The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1857-02-05
or water, from the holy font,
The symbol of heavenly truth,

0''ii w o' ie"Ch W auSht OF mat almost super
nal beauty of language and gift of thoueh ut which
breaks forth from the blind bard, who, rapt
though he felt himself into communion with
unseen nature all around him, yet drew from a
still more enriching and heavenly source his
spirit and life, to sing of mans loss, or recover
In more unbent mood, to throw cut from his
fancy the forms, grotesque and strange, that
companion in the revels of Comus, blithely
carol In the jubilant strains of L'Allegro, or
are mingled in the graver hymn of the Pense-
roso. The touch that makes the hearts fbres
vibrate, and sends its thrill ali along the chords
OF feeling, when swept by the hand so heaven.
directed, goes deeper down, and, waking up
familiar home-born sympathies, turns the meu NJ.
cries OF chlldhood's lessons in the holy book
into aids, by which the poets lays and himself
may be longer enshrined in the soul, and greet.
ed with warmer welcome. So at least it
seems to US; and the fact that men, who have
cared not for, or even scorned to believe in its
claims, yet have often caught, unwittingly it
may be, their brightest thoughts, and the TO-
bing with which they are clad, from the Bible.
confirms our position. As poetry is called a
Divine art, divinely missioned, we would tina.
it should own its heaven-born origin, and thank.
fully pay its tribute Of praise at the shrine where
1T best belongs. And now, we say once more.
"Songs of Summer" 60 with your cheer, and
break by your light and sound through the
frosty pane, and breathe gentle spirit on ice.
bound hearts, and call forth tokens of life from
the sluggish, blood to make it course, with the
pulses everywhere, of "peace and good will to
| man."
IiARPER's New MONTHLY MAs.zIxr for February 1857
For sale by Franck Taylor, ashington, d. c.
With the usual variety, we think that this
number of Harper's Magazine furnishes some.
what of more real value than common. The
first three articles, profusely illustrated, relate
respectively to natural history, botany, and
| antiquities, under the titles of " BehemoM and
his Friends at Home" +" Lirsrworts." and
Sketches Of Old 7hebes." The facts as to
the lion, the ostrich, the elephant, and especial
ly the hippopotamus, are drawn from different
works on Africa, though the volume we have
heretofore noticed as published by the Har.
pers, Lake Ngami," &C., by Anderson, is the
one principally kept in view, and from which
the illustrations are taken. A very good brief
account is given in LiUeraoorts," Of the plants
of this class, and many Instructive particulars
stated. Scarcely any;hipg new can of course
be expected on Egypt, which has SO recently
been trodden by one ira weller after another.
whose observations have been given to the
public; but the Sketches Of Old Thebes,
by an Americans nevertheless readable
article. The lighter tales, " Siege o. the Black
Cottage" Pursuit cfa Wife" and The Au-
photography Of Single Woman," which ap-
pears to be an original contribution, with
"Dora Dee," and "L9re Struck By LigAs.
Ming" are of unequal merit, but more or less
attractive, and "Little .Dora," in continua-
ton, THE Wits Of the Pulpit" embodying
some of the anecdotes which are interpreted
through DR.. Sprague's two volumes; the short
summary of F" Arctic Discovery" and the paper
entitled " Celebrated Wsnss,'' written apparently