Inhaling from the loathsome air,
Poison with

every

breath.
Yet shrinking not from offices of dread
For the wrung dying, and the unconscious dead.
And, where the sickly taper shed

Its light through vapors, damp, confined,
Hushed as a seraph's fell thy tread-
A new Electra by the bed

Of suffering human-kind!
Pointing the spirit, in its dark dismay,
To that pure hope which fadeth not away.

Innocent teacher of the high

And holy mysteries of Heaven! How turned to thee each glazing eye, In mute and awful sympathy,

As thy low prayers were given ;
And the o’er-hovering Spoiler wore, the while,
An angel's features-a deliverer's smile!
A blessed task !—and worthy one

Who, turning from the world, as thou,
Before life's pathway had begun
To leave its spring-time flower and sun,

Had sealed her early vow;
Giving to God her beauty and her youth,
Her pure affections and her guileless truth.
Earth may not claim thee. Nothing here

Could be for thee a meet reward ;
Thine is a treasure far more dear-
Eye hath not seen it, nor the ear

Of living mortal heard, The joys prepared—the promised bliss above The holy presence of Eternal Love ! Sleep on in peace. The earth has not

A nobler name than thine shall be.

The deeds by martial manhood wrought,
The lofty energies of thought,

The fire of poesy-
These have but frail and fading honors ;-thine
Shall Time unto Eternity consign.

Yea, and when thrones shall crumble down,

And human pride and grandeur fall,-
The herald's line of long renown-
The mitre and the kingly crown-

Perishing glories all ?
The

pure devotion of thy generous heart Shall live in Heaven, of which it was a part

THE FROST SPIRIT.

He comes-he comes—the Frost Spirit comes i

You may trace his footsteps now On the naked woods and the blasted fields and the

brown hill's withered brow. He has smitten the leaves of the gray old trees

where their pleasant green came forth, And the winds, which follow wherever he goes,

have shaken them down to earth.

Le comes—he comes—the Frost Spirit comes !

from the frozen LabradorFrom the icy bridge of the Northern seas, which

the white bear wanders o'erWhere the fisherman's sail is stiff with ice, and

the luckless forms below In the sunless cold of the lingering night into

marble statues grow!

He comes- - he comes s—the Frost Spirit comes on

the rushing Northern blast,

And the dark Norwegian pines have bowed as his

fearful breath went past. With an unscorched wing he has hurried on, where

the fires of Hecla glow On the darkly beautiful sky above and the ancient

ice below.

He comes—he comes—the Frost Spirit comes !

and the quiet lake shall feel The torpid touch of his glazing breath, and ring to

the skater's heel; And the streams which danced on the broken rocks,

or sang to the leaning grass, Shall bow again to their winter chain, and in

mournful silence pass.

He comes—he comes—the Frost Spirit comes!

let us meet him as we may, And turn with the light of the parlor-fire his evil

power away ; And gather closer the circle round, when that fire

light dances high, And laugh at the shriek of the baffled Fiend as his

sounding wing goes by !

THE VAUDOIS TEACHER. 38 “Oh, lady fair, these silks of mine are beautiful

and rareThe richest web of the Indian loom, which beauty's

queen might wear; And my pearls are pure as thy own fạir neck, with

whose radiant light they vie; I have brought them with me a weary way,— will

my gentle lady buy ? ”

And the lady smiled on the worn old man through

the dark and clustering curls, Which veiled her brow as she bent to view his silks

and glittering pearls; And she placed their price in the old man's hand,

and lightly turned away, But she paused at the wanderer's earnest call —

“My gentle lady, stay!”

Oh, lady fair, I have yet a gem which a purer

lustre flings, Than the diamond flash of the jewelled crown on

the lofty brow of kingsA wonderful pearl of exceeding price, whose virtue

shall not decay, Whose light shall be as a spell to thee and a bless

ing on thy way!” The lady glanced at the mirroring steel where her

form of grace was seen, Where her eye shone clear, and her dark locks

waved their clasping pearls between ;Bring forth thy pearl of exceeding worth, thou trav

eller gray and oldAnd name the price of thy precious gem, and my page

shall count thy gold. The cloud went off from the pilgrim's brow, as a

small and meagre book, Unchased with gold or gem of cost, from his folding

robe he took ! “ Here, lady fair, is the pearl of price, may it prove

as such to thee! Nay-keep thy gold-I ask it not, for the word of

God is free!”

The hoary traveller went his way, but the gift he

left behind Hath had its pure and perfect work on that highAnd she hath turned from the pride of sin to the

lowliness of truth, And given her human heart to God in its beautiful

hour of youth!

And she hath left the gray old halls, where an evil faith had

power, The courtly knights of her father's train, and 'be

maidens of her bower; And she hath gone to the Vaudois vales by lordly

feet untrod, Where the poor and needy of earth are rich in the

perfect love of God!

THE CALL OF THE CHRISTIAN.

Not always as the whirlwind's rush

On Horeb's mount of fear,
Not always as the burning bush

To Midian's shepherd seer,
Nor as the awful voice which came

To Israel's prophet bards,
Nor as the tongues of cloven flame,

Nor gift of fearful words—
Not always thus, with outward sign

Of fire or voice from Heaven,
The message of a truth divine,

The call of God is given !
Awaking in the human heart

Love for the true and right-
Zeal for the Christian's “ better part,"

Strength for the Christian's fight.

Nor unto manhood's heart alone

The holy influence steals :