Oldalképek
PDF
ePub

good God, all things, whether joyous or sorrowful, will, in the end, help to bring about the highest good.

7. This type of character,—this great moral power,—marked Mr. Lincoln through his whole life. It enabled him to use life's experiences for his own and others' good. The career of a Mississippi boatman,- so fatal to many young men, because they have not moral power to convert its boisterous experiences into steps in manly progress,—was to him, no doubt, a source of improvement in the power to resist temptation. He was a stronger man for this experience, in all the elements that go to form a noble character. A man that can draw moral nourishment from the turbid influences of such a life, must surely have true greatness conceded to him. A little man,-little in the essentials of a true manhood,could never digest such material into that noblest product of the Divine hand, an honest man. This power to transmute the evil of this world into a sterling Christian character, to gather honey from the thorns and nettles of an unpropitious experience, to turn the darts of the devil against him who hurled them forth,- this is a power allied to that of God himself, and stamps its possessor with the unmistakable impress of true greatness!

8. But Mr. Lincoln was also great in his simplicity, and in his full confidence in the ultimate success of the right. Little men are ever seeking circuitous paths,-ever striving to prop up their feebleness by intrigue and strategy. It takes a strong mind to rely implicitly and calmly upon the final triumph of truth and justice. The small craft toss and plunge with every wave that rises; but the vast steamship plows her way through their midst, never deviating from her true course. Thus, great minds, guided by a celestial light, spurn every solicitation that would draw them aside into the paths of chicanery and deceit. They see so clearly the end from

the beginning, they comprehend so fully the great purpose of life, that they cannot prevail upon themselves to stoop to the little by-plays of faction. And they always succeed, because their lives are in harmony with the great plan of the universe!

XVII. WASHINGTON.

ELIZA COOK.

1. LAND of the West! though passing brief the record of thine

age, Thou hast a name that darkens all on history's wide page e! Let all the blasts of fame ring out-thine shall be loudest far; Let others boast their satellites-thou hast the planet star.

2. Thou hast a name whose characters of light shall ne'er depart;

'Tis stamped upon the dullest brain, and warms the coldest heart;

A war-cry fit for any land where freedom's to be won:
Land of the West! it stands alone-it is thy Washington!

3. Rome had its Cæsar, great and brave; but stain was on his wreath:

He lived the heartless conqueror, and died the tyrant's death. France had its eagle; but his wings, though lofty they might

soar,

Were spread in false ambition's flight, and dipped in murder's gore.

4. Those hero-gods, whose mighty sway would fain have Ichained the waves

Who fleshed their blades with tiger zeal, to make a world of slaves

Who, though their kindred barred the path, still fiercely waded on

Oh, where shall be their "glory" by the side of Washington

5. He fought, but not with love of strife; he struck but to defend;

And ere he turn'd a people's foe, he sought to be a friend: He strove to keep his country's right by reason's gentle word, And sighed when fell injustice threw the challenge-sword to sword.

6. He stood the firm, the calm, the wise, the patriot and sage;
He showed no deep avenging hate-no burst of despot rage.
He stood for liberty and truth, and daringly led on,
Till shouts of victory gave forth the name of Washington.

7. No car of triumph bore him through a city filled with grief; No groaning captives at the wheels proclaimed him victor chief:

He broke the gyves of slavery with strong and high disdain; But cast no scepter from the links when he had crushed the chain.

8. He saved his land, but did not lay his soldier trappings

down,

To change them for a regal vest, and don a kingly crown.
Fame was too earnest in her joy, too proud of such a son,

To let a robe and title mask her noble Washington.

9. England, my heart is truly thine-my loved, my native earth!

The land that holds a mother's grave, and gave that mother

birth!

Oh, keenly sad would be the fate that thrust me from thy shore,

And faltering my breath that sighed, "Farewell for evermore ! "

10. But did I meet such adverse lot, I would not seek to dwell Where olden heroes wrought the deeds for Homer's song to

tell.

"Away, thou gallant ship!" I'd cry, "and bear me swiftly on; But bear me from my own fair land to that of Washington!

ANALYSIS OF WASHINGTON.

[ocr errors]

What kind of poetry is this? [See Analysis of The Gray Old Man of the Mountain, page 68.] What is the general sentiment of it? [It is high admiration for a very noble character, which inspires the writer with exalted conceptions. Let it be read with full, pure, ringing tones.] What rendered Washington worthy of such praise? On what circumstance does his fame chiefly depend? What sentiment, often quoted, was uttered by Henry Lee, in his oration on the death of Washington? What is the meaning of that sentiment? Are many words in this poem derived from foreign languages?

[ocr errors]

First Stanza.

What is meant by "Land of the West"? Meaning of the word "passing," in the first line? Meaning of the whole. line? How long is the "record" here spoken of? What name is meant in the second line? "darken all on history's wide page "? Why is the page said to be "wide"? in the third line? What is the force with "out"? What are "" satellites"? nated here? What is a "planet"? A "star"? In the

In what sense does it "Darkens all" what? Meaning of "blast," of the clause ending Who are thus desig

phrase, the "planet star," which word is used a little out of its exact meaning? Who is called the " planet star"? Who is meant by "thou," in the fourth line?

Give the etymology and meaning of brief [See directions under Gray Old Man of the Mountain], record, history, fame, blasts, satellites, planet. What inflection on the word "west"? Why? Which word in the first line, after the word "west," is most important? Why? Most important word or group of words in the second line? Determine the same thing for each of the clauses in the third line. At what places in the third line is the falling inflection demanded? What words are contracted, and therefore important, in the fourth line?

66

Second Stanza.

What is the meaning of the first line? What is a character"? What are characters "of light"? What is stamped upon the dullest brain"? Meaning of this clause? Meaning of the latter half of the second line? What is called "war-cry"? What is a war-cry? Give the meaning of the third line. In what case is the word "land," in the fourth line? What "stands alone"?

Give the etymology and meaning of character, depart, stamped, freedom, stands.

Which

Point out the falling inflections in this stanza. word in the first line is most important? What groups of words in the second line are most important? In the third line? In the fourth line?

Third Stanza.

Why should " Cæsar" be referred to? Give an account of Cæsar. [See Note, page 456]. What is meant by Cæsar's "wreath"? Meaning of the words "but stain was on his wreath"? Meaning of the first part of the second line? Of the second part? Who was the "eagle " referred to in the third line? Why is he called an eagle? What is meant in the last part of the third, and in the fourth line?

Give the etymology and meaning of stain, heartless, conqueror, tyrant, eagle, ambition.

Carefully determine the emphasis and inflections as before. Listen thoughtfully to your own reading, and fix upon the

« ElőzőTovább »