The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1896-10-17
THE REVOLUTIONARY RISING.
BY THOMAS BUCHANAN READ.

Out of the North the wild news came,
Far flashing on its wings of fame,
Swift as the boreal light which flies
At midnight through the startled skies.
And there was tumult in the air,
The ife's shrill note. the drums loud beat,
And through the wide land everywhere
The answering tread of hurrying feet
While the first oath of Freedoms gun
Came on the blast from Lexington
And Concord reused. no longer tame.
Forgot her old baptismal name,
Made bare her patriot arm of power,
And swelled the discord of the hour.
Within Its shade of elm and oak
The church of Berkeley Manor stood;
There Sunday found the rural folk.
And some esteemed of gentle blood.
In vain their feet with lettering trend
Passed mid the graves where rank is naught;
All could not read the lesson taught
In that republic of the dead.
How sweet the hour of Sabbath talk.
The vale with pace and sunshine full,
Where all the happy people walk,
Decked In their home-spun flax and wool;
Where youths gay hats with blossoms bloom
And every maid, with simple art,
Wears on her breast, like her own heart,
A bud whose depths are all perfumes
While every garments gentle stir
Is BREATHE g rose and lavender.
The pastor came; his snowy locks
Hallowed his brow of thought and care;
And calm, as shepherds lead their tlocks.
He led iato the house of prayer.
Then soon he rose; the prayer was strong;
The Psalm was warrior David's song;
The text few short words of might
tine Lord of hosts shall arm the right!'
He spoke OF wrongs endured too long,
OF sacred rights to be secured;
Then from his patriot tongue of flame
The startling words OF free ION came.
The stirring sentences he spak,
Compelled the heart to glow Quake,
And, rising on his themes bro I'd wing,
And grasplng in his nervous hand
The imaginary battle-brand,
In face of death he dared to fling
Defiance to tyrant king.
Even as he spoke, his frame, renewed
In eloquence of attitude,
Rose as 1t seemed, a shoulder higher,
Then swept his kindling glance of fire
From startled pew to breashless choir;
When suddenly his mantle wide
His hands impatient flung aside,
And, 10! he met their wondering eyes,
Complete In all warriors guise.
A moment there was awful pause
When Berkeley cried, cease, traitor! cease
Gods temple is the house of peace"
The other shouted, NAY, not so,
When God is with our righteous cause:
His holiest places then are ours,
His temples are our forts and towers
That frown upon the tyrant foe;
In this the dawn of Freedoms day,
There is a time to fight and prayl"
And now before the open door
The warrior priest had ordered So
The enlisting trumpets sudden roar
Rang through the chapel, DER and o'3r,
Its long reyerberaing blow,
So loud and clear, it seemed the ear
OF dusty death must wake and hear.
And there the startling drum and fife
Fired the living with fiercer life;
While overhead with wild increase,
Forgetting its ancient toll of peace,
The great bell swung as ne'er before.
1t seemed as 1t would never cease;
And every word its ardor flung
From off its jubilant iron tongue
Was, War! WAR! WAR;"
EWho dares?"-this was the patriots cry,
AS striding from the desk he came
Come out with me, in Freedoms name,
For her to live. for her to die?"
A hundred hands flung up reply,
A hundred voices answered, "I!''