The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1870-11-08
Roetry.
The War OF the Women.
THE STRIFE BREAKS OUT ANEW
HOMAGE TO vAsnri

1t was II time of feasting at the court
Of King Ahasuerus, and the days,
Filled with the merry sound OF reyelry,
The harp, the dance, the song, sped lightly on;
The palace walls were gorgeous in their robes
OF royal splendor--hanging rich and rare
Brought from the looms Of Tyrc-sweeping dowr
Their floods of purple ON the marble floors,
And held by rings of silver aud of gold
To stately columns. Odors filed the air
OF costly spices brought from India's shores,
And sweetest music loated on the breeze
To greet the senses of the Persian King.
All, rs they drank the wine from golden urns.
Sang to the honor of their royal host,
The majesty and glory Of his reign
His mighty Kingdoms stretched from shore to shore
From Ethiopa's jungles, to the fair
And sea- kissed India with its houndle-s wealth
Until Ahasuerus's heart grew proud
And onged to show his courters something more
To feed the fire of their tumutuous praise
And then he thought him Of his beauteous Queen
For she was young and "far to look upon"
"Bring in the Queen :" he cried, "and by the gods
I'll show you beauty, bright beyond the stars,
Such as has lived not in your widest drams,
MY fair Queen, Vsshti. lIo ye chnmbellain'
See that she be arrayed in splendid robes,
And place the royal crown upon her head
A hush fell on the noisy rcvclers
Of waiting expectation, and all eyes
Wore turned with eager interest to the dooi.
But when they looked to -ee the pround young
Queen,
Only her miniUns stood before the King,
And told her answer to the breathless throng
Queen Vashti will not heed the Kinl' command
She will not come before the idle host
Of drunken revelers." All eyes were turned
In fearful silence on the humbled King,
And in his flashing eyes and darkened brow.
They read the doom Of fNashti
To all land-
In his domnious went the mandate forth
'From henceforh shall the husbands all bear iula,
And wives shall hcnceforth honor and obey.
Queen Nashti shall be called no longer Queen
And .he shall come before the King no more
Thus by the stern, fixed law, which a!tcrclh not
Of Medos and Persians, man decreed hi' right
Ts power absolute, and Persian nen
Der Persian women held supreme command,
Honor to Nashti who, when question came
Which she should keep, her high and royal state
As honored queen, or her pure womanhood,
Held to the latter Thus her story ends,
But echoes down through memory haunted Ve1r3
Through all the yesterdays, until to-day.
With honor to the noble Persian Queen
And now, to-day another question comes.
y, women of the nineteenth century
Which will ye have-a place among tho men
In courts, in Congress hall, and noisy crowd,
Where even woman's name should never come
A voice above the tossing, restless tide
Which surges toward the polls, and all the honie'
Made darker by vour absence
Or, will yc keep
our ever pure and precious womanhood.
The tender love Of husband and Of child,
The God-apponted right to mould and train
The future men and heroes of the land
} women of the nation Pause and think
Why babble yc OF wrongs and injured right
Tod pity women who have wrongs indeed,
And we may pity and may help them to;
But giving them tho ballot, and the work
Which men should do will never help their wrongs
Dr. at a cost too fearful, and too great
! es, trials are the lot of all mankind
And men as well as women, have their wrongs
Which all their right to vote can never help
Then, through the lights and sados of future years
let women work with high and noble aim
Not to be Presidents, Priests and Kings.
But truer women. Then the day will come
When men shall cease to scoff and ridicule.
And honor women as tho better half
Whom God appoints 10 lead his waywari son,
Nearer to Him
Nu York 7,.5un, Farm FAR>u,W