Daily national Democrat., 1858-09-29
BY JOHN r.. RIDGE.

Let Earth be glad for that great work Is done.
Which makes, at last, the Old and New World one !
Let all mankind rejoice; for time nor space
Shall check the progress Of the human race
Though Nature heaved the Continents part
She cast in one great mould the human heart;
She framed on one great paa the human mind
And gave man speech to link him TO his kind
SO that, though plains and mountains intervene,
Or oceans broad and stormy, roll between
If there but be a courier for the thought,
Swift winged slow, the lands and are naught
Aud man is nearer to his brother brought.
First, ere the dawn Of letters was, or burst
The light Of science on the world, men, hurst
In distant solitudes apart, did send,
Midst lurking foes and dangers without end,
Their skin-cad heralds FORTH to thread the woods,
Scale mountan-peaks, or swim the sudden foods
And bear their messages of peace war.
Next, beasts were tanned TO drag the rolling car
Or speed the mounted rider on his track
And, then came, too, the vessels oar-propelled
Which fed the ocean, the clouds grew black,
And safe near shore their prudent courses held.
Next came the winged ships, which, brave and free,
Did skim the bosom Of the bounding sea-
And dared the storms and darkness In their flight
Yet, dritted Tar before the winds night,
Or lay within the Dead Calm's grasp of might
Then, sea-divded nations nearer came
Stood face to ta;e, spake each the others name,
In friendship grew, and learned the truth sublime,
That man Is man. in every age and cmel
They nearer were, by months AMI years-but space
Must still be shortened In improvements race
Aud STEAM came next, TO wake the world from sleep
And launched her ck-plumed warriors Of the deep
The which, in calm or storm, rode onward still,
And braved the raging elements at will
Then distance which, from calms and storms delays
Grew into months, was shortened into days,
And Science self declared her widest dream
Reached not beyond this miracle OF steam!
But, STEAM hath not the Lightnng's wondrous power
Though Titan-ike midst Science Sons ttower,
And wreste with the Ocean in his wrath,
And sweep the wild waves foaming from Its path.
mi ghtier monarch Is that subtler thing,
Which gives to human thoughtits thought-swift wing
Which speaks in thunder, like God,
Or humby stOOps to kiss the lifted rod
Ascends to Nights dim, solitary throne
And drapes II with splendor not its own
CHASTITY grandeur and ghostly sheen,
Through which the pale stars embe as they're seen
Descen Is TO fire the far horizons rim,
And paints Mount Ktnas in the coudland grim;
Or, proud to own fair Science rightful sway,
low bends along the electric wire to play,
Aud, helping out the ever wondrous plan,
Becomes In soothi an errand-boy for man!
This Power it was, which, not content with aught
a. YET achieved by human will or thought,
Disdalned the slow account of months or davs
In navigation Of the ocean-ways,
And ddYs would shorten into hours and tbese
To minutes, in the face of angered seas
II thought might not be borne upon the foam,
Offurrowng keel with speed that thought should roam
1t then should walk, like light, the Oceans he'd
And laugh TO scOrn the winds and waves o,,r haadt
Beneath the reach Of storm wreck, down where
The skeletons of men and naves are,
Its silent steps should be while DER its patb
The monsters OF the deep, in sport or wrath,
The waters lashed, till like a pot should boil
The sea, and fierce ARloN paw tn up-cast spoil
America TO thee belongs the praise
or this great, crOwning deed Of modern days,
Twas FRANKLIN called the wonder from on high
Twas MoRsE who bade il on mans errands iy-
Twas he foretold its pathway meath the sea
daring FIELD fulfilled the prophecy
Twas fitting that great, free land like this,
Should give the Lghtning's voice to Liberty,
Should wing the heralds Of Elrth's happiness,
And sing, beneath the ever sounding sea,
The fair, the bright miennial days TO be.
NOV NOV may, ere long, the sword be sheathed to rust
M, The helmet laid In undistingushed dust;
-, rs s 1.uuo roas chariot pause in mid career,
m 1 ~ , puea wheels no more through blood 10 steer
a .sH-hooed , steed from fields Of death be led
- = N.S y neu 70 pasture where the armies bled;
ror Nauoh unto Nation soon shall be
Iogetner Drought in knitted unity
And man be bound 10 man, by tba. s,.o, .L,
Which, linking land to land and man eng ,si.' o,a'n'
Shall vibrate 10 the voice Of Peace and ha "'
throbbing heart-string OF HUMASITYi
The poem was well received bv the Assam.
blage. After the reading of the poem. the
national air of Germany was sung by she
Leidererantz Society; when Mayor Decker
presented the orator of the day, Hon. E. D
WHEELER, who proceeded as follows: