The States and Union. [volume] (Ashland, Ohio) 1868-1872, 1871-02-22
~0ALNl1AZA

As if the gay harvester meant but to screen
her,
The black spider sits in her low room
and weaves:
| 4 lesson of trust to the tender-eyed cleaner
That bears in her brown arms the gold
of the sheayes.
The blue-bird hat trills herlow lay in the
Provokes from the robin a u~nerrier giee;
The rose pays the sun for his kiss with her
bushes,
And all things pay tithes to thee-all
things but me!
At even, the freaies trim with their glim-
mers
The wild wcedy skirts of the field and
the wood;
At morning, those dear little yellow wing
ed swimmers,
The butterflies, hasten to make their
place good.
The violet, always so white and 80 sanity,
The cardinal, warming the frost with
her blaze;
The ant, keeping house at her sand-hearth
SO quantity;
Reproachcs my idle and indolent ways.
When Ger the high East the red morning
is breaking, -,
And driving the amber of starlight be-
hind,
The land of enchantment l leave, on awak-
ing,
Is not SO enchanted as that which / find.
And when the low West by the sunset is
fattered,
And locust and catydid sing up their
best.
Peace comes to my thoughts, that were used
to be Auttered,
Like doves when an Eagles wings dark
ems their nest.
The green little g~rasshopper, weak as we
doom her.
Chirps, day in and out, for the sweet
And canst thou, o Summer! make room
With all things to take, and nothing to
give-
Room only TO wrap her hot checks in thy
shadows,
And on thy daisy-fringed pillows to lie.
And dream of the gates oil the glorious
meadows,
Where never a rose of the roses shall diel
1t was doubtless Miss Cary's early
determination to strive for the highest
poctical and literary success, and with
good health she would have been Il
writer OF wonderful energy, steady
grawth, and now in the golden prime
of her powers. Her dream gradually
faded, not from the lack of ucceSs or
recognition for her more ambitious
effarts, but because she had not the
strength to endure the strain. The
statement has been printed that she
was educated at College Hill. This
is incorrect. She received no educa-
ton except such as could be obtained
in a little country school-hoase, but
she was very studious and read all the
books within reach. 1t is remember
! ed among her former neighbcrs that
she was a vely pretty girl, and when t
the age Of eighteen her earliest poem
was printed in the Univcrsalist aper
in this city, the Star of the West, the
admiration felt for her by her young
acquaintance was not uImiXed with
reverence, for getting into rriLt in
those days was no slight distinction.
The neighbors of the Cary family had
often noticed an unusual vein of sem
timent in its members, and in Phoebe
and Alice the vein assumed a poetic.l
flow. Their first JOINT volume of pc
ctry was issued from n Philadelphia
house in 1850. In 1851 Alice wrote
the first series of the "ClorcrLo TX
Papers," several editions Of which
were sold in America and Great Brit
ain. The first novel written by Alice
"Hagar, a Story of To-day" WAS
brought out in the Cincinnati Com
mercial in 1852, and q second series
of 'sCIovernook Papers" in the follow
ing year. Redfeld IL Co., of New
York, published a volume called ''Ly-
IA, and other poems," in 1858. The
"Clovernook Children" a Juvenile,
appeared in 1854, The novel Mari
ell, Not Mated" dates from 1866
She continued to write poems, stories
and Magazine articles up to- the pr s.
ent year, revealing no falling off in
beauty and force in spite of the sink
ing currents of life. About ten years
ago she wrote to a friend in the West:
Il am ashamed of my work. The
great bulk OF what l have written is
poor stuh- Some OF IL maybe lnul-
Gates ability to do better-that is
about all. 1 think l am more simple
and direct-less diffuse and encum
bered with than in former
years-all probably because 1 have
lived longer and thought more" Ten
years ago the noble ambition died;
the poetess was still fired to show the
world some day her gift at its very best.
1t has been decreed that she might
not; yet Alice Cary goes to her
grave to-day with the perfect respect,
the profound admiration and the last
ing affection of her c~ountrymen and
country women. Her applause might
have been more demorstrative, not
more sincere and lasting.-CIn. Com.