Stephens City star. (Stephens City, Va.) 1881-1883, 1883-03-17
The Stephens City Star.
WAYSIDE MESSENGERS"
For the Star.1
NUMBER TWO.

The first month of Spring opens
with as cold weather as it has been
our portion to endure during the time
Winter ruled with glittering snow
crown and ice-covered scepter. These
4 chilling winds cannot-last ler5s, how
ever and this very thought will help
us over our uncomfortable feelings as
we button our coats close about us
and draw down our Uncovered caps.
There is such a satisfaction in know
ing an unpleasantness cannot endure
1 forever, but must give place as in the
subject referred to, to the smiles and
joys of Spring-time's loveliness. So
ciety for the past few weeks has laid
claim to our time, and we wish that
all the readers of the STAR could have
been with us in our enJoyments. With
an invitation to high dinner party
at Hon. Judge 5; Longfellow
celebration on the 9th, Missionary
Anniversary, and an old-time tea
party, our time has been taken up, and
our pen-almost forsaken. The Long
fellow celebration was very enjoyable !;
it is an excellent way to impress good
literature upon the minds of any COM
mnnily. Prof R furnished some
translations in German to prove that
in this particular Mr.. Longfellow ex-
celled of course the general reader
is interested mostly in the simpler
works OF the great poet, not having
the time, we cannot all of us enter
into an analysis of these translations,
even if we had the ability. His Ger
man, Spanish, italian and Swedish
translations are said by competent
judges to be very fine indeed, preserv-
ing ia the former the beautiful rythm
which lends so much grace to his writ
ings. His "was poetry of the heart
in its peaceful, not in its martial
moods, and it met those moods not
Enthusiastically, but hopefully, cheer
lily, bravely." A friend of Mr.. Long
fellows has said, ",But beautiful and
ample as the expression of himself
was, it fell short of the truth The
man aUaS more and better than the poet. y
Selections from 1.-The Courtship OF
Miles Standsh" were read, MS also the
beautiful poem, "The Building of the
Ship !" songs were sung, such as "The
Day is Done" ''The Psalm of Life, u
"The Rainy Day &c. The reading
we considered verv fine, the most sur
prising feature being the rendering Of
the selections from The Courtship O
Miles Staudish, " which the talented
gentleman assured us was the SECOND
time he had ever attempted to read
poetry publicly The point we would
make Just here is this: Do any of us
know what talent we possess, until We
sound the deep silences of our naturest
The notes of the Missionary Ami.
| versary," together with few remarks
to the lady readers only, upon the "Tee
Party" will appear in Number Thu et
of our "Wayside Messengers Blu
before closing we would like to whis
! per our thanks to Myrtle" for all thu
| lovely things she has written about us
As his is the second time we hav,
been called ont before the readers 0
/ the STAR, we feel little embarrassed
4 in the blaze of the foot-lights how
u ever-well-There is one point W,
!, must explain. " Myrtle calls u
good" Please do not make any mis-
!. takes, kind friends, and think, because
our style is didactic, we ourselves arr
better than our fellows; we. claim n,
such superiority. To use Shakespeare
words, II can easier teach twenty wha
\ were good to be done, than be one o
\ the twenty to follow mine own teach
ing" and as George Eliot puts it, | an
simply one among Gods cheerful, fail
table men and women If Myrtle
could look just above our writing tabl
at the fair face which smiles upon ii
during our hours of busy thought, AM
see us as we sit and watch "a pictur
come and 90, in our hearth's .brigh
!. glow, which has not the hazel eyes Q
: Maud Muller, but the bright eyes of
y dear little girl away off in Brooklyn
$ whose beautiful face is but poorly re
Ct hected in the portrait which adorn
r our wall, she would not be so sure on
: claim is a inst one to the delicate pre-
: fix the editor so kindly attached to on
name To avoid all unpleasant mass
understandings in the future, we Civ
our signature in full.