24 LOOK ALOFT. "I would not live alway;" no-welcome the tomb; Who, who would live alway, away from his God, And the noontide of glory eternally reigns! Where the saints of all ages in harmony meet, Their Saviour and brethren transported to greet, While the anthems of rapture unceasingly roll, And the smile of the Lord is the feast of the soul! Look aloft! BY JONATHAN LAWRENCE. IN the tempest of life, when the wave and the gale Are above and around, if thy footing should fail; If thine eye should grow dim, and thy caution de part, "Look aloft," and be firm, and be fearless of heart. If the friend who embraced in prosperity's glow, With a smile for each joy, and a tear for each woe, Should betray thee, when sorrows like clouds are arrayed, "Look aloft," to that friendship which never shall fade. Should the visions which hope spreads in light to thine eye, Like the tints of the rainbow but brighten to fly, Then turn, and through tears of repentant regret, "Look aloft," to the sun that is never to set. Should they who are dearest, the choice of thy heart, The friend of thy bosom, in sorrow depart, "Look aloft," from the darkness and dust of the tomb, To the soil where affection is ever in bloom. And oh! when Death comes, in his terrors, to cast Be kind to each other. BY C. SWAIN. Be kind to each other! The blest recollection Of kindness, returned ! When day hath departed, Let trifles prevail not Against those we love! Nor change with to-morrow, Should fortune take wing, O! BE kind to each other! For, little ye know, How soon ye may weep For a brother, The sad tears of woe, or sister, or friend, loved and dear, Reposing in stillness, on death's sable bier. Be kind to each other! For, little ye know, 28 LET US LOVE ONE ANOTHER. How soon ye may weep, Ere in sorrow you roam Of a desolate home, Or yearn for the forms that have passed away, To dwell in the light of a happier day. Be kind to each other! Let us love one another. LET us love one another! not long may we stay, In this bleak world of mourning; some droop while 'tis day, Others fade in their noon, and few linger till eve; Oh! there breaks not a heart, but leaves some one to grieve; And the fondest, the purest, the truest that met, Have still found the need to forgive and forget. |