The Orangeburg news. [volume] (Orangeburg, S.C.) 1867-1875, 1873-03-15
NUMBER S

Ominous clouds gather EaDd darkeu sDa
burst to leave happy homes in ruins.
Sounds of melody Ideed are heard as
armies, with banners, march in grand
array to sounds Of martial music, to your
rulers and kings, amid the cIashings
and thundOriugs of the mighty enginery
of war, and all these die away only to be
followed By the groans of dying heroes,
and these again by the softer, holiee
sounds that are wrupg from biighted,
orphaned, widowed hearts. Here and
there flower buds and blooms, and
slows soon perhaps to be blighted by q
wintry blast, and buried under the frosts
and the snow. Now and thea. suns
moons and stars glitter and glimmcr, and
CLEAN in ell their wouted spleHdor and
loveliness, only perhaps to intensity .she
gloom, whea pail rises from the politi
cal horizon, to blot them from the sky.
And yet in that very gloom there il
life, there is light, there is beauty. aye.
there is glory there.
Let but one little spark of life remain.
and one little ray of hope will linRsr
~:.h it. Let but one little star, pcsp
through rift in the clouds aud we are
ready to exclaim, how beautiful! Hus
let the full splend RS of Orion's bands
| surround it aud uoue will be so noor ,o
do it reverence.
The very clouds that ovcrshadow the
earth, do but heighten the glories of the
skies while they are bearing life aud
strength, and beauty to the flowers.
And what shall we learn from such
lessons as those which have been left bv
history aud by nature for our guidancs,
and instruction !,
Above all despair not. However deem
the glSom that surrounds Z US Let as
remember that other suns than that of
the South have gone doom in gloom, apd
yet come forth again in glory. that other
peoples than ours, have been bowed
down in woe and yet coinc forth again
to rejuice :. ,.a,s4-..-
Oh. let US laborsto for setl the bitter
ness and fOrsive the wrongs of the past
to overlook, even the injuries of the
present, and with patience reach
forward to the gloriss Of that day, when
The returning reason of the North, shall
tear down the barrers which now
divide our Country, as with hand
extended across the chasm, she shouts
in tones which shall shake the world,
traitors and rebels no more '22se'
Americans, froemen J all! away, away.
ye powers of darkness, which have
deseerated the temple. of our freedom
aud stained it with fraternal blood
away, away the spirits Of our Fathers,
command you away! Oh there Is life in
the "Old Land" yet. Our mountains,
and our valleys, our forests, our plains
aud our streams, are teening with
wealth and power, aud they are waitiag
only for those strong arms. and rea dy
hapds, which shall some day come, to
build up the waste places of our sunny
land, and make them once again 20
bloom as the rose. Oh thenlet Us hope
on, hoping ever, with our eyes upon the
prize. .'ss
sit..ft .--..
The roads exceeding long, that never turns,
And Vesta's FIRE still on the altar burns
Hope on-foreycr those sacred fires shall
| wave
As things should be, SO shall they be again.
Aye, even now, there is rift in che
clouds-the master,spirits, of the, North
have at last turned their breasts to che
storm, which has SO long beaten upon
the South, and ere long, the Two sectiona
of our land, shall see each other 40
more, through glass darkly," but in
the broad sunlight of the open day,
animated by one grand impulse, staud
shoulder, to shoulder, to work ont to-
sether the slories Of common destiny.
Then shall we feel indeed thet,
This is the land of the poets song, z
The patriots proudest theme.
Then indeed shall we make a new
song OF glory, aud send il sounding
down the ages, to make glad the hearts
of our childrcn's children, as they rise
up, with rejoicing, to bless us for onr
wisdom--and ah! methinks the very
stars themselves will take up the swell
ing notes of our refrain and boar them