The mountain Democrat., 1864-01-30

Ere his spirit springs above,
Summers wreaths to twine,
oh, what,j0y for me, my love?
Then thou wilt be minel
"JOy joy though awhile,
Dearest, We must part,
Warmly will thy sunny smile
Rest upon my heart.
Spring the earth 10 greeting, love,
With a crown Of flowers;
For the hour Of meeting, love,
Sweeter hopes are ouES."
So sung, in 8 Tich, J7eyAc1; y: s..::..--zt, -.
somewhat subdued voice, young man,
as he stood beneath the window of a grim
old mansion. The sun had Just risen,
and sky and earth seemed still bathed in
his soft rosy glow. Flowers of delicate
form and many brilliant TINT were gem
ming the greensward, which looked fresh
and bright as emerald. Fringed with
hoary rocks and thick dark woods, lay the
deep blue waters Of the lovely Rhine,
seeming as If the spirits of the early morn
ing had flung on them rich robe of gold
, en- sheen.
Even the black forest in the far distance
and the old, apparently half ruinous man
sion ITSELF all but laughed in the glowing
light; halling, as they did, the new birth
OF nature, as well as that Of day. Spring
had, within the last few days, leaped from
the arms of winter; and flowers and birds,
and earth and sky, welcomed his birth, as
with very jubilee Of gladness.
/ The deep seclusion Of the scene, how.
ever, was remarkable; castles and towns,
converts and mOnasterieS, generally stud
ded the banks Of the Rhine, even as early
as the close of the eleventh century, the
period Of our narrative; but here there
vas not habitalion Of any kind visible,
save this one old house and It's out door
Offices.
! 1t was Hebrew school or college, the
! origin of which was so far removed into
the past as to be involved in mystery
From its extreme Seclusion it had remain
ed undiSturted, when elsewhere every
trace Of l>raci's locality had been washed
out in blood.
Century after century beheld it occu,
pied by a succession Of venerable teachers,
learned in all the mysteries Of their law,
and faithful to its every ordinance; by
some few Hebrew families who. from be.
ing pupils, loved its peaceful sccluSion too
well to exchange it for the dangers Of
towns; and by some youths, brought there
bv anAiOGS parents, or their own viii, 10
learn such lessons as would bid them live
to glorIy their faith, or die to seal its
truth with blood.
The young minstrel, whose song we
haze given, had been one of these pupils
since the age OF ten, and was about rr
tuning to WormS, his native city, to see
his widowed mother, from whom he had
been parted fourteen years, obtain her
ilrS>ing on his choice Ohe daughter Of
one Of hi> teachers aud then return for
his betrothed, either to dwell in tins safe
retreat or elsewhere, as circumstances
mi lat be.
\ knap>ack was on his shoulder, and IN
his eager look upward as he .ang, his cap
Lal fallen Oft. and one Of those coun,c.
nancrs which, once seen. rIvct themselves
upon the heart, was fully displayed. II
WAS purely, spiritually noble eXprc>sivr
Of every emotion which can elevate aud
rejoice, and utterly devoid of that affect
, lulrn and fcaifIl glance, ~ brand which
persecution Iafd on the poor lssaci,cs of
towns.
\ sweet face appeared for minute at
the window aS the song ceased; Il Smi,c
whose sunny warmth the poet had not
too glowingiy described, a fond wave OF
the land, and then the window WAS ten
! antlr>s again, and the youug man turned
away, still humning-
"For the hour Of meeting, love,
SWeetcr hopes are ours;'
when he was joined by the companion for
whom he had waited: man some ten
years his senior, dark and stern in aspect,
as if every buuIan emotion had been bat
tied with and conquered.
t JOY hope! Have such words mean
Ing for an lsraelite = he said, bitterly
Art thou Of the doomed and outcast race,
and canst yet sing in the vain dream oil
Joy? knowest thou not the fate of Israel,
when once looked On by manG The rack,
cord, death! Hast thou not heard, that
in this new war Of the accurscd Nazarcnc,
their holy war. ths signal for marching is
the death shrek Of the slaughtered Jews?
Spires, Metz, Cologne, TrcveS, Presbourg,
Prague, ask them the fate of Israel, and
sing if thou capst. Ask yonder river.
from whose kindly waters those who had
sought their calm repose, rather than wait
the cruelty of man, were drawn forth and
butchered on the blood-reeking land. -
Ask yon river the fate of the hundreds
who threw themselves within it; and then
sing of joy!'
4 do know these things, Arodi,' was
the calm reply, though the flushed cheek
denoted some feeling Of pain. Il know
that for Israel there is only such joy as
may be resigned at moments call; only
such hope as looks beyond this world for
perfection and fulfllment. Think you
because, with u grateful heart and joyful
song, | breathed forth 4 dream Of earthly
happiness, that am less fitted than your
self to give up all of joy, hope, and love,
if such be the will of Godt'
1T cannot be. You love, you are joy
full; you have woven sweet dreams, whose
destruction will bow you to the dust
Human affections fetter your soul to earth
How can 1t give itseh to GodY'
Through the blessings lie has given
blessings which so fill my heart with love
for Him, that without one Inurmur would
resign tuem at His CALL
You think SO now beware lest this,
too, prove a dream. For me, hope and
Joy are as far from me as yon blue arch
from the cold earth on which see but my
brethren's blood4'
Look beyond it, then, answered Helon
feryently. why should there not be joy
for Israel? Dark as is his present. SC
bright will be his future. As both have
been prophesied, so both will be fulfilled.
He spoke in vain: as well might he have
striven to pour forth sunshine on the dark
bosom OF night, as infusc his spirit in the