The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1876-03-17
POetical.
AN ELOQUENT PLEA FOR PEACE.
A SOUTHERN wouAN's roETICM TRIBUTE TO THE PA
MEITo AND THE PINE.
From tho New York Evening Post.

From tho New York Evening Post
After reading the speech Of MIR. James q. Blaine
on the floor Of the House OF Representatives, IN
which the anmostios of the late civil war were ap-
ppaicd to with what seemed TO us MISPLACED ener-
~ and after another member Of the House had an
swered in a tone equally fierce and implacaole an
ACCOMPLISHED Tennessee lady, Mrs. virginia l..
French. wrote the poem which we give below from
The Nashville AMERICAN. 1t has been said that the
Ing engenderod by the late unhappy STRIFE than the
men. Mrs. French's spirited lines might wen make
one suspect this TO be a mistake Ihey are an I'm.
passOned plea for peace, and more than peace, iDr
aiTectonate brotherhood and the revival OF friendly
memories older than the late civil strife. Here Is
the poem:
THE PALMETTO AND THE PINE.
They planted them together-our gallant sires OF
old
Though one was crowned with crystal snow, and
one with solar gold
They planted them together-on the worlds maJes-
tic height
At saratogas deathless charge, at Eutaws stubborn
fight;
At midnight on the dark redoubt, mid plunging
shot and she'll
At noontde gasplng in the crush Of battles bloody
swell
With CORY hands and reeking brows, amid the
mighty fray,
Which surged and swelled Ground them on that
memorable day
when they planted Independence, as a symbol ant
q sign,
They struck deep soil and planted the Palmetto ant
the Pine.
They planted them togother-by the river of tn,
Years
watered with our fathers hearts blood-wateret
with our mothers tears;
In the strong, rich soil Of freedom, with bounte
GUS benson
From their Prophet, Priest and Ploneer-our Father
Washington!
Above them oated echoes Of the ruin and the wrecl
Like "drums that beat at Loulsburg and thunderet
at Quebec"
But the old lights sank in darkness as the new stars
rose to shine
Ger those emblcms Of the sections-the Palmetto
and the Pine.
And Wen plant them still togcther-for It's yet the
self-samc soil
our fathers valor won for us by victory and toll;
On Forldas fair everglades, by bold Ontaro's flood
And thro' them send electric life as leaps the kin
dred blood!
For thus it is they taught us who for Freedom lvet
and died,
The Etcrnas law OF justice must and shall be justi
fled
That God has Joined together by fiat all-divlne
The destinies of dwellers meath the Pam-tree ant
the Pine.
Aye! wen plant them yet together-tho' the cloud II
on their brows,
And winds antagonlstlc writhe and wrench the stul
wart boughs;
gulfs of gloom,
Sweeping ages, cycles, systems, into vOrtIces o
doom;
Though the waves OF faction, rolling In trumphan
to the Shore
Are breaking down our bulwarks with their sullel
rage and roar;
Serrled armaments OF ocean filing in line after line
Washing up the deep foundations OF Palmetto anC
Of Pine
Shall this the soil OF Freedom, from their roots b
washed away
BY the chaffng Of the billows and the breaking O
the spray?
No! the hand which rules the vortex which Is SUI
gtng now b. fore us
Above Its "hel Of waters" sets the bow OF proms
DER us
And the time will come when dlscord shall be burie
in the Past,
The orinamme of love shall wave above the breac
at last
And beneath that starry banner-type of unity d
vine
Shall stand those stately signals-tne Palmetto an
the Pine.
Shall the old victorious Eagle from their boughs b
wrenched away
BY the donble-headed Vulture of Disunion and Dc
cay
Forbid it, Heaven! Columbia, guard thine emblem
gathered here
To grace the brilliant dawning of this grand Ger
tennal year.
unfurlcd,
With thy foot upon the fetter, for the freeing of tn
world!
And guard thy Holy epulcher-Mount vernon's S;
cred shrine
For this Is Freedoms Holy Land-her promised Pa
estine.
holy Peace,
SOothe the turmoil and the tumut-bd this str
and sorrow cease!
DER savannas stepped in sunshine over mountain
dark with rain,
Send the glad and thrilling tldlngs In thy sweet
solemn strain
Let snowy North and sunny South senu up I'll
shout, "Alls well!"
And the music of thy coming strike our hearstrlng
with its swell,
(As to Jessie Brown at Lucknow struck the air
"Auld Lang Syne"
From the Highland pipes OF Havelock)--save II
Palm and save the Pine!
God plant them stl together! let them flourish sid
by side
In the halls Of our Centennial-ma,led In more tina
marble prde
With kindly deeds and noble names we III grave theI
DER and DER,
With brave historic legends of the glorious days
yOre,
While the clear, exutant chorus, rising from unite
bands
The echo of our triumph peas TO earth's remotes
lands
While "Faith, Fraternity and Love" shall joyfull
entwine
Around our chosen embems-the Palmetto and I'll
Pine.
.Togetherw shouts Niagara his thunder-toned d
"Together!" echo back the waves upon the Mex
Sea-
"Together" sing the sylvan hills where old Atlant
TOars-
''Togetheri" boom the breakers on the wild Pacif
shores
"Together cry the peope-and TOGETHER" 1t sha
be,
An everlasting charter-bond forever for the free;
or liberty the signet seal-the one eternal sign
Be those UNITED EMBLEMs-the Palmetto and IL
Pine
Original.