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Show OUR LITERARY TABLE. Continued. SACRED HEART ACADEMY. Inspiration. The valedctory poem, "Inspiration," was given i by Miss Maginnis, at the commencement of the Sacred Heart Academy. The young lady has already al-ready received recognition and praise from several eastern papers for her literary promise. The work has the note of real poetry, and is given in part as follows : There lie a valley far away, So beautiful it. seems, . The sunlight of the passing years Has blended all its smiles and tears In half -forgot ten dreams. The fragrance of sweet flowers blows . Across the shady lane, And far afield a medow lark Sings from the silent gathering dark A tender, gay refrain. There, vagrant, looms-the pink wild rose Along the dusty way, . Where bird and bee and butterfly, Lured by its perfume, linger nigh, And wanton sunbeams stray. Mayhap a poet, roaming, goes Beyond the gray foothills. And, listening, tunes his minstrelsy To the illasiv? melody That haunts the mourmous rilTs. Or from the crowded city's throses . A painter strays afar And catches half the peacefulness, The hill's low curbing loveliness, The glimmer of a star. And this his dream the poet knows And this the paiiiter sees. A vision wrought in myriad years, A valley fraught with smiles and tears And thousand memories. What is it lures the poet on? What wakes his soul to song I What vivifies the painter's art, Till 'neath its spell to many a heart Forgotten memories throng? Behind the song the poet sings. Back of the painter's brush. The power of genius, hidden, sleeps; At Inspiration's call it leaps To life, with dawn aflush. From hill to hill of life our journey lies, Passing from sunlit plains to shadowed forest ways, And looking backward we ma.y sec the skies Touching the clear horizon of our childhood days ; For childhood's memories ever brightest, are And still the fairest, shines our first life-star. Still potently our youthful fancies call. Still lures the vision beautiful of early days, Again we hear, when twiight shadows fall The tender cadence of a mother's slumber-lays And see the love-light in her shining eyes, And, seeing, drift. aAvay to summer skies. For whatsoe'er, the coming years may bring Of joys fulfilled of sorrow or of bitter wrong, From out the land of memories will ring. Still strong in faith that mother's prayerful slumber-song And though afar from childhood's realms we roam. Some day our hearts will turn again toward home. Toward home the world our infancy knew. Complete within itself, where love was king supreme; ,Where first we saw, afar within Life's blue, The dawning vision and the glamor of the dream That still hangs star-like o'er the future years, Enshrining all our hopes, our joys, our fears. Toward home, where our sheltered infancy, The strongest, truest, of Life's inspirations met Who does not know the power of memory ? We lost the hallowed peace of youth, but ne'er forget: The first short prayer learned at a mother's knee, In dying lips, may greet Eternity. Twelve years of life have come, have gone, Since first from home, our foot-stops turned, And every year has brightly burned A beacon light to guide us on. From night to night, from dawn to dawn And youthful hopes toward' knowledge yearned. Each year the path has broader grown, New hopes have risen to light the way, New inspirations crowned each day; We've climbed alone, yet not alone, The kindest truest friends we've known, Who've cheered our hearts with friendship's ray. Whose tender guiding hands have led A little nearer Wisdom's height In many an upward-winding flight. Who've shown to us the goal ahead, And over all our souls love shed A radiance caught from Faith's pure lips. The fleeting days the months, the years Fond memories around them cling Of school-day haunts, whose names may bring Bright smiles to light the. mist of tears, How many mingled joys and fears Adown their echoing hall-ways ring. A little while our paths may fall In sunny ways 'neath peaceful skies But will no beckoning star arise. Shall wc not hear the great world's call? Today, sweet memories enthrall What promise lights tomorrow's skies? What feeling throng our souls today As from the path of life we've traced In unison so long, we haste, The deeps of thought no lips portray, Yet fain would wc preserve alway Each inspiration that life's spring-tide graced. The. inspirations of our Father-friend In gentle benedictions fell They shed around our life a spell it" Whoso hallowed radiance must" lend It's gleam to life where'er it tend ', '. Today, they light our fond farewell. v "Westward the Star of Empire Takes its Way." As back through ages dim obscured by time, On viewless wings fair fancy takes her flight, What wondrous visions of primeval days , Unbidden rise to fascinate our.minds; ' , , Back amid Asia's mountain-girded valea . - r ( We see primeval man -in 'sweet eontiaf Untroubled by the thoughts of future, strife Ruled by the gentle sway of patriarchs. Strong in the mighty power of manhood's strength: This was the golden age, when man yet young Communed with nature and upraised his heart In grateful homage to the power supicmc. But time rolls on and soon the baneful seeds Of discontent and strife are idly sown,. And taking root within the hearts of men Spring up in growth of rank luxuriance: Then vanishes the primal peacefulness While man impelled with manifold desires Wanders o'er earth in search of happiness. In Straggling bands they boldly issue forth From mountain fastnesses and sun-bathed vales And make their home where nature's stores invite: Lured by her bounteous yield in Africa, On Niles majestic banks they tarry long Revelling in magnificence untold. Today colossal pyramids look . down On vast decaying ruins of that past Their silent eloquence proclaiming loud The by-gone splendor of that wondrous 'land. i Near where the Tigris' limpid waters roll, Another band in lingering hope delays And glorious Ninive uplifts her head To wield a pagan sceptre o'er the world: But thou, proud Ninive, must yield the palm For fair Euphrates verdant banks arc graced By thy victorious rival, Babylon. Fair hanging gardens, noble terraced heights Enhance the beauty of the mighty one, While tower-crowned walls and vaulted gates of bronze Give promise of a sway perpetual: But yet, proud Babylon, not even thou Shall rule in permanence a changeful world Fate's finger has decreed that thou shalt, bow Beneath the cruel yoke of Persian frown. Lo, high in heaven appears a star. First gently twinkling with a feeble gleam But growing stronger, brighter day by days, 'Tis the Star of Empire and it westward moves Until its silvery rays illumine Greece; Then peerless Athens rears aloft her form And rules with stately grace and majesty As Queen of beauty, learning, art and song. Alas, fair Athens, must thy parthenon And stately temples crumble in the dust? Yes, naught but shattered relics of thy arts Shall stand to tell the glory of thy past, A past whose magic beauty even yet ' Enkindles beauty in an unbeauteous world. Slowly the stai' moves westward in its course And man enchanted follows where it leads Until it rests above Italia's shores! Then Rome arises on her seven hills And proudly bids defiance to the world, Scoffing alike at, Punic perfidy And swarthy Bedouin warriors of the plains. Ah! regal Rome; proud Mistress of the world Though armies stronger than protecting walls Do battle for thy glory and their own, Though mighty conquerors vanquished bow to t hec And legislators crown with wisdom's seal Thy nobje framework' of judicial laws; Yet is it decreed, Eternal Rome, That from thy weak and palsied hands must fall The sceptre which so long has ruled the world The laurel wreath must wither on thy brow And vandal hordes pour through thy sacred gates. et on thy ruins empires new shall rise Whose splendor shall eclipse thy palmiest days, Whose medieval pageantry shall be ' A theme inspiring minstrels of all time. First lta)y the proud conservator Of culture', literature, religion, art, Sheds her repining influence o'er earth: Then France, the beautiful, whose gallant sons Were ever first in peace as well as war To bear aloft the standard of the cross. Whose knightly valor that same banner placed Upon the .walls of old. Jerusalem! Then empire's star o'er haughty Briton's shores Lingers with n radiance uneclipsed, For onward Briton leads her' valorous hosts Until her banner waves victorious. O'er many lands, from West to Orient, Right rega too Hhe . radiance that shone From empire's star of old on royal Spain, Whose dauntless sons with chivalry inspired First carved a pathway o'er the pathless deep, And planted here the flag of Old Castile; Then empire's star soon brightens with its gleam Earth's noblest land, our loved Columbia," Whose boundless riches even now surpass The fabled wealth of Babylon or Rome, The spirit of whose institutions free ' Now permeates the life-blood of the world. Rest, "Star of Empire" now your course is run, Rest, o'er the noblest land beneath the sun Our own Columbia, proud, peerless, free, "Time's noblest offspring," land of liberty; Whose gallant sons have battled not for fame But spilt their lifeblood in Old Glory's name. Oh! may that Star-flecked banner ever wave i Above a people loyal, true, and brave. ! |
