The northern tribune. [volume] (Bath, Me.) 1847-1855, 1848-01-21


York, Dec. %, l647.
by ALIEN c.. SOONER, BOSTON.
The old Puritan was solemn man,
| Sonhre and sad were his features
He talked through his and he wore plain clothes,
And seemed the forlOrnest OF creatures
| Did he happen to grin, lie believed it sin,
And took 1t TO heart quite severely,
| But should Satan provoke him TO laugh at a joke
He repented it very sincerely.
Amuse ments, he thought, were with mischief full
fIaugm.
Songs and dances were nothing hut evil;
While cards, dice and plays, and all Church holidays,
Were snares set Tor souls by the Devil.
All ornaments. too, did he strictly eschew
They but filled him with horror and dread;
His own natural hair he would not even spare
But Wore it cropt short round his head.
Deprived of all games, his boys had odd names,
His first might be 'Isfael increases"
His second peic chance, night he "Buckier and Lance,
Aud another "Hew Agag in pleces"'
With powers of the air. and ghosts foul and fair,
lie had daily to combat and wrestle-
Yet as mere 'poters clay, in the Lords hand he
So he spoke of himself as a "vessel.'
On SUNDAYS his house was still as a mouse
The highways were almost as quiet;
The church warden stout caught the boy who was out,
And gave him the stocks and low diet.
When lads up in arms insulted their marms,
They put on II par with blasphemers
To be pelted with till the flesh left their bones,
Was the law for such wicked young scrtamers.
The youth who would wed coy Puritan maid.
Before the old folks had TO court her,
And quite sure was he to find huge flea
In his ear if he failed to support her.
The duty of life, then, for man and for wifi,
Was TO labor 5 \ days out U! seVenj
On the seventh in the best of their toggery drest,
TO work harder to get into Heaven.
Foul weather fail, they were constant in prayer,
But TO thrift ali the time kept squint,
And in matters of trade, when bargain they made,
Their faces were set like II Hint
Innovations in faith they opposed unto death;
AT the carts tail they dragged the poor QUAKER
With derlson and jeers they cropped heretcs ears,
Aud felt they were serving their Maker.
The puriian's walk conversation and talk,
Was the very reverse of ungody;
And Scriptural texts on the slightest preiext,
Rolled out of his mouth rather oddly.
But loud though he prayed, let foemaR invade,
All danger you'd find him defying;
Like a tiger he ID fight in defence OF his right,
And the last thing he thought of was lying.
Such an odd sort of man the old Puritan,
Whom TO honor to night we assemble;
Should he only here and sit down to our cheer,
Where,s the man who could and not trcmbe
His vsage severe, his manner austere,
Would freeze all the cream without tronhe
Conversation would stop, not cork would dare pop,
Nor glass of the rosy dare bubble.
But VET after all, since the date of the Fall,
For most that is noble IN Man,
Though you searched the world over, twefe haio ~
discover
The Peer of the old Puritan.
No danger could shake, no adversely break
The faith founded force OF his VIII
Oppression's stern power, even Famne's gannt hoar
Could mol change him, although they might XIII.
In the ofthe Cross all his wealth was bal GROSS
Freely left was his dear native lana
Mid the Oceans fierce war, Cn WA savage shore,
lie walked calm with his life In his land
Midst terrors Internal and spendors snpefDai,
Lay his pathway to glory or wrath;
In the fear of his God, straight onward he tIoc,
With the B ible, "a lamp to his path"
Then honored be he, the strong man ana Tse.
Whom love of the truth banished hithesi