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the mysteries of doom,
Which set its mark
upon a life brilliant in youthful bloom, Full of undaunted ardour, and
eager for that strife
That robbed the sorrowing mother of his most
precious life.
Ah, who can help recalling, and who the fervour tell,
Of his bright
words on parting in that sad but brave farewell, With bounding heart
hope-laden and holy ardour fraught,
Scorning all fear and danger, as
by thy wisdom taught.
Think, mourner, of thy darling as safe within heaven's fold, Crowned
with a victor's chaplet within the gates of gold,
His young, bright,
earnest spirit happy on yonder shore,
Where you will be in God's own
time united evermore.
A crown of earthly splendour might have enwreathed his brow, But
could that weigh 'gainst glory with which 'tis radiant now? Would'st
thou exchange the latter for all earth's gaud and glare? No, sad one,
thou would'st rather in God's time join him there.
Far from all warring tumult, in peaceful joy above,
Safe in the tender
keeping of everlasting love;
Think of him thus for ever in the dear
Father's care,
And say would'st thou recall him, earth's proudest
throne to share?
Only a few swift time-strokes to make up life's brief day,
Only some
few more pulse-beats till we, too, pass away;
There in the bright
hereafter with great exceeding joy,
There, never to be parted, thou
wilt rejoin thy boy.

SCIENCE.

Science! thou mirror of celestial type
Wherein e'en mortals may
discerning see,
If they with steady perseverance seek,
The will and
purpose of Deity.
By the effulgence of Thy affluent light
Men learn the hidden
mysteries of earth,
Unlock the secrets of the starry heavens
And
solve the problem of each dewdrop's birth.
Thou art the magic key that opens wide
Sources of knowledge,
beauty, wealth and grace,
Which teach man how to help his brother
man,
And benefit and elevate the race.
Beneath thy guidance men have found the stone
Philosophers long
sought but rarely found,
Whose lesson is that the Great God helps
those
Who feel to help themselves and others bound.
What blest results are following in thy train,
To physical as well as
mental wealth,
Through sanitation, in its myriad forms,
By which it
now promotes the nation's health.
Well regulated physical as mental work
Opens rich sources of
enjoyment sweet;
And mind and body strengthened, thus delight

New difficulties to withstand and greet.
Few know how strengthening is resisting power,
In mind and body as
in physics too,
And what accumulating force it lends
To man his
life work daily to renew.
The richest happiness comes from within,
From duties well
accomplished blessings flow,
And precious fruits of action, thought
and deed
That will not give rude switch grass place to grow.
Thou teachest that a form to be a square
Must have its lines of length,
breadth, depth, exact,
Without the least divergence right or left,

And with its due proportions clear, compact.

What helpful lessons might not this form teach,
If testing thus the
lines of motives, thought,
Which make the sum of action square or
false,
Each would discern the application taught.
When truth as the soul's standard is set up,
Making the inner life
exact and square,
With love to God producing love, to all,
What
will not man for man and duty dare?
True brotherhood consists in making each,
As far as may be, just
another self;
The priceless sequence of such action would
Exceed
the greatest riches men call wealth.
Then might the blest commandment, do to all
As to ourselves we
would that they should do,
Flow as a natural sequence, and such act

Would bring its own reward and comfort, too.
For truest happiness is known to those
Who learn to know themselves
through struggles brave.
Such conquerors steer serenely o'er the calm,

Clear sea of life, as o'er its troubled wave.
Knowing that the Great Father wills that man
Should, through much
strife and suffering win that prize, Whose precious fruits of knowledge
wait for all
Who use full well each moment as it flies.
Then let us strive to form each thought, word, deed,
On the exact,
undeviating square,
Seeking to learn and discipline ourselves,
And
win rewards which all who will may share.

CHRISTMAS MORN.
Dear, happy Christmas! once again
We joy to welcome thee,
With
all thy glad surroundings, grouped
For world-wide jubilee.
We'll crown thy peace-illumined brow
With holly burnished bright,


Entwined with glowing crimson buds,
And mystic berries white.
Then the sly bough of mistletoe
We must not, cannot miss,
For,
privileged beneath its shade,
We hope for many a kiss.
Kisses of joy from those we love,
Kisses of pardon, too,
That chase
all anger from the heart,
And feelings seared renew.
E'en as the song of peace on earth
Flows lovingly from heaven,

Should men forgive their foes, as they
Expect to be forgiven--
Burying all painful bygones deep,
Far out of thought and sight,

Sweet peace possessing, reconciled,
In new love-bonds unite.
And round the merry Christmas board
Pledges of good-will give,

That they can, once a year, at least,
Old grudges quite forgive.
And let the poor, the blind, the maimed
Be kindly feted, too;
In
blessing others all are bathed
In blessings