Southern sentinel. [volume] (Plaquemine, Parish of Iberville [La.]) 1848-1858, 1855-06-23


g devoid of feeling as they are of principle.
Written for the Sentinel
THE REIGN OF FOLLY.
As when mild Spring dissolves the icy chain
, In which stern Winter hold his vigorous reign
+ Thaws the deep drifts that shelve the mountain
side,
And down the valley pours their wheIming tide,
The little ris to raging torrents grown
Exult In power not by right their own,
I'D proudly scorn their narrow Summer trails,
Roar through the gorges and oerspread the Wales,
SO, when the sun that gilds refinement, day
Each sierner viitue slowly melts away
The tide of Folly in its headong haste
Bursts the frail barrier Reasons hand had placed,
From pole to pole extends its widening shores,
And DER all lands shallow deluge pours.
Wide-fooding Folly! see towering wave
Oerleap the margin it should only lave,
And riot DER the realms of solid sense:
Then, stretching further in its flow immense,
See wave on wave the tumbling pillows urge,
And oftier fields Of richer thought submerge,
| While all that's light upon their SUBMITS side,
And all that's weighty settles meath the tide
The poet too, beholds with blank despair
Damp fogs arise and faint his higher air:
The murky torrents flood Pamassu's mount
And fair Castalia's muse-inspring fount
With one wing crippled and the other tied,
On Barlow's limping Pegasus astride,
See Poesy attempt an Epic strain,
Strive hard to soar, yet sink to earth again.
See Alick Smith ensconced in Shakespeare's boots,
And sending thence his penny-ballad notes,
With all the pomp of pedant pride proclaim
Ger this utilitarian age, his aim,
flood of living breathing song to pour;
Again the poets golden age restore
That halcyon time when poets were inspired;
And sightless Milton's muse divinely fired;
When Pope's keen wit on solid sense reposed
And Englands "many minded bard" composed.
Behold the city, when departed light,
Devotes to double din the ear Of night, 60
And open theatres send their glttering blaze
Althwart the gloomy midnight gathering haze.
Lo! here assembled, crowding box and pit,
The city's fashion and the city;s wit,
Antipodes of learning and it is lack
The thorough scholar and the pedant quack,
The man Of morals and the man Of crimes;
The lord of millions and the slave Of dimes;
The noisy demagogue with brazen cheeks.
Who " saves the Union" every time he speak,
All classes here applaud the spleudid play,
Bombastic mouthings and the trappings gay.
See where the gambler drives his vicious trade
Till darkness pale, and night to morning fade
The glimmering lamps burn low With poison
piled, aas M e
That drives vah crazy speed the feverish tide p.
Through views that well nigh burst, the victim
spy;
Mark the strange cleaning Of his frenzied eve
See Hope and Fear alternately bear away,
AS gain or loss concludes the rapid play
He wins then loses, loses, wins once more.
With each success more maddened than before.
At length risks all upon simple game
His name, his wealth, his prospects and his nan,.
The hardened gambler with iendish smile
Casts his dishonest die, and sweeps the piIe.
See, too, our merchants scatter wide
Their prided gold to crafty their pride
thousand dollars for fancy shawl!
Three thousand for party or ball .,s a.s
And thousands more carriage to equip,
70 buy carpet or pleasure trip.
D were thess worse than idle folIies DER -
n vain Hard Times might thunder at the door
ie nor his minions ne'er should entrance gain--
rim Hunger, Dire Disease and Famine gaunt--
Those greedy dogs that follow in his train,
md stretch their horrid jaws in ceaseless pant
'or human blood as some foul cormorant
hat hovers near Bellona's crushing car,
IS filthy beak rapaciously to plant
, quivering flesh, and seeking entrails tear,
md slay what'er Of valor, lead and steel may
spare. ~
Ut 10! approaching, zee the leamedM. DIS
rmed and equipped to battle with disease,
18th pills and powders, lancets, ipecac,
Did baths, wet sheets, the dry and humid, pack,
I'D ponderous, unread tonnes -receipE for health
} sa-e our constitutions and our wealth
~ one .pain IS disorder: Nature sure, .
left to cure her work, viii work cure
,stain from food, ii soothing rest remain,
dsoon rejoice in freedom from oil pain" 80.
fCopcluded in our Nextl -
E ----------- ------------
Y-A singular freak is said 10 Be exhibited bv
Catfish 10 the Mississippi Al Natchez, many
them Of late, have bsen seeD floating 10 The
re nearly or quise dead = seese &C rare occus-
,ce, for many years before. Nothing Of The
4 has been seen in ihe vicinity Of New Or
w.