Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1888-02-11
A LETTER IN POETRY.

A LETTER IN POETRY.
1.-THE following letter was written by we'll
known literary gentleman of this city to a
friend in the East. Its beautiful descriptions of
an ideal home and natural scenery and its pro-
found and original ideas on life and destiny,
are well worth bordering over. 1t contains
some rare starting points for thought-ED.J
Ny dear Mrs welland, your last charming letter
Found me happy in spirits and feeling much
better,
For the cold that took, on my way to the West,
Is over and done with and feel myself blest-
Blest TO be here in this bright genial Cline
With its soft balmy airs and glowing sunshine
And really can't tell you how happy felt,
When found myself here in the famed "citrus
belt"
In this land of the orange, the olive and vine
OF whose glories you've read both in prose and
in rhyme.
But never mas poet or writer expressed
One-half of the glory with which it is blest.
Its great snowtopped mountains in we-stirring
hight
That are cloud-capped by day and star-crowned
by night,
With its fruits so rare but climate still rarer
And its flowers so fair but its maidens still fairer
With its wild tangled forests thro' which you
may roam,
And read natures fairest, most marvellous poem.
Yet away from this beauty my mind win Oft
stray
To sweet little village and home far away
Far over the mountains that lie TO the East
Upon whose bright memories my soul loves to
feast
Where goodness abides-for who could e'er
doubt it,
For 10 evil could dwell in the sunshine about it.
And oft in my prayers, when think of your
home.
Away mid the hills, near calm, little Rome,
! ask the dear Lord to protect and TO bless,
And 10 keep from that home any i'll or distress
And so may LIES current thus pleasantly run,
I'll time and eternity mingle in one.
Tell Elsie, that oft when the twilight falls round
And all is so silent that scarcely a sound
Breaks the stiffness about me-a scene will arise
AS sweet and as fair as these far Western skies.
A lake on the hill tops as smooth glass,
Like mirror, rejecting trees flowers and grass
When all nature was throbbing with instinct
and love,
From the calm placid lake to the blue skies
above
But sweetest of all the fair visions that rise
Is fair girlish picture, with bright, laughing
eyes,
sistine Madonna wonderful face.
All breathing and glowing with beauty and
grace
Where every faint outline-tho' subtle and dim,
We're but faint revelations of beauties within.
And thus do the visions arise in my mind
Various in nature and different in kind.
The hill tops and valleys-the mountains high
crag
Where once roamed tle Indian or leapcd the
wild stag.
And the marks of the flood all scattered along,
When the torrent hushed out the brooks merry
song,
When haystacks and fences and lambs at their
Were caught in the swirl and were soon swept
away;
picture of life, with its visions and dreams.
us bright eXpectatlons-ltS sweet radiant CLEANS,
Which are caught in the swirl of fate'S subtle
power,
And are swept from our grasp-in moment
an hour
And we wonder and marvel that God in his love,
Does not grant all our Wishes with power from
But wait by and bye" When the mists roll
And we stand in the light of eternity's day =
When no longer we look on the dark of the
But 81 see face to face" as his plans come TO pass
We will find, tho dark colors are mixed with
the bright,
That the fabric is perfect-the weaving was
right,
Life is not iron fate-irreversible doom,
For the hand of the Lord ever shuttles the loom!
And His great final purpose, now unknown and
untold
viii be seen by and bye, 1Ohe the tceb is unroHed!
SO one thought I'd impress-just lay it to heart,
Never judge of the whole by life's little part,
For how could We tell what painting could be,
If only one dash of the brush we could see?
So whatever may be the theories of men,
Gods view is eternal, mans three score and
ten"
There's one other thought in which all must
agree,
That no one can say, II am all can be
For Just as in each tiny acorn ne see
Ihere lies, undeveloped, the great towering tree
so III each human soul great capacities lie
Which will grow and expand as the ages roll by
And just as the great towering tree could not
Be confined to the space of small flower pot
so tue soul, with Its powers to grow and expand
seeks the sunshine and room of Gods better
land,
And Just as the eaglets-confined to their nest
Which is built mid the crags, on the noun
q h
Look far over the peaks, nj the blue arching sky
Then hutter their wings-though poweress 10
fly,
Yet feel all the while that at some future day
Iher wings will be strong, they viii soar far
SO the soul now confined to this lifes little home
with It's powers SO weak-its wings not yet
Feels that God did not mean that this brief little
Vas all Of ecistence-tte real home Of man!
Tell good Brother Brandon how deep and pro-
Was the sense of Gods nearness which seemed
to abound,
And how many times since in mem'ry's fond
sight,
There has rlsen before me that Prayer Meeting
Night
And how true were his words YES God will
His light and his truth as IRE fitted to knoaUe
For just as each scholar or pupil at school,
Grows on as he studies-s0 thai is the rule
>
believe
That this knowledge viii come 1ohen ,ce cannot
receiue'
So that is the law of our progress in grace,
That God gives to each-in its Olcn proper place
More light and revealment, with each passing
day,
As the soul struggles on in its spiritual way
am glad you are happy and think it so wrong
To make life burden instead of a song
For why should we sorrow and fret O er our life
Its wrangleS and turnoils-its struggles and
strife?
Only gaze on the dear world so fresh and so
green,
No traces of sorrow-no fretting is seen,
SO sweet and inspiring come the spring of the
year,
so rlch and luXuriant when summer is here
And thus spring, summer and autumn success
sively go
Till winter comes sparkling with beautiful
snow
So there always is something to look to with JOY
Our eyes to delight and our minds to employ,
If we only would see i0hdt is near and not mar
Our present by peering ut what is afar,
For I'm sure God intended our lives should
abound
With JOY and with gladness the whole year
around
And remember, dear friend, that JOY is acittin,
Is not OF the winter, comes not with the spring
And now both my muse and you, patient friend
Will rejoice when tell you / really must end
This strange sort of letter, this Jingle OF rhyme
With the promise of better at some future time
And now with best wishes this missive end
By subscribing the name of your true, loyal
friend. John +, Won Herr2ici.