Delaware state journal. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1870-1883, 1873-03-15


the bondage Of bloody custom. II Is
story illustrating the quiet but invincible
might OF meekness and truth, the predes-
tined victory of love over hate, Of good
over evil. Considering its subject aud
character, II Is very titly dedicated TO the
Quaker poet in the following afTectlonate
and reverent strain;
TO JOHN aRRRNLEAF WHITTIER.
Through many years my heart goes back,
Through checkered years Of loss and gain,
TO that fair landmark on its track,
When nrst, beside the Merrimack
Upon thy cottage roof heard the autumn
rain.
A hand that welcomed and that eheered
To one unknown didst thou extend;
Thou gsveft hope to Song that feared;
But now, BY Time and Faith endeared,
claim the sacred right to call thee Poet,
Friendl
However Life the stream may stain.
From thy pure fountain drank my youth
The simple creed, the faith humane
In GOOD, that never eau be slain,
The prayer for inward Light, the search for
Like thee, soc at last prevail
Inc sleeplsss soul that looks above;
1 hear, far of, the hymns that hail
The Victor clad in heavenly mail
whose only weapons are the eyes and
voice ofLovel
Take, then, these olive leaves from me.
To mingle with thy brighter bays
some balm OF peace and purity.
In them, may family breathe of thee;
Aud take the grateful love, wherein hide
thy praise
IL would be an ungracieus act TO give In
bald prose an outline of the Charming
story told so we'll In Mr.. Taylor's verse,
and might repel some who otherwise
would read Lars' with eager delight.
The story is so interesting that II ought TO
win great favor even with those who do
not care for poetry and the poetry is so
simple and noble that 1t should charm
those VINO do not require or value the story
it embalms.
Brita was beautiful girl Of Ulvik viii
lage, with whom both Lars and Per were
deeply 10 love. One Sunday morning.
when Ulylk Youth and Beauty were pre-.
pairing to go to church in a neighboring
village, Brita's grandmother gave her an
heirloom brooch.
Dear Lordr the ancient dame began, ''tis
The day, the sun, the breeze, the smell of
A. tfty. years ago in Hallingdal.
"heu 4, IKE thee, picked out my smartest
And put them on, half guessing what would
And found my luck before 1 took them off.
Seei thou shalt wearthe brooch my mothers
And thine when am gone. Some luck, who
May still he shining in the fair red stone"
80, from box that breAthed of musky herbs,
oohn,e took the boss Of roughly fashioned gold,
WIN gerneA studded; took, but gave not
Some pleasure in the smooth, cool touch OF
Or wiae.red sparkles, Pickering DER the
Or dream of other fingers, other Inns
Ihat Kissed them for the bed they rocked
That happy summer eve in Hallingdal,
Gave her slow heart its girlhOod's pulse
| again,
Her check one last leaf of its virgin rose.
Lars having fought a duel with Per In
the fiercely fatal mode then prevalent In
Norway, and just escaped his life after
taking Per's, and having then learned that
brita loved Per best and now hating him.
sell for Staying Per, found Norway untn.
durable. He came to America, and after
long wandering, to Delaware
To where. upon her Hill. fair Wilmington
Looks TO the river over marshy meads,
He saw the low brick church, with stuntet
tower,
The portal-arches, ivied now and old.
And passed the gate 10 there, the aneleni
stones
Bore Norland names and dear familiar words
" seemed the dead a comfort spake. he read
Thrusting the nettlea and the vines aaide
And softly wept; he knew not why he went
land
That made home, though growing out o
Led by faith that rest could not be far
Beyond the town, where deeper wales brin,
The winding brooks rom Pennsylvania hills
lie walked the ordered farms were fair I,
And fair the peaceful houses; old repose
MellOwed the lavish newness OF the land.
Ana sober toll gave everywhere the right
To simple pleasure.
Lars found home in the Quaker famll,
OF Ezra Mendenhall, and the potent in
iluence of the simplicity, faith, LOYALTY /,
duty and healthful sympathy which mad
that home beautiful Gas they make beauti
ful multitudes of Quaker homes), ia finel,
expressed In this passage:-
So Lars was sheltered, and when evenin
And all, around the clean and peaeeG,l hoard
Kept the brief silence which is fttest praye
before the bread is broken. he WAS filled
with something calm, which was akin 4
peace,
With something restless which was almos
So Lars remained. That night, beneath III
His head lay light; the very wind breathe
Its low. perpetual wall among the bows
Sufnced to cheer him, and the one dim star
Ihat watched him from the highest heayel
OF heavens
Made morning Ia his heart. Ton soon t,ssae
off F
The exalted mood, too soon his rich content
Was furnished by the daily round OF toll
Ana All things grown familiar; yet his pride
: That rose at eensure for each petty fault
VI Ignorance, supported while IL stung
ANA Ezra MendenhAll was just and Ruth
/ Serenely patient, sweetly calm aud kind.
80, month by month, the even days wer
Aud died, the nights were drowned III deepe
rest
And fields and fences, streams and stated
; woods
Fashioned themselves to suit his newer life
TIL ever fainter grew those other lorna
Ot hord and fell. the high Hamburger range
= Aud komadala teeth of snow. Yea, Brita'
eyes
: And Per's hot face he learned to hold away
Save when they vexed his helpless soul Il
= dream.
Though he became good Quaker, Lar
could not forget the rugged beauty of hi
I Norway home and cease 10 admire III
, stAlwart vlgor of his old associates an,
their many virtues. His heart untrayele,
fondly turned to his ehildhood's haunt
and those who had endeared them to him
One day he said to Ruth;
l love old Norway's bleak, tremendous hills
burn
In valleys deeper than yon cloud is high:
l love the ocean arms that CLEAN and foam
80 far within the bosom of the land
, IL IL not that. do confess to thee
I ! love the frank, brave habit of the folk.
The hearts unhpoiled. though fed from rude
And filled with angry blood love the tale
: That taught, the ancient songs that cradiei
me,
The tongue my mother spoke. unto the Tor,
As sweet as thine upon the lips OF prayer.
! Lars returned to his old home, thronel
bis influence the cruel tyranny of the due
was broken. His Quaker meekness over
, powered Norland might, and his low,
/ transformed the lives of many. | hav,
purposely refrained from giving the story
especially the tender portions, which ar,
: admirably told, and some of which ar,
J touchingly beautiful. The extracts piyer
VIII indicate the high pure quality Of tn
poem, though detached from their eonnec
ton, they lose somewhat Of their charm
The moral Of the whole Is noblS and con
eisely stated in these closing lines
Here, now, they fade. The purpose of thei
Was lifted up, by something over life,
To power and service. Though the name o
Lars
BE never heard, the healing Of the world
Is In Its nameleas saints. Each separate sta
Seems nothing, but a myriad scattered star