Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1886-01-05
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Come, gentle spirit that attends
The birthday of another year,
While yet the seasons mirth abounds,
And welcome Christmas tide is near.
Leave but awhile the festive scene
To scan with retrospective view
The record of the closing year,
And hear its message to the new.
No easy task to, guide the way
Along the avenues that wind
Around the groups of great events,
That Time is leaving now behind.
Yet no historic pen is thine
To trace their causes and effects
Thy task is simply to relate
The truths hasty glance collects.
The waves of action late have left
Deep impress on the sands of time (;
The circle of their ebb and how
Hath touched the shores of every
cline.
The lire-fiend's torch, the earthquake 3
shock,
The lightning's fash, the cyclones
roar,
And dreaded pestilence, have swept
The startled nations DER and o'er.
The rusting sword hath left its sheath,
The Albion armies rank and file
Sought conquests new on distant
plains
BY the dark waters of the Nile.
But countless Islam gathered there
The bold invader to repel,
And stamped the motto of defeat
On Britain's shield, when Gordon
fell.
But in that ancient realn from whence
The records of the races spring,
Her forces move victorious now.
And captive lead a hostile King.
Despite the Cossack's dark intrigue
To sieze the sceptre of command,
The flag of England waves to-day
Triumphant Ger that Pagan land.
Throughout the nations discomfort,
And elements of discord rife.
Had gathered brooding clouds of war,
And auguries of coming strife.
But knowledge late hath lent its aid
The powers of treaty to increase,
And wisdom o'er the wounds of state
Is pouring now the oils of peace.
Save where the Servian hosts invade
The confines of the Balkan land,
While the proud Turk inactive waits,
And Austria stays her potent hand.
But brave Bulgarians spring to arms,
Their hero-Prince hath solved their
fate,
His Spartan band hath sealed in blood
The Union of their native State.
NATIONAL.
And here in our favored Republic
That broad, sunny land of the
West
The shadows of strife are departing,
The hatred of Sections at rest.
For the Sect that had fostered dissen-
sion
And stirred the dull embers of war,
Dispersed by the sunlight of Union,
Have dropped into night, as star.
See there, in the grand old Dominion,
'Tis now but the break of the day !;
The black, writhing forms of the
nighttime,
Are hurriedly stealing away.
For the tints of the coming Aurora
Now Tighten the deep Jbrooding
night,
And the shapes that have haunted her
borders,
Live not in the presence of light.
Come now by the rolling Potomac,
State union embodied is here;
1t seems as if forms of the Heroes
Who carved 0ut our freedom ap-
pear.
For the will ef the people recorded
In the chsfter of rights is at hand,
And voicefas it was by our Fathers,
Goes firth Ger the far lying land.
And telling the millions that harbor
Beteath its Briarean arms,
Tha the rights which their charter
secured them
Are havened, securely from storms :;
That the mantel of law waited west
ward
Envelopes their public domain,
And Justice, triumphant 'er passion,
Is guarding their treasures again.
While the white wings of commerce
reactive,
Are bearing to neighboring shores
The wealth Of our varied productions.
A surplus of bountifuI stores,
Now over these birds of the Ocean
The star spangled banner unfurIed ]
An olive OF peace to the nations,