The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1866-12-25
CHRISTMAS.

CHRISTMAS.
WAR POETRY OF THE SOUTH.
y, have already drawn attention to the beautiful
volume Of the sWar Poetry Of the South 2 which
xe owe to the editorial care Of Mr. sn1xs; but we
have scarcely done Justice 10 the volume TO the
superior character Of its contents as ex-
hibiting poetry, per se the beautiful play Of fancy
and imagination, it's utterances OF patriotism its
y just and sometimes profound philosophy. The
odtor has evidently exercised certain degree Of
method and design in the arrangement Of his ma
terials. His preface states his objects simply,
and justfes them foroibly. He opens with poem Of
Ar. TunoD, vary happy and graceful performance,
which exults in the birth Of q new nation ma
tion based upon justice and right principle,
pure in its conception, sending abroad doctrines
Of peace and purity, eschewing STRIFE war, and all
ideas of the aggrandisement of the nation over
any other. The aocEine is simply that each shall
work out it's own deiverence, in it's own fashion;
not making any vain pretence Of such superior vr-
i;les as to- assume = sdespotisnl Of guidance OF
1ule over other nations. In this poem Mr.. TnfBoD
IS at c1ce just in thought and felcitous in its
preston. zA ss:,-''1 a@@s$Ss:
A Prayer for the South" follows it, from the
pen of an accomplished Marylander.
"A spirited ana quite original poem succeeds to
this, from the pen Of a lady Of Mississippi. The
Southern Gross" by another writer, illustrates the
nag adopted by the new nation. The Act OF Seces-
sion by South Carolina il the subject OF aulogisn
By Professor D1cKsoN. Promptly following this
are poems which refer to the necessity OF seces-
sion. We then have 4 wail Of lament over the
usual fate Of all the Confederacies which have ever
existed; ~ destroyed BY cupidity and lust all
oYerthrpWn u and the greed Of conquest
in brief, by the insane passions and appetites Of
men and states: After these preliminary poems, !
tho collection proceeds to illustrate the eYenta Of
the war which followed from the attempts Of the
North to coerce the South into ! uols.ntary
Union var: which repudiated evsry A1neriean
principle which denied to the governed fhe right
OF making their own government, and butchered
brothers, in order to make more perfect brother
hood Our condition now happily Illustrates the
false pretences under which our, country was IN
vaded, our property destroyed our people slain,
our liberties usurped: s y y sj>-sf& 2h
This volume Of war poetry illustrates shis whole
history. It is valuable accordingly, az history It
indicates leading events, and sometimes illustr
them, in bursts Of passionate feeling, grief or ex
utadon, the sense Of pride; OF the Of
defeat. There is, perhaps, not single phase or
change Of popular feeling. hope Or fear, in the
propriate illustration in terse-verse being, like
music, one. Of the most natural OF emotional modes
of-utterances You may, in these pages, follow all
the fluctuations Of the popular mind Ia the South.
through all the eaprices Of her fortunes during the
war. sf:5a !e!a7 N! ; ;saitl- ts:ts..
But our purpose in this notice is nota critical
review Of the volume, but simply to borrow from
it's pages thoea pieces which seem to rs, ,suitedto
the season. n pubhshlng these We aha1l, per-
haps, do ag much 5o show howrea thn s,,olleetion
illustrates the war; BY the several selections which
!, We make from it Of the season, Of Christmas.
Christmas in the South, in former days, had q
grand rsi'usaion Of its own. :: All parties were
gladdened byt, and sven the negro exulted in it's
blessings and its privileges. IT'S usual mode Of
celebration on Southern plantation is now des-
tined To- sink into dition. There is no longer
. Christmas,, such az his taEhers knew, to the
planters Of the South. .s!: ,5.. ~ .&1-
, The brutal and bloody war waged upon us, in
spired by savage lusE and an equally: savage,
vanity, has killed oil; the ancient Christmas OF
Carolina. There is . mournful prescisnce,! IS wen
as painful experience, in the poems which we
select from this volume devoted to the season.
They were written BY different hands during tho
several years Of the was, and each belongs e.
different year. s. 5s% 's -s.- 't
The 6nst Of these is from the pen of one ot the
most pr11uAhg o1 tne young men whom South Caro-
hna has given to the conntzy during the last twenty
years Professor JNo. D1cxson BHuas. It Is to tho
great loss Of our that he haa been taken from
us BY New Orleans. a man Of fms natural parts,
end Of large and varied acquisition he has nesd
only to concentrate his sts on any one pursuit TO
sehieye the most triurnp ha1nt s1ccasa: Helms our
prayer that he viii doso. Ths reader Nh readily
note Tor himself ano force md taEneas OF the
strain which follows . /. ..
y. .v oUh cHn1sr Vas nYHa. Hs, 51:s VI. = "
III yoNH nno1son 11uNe,Ea6 D.. CHARLESTON. q q,
Good VIZ and peacei peace aad good vmf tF 81
II - The burdep Of tho Advent song. -,s.s.;
nA:s NhafE1neHha. 6ha1zp&4 waE6g iTsT rfaE
u u I i: 81 hseikesf sh sh fafeES t;
Tho wondefdng shephefds heard fks strain 5
Who watched by night the su1nbsring aseee.
1hedeep 6kies echoed fhe feEitn, { T:a i.
Peace and good swdnl good WIN and peaoei.
II ] And wiss ren hailed tie ;pruanassd rfznns
I'm Ard brohRhf thefE btr tom Ghs Hsst I5s
T. DeaS TO that mother as tho vino "----' M, =
That hall0wed C&na's bridal feast :-:--A.s& VI ,-
. But what to these aro myFP or gold. ~
AM ~7An A1aH<&