The Pascagoula democrat-star. (Pascagoula, Miss.) 1878-1920, 1886-06-11
WELCOME TO THE PRESS.


HkAIIbN y ~ ~
"
Reeited By Hiss Maud Exum before th'
Press Association Of Mississippi, at Yves
Point, May 18th, 1886.
Oct there be light r The formless vast
Through all her silent void, the mandat
hears,
And fastening to obey the voice tina
speaks.
Ia thunder tones, darkness her bannei
fhrls,
And circling with the speeding years,
The Sun, from Orient, the first faint
streaks
OF rosy light along his pathway throws,
And life aud beauty out Of chaos grows.
"Let there DO light through realms OF
thought
IL heard anon. from voice impOrtnnate
And, like its prototype, tho circling Sun
Which raises from their graves the iower
fraught
With dewy fragrance, aud the gate
OF morn uncloses, from ths darkness won,
The Press, thoughts %luminary, now ap.
pears,
Lighting the yistas of coming years.
1t p~ierces through the gloom of night;
And, one by one, the links that formed
her chain,
Are severed. and adorn her frightening
a~isles,
Fiock-wipged ~fancies, in their airy flight.
Like birds home-hying when the daylight
wanes,
Or leaving summer ne SITS on reedy isles
OF northern lakes, their southwark course
pnrsue.
1t shines through shadows OF the past
And from the tomb of ages, where they
slept
In dark unbroken silence, being the
thoughts
OF seers and sages. scattered broadcast
These Weakened flowers that have kept
Their winsume, fresh, immortal beauty,
caught
From hearts that sought communion with
the just,
But long have slumbered, mingling with
the dust.
II breathcs with balmy sweetness where
The frost-king wa his home, mid fields of
snow,
Aud ice bound streams in ceaselcSs mono
tone
Lament their chains; and where the
seasons wear
Their brightest garments aud the south
winds blow
Der laughing streams meath willows over
grown,
It sends its greeting, and thro' i'll or good
The Nations bind in closer brotherhood.
The harvest meath its rays is whitening,
And laborers are tOiling in the fields,
Casting the worthless tares from out the
wheat,
And into precious shcaves are gathering
While weavers at their looms, with shut
tie fleet,
Life's fairest web are weaving, thus to
bind
In one, the product of the heart and mind
We welcome you! ye toiiers who have
won
The smile of joy from sadness, and have
bound
shining crown upon the brow of
care,
We greet you, who, with loving heart
have spun
Glad thoughts, that through the web of
life have wound
strands in golden filling, rich and
rare,
thoughts whose huas shall fade not,
tho the pail
Of time Oblivion settles over all.
The night-the long dark, night is past,
The night of gloom and chaos, and her
power
Is broken by the arrowy shafts of light.
chasing her flying phantoms far aud fast,
from her dark brow, the clouds that
lower,
.rathful AMI grim, reluctant take their
flight.
Il kingly purple clad. the sceptered morn
'teps from the shining portals the dawn.
md may the Press, the sen Of thong hit
higher, brighter, DER the hills of
morn.
Till from the zenith fair, it's rays shall fall
Yer all the Nations, blessing them, and
naught
Il darkness hide, unseen, but LIGHT adorn
With gladness all the earth, and virtue
wall
Ter round on every side, with golden
chain,
nd love brood over valley, hill and plain.
nd when the pen has conquered all
he foes to virtue and to happiness,
nd "peaee on earth, good will to men
hall reign in palace, hat aud hall,
its calm, peaceful splendOr softly rest
pom the earth, like evenings spirit,
when
be Sun, from cloudy curtain crimson
lined,
ids goodnight" to the world he leaves
behind.