He never said he loved me; never told In our hearts' keeping, something to dream o'er Or in the holy calm of eventide. The days sped by with pleasure's cheery zest, Till one wild eve, when cloud-veils draped the west, And the help came, for swift the tidings flew, Tossed on the breakers, 'whelmed by rushing spray, And all were rescued, all, all reached the shore, And Amy, dear, though years may intervene THE ROBIN. AMONG the quiet peasants in Brittany they tell This legend of the robin, by children loved so well This legend of the robin, whose merry accents ring Through every glade and covert sweet welcome to the Spring. They say that when the Savior to Calvary's rugged crest Bearing his cross, moved forward, sore, wounded and oppressed, When foemen thronged around him, and friends fled far in fear, Above the angry multitude a robin hovered near, And, reckless of the tumult and angry cries of scorn, From out Christ's bleeding forehead it snatched one cruel thorn; Then o'er the robin's bosom the sacred blood flowed down, And with its ruby tinting dyed the plumes of russel brown. And evermore the sweet bird bore upon its tender breast The warm hue of the Savior's blood, a shining seat impressed. Hence dearest to the peasants' heart, 'mid birds of grove and plain, They hold the robin, which essayed to soothe the Savior's pain. SLANDER. ONLY a whisper, but that whisper fell With blighting power upon a gentle heart. The Upas breathing forth the fumes of hell, The deadly wound given by a poisoned dart, Were merciful compared to Slander's hiss— Which robbed a spirit of all earthly bliss. Life lost its beauty, Friendship hid her face; Fell o'er her ere her youth had passed its morn; MORNING. BENEATH star-gemmed arches glowing Bright her lustrous eyes are glancing, Onward moves she 'mid their dancing CHEER UP. KEEP a stout heart, friend, though fortune may frown; Let not life's burdens thus weigh thee down. What are earth's pleasures but glittering dross? Tread in His footsteps who carried the Cross. Sink not aweary, faint not with fear; Angels are with thee to comfort and cheer. Life's path not always leads through joy's bower; Griefs will assail thee and tempests will lower. But as the morning follows :he night, After the shadow cometh the light The light of that morning which ever endures, Whose beauty no storm-cloud of sorrow obscures; The light of His presence in whose love is found An armor unfailing to compass the round. Girt with that armor, what is there to fear? Not to the coward the battle is given, JOHN AUGUSTINE WILSTACH. JOHN OHN AUGUSTINE WILSTACH, lawyer and author, of Lafayette, Indiana, was born in Washington, D. C., July 14, 1824, and is a son of Dr. Charles F. and Hannah Whittier (Ustick) Wilstach, the father a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania. The mother, as her middle name suggests, is a relative of the Quaker poet. The name Wilstach is German, being originally Wildsdach (deer park). The Wilstach family trace their genealogy back to the time of the conquest of Gaul by Clovis, king of the warlike tribe of the Salians, "renowned," says Gibbon, "for their love of liberty," who in 486 defeated the Roman Governor Syagrius, in the battle of Soissons. As a result of this victory the Roman estates were confiscated and divided as rewards of meritorious service among the officers and soldiers of the Salian army. Bruno, one of the Salian generals, thus acquired the estate of Deer Park in Alsatia, and was thereafter known as Bruno de Wildsdach. His descendants were counted among the ancient nobility, and have filled many important posts of honor in church and state. Six of them at least, according to the genealogical tables preserved in the Imperial library at Vienna, have been bishops, and a still larger number attained distinguished military positions. At the age of eleven years Mr. Wilstach, the subject of this sketch, entered the Military and Academical Institute at Cincinnati, Ohio. That institute was under the management of Prof. Ormsby M. Mitchell, afterwards major general, the renowned astronomer and author, and founder of the Adams Observatory at Cincinnati. Two years afterwards the institute was transferred to, and formed the nucleus of, the Cincinnati College, and there Mr. Wilstach enjoyed the instruction of teachers of rare ability. The During the remainder of Prof. Mitchel's life-time he and Mr. Wilstach were intimate friends. latter acquired at college, before attaining the age of fifteen years, a knowledge of the higher mathematics, and of the Greek, Latin and French languages, and since then has also studied German and Italian. History and general literature have also been specialties to which he has devoted attention. Mr. Wilstach's law practice has been lucrative, and his investments in real estate have brought him large gains. In 1867 he was appointed one of the commissioners to the World's Fair at Paris. In 1874-75 he again visited Europe, remaining seven months. By appointment from Governor Baker he was also Commissioner of Immigration. In 1855 he was united in marriage to Miss Elb.a Cecilia Patti, her father of Italian origin, and her mother of English. Mr. Wilstach is the author of numerous public addresses, some of them in foreign tongues in Europe. He has elaborated the subject of biblical literature, and has written, as the result of this elaboration, a free, philological translation of the entire bible. This work, up to the present, remains in manuscript. He has published, through Houghton, Mifflin & Co., in 1884, a metrical translation of the entire works of Virgil, the first one in the English language, for even Dryden's is not complete; and in 1889 through the same publishers, a rhymed translation of the "Divine Comedy" of Dante. The metrical system used in this translation was invented by Mr. Wilstach for the better setting forth the style of the original. A critical work nearly ready for the press is entitled "Dante, The Danteans, and Things Dantean." The work will be a review of the entire field of Dantean literature. J. L. S. OCEAN CURRENTS. WHEN salutes the waves Pacific Hot stream of the southern seas, From the islands equatorial Through its forceful current deep. Dimpling soft our tinted lakes, Dim, remote, sweet influence breaks. Ever inward, smiling, smiling, Fragrance each far valley yields Plants here fruits and health abundant, And redundant Wealth distributes o'er our fields. So, when breezes warm and fragrant Strike the vagrant Dreams the poet wrap, arise From each zone of passion ancient, Glimpses of a paradise. Gleams come in from Indian oceans, And emotions Seize his soul, which peoples gone In their seats, firm fixed or shifting, Found uplifting, In the songs of many a swan. Love and will are his, and glory Of the visits of the tides Bringing boons from where old nations Visitations Have received, and wreck abides. Ever inward, smiling, smiling, Like the filing Fays that fill the mimic stage, Tributes of each mind and age. TEACH US CONTENT. O NORTHERN Pole Whereon all summer glows the attendant sun, O Northern Star, Whereon our latitude looks throughout the year, Which, seen from sea or land, a Pharos shines, How like the Light Supreme, unchanged and clear, Is thine, which all of all the heavens combines, Or near or far! O rolling Earth, Which, light or dark, in grooves appointed glides, LIFE AND DEATH. To die is but to live again Compared with never-ending years. Hope steers a troubled voyage here, |