The Shasta courier., 1865-01-07
SHASTA COURIER.
CARRIERS, ADDRESS.--ls65

Just como round to give you call
Bring you the news from far and near,
And wish you, friends, % A HAPPY NEW YEAR"
Stale old phrase, is, by the way
Wonder how many who wish it to-day,
Really mean what they glibly say;
Wonder how many hearts do feel
The careless words which our tongues reveal
As we bid the old year fond adieu,
And joyfully welcome the birth of the new?
Happy New Year y tits doleful chime,
Tolling the progress of Father Time
Burying year in the grave of the past
Reminding mortals they re Fastening fast
To that mystic shore where we II land at last
1t speaks to youth, and manhood, and age
OF turning ieaf-opening page
In that rare old volume--the Record of Time
Where deeds of virtue and annals of crime,
Tales OF wrongs and struggles ofright,
Are written in colors vividly bright,
With truthful pen and letters Of light;
lis queer old book, and its pages
nold some terrible truths that are written there
There are trembling lines as of hopes and fears
There are biots of crime and stains as of tears
There are finger marks, where care has been,
And traces of sorrow and death [ ween,
And withered leaves of faded flowers
Dead hopes, that were bonn in sunny hours,
And garnered away like treasures fair
10 wither aud leave their impress theroi
Familiar faces used to know
Feep from the pages of Long Ago,
While spirit voices, from lips nsSen,
Are whispering of that which might have been
& Blessed it is for the children of men
That the future is hidden from mortal KEN
That cumbrous veil as dark night,
Hides the time to come from human sight.
What trouble and fear and care and doubt
Would come, like unbidden ghosts. about
Wouldn't this be i" vale Of tears
Could we see ahend-sav two three wears
What woeful load for poor fellows back
Would be two of three years of trouble to pack
Trouble that some folks try to borrow
About what may possibly happen tomorrow
For, terrible changes do happen, we know,
In the pent up space of year or two.
Passing over the changes of private life
The odds and ends of domestic strife,
We turn to that nice little family row
Our National quarrel, progressing now.
Who would have thought four years ago,
That ght save the tread of a foreign foe
Could have marshaled such armies in hostile
As are now in arms for the deadly fray?
Who would have guessed that our boosted land
Bought with the blood of patriot band,-
The fairest of Earth and the favored of Heaven
Could be by fraterna dissontions riven?
That where Peace spread her wings like Seraph
bright
The Angel of Death could so fiercely alight-
Winged for carnage and armed for fight!
And should drench with the blood of the gifted and
brave
The soil made sacred by WAsHIsGToS's grave.
Lives there man so base and low,
Who shudders not at his countrys woe?
Breathes there man so lost to shame,
That be feels no pride in his country's fame?
Has it come to this. that the flag of the Free
Which so long has waved over land and sea,
Must go down to the dust with degraded things
Mid the SCOTS of tyrants and jeers of Kings?
No! n million voices answer, Not
The Stars for its fricnd-the Stripes for the foe;
Its folds shall glitter in Freedoms light,
And its Stars shine undimmcd and bright,
And the Union of States, which treason would
sever.
Remain unbroken forever and ever.
Then the martial notes of war shall cease,
And brother with brother shake hands in peace.
Enough about war. Cor it may be-who knows
That I'm stepping on Secessias toes;
1fso, all right mean offence,
Hope your boys viii be thrashed till they learn
some sense,
'Spect we'll have to do it in self defence.
Anxiously hoping good news will come
Let's drop the subject and take up 50 Home
Where Yours respectfully" hangs his hat,
And gets his regular . hash and all that
Our golden State, with her mines of ore
Her evergreen forests-her harvest store
Teeming with untold millions of wealth.
Her balmy breezes laden with health
Her daughters pure as her virgin gold
Her stalwart sons, rough hardy and bold
tThe pioneers of our 9 Infant State
Who turned the key of the Golden Gate
Unlocking many precious mine,
In hose rare old days of foriy-nne.)
Those days over when fortunes were made
BY the stroke of pick the turn of spade;
The slow going process of gathering dimes
Essentially differs from olden times,
When men talked coolly of making pile"
And leaving the country after while"
No use now in going away,
The rivers up and the trip won't pay
Here are homes for the sons of toll,
On CaiforIia's favored soil:
Some Inconvenience to mention
Hardly worthy of seTions attention.
The balmy breezes" | spoke about,
At the present time are sorter played out"
They do very well ia poetieal phrase,
But hardly answer these stormy DAYS,
When dams and bridges washed away
Cities Hooded and 4" tho devil to pay
Houses floating off to the sea
If you cali that " balmy'-not any forme,
Right smart town is Shasta yet,
It's here-hasn't moved (nor grown a bit,
And the same old land marks We used to know
Stand as they were long time ago.
That bluff old hill looks you square in the face
As il did the first day you saw the pace,
And the " Merchant Princes of days of yore
Still hang out their sigas' as they did before
That terrible FIRE you have read about.
Which caved EN- ia, by hurning 'em out
Clever fellows they re lourishins vet
For further particulars the CoCRiEg
Where all of them, who are halfway wise
Are very certain to advertise
Enumerating their goods and wares
From srbstaatiols down to toys and cigars
High prices nov cause" dere's droubies mid vars
Our Lawyers and Doctors, the same old set,
AInst tnrtl tln,,,A An,r.. L In, L.