Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1881-02-19
nh. oris,usl Beautiful Snow

The Omaha kepuoiicah s' "a:
lowing history OF the original Oh tnls
nrndnction. which the London sPects-
ior has pronounced to be the finest
nosm ever written in America.
6nring the early part of the war, one
DARK Saturday night, in midwinter, there
d;a5 in the Commercial Hospital. In
Cincinnati a young woman, over whose
bae6 two-and.twenty summers had
nsssed She had once been possessed OF
On enyiable share OF beauty, and mad
been. az she herself says, "hattered ana
.ongbt for the charms OF the lace; out,
sIss ON her fair brow was written mat
terrible word-prostltute. once .ne
pride OF respectable parents, her nrsi
wrong step was the small beginning OF
the "same old story over again Whlch
has heen the only life history oil thous-
ands Highly educated and accomplish
al manners, she might have shone In
tbo hest society. But the evil hour
tho. nroyed her ruin was the door from
cbiIdbood, and having spent young
life in disgrace and shame, the poor
t,;s,dIess one died the melancholy
death of broken-hearted outcast.
Lmoro her personal effects was found,
in manuscript, "The Beautiful Snow,
which was Immediately carried to Enos
B. Reed. a gentleman oil culture ana
literary taste, who was a. that uuie
editor of the National Union. In the
columns OF that paper, on the morning
If the day following the girls death,
the poem appeared in print for the hrst
I me- When the paper containing the
moan came out on sunday morning the
body of the victim had not yet received
bnr;.l The attention OF Thomas
Rnchanan Read, one Of the first Amer
;can noets. was so taken with their stir.
inc pathos that he i'm nediately followed
The corpse to its final resting-place.
Sncb are the plain facts concerning her
whose "Beautiiul Snow shall long be
remembered as one OF the brightest
gems in American literature.
q the snow, the beautiful snow!
H,Iiinx the sky and the earth below;
Over the housetDps, over the street,
over the heads OF the people you meet
Dancing.
Skipping along;
Ra.utiful snowl it can co nothing wrong
Flying to kiss a fair lsdy's cheek,
Ciinging 10 lips in frolicsome freak:
Raantifiil snow from the heavens above
Pure as all angle, gentle rs love-
n the snow, the beautiful snow
How the flakes gather and laugh as they 30
Whirling about in their maddenlnS tuh'
1t plays in its glee with every one
Laughing.
II lights on the face. and it spsrkies the eye;
And playful dogs, with bark anu pOuhu'
no
The town is alive. and it, heart IN glow
TowelcoIne the coming Of beautiful snow
How wildly the crowd goes swsying alorg'
Hsiliug oach other with humOr ana song!
How the gay sleds like meteors flash oy'
Brlrht for the moment, then lost 10 the eye
Ringing,
Dashing they go
Over the crust Of the beautiful snow
SNOW 50 pure when it falls from the SKY,
As TO make one regret 10 see IL ne ,,
10 be trampled and tracked by the thousand
Till It blends with the filth in the horrible
street.
Once was Us pure as the snow but fell
Fell like the snowflake from heaven 10 hell;
Fell TO be trampled ~ filth in the strcet;
Fell TO 100 scOfed 10 be spit on ana oeati
Pleading,
Dreading to die:
Calling my soul TO whoever would buy;
Dealing in shame for norsel of bread
Hating the living. aud fearing the dead
Merciful God, Have fallen so low
And vel WAS once like the beautiful snow.
Once was fair rs the beautiful snow,
With an eye ike the crystal, heart Ike is
glow;
Once was loved for my innocent grace,
Flsttered and sought for the charms oil the
face.
Father,
Sister. all,
God and myself | have lost by my fall
The yerie,t wretch that goes shivering by
VIII make wide sweep lest | wander 700
nigh;
For ali that is on or above me know
There's nothing rs pure as the beautiiui
snow.
How strange il should be that this beautiful
should fall ON a sinner with nowhere TO SO!
How strange it should be when night comes
again,
II tn snow and the ice struck my desperate
brain'
Painting,
Freezing.
Dying alone,
Too wicked for prayer, too weak for moan
To be heard in the streets OF the cnzy town,
Gone mad In the JOY OF the snow coming
down,
With a bed and shroud OF the beautiful
snow.
Helpless and foul as the trampied snow;
Sinner, despair not Christ stOope!h low
To Re scue the soul that is lost in It's sin,
And raise il to life and enjoyment again.
Dreaming.
Bleeding,
Dying for thee,
The Crucified hung on the accused tree;
His accents OF mercy fell soft on thine ear:
Is there mercy for me- Will he heed my
prayer"
o, God in the stream that for sinners did
flow,
Wash me, and shall be whittier than snow.
N \. Advocate.