The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1851-03-06
VOL. V.-NO. 10.
THE NATIONAL ERA.
WASHINGTON, MARCH 3, 1851.

He NATIONAL ERA.
WASHINGTON, MARCH ,, 1851.
rorthe National Era.
THE HgRMITS CHAPEL.
INCIDENT IN THE LIVES OF BERNARDlN 81
PIERRE AND JEAN JAQUES ROUSSEAU.
In Mount VsIerien's chestnut wood
The Chapel Of the Hermit stood,
And tbither at the close Of day
Came two old Iilgrims worn and gray
One, whces impetuous youth deBed
The storms Of Baiksrs wintry side,
Aud musei and dreamed where tropic day
Flamsd DER his lost yirginis's bay.
His simple tale Of love and woe
All hearts had melted, high or low
A biissfal pain, sweet distress
Immortal In its tenderness.
Yet, while above his charmed page
Beat quick the young heart Of hi'age,
sorrowing old man, strange and hn'.
Who sought with him from summer air
And field and wood balm for care,
And bathsd In light of sunset skies
His tortured nerves aud weary eyesI
His fame on all the winds had flown,
His words had shaken crypt and throne;
LIE hre, on camp and court snd'ceh
They dropped, and kindled a. they fell
Beneath the pomps Of state, below
The nitrsd juggler's masqus and show,
A prophecy, vague hope, ran
His burning thought from man to man.
For peace or rest too well he saw
The fraud Of priests, the wrcny Of Law,
Aud felt how hard between the two
Their breath Of pain the millions drew.
prophet utterance strong and wild,
The weakness, of an unwesned child,
A sun bright hope for human kind,
And sef-dsspair, in him combined.
lie loathed the false, yet lived not true
To half the glorious truths be knew;
The doubt, the discord, and the sin,
liz mOurned without, he felt within
Midst yearnings for trusr life,
Without were fears within was strife;
And still his Maynard act denied
The perfe.t good for which be sighed.
The fame that crowned him scorched aud burned,
The love he cent forth void returned
He sought for light among his Kind,
Aud foupd hind l<adara Of the blind.
Restless and wandering, scarcely loved
BY those whose wrongs bis soul had moved,
He bore the ban Of Church and State,
The good mans fear, the bigots hate !---
Forth from the city's noise and throng,
Its pomp and shame, its sin and wrong,
The twain that summer day had strsyed
To Mount Valeriens chestnut shade.
To them the green fields and the wood
Lent something Of their quetude,
Aud golden. tinted sunset seemed
Prophetcal Of all they dreamed.
The hermts from their simple cares
The bell calling home 70 prayers
And, listening to its sound, the twain
Seemed Tapped in childhood's trust again.
Wide open stood the chapel door
sweet old music, swelling Ger
Low prayerfol murmurs, issued thence
The Li'anies OF Providence!
Then Rousseau spaks: When two or three
In His name meet, He there will be-"
And then, in silence on their knees
They sank beneath the chestnut trees.
Asto the blind returning light,
As daybrsak to the Arctic night,
Old faith revived the doubts Of years
DISSOLVE In reversntial tears.
That gush Of feeling overpast,
"Ah me-" Bsrnardin sighed 81 last
al would thy bitterest foes could zee
Thy heart AZ 1t IL seen Of me.
They call thee skeptic; badst thou ben
Among the highly favored men
Who heard and looked ON Fsnslon.
The Church had owned thee ~ her,onp
would have been" Jean Jaques replied,
The humblest servs9kat hib aide,
Obscure, unknown, 6sbteas q see
How beautiful mass lA.HSe.
ooh, more than AsassaAet v.lc NOR.
Ts.nI.m. 49,
tn. s'a n ~,
a,.
rs.- ~. - ie saw
Th., .s.>, 'a"'
And God ~ ssss Asoush love of m,n
"Hs HvsAsAs ~ which r.couo,,sa
In h,, k.1.sss son. Faith the child;
Tn. hom,,,.. sH we're one
So sp.akinsysAs. !. a.. ,u.,
The two Oh n -. 80. ...,
Bat ere ~ aevs-- =,
Harsh "a. a. . ,r' 0''seu 70 0'0W'
"The tFss l>QS,.1xb vh.r.uf.u
The paias1 = - IA r.;,.d IN h.,,,u
Thus pssou1sliN ~, -. .,..-,
The mSuBnnf hso,. ~. ,.,-.,,
oh, ~~094 Psaluist prayed.
Thy1 uQusn,s on ma h. ,,,a,u
Earth eupn INV, Heaven v,.,. ,ho,s
And ea9b&eAa but God /. low,
No,Ass the wanderer sees,
sss its chestnut trees
T,.-. enn, a tale that's told,
saanss Ger all h.. rolled.
Ana - as h.s0a Of that day,
c. "'hshs' cool and gray,
TIA 80 SAD whisper Make
saans 0vn' for truths own sake.
iSVsl 49,. o., o','' 'p"a
sssakl4,, ..n.n .na run IN nan
=" jain