833ft
im-TtmTvjmmmmma! m rr ''- -'m -i m
6
r 1 1 ic h i-: s p k R i a n s t u n rc nt .
, '
II
i
g7r Student's cr;tp-lwoh,
fa rnr and diss pa in.
II. I. MA It' II, 'HI.
A sultry summer's (In) had Juit boon jmtsed;
Tlio tireless miii linil hid hi flnmliin face;
No moon en tn o mil to cheer tho ulsinal unrth;
The stars u ro el led In Ihlok'nlng, thronl'nlng rhitids,
And gloom) darkness hid nil I hluyn from slgH.
Sovo when tho lightnings, growing Iroqticut. gleamed
Tholr clgiml of the far-oil' thunder's roll.
A jmseoil the hours away thu gloom lucronscd,
Wlilrh soon gn way to terror, as tlio bright
And hateful lightning Hashes cleft tho iloltds.
And rt'rtrfnl tliumlerH iiiittturci), rolloil nntl rosred
In tholr loud, delimit, angry, scorn of All
Tlio weak protests ol niun. until thoy shook
The very heavens v, Ith tholr din. 'I'lirough nil
A (iilot little village Iny and slumbered
All save throo rustiest! souls whom Hip iltful glooms
Itvtonlctl to sight. lIuiiPRtlui low'rlng tree
A wretched womnii sat; against Its trunk
There loaned a fairer, younger form. TIip one.
As with hor hatiilH upon Inn knees, her fnco
In them slw hid, now moniied. now sobbed, mill now
Woptblttoily; a brutal voice sal.I "Coino!"
And on hor hdad a lough hand hunvj foil.
She trembled nt tho touch, thon sudden roo
And hhrloked.and with a voice- an harsh nndhoarso
Am Irom an Iron throit, sho cursed thu man
Who spoko "Ay, come, and wliors! oh man eo IIo
That nothing can olluto thee I Monster bom I
Thou sin-dyed wretch ! Thoy say thora Is n Ood;
Hut II tlioro ho, why dost thou then yet )lo
In form or human llosh ami blood! 0 that
Almighty power were mine! I ,1 hurl thee down
To dcepeM depths of liquid flro and est
Upon thy soul ton times ton thousand Inrlcs,
To stay with thec and torture thee nnd toll
Thoo orthp liumnn pains thou didst dollght In I
Hut If there bo n (fod. Ills curse on thoo!
And may my hatred cling to thee, bum thoo,
Consume ihe vigor from thy blood and from
Thy framo the strength; until thy guilty soul
popart and. man nor (tod to pity thee,
Tho birds and hnaMn shall tnko theo for their prey!"
Tho lllaln smiled nor deemed reply worthwhile.
Ilut silent stretched again his brutal nrm.
When on It quickly fell n slender hand,
And she. who ere In stntuo-stlllness stood,
MooU with new life, grow uioro ereot. uud Irom
Her marble (ircclau fiico twooyes ortlro
Shone on tho stricken wretch who stood and quailed,
And burned their way Into his coward henrt
And with n dreadful calmness, fiee Irom fear,
The girl voice spnko-"Mothor, there Is a God,
And In that (tod I trust." Then to the man
"I Judgo thee not, may mercy yet bo thlno;
Hut hero before tho .Judge of all the earth,
I call tbco to accouut stir not from henco
Till thon hast heard my w.ords. Thou kuow'st me not.
or till this day hnvo I my story known.
Tc,, dreary years and eight have passed since thou
that Infant fruit or union most unholy
Jjldst leave for dead and, fleeing, saw no more.
ho, fostered by a pauper mother, lives,
Her own-riy own wronged mother to protect.
There Is a Ood, though but for faith In Illm
I lila day had brought me rest In death; for who
ould choose a life from parent so unworthy?
Hut God Is just and her, myself and you
I eavo with mm. Hew are what now you dol"
Hllent he stole away. Tho thought or Ood,
Tho sense of Justice and unpardoned sin
Had conquered him What power through all tho.e year..
Those wonrlsomo. unceitaln, trying years,
Ilnd kopt that girlish llto) And Kill sustnliiod
Whon the doath blow to every fond, bright hope
Came In tho story of hor pnrontngo?
And gavo hur now a quiet heart, no froo
I'roin hnlrod as from Tear. In prcsoucu of
'Hint pnrent nil so lle and loathsome? Ay,
And made the Mrong man woak boforo her! Hent
Illm forth from thonco uniiervoil nnd vanquished?
'flic heart that slnya itselfon Ood can daro
And can oudiiro all things. And who will doubt
That lie, unseen by whom no sparrow falls,
Had kept ami given strength unto that soul I
Itadheaidhcr, early t night to pray, hecausa
Sho trusted Illm? Oh, who would take' aw ay
Tho Christian's faith? Tho same destroys tho slay
Or many burdened hearts, tho sweetness of
Tot. thousand bitter lives. Oo. snatch the babe
Asunder from It mother's breast nnd comfort
It and hor;toar love from love's embrace,
And set tholr hearts nt rest; thon canst thou take
This faith In (ted, this slmplo trusting faith,
l'rom human lhes nnd lea v them happy still.
Ah,
THE MENTAL STRENGTH OF WOMAN.
Philosophers and buionlists havu lout; discussed tho qucs
lion of ihc relative muntiil strength ol man and woman.
Il Is hold that two fuels alono proclaim woman's inferlor
ty in mind; first, hor brain, ns a ruli weighs less than
mnn's, boeoml, sho has produced no masterpicco in lit.
orniure or nil. Il is ttuo that Sappho, Mrs. Homnns and
Mrs. Browning rival in their song many of our celebrated
pools, hut these "pootussos" woto lender of their order and
kind and should therefore justly no compared to tho hire.
tor poets. When thus comparod with Homer, Virgil
Dunte, Milton or Shakespeare, their Inferiority is discov
ered and uotifubsod. It is claimed that sho shares not
man's advantages, hut it is just as certain that she is ex
cusod from hoaring many of his burdens; again, if hor
mind equalled man's it would bo idle to maintain that in
all the win id's history opportunity never would have per-
milted iter to write a Hamlet or paint a Madonna, for cir.
cumslances often especially favor hor and, if otherwise
wore the case, such genius declares itself In spite ot cir.
cumslances. It is true that until very lecently sho has
been denied the advantages of a college course, but neither
have many of tho world's greatest men shared them. I
have somewhere read tho wise mention Hint oven if woman
rivalled man in mind, her physical weakness would pro.
voir her from passing thtough those prolonged seasons of
pr.-i uud and wearisome thought necessary for the succcbi
of great monta! achievements; but whilst this is true wc
must not rashly conclude from il that therefore to her phys
ical weaknphs alono should be attributed her failure to
, produco masterpieces in literature and art and that men.
, tally sh is man's equal; just '.o the contrary; since her
physical weakness must asserl rather than disprove mou.
tal inferiority; for though mind and body aro often un.
, equally yoked, it would bo to doubt seriously tho wisdom
ofpruvidencoto suppose a whole box so unfortunately
r constituted ns to have masculine minds joined to forms
inflnitoly woakor. "What again, would be tho design of
giving to a whole sex mental powers that their physical
j weaknesses prevented them from developing or t.u,t)ioy
ing? And if, indeed, this unequalled alliance of mind
I nnd body did exist in woman we should find ten women to
ono man driven to insanity or death through excessive
mental work; uhoroas tho opposite fact is quite truo
