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SENTINEL SONGS.
BY RSV. AiJItAM J. BY AN.
When sink.* the soldier brave
Dead at the feet of Wrong,
The poet sings—and guards his grave
With sentinel*, of Bong.
“ Go, Song*!”—h* gives command—
« Keep ftkithful watch, and true ;
The living and dead of the Conquered Land
Have now no guards, save you.”
“ And Ballads! mark ye well,
Tlirico holy is your trust;
Go out to the field* where the warriors fell,
And sentinel their du*t/'
And the Songs, in stately rhyme,
With softly sounding tread,
March forth—to watch till the end of time
Beside the silent dead.
And when the foeman’s host
And hate have passed away,
Our guard of Song* shall keep their post,
Around our soldiers’ clay.
A thousand dawns may glow,
A thousand dates may wane,
The deathless Songs, where the dead lis low,
True to the last, remain.
Yea, true ! They will not yield
To tyrants or to time.
At ev’ry grave and on ev'ry field
Where men died, death's sublime.
Lone vigils thoy will keep,
Obcdiant to their bard ;
And they will wa&h when we shall si cap—
Our last and only guard.
What though our victors say
No column shall be built
Above the graves where the man in Gray
Lie mould’ring in their “ guilt?”
.AL! let the tyrant curse
The dead he tramples down I
Our strong, brave songs, in their sweet sad verse,
Fear not the tyrant's frown.
What though no sculptured shaft
Commemorate our brave ?
"What though no column epitaphed
Be built above their grave ?
When marble wear* away,
And monuments are dust,
The songs that guard our soldier*’ clay
Shall still fulfil their trust.
SETHOVEN’S MOONLIGHT SONATA.
FROM THE GERMAN. BY A. FORESTER.
Before taking* the position of Court
Organist at Vienna, Bcthoven was living
iii bis native city Bonn, in the most
straightened circumstances. All day he
sat by the old worn out piano, from which
he never parted, and wrote his great tone
creations, and only under cover of the
night would he venture without doors for
his long walks A musician, his faithful
admirer and only friend, was in the habit
of accompanying him upon these nightly
rambles.
Once upon a winter’s evening, when the
full moon shed its silvery light over the
ancient houses and upon the glassy sur
face of a frozen river, they heard in pass
ing a lowly cot in the vicinity of the Kob
lenz gate, music that caused Bcthoven to
stand still in amazement. It was his F.
Major symphony, played with the most
astonishing fire and expression upon an
old wiry harpsichord.
Suddenly, while Bcthoven and his
friend stood listening, the music ceased,
and through the window out into the
street, where they stood, they heard a sup
pressed sigh, and the voice of a young
girl broke the stillness of the night. It
was thus she spoke :
“ I can play no more, brother. Some
other time, not this evening. Oh, this
music is so beautiful, it steals to my very
heart, and implants there a feeling of deep
sadness.”
Bcthoven pressed the hand of his friend.
“ I must see this genius,” he said, and
without delay he entered the house, walk
ing at once to the room whence the music
had proceeded. It was a little shabbily
furnished room upon the ground floor,
only faintly lighted by a broken piece of
candle. A young man sat at a work
table. lie was a shoemaker. Not far
from him stood a maiden, her arm resting
upon the old harpsichord, her head bent
downward.
“ Forgive me,” said Bethoven to tlie
shoemaker, who had sprung to his feet in
surprise; “ 1 heard music here and I my
sell am a musician—”
This called a half mistrustful, half
ironical expression to the face of the
shoemaker, who thus replied :
u lou would like to play something for
me ! Ah, our instrument is very poor,
besides we have no notes.”
How ! \ou have no notes,” cried
Bethoven in an ecstacy of delight, “ and
yet, Fraulien, you play.”
He stopped abruptly, for now, for the
first time he discovered that the maiden
was blind.
“ I could not believe,” said he, some
what, embarrassed, u that you were play
ing the symphony from memory.”
“ 1 once lived with a lady in Bingen,
who played this symphony very often,”
the maiden replied, “ it impressed itself
upon my memory, for I loved music.’’
“ Let me play for you,” said Bethoven,
and without another word he seated
himself before the harpsichord.
He struck first a few simple chords,
which gradually rose and swelled to sym
phonic form, and beneath the master
touch, the worn discordant instrument
seemed to gain its original harmony.
"VV ith ever increasing boldness and power
did his fantasy find expression, now
wailing, dying away, melting into the
tendered tones.
Involuntarily all were spell bound by
the happy flights of imagination. The
shoemaker sat with his eyes fixed in won
der at the stranger, while his sister was
lost in devotional feeling.
Suddenly the lamp flickered out. But
Bethoven did not cease : doubtless he
had forgotten the realities about him
Softly the shoemaker stole to the window
and pushed open the shutters, so that
the full moon streamed through into the
room.
The glorious light, as it beamed upon
the keys, must suddenly have broken the
chain of Bethoven’s ideas.
He ceased playing, bowed down his
head, and seemed lost in thought.
Finally the blind girl’s brother stepped
up to him and said in a tone of deep
respect:
“ Who are you ?”
Bethoven raised his head and gazed ab
sentedly at the shoemaker—then he smiled
and said :
“Listen !”
He played a few passages of the F. major
symphony, the one that had but now so
excited the blind girl.
A cry of rapture rang from the maiden’s
lips.
“You are Bethoven ! Oh ! my God !
Oh, pley more!”
The master looked up, greatly affected,
into the face of the pleading girl. Then
a flash of lightning crossed the starry
heavens of his brain, the fingers once
more fell upon the keys. Deep, mourn
ful, stormy, was the melody that now arose
from the instrument, then followed a pas
sage of light almost wanton coloring, like
the dance of sportive elfs by midnight
uuon the surf or on a desert island in the
midst of the surging ocean. Now the
chords burst into a wailing lament, making
the heart thrill with a melancholy yearn
ing. A shrill ghost-like chord—then
Bethoven sprang up, seized his hat, and
turned to hasten away.
“ Will you come again ?” asked the
blind girl, in deep emotion.
11 Yes, yes,” he called out as lie has
tened away. “ I shall come back again.”
He hastened home to his wretched
lodgings, to write down this “ moon
light fantasia, while it was night.
Morning was already breaking in the
east as he wrote the last notes of this
“ C. sharp minor Sonata ”
From the Mobile Register, March 24th.
“PAGAN AND CHRISTIAN FAMILIES.”
The Rev. Father Smarius delivered a
lecture, Monday evening, in the Cathedral
of the Roman Catholic Church, upon this
subject. The lecture was given for the
benefit of the orphans, and was attended
by a very large and intelligent audience.
The reverend gentleman opened his
discourse with an account of the condition
of man when originally created and
placed in Paradise—in that condition
when
•‘The earth was sad, the garden was a wild,
And man, the hermit, sighed till woman smiled.”
He did not quote these lines, but he
gave a very eloquent and poetical expan
sion of the idea and description of the
imperfect state of the Creation until its
Divine Author completed his design by
the formation of woman.
The institution of the family was then
described, and the divine command, with
regard to marriage, that “they twain shall
be one flesh”—prohibiting alike of biga
my, polygamy, and divorce —the latter
the fruitful cause of so much mischief in
modern society.
Passing on to the heathen perversions
of this holy institution, the reverend lec
turer outlined, in bold and graphic
touches, the hideous superstitions of va
rious nations of antiquity—the sacrifices
to Moloch, of the Canaanites, and the cru
elty, sensuality, and animalism of the
Babylonians, Persians, Scythians, Spar
tans —even of the polished and elegant
Athenians.
Coming down to the Roman period, the
lecturer explained and illustrated the
presence of these debasing elements
even in the best and purest period of the
history of that people, showing the false
and degrading position in which woman
was held. These errors were aggravated
when, in an evil hour, the Romans re
sorted to Greece as a model for their po
litical and social institutions, and in the
laws of the Twelve Tables introduced
©I fill g©lfjfL
the worst features of the codes of Solon
and Lycurgus. Thus was presented a
vivid and startling picture of the conjugal,
parental and domestic relations in general,
at the time when the Saviour, Christ,
appeared upon earth, the Sim of Right
eousness, to scatter the darkness of heath
enism and illumine the world with the
light of anew and glorious revelation of
Divine Truth.
We cannot pretend to give even an
outline of the glowing and fervid, yet vig
orous and chastened eloquence, with
which Father Smarius set forth the effect
of Christianity upon the position of woman
and the sanctity of the institution of mar
riage. In the first place, our Divine Lord
gave anew dignity to womanhood by de
signing in His infinite condescension to
become the son of a woman. He hallow
ed marriage by His presence, and by
making it the occasion of His earliest
miracle. By His teaching and that of
His Apostles, He imparted to it a spiritu
ality, a sanctity, and a dignity, never im
agined by the pagan poet or philosopher.
The true ideas of a Christian marriage,
of the Christian family, and of the position
of woman in Christian society, were set
forth at length with a force, truth, ten
derness, and beauty, of which it would be
altogether impossible to convey any correct
idea in this brief report; and the perni
cious tendencies of some modern heresies,
such as Fourierism, Communism, Spirit
ualism, etc., were denounced with due
severity, but yet with dignity and Chris
tian moderation.
The lecture, although its delivery occu
pied nearly two hours, was heard by the
large audience with the deepest interest
and attention. The only regret was that
the defective acoustic properties of the
Cathedral hindered many from hearing
what was said, or requried a painful ten
sion of the faculties to enable it to be
heard to advantage.
Father Smarius is a very eloquent and
effective speaker, His oratorical action is
remarkably correct, impressive, and
graceful. Ilis style and language are
perhaps rather too diffuse and ornate, but
clear, fervid, picturesque, poetical and
elegant.
A Beautiful Legend. —A charming
tradition is connected with the site on
which the Temple of Solomon was erect
ed. It is said to have been owned in
common by two brothers, one of whom
had a family ; the other had none. On
the evening succeeding the harvest, the
wheat having been gathered in separate
shocks, the elder brother said unto his
wife : “My younger brother is unable to
bear the burden and heat of the day ; I
will arise, take my shocks, and place them
with his without his knowledge.” The
younger brother being actuated by simi
lar motives, said within himself. “My
elder brother has a family, and I have
none ; I will arise, take off my shocks,
and place them with his without his know
ledge.” Judge of their mutual astonish
ment, when, on the following morning,
they found their shocks undiminished.
This course es events transpired for sev
eral nights, when each resolved, in his
mind, to stand guard and solve this mys
tery. They did so, when on the following
night they met each other, half way be
tween their respective shocks, with arms
full. Upon ground hallowed with such
associations as these was the Temple of
Solomon erected—so spacious and mag
nificent, the admiration and wonder of the
world! Alas! how many in these days
would sooner steal their brother’s whole
shock than add to it a single sheaf.
Sunshine. —The country-houses of
Great‘Britain are by no means so shaded
as our own ; and the most considerable
piles of buildings, such as Eaton Hall,
Blenheim, Dalkeith, and Burghley House
have hardly a noticeable tree within a stone’s
throw of their walls. The flower-patches
and coppices of shrubbery approach more
nearly, and to the garden fronts of those
magnificent homes you walk through
walls of blooming shrubs. But the full
flow of the sunshine upon the window is
a thing courted. Allowing for all differ
ence in climate, I think there may be a
question if we do not err in this country
by over much shading. A cottage in a
wood is a pretty subject for poetry but it
is apt to be uncomfortably damp. And
there are village streets so embowered
that scarce a ray of sunshine can play
fairly upon the roofs or fronts of the
village houses from June to October. A
summer’s life under such a screen cannot
contribute to the growth of roses at the
door. There is no provision against
agues—whether moral or physical—like
a good flow of sunshine.
The French Society of Dramatic Au
thors, at the instance of M. Emile Auger,
have voted the sum of 3,000 francs to
wards the erection of a monument to Pon
sard at one of the squares in Vienne, the
poet’s birth-place.
GENERAL NEWS.
The Democrats of Georgia have agreed
to support Hon. David Irwin for Gov
ernor.
In Congress the Judiciary Bill has been
passed over the President’s veto by a
strict party vote.
The Alabama Bill has passed the
House of Representatives. It declares
the Constitution of that State, recently
re jected by the peeple, as the fundamental
law of the State.
Hon. Linton Stephens and Gen. John
R. Gordon, addressed a large and enthu
siastic meeting of the Democracy of
Richmond county, on Thursday evening,
at Concert Hall, on the political questions
of the day.
Ihe impeachment trial is still progress
ing.
The Democracy of Georgia have made
the following nominations for Congress :
First District—Hon. H. S. Fitch.
Third District—P. W. Alexander, Esq.
Fourth District—Hon. 0. A.Lochrane.
Seventh District—Gen. P. M. B.Young.
The political canvass in North Carolina
is running very high. Ashe is the Con
servative and Holden the Radical candi
date for Governor.
Sergeant Bates arrived at Raleigh, N.
C., on the Ist inst.
The Supreme Court has postponed the
decision in the McArdle case until the
next term.
Geo. Ashburn, a leading Radical poli
tician of Georgia, was killed in Columbus,
on the 30th lilt., by some unknown per
sons, supposed to be U. S. soldiers, with
whom he had had a difficulty during the
day.
Gen. Meade writes to Grant his opinion
that the Constitution of Alabama ought to
be revised and made to conform to the
requirements of the Reconstruction laws.
He doesn’t think it has been legally
ratified.
Washington, March 29—There are
two delegations from Florida here, each
with their separate Constitutions, before
the Reconstruction Committee. One del
egation is largely represented by a Mas
sachusetts and the other by a Wisconsin
element. The Wisconsin party have
Meade’s endorsement and forty-five sign
ers, but the Massachusetts party claim
that the delegates signed the Meade Con
stitution because, otherwise, they could
get no pay !
S»lma, March 31.—Judge Pope, of
the Twelfth Judicial Circuit of Alabama,
was arrested yesterday at Jacksonville by
the military authorities, and confined for
failure or refusal to execute the jury or
ders. Judge Pope was an original and
all the time a Union man.
Boston, March 30.—During the session
of the Conference of the New England
Methodist Episcopal Church the Com
mittee on the Course of the Country,
through the Rev. Gilbert Haven,reported
resolutions endorsing impeachment, and
eulogizing General Grant and Secretary
Stanton for their patriotic conduct. The
resolutions were unanimously adopted,
and it was voted to send copies to the
Speaker of the House, the President of
the Senate, Stanton, Grant, and the Chief
Justice.
The people of Milan, Missouri, were ap
palled on Wednesday night, the 25th ult.,
by the appearance of a dense black cloud
immediately over the town, with the figure
of a snow-white coffin, clearly defined up
on its center. So says an exchange.
General Buchanan has assumed the
command of the Fifth Military District at
New Orleans.
The Prussian treaty is before the Sen
ate tor ratification. Several important
amendments arc pending.
London, March 28.—The Abyssinian
army have commenced the ascent to the
Highlands, which is regarded as a difficult
undertaking. The sanitary report is fa
vorable. Some of the mountain passes
are formidable.
Madrid, March 28.—The American
newspapers, even those addressed to Min
ister Hale, against his protest, have been
suppressed.
London, March2B.—Train was recent
ly arrested on the Old Street Railroad for
debt and bankruptcy. The Court to which
Train applied, rejected his schedule, de
nouncing it a farce.
The coal miners’ riot at Charleroi is as
suming an alarming proportion.
London, April I.—Gladstone favored
the abolition of the Irish Church estab
lishment. He stated that since the repeal
of the Penal laws against Catholics, the
number of Protestants in Ireland are only
a fifth of the population. Hence the in
justice of making' a whole country sup
port a Church for the support ot so small
a minority. He praised the Catholic
clergy for their firmness and loyalty in
opposing Fenianism.
Gladstone vehemently opposed Stanley’s
motion to postpone. Gladstone was
heartily cheered. Stanley replying, said
the Irish people cared more for land than
Church, and moved a postponement with
out definite action. The House ad
journed.
London, April I.—Negotiations be
tween Denmark and Prussia regarding
Schleswig-Holstein territory continues,
and the latest telegrams say Prussia de
cidedly objects to Denmark’s proposition.
Madrid, April I.— The Spanish Gov
ernment, will grant to Cuba an army or
ganization similar to her own,
Dr. L. D. Ford, one of the most gifted
and respected citizens of Augusta, deliv
ered a lecture at Masonic Hall on Tues
day night last. His subject was : “The
United States and the Confederate States
—a plea for popular government.” It
was pleasing, forcible and eloquent, and
was listened to with marked delight by
the large and appreciative audience
present.
The Telegraph Office in this city has
been removed to the south side of Broad
street, opposite the former location. The
rooms are now conveniently and comfort
ably arranged. The worthy Superintend
ent, Mr. J. A. Brenner, is a stirring busi
ness man, and is always alive to im
provements. The manager, assistant
manager, cashier, and operators, are a
clever set of “boys,” and we congratulate
them on being located in such pleasant
quarters.
The Democratic Convention of the
Fifth Congressional District met at the
Club Rooms in this city on Tuesday last,
but made no nominations for the present.
The following were elected delegates
to the National Democratic Convention :
Delegates—General A. R. Wright and
Colonel E H. Pottle. Alternates—John
11. Seals, Esq., and Col. J. I). Matthews.
The President made the following ap
pointments as the Executive Committee,
provided for in the second section of the
above report: Gen. Wright, of Richmond,
Chairman; Col. E. H. Pottle, of Warren;
J. S. Jones, of Columbia; D. M. Dußose,
of Wilkes; 1). E. Butler, of Morgan—the
President being placed upon the Com
mittee, on motion of Col. Pottle.
An Arabian Ctty.— The sun was yet
two hours’ distance above the western
horizon, when we threaded the narrow
and winding defile, till we arrived at its
further end. Here w r e found ourselves
on the verge of a large plain, many miles
in length .and breadth, and girt on every
side by a high mountain rampart, while
right in front of us, at scarce a quarter of
an hour’s march, lay the town of Hayel,
surrounded by fortifications of about
twenty feet in height, with bastion towers,
some round, some square, and large fold
ing gates at intervals; it offered the same
show of freshness and even of something
like irregular elegance that had before
struck us in the villages on our way. But
this was a full grown town, and its area
might readily hold three hundred thou
sand inhabitants or more, were its streets
and houses close packed like those of
Brussels or Paris. But the number of
citizens does not, in fact, exceed twenty or
twenty-two thousand, thanks to the many
large gardens, open spaces, and even
plantations, included within the outer
walls, while the immense palace of the
monarch alone, with its pleasure grounds
annexed, occupies about one-tenth of the
entire city. Our attention was attracted
by a lofty tower, some seventy feet in
height, of recent construction and oval
form, belonging to the royal residence.
The plain all around the town is studded
with isolated houses and gardens, the pro
perty of wealthy citizens, or of members
of the kingly family, and on the far-off
skirts of the plain appear the groves be
longing to Kafar, Adwah, and other vil
lages, placed at the openings of the moun
tain gorges that conduct to the capital.
The town walls and buildingsseoneyellow
in the evening sun, and the whole pros
pect was one of thriving security delight
ful to view, though wanting in the pecu
liar luxuriance of vegetation offered by
the valley of JDjowf. A few Bedouin
tents lay clustered close by the ramparts,
and the great number of horsemen, foot
men, camels, asses, peasants, townsmen,
boys, women, and other like, all passing
to and fro on their various avocations,
gave cheerfulness and animation to the
scene. —London Sped fit or.
*
31. Blanchard, who has recently com
pleted a line engraving after 3lr. Holman
Hunt’s “Finding of our Savior in the tem
ple,” is now engaged in reproducing the
beautiful lunette to the altar-piece, by
Franeia, which is now iu the National
Gallery, London, where is also the altar
piece itself. The subject of the former is
a pieta ; it is commonly called ‘‘The
Head Christ.” The pictures were origi
nally placed in the Buonvisi chapel in
the Church of St. Fridiano, at Lucca,
3