The National tribune., 1895-11-21

children. Their training involves everything
of vital moment to society and Government.
BLooMER CARNIVAL
As Scraps Sa,c n.
Once upon a midnight dreary. as pondered sad
Pondered sad and pondered weary as oft had
done before,
Came upon my door rapping. came sudden,
Tapping. rappine, rapping, tapping. came II on
my chamber door.
Quickly TO my feet started, while my soul in
twain parted.
With a swift and sudden terror had never known
before;
What meant this this somber tapping grewsome.
fearsome, darksome rapping.
Rapping. tapping. tapping, rapping. loud upon
my chamber door?
Is 1t ghost? or is it fairy: Ghoui or ghost. 1t Is
or the knucLles that are rapping, tapping on my
chamber door;
Is u disembodied spirit come TO beg OF me to
cheer ite
Joi felt queer sensation that I'd never felt
before.
Back into the chair behind sank Il cordons
seemed 10 bind me.
And a hideous demon chorus on my cars did
loudly fall; 2
Mocking faces fionted round me as the dark spell
closer bound me. ..
Closer and yet closer bound me In ifs horrid,
deathike thrall.
"who are WEI" heard rs round me pressed The
uncanny throng that bound me
With the iron chains that held me helpless in my
easy chair:
"Spiriis foremost in the movement aiming at
vast Improvement
In the life of evry woman In this land so free
and fair.
:" We come to you in vision showing forth the
That win open up before when we have the
right 10 vote;
Think. o. only think, dear sister, of the glorious
sunlit vista
Stretching out before u.s." was the answer that
my senses smote.
Struggled for speech all vany; struggled for
speech iasanely,
But my bonds they held me tightly, held me in
steel-like clasp;
And The spirits round me Knocked me. crying
loudly, "Ah. we've locked ye
In the bonds that ever fill ye with desire all
power 10 grasp.
"stugge We against all reason, for many
Passes what TO. day is but dream will real be;
Victory we see before US, verna skies bending Ger
us;
viii You still refuse 10 join us. marching onward
to be free?"
Speech al last given to me. wrath too deep for
words rushed through me,
And looked into their faces with n dark, DEFIANT
stare;
Think you.- cried I. Ito subdue me with soft
speech or eer to WOO me
Over to your side with pictures that, own, are
passing fair?
Woman suffragisis. rebeliing 'gainst your ma
lures and repelling
What is sweetest, what is dearest what is best for
woman, here.
Know, you never can pervert me; know, you
never can convert me
To the views you hold regarding woman and her
proper sphere?
ain your teeth fling defiance can never place
reliance
On the pictures and the visions you have Just re-
And your glorious sunlt vista 10 ray sight Is very
misty,
For j cannot gee that suffrage is TO liberty the
key"
"sister" said voice above me, the spirit sought
From the stand that had taken in firm. de-
cided way,
g Let your prejudice be shaken fling away the old,
mistaken
Views that, for you, din, the brightness of the
glorious. cawnipg day.
+" Join, oh. join us in marching meath the bow
OF promise arching -.-..
Over all our great endeavors. glowing with pris-
matte fire;
Lift, oh lift your voice TO cheer us. keep your
presence ever near u@.
One. 'mong many, give assurance that our hope
Never" said ], firmly. "never! Naught you say
to me can ever
Make me join you in your marching though you
claim 1t makes you free.
Know, ola. spirits If The movement aiming at the
vast improvement
or your sex, for cheer you never, never can de-
pend on mel"
Once again the demon voices filed the room with
bideous noises.
And the spirits surged about me as I sat there in
my chair;
Dark with passion were their faces as they glnred
down from their places
On me as boldly sat there with defiance In my
air.
o! their anger terrific and the epithets pro-
life
OF their scorn both fast and furious broke on my
dcfenseless head
Some cen tried to be satiric; some, with glowing
panegyric.
Sought to M as the moments unto morning
swiftly fed.
But cared not for their anger for the horrid
deaih-like languor
That at midnight lad enthraled me- fed now at
j was Ia The best Of humors I looked upon The
boomers
That were worn with greatest eelat by the spirits
OF the night.
" ] must now" said ]. politely, "say good morn.
itg TO you. Nightly
Visits from you, let me tell you, are not asked by
me AT all;
For I"-Hafk! What is that tapping? What that
loud, rcsounding rapping?
I've been dreaming. and the noise hear now ia
the breakfast call.