Grand River times. [volume] (Grand Haven, Mich.) 1851-18??, 1852-05-05
THE LADDER OF ROSES.

THE LADDER OF ROSES.
The beautiful angel of Sleep folded its wings
over earth, and all became silent The flowers
dropped their fair heads; closing their satir
leaves and fell asleep beneath the kind rays O
the stars. No sound was heard, save the voice
of the evening breeze, whispering to the leaves
The moonbeams stole over the earth, and kiss
ed the sleeping flowers gently that they might
not waken them; then softly glded through the
open lattice of the poor mans home.
The beautiful beams shed their silvery light
upon the couch of young girl, who slept
sweetly upon her humble bed after the weari
some toll of the day was over What was the
maiden dreaming about? All, she heard in her
dreams, soft, low music, such rs she never heard
in waking hours; she thought that she was in
beautiful garden, from the midst of which
arose ladder that reached even to the skies
and was lost in the snowy and golden Clouds
And 10 it was a Ladder of Roses, of beauti-
full tints, twined with each other; and as the
wind waved them to and fro, there came forth
from the leaves this heavenly music.
A voice called to her from above, and as she
looked up, she beheld standing amid the clouds
an angel form transcendantly beautiful, which
beckoned and sang to her, "Come up here, thou
Earth-child come up through the roses to this
beautiful cloud-home"
The maiden hestated moment, then sprang
up the ladder; and the roses waved and sent
forth perfume and silvery music. Up, up, went
the maiden, longing to be clasped in the arms
of the angel above; but hidden thorns beneath
the rose leaves, wounded her feet and she could
90 no further Then the angel wept, and as
her tears fell upon the roses they changed to
peari.drops and rolled away.
The ciiI saw the tears and was re-assured
and up, up, she went, forcing her way through
the thorns and tie roses. Still sang the voice,
and the ray of golde.r sunshine fell among the
roses. Half way up tie beautiful ladder, the
maiden stopped and looked Iack, and 10! amid
the beautiful flowers at the bottom OF the lad
der, there knelt another angel With clasped
hands, whose fearful eyes besought the maiden
to go still higher.
The girl was about to ascend once more, but
the thorns pricked her feet, and an invisible
hand held forth golden cup, while voice
whispered, "Drink, and thy pains are over."
The maiden reached out her hand but she
saw that the angel above smiled no more, and
her sweet voice was hushed. The music of the
leaves was sad and seemed to be far off. She
looked below the second angel had turned
away and stood sorrowfully with her white
wings dropping. Joy! joy! She pushed aside
the cup from her lips and, needless of the thorns
still clambered on. The clear music of the
leaves sang forth joyously; the angel below
smiled and waved her snowy wings. Exhaus-
ted, but happy, the Earth-child slept in its cloud
home upon the kind bosom of its guardian an
gel.
The girl awoke, and saw that the radiant SUM-
beams were stealing through the lattice upon
the sanded floor. She arose and dressed her.
self, and commenced her daily toll. A weari-
some day would it have been, but for the tho't
of her beautiful dream, and the perfume of
flowers, and the golden sunshine that stole in
beside her as she toiled away. At noon the
maiden carried her fathers dinner into the field,
and, as she sat down beside him, beneath sha-
dy tree, she told him her dream. When she
had finished, the old man wiped his brow, and a
tear stood in his eye as he said:
"Mina, my child, thy dream is beautiful, the
Ladder of the Roses is the pathway to happi-
ness; but, beneath the flowers that send forth
their perfumed music, lie thorns-the cares and
sufferings Of this life-whch make us afraid to
do our duty. The first angel in the clouds is
Faith, who lures us on, while Hope kneels be-
low to encourage us; but Temptation offers her
golden cup Of Pleasure, to which we too often
turn to seek forgetfulness of our woes Then
Hope turns away, and Faith weeps for us but
if we push back Temptations cup and force
our way through the difficulties that surround
us, then the beautiful sunbeams of Hope fall
kindly on us, Faith smiles again, and amid SUM-
shine and flowers our souls ascend to that beau
tiful Cloud-home, from which we are never more
to part, but to become holy angels to watch
over the loved ones below"
The young girl wept and was silent; the old
man kissed her brow and said
"Mina, in thy dreams thou didst win this
heavenly peace. May it be so in reality. Heed
not the thorns that surround thee, but think on
ly on the Roses of Happiness, and they will
guide thee in the end to thy last and best rest
ing g-place-Heaven." Arthur's Gazette.
A substitute for coal has been exhibited at
the Polytechnic Institution, London. 1t con-
sists of thin laminm of indestructable metal,
which being acted upon by gas, instantly be-