean, on whose breast The moon-beam seeks repose. Shut out from scenes of feverish joy, Removed from grovelling sense, Sublime indeed is thy employ With high Omnipotence. Far from the din of this low sphere, Its smiles, or frequent woe, Thou nearest a voice we cannot hear, Of things we cannot know. Thou drinkest of the crystal well, Whence living knowledge flows; MY CHILDREN. 93 And on that fount is laid a spell, That shuts up human woes. Oh, never, never may the sigh Of agony, severe, Thy bosom rend, nor that mild eye Be dimmed with misery's tear ! MY CHILDREN. Ye are alive to bliss, my boys ; — Your pulses beat in healthful play ; Visions of peaceful heartfelt joys — Do they not hover o'er your way? Your bounding bosoms, light and free, Know not of past or future care ; Sufficeth it alone, that ye The bright alluring Present share. 'Tis transient all — yet who shall break The fair frail mirror of your mirth? 94 MY CHILDREN. Ye are but dreamers ; who shall wake Ye to realities of earth? Dream on ! dream on ! it cannot last ; With boyhood will depart that dream; And soon, to retrospect, the Past But shadows of the dead shall seem. Who would forget, that when a child, Life put on lovely robes for him? That then imagination, wild, Flashed in the eyes that now are dim? Who can forget when Hope danced high, And Syren Love of witchery sung ? Some may forget, but ne'er shall I, The white-winged hours when joy was young. Yes, though upon my tempered brow Romance hath ceased to bind her flowers, 'Tis pleasant as I wander now, To linger o'er my childish hours. Green spot of life ! how sweet to gaze On bliss so simple, yet sincere ; To turn from the wild waste of days And feast my aching vision here. MY CHLLDKEN. 95 Aye, smile, my boys ! 't were better so, Than darkly read the coming ill ; That chequered page the gray-haired know, But heedlessness is childhood's still. Blest ignorance ! Compassion's balm, To drug the life-cup of our tears ; Existence, thou wouldst wear a charm Did prescience come not with thy years. Laugh on, my children, while ye may ; — Yours now is not the actor's part; Your laugh perhaps in future day, May vainly hide an aching heart. Yet lingers in your perfect bliss, Ingenuous feeling, brightly new ; And childhood's love and childhood's kiss Are ever holy, ever true. 96 GIRARD COLLEGE. GIRARD COLLEGE, PHILADELPHIA His current name, that graced, for years, a Bank, Now that Death's veto cuts him off from pelf — Shines on a College. Wellj the idol Self Has yet oblation. For the boon we thank Not his compassion ; it, like him, was lank. — But, oh ! just Truth, how surely what men sow, And that alone — for good or bad will grow ! This offering, to his god, of odor rank, This eager pyramid of modern days, This glorious marble mass, to Heaven up-piled, At cost of millions, for the Orphan Child, Presents of Unbelief no doubtful phase. So, by the beauty that commands our praise, As by a hideous wonder, is the ground defiled. A SAPrHIC FOR THANKSGIVING. 97 A SAPPHIC FOR THANKSGIVING When the old Fathers of New England sought to Honor the Heavens with substance and with first fruits, They, with their blessings — -all uncounted — sum- med up Their undeservings. They praised Jehovah for the wheat sheaves gathered ; For corn and cattle, and the thrifty orchards ; Blessings of basket, storehouse, homestead, hamlet ; Of land and water. 98 A SAPPHIC FOR THANKSGIVING. They praised Jehovah for the Depth of Riches Opened and lavished to a world of penury; Mines — whose red ore, unpriced, unbought, is poured from Veins unexhausted. They made confession of their open errors ; Honestly told God of their secret follies ; Afresh their service as true vassals pledged Him; And then were merry. Strong was their purpose ; Nature made them nobles ; Religion made them kings, to reign forever! Hymns of Thanksgiving were their happy faces, Beaming in music. Gone are the Pilgrims ; — silent years behold us Onward in science ; backward in true greatness ; Realms we can master - — not our sins ; — rule lightning, Not tyrant passion. A SAPPHIC FOR THANKSGIVING. 99 Lingers affection for their hallowed customs, Throb yet these pulses — may the fact redeem us! — Glows the warm influence in New England's bosom, Beating to Goodness. Beating all proudly, as upon her Fathers' Green glorious graves and eloquent old tombstones, She reverently throws garlands, born to blossom Summer and Winter. Darkly we wander where we've sadly fallen From the grand heights of their majestic beauty, — Marred by our folly. — Yet we praise Jehovah, The Children's Ruler. We praise Jehovah ! — though within our censer Burns other incense than a glad oblation ; With the deep thunders of New England's anthem Wail notes of sorrow. Troubled our praises, and our hymns discordant; Art Thou, O God, on Gerizim or Ebal ? The malediction hear we — hear the blessinjr, Strangely confounded. LofC. 100 A SAPPHIC FOR THANKSGIVING. We weep before Thee that a veil flung over Our comely Zion, hides Thee from thy Daughter; Shuts out the sunlight ; makes her spirit torpid, And her heart icy. We sigh before Thee that debasing Mammon Has built his temples our wide nation over ; In which the worldling, moralist, and Christian Equally worship. We wail before Thee that the sparkling wine-cup Crowns entertainments ; and the poor man's beverage That devil, Rum is, in despite of suasion, Legal or moral. We mourn in sackcloth that through our Republic The Sabbath-breaker's evil spirit rages, Infests the market, factory, steamboat, yea and Smokes o'er the railroad. We weep in ashes that pure love of country Yields to the mighty tide of base corruption ; Wrestlers for lucre, pleasure, and ambition, * Are victors ! — rulers ! From the proud summit of their lofty virtue Look down the patriots of the olden time, To see our purchased and obsequious statesmen Most deeply fallen. And, shame to Freemen ! Freedom's sunny jewel Lies in the shadow of a foul eclipse ; This hour their injuries clamor to high Heaven Three Million Voices ! We blush in scarlet that to comfort slaverv, Aid and encourage purposes of Avarice, A stolen province swells our vast possessions, — Our dreadful audit ! And to fill quickly the infernal measure Of suicidal guilt and matchless folly, Our youth and manhood, burning with mad valor, Haste to the battle; — Spurn the brave North — her strong hills and green vallies, To lay their bodies in the chapperalls, Or bleach on deserts ; hecatombs uncounted To empty Conquest. 102 A SAPPHIC FOR THANKSGIVING. Murder and Rapine — harpies — are seen perching On the broad banner that once led to Glory; " Glory ! " what art thou ? — infamy ! Thou " Eagle ? " — A carrion vulture ! Oh, can we triumph that audacious robbers Skulk, like assassins, through the Aztec city?—- Sit in high places where swayed Indian princes Barbaric sceptre ? — Warriors, inflamed by horrid lust and bloodshed, Accursed polluters ! violate sweet virgins, Shoot down the women who the hurt are soothing — - Angels of Mercy ! Oh, can we triumph that the peaceful dwellings Of men, defenceless, have been wrapt in burnings, White locks gore-spattered, and the cherub infant, Shrieking and writhing, Is tost on bayonets of infuriate soldiers, — Men hot with hell and drunk with Mexic crimson ? — Can we exult in the loud lamentations Our Rachels utter? A SAPPHIC FOR THANKSGIVING. 103 Can we exult o'er gallant gay commanders Smitten to earth? or in the wholesale butchery Of rank and file, which steel and ball by thousands Hurried to Judgment? And the survivors ! — how the soul is blasted By the fierce fever of the camp a*nd tent-field! Well may they envy comrades who are food now For the dull earth-worms ! Mourn we the hundreds, crippled, crushed, and broken, Limping in rags home to their loved New England ; Cursing the phantom that allured them and the Bounty that bought them. Stay, burdened spirit ! — wonder that the hail storm Merited richly, is not yet commissioned ; — "Wonder, that rains not on thy guilty country Gomorrah's portion. Take the Thanksgiving, God ! that hope is left us In the great legacy we still inherit Of glorious Freedom, and the blessed Gospel's Solemn Probation. Now, as we gather round our loaded tables, May the pure rain-drops of repentance welling, Mingle with gladness ; and the low confession With the thank-offering ! Tears, that from Virtue grievously we've wandered; Humble confessions for ourselves and nation ; Covenant renewed that we will henceforth ever Cleave to Jehovah. So, in His merits, whose dear footprints, bleeding, Tracked up Salvation's way on Calvary, We, finding peace, shall keep a pure Thanksgiving Here and in Heaven. November, 1847. 105 OH, STARS! Oh, Stars ! upon the brow of night Ye look from yonder fields of blue, Where ye, 'mid melody of light, Bright wheeling worlds ! your way pursue. Ye never tire, — - pure diadems, The marshalled sentinels on high — Ye shine, and ever shine, the gems That deck the curtain of the sky. Minstrels are ye — your early song Woke all the sons of God to mirth, When light and music flowed along In union o'er the newborn earth. 106 Ye Stars ! if aught ? t is yours to know Beyond your own superior bourne. With pity have ye not below Glanced on these vales where mortals mourn ? While I behold your nightly march, Your anthems steal upon my ears — As sprinkled o'er yon glittering arch, Ye wake the music of the spheres. 9 T is fancy ! — yet the soothing strains Come o'er my soul with influence, blest ; They tell of brighter, fairer plains, Where troubles cease and- pilgrims rest. HYMN OF WELCOME. 107 HYMN OF WELCOME, ON THE RETURN OF A PASTOR FROM EUROPE AND ASIA " The Soul, immortal as its Sire," Is ne'er to time or place confined ; To spread the wings of keen desire, And fly abroad, belongs to Mind, 'T were shame to stray from flower to flower Nor, like the bee, with purpose roam ; He's wise, who lades the wand'ring hour, And sends it, rich with honey, home. His path, whose head and heart are right, Is strown with Truth, like gems, impearled; To him the sky's a page of light — A book, unsealed, the wondrous world. 108 HYMN OF WELCOME. Thanks ! Gracious God ! thy servant thus Has reaped in Syria, Borne, and Greece ; And now, with golden sheaves for us, And songs to Thee, returns in peace. Thanks ! that his house, in weary lands And thirsty deserts, found the Rock, Whose streams, in Asia, filled their hands ; Whose waters here, refreshed the flock. Accept the vow! accept the praise*! And oh! let angels still descend Where he and we memorials raise To Christ, the grateful Traveller's Friend. HYMN. 109 HYMN, SUNG AT THE CELEBRATION OP THE LELANI) FAMILY, AT SHERBURNE. O God of Bethel ! from Thy hands Thy gift, the social compact came, To heal and clasp in pleasant bands The scattered wrecks of Adam's shame. Its blessings of superior birth Enrich no selfish, lonely man ; — " Let children's children take the earth ! " The covenant thus with Abr'am ran. The chain that binds and leaves it free Is by the willing heart confessed ; We kiss the golden links, for we In servitude so sweet are blessed. 10 110 HYMN. Thanks ! that Thy favor, as the dew, Lies all night on the good man's ground; And mercies, like the morn, renew Their beauty where the just is found, Thanks ! that the seed from Albion's stock Struck widely here a vigorous root,— Which, pushing through the sand and rock, Has grown and yielded precious fruit. Thanks ! that around this goodly vine The graceful branches, as they fail, Like Jacob's clusters, intertwine - — Like Joseph's, overleap- the wall. Let benedictions yet abound ! These multiply and fully bless, By families with plenty crowned- — By kindreds who shall Thee confess ! MRS. MARY E. VAN LENNEP. Ill MRS. MART E. VAN LENNEP ON READING HER MEMOIR BY HER MOTHER. I knew her not; — a fountain here Reflects her beauty to my sight; Its fair proportions mirrored clear, And beaming with effulgent light. I see a soul mature and true ; Of taste refined, and noble parts ; And earnest love, that simply knew A short sweet way to kindred hearts. * Only daughter of Rev. Joel Hawes, D.D., of Hartford, Ct., and wife of Rev. Henry J. Van Lennep, Missionary to the Armenians ; among whom she died at Pera, Sept. 27, 1844, aged 23. 112 MRS. MARY E. VAN LENNEP. The lineaments are all divine ; — The glorious form and starry eyes Are such as meet and softly shine In holy ones that walk the skies. She loved mankind of every creed; "Her neighbor" dwelt in every zone; — And life she loved, might she indeed Bless him with mercies like her own ! " They serve who wait," — and thus did she, Whose work, where flames the Eastern sun, Was planned, commenced and wrought while we Beheld it only as begun. From dawn to twilight's fading ray Some linger on the Master's ground, — • Threescore and ten their weary day, — And such, at last, are "faithful" found; — Oh ! not by hours, or full or few, Our gracious Lord the toil computes, — ' Some, ere exhales the morning dew, At morn retire with sheaves and fruits. f THE BURMAN'S QUESTION. 113 And she, whose worth is here impearled, Where skill maternal sets the gem — By labor brief has blest the world, And early won her diadem. THE BURMAN'S QUESTION DO THE DISCIPLES IN AMERICA DRINK ARDENT SPIRITS Men, crossing the blue wave, have told To Burmah of the God who first Spoke out this starry world of old, — To whom the stars and worlds are dust. His voice we hear, and we obey ! Nor fear contempt, or shame, or loss; Once proudly vile, we now will lay Our folly's pride beneath the cross. We'll bear reproaches for His sake Who for the Burmese died, and we 10* 114 THE BURMA.N S QUESTION, Will gladly persecution take For Him whose blood hath stained the tree. Yet, how may we the censure meet, That spots Religion's lovely robe, And shows an idol on the seat Of Him who formed and guides the globe? For far beyond the Indian sea, Where heaven lets down unwonted light, His purchased followers bend the knee To Alcohol, the fiend of night. Our hearts for God! — yet while we doubt, And fear, like those, to yield Him up, Around us rings the scornful shout, " Do your disciples kiss the cup ? " Do western Christians fondly reach The bottle to a neighbor's lip ? A deed that Boodh may never teach! A cup Gaudama durst not sip ! Men of the clime where Truth has trod, Earth's million falsehoods to condemn, Tell us, seek they another God ? Or is not Jesus, God for them ? THE CASTAWAY. 115 THE CASTAWAY. " The sentiment has very generally gained credence that the reformation of drunkards is a hopeless undertaking. Facts teach us to renew our efforts to pluck them from the fire, though half consumed. They may yet be recovered and become useful members of society. 1 ' Thou'st snatched the youth from Kuin's grave, And dashed to earth his chain ; And bade him sit, no more a slave, A man with men again. Thou'st rescued from the Sorcerer, when Hope failed to chase the spell; Thou'st broken caste, that sundered men Wide as the doors of hell. 116 THE CASTAWAY. To crush the cup, concealed in flowers, Its garlands to untwine, Is godlike toil — the fruit is ours, The triumph, Temperance ! thine. Nor mean that victory — with its song Is stirred the warriors' graves: And cries ring thence, in trumpet-tongue, " Our sons no more are slaves ! " Magician of unequalled power ! Who but thyself could dare To seek the lion in his hour, And beard him in his lair ? 5 T is well — 't is more — 't is nobly done ; Thy recompense, by far I'd choose, than jewelled sceptre won By emperor or czar, Yet, angel! or whate'er thou art, Thy gaze turn thou on him, For whom this world hath little part, Whose hope beyond is dim. THE CASTAWAY. 117 For fell remorse is his, and fast The serpent hath him bound ; With gripe of death its folds are cast His inmost soul around. He bathed his boyhood in the cup, In poison quenched his prime; Its fires have drunk existence up, And now he "bides his time." There are dear ones to share his woe, He will not sink alone ; His spirit's lease is linked unto Jehovah's moveless throne. And him — -eternity's proud heir — Shouldst thou, for aye, pass by, And leave in all his blank despair A castaway to die ? Oh, strive ! till longer that dark way He will not, cannot tread; But walks forth into cheerful day, The living from the dead. 118 THE VOICE OF THE SEA. THE VOICE OF THE SEA. " The Missionaries write of a revival on board the ship, on her passage to India." The waves of passion may be stayed where lordly billows toss, The journey ers of the deep may be the followers of the cross ; 'Mid storms that strain his gallant ship, the mari- ner in faith May hear what He who humbled once the surging waters saith. The Yoice at Sea ! — the Voice that wakes the - sailor from his dream, Is that which speaks in rushing floods and in the gentle stream, THE VOICE OF THE SEA. 119 And in the forest's harmony, when all its trees rejoice ; In cottages, in palaces, — it is the Spirit's Voice. Dost see yon vessel like a bird on ocean's wilder- ness? Oh, there go some whose lofty looks are changed to lowliness ; Upon them Love has shed its dews ; from head to garment's hem They 're bathed — old things are past, — the Dove has overshadowed them. And iron men, who never quailed upon the yield- ing mast, Have feared then* sin, and sought the few whose lot with heaven is cast. And lips that left us with a curse — thou hear'st them as they pass — On Hoogly meekly learn to pray, and hail with hymn, Madras ! Thou seest the Spanner of the Deeps, who scoops the waves their bed, Is where the lowly sailor weeps, and marks each tear that 's shed ; 120 THE VOICE OP THE SEA. And, unconfined to minster walls and carved and gilded fane, Bends o'er the hammock where he calls and soothes the sinner's pain. Sweet to the troubled mariner, aloft on quivering shrouds, It is to look in confidence beyond the warring clouds, And know, when by deceitful winds, at starless midnight driven, There shineth down upon his path the guiding ray of Heaven. And sweet to us that interchanged the lingering, last farewell, Sustained by Him who chideth not when tides of sorrow swell — To know that He went down with them that busi- ness do at sea, And in their noble vessel showed the power of Deity. And praise to Him whose presence cheered that missionary ship, And wrought, with sure and silent power, such change of soul and lip ! THE VOICE OF THE SEA. 121 Yes, praise to Thee ! the barks that speed thy sacramental host, Thou overshadowest in their need, Wing of the Holy Ghost! And still'st the elemental strife, subduing every sin ; By Thee the sea restores to life the dead that were therein : In hearts of those that shun thy truth, the way- ward and the strong, Thou put'st its shining, searching edge, and in their mouth a song. Then, parent! whose unhappy child has left the peace of home, And left its dear and virtuous love, in distant ways to roam, — Be comforted, and for him plead, though he has thoughtless trod, And long been lost, this hour he may be found at last of God. # In watches of the night, when hushed are winds and sleeps the wave, His thought may homeward turn to rest upon a father's grave ; 11 I 122 THE VOICE OF THE SEA. Or on the countenance of her that led his step above In youth, and on remembered words dropt by a mother's love. In pauses of the northern storm a Yoice may come with power, And meet him in the tropic breeze, at evening's quiet hour; O, who can shun His presence who may from the Spirit flee ? For omnipresent, Lord ! thou art, and in Thy hands are we. TO J The fool, who counts by millions yellow wealth, Disbursing it at Pity's call by stealth So secret, that to Heaven 't is never known, — And, dying, vests in mortar, brick, and stone The swollen mass for Hospitals, may place Assume with benefactors of his race. ^Mr. A. is a resident of Boston, a man in humble life, who de- votes much of his time to the relief of the distresses of those of his fellow creatures, suffering from poverty or the effects of vice. He has been wonderfully successful in reclaiming the fallen. During the past year, in our criminal courts, he has bailed 137 prisoners, most of whom were drunkards and minors. During the past six years, Mr. A. has become bail for 636 persons, the whole amount of his bonds being $45,750, and only in a single instance has he been compelled to pay his bonds, and then only for $100. About three quarters of the prisoners that have expe- rienced Mr. A.'s merciful interposition, have become permanently reformed. 124 TO J A . The rich man, who to Penury's gaunt heir Doles from his purse a homeopathic part, Is straightway lauded, as if Soul and Heart Could possibly in this have any share ; As if proud Rank could hear the widow's prayer ; Inflated Splendor from its stilts descend To be unto the fatherless a friend ; Or Meanness willingly could pittance spare.— But Thou, whose advent no paid poet told, Whose humble name in life's plain pathway lies, Though reckoned with the Peerage of the Skies — Whose heart of hearts was never bought or sold — To garner Coin and Fame art truly wise ! For where the canker ne'er in crusts the gold, Nor calumny consumes, thy treasure 's sure — Laid up and hidden with God's chosen Poor. 1848. L — e A She has gone from our sight to the regions of bliss ; — Her passage was brief through the valley of tears — For a world that was perfect relinquishing this ; These moments of time for eternity's years. She was here as a pilgrim; yet not as a mark For the arrows of trouble that constantly Hew ; The path of existence, so tangled and dark, Was pleasant to her, for the Leader was true. Oh, no ! the sad record of thousands that weep From the cradle all down to the sheltering tomb, 11* Belongs not to her who is folded in sleep — A bud that was opening in beauty and bloom. For pure and serene were the tints of her sky ; Every cloud, intercepting, fled swiftly and far; Or if ever a shadow came wandering by, To her it seemed only a radiant star. She lived in the smiles we were prompt to bestow, — And we deemed on that circle a charm had been Yet entered its precincts the confident Foe, [laid; To retreat at the faith of a suffering maid. We gathered, in grief, about her, who had shed O'er our studies and pastime the light of her heart ; And we saw in the beam on the face of the dead A token of kindness to soften the smart. It sharpened our pangs, that the festival hour* Was the one to be dimmed by her funeral rite ; And that she, of our garden of gladness the flower, We must leave in her morning to dampness and night, * The burial was on the same same day that her beloved com- panions in the Seminary assembled for the last time in that term. WINTER. 127 But she lives in the hearts that are weeping behind ; And though the frail mansion is laid in the sod, The soul that informed it, pure, sinless, refined, Is singing and shining and gazing on God. 1848. WINTER. Winter ! there are among the race of men, Strangers to thought, who slander thee ; Thy frowns appall, thy smiles escape their ken ; — Yet beautiful the garb thou wear'st to me. I love thy rocking storms to hear ; Thy blasts, that bid the aged mountains nod, Thy winds are music to my ear, — To me their murmuring is the voice of God. Parent of kindly charities ! 'Tis thine to thaw man's heart — the frigid soul, 128 WINTER. Sterner than frost, is melted, nor denies Its aid to bid the troubled heart " be whole ! " "Winter ! thou 'rt not austere ; Though frozen be thy aspect, bliss is thine Unknown to fairer May; for on thy shrine Is often seen the grateful orphan's tear. Parent of treasures, thou ! Should I not love thee ? 0, can aught compare With thy dear fireside joys ? — ■ the tranquil brow, The wife's warm smile and children's kiss are there. LOOKING TO JESUS. 129 LOOKING TO TILE CROSS — LOOKING TO JESUS. "Just before he died, the Bishop exclaimed, ' 0, what a com- fort it is in looking to Christ ! I scarcely like to use that expres- sion, common as it is, of looking to the Cross ; it is a figurative term ; whereas I want something substantial.' " — The late Bishop of Salisbury. The dying papist clasps the cross ; — His lips the sign of Mercy kiss ; — A brighter world repairs the loss He suffers in his flight from this. Tractarians on the bauble gaze That bribes the neophyte to Rome ; Poor flies ! allured by " candle " blaze. They singe their wings and meet their doom. 130 LOOKING TO JESUS. Decrepit Rome, with crucifix, May grope her way to dubious light; And Oxford learn the juggling tricks That change the gospel's noon to night; Yet, when I dip in Jordan's flood, And sentient mind and flesh give way, I ask no gilt or ivory god To aid my hope and be my stay. O! more than blossoms, leaves, and root Of Calvary's plant my bruises need ; The tree can never heal — its fruit Is oil and balm and life indeed. He who upon its branches hung Must be my joy and boast and pride ; In life and death, my soul and tongue Will only mention Him who died. While Fopes with lifted banners cry: "Look to the Cross, for you unfurled Through tears of grief and joy will I Look to the Saviour of a world. ORDINATION HYMN. 131 For on the Rock my fathers chose, On which, secure, the children stand, I plant my foot; — dash here, ye foes, And break and scatter round the land! ORDINATION HYMN. His ministers, as fiery flames, Are darting all abroad; The Lord has come ! — ye lesser names Sink down before our God. Hark ! to the world's millenial hymn ; How sweet the chorals run ! " As ever by the Cherubim, By man Thy will is done." Father, thus thy word redeem, Thus give thy Son his right, Proclaimed in Eden's morning beam, — Confirmed in Calvary's night. 132 ORDINATION HYMN. And bless Thy Churchy who, watch and ward, In calm or battle keeps; Pleads for the advent of her Lord, And o'er its tarrying weeps. And bless her warriors who replied When Danger's trumpet blew ; - — Who now are fighting at her side, And winning glory too. And bless Thy servant who obeys, And seeks the field to-day;- — Thyself, encompassing his ways, His buckler in the fray. By him, let Age be strong indeed, And let the Children win ; On every lance an error bleed, Each blow a death to Sin. By him let broken hearts be healed, The slaves of vice unbound ; New vigor every blessing yield, And fragrance every wound. HYMN. 133 So, to the Saviour's earnest cry, May Heaven and Earth, as one, Take alleluias, and reply: " God, Thy will is done ! " n y i n . SUNG AT THE INSTALLATION OF REV. S. HUTCHINGS, LATE MISSIONARY TO INDIA ; AT SOUTH BROOKFIELD, MASS., SEPT. 15, 1847. He, who, recalled from Gentile lands, Submits to Heaven's mysterious will, Has yet the censer in his hands, And girds him for the altar still. And if, where Ceylon's soft winds blow, Or fiames the sultry Hindustan, He may not to the captive show How Mercy lifts and rescues man, — He may upon the Pilgrims' ground The Pilgrims' ancient doctrine preach ; And, where a purer creed is found, Its faith by word and practice teach ; — 12 And, with experience of his youth, And gentle hope, and love, and zeal, So recommend transparent truth, That mind shall grow, and conscience feel ; And on our hearts his woe impress Who sits where hell has flag unfurled, Till they will leap at once to bless With life the buried idol-world. So shall the gems he gathers here, With those he won from India's strand In Jesus' crown of stars appear, When sink the ocean, sky, and land. WHEN MORNING BREAKS. 135 WHEN MORNING BREAKS UPON THE NIGHT, I. When morning breaks upon the night That wrapt the slave of sin, And, guided by its searching light, "The rebel sees within How Guilt upon the inner walls Its images portrays, To which the heart in worship falls, — Which every lust obeys ; — If sad conviction of his loss Is deepened to despair, Till, yielding at the holy Cross, He falls, a weeper there, — 136 WHEN MORNING BREAKS. He dies to sin; and only then Is certified of rest; For, in the storms that trouble men, He sleeps on Jesus' breast. How sweet, within the arms of Love, To sigh away the breath — And taste, in presence of the Dove, Eternal Life in Death ! II. And yet 'tis not enough to die To follies he has done; The waiting seats of bliss on high Are not so idly won. Tis not enough that Grace may lift The sunken from his woe ; ■ — The saint, redeemed, of Grace bereft, Will find his place below. He ; ^et must die if he would live ; Die daily, hourly, still ; Die to the blessings Heaven may give ; — In sorrows die to will. WHEN MORNING BREAKS. 137 Die — in the secret peace of God — To bufferings malign ; To meet half way and take the rod Is more than to resign. Die to his selfishness and pride; In life and failing breath, To all, with Christ, be crucified, And triumph in the death! 12* 138 THE CHOLERA, THE CHOLERA. IN PROSPECT OF ITS SECOND LWASIof . With what a calm and self-confiding gait Cometh this Alaric, the Scourge ! — when first From Indian marshes the Destroyer burst, He girded on swift wings and could not wait. The helmed and sworded Minister of Fate Smote then the quaking nations, but to feel His future way, and prove his edge of steel, — And some score thousands could its sharpness sate. Would that his march, so silent, were less slow, And quickly sped ! — This gradual advance Tokens, I fear, an Arm upon whose lance Shall millions bleed. Yet comes the dreadful Foe, Who his own prowess hath sure cause to know, And our sad impotence sees at a glance. 1848. VEKSES. 139 VERSES WRITTEN AFTER HEARING THE SPEECHES IN FANEU1L HALL, ON A LATE ANNIVERSARY OCCASION. On this " broad platform " grimly stand Fanaticism's earnest band. Earnest, but erring — Oh, reflect, How dire, perverted intellect ! I see their eyes of maniac-glare, I hear their words, and hell is there. Evil of dignities they speak, With venom strong, with logic weak. Infuriate age, and zealot youth Amaze the rabble with untruth. 140 "VERSES. Blow follows blow ! shocks follow shocks ! The Bible sinks ! the Pulpit rocks ! " I never spoke in Faneuil Hall Before, yet have an inward call " To say, if Sinai's Law this rod Appoints, I want not Sinai's God, " If Calvary's Sufferer this curse Takes not away, no Christ for us. " If Christians who love Slavery well At last win Heaven, give me Hell. "Hear me! who've tenanted — time fails To tell how many — loathsome jails. " Ye worm word words ! invective stings ! Concentrate of all bitter things ! " Ye Balaams ! cluster, thick as leaves, To curse the Brotherhood of thieves." Blow follows blow ! shocks follow shocks ! The Bible sinks! the Pulpit rocks! VERSES. 141 And Woman, in her beauty, pleads ; And rheumy Age, in widow-weeds. One sways, like felon in a noose ; One yells, as Bedlam were broke loose. One — who at home doth wear the breeches Knits hose, and drops and takes up stitches. One, of most liberal spirit, deems The follower of the Koran's dreams, The worshipper of pagan Boodh, The swearer by the Holy Rood, Believers in the land of Nod, Or scorners of the Book of God, Who think of Jesus Christ not much — (One said : " I hope that here are such ! ") Alike, may on this platform stand, All welcome to the motley band. Alike, may jabber, fume, and squeak ; All equal, — Mormon, Jew, and Greek. 142 VERSES. And these — who spew out slimy wit, And dip their weapons in the pit; And pour forth blasphemies, too rank, If even Christ were mountebank ; And shame the devil by their sin, And hope, at last, success to win; And scorn to be with polish cumbered — Are with the gentle Cl arks on numbered! Yes ! these, who make their 'cause pretence To outrage decency and sense; Who Freedom in their vileness steep, And make the friends of Freedom weep; Whose " Resolutions " breathe out slaughter ; Who drink up sin like filthy water ; These, at his pure and blessed source, They say, sucked in with Wilberforce ! My spirit spurns such rude allies; I march not with a flag that lies. STANZAS. 143 I pity and I shun them — I, Who for the Slave would toil and die. Who, if to snap his hateful link, Demanded principle, must shrink. Wlio, to win Freedom — gem unpriced ! — Will not my freedom sell, nor Christ, Who, for my fellows, asks success On thoughts, words, deeds, that God will bless. STANZAS. How blessed the heir, unvexed by trouble, Heav'n's legacy who hath not spent; — Who, counting earth a passing bubble, Above its pomp secures content. Thirsts he along Life's weary journey ? Its wayside fountains fill his cup ; Called out with bucklered Care to tourney ? He meets the conflict, visor up. 144 STANZAS. With passions, in Life's earnest races, Contends he? and that prize the soul? He presses on, unheeding traces Of footsteps, past, and wins the goal. Heart's -ease, his flower, he ever weareth ; Subdued and simple is his will; And while of peace the proud despaireth, His, like a river, floweth still. Mortal — to-day he meeteth sorrow, Such as the thoughtless never scanned ; Yet, darkness past, what light, to-morrow, Breaks on him from the Spirit-land! TO REV. MESSRS. DR. B. AND G. 145 TO REV. MESSRS. DR. B. AND G. OF ENGLAND, Ye've sought our western shore In friendliness, — on holy errand bound. The Christian fellowship ye hither bore, With us sojourning, ye have freely found. Ye've trodden the rich soil Once wet with patriot blood ; where the green graves Of the old warriors are; — men, not of spoil, Not fearing Death ; — who feared to live as slaves. Ye 've seen from Plymouth Rock High influence spread — wide as the nation spreads ; And still in person, family, and flock, Quickening (he ray which the pure gospel sheds. 13 14:6 TO REV. MESSRS. DR. B. AND G. The arena of the last Great conflict ye have seen, and where shall dwell In centuries of bliss, the Church, when past Her warfare, and when bound the prince of hell. New England's pleasant dales, And lands beyond the Alleghany, ye Have visited. Our noble prairies, vales And rivers seen ; — fit region of the Free. " Fit region ? " • — ye have seen The black man cowering to the dreadful whip ; Where Slavery turns the fruitful ground to lean, Ye Ve heard the curse his heart sent to the lip ! Ye 've marked on fields of fame The heaving dome ; — seen Commerce urge his wheel Where Ruin dwelt ; and where the battle's flame Swept our fair towns, bright peace her Star reveal. " Bright Peace ? " — and how we send Our volunteers, ambassadors of woe, To murder men ; babes, mothers, dwellings blend In one infernal doom — tells Mexico ! TO REV. MESSRS. DR. B. AND G. 147 Return with tears for such Monstrous perversion of the gifts of God ! — With deep conviction that our nation much May fear — and speedily — his righteous rod. Return with faith and hope That our fair land from idols will return ; And on her altars, through the Atlantic slope And sunny south and west, pure sacrifice shall burn. Return with songs ! — delights Of sacred home shall win once more your smiles ; "We will rejoice that a new bond unites Our own dear country with the British Isles. And as again ye tread Your sea-girt, lovely Albion, and review The hours that pleasantly among us fled — Think ! — with us linger thoughts and prayers for you. 148 TO THE CHINESE LADL TO THE CHINESE LADY. I marvel at thy curious mien, Thy strange, fantastic air ; And yet, with us there may be seen Some belles as proudly fair! I marvel at thy accent, too, That tells a far-off land; And ponder, as I scan thy shoe, How thou canst walk or stand. Thine oriental parlor is To wondering eyes a feast ; Though not a real pagoda, 'tis " A Chinese hall," at least I Descendant of an ancient line, That higher looks than Eve, — Sprung from a root almost divine, Or quite, as some believe, — I think with interest on thee, Thy foreign speech and birth, — Remembering God of one blood made The kindreds of the earth. Yet more — I think how lately we With prejudice had hemmed Thy nation, and how easily Its millions had condemned To ignorance, and utter gloom, And superstition's thrall ; And deemed thy empire but a tomb, As soulless as its wall, 'Till we were better taught; and since A Morrison has toiled, And he, of mission-men, the prince — Gutzlaff, the error foiled — 13* 150 TO THE CHINESE LADY. And we have seen that on its nighty So hopeless and so long — Have fallen sparkles of the light That to the skies belong — We cherish the exalted faith, Life bursting from the dead- — That China quickly shall be one In Christ, the living Head. LA LANTEKNE VS. LA GUILLOTINE. 151 LA LANTERNE vs. LA GUILLOTINE.* "Away to the Lanterne!"^ Republicans sung, When Paris with tocsins of Liberty rung; When law for the mob did tribunes manufacture (Law, like a frail potsherd, for villains to frac- ture), WTien the few for the good of the many must bleed, And justified still by the end was the deed, " Away to the Lanterne ! and hang by the neck Aristocrats, peers, at the plebeian's beck ; " * This piece tells its own story. A magnificent colossal Lan- tern, in front of Concert Hall, Boston, of curious device and rare workmanship, invites passengers to enter an elegant and fashion- able place of refreshment. f The frenzied cry of the Jacobins in the time of the Freneh Eevolution, when many who fell under the popular odium were hung on the lamp-irons, without judge or jury. 152 LA LANTERNE YS. LA GUILLOTINE. And though, by the steel, blood of mother and daughter, Sire, son, wife, and husband, was poured out like water, The Lanterne won laurels, so quick and so clean Its work, that it rivalled the great Guillotine! Those days have gone by (we may say without flattery, They were days of dark doings, and bloodshed and battery) ; And though revolution, to shift on the throne One king for another, to us is unknown, Though horrid Sam-culottes ne'er- sharpen the axe, That in spoils of nobility they may go snacks, Though swearing fish-women, of snarled elfin locks, And Amazon fists, may not Royalty box, Though blood on our pavements in rivers don't run, Nor Tragedy stalk there in frenzy or fun, Yet we have our Lanterne, and soon shall be seen A rival in doings to great Guillotine ! Hush, fears ! we assure you we never will drive at Such brutal outbreakings ; our doings are. private ; We smear not our faces, we doff not our clothes, We've no truculent oath (though 'tis under the rose), Our Lanterne contemplates all politics right; We are Democrat, Whig, and somewhat Jacobite; With bow, smirk, and smiling, we gentlemen greet, For the ladies (soft souls), we have compliments sweet, We hail not new-comers with aw r kward ball-car- tridges, Though (once on our manor), we pluck them like partridges ; We know how to win them; success will be seen, Our Lanterne shall rival the great Guillotine ! And then to attract them, a token, a show, Or what you choose call it, to please folks, you know — We 've no rusty symbol, for who but an ass Would set up a scare-crow ? — our Lanterne is glass, All gilded, and soaring, pagoda-like, up, Where men worship gods that are carved on the cup; Most cunningly stained 'tis with curious device, Of " julep with spices" " sling-cobbler with ice ; " 154 LA LANTERNE VS. LA GUILLOTINE. "Egg-nog" "tip and ty," "fiscal agent" at lunch; For supper, " stone wall" and "poor man's whiskey punch ; " Sure the de'il at invention of agents was mean In France, with La Lanterne and great Guillotine ! " Wormwood floaters" * have we, on which tipplers ma j float To the gulf of black death, where there 's never a boat ; "Knickerbocker" and "smasher" "veto" to make merry ; " Champagne" " brandy" " whiskey" good old " Tom and Jerry ;" "Mulled wine" "soda punch" for the delicate lip Of sisters and wives, who may secretly sip. Our Lanterne, blood-red, is no "beacon to warn," We laugh all such Temperance slanders to scorn ; Away to the Lanterne, young men ! for good cheer, Away to the Lanterne, young ladies ! nor fear ; For manhood is monarch, and beauty is queen At the Lanterne, the rival of great Guillotine ! * The unlearned are notified that these are the classic names of favorite intoxicating drinks, mingled and sold at this interest- ing establishment. LA LANTERNE VS. LA GUILLOTINE. 155 Come, Epicures! skill shall as lordly a dish Prepare, as the sand ever gave of shell-fish. Whoever has money, to him we will sell. (The penniless loafer may " liquor " in hell) ; Spruce Clerk, who hast money! come hither and buy, Little Children, who gaze at our Lanterne, come, try! Though young, time nor money may stay with you long, Eat and drink ere both go like a bon vivant's song, Come Gay, and come Sober, Bucks, Bruisers, and all, Tall, Short, Wise, and Simple, come, buy at our call; Try all, and say all, if you don't find us keen, Our Lanterne 's a joke to the great Guillotine ! 156 BEVERLY. BEVERLY. " They are all gone into a world of light, And I alone sit lingering here." Heivry Vaughan, — 1614. Yon starry world hath them received, All through their Saviour's grace ; And I, by hope once more deceived, Seek thee, my native place. Why seek? — Of their dim footsteps here Mine eye discerns no trace. One twelvemonth of my early span, They say, I measured here; Unknowing of the hopes of man, Unknowing of his fear; Too young to feel prospective pain, Or care, forever near. BEVERLY. 157 Too young to know the tender bliss That 's laid about his way, Who goes to slumber with a kiss, From slumber wakes to play; His mother's treasure all the night, Her treasure all the day. I would that years could give me back That cynosure of joy", By which alone I 'd steer my, track, Forever but a boy; My tiny ocean always calm, My boat, a tireless toy. I would years subsequent I 'd given To thee, my native place ; Here lived for earth, here lived for heaven ; Like those, who, by his grace, Their Maker served in this sweet spot, And now behold His face. • I would in Memory's blotted book, A leaf I had of thee, Which I might sometimes turn, to look At careless Infancy, 14 158 BEVERLY. As others do, as others will, But which, is not for me. No ! — tost on a continual wave Am I of sorrow's strife, That only doth disclose a grave, With dole and darkness rife, He anguish knows, whose bark is beat By every sea of life. My native place ! — how falls the word In sweetness on the heart! A tear ? — away ! — it were absurd For idle tears to start; Or bitter thoughts to come, where I Have neither lot nor part. PRAYER FOR A SON AT SEA. My prayer goes up this Sabbath morn; — I cannot choose, this morn, but pray For him, my son, my eldest born, On ocean's desert, far away — That Thou, whose presence still is found Where Day's swift pinions farthest go, Wilt with that presence him surround — An .^Egis, fronting every foe. O sacred season ! blessed time ! To home and household memories given, When Sabbath calm and Sabbath chime So sweetly urge our flight to heaven. 160 PRAEYR FOR A SON AT SEA. I see its glorious sunshine rest On field and flower, on spire and tree ; And thoughts, like birds, forsake their nest, And soar and fly, my God, to Thee. I hear the first wild hymn that swells From yonder quiring temple-grove ; I hear discourse those village bells Of nobler courts and hymns above. To-day, what thousands from their homes, In villages and towns, will pour To throng the heaven-directed domes, Thee, gracious Father, to adore ! Those at my home, my girl and boy, Arrayed by their fond mother's care — With willing steps and chastened joy, Will duly to Thy house repair. But one — whose little hand in mine Enclasped — whom I to worship led, Who early loved the Voice divine, Whose early tear for sin was shed — PRAYER FOR A SON AT SEA. 161 Whose smile beguiled me oft of cares, Whose words, 't was music's self to hear, Round whom were reared faith's earnest prayers. For whom was dropt hope's frequent tear ; Whose manly gait 't was joy to see ; Whose open brow was honor's throne ; Whose morn gave promise unto me Of brilliant day — my child, my own, Is with the sailor, on the deep, Where bright and joyous hope is dim. I think upon my boy and weep ; I cannot choose but weep for him, Whose lot it is, afar to roam; No gentle tones to greet his ear ;• Shut out from all the peace of home ; No parent, with instruction near, To shield him from the dreadful sins That cluster round the sailor's way ; Exposed to one that wooes and wins The thoughtless, for a certain prey ; — 14* 162 PRAYER FOR A SON AT SEA. Exposed to bitter fears, lest he, Our careless, generous, absent one, May be forgotten ! — How could we Forget him — -our beloved Son? — Perhaps thick dangers wrap his form; Now yawns the deep beneath his feet; Around him howls the tropic storm ! The waters weave his winding sheet. Dark thought flies back; dark thought flies far, To home, to Sabbath, and to me ; O God ! light up for him the star That leads the wanderer unto Thee. And hear a father's broken prayer ; And keep him from a sudden grave ; Yet rather make his soul thy care ; — • From passion's storm my sailor save. And where the silent quicksands lie, Or murmuring breakers tell of doom, And trooping o'er the angry sky Are clouds, that deepen midnight's gloom-— ntAYER FOR A SON AT SEA. 1G> There! where strange terrors dimly frown, And fright his inexperienced youth, — About his feet flash freely down The splendors of unerring Truth. And guard him from the hopeless wreck, Which Mind so often makes of Mind. In silent watches on the deck, Or to his sleepless birth confined, May his reflections be of God, And prayer be on his heart and lip, That He, who once the billows trod, Who taught the people from the ship, — May walk the waves of his distress, And reach to him Almighty aid, And with compassion's teaching bless : " T is I ! 'tis I ! — be not afraid ! " Then to what winds his topsails swell, Then through what seas his keel may drive, Chainer of Waves when they rebel ! Soother ! when tempests are alive, — ■ My Boy, preserved, all peril past, — - Kept by thine ever watchful love, And safe from storms and seas at last, Shall anchor in the port above. Sunday Morning, July 4, 1841. TRAITS OF NATURE.* I. The flames advance with sweeping stride, Impatient to devour ; And cast their lurid light upon The scene of awful stour. " Oh ! cling, my child ! Oh ! cling to me ! Yet nearer! for I dread Those flames that wreathe so fearfully ; " — The mother wildly said. * " When the Steamer Lexington was burnt, January, 1840, in Long Island Sound, a child, partly scorched, was seen floating near the boat, quite dead ; its face was covered with a green veil." And closer to her throbbing heart, Where harm might ne'er annoy, With all a yearning mother's force, She pressed her little boy. And fiercer blazed the fiery doom ; She knew its presence near; For self, amid her mightier care, She had no thought or fear. " O mother ! save me ! for I feel The dreadful fire is nigh; It burns ! it burns ! Oh ! clasp me close ! Oh ! closer ! or I die ! " The frenzied mother, taught by love, Which only mothers know, To shield her little trembling boy From the devouring foe, Tears off her veil, and on his face Binds fast the fragile screen ; If thus she might that foe and him A barrier put between ! 166 TRAITS OF NATURE. II. Night's dream pursueth me by day; — -* Still fancy doth behold Those upraised hands, to keep away The pitiless, keen cold. O Boy! thy suffering toucheth me Yet more than theirs, who met With manhood's stoic constancy, The doom that them beset. More eloquent thy helpless woes And thy imperfect pain, Than all the mightier pangs of those, Who battled fate in vain. For in the terrors of that hour Thou couldst not understand How she — whose watchful, shielding power Had ever been at hand, * " A little boy, four years old, was found in the boat, frozen ; with both hands pressed against his ears — the emblem of help- lessness in suffering. " TRAITS OF NATURE. 167 To screen thee from the stormy strife, Which mortals here betide — How she, who, to protect thy life, Would willingly have died, Could see thee in that icy boat, Nor fly to save, nor why, Mid those strange horrors doomed to float — Thou shouldst be left to die. Methinks, as Cold around thy frame Its dreadful mantle flung, And chilled thy heart, thy mother's name Dwelt on thy moaning tongue. What thoughts of rescue briefly past, What fears, 't were vain to say ; Didst thou expect her till the last, To snatch her child away From the insidious, fatal sleep Of those who sleep to die? From the expectant, eager Deep, That, frowning, curled on high? 168 TRAITS OF NATURE. And, franticly, her babe from harms, To save such wealth too blest — To clasp within her straining arms, And hush upon her breast? Too busy she to heed thy fate ! She, too, has work with Death! On child and mother angels wait, To take the parting breath. O Boy ! the separation made Was short, indeed, to thee ; — A sigh — and on that bosom laid, To rest eternally. THE UNSPOKEN AT SEA. 169 THE UNSPOKEN AT SEA. Why do n't one of the thousand ships That cross each other's different way, On Tropic waters, or where dips The rudder in some Orient bay, Meet her that left us months ago, With him on board, so dear to me — And give to winds that westward blow, Report of " Spoken far at Sea ? " Why do n't some homeward bark make sign, And catch the signal from her mast, Though there might not be word or line Of greeting, as each hurried past ? Such kindly act would hundred hearts, Now dark with doubt, light up with glee; 15 170 THE UNSPOKEN AT SEA. I 'm sure 't would mine : for hope departs, — She 's yet Unspoken on the Sea. I seize in haste the daily sheet; Nor business, news, nor fashion's call Allures me, so I may but see't — That name more welcome than them all ! I shudder at " Disasters," skip The " Cleared," — " Arrived" detains not me ; Then dash it down with quivering lip ; — She is Unspoken still at Sea. I speculate on chances; think How many sail o'er that blue main, Who meet and hail, depart and drink To such brief challenge yet again, — And wonder, in this lapse of time, These weary days, thrice told to me — Through various latitude and clime, She's yet Unspoken far at Sea. While yon great highway is alive With canvass, waving like sea-wings, And homeward countless vessels drive, And "homeward" every sailor sings, THE UNSPOKEN AT SEA. 171 Say, is she of that caravan Companionless ? — and yet must she Of that long file be rear or van, — The Unspoken ship that's far at Sea? 'T is false ! that dream of yesternight, When sorceress Fancy conjured up Ghosts of the past — each jeering sprite The prophet of a sadder cup ; — 'T was not that ship I saw go down ! 'T was not my boy who called on me, When ocean, gathering in one frown, Closed o'er the Unspoken ship at Sea! I know that Fear loves well to sketch The reeling mast, the shattered side, And lingers strangely round the wretch Who sinks in the remorseless tide ; And yet, in after days, such thought Has served for jest and laughter free, When favoring gales to port have brought The ship Unspoken on the Sea. I saw her sit upon the deep; She floated like a perfect thing, All conscious that she was to keep A gem, and back the treasure bring. I saw her beating first, as though She 'd coyly test her powers, — how she All proudly leaped, at length, and so She left us — -nor was Spoke at Sea! That voyage, — her first!- — we prosperous deemed Would be, when to the outward breeze She flung her sheets, like one that seemed Self-confident, and at her ease, Our cheers receiving as she past; The proud, good ship ! it cannot be, — O, no, that voyage is not her last, Though she 's Unspoken still at Sea. Her taper masts, her frame of oak, Grace, strength, in due proportion gave; From stem to stern, a braver woke Never the sleeping giant wave. She must, she shall outlive the blast That sends down navies ! Does not she Hold precious freight? Aye, she, at last, Will come, though Spoken not at Sea. LINES. 17o LINES, ON RECEIVING FROM THE AUTHOR A COPY OF " SCENES IN THE HOLT LAND." " Scenes in the Holy Land ! " — and I have walked In Palestine ; breathed Syria's air, and talked With elder Hebrews ; — and I have drawn near Apostles, yes, my Lord, without a fear. The glory seen that over Bethlehem hung ; The anthem heard that shining angels sung ; And star-led with the Shepherds to a stall, An Infant found the Monarch, Sire of All : Yes, seen him, who a little one became, That little ones may lisp and love his Name ; In riper years beheld him children bless, Of such his kingdom; Sickness seen, Distress, And Death, the victor, vanquished, from him fly ; 15* 174 LINES. Seen him rebuke the storm — walk waters, and with eye Of sorrow bent on lost Jerusalem, Discern her miseries and weep o'er them; Beheld him at the Supper — sinful me ! Seen tears of God bedew Gethsemane ; Seen him, a felon, led to Pilate's hall, — Die on the Roman Cross — earth wrapt in pall Of pitying Darkness ; — marked him from the tomb Rise, and bid o'er it Resurrection bloom. Thanks for such " Scenes ! " — Not idly have I scanned That blessed progress "in the Holy Land." The busy world awhile has stept aside, Faith seems exalted, and depressed my pride. Desires flame up, like Him, in grace to shine; "Where he has placed his footprint I would mine. I would be holy, harmless, undefiled; Like Him, the perfect Man, like Him, the spotless Child. A PSALM OF REMEMBRANCE. 175 A PSALM OP REMEMBRANCE. Child! remember thy Creator, While thy thought is young and new; Yield thy odor, morning blossom ! While 't is fragrant with the dew. Ever blest the early offering, Years are doubtful, Childhood true. Youth ! remember thy Creator, Ere shall come the evil day, When thy dreamy joys forever Will, like dreams, have past away, " And in them I have no pleasure," Worn and weary, thou shalt say. 176 A PSALM OF REMEMBRANCE. Man ! remember thy Creator, Now in this thy vigorous time ; Give thy strength to thy Redeemer, Ere in weakness sinks thy prime; Ere thy sun, below meridian, Journeys to another clime. Age ! remember thy Creator, — Spring and Summer, Autumn, fled — Lo, the locks of grisly Winter, Streaming tokens o'er thy head, Speak to thee in silent message, Wailing, warning of the dead. Beauty! think of thy Creator; Witching as thy charms may be, They are fleeting ; — there 's a reptile Waiting in the grave for thee. Think of Him who gives the beauty Blooming for eternity. Wealth! think thou of thy Creator; Why should riches be a screen, Through which God, the willing Giver, By the ingrate is not seen ? A PSALM OF REMEMBRANCE. 177 Think of Him, before whose treasures, Worlds on worlds uppiled are mean. Penury ! think of thy Creator ; None more reason has than thou ; If the wanton world is frowning, If thou must unaided bow, Think of Friendship that 's unfailing ; Think of Help that 's ready now. Debtor ! in a Christian prison, Felon! to the scaffold doomed, Weary wanderer ! vile transgressor ! In sin's sepulchre entombed — Hopeless drunkard ! soul in darkness ! Mind! by heavenly light illumed, Freeman ! boasting of the purchase By thy noble fathers made, — Wretched slave ! the freeman's chattel, Soul and sinews formed for trade — Thou ! who hast from virtue wandered, Thou ! whose footsteps never strayed : Sailor! on the treacherous ocean, Watching wind or boding clouds, 178 A PSALM OF REMEMBRANCE. 0, remember thy Creator's Voice is piping in the shrouds. Fainting pilgrim in the desert ? Solitary, or in crowds — Worldling! Christian! Doubtful! Thoughtful! Man of hope and man of none — ■ Careless, Fearful, Timid, Daring — Thou of friends, and thou alone — Gathered out of Egypt's darkness ; Thou, whose star has ever shone ; Tanght from being's dawn how only Thou mayst truly, safely walk ; Left, from birth, to struggle sorely With the clogs that spirit balk; Never taught of thy Creator; Taught Him by thy mother's talk; Household ! Hamlet ! Country ! City ! Honor, Intellect, and Sex ; Kingdom ! Dukedom ! Province ! Empire ! Crowned, or crushed, whom cares perplex; Patient, Restless, Joyous, Mourner, Whom life's weary sorrows vex; A PSALM OF REMEMBRANCE. 179 Citizen ! or Stranger ! Moslem ! Sultan ! brother of the sun ; Arab ! Jew, or Gentile — humble Thee before the Mighty One ! Japanese, and China man ! Greenlander, and Thug, undone ! Thou, with lease of life before thee, As thou fondly deem'st, and thou, Faltering in the final struggle, — Death's cold signet on thy brow ; Sickly ! Healthy ! Living ! Dying ! On the mount, or in the slough. Earth ! remember thy Creator ; Systems ! as ye haste along ; Hell ! that moveless is forever ; — Yea, thy fires to him belong — Him, in dreadful wail, remember ! Heaven ! remember Him in song. Thou that writest ! Thou that readest ! Idler! Toiler! Quick! or Slow! Thou that preachest! thou that nearest! 180 HARRIET NEWELL. This, the only lesson know : Now, remembering thy Creator, Shun the lost, forgetfuVs woe ! HARRIET NEWELL. Stranger ! that in this Isle-of-France dost tarry, Seek out our Harriet's solitary grave, Marked by the evergreen; so mayst thou carry Hence, wholesome thought, returning o'er the wave. For this is she whose death hath given sweet life To thousands. Yea, whose pangg of mortal strife Have yielded to the pagan precious bliss. This island is her monument ; — it doth belong To Christendom. Lo, every one in this Loved soil hath portion, who in Christ hath part. Though dear to early romance, by the song Of simple Indian loves, told to the heart In charming story- — not thy power, St. Pierre,* Endeared it, as her patient griefs and death endear. * Bernardine St. Pierre, the scene of whose " Paul and Vir- ginia " is laid in the Isle-of-France. LAZARUS. 181 LAZARUS. Bethany! on thy site, as travellers tell, Rude and forlorn, the warlike Arabs dwell: Children of penury, slaves of miscalled fate, " One God, their God, and Allah theirs, as great." Who that surveys thy miserable slate, Silent and dreary, could suppose that thou, Ruined and vile, despised, forgotten, now, Wast honored, once, with presence of the Blessed, Salvation's Prince — the world's neglected Guest? Who could suppose, where solitude is wed To death, that life came springing from the dead — When on the grave was light of victory cast, And he restored, who had its portals past? And who would deem domestic bliss, so dear To God, earth's choicest flower, was cultured here ? 16 182 LAZARUS. Bethany ! name that eighteen hundred years Has tribute called of sweet, delicious tears — Bethany ! name at which glad visions come Of friendship, love, and sacred charms of home — With thee, how surely rise to fancy's view, Martha and Mary, and their brother, too ! Lazarus, of these the brother, much beloved,— And more — disciple, Jesus well approved ; Martha, with serving cumbered for her Lord ; Mary, that meekly sat to hear His word. Blest household! simple, poor, yet free from sin, And rich beyond compare, with Christ within. Lazarus, diseased, has sought the couch of pain ; The sisters ask for Jesus — but in vain. To do his work, on Jordan's farther side Is He whose presence could this sickness chide. Fraternal care wings thither strong appeal- — " He whom thou lovest is sick : Lord, come and heal!" He comes not. Surely he will message send That shall rebuke disease, and save his friend. No — death must have its victim, so the hour Of man's extreme may show that God hath power. J LAZARUS. 183 Lazarus is dead ! Is not the Saviour here ? Not to restore, but give the kindly tear: Oh, is He absent? absent ne'er before From low abodes, where Sorrow keeps the door. How many weary hours tliej 've looked for him, And hearts are faint, and heavy eyes are dim ! Come, mournful music ! soothe the weeper's breast, That pours out troubled song for him at rest. Brother ! thou wast our youth's delight, The pleasant stay of riper years ; Climbing with thee life's joyous height, What knew we of a vale of tears ? Thou wast the branch on which, in weakness, We, early tendrils, fondly hung ; Around thy glorious strength, in meekness, Our timid woman's love was flung. Brother ! a tie, whose mighty power Death breaks not, sweetly held us, three, — Not that we each, in life's first hour, Drank at one breast, and clasped one knee : Stronger than this — the silken cord That linked our souls in gentle love, The tie that bound us to our Lord So firm below, fails not above. 184 LAZARUS. Brother ! the palm at morning towers Its stem by Jordan's peaceful stream, And shows its crown of leaves and flowers, Bathed in the burning noonday's beam: At eve, the sorrowing maidens see The bruised stem, the broken bough: Weeping — the sad beholders we, - — Prostrate in all thy beauty, thou! The Master's come! — Him Martha hastes to meet, And falls in tears of anguish at his feet. Why was her earnest, pious suit denied? " Hadst thou been here, my brother had not died ; Yet even now, such is thy power with God, He can return, who hath death's valley trod — He shall arise in Resurrection's day." "I am" saith Christ, "the Resurrection, yea, He that in me believeth, were he dead, Yet shall he live, Belie vest thou what I Ve said ? " He stands beside the grave; He, the grave's King, Spoiler of hell, can spoil Death's lesser sting. Yet Jesus wept; — what rich compassions flow From that deep fountain sorrow breaks up so ! — RETROSPECTIVE. 185 The stone removed — to Him, by whom is won Vietory alone, in praises speaks the Son, — That God, the Father, making known His power, Will raise Sin's numerous slain to life this hour: Then, in a voice at which Death, trembling, fled, " Lazarus ! come forth ! " he cries. He that was dead Came forth, in grave-clothes clad, and, buoyant, trod The green earth : telling " Christ is very God ! " RETROSPECTIVE. How many, that a few months since Sat with us by our Christmas fire, Have left Earth's low inheritance, And at God's bidding gone up higher ! How many, we were wont to deem Would in gray hairs our solace be, Have left these precincts, where men dream, To test the great reality ! 16* 186 RETROSPECTIVE. A child, that kissed away our care, Whose smiles strewed life with some sweet flowers, Has left our bosom's love, to share The love of hyacinthine bowers ! A friend — but Retrospection ! stop — - Nor stir the founts of hidden grief; Yet Him, I bless who, for each drop Of anguish, has a kind relief, — And for each mortal hurt, a cure, That penetrates the heart within ; The Medicine of Mercy sure And safe for sickness wrought by sin. E-eligion — - be its treasures mine ! With this, I am creation's heir; With this, a worm with God shall shine; Without it, what remains ? — Despair ! DECEMBER. 187 DECEMBER. Farewell, December ! cheerless as thou art, Arrayed in gloom, thou hast for me no smile ; Thou canst not whisper pleasure to this heart, Thy aspect cannot life's sad ills beguile. O'er thee, the sombre child of Winter stern, Nature is weeping in funereal gloom ; Cheerless the trophies that adorn thy urn ; Cold are the rites that consecrate thy tomb. Farewell, December ! and with thee the year, — Another year, that ends its course with thee ; Another year that 's severed from my span, Lost in embraces of Eternity. 188 DECEMBER. What hopes and fears, what schemes of future bliss Have sparkled on the past with fairy beam! Futile those schemes, and false each hope, for this Brief life is but the shadow of a dream. Farewell, December ! — Ere in frowns again Thou reign'st, the empress of the howling storm, Perhaps this bosom, free from secret pain, May rest in quiet ; — this unconscious form May pillow kindly on its lowly bed, And know of grief no more. — It will be sweet, When gently called by an approving God, On yonder peaceful shore to rest the weary feet. WMTEFIELD. ON SEEING HIS REMAINS IN THEIR RESTING-PLACE AT NEWBURYPORT, MAS8. SEPT. 11, 1837. And this was Whitefield ! — this, the dust now blending With kindred dust, that wrapt his soul of fire, — Which, from the mantle freed, is still ascending Through regions of far glory, holier, higher. Oh, as I gaze here with a solemn joy And awful reverence, in which shares Decay, Who, this fair frame reluctant to destroy, Yields it not yet to doom that all obey, — How follows thought his flight, at Love's command, From hemispheres in sin to hemispheres, Warning uncounted multitudes with tears, — 190 THE BIBLE. Preaching the risen Christ on sea and land,— And now, those angel journeyings above ! Souls, his companions, saved by such unwearied love ! THE BIBLE. O Book! that bright and burning Day, To which all other days are dim,— With those who kneel in white array, Cherub and saint and seraphim, With those who testify for truth, Battlers for God with rebel sin, Shining in their immortal youth, All light without and light within — That Day shalt thou, a witness stand, Awful and swift, at Christ's right hand. Against the hours of gross neglect Suffered o'er thee to idly pass, When thou wast cheated of respect Given freely to the mirroring glass. — THE BIBLE. 191 When Fashion sought thee not with half The earnest zeal and love it gave The revel; when the trifling laugh Could Conseienee nerve, thy threats to brave ; And Beauty said thy page of gloom Produced no flower of pleasant bloom, Ah! heard she not thy sacred voice, When from the closet's corner thou Bad'st her in folly's dream rejoice, And bathe in every pleasure now, As one not to reflection woke ; Yet bade her, too, remember well, That taking thus sin's willing yoke On earth, 't would gird her neck in hell ; "And God to judgment all would bring," Thou saidst: "for every secret thing?" Him, too, engaged in hoarding pelf, Whose thoughts on schemes of grasping ran, Thou, from thy silent, dusty shelf Didst often warn, " Remember, man ! Bethink thee of thy narrow bed, Curtained alone with sullen night ; 192 THE BIBLE. Where thou must quickly lay thy head, — Then whom shall this, thy wealth, delight ? " He answered not, but hated thee The more for thy fidelity. A father's holy counsel given, A mother's often bended knee, Both now before the throne of heaven — That he should love and ponder thee, Forgotten — in his dreadful hour Where for consoling shall he look? Tremendous is thy wakened power, Eternal, wondrous, hated Book. Would that the sons of men were wise To seek the treasure of the skies! THE DEAF AND DUMB. THE DEAF AND DUMB. SET TO MUSIC BY A. P. HEINRICH. Ye cultivated minds, that know Of intellectual bliss the sum — Ye hearts, that with sweet pity glow, Regard the hapless Deaf and Dumb! On them the storms have rudely blown, They wither on the breast of even ; Receive the flowerets to your own, Their fragrance will ascend to heaven. In knowledge let them freely share, From the waste mind let darkness flee Bid the bright day-beam kindle there The lamp of Immortality. 17 Though soothing blandishment ne'er cheers Their solitude, nor utterance kind,— Yet mutual sympathy is theirs, The language of the kindred mind. And this shall bless you, and the tear Nature's pure accent — will reveal Emotions, undefined, yet dear, The tribute which the heart can feel. Yes ! the unuttered, earnest prayer Of Innocence shall rise, while some Winged messenger to God will bear The offering of the Deaf and Dumb. STRANGE THINGS. 195 STRANGE THINGS. 'T is strange that I should plant or build, Or schemes of busy pleasure plan ; So simple and so all unskilled In what concerns my span ; Uncertain whether my next breath May not be lost in death. 'T is strange that I so lightly go Where slumber doth the senses steep ; — What if, all unaware, the foe Steal on my sleep ? And from soft rest and visions bland I journey to the spirit-land ? 196 STRANGE THINGS. 'Tis strange that in the crowded mart I do not Death, the toiler, see ; None busier in his proper part, More faithful none, than he. Out of these thousands, what if I Am bid to shut up shop and die? 5 T is strange that at the bed of pain, Where some poor sufferer sinks away- And soul, soon to be free again, Peeps from its cage of clay — I stand, nor timely lesson learn, That I must go, and not return. 5 T is strange that when my precious one Unfolded silver wings and fled, I only deemed my little son Was with the early dead — Nor looked where sinless infants bow, Nor knew he was an angel now. J T is strange, where grasses thickly w r ave Above the churchyard's narrow beds, As thoughtfully I scan each grave, And envy those unaching heads, PRESBYTERIAN. 197 Hope flies not to a happier shore, Where I shall grieve and sin no more. 'T is strange that mortals act awhile Such meagre parts in every age, And strut their hour, and weep and smile. And wearied, quit the stage, — And still the drama hurries on ; O God, what prize is lost and won ! PRESBYTERIAN " THE WORD PRESBYTERIAN ANAGRAMATIZED, IS BEST IN PRATER." Not so! — in unambitious day Of her first love, be thus, it might, — Not now she cares who best can Pray, But who is best approved in Fight, Of Paul are some, Apollos others, — And so the world would have it be ; Which quotes no more their love as brothers, But " how these Christians disagree ! " 17* 198 JOHN ELIOT. Weep ! that her elders faint in prayer ; Weep ! that her young men turn to sin ; Weep ! that her arm is palsied, where She conquered once, and still should win. Weep ! that her lamp so dimly burns, And by her influence, loathing light, That Mercy's cloud of brilliance turns On the whole Church its edge of night. 1838. JOHN ELIOT, OF ROXBBRY Obit. 1690. " Such priest as Chaucer sang in fervent lays, Such as the heaven-taught skill of Herbert drew." There are, who, leaving house and lands and home, Take up the exile's lot, and far hence go Unto the Gentiles, winning them from woe ; And sweetly teaching such as wildly roam, Steadfast to be in Christ. Their temple dome None other than what woods and skies bestow. Foremost of these, Apostle ! thee we know ; — WHAT SHALL WE HAVE? 199 And when at judgment to award do come The self-denying servants of tlie King, Thou, faithful with the faithful, wilt be seen, And for thy jewels wilt, triumphant, bring — To which the starry gems of heaven are mean — The Indian, by the Spirit rendered free, Through Truth translated, taught, and lived by thee. WHAT SHALL WE HAVE? Then Peter said to Jesus, " All we Ve left, And followed Thee — O, might we follow faster — Thy love makes rich ; yet Love hath us bereft ; What shall we have, in recompense, our Master ? " " Left all," forsooth ! yes, baits, and hooks, and lines, And bobs, and tangled nets, and crazy wherry ; And delving nights and days in watery mines For silver pieces ; — modest, Peter, very ! " And followed thee." Ah, thriftless, thankless task, To go with One who leads the worlds of beauty! Yet did men know Him, they, methinks, would ask, Yes, beg and plead to be allowed such duty. " What shall we have ? — we track a path of fears ; And scorn and scoffing are our crown of glory ; The Master tells of bonds and stripes and tears ; — The Garden and the Cross shall end the story." And so in Palestine, they creep and talk; Selfish to-day, and cowards on the morrow ; Most lively counterparts of us who walk With Jesus less in confidence than sorrow. Poor, blinded wanderers ! who can only see A needy Nazarene — ye with Him have treasure, Which but to count exhausts eternity; The dust ye tread is gold that mocks at measure. The tears ye drop for His dear sake are gems; — Your rags of poverty are Victory's banners ; = — Your path of blood is strewn with diadems ; - — Those scoffs and scorns are music of Hosannas ! REV. PAUL COUCH, OF NEWBURYPORT RELEASED AFTER THIRTY YEARS SICKNESS. Tpie man,* whose affliction his fellow had been, More constant than friendship the world ever saw, Waited long, till the Saviour commanded, and then Infirmity heard and respected the law ; More blest — thou for Heaven didst patiently wait Command from thy Maker, whose will was thy choice ; Determined, though kept by that will at the gate, To share with those entered in Gratitude's voice. Thou wast early engaged in His service ; thy sword Was glittering; thy helmet and breastplate were on ; * John v : 5. The weapon of All Prayer thou tookest, the Word And Spirit, by whom is the victory won ; — But a less dazzling field, though as lofty, was thine ; Thou wast called from war's brightness and glory and din, To show how in darkness the Christian may shine, How in quiet the soldier of Jesus may win. Thy sky was not all overclouded with fears, — - For there was the rainbow of morning and even ; Thy cup, to the brim, was not wholly of tears, — A pearl to dissolve in 't was graciously given ; Thou hadst friends, such as render calamity dear, When kindness the worth of true friendship reveals ; A sister to help thee, console thee, and cheer, With love which a sister in Christ only feels. There are those who may actively serve, and they go On wheels of the lightning, their chariot the flame; There are those who serve willingly, waiting, they know REV. PAUL COUCH. 203 Their passive obedience is counted the same ; But to thee, more exalted, was given the lot The will of thy Master in weakness to bear ; That the preacher a God whom the prosperous knew not, In suffering might serve and in patience declare. When JEtna, its anger doth speak out in flame, And thunders, volcanic, a city appall, The slave of the Papacy calls on a name, The guilty are troubled, yet cling to their thrall ; But the more the rebukings of God met thine ear, Thou, freed from the terror, didst love Him the more ; And what in the vile only kindles up fear, Led thee, in thy holiness, Him to adore. In his garden of saints, when the Keeper doth walk, And call for his north wind and south wind to blow, Reviving the blossom and strengthening the stalk, And causing, abundantly, spices to flow, — He may prune, He may break, He may crush, if He please, Such discipline only doth quicken their bloom ; — Though the strokes of His love may be heavy, He sees The bruised and the broken yield sweetest perfume. THE MOTHER. A Mother's love — how great that love! Nor crime nor folly makes it less ; The world may scorn, and God may frown; She only knows her child to bless. A Mother's care — how great that care ! Increasing with the flight of years ; Watchful in youth ; in riper age Still following with its prayers and tears. God, thou this burden laid'st ; — O God, Thou only know'st its depth of woe Or gladness. Shall she, all alone, Bear it unhelped, unnoticed ? NO ! TAKE WINGS ! 205 TAIE WINGS! Take wings ! take wings ! and seek the lost. The lost, guilt's weary, willing slave ; Where lies he, helpless, hopeless, tost, A wreck upon the whelming wave ; And seem to his despair the dove, Whose symbol types relief and love. Take wings, and seek the dreaming dead, The dead, o'er whom night holds misrule ; And, dipt in heaven, around him shed The splendors of the Sunday-school; Whose glories, woven on the throne, Have burst, and streamed, and downward shone, 18 206 TAKE WINGS ! Take wings, and fresh memorials bear Of by-gone men, whose feet were shod With truth ; whose spear and shield was prayer, Who fought and journeyed up to God ; And shrine, with more than victor's fame, The martyr missionary's name. Yet speedier, loftier, soar again, And fling abroad thy living light ; And flood the flowering prairie's plain, And gild the wooded mountain's height ; Till rich redemption's glory shines On western wilds and eastern pines. Till, from the unforbidden tree Of knowledge, drops delicious fruit; Where'er the curse hath had decree, Wherever roams the destitute ; On isles, that ocean's bosom gem, On continents, that fringe its hem. Take wings, take wings, a Voice ! it comes From wanderers that once were blest With fair New England's Sabbath homes, A voice of pleading from the West ! TAKE WINGS ! 207 Respond, herald, to that cry, With tidings of deliverance nigh. Tidings ! — the feet of steadfast men Are standing, in their beauty now, On field and plain and smiling glen, And the rejoicing mountain's brow. Already have savannas rung With music of the lisper's tongue. Already, where their mossy nests The small birds build on branching limb, Abroad, to listening solitudes, Flows sweetly now the children's hymn ; They lift to God accepted strain, And give to Christ a new domain. The forest top's deep canopy, That shadowed, long, the wild beast's den, And gave tall eyry to the fowl, Unknown to step of stranger men, — Now widely flings its roof of green, Where prayer and anthem rise between. Tidings ! Messiah here hath spoil, — Yet ampler, richer, shall be won; 208 WHICH ? For these unfainting sons of toil Have but one watchword, and 't is, On ! Till this broad land shall cultured be From Alleghany to the Sea. Valley of the Mississippi, 1830. WHICH? The sinner says : " Let Evil rule ; " Nor doth his heart rebel To see the Devil's purpose done On earth, as done in hell. The Christian prays : " Let God prevail ; To Him be honor given ; And be His perfect will obeyed On earth, as 'tis in Heaven." One of these prayers, O man, is thine; Thy body to the sod — Sink, Spirit! to thy downward choice, Or, upward, rise to God ! PORTENTS. 209 PORTENTS. My God, do lips wake martial story, As they were wont, years past, to wake? Do long-forgotten songs of glory Upon the startled nations break ? Does the appealing drum redouble, In dreadful beat, its former call? And the sharp trumpet ring of trouble, Of cities sacked, of states that fall ? Has haughty Albion claimed dominion For her swollen sceptre, o'er the deeps ? And spreads our bird, permitted pinion, Where'er Saint George's banner sweeps ? Shall our brave tars be bid to tremble At her subaltern's lordly beck — 18* 210 PORTENTS. Her subjects once — now ours — dissemble And cower, when searchers tread the deck? Are our majestic ships in motion, All bristling with the front of war — Soon to speak out, on every ocean, Vengeance for violated law? Are our bright stars and stripes to nourish, All proudly, in the conflict's storm — The fighting freeman's hopes to nourish, Or wrap in r.est his mangled form ? Will Death his eager lackeys rally, Where ranks close up and. squadrons wheel ? And peaceful plain and happy valley Echo the clang of murderous steel ? Will stern alarums shake the city? Will conflagration climb these domes ? And feet of those that have no pity, Pollute our shrines, our halls, our homes ? Do vigorous men, who on our mountains Their harvests reap, disdain them now,- — And laurels ask, that, dipped in fountains Of purple, deck the hero's brow? Our generous youth — will they in clusters Forsake their hearths and quiet joy For fields and camps where Battle musters, And Ruin follows to destroy ? Our poets — are they idly singing Hosannas to the fiery god ? Our maidens — long they to be flinging Their roses o'er the men of blood ? Is madness our whole land possessing, To lavish thus her purchased boon, And deems she peace a worthless blessing, That she discards the gift so soon ? Our rulers — are they, faithless, straying From virtue's path to fatal vice, Ambition's game unwisely playing, Such millions staked upon the dice ! Ha ! all around is sad replying, — Portents of what is soon to be ; Arms gleam — flags wave — the groans of dying Survivors' shrieks, I hear and see. The Tree our noble fathers planted, Nods, leafless, branchless, to its fall; 212 PORTENTS. The Liberty, their children vaunted, Fair Virgin ! lies beneath the pall ; — - Corruption saps the bond of union, While principles are bought and sold, — And perjured statesmen seek communion Not now with Right, but Power and Gold. My God, Thou dost permit Disorder, Foul bird — in Wisdom's halls to sail; And from our centre to our border Dost let Distraction thus prevail. Revoke the mandate that is given To Thy dread sword, now stretched o'er us, And, humbled at the throne of Heaven, We 11 bless the hand that stays the curse. Teach England, that her highest duty She owes to Honor's just decree ; And better far than fame or booty (These could she win) is fear of Thee. Teach us, our cause to Thee committing, To trust again Thy guiding hand ; Assured, no final ill permitting, Thou wilt forgive and save our land! 1842. THE POET. THE POET. " Ah, the Poet's mystic measure Is a rich, but fatal treasure ; Bliss to others — to the master Full of bitter and disaster." From the Spanish of Zorrilla. Yet no true Poet would resign His much-loved lyre, Nor quench the fire Whose source is sacred and divine. If, with the roses on its string, Be woven thorns, He fondly scorns Aside the instrument to fling. Be sure, vain world, though in his cup Be bitter dregs, The boon he begs Is privilege to drink them up. For on its rim, so rude and rough, His lips do meet That honey-sweet, Which for his palate is enough. Ye after meagre pleasures strain ; His better bliss He oft may miss, Yet won, 't is dearer for the pain. Ye say he follows but a shade, That in a bright Dream of the night Glitters, and with the dawn doth fade. No ! no ! they 're bubbles ye pursue ; He grasps the prize Which to the eyes Of Reason, is the fair and true. THE POET. 215 Ye deem the master's " mystic measure Yields only woe. i> And only flow [ure. Dark streams, where wells his sparkling treas- No! no! while he the chord doth sweep, Others for bliss May smile ; 't is his For very ecstasy to weep. Ye deem his hidden riches mean, And he but dotes "Who o'er them gloats, By sordid sensual eyes unseen. No no ! if might his gift be sold, And his free heart Brought to the mart, God's universe has not the gold. __ _v 216 QUEEN VICTORIA'S FANCY BALL. QUEEN VICTORIA'S FANCY DRESS BALI, AT BUCKINGHAM PALACE, MAY 12, 1842. Sit on thy throne, imperial Dame, True wearer of the British crown, And bid the thing that takes the name Of "consort-prince," with thee sit down. Now round ye both, may gather these, Who, to betray ye, herd with fools ; Knaves, with souls supple as their knees, — Your flatterers they, yourselves their tools, 'Tis well they shine in jewels thus, And at soft music's measure tread Your ball-room, to the unmeasured curse That rains on every titled head. QUEEN VICTORIA'S FANCY BALL. 217 Concealed in plumes and scarfs and gold, And sparkling with unvalued stones, They seem of more than mortal mould ; How can such heed a people's groans ? Or how can robes of velvet hide (Bestrown with gems and edged with pearls) Hearts throbbing with affection's tide ? Of heart what know these dukes and earls ? Or these brave mantles — can they screen Bosoms where pity hath a place ? Hence, pity ! feeling ! thoughts so mean Ne'er blanch an Honorable's face. Now let the dance begin ; — begin Your music, ye obsequious slaves ! Yet louder ! — your luxurious din Should drown the shriek at Famine's graves. Blaze brighter, jewels ! for there comes The darkness here of Beggary's hell ; Laugh louder, nobles ! " England's homes " Send even here their frantic yell. Haste to the banquet ; antique plate I3 heaped to-night with Eoyal cheer ; 19 218 QUEEN VICTORIA'S FANCY BALL. And England's chivalry in state To mock at England's wrongs, are here. Fill up the beaker ! generous wine At Labor's cost, shall flow, as ye Drink deeply to the " Right Divine " Of kings, and death to Liberty. ? T is true, your tankard, vase, and cup. And plate that glows with burnished red, Whence England's proudest, meanest, sup, While England's noblest faint for bread, Outvie the Babylonian's feast In pride and luxury's impious show ; — Tremble, ye tyrants ! yours at least Belshazzar's folly ; yours his woe ! HYMN FOR THE MILLENNIUM. 219 HYMN FOR THE MILLENNIUM. God, to Thee, from whom so long This darkened world has strayed, inglorious, She comes, in brightness and in song, With crowns and harps for Thee, victorious. From where flames up the morning sun, To where he floods the west with beauty, — From north to south, not one, not one Is silent in this hour of duty. Hear! as on Afric's noble plains Her Sunday schools lisp songs, that gladly Go up, where once were stripes and chains, And fraud and gold that triumphed madly. 220 HYMN FOR THE MILLENNIUM. Hear China's worship-wooing bells ! " Celestial " now — whose happy nation, By her delivered millions, tells That her proud wall is called " Salvation." And see ! the lovely isles that gem Old ocean's bosom, fair and vernal, Are jewels in the diadem That glory wreaths for the Eternal. The tree of life yields glad perfume, With fresh buds crowned, and choicest flowers ; Knowledge displays its living bloom, Where grace dispenses warmth and showers. Dove of the Lord! Peace, brooding, sits Where fiercely flew the bird of glory; And Waterloo and Austerlitz Live only in ignoble story. And, quenched the latent spark of rage, Hate adds no more to party fuel ; And realms are ruled, though statesmen wage No war of words, nor war with duel. HYMN FOR THE MILLENNIUM. 221 And where so long the dreadful whip Of slavery scourged the flesh, red reeking, Are kindness, love, and manhood's lip, Of holy, heartfelt Freedom speaking. The Heavens, in gladness, shout to Thee, And Earth, in bondage lately lying, Rings back the cry, " We 're free ! we 're free ! " Her vales, rock3, hills, and seas replying. Earth ! Earth ! to Christ (his kingdom won), In more than primal beauty given — Sound the high hymn ! for now is done His will on earth, as done in heaven. 19< HYMN, Sung by the Congregation of Pine Street Church, Boston, May 14, 1848; prior to their late Pastor's, Rev. Austin Phelps, occupancy of the Chair of Bartlett Professor of Sacred Rhet- oric, at Andover Theological Institution. That thou wast loved, and still hast part In all that friendship holds most dear 3 Bears witness every burdened heart,™ Bears witness each expressive tear. That from the well-spring of a mind, Whose mighty current mocks thy youth For wants belonging to our kind, Has ever flowed transparent Truth ; — HYMN. 223 That thou didst hallow all our bliss, — And wreathe with Hope's sweet flowers the rod, And win to brighter worlds from this, — Is known to us and known to God! We hoped that thou, our shepherd, still Wouldst lead the inexperienced feet; And with our old men, down the hill, Go where in Death Life's waters meet. — Exemplar, here, like holy Paul, Unmoved by flattery or by frown, — 'Till summoned at the Master's call To leave the cross and take the crown. 'T is well — our last sad lesson thus We learn, beloved man, from thee: That streams of perfect joy for us Rise only in Eternity. Yet go, — for sacred Duty calls, Where thou, for Christ, mayst teachers teach, — And his vast empire, from those halls, By thousand-fold of influence reach ! 224 THE FLAGSTAFF. THE FLAGSTAFF,* O Saviour ! Thou ! the Hope and Stay Of those on land that pilgrims be, - — O Omnipresent ! who alway Art with the Sailor far at sea, — Round us j in mercy, fold thy power; Shield him in Peril's awful hour. * These verses, being a response to a request from an esteemed friend, I have supposed would be more acceptable if the circum- stances which elicited them were known. The following letter is accordingly subjoined. Nantucket, July 6th, 1842. Rev. Wm. B. Tappan: Dear Sir — There are in my church and congregation many females whose husbands spend most of their time at sea. From the " Lookout " upon our houses we see a noble ship leave our bar and disappear in the distant horizon, knowing that from three to four years must elapse ere that ship can return from its long THE FLAGSTAFF. 225 While on the pinions of the morn He flies to North or Southern zone, Cleaves Indian seas, or, round the Horn, Seeks latitudes and lands unknown, — Let him, beneath thy present eye, Feel that he cannot from Thee fly. and arduous voyage. It must pass through the burning heat of the tropics, encounter the storms and icebergs of " The Cape," cruise among the coral reefs of the Pacific, and its officers and crew must attack, in fearful conflict, those leviathans of the deep, who, by one sweep of the tail, can toss a boat with its whole crew fifteen or twenty feet into the air. It is upon such enterprizes that many wives and mothers in my parish see their husbands depart. It not unfrequently happens, that eighteen months pass while not one word is heard from the absent husband and father, who is facing those dangers in the distant solitudes of the ocean. As soon as from our telegraphic station a Cape Horn ship is dimly distinguished in the horizon, the banner of the United States streams from our Flagstaff, announcing the fact to the inhabi- tants of the town. You may imagine the emotions which that sight must send to many dwellings. Some, whose husbands have been absent from three to four years, hope that it is the signal of their return. Others, who have heard no tidings from the absent for many months, hope for intelligence, and know not whether they are to hear tidings of prosperity or woe. Soon, by tele- graphic signal, the name of the ship is announced. And then the wife, who has been praying for her absent partner for weary years, and has heard no tidings from him for many months, waits in anxious suspense, hour after hour, uncertain whether she is again to see the face, and hear the voice of her beloved com- panion, or to receive the intelligence that she is a widow, and her children orphans. The outer door opens. The footsteps of a man are heard in the entry. Is it her husband, or some one to 226 THE FLAGSTAFF. And feel that he is safe whom Thou Dost cover with protecting shield; We feel it, know it, and we bow In faith, where we in hope have kneeled, And to our Father tell our fear; Our Father! Thou! thy children hear. We 've looked, from the horizon's dip, To see the slender mast ascend, Till — spars and sails — - our gallant ship Was all revealed, a blessed friend ! announce to her that her husband is dead — perhaps, that he found a grave in the ocean, or on a heathen shore, more than a year ago? I could fill many sheets with incidents of the most affecting nature, which have occurred since I have been upon this island. At our monthly concert of prayer for seamen, which is regularly observed, we not unfrequently have six hundred persons present — our large lecture-room crowded to overflowing. I have occa- sionally invited those ladies of our congregation whose husbands follow the seas, to meet at my house for a social religious inter- view. At our last meeting there were seventy present. My object in making this statement is to solicit of you the favor to furnish us with a few verses to sing at one of these meetings. I turn over the various hymn books in vain for any thing which meets the occasion. If you can find time to express a few of your thoughts and emotions upon this subject, in verse, you will contribute to the enjoyment of those who need sympathy, and greatly oblige your very sincere friend and brother in the Gospel. John S. C. Abbott. THE FLAGSTAFF. 227 We Ve watched at early coming clay ; We 've watched at twilight's fading ray. And many a longing eye lias sought The signal on our sentry staff, And listening ears have almost caught, Across the waves, the joyous laugh That to oblivion gives his pain, Who sees his native shores again. Thy will be done! — though here we meet In doubt and tears and broken prayer, And lay before the Mercy-seat Our sighs and sadness, hope and care. O Thou, who round us foldest power, Shield him in Peril's awful hour ! 228 VERSES. VERSES Occasioned by the imprisonment of Rev. G. C, at the suit of a Rum-distilling Deacon, for writing against Intemperance. A fact of the Nineteenth Century. They Ve thrust him to the inner cell, And planted bolt and bar On him thus basely made to dwell Where thieves and drunkards are. And those that quailed beneath his eye, And at his word did cower, Have left the greatness there to lie, Which shamed their petty power. The jail receives him, whose behest It is, with tongue of flame VERSES. 229 To urge repentance, and attest The charms of Jesus' Name. The jail receives him, who should teach, > In voice of winning love, The sunken how to rise and reach The paradise above. The meek disciple who at times Takes of the Saviour's cup — And then the chalice, drugged with crimes, Compels men to drink up, — Yes, he whose hateful, poisonous trade, Has by the help of hell, A thousand thousand paupers made, In cedar halls doth dwell. Ay, bring him out ! — the Christian now — Of all that 's manly shorn, — That deeply on his guilty brow, The world may write its scorn, — And mark with infamy, the soul That 's monument alone Of meanness, lasting as the scroll Of brass, or senseless stone. 20 230 TEMPERANCE JUBILEE HYMN. If e'er was one whose deeds on earth, Are food for fiendish wit, — Whose deeper baseness stirs the mirth And loathing of the pit, — The Judas that makes haste to fill His bag by misery, And fasts and prays and drives the Still, That hypocrite is he ! 1835. TEMPERANCE JUBILEE HYMN SUNG AT THE TREMONT TEMPLE, BOSTON, JULY 4, 1843. What boots it that yon green hill-side Drank in the streams of human gore, When fell, like grass, the British pride, Our fathers' sturdy front before, If to a demon, all they won Posterity surrenders up, And, for the chains of Albion, Assumes the fetters of the cup? TEMFERANCE JUBILEE HYMN. 231 While Freedom calls her millions out, And stirs her trumpet from its sleep, And round her rallies song and shout, Her sacred festival to keep ; While Commerce halts its endless wheel, And Politics have leave to play, And Labor quits the ringing steel, Resolved for sober holyday, — Shall not the Jubilee be kept, Of Liberty, restored again To fathers, brothers, sons, who wept Beneath a worse than regal chain ? Shall not Te Deums rise to God, — Who snapt and crushed its hateful links, And deep in dust the tyrant trod — From every soul that feels and thinks ? Our Declaration? — 'tis the Pledge; Our Sword's good work ? — the. silent Still ; The foe, in "Ardents," felt its edge, But found " Tee-total " Bunker Hill ! Our Monument! God, it soars Above all granite shafts or domes ; Eternal token on our shores, Of countless happy hearts and homes ! TO G. AN ADVOCATE FOR TEMPERANCE, WHO, BY CONSPIRACY, WAS DECEIVED INTO A TEMPORARY RELAPSE. Victim of malice- — not of lust — On holy Truth yet seen to stand, — Thou hast, my friend, as at the first, With my whole heart, my warm right hand. Not less a dreadful champion thou, That spiteful serpents bruised thy heel; The head and heart are fitter now, — With surer lance and truer steel. Let not remorse, that comes to all Who sin, afflict thy gentle soul; Nor thus for an imagined fall, Let drops of mighty anguish roll. Thou hast not sinned ! but wicked hands Incarnadined with blood they Ve spilt, Which all the seas that wash all lands Can never cleanse — have wrought the guilt. And Heaven, who this sore trial sent, Thy sterling worth will well assure ; And Christ, who o'er the furnace bent Refining, sees the silver pure. Thou ledd'st the host, thou ledd'st the van, — Then blazed the eternal regis there ! — For sacred Truth, for Woman, Man, For God — till round thee closed the snare. Hell revels ! yet thou leap'st from earth, With wrathful brow and flashing eyes ; What storms of blows that change its mirth To shameful tears and coward cries ! Again, by thee, in glory's field, Truth's awful standard is unfurled; The tongue, that like a trumpet pealed, Again with clangor shakes the world. 1845. 20* SLIPS " It is a hard matter," said Prudence, " for a man to go down into the Valley of Humiliation, and to catch no slip by the way.' 5 So he began to go down, but very warily ; yet he caught a slip or two. — The Pilgrim 1 s Progress. They say 't is dangerous to ascend The giddy steps of wealth or fame ; — Yet him I count a chosen friend, Who, harmless, leads me down the same. For, turning from those shining heights, We 're apt to halt upon the thigh ; And grieve to see our fair delights For ever from the landscape fly. slips. 235 Unreconciled our stubborn pride, Rebellious with the heart and lip, There 's danger down the slippery side That our weak footsteps catch a slip. To sense, 't is difficult, I own, Some unexpected good to meet — To sit, unmoved, in Fortune's throne, And walk on gold with steady feet. More difficult, I deem his ways Whom Trial sternly bids come down ; I praise the first; him most I praise, Who, honestly, abides its frown. 236 ASPIRATIONS IN THE PULPIT. ASPIRATIONS IN THE PULPIT. The Invocation. O Jesus, while implores Our Invocation grace, Come ! for 't is Christ within the doors That makes the holy place. O Jesus, while I Read, Reading the Each to th J W ° rd incline 5 Scriptures. And bid the rays that upward lead, Flash down on every line. Singing. O Jesus, show the Choir How soul and song may chord, - That they, attempting David's lyre, May truly praise the Lord. ASPIRATIONS IN THE PULPIT. 237 O Jesus to thy feet We, stained with guilt, repair; Prayer. But blood has bathed the Mercy Seat, And thou wilt hear our Prayer. The Sermon. Jesus, while I Preach, With tears, a soul to gain, Thou, who art only Wisdom, teach, Or all the work is vain. Prayer. Jesus, hear us Pray For grace that sweetly wins ; And that Thy blood will wash away Our sanctuary sins. Benediction. Jesus, as we part, Communion's seal impress ; And shadow every humble heart A Trinity, to Bless. 238 TRUE SCIENCE, TRUE SCIENCE. Could I name every curious root, And every floweret call, From cedar of gray Lebanon To hyssop on the wall — What were my boasted knowledge worth Above a shining show, Did I not, by true science taught, The Root of Jesse know? Could I with Chaldee's sages rove O'er all the starry plain, And all the shining world explore, Sought out till now in vain — GO ! DREAM OF BY-FAST HOURS. 239 What boots it, if its brightest gem Heaven give not to my eyes — And ne'er to my ecstatic view The Star of Jacob rise? GO! DREAM OF BY-PAST HOURS. G o ! dream of by-past hours : In retrospect once more Pluck fancy's gayest flowers, And revel in thy store. Go, seek thy native cot, Scene of affection free, Where pleasure cheered thy lot, Where love was all to thee. Do this, but never tell The heartless world thy dream; Its scorn would hope dispel, Would crush the fairy theme : 240 LUCY ANN, AT SIXTEEN. Do this, but in thy breast Let each fond wish expire ; For sorrows unreprest Are his who loves the lyre. LUCY ANN, AT SIXTEEN. While opens, Lucy Ann, on you The world's alluring, witching smile, While flowers of every form and hue Spring forth, your pathway to beguile, Dear Lucy, in the pleasant dawn Of hope, may real bliss be seen, And bland contentment gild your morn, And peace be yours at fond Sixteen. Life ? s but a flower, how frail the bloom ! It charms without, within is there • The worm that 's nourished to consume, The foe of beauty, baneful Care : LUCY ANN, AT SIXTEEN. 241 Far from your bosom be the cares That lurk with cold forbidding mien, And, O kind Heaven ! avert the snares That folly spreads for gay Sixteen. Though cloudless suns for thee may rise, And bright the joys that for thee shine, O, who may say, these beauteous skies, These cloudless suns shall long be thine ? Yet long may these your day illume, And may no storm, with rigor keen, Assail the flower that loves to bloom On the fair cheek of sweet Sixteen. The fairy form must lose its grace, The sparkling eye must know decay, Time will each youthful charm efface As evening's robe obscures the day : Yet, while meek candor loves to dwell Those lips upon, and truth is seen, Lucy I these graces long shall tell The fadeless charms of bright Sixteen. Affection cheers our pathway, wild. Yet oft it dies, alas ! how soon — ■ 21 The star that on Love's morning smiled, Shines coldly on its dying noon ; Yet Lucy ! while the chaste caress Of friendship, soothes life's sorrows keen, Still may affection richly bless Your path, when fled is gay Sixteen. RELIGION AND RUM. An old Turk, learning that we were Americans, inquired if it was true that we sent out Missionaries to convert the Mohamme- dans, in ships laden with wine and spirits ? — De Kay's Sketches of Turkey. The Christian flouts the turbaned Turk ; Why mocketh he at us ? He sendeth hither proud ships with A blessing and a curse. His spangled flag flings out its stars Most bravely on our seas : And we beneath those stripes may pray, Or traffic — as we please. RELIGION AND RUM. 21.') Can the same wells of Araby Yield sweet and bitter too ? These dumb dogs — laugh they at our beards ? Great Allah! yes, they do. " Ho ! come, and win the gems of Heaven ! " Their dark -robed Mollahs cry ; Then shout their fellows — " We have Rum, And Brandies ; will ye buy ? " " Kneel to Messiah ! yours are crowns ; Reject — naught 's left but hell ; " " Here 's fourth proof — real New England, sirs ; Try, for we want to sell ! " Prophet! how would these muftis smile, Should we to Christ incline ; Not less their joy if we exchange Good sequins for their wine. Houris ! be ours the precepts which Content the faithful Turk, Rather than creeds in which base gold Is ever found to lurk. 244 MILLENNIAL MORN MILLENNIAL MORN! THY ROSY BEAMS. Millennial morn! thy rosy beams Already break and shine on high ; And from his couch the Day-spring seems To rush and glance along the sky. Error its mantling cloud rolls back, And fast and far fly shades of night ; The wheels are heard whose living track Is marked by Resurrection's light. *T is glorious, thus, our conquering God ! To greet the chariot of thy Son ; Oh, who that hath his war-plain trod, Would ever toils, so noble, shun ? Gird on thy sword, most Mighty ! sway The sceptre of unquestioned rule ; And marshal on thy glorious way The Bible, Tract, and Sunday-school. Not only age, but youth,, the call Shall hear, and hasten where unfurled Thy banners wave on Zion's wall, Symbols of freedom to a world. BY WHOM OF ALL THY CHOSEN, LORD. By whom of all thy chosen, Lord, Wilt thou the promised temple build ? Shall angel legions seize the sword, Nor sheath it till the toil's fulfilled? Earth's monarchs — in thy cause shall they With banners rally to the strife? And win with worldly arms the day, And take with spear the crown of life ? 21* 246 BY WHOM OF ALL THY CHOSEN, LORD. Oh, not by the embattled throng, Who travel on in fields of light, Nor by Earth's monarchs, marshalled strong, And burning for the glorious fight — But such as we, and feebler far, Shall in thy Name subdue the foe ; And weapons simple as these are, Be strong in Thee to lay him low. As faithful warriors of the cross, We ne'er can faint nor falter, since We count all conquest else, but loss, And love beyond all else, our Prince. INVOCATION. 247 INVOCATION We ask Thee not, O God ! to bow Thy heavens, these sighs to hear; To those fair seats of life and song They fly, and reach thine ear; For thou art condescending still, When suppliants come to Thee ; Though thy pavilion is the cloud, And low and poor are we. Thou know'st we tabernacle where Envy and wrong abound ; In bosoms of our dearest trust Deceit is oft'nest found. Thou know'st that man to fellow man Is oft the direst foe; The streams of kindness in his soul Are tainted as they flow. 248 INVOCATION. For who hath pillowed all his heart On seeming honor's breast, Nor found, in sorrow's bitter doom, That refuge but a jest? Who ever sought some lofty hope, And said, here is my stay, Nor saw how like the summer sun It passed in clouds away ? Yes, he, the heritor of ill, In silence must it bide ; The world that wrings out bitter tears, Will yet those tears deride. But Thou, O God ! art not of clay ; To shield the wretch is thine ; 'T is good to tell our cares to Thee, Who will to help incline. Man may, in selfishness, console The hapless child of need ; Yes, and bind up the broken heart When interest prompts the deed ; But Thou lov'st those who know Thee not, And thus dost man reprove ; Thou art — and there is none beside — - Disinterested Love. SIN, Immortal Sin, of heavenly birth ! With angels nursed till hurled to fire ; Thence creeping to deceive the earth — What art thou, serpent ? — what thy sire ! I know not, nor till blasts are blown From that high trump which wakes the world Shall mortals see thy dreadful throne, Or pierce the cloud that 's o'er thee curled. I know not — but thy slave I We been ; E'en now, redeemed, I feel thy power. I burn with blushes, that from Sin I ne'er have found release one hour. Some walk below on Beulah's ground; This side of heaven they catch the gales ; It may be so — yet I have found That o'er Perfection Sin prevails. Looks not the Sovereign Lord of All With wonder on his ruined plan ? The loss, beginning at the fall — The Death that lives where lives a man? Look not the blessed, in surprise, On systems rolling 'neath a curse ? Oh ! in those sweet angelic eyes Stands not one tear of grief for us! Mysteriously art thou entwined With all I think and say and do ; Affection, will, and soul and mind, The poison feel, and love it too. My heart is but a battle-field; It has been so since hope was mine — . Sword crosses sword, shield rings to shield ; Infernal influence meets divine. Thou hast my father, mother slain ! They seized the promise and are blest ; Destroyer, thou hast come again — My babe, my cherub is at rest. And thou hast killed the Lamb of God ! The Roman reared the felon tree, The Jew exulted in his blood — I charge the horrid crime on thee. Ne'er idly talk of roofs of gold, Inlaying heaven's eternal dome ; Or gates of pearl, whose leaves infold The righteous in their happy home ; Nor of the rubies, emeralds, gems, That blaze like suns amid the host "Whose myriads veil their diadems To Father, Son, and Holy Ghost ; — But tell me of a world so bright That Sin — a dark intruder there — Would die in its excess of light — And that 's the heaven which I would share ! 1847. JAMES MUNROE AND COMPANY HAVE FOR SALE IN RICH BINDINQ8, THE POETICAL WORKS OP REV. WILLIAM B. TAP PAN, COMPLETE IN FOUR VOLUMES, VIZ.: POETRY OF THE HEART; SACRED AND MISCELLANEOUS POEMS; POETRY OF LIFE; *THE SUNDAY SCHOOL AND OTHER POEMS. dec 10 reoQ *Ofr— 6 J13HS •dVHQ voiaaiAiv do S3±v±s Q3±iNn 'ss^aouco ao A^rraan 111 ft If W\ 1 Min 1 016 256 168 6 Whii ■a I