Bellevue gazette. [volume] (Bellevue City, N.T. [i.e. Neb.]) 1856-1858, 1858-06-17
PO E T. r Y.
white slaves.
BY J.. w. BARKER.

BY ]. w. BARKER.
"Your whole class of manual Iaborers
ind operatives, as you call them, are
dawes. Our slaves are black, yours are
white. ."-S Senator Hammond's Speech
Base slanderer of the sons of toll,
That sweat amid our Northern hills,
With honest hands and hearts as free A
As our own native mountain rills--
Your voice is heard In happy homes,
Where Freedoms fires are burning,
And like tide the echo comes, ...
Your naughty slander spurning:
"Go preach upsn the cotton plain,
To souls that wear the calling chain
Go tell your peers your heather story,
And boast your greatness and your glory;-
But n''er to the soas of Pilgrim sires,
Whose alters glow with freedoms fires,
Whose fertile fields Of old were wet
With freemen's gore, and living yet .''
Are bright mementoes of those arts
That tried the faith of patriot hearts d.
o never, over patriot graves, .. ...
declare lneTe jOllS II race o. SldNeS!
Is he indeed a SLAVE that tolls
Early and late, but cheerfuly2 -...
Whose sunburnt hands and busy feet DID,
Are tokens of his industry?
AsLAvE? lie is a willing link
In the great brotherhood of man, en
Toilng to fill his mission here, ......l.
And harmonic the glorious plan, '
Ordained of God for human veal,
Order ard beauty to reveal.
But when, at evenings holy hour,
He lays his dusty garb aside,
And in his humble, happy home,
Seeks shelter from the earth's rough tide ;
When round him gather loving forms,
And whisper words Of hope and cheer
Wherever else the bondman dwells,
Sure he can have no shelter there.
The laborer's hand strokes auburn curles,
And reads the tale in lovelit eyes;
He hears the music of kind hearts,
That throws o'er care bright disguise
Yea, glories in his proud estate, . ...
A palace is his humble home,
The sunlight is that glorious thought,
THESE FRIENDS AND TREASURES ARE
MY own"
All through the starry midnight hours,
No dream of terror chils his bliss,
No fiend to smite those golden links,
Can enter such home as this.
What if the morrow's sun invite
Him on to sceans OF toll and care?
The price he earne h day by day,
No" master'sn clame shall ever share.
Proud Of his birthright, he can sing
or friends, Of liberty and home;
To steal this jewel from the soul,
The spoilers foot can never come.
No dark'ning veil is ever drawn
To shut out knowledge from the mind
Her lights illuminates his toll,
And guides his reason, halting, blind.
You call the poor man "sLAvE," and say
That Heaven ordained the foul decree,
And ages hence must fix the seal,
That Heaven has set on poverty 8
Aye, MORE than slander--'tis the breath
OF blasphemy, defiant, bold ~
You bow humble, suppliant knee
Before the glittering shrine of gold.
A poor man, ore Judea's plains,
Once trod solitary way;
No princely throng, with welcome strains,
Crowded around his weary way. a. Z
At nightfall, ne'er kindly voice
Gave him a welcome to repose,
No sumPtuous fare for him was spread,
For him no cheerful song arose.
The rich would scorn the lowly Guest,
The Troud deride his mean attire,
And at his high and kingly claim
Was holy kindled royal ire.
In senate halls he was reviled-
The friend of publicans is He,"
His mission amid captive souls
To set the heavy-burdened free.
Was He slave, that Glorious 0nep
poor and despised, child of grief"
And they the humble fishermen,
That hastened to the worlds relief.p
Nay, naughty southron, ne'er again
In Freedoms hall the libel tell
o, utter not those shameful words,
That freemen's heart will e'er repel
influence.
II in one poor bleeding bosom,
Ii woe-swept chord have stilisdI
II dark and restless spirit,
Iwith hop of heaven have filled