YE brood of Conscience-Spectres! that frequent The bad man's restless walk, and haunt his bed— Fiends in your aspect, yet beneficent
Horror of Crime and Belief in Retribution
must not be
In act, as hovering Angels when they spread Their wings to guard the unconscious Innocent weakened Slow be the Statutes of the land to share A laxity that could not but impair Your power to punish crime, and so prevent. And ye, Beliefs! coiled serpent-like about The adage on all tongues, "Murder will out,' How shall your ancient warnings work for good In the full might they hitherto have shown, If for deliberate shedder of man's blood Survive not Judgment that requires his own?
BEFORE the world had past her time of youth While polity and discipline were weak, The precept eye for and tooth for tooth, Came forth-a light, though but as of daybreak, Strong as could then be borne. A Master meek Proscribed the spirit fostered by that rule, Patience his law, long-suffering his school, And love the end, which all through peace niust seek.
But lamentably do they err who strain His mandates, given rash impulse to control And keep vindictive thirstings from the soul, So far that, if consistent in their scheme, They must forbid the State to inflict a pain, Making of social order a mere dream.
The Law of Love must not be strained to
extremes
Banish the FIT retribution, by the moral code main fear Determined, lies beyond the State's embrace, and Murder Yet, as she may, for each peculiar case will be She plants well-measured terrors in the road
Of wrongful acts. Downward it is and broad, And, the main fear once doomed to banishment, Far oftener then, bad ushering worse event, Blood would be spilt that in his dark abode Crime might lie better hid. And, should the change
Take from the horror due to a foul deed, Pursuit and evidence so far must fail,
And, guilt escaping, passion then might plead In angry spirits for her old free
And the wild justice of revenge" prevail.
Law is the THOUGH to give timely warning and deter uttered Is one great aim of penalty, extend Conscience Thy mental vision further and ascend
Far higher, else full surely shalt thou err. What is a State? The wise behold in her A creature born of time, that keeps one eye Fixed on the statutes of Eternity,
To which her judgments reverently defer. Speaking through Law's dispassionate voice the State
Endues her conscience with external life And being, to preclude or quell the strife Of individual will, to elevate
The grovelling mind, the erring to recall, And fortify the moral sense of all.
OUR bodily life, some plead, that life the shrine Of an immortal spirit, is a gift
So sacred, so informed with light divine, That no tribunal, though most wise to sift Deed and intent, should turn the Being adrift Into that world where penitential tear
May not avail, nor prayer have for God's ear A voice-that world whose veil no hand can lift For earthly sight. "Eternity and Time," They urge, "have interwoven claims and rights Not to be jeopardised through foulest crime: The sentence rule by mercy's heaven-born lights." Even so; but measuring not by finite sense Infinite Power, perfect Intelligence.
Aн, think how one compelled for life to abide Locked in a dungeon needs must eat the heart Out of his own humanity, and part With every hope that mutual cares provide ; And, should a less unnatural doom confide In life-long exile on a savage coast, Soon the relapsing penitent may boast Of yet more heinous guilt, with fiercer pride. Hence thoughtful Mercy, Mercy sage and pure, Sanctions the forfeiture that Law demands, Leaving the final issue in His hands
Whose goodness knows no change, whose love is
Who sees, foresees; who cannot judge amiss,
And wafts at will the contrite soul to bliss.
Man's Mercy
is not necessarily God's Mercy
A thoughtful Mercy pre-
fers Death to life-long imprisonment
or trans- portation
Better Death SEE the Condemned alone within his cell to the And prostrate at some moment when remorse repentant Stings to the quick, and, with resistless force, prolonged Assaults the pride she strove in vain to quell. for new Then mark him, him who could so long rebel, Crime The crime confessed, a kneeling Penitent Before the Altar, where the Sacrament
Softens his heart, till from his eyes outwell Tears of salvation. Welcome death! while Heaven Does in this change exceedingly rejoice; While yet the solemn heed the State hath given Helps him to meet the last Tribunal's voice In faith, which fresh offences, were he cast On old temptations, might for ever blast.
Keep the YES, though He well may tremble at the sound penalty but Of his own voice, who from the judgment-seat do away Sends the pale Convict to his last retreat with the In death; though Listeners shudder all around, crime ! They know the dread requital's source profound;
Nor is, they feel, its wisdom obsolete
(Would that it were!) the sacrifice unmeet For Christian Faith. But hopeful signs abound; The social rights of man breathe purer air ; Religion deepens her preventive care; Then, moved by needless fear of past abuse, Strike not from Law's firm hand that awful rod, But leave it thence to drop for lack of use: Oh, speed the blessed hour, Almighty God!
THE formal World relaxes her cold chain For One who speaks in numbers; ampler scope His utterance finds; and, conscious of the gain, Imagination works with bolder hope
The cause of grateful reason to sustain ; And, serving Truth, the heart more strongly beats Against all barriers which his labour meets In lofty place, or humble Life's domain. Enough;-before us lay a painful road, And guidance have I sought in duteous love From Wisdom's heavenly Father. Hence hath flowed
Patience, with trust that, whatsoe'er the way Each takes in this high matter, all may move Cheered with the prospect of a brighter day
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