Quenched is the sun, but more fiery the fight. While the prayer of anguish bursts o'er the plain: "God grant, my brother, If not in this world, that in another We meet again!" Blood-blood, the air is dense With the cdor that sickens every sense. Like a reeling ship, In the boiling blood that is over all. The dying ones, curst With a withering thirst, Cry, "Water, for God's sake!-one drop-only one!" But water there's none ! Only blood-hot blood from war's fountains run! Hither and thither sways the fight, Darker, and darker broods the night; And the prayer still rises from the plain : "God grant, my brother, If not in this world, that in another Ended, at last, is the sharp-fought fight, Our flag retains,— The flag of the faithful-the flag of the right! Hark-the drum!-hark-the fife!- But merrily-cheerily pealing, In their soul's rejoice All unite in one mighty voice, And the ranks along Burst forth in the glorious triumph song Of-" Victory! Victory!". But through hearts of joy shoot the throbs of pain. Oh the dead-the dead on the battle plain! 66 Farewell, fallen brother! We part in this world, but in another I'd turn yer attinshin, To what I would minshin iv Erin so green, I'd show how dhat nayshin, Became iv creayshin the gim an' the queen. It happened wan mornin', That Vaynus was born in the beautiful say, (An' shure 'twas provokin',) Her pinions war soakin,' an' wudn't give play. So Niptune who knew her, Began to purshue her, In ordher to woo her, the wicked owld foo', An' he very nigh caught her, A top iv the wather, Great Jupither's daughter, who cried "Poo-la-loo!" Bud Jove, the great Jaynious, An' Niptune so haynious purshuin' her woild, So he roared out in thundher He'd tare him assundher; An' shure 'twas no wondher for tazing his choild. So a sthar dhat was flyin', Around him espyin', He sazed widhout sighin', an' hurled it belyow, While Niptune was sinkin', An' gave him, I'm thinkin', 'the brath iv a blow!' An' dhat sthar was dhryland, Both lowland and highland, An' form'd a swate island, the land iv my birth! Thus plain is my shtory, Kase sint down from glory, That Erin so hoary's a heaven upon earth. Thin Vaynus jumped nately, On Erin so shtately; But faynted, kase lately so bothered, an' priss'd; But ere it had kill'd her, Her father dishtilld her a dhrop iv the bisht! An that glass so victorious, It made her feel glorious, A little uproarious I fear it might prove, Hince how can yez blame us That Erin's so faymous For beauty, an' murther, an' whiskey, an' love! METAPHYSICS. One evening the old sitting-room at my Grandfather's became the scene of quite a curious and amusing conversation: There was Dr. Sobersides, my Grandfather, Uncle Tim, Aunt Judy, Malachi, our hired man, and the schoolmaster, who had called in to warm his hands and get a drink of cider. Something was under discussion, and my Grandfather could make nothing of it. "Pray, Doctor," said Uncle Tim, "tell me something about Metaphysics, I have often heard of that science but never for my life could make anything out of it." "Metaphysics," said the Doctor, "is the science of ab stractions." "I am no wiser for that explanation." "It treats of matters most profound and sublime, a little difficult perhaps for a common intellect, or an unschooled capacity to fathom, but not the less important on that account to all human beings." "What does it teach?" said the schoolmaster. "It is not so much applied to the operation of teaching as to that of inquiring; and the chief inquiry is, as to whether things are, or whether they are not." "I don't understand you," said Uncle Tim. "Well, take for example this earth," said the Doctor, setting his foot slap on the cat's tail. "Now the earth may exist—” "Who the dogs ever doubted that?" "A great many men, and some very learned ones; although Bishop Berkeley has proved beyond all possible gainsaying or denial that it does not exist. The case is clear; the only thing is to know whether we shall believe it or not." "That is a point of considerable consequence to settle,” said my Grandfather. "Now the earth may exist-" "But how is all this to be found out?" "By digging down to the first principles," said the Doctor. ," said Malachi, "there is nothing equal to the spade “Ay," and pickaxe; 'tis by digging that we can find out whether the world exists or not." "That is true, because if we dig to the bottom of the earth and find no foundation, then it is clear that the world stands upon nothing; or in other words that it does not stand at all, therefore it stands to reason-" "Oh! I beg pardon, I use the word digging metaphorically, meaning the profoundest cogitation and research into the nature of things; that is the way in which we may ascertain as to whether things are or whether they are not." "But," said Uncle Tim, "if a man can't believe his own eyes, what signifies talking about it? " “Our eyes are nothing but the inlets of sensation, and when we see anything, all we are aware of is, that we have a sensation of it; we are sure of nothing that we see with our eyes.” "Not without spectacles," said Aunt Judy. "Plato maintains sensation of an object-" "In common cases," said Uncle Tim, "those who utter nonsense are considered blockheads." "But in Metaphysics it is entirely different." "Now all this is hocus-pocus to me. I don't understand a bit more of the matter than I did at first." "As I was saying, Plato maintains sensation of an object is produced by a succes ion of images or counterfeits streaming off from the object to the organs of sight. Again we have it explained upon the principles of whirligigs." "No doubt of that; but when a man gets through doubting, what does he begin to build upon in the metaphysical way?" said my grandfather. 66 Why, he begins by taking something for granted." "But is that a sure way of going to work?" "Why-it-is-the only thing he can do,-Metaphysics, to speak exactly—” "That's right," said the schoolmaster, "bring it down to the science of abstractions and then we shall understand it." ""Tis the consideration of immateriality or the mere spirit and essence of things." แ "Come, come, now I begin to understand it," said Aunt Judy. |