Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1864-05-10
POETRY.
The Long Age.

With a fautless rythm and musical rhyme,
And broader sweep, and surge sublime,
That blends with the ocean of years.
How the winters are drifting like lakes of snow,
Ana the summers like buds between,
And the year in the sheaf-so they come and they Sc
On the rivers breast, with its ebb and flow,
AS it glides in the shadow and sAeen.
There's magical isle upon the river Time,
Where the shortest airs are playing;
There'sa cloudless sky and a tropical cline,
And song as sweet as vesper chime,
And the Junes with the roses are staying.
And the name of this isle is The Long Ago,
And we bury orr treasures there;
There are brows of beauty and bosons Of snow
There are heaps of dust, but we love them SO!
There are trinkets and tresses of hair.
There are fragments of songs that nobody sings,
And part of an infants prayer
There's a lutte unswept, and harp without strings,
There az broken vows and pieces of rings,
And the garments that she used to wear. ss.
OH remembered for aye he the blessed isle,
All the day oflife till night
When the evening comes with its beautiful smile,
And our eyes are closing to slumbsc awhile,
May that greenwood of souls be in sight.
LINCOLN AND NEGRO TROOPS.
At the opening Of the SANITARY Fair" Balti-
moro on the 18 b ult, President Lincoln de-
livered the following characteristic speech
Ladies and Geatleuen !. Calling to mind that
we are 10 Baltimore, we cannot fail to note that
the world moves. Looking upon these many
people assembled here to serve, as they best
may, the soldiers of the Union, it occurs at once
that three years ago the ssne soldiers could not
so much as pass through Baltimore. The change
from then till now is both great and gratifying.
Blessings to the brave men who have wrought
the change, and the fair women who strive to
reward them ior it.
But Baltimore suggests more than could hap
pen within Baltimore. The change within Ball
iimere is part only of far wider change
When the war began, three years ago, neither
party, nor any man expected it wonld last till
now. Each looked for the end, IN some way,
long ere to-day. Neither did any anticipate
that domestic slavery would be much affected
by the war. But here we are; the war has not
ended, and slavery has been much affected
how much needs not to bs recounted. So true
is it that man proposes and God disposes.
But we can see the past, though we may not
claim to have directed it; and seeing it, in this
case, we feel more hopeful and confident for
the future. ~
The world has never had good definition of
the word liberty, and the American people
Just now are much in want of one. We all de-
clare for liberty; but in using the same ecord
we do not all laean the same thing. With
some the word berty may mean for each man
to do as he pleasas with himself and the pros
duct of bis labor while with others the same
word may mean for some men to do as they
please with other men, and the prod1cts of otils
er mems labor. Here are two, not only differ
ent bnt incompatible things, called by the same
name, liberty. And it follows that each of the
things is, by the respective parties, called by
two different and incompatible nanaes-liberty
and tyranny. ..8a~a
The shepherd drives the wolf from The sleeps
throat, for which the sheep thanks the shep-
herd as zSberator, while the wolf denounces
him for the same act, as the destroyer of liber
ty, especially it tie sheep was a black one.-a-7
Plainly, tbs sheep end the wolt are not agreed
upon deGnition of the word liberty and pre-
eiseIy the same difference prevails to-day among
us human creatures, even in the North, and all
professing to loys liberty. Hence we behold
Vie processes by which thousands are daily
passing from under the yoke of bondage hailed
by some as the advance of liberty and bewailed
bv others as the destruction of liberty. Re-
Gently, as it seems, the people of Maryland have.
been doing something to define liberty, and
thanks I, them that, in what they have done,
the VOLTS dictionary has been repudiated.
It is not very becoming for one in my posi-
ton to make speeches az great length, bat there
is another subject upon which ! feel that |
ought TO say a word. A painful rumor, true,
I fear. has reached as OF the massacre, by the
,ebel forces at Fort Pillow, Ia the west end of
Tennessee, on the Mississippi river, of some
three hundred eolored soldiers and white offs
Gers. who had Just been oyerpoWered by their
assailsnts. There seems to be some anxiety in
the public mind whether the government 10 dosa
ing its duty to the eoloreah soldiers and to the
vice at this point.,ssA the beginning of the
war. and for some time. the use of coloree troops
was not contemplated; and how the change of
pnrpose wsswro1gat, / will not now take time
to explain. Upon clear conviction OF duty, /
resolved to turn that element Of strength to ac~l
count: and I am responsible for it to the Amer
lean people. TO the Christian world, to history
and on my final aceoEnt to God Having de-
terminei' to use the negro as q soldier, there is
no way but to giue him att the protection gsoen
to ana other soldier. The difficulty is not in
stating the principle bnt in practically applying
it. 1t is mistake to snppose the Government
is Indifferent to this matter, or is not doing the
kzoao that a coored soldier, or white officer
commanding colored soldiers, has been massa-
cred by the rebeis when made prisoner. We
fear it, believe it may say, bnt We do not kn0ao
it. To take the life OF one OF their prisoners on
the assumption that they murder ours, when it
is short of certainty that they do murder ours
mfghtbe too serious, too cruel mistake. We
are having the Fort Pillow affair thoroughly
investigated; and such investigation will proba-
.bly show eoncusively how the truth is Il, af-
ter all that has been said it shall turn out that
that there has been no massacre at Fort Pillow,
it will be all most safe to say there has been
nona. and will be none elsewhere. IF there has
been the massacre Of three hundred there, or e.
gess the tenth part of three hundred, it will be
coDcusively proven: and being SO proven. The
retrs6utiog shall as surely come. twill be a
matter of grave consideration in what exsct
cougse to apply the retribution: but in the sup
posed case is must come.
FUNNY.--A soldier just from Johnston,s ar
my, gives the following am using account of an
examination of a Lieutenant In camp few days
since. He says the boys had considerable FUN
over it and would like to see it in print:
EXAMINATION OF LIEUTENANT.
QuEsTIoN.--Wh hat is an army
ANSWER "A big crowd of men and officers,
half fed and lousy.
Q-What is the position of soldier?
A.-Head up, heels down, eyes equally open;
neither bow-Iegged NOR knock need dirty hands
whskers long, aud hair short, bread basket mol
too full, bur rather empty.
Q.-What is the duties of Brigadier Gener