Preaching and Practice. THE clergyman bids all be humble in woe, Then his jewelled fingers darken his brow, Still the beggar laughs, and declares it a sham, Of the tempered wind that guards the lamb, The gothic doorway creaks on its hinge, Slowly the old man creeps from his nook, And limps on his weary way, And smiles as he hears men preach from the Book, But turn all the ragged away. Then the old fellow laughs, and swears it's a sham, Of the tempered wind that guards the lamb, THE SAME. 3. THE OUTSIDE OF A DUTCH HOUSE.-On the stoop stands its tenant and a neighbor, telling each other their news; all the stories they have to tell—either gossip about their neighbors, or reminiscences of their younger days; but Nemesis is at hand, and a young girl watching them at the corner, is overhearing every word. The scene is well lighted, and the utensils of a household laying in the foreground, are finely shaded. The landscape behind, in the tints of the evening sun, which is trying to break a passage through the different objects, is masterly done. The head of the lurking girl ought to be observed carefully, as the different lights falling on it form a splendid chiaro obscuro, masterly executed. Co a Blank Sheet of Paper. WAN-VISAGED thing! thy virgin leaf Love may light on thy snowy cheek, And shake his Eden-breathing plumes; Then shalt thou tell how Lelia smiles, Or Angelina blooms. Satire may lift his bearded lance, Forestalling Time's slow moving scythe, And, scattered on thy little field, Disjointed bards may writhe. Perchance a vision of the night, Some grizzled spectres, gaunt and thin, If it should be in pensive hour Some sorrow-moving theme I try, Ah, maiden, how thy tears will fall, For all I doom to die. But if in merry mood I touch Thy leaves, then shall the sight of the e Sow smiles as thick on rosy lips, As ripples on the sea. Take, then, this treasure to thy trust, Then fade, and moulder in the dust, OLIVER WENDELL HOLMES. THE SAME. 4. THE HAPPY HOUSEHOLD.-A scene of domestic pleasure in humble life. The father having returned from the labor of the day, has taken his violin and is amusing the family, who, intent on the music, exhibit the greatest delight, from the hearty old grandfather to the toddling infant; and even the doll of the youngest child is made, by its little mistress, to dance sympathetically to the gay tones of the fiddle. The graphic still life of the picture, and the varied expression, happy in each face, all being individual, yet having a family resemblance, give peculiar interest to the scene. The grand mother keeps time with her hands, and the mother is bringing out the frugal meal; in the background is sunshine; it is, indeed, a HAPPY HOUSEHOLD. Rain in Summer. How beautiful is the rain! In the broad and fiery street, In the narrow lane, How beautiful is the rain! How it clatters along the roofs, Like the tramp of hoofs! How it gushes and struggles out From the throat of the overflowing spout! Across the window pane It pours and pours; And swift and wide, With a muddy tide, Like a river down the gutter roars The rain, the welcome rain! The sick man from his chamber looks At the twisted brooks; He can feel the cool Breath of each little pool; His fevered brain Grows calm again, And he breathes a blessing on the rain. From the neighboring school Come the boys, With more than their wonted noise And commotion; And down the wet streets Sail their mimic fleets, "Till the treacherous pool Engulfs them in its whirling And turbulent ocean. In the country, on every side, Where far and wide, Like a leopard's tawny and spotted hide, Stretches the plain, To the dry grass and the dryer grain How welcome is the rain! LONGFELLOW. |