title: Sunbeams.
text: «u* v y • o. • fc: ^ ^ »J 1 A^ ^t* '7.** \ o ° " ° <f ^^ a*^ *u* * ♦: +-^ a0' *v* o > J. ^ ^ • I •» »•'«.. <*a. 1$ v*> <* SUjNBEAMS. A POEM, Crr^'. ^Ug), AUTHOR OF sade ;» ' f Maria Foster ;" "'^ge of Richmond :» '' ^^mond ; „ ^dK/sT^^ Footprints of Jesus," &c. PHILADELPHIA : Allen, Lane & Scott, Printers, Nos. 229-231 South Fifth Street. 1885. I SUNBEAMS. A POEM. n Z 1 ^J? AUTHOR OF 'The World's Battle;" "The Life of Washington;" "History of the Great Rebellion ;" " The Kimeliad," a poem in three cantos ; " The Shepherd of the Wissahickon," a poem in three cantos ; " Kilpatrick and our Cavalry ;" " The Centennial," a poem ; " The Triumph of Truth ;" " The City of God ;" " Our Redeemer's Kingdom ;" "The Mansions in Heaven;" "Saint Paul;" "The Star in the East;" "Happiness;" "Divine Attributes;" "Divine Providence;" "Redeeming the Time;" "The Dream of Life;" "What is Man?" "The Necklace;" " AVillard Glazier, the Cavalier;" "The Children of Pride;" " Redemption ;" " The Rival Queens ;" " Deny Delivered ;" " The First Vvu- sade :" " Maria Foster;" " Siege of Richmond :" "Rosamond:" "Samaria and her People :" " The Beautiful ;" " Now or Never ;" " Cora Lee ;" " The Bridal of Strabane ;" " The Cardinal Virtues: " " The Sons of God ;" "The Footprints of Jesus," &c. PHILADELPHIA : (^Cf $ ~Q — Allen, Lank & Scott, Printers, Nos. 229-231 South Fifth Street. 1885. Entered, according to act of Congress, in the year 1885, by JAMES MOORE, M. D., In he Office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington. *~» r* . - '*" SUNBEAMS There must be plebeians and aristocracy, There must be some who favor a democracy, Some who will judge that the best rule of man Is nothing else than good republican. While some for monarchy will fain contend, And even despotism has many a friend. Some like and some do not as not so common, A nation should be under rule of woman. In every nation there must factions be, Difference 'twixt tweedle-dum and tweedle-dee, One will have this, another aims at that, The same in substance as Paddy is and Pat. Thus a good Democrat or good Republican Is much the same, I hope, an honest man. If either swerves from principle so true, 'Tis certain he the same may live to rue, And retribution is more frequent heiv. Than may to many thoughtless minds appear. One feature of our age we often find, To which the thoughtful will no more be blind. And what some thirty years since nor. The fair sex who should ever be respec (3) I Are found with charming manners, lovely faces, Of bipeds maL full oft to take the places. To keep the house, sewing-machine to use, To work the telegraph, words unusual to the muse, Music to teach, or speak through telephone, Converse at distance, make two places one, Is not enough, nor children in kindergarten, The early rudiments to learn, and hearten The older ones beneath their gentle care, And pour into their minds instruction rare, Is not sufficient ; we find them in the stores, At Wanamaker's they are seen in scores, And every gentleman I think prefers To be attended by the lovely dears : While in our schools with radiance they shine, And graces such as Homer calls divine. I hear a lady at the bar can plead, Amiable and learned they say she is indeed, And they are doctors, too, of science, knowledge Acquired by study at the Women's College. They wish and should be, for the sweet variety, Members become of County Medical Society, And if the last verse has a foot redundant, The excuse upon such theme is quite abundant. Admit them, noble Esculapian sons ! Their aid will help you, and the gentle ones Will help to lead you to fair science' source, Adjunct desired to the post-graduate course, A course of usefulness and great diversity. Younger, I'd tend that of our university. Alas! alas J that my career is o'er; What is man's life when-he like me's threescore? It is no more at best than a mere breath ; 've lived, I live, and have no fear of death ; ut this of a great man may now be told : me, " I don't feel myself old." 5 ' Twas the last time his friendly hand I she ^k. Concerned, I saw his somewhat sickly iv,ok, And marked his growing age and feeble state, Saying, "Were mine the power, I'd you rejuvenate! " It was in answer he did then reply ; Alas ! I knew not then how soon he'd die ; Great ornament of the profession, great The fame that ever on his name shall wait, I little thought so soon he would cremate. What think you, sirs, concerning this cremation ? Is it the best way ? Will it suit our nation ? Antiquity much used it, this is true ; But it was seldom practiced by the Jew ; Though the remains of Saul and of his son This burial had, it was not often done. We read, 'tis true, of burning of the kings ; But these, I deem, were perfumes — different things. Will Christians deign this burial mode to use, So commonly in practice by Hindoos ? The early saints, when once the soul had fled, In earth were laid — mouldered in lowly bed. The ladies are not only mostly teachers, But, what is more, both lecturers and preachers ; And their abilities are often found To push the men aside, who must give ground ; So now we find that the dear gentle souls Aim at the suffrage and attend the polls. Yea ! what if they advance so — yet maybe They attempt to gain the very Presidency. If this goes on, who knows where it may end ? This consequence may sequel due attend, That woman, lovely woman, will bear sway And rule o'er men, and have all their own way. If they the very Government would change, It would not, verily, be very strange. MHO* The Constitution they might greatly alter, And for promotion give a man a halter ; Deny endearments and refuse caresses, And by such course involve most dire distresses — In fine, depopulation fearful bring, And our most beauteous world reduce to nothing. This case imaginary is an extreme one ; Cry not till hurt ; it never shall be done, Nor are the fair of such obdurate heart As to adopt such an unfeeling part. In equal tenderness their breast will glow ; They oft delight to assuage a lover's woe. With beating heart as his with love's alarms, Conceal her blushes in his sheltering arms, Forsake for him her home and kindred dears, And make him happy many joyous years; Till death that sunders all .them too shall sever, And they shall meet no more — oh, never ! never ! i God instituted marriage at the first ; 'Twas innocent and happy till the curst, The cruel serpent, taught the way to sin, Thence human woes and misery begin. 'Tis said that marriages are made in heaven; Sometimes they are, perhaps, but oft is given A heavy cross to bear, when one through life Is tied to slovenly and scolding wife, Or gentle dame united to some sot, Who sets her virtues all at less than nought ; With cruelty and all unkindness acts, Such as none would believe, except the facts Were patent, when man's wickedness is known, And through a neighborhood the deeds are blown. Such wedded state's unhappiness who tell, Or who describe ? for such was made in hell ! What cruel separations do we see ! What dreadful, shameful infidelity ! How the divorce-court curious people throng, And scandal revels and the slandering tongue Reveals what fills the virtuous with shame, And grief and woe weep o'er dishonored name ; While modesty is shocked, and virtues blush, Is seen each face of innocence to flush ; And all well-wishers to their country's glory Lament the sad and miserable story. In every State too common is divorce, Of fruitful evils 'tis the grievous source; And if it has not some firm, wholesome check, It will sad havoc - in our country make. It should take place for one particular cause : The judges know divine and human laws. In music we consult a skilled musician ; In sickn^s call the learned, humane physician. These should in marriages consulted be, For wedlock should move on in harmony ; And every prudent maiden at the least, Should never fail to go consult the priest, And give her thoughts as meet, a true expression, For there is benefit in true confession; And he will wholesome counsel to her give, That will a blessing be, however long she live. Parents and friends should give a free consent ; This tried, it is less likely she'll repent, For hasty marriages are not the best,. And they in wedlock who are truly blest, Are those who act with prudence in the case, And ponder ere the nuptial embrace ; And marriages to some are the best state, And are delightful in all storms of fate, When truth and love the mutual hearts unite, And each thinks what the other does is right. 8 A life of celibacy some prefer, And heirs of glory have but little care For worldly things ; and oft in secret cell, Communing with their God, desire to dwell; Hence rose the holy monks and nuns of old, Whose piety historic lays unfold, Whom annalists and earlier bards declare The glory of the world ; tradition's care Doth plainly in all nations set them forth, Renowned for humble piety and worth ; In monasteries, convents, still doth paint The features and the worth of many a saint. The monks in the Thebaid spread the story Of Christ both in His sufferings and glory ; They led a life austere to Him devoted, And much the cause of Christian trutTi promoted. Hence different orders rose, and holy maids, As monks the monasteries they to shades Of convents with chaste vows in crowds repair, Leaving a world despised to seek Him there ; To whom their beauty, wealth, virginity Were consecrated His alone to be. Like Mary, chose they not the better part ? As she each gave to God a humble heart; And all their lives in prayer and praises spent, And in good works displayed a sweet content. Some train the tender mind, form, educate, And send forth those an honor to our state ; Prepared in any circle well to shine, In human learning taught and in divine. Some rescue erring ones from Satan's sway, The fallen raise, turn darkness into day ; And some the destitute and sick attend, And show to praise the Lord is all their end ; Their piety our reverence must command, Earth's salt, the fruitful blessing of our land. Marriage is holy, but a single life Is for the priesthood better than a wife ; Those can the better work for God who be Without the cares of wife and family ; Which oft will cause the greatest tribulation, Providing all that's needed for their station. While for the gospel's sake they all give up, Their earnestness will have a better hope ; That all their energies and powers be Concentrated best in celibacy ; While ties of family must oft divert, But single life and undivided heart, And all for God, aids the soul-saving art. The clock strikes four, I wake and turn on light, Which clear o'ercomes the darkness of the night, Whether from candle, gas, or light electric, The difference matters little ; thought comes quick. And in the mood I hastily snatch my pen, Upon the unsullied page trace characters, and then, Full, forceful, clear as is the noon sunbeam, Pour forth ideas copious as they gleam, On my perceptions as the muse inclines, And to my essay add a few more lines. The nineteenth of November, eighty-four ; Relieved that the election now is o'er, The excitement ended, and the official count Well ascertained, and as I find the amount Conceded fair and honest, void of fraud, For which the majesty of Heaven I laud ; A dreadful thing would vile corruption be, And stigma deep on our land of the free ; Whose very thought each noble patriot shocks, The slightest tampering with the ballot box, Which tells a nation's will as clocks do time ; And to resist its mandates is a crime. It truly now appears republican, For nation's ruler is no more the man, IO God sets up one and puts another down ; His smile is on us oftener than His frown. Let us be thankful, for His favor pray ; And grateful praise Him on Thanksgiving Day. "The Union must and it shall be preserved ! " The party out of power has well deserved The gratitude of late posterity, By efforts used to set the captive free, And with the Union's own preservation, To leave no slave within our glorious nation ; Our currency and our finances show, Our trade, our commerce and the progress too That marked development, a proof appears, How this great party four-and-twenty years The nation ruled, how wisely and how well, Children unborn will to their children tell. The helm, another time they may regain ; A nation's suffrage yet may elect Blaine; While for the present toward the rising sun, All office-seekers will adoring run, Willing their untry so dear to serve, And claiming die rewards they all deserve. Let every party strive with emulation, To keep the laws., and honor do the nation, By all that honest is and pure 'mongst men, Worthy each patriot and good citizen. May Cleveland's rule a prosperous nation bless, Exalted high in truth and righteousness, With all material comfort and success ; With absence of all poverty — distress, With corn, and wine, and oil, silver and gold, And happier people than the sires of old ! Our nation grows with prosperous increase Its population vast, and blessed peace, And institutions free it does not cease. II Wide to expand developing around, Most wonderfully, and each nation found, Beneath the canopy of heaven astound, At her resources; many reach our shores, Some rest in cities ; one the wilds explores In the far West and breaks the virgin soil, While one at weaving or in mines will toil, The land they till, or some mechanic art Practice for higher wages, and each heart With satisfaction filled exults to see And realize blessings of liberty. While many by their industry acquire Such competence as moderate minds desire, And not a few that started with a penny, Can show of greenbacks piles, and many a guinea. Improvements in each useful art, invention, And all conducing to man's good to mention, 'Stead of a line, a volume would require, And still the aspiration's growing higher. Steam, electricity, have wonders wrought, And something new is evermore being sought, For men, machines, for horses we'll be able Street cars to run much easier by a cable, And lines of junction passengers set down, In any part they choose of our good town. The rich man has his chariot and pair, But those of moderate means who pay for fare Some five or six cents can convenient ride From Twenty-third and Christian to the side Of Richmond near the stream of Gunner's run ; If coming south he'll ride the whole way down, From Dauphin street to Morris, Moore, or Curtin, A long way for six cents 'tis very certain. This way of locomotion serves the masses, And many more of the superior classes, On business or on pleasure they can go, At steady, rapid pace, but seldom slow, 12 And owning neither coachman, groom, or horse, Or mansion splendid, or a heavy purse, At ease can ride from dawning until dark From Delaware to Schuylkill or the Park, Can see the fun of those base ball who play, And watch tricyles running all the day; Can reach processions in the nick of time With far less cost than is a silver dime. A transfer at a time no one repents, Whose price will at the most be but nine cents ; Horses are often changed, not so the driver, His hours are long, I fear he's not long liver. The same of the conductor may be said, These men toil hardly for their daily bread, And if a better easier post they find, To leave the cars they soon are well inclined. Whether free trade is better or protection, One thing is worth a serious reflection — A something that oft happens, no one likes — It is the frequency and length of Strikes, Which, when occurring, render matters worse, To capital and labor are a curse. The prudent, the benevolent, and wise, Could surely hit some mode of compromise, Till, better times producing more demand, Would gradually call for stock on hand. When here and there extensive factories stop, It is to many death-blow of their hope. The parson suffers and the doctor too ; Grocers and dry goods dealers will it rue. The family, the children dear and wife, Need comforts if not necessaries of life. For idleness no workingman will pay ; Many can scarce afford a holiday. For this of many citizens is truth : Industrious worth oft lives from hand to mouth. 13 I came to Philadelphia fifty-three ; Since then its growth is wonderful to see. Now noble streets lit by electric light, Are grand and beautiful on darkest night, Great stores and splendid line on either side The thoroughfares so spacious and wide; And marble palaces in costly rank At intervals are seen, like Drexels' bank, Which welljts owners' opulence displays And cultivated taste. The architectural grace, Simple and plain, is for this great house meet, And ornaments that part of Chestnut street. The office for the mails and Record office, With many noble buildings well suffice Our growing wealth and luxury declare ; And City Hall is a vast pile so rare, So stately, beautiful, so costly, too, May strangers show our wealth — what we can do. A venerable temple near it stands, Our city's pride and that of distant lands. Our sacred edifices old and new, Show how religion is well kept in view ; A stranger from their number soon would see Our citizens are given to piety. Of some the architecture we can't boast; The one of recent date that pleased me most, Is over Schuylkill, chaste and of great cost. Ne'er Sunday bell did in more beauteous clang, Raised by that noble architect — Durang! Whole squares of beauteous houses still arise, And mostly towards the north, which may surprise The thoughtful mind ; and many a vacant lot, Remote or near, that was o'erlooked, forgot, Or house decayed, with modern house in style Magnificent appears. 'Tis thus we go the while. Medicine, law, theology, and science, Of every kind, on which we place reliance, 14 To lead man onward by due cultivation, And train him rightly by good education, Do here abound as blackberries in summer, Though now and then we call in a new comer, Who though a stranger to a people slow, May tell us something that we do not know; This shows the world our great humility, And loud proclaims our liberality. The only thing, in fact, that here is scarce, Is poets, or at least who write in verse ; The reason is, not need of genius sure, For talent is here, too ; but pay is poor, And no good poet will compose a lay, Unless, like any other trade, 'twill pay. Hence our great merchants' names soon fade away, When they are dead two weeks just and a day. The world jogs on the same, and while they rot, Their names and deeds are both alike forgot, And in a thousand years their very name Is lost in deep oblivion as a dream. The newspapers, chroniclers of the time, Will ill supply the place of heaven-born rhyme. The muse alone preserves from sad decay, The poet only keeps in light of day, What else would fade, as Homer did to Greece, Immortal bard whose fame will never cease. Some years ago the following lines I wrote, And to my purpose suited here I quote, Nor do they ask the very least excuse, Being well adapted to the reader's use, The subject and the verse are all the same, And on attention careful have a claim. Hail, Philadelphia ! city of the free ! The patriot's heart will ever turn to thee, From every land and country, every clime, Till in the eternal sea rolls the full tide of time. i5 In early youth, though far beyond the sea, My ardent breast beat high with thought of thee, As marking careful the historic page, The faithful record of thy infant age, I rapturous viewed the promise of thy spring, Whose buds and blossoms the ripe fruit did bring, That nations thrilled with ecstasy to see As fairest on the tree of liberty. The Indian once roamed in thy happy shades, Thy forests unsubdued, thy watery glades ; Skimmed o'er thy rivers in his light canoe, Thy noble Delaware and Schuylkill too ; And gliding swift in such romantic scene, That crowned thy banks of living evergreen, And formed festooned the ever-cool arcade, Where songsters warbled darkening in the shade, And blooming flowers exhaled a sweet perfume, From deep recesses and dark wooded gloom ! Where scarce the sun could dart a single ray, 'Midst tangled thickets hidden to the day. The children of the forest loved to stray By Wissahickon; and the livelong day Would witness in its scenes, so grand and wild, The untiring gambols of the forest child ; While peals of laughter boisterous rang out, And echo loved to spread each merry shout. The cheerful song, the red man oft would raise ; In cadence mournful, oft would hymn the praise Of some departed chief in battle slain ; Lost to the tribe, ne'er to return again ; In counsel sage no more to lift his voice, Or lead in strife the warriors of his choice. The war-whoop fierce, now gone, he hears no more, Resting in death beside the lonely shore; Where dancing and the song for him must cease, And in commotion's self, he rests in peace. i6 When noble Penn appeared in peaceful guise, His gentle mien struck with a sweet surprise The untutored red man drawn by cords of love, Towards this meek follower of the Lord above, Who far from courts and pomps beheld the race As fellow-men ; and having once found grace, Was well content with man to take his share, And act with justice, when the same was rare. Oh ! what a lesson to mankind was taught, Of dealing fair! and what a work was wrought By him ; at once the father and the friend Of red men poor ; rewarded in the end ; When Pennsylvania yielded to his sway, And willing hearts the master mind obey. Founder of that vast commonwealth, grown great, And destined to become the Keystone State; Whose rich resources, mines, and ores are found In great profusion treasured ; to abound, In quantities so huge, that no compute Can put the question quite beyond dispute, Or tell, howe'er consumption's ratio tend That nature's bounties e'er shall have an end ; Or wealth, exhausted, can be found no more, Howe'er her caverned depths we may explore. In Kensington the visitor may see The simple site, where stood the treaty tree ; Where Penn in equity a compact made With Indians, 'neath its pleasant, friendly shade ; Which in this day all men should imitate, Who love fair justice, which is truly great. Penn rests in peace ; the Indians are gone, The tree's no more ; to mark the place, a stone ; 17 But that transaction stands in bold relief, And, of the lessons taught, this is the chief, And shines as beacon from a holy hill — That Philadelphians act with justice still, And Pennsylvania ever will have cause To love her Penn, her institutions, laws. Thus, when the colonies with large increase, Grew great and potent, fostered by sweet peace ; Development was here more rapid found, Than in the sister colonies around. A happy people prospered, arts were spread, And manufactures rose, fair science led ; In Penn's loved city proudly led the van, And Franklin gave the lightning to man, For daily use the message swift to send, Around the sphere in circle without end ; Through savage wilds, and ocean's stormy flood, The omniscient power, an attribute of God. And space, and time, to science forced to yield, Left man, though feeble, master of the field ; Flashed o'er the obedient wire intelligence That quick as thought brought messages from thence. Franklin brought lightning from heaven 'tis said, By kite conducting from the sky he led ; To wrest the tyrant's rod, this too was his, A man well reckoned with ancient wise, A simple stone points out the resting place Of one, the lasting wonder of his race. Whose potent genius in his day was found The wonder of the world, and still renowned ; His name, with pride, will never be forgot, Though this is often but the common lot. City renowned ! my steps with reverence fall, And wake thy echoes, Independence Hall ! i8 Where patriots met to dare the tyrant's frown, And pull oppression's stately fabric down. Whose joyous bell rang forth the tidings grand, " Let Liberty prevail throughout the land ! " And tyrant's power be in the dust laid low, Prostrate beneath the patriot's ready blow ; Till freedom reigns unshackled o'er the world, And each oppressor to the dust is hurled. Oh, venerable pile ! my thoughts in thee, Were of thy sons and of sweet liberty ; And it may be I love thee even more, Because my natal place was Erin's shore. Within thy sacred precincts I inspired The love of liberty which my heart fired, And sent me over many a bloody plain, On which the nation's foes in heaps were slain ; And ardent patriots for their country bled, Or fell no more to rise, but from the dead, When power divine awakes the scattered dust Of those who in the potent Saviour trust. When in thy sacred precincts rose the tread Of armed men by ready patriots led, And all the square was full of volunteers, In arms, to dry away their country's tears, And save the Union for posterity, My ardent breast beat high for liberty, And, leaving home with all its objects dear, I followed far in freedom's bright career ; Bled in the sacred cause, and gave a sample Of such devotion as I found example In those who periled life the land to save, Alike prepared for victory or the grave. Within thy peaceful shade I linger still ; What thoughts sublime do yet my spirit fill ! 19 A nation disenthralled, the slave set free, And bondsmen tasting sweets of liberty. A nation happy; smiling in her tears, And loving hands to dry Columbia's tears, Which grant, kind Heaven ! may never fall again ; For, if they drop, 'twill be like copious rain, Whose floods in freshets may sweep all away ; The house, the home, the husbandman and hay, And with wide ruin, baleful and accursed, Destroy each hope by the forefathers nursed ; Uproot of liberty the sacred tree, And plunge the world in unknown misery. Eight hundred thousand souls swell the amount Of those who dwell within the common count ; Enlarged, and vast, the city seems to rise Upon the admiring view ; and with surprise The stranger sees the stately, solemn mien Of denizens, whose very gait, I ween, Proclaims the sturdy independent State, Impressed by days of old, and Penn the Great. Thus, too, the merchant is both frank and free, Upright and honest in his dealings ; he Regards all subterfuge with haughty scorn, And stooped to nothing mean since he was born. Dissimulation he regards a vice ; With dealing fair he holds a fixed price, And honorable, just, the bargain strikes, With candor, which the veriest stranger likes. Thus, reputation high each merchant gains, A character he carefully sustains ; Precision strict prevails ; e'en in the streets, So prim and neat, the one the other meets, While in the midst the rapid car rolls on, By stately horses o'er the pavement drawn. Smooth on the iron rails it easy glides, And passengers are borne by gentle rides. 20 The cost of living is by no means small, The rents, the taxes, bread, and clothing all, With the expenses that no one can shun, To a great height will the sum total run, But all must justly own upon the whole, The Record has reduced the price of coal ; If it could too reduce the price of meat, Many poor families more liberal would eat, Though some are quite content when once they try it, To live upon a vegetable diet. The most of people here do not like fasting, Too much of it might in this clime be wasting; There's nothing like a savory, good dinner, The strength to prop of a hard-working sinner. The Church can fix the articles for use, And guard against what might be an abuse ; For 'tis conceded all need some correction, To keep the body in a due subjection. I said the Church ; what is a church ? you ask ; Will you impose upon me such a task As tell you all the varied and long history, As serves to show demonstrative the mystery ? The Church of Rome is oldest of them all, You may be right if her the Church you call. But to unchurch the rest is not for me, I like them all as far as they agree With Scripture truth in due fidelity. 'Tis not for me with these to interfere, I do not claim, Heaven led, to be a seer, Let them all difference settle as they can, I am a poor, but trust an honest layman. But this I dare affirm, and bold assert, Indecorous language will no soul convert, And it will still be found the far best way, Lead lives the best you can, and for each other pray. 21 Our city, as our nation, is a compound, In which the different elements are found, Derived from Europe, Asia, Africa, Or Australasia or Polynesia. They must all blend good citizens to make, Whose rights are equal ; it some time may take, To make the compound what's called homogeneous, But it can yet be done by minds ingenuous, Especially as streams and many a rill, Rush on our vacant places yet to fill. The rapid progress of mankind amazes ; In our own land more so, it never ceases. But human life is short, and thirty years Being past one generation disappears, Succeeded by the next in turn, decaying, Time's rapid transit there is no delaying, And death, and judgment, and the future state Impartially on all conditions wait. In crowded cities oft the fire fiend walks, At first with steps as slow, and timid ; stalks In little space with proud and haughty pace, Then rushes swiftly on with rapid race : One hoi^se or ware-room he insidious fires, Piles on combustibles and never tires, Till heaped up wealth he ruthlessly consumes, And half a city to the torch he dooms ; As if in sport the dreadful ruin sees, And, like another Nero at his ease, Exulting laughs ; the crackling timbers roar Midst smoke and flame; nor is his labor o'er Till blackened walls and ruined heaps are found Like ancient Troy to strew the cumbered ground ; The house, the furniture, the goods destroyed, And all the place become a fearful void. He revelled thus in London long ago, And later in the prosperous Chicago. 22 Oft through our city in his waste he ran, Thrice sought and ravaged thy great works, O' Weightman ; And seeking round about, he smiled to find The chemicals adapted to his mind. Vast, rich, extensive, rare, he found the store, Then made an onset with a hellish roar ; Painted his pale face with vermillion red, Destroyed a million ere he went to bed, Nor here, nor elsewhere, any care had he To be convicted as an incendiary. Yet, though he stings as deadly as an adder, He oft is foiled by the hook and ladder ; And dreads the rushing fireman and hose, Who drench him to the skin with sturdy blows. The adjacent houses often too pull down, When his dire features bear the sternest frown ; And beaten in all points, he slow retires And to his hell returns with all his fires; With downcast look his piteous story tells, As his fierce breast with rage and fury swells, And all the demons round him far and near Stand trembling, attent the news to hear. There is a place where he is wont to seize By guileful fraud, and it is called Point Breeze : Commercial oils in barrels here are found Piled to his hand ; and as he makes his round He claps a torch, or candle, or a spark, To the oleic mass oft in the dark. Ignited easy, soon the fires blaze, And strike e'en far-off people with amaze. 'Tis here, it seems unchecked, he triumphs most, And owners find his visits to their cost ; Such depredations are beyond endurance, Nor easily are covered by insurance ; 23 And vigilance the only thing would seem, To guard against the demon's envious dream, And prove to him these stores are not for him. Our city press has with the age kept pace, With lynx eye watching still th' anxious race, We still pursue in growing civilization ; And serves for news and knowledge, recreation. Nought's left unhandled, and the price is small, So that good reading can be had by all. It prints the news, and oft to surface comes ; The multifarious sheets all reach our homes, The good and bad commingled ; virtue, vice, Religion, morals, tales, and verses nice, And whatsoever is we hear about,- E'en murder's self is certain to come out ; And, like the water from the river sent, Sometimes there is a little sediment ; But, on the whole, 'twill to the sage appear, Our morals, like our water, become clear As they proceed ; though still a little taint May serve to show each one is not a saint. 'Tis charitable we allowance make ; All are not perfect, but commandments break, When pride, ambition, avarice, or lust, And other passions soil our earthly dust. But, on the whole, to God be all the praise ! We live when the world's seen better days ; No former age could e'en with ours compare, Ours is of ancient wisdom made the heir; And still advancing rapidly, we find E'en earthly glories of th' immortal mind Most wondrous soaring, as if unconfined. There is a thing most pleasant still to see, This principle is called courtesy; And I must say, from study of mankind, And of the varied, gentle female mind, 24 Within our city it by no means rare, May our good breeding very plain declare. Nor does it less prevail among the masses Than those we call the favored, higher classes. This, city of philosophers is named, And certainly some are and have been famed ; Of cities old and new there is not any That, to be wise men called, had so many. The Greeks had Socrates, the Romans, Cato ; Famed in their time were Aristotle, Plato ; But we have living men to none inferior, Profound, but far too modest in exterior; Like Newton's self, because they know not all, They think their knowledge is but very small. Many are eminent ; 'tis well to be Endowed with a retiring modesty, And 'tis well known to every age and station, " Self-praise is but a feeble commendation." Attentive readers ! who have read my lay, Ponder and read again another day ; Perhaps this favor it may not deserve, Yet still as food for thought it well may serve; As word unto the wise you here may find, A grain or two well suited to your mind. Our nation and our city wondrous grow, And he that lags or in the race is slow, Whate'er his talents and howe'er his mind Bears culture, he will far be left behind, Should he, o'erweening confident, refuse To listen to the Philadelphia muse; While generous hearts will still some merit find In humblest lay, who are not quite stone-blind ; With kindest wishes I commend the lay, And wish you joy and happiness each day ! & * ^ ^ . t.o. «> V ^ **V> C* ,<T ***** *> ,o v <$* °^ * • - ° ^° ^ • * * • *r ^ • ' -►♦ ,1°* V- 1$ ^ ^. 