Buchanan County bulletin. [volume] (Independence, Iowa) 1869-1891, 1871-05-05
For the BULLETIN
Will-o'-the.Wisps.

In trackless wilds there is light
Now here, now there, then out of sight;
A light which to the traveller far
From home, seems like q star
To help him on his weary way,
Sent for his guide, in place Of day;
He follows where its ire doth lead
With hurried step, and anxious speed,
Hoping 10 find both warmth and care
Out of the midnight's frosty air.
Alas oh Traveller! pause and think,
You stand on ruins very brink;
The light ie but meteOr's glare,
It hickereth here, 1t fasheth there,
'Ts not the steady light of home,
It gleameth now, and now It's gone;
'Tis but the Will-o'-the- -wisp, whose glare
You follow-and you'll perish there.
oh Traveller! turn aside and pray,
And wait the first beams of coming day.
The pleasures Of earth are will-o'- the -wisp
Ere the infant its mothers name can lisp,
Its heart is set on some childish toy,
Which seemeth alone to give 1t JOY.
The heart of the man is like that of the child.
Ills heart Graves the wlO' the wisp all the while
Ne'er seeming to care for the higher joy
Which gives true peace to the soul without alloy.
The pleasures of earth the mind cannot fill,
The heart will be craving, and seeking still
For something more, and better far
Than pleasures false, though glittering star.
Oh traveller! turn from the pleasures Of earth.
The revei, the dance, m the song OF mirth;
Where the beams of Heaven are out Of sight;
Oh wanderer! turn aside and pray
For the beams of a brighter, purer day.
In the winecup there gleameth an unholy light,
Which, sweet to the taste. br1ghtred to the sight,
Seems one OF the comforts sent by Heaven
For mans good cheer and pleasure given,
For moment its power seems to gladden. his heart,
To embolden his speech, to nerve him for art.
But stay; for the light that you see
Is the eye of the serpent that watteth for thee,
For alas, the will-o' the -wisp Is there,
And the tiger watching In his lair.
Cannot more easily secure his prey
Than this tempter wearing the garb of day.
oh tcmnfpd 7 beware he not tufned aside
BY the Turing winecup, but maintain the pride
OF thy manhood, and pray
That for thee the evil may pass away.
The search for gold which borrows its light
From the pleasures it yields to tempt and delight
Lures many away from their truest goal,
Their first estate-the GOd-given soul;
They rest not by day. and hardly by night,
So fair is this will % the -wisp in their sight
For when it is gained they think they nay rest
In home of their own choosing forever blest;
home If we picture 1t, where choice comforts
abound,
Where paintings, and music, and bright flowers
You at every step, and seems the abode
Not of mortal man. but fairy god.
This home is embellished by nature and art,
But fails to fill void in his heart,
For God to him q soul has given
Which finds no true home this side Heaven.
Turn earnest seeker! remember the grave,
And pray that God thy soul may save,
Ere 1t be too late and thou fndest thy home
Where rest, nor beauty, nor pleasure may come; ;
How hardly the rich man enters the portals
That leads him to Heaven-thc home of immortals.
A true willie -the-wisp Is errors ray,
Though really dim it has led astray
Many q one whose heart seemed right,
Till dazZled by falsehO0d's uncertain light,
The error of faith which pretends to say
There Is a better, an easier way,
Than that the pure hearted believer has trod,
Forever leading to Heaven and God,
Which teaches that man has soul to save,
But his short day of life fnds in the night of the
grave;
Or another that teaches that all shall meet,
Be he saint or sinner, at Jesus feet,
And there. regardless of deeds below
Shall dwell in the light of the Father now.
These errors of faith are mocking ray.
To ensnare the wanderer who has lost sight of day
Turn, erring one ! turn; God gave us light
Which the seeker for truth must keep in sight,
Which for ages past and ages to come
Il true guide 10 lead thee, seeker. home;
The word of God, beneath whose lid
The way of life cannot be hid,
But stands forth bright refulgent ray,
And points to Heaven--the only way
But enough of the ills that seem to be light
But are only the false feeting rays of the night
Alas all these, the pleasures of life,
The winecup's glare, the golden strife.
Ambition, and pride. which have their fall,
Wealth, glory and honor, all
Are naught but the flash of the will-O'-the wisp,
To lure us away so far from the bliss
OF our own native Heaven, that God above
Can save Us alone, by his infinite love.
or. HAMMOND.
Independence April Goth, 1871.