THE COUNTRY CHURCH. Nor e'er essays, in sermon or in prayer, To share the hearer's thought; nor strives to make The smallest of his congregation lose One glimpse of heaven, to cast it on the priest. 1 10. Such simple course, in these ambitious times, Were worthy imitation; in these days, 4 When brazen' tinsel bears the palm from worth," Or some coarse thunderer, arm'd with doctrines new 11. The service done, the congregation rise, And with a freshness glowing in their hearts, 167 12. Some, lōth to go, within the graveyard loiter, THOMAS BUCHANAN READ. 1 Share, (shår). 2 Cast, (kåst). * Brazen, (brå′ zn). * Bears, (hårz). * Slědge, a heavy hammer. 'Seer, a person who foresees events; a prophet. Demolition, (dêm`o lish'un), act of overthrowing or destroying ; ruin. 'Benison, (bên ́i zn), benediction; a blessing; reward. SECTION XIV. I. 57. LAD AND HIS NEIGHBOR. I HAD, said William Lad, the apostle' of peace, a fine field of grain, growing upon an out-farm, at some distance from the homestead. Whenever I rode by I saw my neighbor Pulcifer's sheep in the lot, destroying my hopes of a harvest. These sheep were of the gaunt,' long-legged kind, active as spaniels: they would spring over the highest fence, and no partition wall could keep them out. 2. I complained to neighbor Pulcifer about them, sent him frequent messages, but all without avail. Perhaps they would be kept out for a day or two; but the legs of his sheep were long, and my grain more tempting than the adjoining pasture. I rode by again-the sheep were still there: I became angry, and told my men to set the dogs on them; and, if that would not do, I would pay them, if they would shoot the sheep. 3. I rode ǎway much agitated; for I was not so much of a peace man then as I am now, and I felt literally full of fight. All at once, a light flashed in upon me. I asked myself, "Would it not be well for you to try in your own conduct the peace principle you are teaching to others?" I thought it all over, and settled down in my mind as to the best course to be pursued. The next day I rode over to see neighbor Pulcifer. I found him chopping wood at his door. 4. "Good morning, neighbor!" No answer. "Good morning!" I repeated. He gave a kind of grunt without looking up. "I came," continued I, "to see about the sheep." At this, he threw down his ax and exclaimed, in an angry manner: "Now aren't you a pretty neighbor, to tell your men to kill my sheep? I heard of it; a rich man, like you, to shoot a poor man's sheep!" 4 5. "I was wrong, neighbor," said I; "but it won't do to let 'Apostle, (a pås' sl), one of the twelve disciples of Christ; a person sent forth to do some important business. Gaunt, (gånt), tall and thin: slender; lean. " Spaniels, (spån' yêlz). 2 TRUE FREEDOM, AND HOW TO GAIN IT. 169 your sheep eat up all that grain; so I came over to say, that I would take your sheep to my homestead pasture, and put them in with mine; and in the fall you shall take them back, and if any one is missing, you may take your pick out of my whole flock." 6. Pulcifer looked confounded; he did not know how to take At last he stammered out: "Now, 'Squire, are you in earnèst?" "Certainly I am," I answered; "it is better for me to feed your sheep in my pasture on grass, than to feed them here on grain; and I see the fence can't keep them out." me. 7. After a moment's silence, "The sheep shan't trouble you any more," exclaimed Pulcifer. "I will fetter them all. But I'll let you know that, when any man talks of shooting, I can shoot, too; and when they are kind and neighborly, I can be kind, too.” 8. The sheep never again trespassed on my lot. "And, my friends," he would continue, addressing the audience, “remember that when you talk of injuring your neighbors, they will talk of injuring you. When nations threaten to fight, other nations will be ready, too. Love will begět love; a wish to be at peace will keep you in peace. You can overcome evil with good. There is no other way." II. 58. TRUE FREEDOM, AND HOW TO GAIN IT. 1. E want no flag, no flaunting rag, for LIBERTY to fight; We want no blaze of murderous guns, to struggle for the right. WE Our spears and swords are printed words, the mind our battle plain; We've won such victories before, and so we shall again. 2. We love no triumphs sprung of force-they stain her brightest cause: "Tis not in blood that Liberty inscribes her civil laws. She writes them on the people's heart in language clear and plain; True thoughts have moved the world before, and so they shall again. 3. 3 We yield to none' in earnèst love of freedom's cause sublime;' We join the cry, “FRATERNITY!” we keep the march of Time. And yet we grasp nor pike nor spear, our victories to obtain; We've won without their aid before, and so we shall again. 4. We want no aid of barricade' to show a front to wrong; in vain ; They've won our battles many a time, and so they shall again. 5. Peace, progress, knowledge, brotherhood-the ignorant may sneer, The bad deny ; but we rely to see their triumph near. stain; We've won without such aid before, AND SO WE SHALL AGAIN. CHARLES MACKAY. L III. 59. A CHALLENGE TO AMERICA. ET us quarrel, American kinsmen. Let us plunge into war. We have been friends too long. We have too highly promoted each other's wealth and prosperity. We are too plethoric,' we want depletion; to which end let us cut one another's throats. 2. Let us sink, burn, kill, and destroy-with mutual energy; sink each other's shipping, burn each other's arsenals,' destroy 'None, (nůn), not one. 'Sub' lime', high; stately; lofty; in a city or near it. excellent. "Dūr a ble, lasting. 'Fra ter ni ty, brotherhood. 'Plĕth' or ic, over-full, especially of blood. 8 De pletion, act of emptying; blood-letting. 4 Băr ri căde', a fortification made in haste, of earth, stone, trees, wagons, or any thing that will stop the progress of an enemy, or serve for defense or security against his shot; any means of defense. Cit' a del, a fortress or castle, 'Ar se nals, places where warlike implements are made or kept; storehouses for guns, powder, etc. 171 each other's property at large. We will bombard' your towns, and you shall bombard ours-if you can. Let us ruin each other's commerce as much as possible, and that will be a considerable some. A CHALLENGE TO AMERICA. 3. Let our banks break while we smite and slay one another; let our commercial houses smash right and left in the United States and the United Kingdom. Let us maim' and mutilate' one another; let us make of each other miserable objects, cripples, halt, and blind, adapted for the town's end, to beg during life. 4. Come, let us render the wives of each other widows, and the mothers childlèss, and cause them to weep rivers of tears, amounting to an important quantity of "water privilege." 5. The bowl of wrath, the devil's punch-bowl, filled high, filled high as possible, share we with one another. This, with shot and bayonets, will be good in your insides and in my inside -in the insides of all of us brethren. 6. Oh, how good it is-oh, how pleasant it is, for brethren to engage in internē'cīne strife! What a glorious spectacle we Christian Anglo-Saxons, engaged in the work of mutual destruction-in the reciprocation' of savage outrages-shall present to the despots and the fiends! 7. How many dollars will you spend? How many pounds sterling shall we? How much capital we shall sink on either side-on land as well as in the sea! How much we shall have to show for it in corpses and wooden legs!-never ask what other return we may expect for the investment. 8. So, then, American kinsmen, let us fight; let us murder 1 Bombard, (bům bård'), attack with bombs, or large iron shells filled with powder, thrown from mortars or cannon. 995 2 Mãim, to deprive of the use of a limb, so as to render a person less able to defend himself in fighting, or to annoy his enemy; to deprive of a necessary part. 'Mu'ti late, to cut off a limb or important part of; to maim; to cripple; to hack. 4 Halt, (hált), lame. " Water privilege, the advantage of a water-fall in streams sufficient to raise water for driving water wheels. "Inter ne' cine, mutually de structive: deadly. 'Re cip`ro ca' tion, interchange of acts; a mutual giving and re turning. 8 * In věst' ment, the laying out of money in the purchase of some kind of property, usually of a lasting nature. |