The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1889-12-18

Misty hisroglyphic lore;
In a land whose pulses slumber,
OR only bear in seeming,
Where the pathway of the Cesars
is a ruin evermore.
Bear me back, mighty ocean,
From the old world, gray and CORY,
To the forests and prairies
Far beyond the stormy waves
To land that fire. dom fostered,
To gigantic strength and glory,
To my homeland with its loved ones
And its unforgotten graves.
But her love for her native state is still
better expressed in that splendid, / was
about to say matchless, poem Indiana"
This is undoubtedly the finest tribute ever
paid to Indiana by any of her authors.
Would that this and poems OF kindred
nature might be printed in our school
books. Few things would do more to make
our children love and respect their native
state. | can give but two stanzas of this
exquisite poem. but hope the readers of
this sketch may have an opportunity to
read the entire poem. 1t is worth your
while;
Though many land Italia's cline,
And call Helveiia's land sublime,
Tell Gallas' praise In prose and rhyme,
And worship old Hispania;
The winds of heaven never famed
The circling sunlight never spanned
The borders of better land
Than our own Indiana
Her gentle mothers, pure and good.
In stately homes or cabins rude,
Are noble types of womanhOod;
Her girls are sweet AID cannie,
Her sons among the bravest brave,
Call no man master, no man slave
Holding in heritage God gave
In fee 70 Indiana
Mrs. Bolton is a true Hoosier in senti-
ment. She has spent her life among our
people, and she not only loves them, but
understands their genius and peculiarities
She knows that they appreciate and re-
spect all virtues, but that self-reliance and
perseverance are especially esteemed. She
has given expression to these Hoosier SEN
timents in her exquisite and most popular
poem paddle Your Own Canoe" Though
familiar to all, we give few lines as rep
sentative OF the entire poem:
Voyager upon LIES sea-
To yourself be true,
And wher'er your lot may be
Paddle your own canoe.
Never, though the winds may rave,
Falter nor look back;
But upon the darkest wave,
Leave shining track.
Nothing great is highly won;
Nothing won is lOst;S
Every good deed nobly done
Will repay the cost.
Leave to heaven in humble trust
All you will to do,
But If you succeed you must
Paddle your own canoe.
While Mrs. Bolton loves Indiana much,
she loves her country more. She was
firm unionist before and during the war
Her devotion to the Union is finely ex-
pressed in the patriotic poem, "The
Union" This poem is fiery invective-
a poetic philippe 1t well expresses the
patriot feeling during the war of the loyal
women of the North.
Dissolve the Unionl Let the blush of shame
Hide with its crimson glow the check
OF him who dares avOw the traitorous AIM
IT'S not the true the wise. the good who speak
Words of such fearful import; but the weak,
Drunk with fanaticism's poisonous wine,
And reckless Of the future, madly seek
To hold their saturnalia st the shrine,
Sacred TO human freedom, human rights divine
Mrs. Bottoms poetry is chaste and beau
tiful-the heart-songs OF a noble, gifted
woman. Her poems have been collected
and published in a finely illustrated vol
ume. This book is well worth reading.
Mrs. Bolton now resides at Beech Grove,
near Indianapolis, where she is spending
the evening of life happily. Although in
the seventy-sixth year of her age, she is in
full possession other mental powers and is
said to write vet with as much ease and
vigor as when she wrote the beautiful de-
scription OF Lake Leman, or penned the
ode to Mt. Blanc. She devOtes most of
her time to the education and care of her
grandcbildren-in making those happy
around her. How pleasant old age is to
those who really live
When called upon to define the word
poet. a wag once said: "A poet is one
whose imagination dwells among the
clouds, but who never pays cash to the
groceryman." He said this not because
wags are generally noted for the amount
of ready cash on hands, but because there
is a general notion among some people
that poets are shiftless, impractical,
dreamy, harmless souls, who are to be
pitied for weakness rather than CEN
sured for fault But in Indiana, at least
this opinion is not we'll founded. Some of
our most practical and brainiest profession
al and business men are our best poets
Major Gordon, the celebrated criminal
LAWYER; Clarence A. Buskirk, ex-attorney-
general of the state; Benz. 5. Parker, a
noted Journalist and politician; Maurice
Thompson, naturalist aud ex-state geolo-
gist; and letter from the Kankakee SAYS
that the inimical Pfrinmer is a real live
insurance agent as well as county superin-
tendent. No, the true poet is not an idle
dreamer, but one who sees the spirit of
things and is able to portray beauty no
difference where it is found.
That all poets are not impractical per-
sons is also demonstrated by the life of
Judge Biddle. Mr.. b. was born in Ohio