Lexington weekly intelligencer. (Lexington, Mo.) 1871-1887, 1880-05-22

Read at the fourteenth annual convention Oh
the Missouri Press Association held at Sedalla, |
Mo-, Tuesday, May IL 1880. by Mrs Jennie Ii.
Hicks, publisher OF the Saturday Evening Her
aid, Kansas City. Mo
1t was only Il vision IA trance, Il dream;
From the ghost realms Of myths and phantoms,
But cannot forget tit all seemed so true,-
Shall read it to youg
The worries and work of the long day were o'er;
With sigh of relief l, at last closed my door.
O'erwearied IN body and jaded in mind,
''ln my sanctum.'' said, ''I'll leave all care
behind;
Rest, mos. welcome, awaits me in homes dear
retreat,
Where loving ones. dearly beloved,I shall meet
When supper was ended, the housework all
done,
And nights shadows deepened, my six-year-
Also wearied and tired. with hobby y-horse
So much had he cantered and galloped that
Came drowsily to me; the Goodnight was
In an instant he found perfect rest in his bed.
For such rest was longing; my longinRs We're
vain:
One burden oppressed me, and tortured my brain;
One task was before me, by day and by night
For, alas, had promised poem to write!
Distrustiul, doubted my wit, skill. or power.
To bring hither aught worthy this place and this
hour.
wish IL return of the good ollcn times
When the MUSES. supplied one with thoughts and
When Pegasus kindly would bear one along
| To empyreal heights OF inenable song
| Thus wishing and musing. mine eyes CHANGED
Whcr, had stood my boys hobby-horse out in
| the hall.
| There-wondcriul sight! Delightful to see /!
Stood Pegasus, quietly waiting Tor me-
| All brided and bited -. we'll broken hack.-
l tn IA l,.,sl
1 mounted at once srasped firmly the reins
Away then we sped over hills. seas and plains, =,
| To the old classic lands 10 llelicOn Mount
| The Hill "i Pnrnassrs ,-Castaiian FOunt.-
Pieran Spring ;-fnmed places of yore.
| Where bars could resort for pOetIcai LORE
| Where the MUSES. were lountt, with Apollo, their
| chief,
But the Spring was dried up u! The Fount ceased
| to play!
Piqued, becaus'd modern poets on them never
mo matter - thought. as 1 tightencd the
know where to find them; W ell journey again
And the aid receive will he better. by odds,
For III ask help of all the Olympian gods
Outspecding Al Borak and fleet HippogriG
The Mount Of the Gods we reached in Whit!
| l stood on Olympus; twas deserted. and lone;
|
| none.
The bou.loir of Juno-Vulcan's chief work OF
| skill
| beheld long mused, it was beautiful still.
(Would Ltell whatI saw there , All, that would
he fine!
But such things.are too sacred for ears mascu-
lneD
While, perplexed, sazei round on the solitude
| drear,
A hermit came forth from L cave that was near
Awe-inSpiring was me-, grave, aged and weird
And full to the ground flowed his silver-whit'
1 stood mute stone; was dumb with sur
prise;
But he answered the question he read in min,
| eyes:
"Be composed, gentle lady; there's nothing tt
fear;
The Oiympian Gods are none of them here.
\ hermit, 1 dwell on this mountain alone
"But where are the Gods And why have the.
gone 2''
Now list to me, lady; the tale will tell:
For ages the deitles here loved to dwell;
Here they feasted and qarrelled; here watched
they the world;
From this Mount We're the thunders OF Jupite
| hurled;
Here they prompted and thwarted the actions O
Provoked them 10 strife and appeased theL
again:
And men full of fear acknowledged their sway
Until Socrates came. He kept them at bay,
DespollcdJupiter's thunder oil much OF its dread
And thought to put Science in Jupiter s stead
| But Joye, on Olympus, still cluug to his throne
Though not halfo OF mankind his dominion woul
own.
once, indeed, he had relgned, all dreade
And goes and men quake,: if he, then, did bu
nod
| In vain now he strove such dominion to keen:
Whilst Jove nodded III rage, men nodded i
His stay on Olympus at last achcd Its close
| An American Socrates-Franklin-ar
Boldly snatched from Jove's hand the lightnin
And put it, cll-bottIrd away on his shelf,
TLen Jove left the Mount, he returns here II
more.
Some OiyInplans left it q long while before,
And the rest followed Jove without much DELAY
SO you find it deserted and silent to-d day.
Then these gods. suppose" Il said to t.
i. In human Affairs no longer engage;
Have part nor lot III peace or III war;
7 In man $ loves and hates they make not nor IN!
Withdrawing from man all rheIr guidance of oil,
Leave his powers unaidcd, his Will uncontrO
led.'
v "Ah. there you mistake. lis secret. hal
III guessed,
d But the truth OF the matter has ne'er been col
fcssci:
Much more e, now, do they guide mans deviou
fs ways
Than olympus e'er saw, in its palmcst ,lays;
And, more surely. the passions that dwell
es mans SOUL -
They enkinde, subtue, excite and control -
''sir give me II riddle; have not the key:
Your secret remains still secret TO me.
y ''From you. my dear lady, cannot withhold
The simple solution; It's easily told:
Long ago, Apollo. prophetic. was sure
The Olympian reign could not ulwny endure
''TO Minerva, the Wise, lie disclosed what
h. knew,
And asked what she thought was the best thi
For days, they consulted. in quest of some pl
To retain. unimpaired, the dominion of man .
air They doubted debated they quriri and scheme
With devices prolific Mincrva's brain teemcd
But plan after plan they were forced to reject
In each they discovered some fatal defect;
Until, one happy dav. uniting their wit
MI On IL plan without flaw they Happened to hit
ar, The more il WAS tested, the Ii II please
Is No longer they feared their dominion We,
for cease;
Nay,-an increase oil power the gods VOL