The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1882-12-27
JACK HoRNER III THE CLOUDS.

and reverence is u 10 S' I
did in what he says aud will hluntly
tell YOU his opinion Of any literary
article.
Some time ago I asked him what
be thought of certain piece which
had written, and his answer was
"this piece should have been written
in verse, but after shaking the poet
ry out of it there would not be much
left"
I have heard him and others sew
erely criticise Father Ryan because
he was too much Of poet. why
should not priest be poet!-
There is poetry of sorrow and OF JOY;
the world is a poem-is it to he
poem altogether of sadness and dark
ness? Are We to march through
this vale of tears, with no twilight,
no daylight, "no morning with its
cheeks all bloom and its breath all
incense" -all sorrow, all sadness and
gloom.
Mr.. Critic, the grand old Church
to which you belongis a poem which
God Almighty wrote; it has its sad
ness and its tears, so bitter that the
world never saw the like, but round
it is a haIlow of happiness, q prom
Use of an endless day, and of beauty,
and of glory, such as the heart of
mortals never felt, aud such as the
mind of man cannot conceive. That
old Church, old in years, bat with no
wrinkle upon her face, with Gods
blessing still upon its cheeks will yet
prove that McCauley's dream Of the
traveller from New Zealand sitting
on the broken arch of London's
bridge and sketching the ruins OF
St. Paul, was no dream after all
That Church understands the value
of poetry.
She has been the instructor Of
Gods teaching, the protector of vir-
tue and the patron OF science, litcra-
ture and the arts; the lies concern
ing the middle ages 10 the contrary
Notwithstanding. To her fold belong
the grandest poets, the finest pain
tiers and sculptors, the noblest intel
lects known to humanity. Her al
tars are decorated with flowers, on
her walls are hung the finest paint
ings, and her choirs echo with voices
such as scarcely to this earth; she
throws hallow around death, over
death she. throws the light of future
I promise, the candles about the coffil
are an emblem that from the grave
} 10 the throne of the Almighty ex
tends beam of light through which
: the pure and gentle spirits of thu
3 worthy dead can wing their high
. on high.
: The Bible is poem, our Church
is poem, and our priests should b.
poets such as Isaiah was.
e Father Ryan, let us not have to-
much prose. If for the noblest caus
: that ever went down in a sea o
I blood there is no resurrection thar
= mount upon the highest clouds pill
i Pelicn on Ossa, sit upon the highes
b pinnacle Of Fame, blow your bugI
: blast, unfurl your battered banner
wave on high the sword of Lee an
,, in imagination call around you tn
y spirits of heroes such as Sparta nev
d er owned but would have been prou
n to have claimed-listen to thei
measured tread as they marc
through the painless skies Of glcr,
, see once more their faces, all ger
9 tleness and kindness for those the
y love, but fierce, stern and unrelentin
7" to their foes, soft as the zephyr bu
T. dreadful as the storm.
e Mr.. Critic, God speaks to us
} the grandest of all poetry. Did 20
" ever see the storm-king astride {
e the whirlwind, marshaling his dar
y and frowning forces in the Mort
e Western sky ready to hurl down ul
y on US blast, such as few year
70 ago passed over John Davis place
e blast before which the fowls gath
cred to their roost, the cattle wer
q believing to the woods for shelte
J. before which all animated natur
: shuddered, even the grass cluu
0 closer to the ground, and the TALES
+ trees bowed in reverence.
y Upon a like occasion / saw bar
e upon the sea, the waves rolled moul
e tain high, the lights all went GU
r death was threatening on every sic
n and not ray Of hope illumined tt
o hearts of those on board. But til
/ next morning the sun rose brigt
r. and clear, and the white creste
Is waves in boyish frolic seemed to |
le playing with that dismantled vesse
r The land was in sight and the ere
l. with grateful hearts expected SOC