Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1894-12-27
oRRIsTMds FINCIEs.
d. WlIIlnm Mncaonnla Wood.

bS bophs
The moon CLEANS fitful through the break
ing clouds
That ali day long obscured the feeble
light.
The spell of storm is broken, though the
Clings to the rocking meadows like a
blight
And here and there n star peers through
the rift.
The rainbow pledge of clearer skies to
And lantern lights shine through the
shadowy trees .55=
To guide some laggard to his wakeful
home.
Quiet, as graveyard quiet, the village
sleeps,
But the low rumble of distant train
Tells that the busy world is moving still
With restless purpose and untiring brain.
Now childhood's sleeps filled with Christ
mas dreams,
The spell Of Christmastide is in the air.
And babbling BARNS went willingly to bed
And mingled Christ and Santa Claus IN
prayer.
This is their time, grudge them not their
Nor the fond myths that yield them such
delight.
But have drained the bitters of Life's cup,
And Christmas fancics crowd OH me to-
night.
Soulless and sordid as it seems to-day
The world seemed nineteen hundred
years ago,
The shepherds mourned the hardness of
their fate.
And sagess scanned the. sky for Hopes
bright glow.
I 4
Where smiled the Baby, weak and help
less vet.
Amounted with all maukind's prayers and
tears,
On whom the hopes of this yexed world
were set,
They looked and courage came. They
saw the end
night,
When, clothed with manhoods form and
Godhoods power
The Babe should end the wrong and
bring the light.
Bright dreams were these, but we have
learned full well
The way of God is ''mysterious wav
10 whom enthroned in majesty serene
thousand years are ms a single day.
II seems not SO to us, who plodded on
From grave TO grave and stumbling as
we went.
Through nights that had no light of moon
or stars
And days that were in sunless labor
spent.
The Nalareae has conquered. Der The
world
The cross he died on is sacred sign.
His name is magnitied in every tongue
And al earth's kings are kneeling at his
shrine -"
But where is the deliverence that shopld
come
RI, 10 ~ earth's weary, heavy laden brood?
Inc purifying OF the heart from si, !
The welding of the world in brother-
hood?
friend '"e ''''''ela
should come to-day and walk upon our
Cleared. eyed and reading all the Thoughts
of men,
Seeing all sOrrows, scnrnny nil deceits
He who temptation in its every form
Had vanuutshei who had Eelt lin sor
rows wounds,
cords 60 u
Drove me SrnuS MERGERS from the TEN.
pes bounds ~
If lie were breathing here the atm0snhcra
VI sofd'd, PaltFy aims that gives rs
Would lie, recalling Calvary's horrors
That such Il triumph was worth suc,, :.
death? SUI
But night is breaking and tbc r,ii,,,s.,
Pale in the pcarly radiance of ihsS ~, t",H
Let ci!o'ld'bon creams 90 with ii, lot M
Share, - ~
With all my fathers, Hopes eternal
feast. ''"'
The Woden cult dies hard, Through ali
our veins -
Leap: the wild blood of barbarous cen.
turtles,
The lust Of power, the lusts of life ara
Pregnant with wrongs and drefui
mlseries.
But better days are coming, and tLc st,r
oi Hope beams bright as erst ON Brthle.
hem : hill,
The bonds shall break, the prisoner shall
The light shall come and good sb,Il
yanquish i'll,
As herd and Magian gathered round the
Child we
Whose smile made glorious the Judean
byre,
SO will we gather round these BARNS of
ours VA
Who hold so much of hope and of dosir,
Their feet may stand where ours hive
stumbled so,
Their hands may do the work we leave
tlndone,
Their eyes may hail the splendors Of the
noon,
Though oars can scarce discern the risiuo
SIN.
This is their feast this dawning feast Of
Yule. - -
We, like the Magi, have but gifts to
bring.
INCENSE OF love and consecrating prayers,
These are our offerings to the Child our
King.