The herald., 1893-11-30


Is there no limit to thy upward course,
NO bounds to thy temerity,
Thou massive, heaven-Asp piring tree?
What awful deity stood at thy birth
And cast thy horoscope? What mighty force
Impeled Thee frst, frm.root to the earth,
To forge up thro, the white clouds' billowy sea
Until thou seem'st at last to touch the sky?
Ana pierce with green its azure canopy?
How far b asst thou determined yet to spread
Thy branches; how hieh rear thy lofty head
Above the stable earth thou stsndest on,
But in thy proud growth seem'st still to scorn?
Wouldst thou the battlements OF heaven Ger
And make a Babel.tower OF thy huge form?
Gigantic tree, great monarch OF the wood
Eternai-evergreen-the uniubdued
What mockery of human hopes ana fears,
Ambitions struggles, sorrow, pain and tears,
Stupendols sarcasm on the fate OF man
His fitting life. small ways and sickly plan
How little dost thou heed the waste of time,
The warof elements, swift Ii ihtntngs iiash.
Slow, sure decay of lev'ling earthquakes crash!
The scorching sun-rays of tropic cline,
Force OF strong winds, friction of rain,
And all that follow IN destruction's train
All have eonspired to bring about thy fall;
But yet art thou above-beyond them all.
Proud as an eagles flight thro empyresn,e
Straight and trua as an archers arrow keen,
Erect as set by some huge plummet line
Firm set and old as Egy pts pyramid
Huge obsiisk of everlasting treen!
What message hast thou from the world d.
What mighty secrets in thy bosom hid?
Here at thy foot, inadoraton meek
| humbly bow, AMI ia my weakness feel .,
Their is q sublime something thou couldst
speak
Which sim pie words of mine cannot reveal. Is
hear deep-ioned mystic murmuring
It moves afar-o off and high up among
Thy scftly-rnsting leaves. Whence mas 1T
spruhgfc 1.,l
What new decree to mortals would'st thou
orine?as 80,
So emp, sublime, thy everlasting song,s
Thou ancient oracle whose freDZied tones
On winds OF prophecy are borne along
No wailing cry of long borne wrongs: 10 groans
OF falling dynasties: 40 benchihg bones.
0trewing the blood soaked battle-ground of
kings;
No dark idolatry, nor fetch stones.
Here does no poisoned blood-taint from the
past,
Nor former rude traditions hold thee fast;
Thou hast a voice that breathes OF better things.
The hope and keynote of humanity,
Dim-rustiag in thy branches, are the wings
OF destiny prophetic murmurings
OF grander themes aud triu nphs yet to be.
For thou dost seem to ME,
Gigantic tree, to be the image and
The emblem of the land
That nOurished thee.
The poem receiving the second price,
$40, was written by Mrs. jennie 8. Peet,
wss as follows:
HERO AT IvANITZA
War, q creator OF heroes? All, bat tits my be-
belief
That the heroes are there. and all war does
lis to bring them into rtliet.
What SO black as war cloud ,darkeping all the
ali?
OF course. on such background. courage but
shines more fair.
What Is the rarest courage? Is it to strike the
foe
While ihs horses neigh. and the bugles play
And the martial srdors glow? ,. s
Or, is 1t to bear defeat and shame ~
And a cold and lonely death,
And to do, the while some kindly deed,
With the last heroic breath?
List to little story, simple and simply told,
OF the slmplest bravest virtues known 10 the
ages old;
Learned, perchance. at mothers knee; the
truest courage by far;
To love our neighbor more than ourself-a
lesson not learned of war.
Up on the great Mount Yavor, over the servian
The army of the Ibar held back the Turk
amain.
The war camp on the summit to meet me,
AS 1.-The press rrespondent-mounted the
heights Alone &h T
never had been in action, but longed with
boys desire,
And life held no attraction like the baptism
OF fire.
TAere was tall young captain, handsome and
proud as Mars.
"splendor of youth" murmured, "born Of the
breath OF wals.'
These are the inspirations. This is mans true
None Of the peaceful virtues light up that noble
Swiftly 10 some old general all my credentials
went;
Into the scene around me wholly my soul SENT
Brief was my, cordial welcome; up, from the
other side rag
Cruelty. greed and license mounted in power
and nridp
Filling The air with terror, terror and horror of
sound;
our camping ground. N Fr
Over us lowered to heaven ragged and winds
1t rang liksa tuning fork, and split, and shiv-
Pieces falling and flying were killing and
Another great shell came, crying, and struck in
q group of men.
Sick, with q moral loathing, to think had
thought it fine -
For man to destroy his brother, stood by the
.u. blasted . pine. ,
to my brain:
Faces looked scarcely human, out Of yon heap
OF slain.
Flesh that could be SO tender-iesh that was
made 20 sweet
Gods own wonder of wonders, turned into
Paralysis seemed to hold me- and faintness
bandaged my eyes,
But stihfened my will and rallied, for life is q
splendid prize.
heard the officers calling, in the hollows and
round the hill;
The men were flying and falling, and the sh ellis
came screechiug SILL.
And round me, and all before me, with rush
and rattle ana shout,
To the downward pass the mighty mass from
the camp went emptying out
Down dashed the disordered cavalry; the in
fantry showed Its heels,
The booted and spurred artillery came rolling
It's heavy wheels;
And "Zipl Zipl Ping! Ping"- Right behind,
came sounds of near attack;
And the fezzes red, like a poppy bed, were
swarming upon our track
Down from the great Mount Yavor, choking the
vast ravine,