Spirit of the age. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1849-1865, 1853-04-06
P9gY's CORNER.
From the " Massachusetts, Life Boat"
The two IncendiarieS.


From the Z" Massachusetts, Life Boat
The two IncendiarieS.
A FIRE alarm The cry of "Fire"
Swells on the night air, higher, higher!
Touched by the lightning, every bell
Swings in its tower, the tale to tell.
Forth rush the firemen, one and all,
At duty's or at dangers call,
The peril and the praise to share !
Their engines play-their torches flare -
The light Of the devouring fire,
Reflected from the church's spire,
Piercing tho cloud with ruddy glow,
Tells Of the ruin wrought below.
Why sounds that, midnight tocsin dread!
Why towers that column, black and red,
Pnat, leaning to the leeward, shows
Tho way that the destroyer goes?
Let your imagination stretch,
And you shall see a bastard wretch,
Sxulling away from human sight,
And, wrapped up in the cloak ofnight,
Putting n loco foco match,
Where he is sure the blaze will catch,
That, when the crowd is thither drawn,
II may, before +" the peep Of dawn"
With his light fingers, force q loan
From Others pockets to his own.
What are to him, the larum bell,
The i~re-wrappcd roof, the dreadful yell
Ofhorses, roasting in their stalls,
OF iremen, crushed by tumbling walls
WHAT arc to him the crash and din
OF states and raftors falling in,
The shrieks Of houseless females flying,
The feeble gasp Of children lying,
Aud the wailings of despair,
That load the sufocating air
What are all these to him Ibis turn
BY them is served-so-' Let 'em burn !"
What is all this to him Why, sir,
lie wakes up people, and they stir,
And, if they catch the villain, he
Is tried and hanged or used to be.
Laws may, but justice does not, alter a;
lIe 'scapes, though he deserves the halter
And were he doomed to it again,
Tho people all would say" Amen!
And yet-now, cody let's inquire
What does this william set on fire ?
Boards, shingles, timber, wood, hay, stub
ble,"
The body's life-an empty bubble,
A vapor, that appears" day,
Or hour, " then yanisheth away
That's all. The incendiary felon
Docs nothing more we need to dwell on.
But, he that fills his neighbours cup
With liquid fire, is burning up,
Not editices framed of wood,
Not %princcly mansions, fair and good,
But that, for which such mansions rise
The heir apparent of the skies
MAN, who from heaven derives his birth,
Man Gods vicegerent here on earth
A house, that only God can build,
A temple, with his Spirit filled,
A tenement, indeed of clay,
That holds its dweller, for his day,
A house that falls, in time, to dust,
As other earthly dwellings, must,
But, one that holds, if not burnt down,
The heir Of an immortal crown.
But, let the fire, that fills the cup,
Be, in that house, we'll kindled up,
And strength, and peace, and pure desire,
And manly purpose feel the fire,
And Reason stumbles on, and gropes
Barking mid smouldering joys and hopes
And faith and every upward aim,
And heavenward impulse, feel the flame
And Childhood roams in tatter'd rags,
And virtue falls, and Courage flags
And haggard Want makes Earth his bed,
And homeless Hunger begs his bread,
And scottish Dulness NOPE along,
And maniac Mirth bawls out his song,
And Frenzy stands, with CHASTITY stare,
And Madness rends his matted hair,
And Murder stabs his weeping bride,
Then dies himself, a suicide!
And yet, what is all this to him,
Who fills up to its sparkling brim,
The glass, that CLOVIS with fire,
Drowned in whose poisonous depths, exp:
Wit, Wisdom, common Manhood even,
All earthly joy, all hope of heaven?
Ay, to his Utmost self, says he,
"Well, waat of that Whats that to N
What is to me the depth of woe,
That follows where my liquorsf flow
so long as | the match can get,
so longa as | the fire may set,
So long as can have my way,
so long as those who drink, will pay,
so long as they will serve my turn,
What is't to me how much they burn =?
SO long as they, with bank notes cram
My pockets, ! don't care, a Dbl
so long as they my Golfers swell,
Let the poor devils so to hell!
These two Incendiaries stand
Before you, neighbors, torch in hand
Each plies his trade, each fills his purse
Tall 80 Ub;ob &c Ibor. - tba urarso