The Plymouth weekly Democrat. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1860-1869, 1868-02-13
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The following beautiful sentiments are
from aIcister Karl's sketch Book, entitled
the 'tNisht of Heaven" II is full Of
touching tenderness:
Il. is dark when the hone-t and honor
able man sees the result OF long years
swept awav by knavsh, heartless ADVERSE
IL. 1t is dark when he feels the clouds
Of SORROW gather around, and knows that
the hopes aud happiness Of others are IA
ding with his owu. But in that hour the
memory Of past integrity will be conso-
lation, and assure hiui eyeD here on earth
Of CLEANS o. light 10 heaven. IL is dark
when the dear voice OF that dear ehilG
once SO fondiy loved, is DO more heard
in murmurs. Dark when the light pat
tcring feet 10 more resound without the
threshold, or ascend, step by step
up stairs. Dark when some well
known air recalls the strains once oft at
tuned by childish vo:ca now hushci IN
death Darkness, bat only the cioo,n
which now heraids the dayspriag of in-
mortality, and the iDdnite light ot heav-
en-
Aud the author might have added:
1t is dark when the people OK a nation,
emerging from long, cruel, bloody, and
useless war-thc lives Of It's brave SON.
poured forth in frstricdal strife, the
treasury bankrupt, and the people boged
under load of crushing, eternal taxation
-Gnd that the fruit OF long years Of toll
and of personal economy is yearly swept
from them into the pockets Of hearIless
knaves and public pluaderers.
1t is dark to the patriot, when he secs
the bulwark of his ibertes-the consti-
tution-contemned and set aside, and the
oral law of the bigot aud tyrant substi:u-
ted by bayonets therefor.
1t is dark to the poor man, when he sees
the shadow Of the heartiess tax-gathercr
across his threshold, while his loved ones
suffer for the common ncces saries Of life
1t is dark to the farmer, when he secs
the labor Of years swept away by the in-
cendiary partisan's torch. and darker still
when chains and prisons reward him for
murmurs against tyranny not OF his cleo
ton.
It is dark to democrats, when law is
ridden over, when liberty is tramplea
when Justice is mocked, when power
grasps power, and when bayonet. are used
for arguments.
Ii is dark to the man Of God. when re-
lig;on is prostituted to the uses Of dema-
cogues, when the tabernacle Of Jehovah
becomes a "whited sepulchre" of unclean
things; when church anty is made the step
ping stone to aggrandizement aud the
birthplace of mischief, wickodness and ru-
in.
1t is dark to the parent, when he sees
the old landmarks handed into his keeping
by his fathers passing away from the hands
of his offspring; when uncertainty, un-
safety and instability demand of him to
keep watchiulness over their future.
1t is dark to lovers Of republican gov
ernment, when they see nine states robbed
of inherent liberty and rrampled under
the heel Of military power overriding
civil law.
1t is dark to the gray-hairei patriot,
when he sees bold, bad men trusted with
Office and power, and IA herd Of p!under-
ers feasting upon the life blood Of his coun-
try.
1t is dark--very Garh-to the white
man When he beholds race Of freed Af
rican slaves-ignorant, beastly, and super
stitious-set up as the rulers and govern
ors of great, proud states OF a caucasiab
republic.
1t is dark to the friends of civilization,
when they witness tho intelligent, chris
tian. moral, aud humane white men of half
the union stricken down and placed under
the heel of miscegcnationists, puritan Yam
KEGS, and uulettered and indolcut semi
savases beyond the power of improve
ment through moral suasiou.
1t is dark to the humanitarian when he
beholds the blood-freezing records of crime
that are daily placed before him, as the
direct result of attempted negro equality
filling the land with mourning, and the
prisons with victims.