The Union and journal. [volume] (Biddeford, Me.) 1858-1882, 1863-08-14

BIT JOHN q. WHITTIER.
Once more, dear friends, you meet beneath
A clOuded skyi
Not vet the sword has found Its sheath,
And. on the sweet spring airs, tho breath
or warfoats by.
Yet trouble springs not from the ground,
Nor pain IRON chance
tn Eternal order circles round,
And wave AMI storm Hnd metc and bound
In Providence.
Full long our fiect the Howriy ways
or peace have trod,
Content with creed aud garb and phrase;
A harder path In earlier days
Led up TO God.
Too cheaply truths once purchased dear,
Are made our own,
Too long the world has smiled to hear
Our boast OF full corn In the ear
By others sown.
To see us stir the martyr fires
or long ago;
And wrap our satisfied desires
In the singed mantlrs that our sircs
Have dropped below.
But now the cross our worthless bore
On US Is laid.
Professions quiet sleep is o'er,
And In the scale Of truth once more
Our iaith Is weighed.
Tho cry OF innocent blood at last
Is calling down
An answer in the whirlwind-blsst,
The thunder and the shadow cast
From Heavens dark irown.
The land Is red with judgments. Who
Stands guiltless nrthi
Have ,sS been faithful as We knew.
To God and TO our brother true,
To Heaven and Esrthf
How fsin. through lin Of merchandise
And count OF gain,
Has seemed 20 us the captives' cries!
How far away tie tears and sighs
81 s,uIs in pain!
This day the fearful reckoning comes
To each and all
The summons OF the eonscript drums,
The bugle's call
Our path rs plaln, the wsr.net draws
Round Us In vain,
While, faithful to the Higher Cause,
We keep our fealty 10 the laws
Through patient pain.
The leveled gun, the battle brand
We may not takei
But, callaIy loyal, We can stand
And suffer with our suffering land
For consci,nce's sake.
Why ask for ease where ali is pain'
Shall Lre alone
De lett 20 add our gain TO gain,
When over Armageddon's plain
The trump Is blown'
To safer we'll II we'll TO serve;
Safe In our Lord
The rigid llues OF law shall curvo
To spSreu from our heads shall swerve
Its shifting sword.
And light Is mingled with the gloom,
And Joy with griefi
Dlvinest compeusationS come.
Through thorns OF Judgment mercies bloom
In sweet relief
Thanks for our privilege TO bless
BY word and deed,
The widow m her keen distress,
The childless and the atherless,
The hearts that bleed F!
For fields of duty, opening wide,
Where all our powers
Are tasked the eager steps 10 guide
or millions on path untriedi
TuE SLAVE Ii OURS!
Ours by traditions dear and old
Which make tho race
Our ward. 20 cherish and uphold,
And cast their freedom In the mold
or Christian grace.
And We may tread tho sick bed floors
Where sick men pine,
And, down the groanlng corridors,
Pour freely from our liberal stores
The oil and wine.
Who murmurs that In these dark days
His lot Is caitf
Gods hand within the shadow lays
The stones whsreon Ills gates of praise
Shall rise at last.
Turn and o'erturn % outstretched Hand !
Nor stint, nor stay;
The years have never dropped their sand
On mortal issue vast and grand
As ours to-day.
Already, on the sable ground
or mans despair,
Is freedoms glorious picture found,
With all its dusky hands unbound
Upraised In prayer.
Oh, small shall seem all sacrifice
And pain and loss,
When 6Cd shall wipe the weeping eyes,
For suffering gives the yictor's prize,
The crown for cross