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'"», M IDYL S '"/« H, N S= OF ^I't-e oS-Idci^ ^ai'H'l' '3c^-^^- * BY r # BaFFi] Straton, I* 1* i ^t eiii^Pior of ''Sai^d of SoDC, anh Ot^ver !Coevio," Stc ^ .1 f*' >«^ * ' Saint John, ]^. B. J. & J%. ^ejllillan, printers and publishers, 98 jFinee William Street. ■ 1887. A ^k ^ ti * ^ ? ■ I I I i|4>il>a!:lniii|iili< ir-l ip'h M' 1 1| !• I ri||:|iili»|IUil|l'llll.llliJlr •-«^\V 'i'"'.ft^'^'^ r ^ " "'■"''"'""'^'' I I'll <|i|-' l>l|lll.i||llli;lll|l'|lllnmi:|ll|!l|ll|X)lMlt, . — 4««* — fe A ;, «, f w ifca # %■ '!■ I, ^# * ** ♦■,' -^^ ^ * ^fei-'^'-'^sSii^-fe * .»# * i' . « .^' ll ^ ^he Euilding ol the iFidge, yn: m 1$ ^N IDYL O F THE RIVER S/IINT JOHN. BY '/ SAINT JOHN, N. B. J. & A. McMillan, 98 Prince William Str 1887. KET. '■ '" ' w W w lltlUlllKIIMIKIHI'll Atlorncy General of the Prox'iiice of Neiv Jirtinsivick, On tf»c 0cca*iotv of tfic 0pciiiMC| of tPia 33tiJ>c|c at cF*«fectictoM, 9lov)CHv6cr 27tfv, 1885. ^he Building of the Bridge. prop:m. 7 THE RIVER SAINT JOHN. Since thy water's sprang from the black night chaotic, Alieti from thy orient shore, mour) i'd thy hcsperian strand ; Past is now thy power vast of tides despotic, For our bridge shall bind them like a go/den marriage bund. What me join together. May no stress of weather, — Winds that war above this pledge ivith lightning and hoarse thunder, Or thy rushing spring-Jlood, with crushing ice-floes under, — Put ruthlessly asunder. Broad, majestic stream, for knowledge I beseech thee ; Move my soul to song as strong as thy resistless fioiv .' Water, elemental in man's nature, teach me; Tell me what thy murmurs mean, and ripples whispering low ! I, a minstrel idle. Fain ivould sing the bridal Of thy sunny shores, ivith blissful peace and plenty crowned, — Fain would iveave some story As tribute to thy glory. Fair New Bruns7vick's proudest stream, in our fond hearts enthroned.' Hfh'S'H mm mmmm mm w The Building of the Bridge. fHO gazes on this graceful bridge, The offspring of prosperity, The people's pride and privilege,— Each arch a rainbow to assure This tide shall liar our path no more,— Sees more than outward eye may see, If, giving flow to fantasy, He follows where sweet thoughts allure, Nor deems it weakness to pc^ssess A mind such pleasures may impress. All arts must have their infancy And gradual growth, whether they be Mechanical, which toil and build, Rearing this bridge with skillful hand, Or those which cultured ease demand, And each holds honor for its guild, And all sjiring from necessity. Far backward in barbarian years 1 see the treacherous stepping-stone By nature placed, or, haply, tlirown By ykin-clad man to thwart the stream. And capped by safer fire- wrought beam. Reared by the rude arch-architect, The prinie inception of these piers And airy spans which we jierfecl. But ere the birth of building Man In Asia, cradle of the Race, Nature, who loves to educate, Had reared a strange aerial span, A bridge of massive strength and grace. Which man may never dui)licate, In this New World. In that demesne l.i-^&l^'^."'''-°^'S^ I' he Ihiiliim^^ of the Bridge. Named liom tlic Iji^lish Virgin Queen, Tlu- ponderous limestone arch was hunt; When new-born spheres tojjether sun}>. Like Hfe of man, now cloud, now sheen, The brooklet brattles throujj^h the glade. At bottom of that dark ravine By ancient torrents slowly matle. So deep, who j^azes from below Beholds all day the stars aglow. As crude as stepping-stones and trees Are those rough ropes of twisted bark. And sliding baskets, stretching o'er Debarring cailons, deep and dark, Where down the sheer declivities Of the rich Andes torrents pour, Bursting in spray with thunder loud. Born of eternal snows and cloud. Another curious bridge behold At Iwakuni, in Japan, — The Nation's pride, three centuries old, — Whose arches five no roadway bear. No easy, level thoroughfare, But up and down them beast and man Climb on a tiMlsome wooden stair, Like boats bv lazy billows rolled ! In all the Bridging Art's advance. Of all the records of its lore. None educates, none pleases more. None reads more like a sweet romance. Than that which tells how Benezet — Sainted by Church for deeds of good — Long years ago in Southern France, Pleasant with vale and rivulet. Formed that Bridge- Building Brotherhood Who built the welcome Inn at fords, ■SL 'J.-^K. nMr- -w-^gr I he Bui/diuo 0/ ilw liruii^c. As free to naupcrs as to lords, Aiul hridj^cd tlie dfcpcr strcans, or made Salt' boats, that none nii^dit hi- dclayt'd. And wore, for work or worsliip drtst, The pick emblazoned on the breast These toilers tverc akin to thee, J'air River, — thou rcho teaehrst me, — /•b/-, as the crtituries sped on, Did they not join in Chivalry Tlie k'niirhtly Order of Saint John f Full well they buildcd in their day, And on the walls of time we read, "They wrouj^ht in services of peace, That liijht mii^ht be, and jrroping cease ; They strove to fill their people's need ; Their ^lory passeth not away." When Rome's proud sceptre swayed the earth, Not all of War her warriors taught; In public works her people wrought, And first the graceful arch applied To safely span the treacherous tide. Giving the Bridging Art new birth. Vast a(;ueducts o'er sloping vales, Which to their towns sweet waters bore. Whose ruins read like fairy tales. Arch above arch her builders reared. Which, nigh and strong, yet light appeared. And bridges famous in old lore. Who turns not fondiy to the page, Dreamed over in scholastic youth. Which witnesses the bridge which st(Kid, Through years of happiness or ruth. Above the sacred Tiber's flood, Where, in the Commonwealth's early age. The three brave Romans held at bav m il' nL mm """^ T/ic nnildin^s; of the Dndgc. Ktruria's coiujiu'iinj; array ! Base Taniuin, baiiislu'd, held in hate Tlu' If berated Roman State By Brutus freetl, and now he came With Tuscan foes antl chiefs of fame, And van(iuislicd on the plains about The Roman force that salUed out. Across the l)ridge the Romans poured, And, hard behind, the Tuscan horde Came rushinjf, and hail won the town Before the britljie were overthrown. And jriven it to sack and sword, Had not Horatius held in play The foe within that narrow way, tVidi Spurius Lartius on his right, llerminius on his left, to fight. Here they withstood the swift attack; Fierce were tlie IjIows they gave and took, Ai:d, when behind the timbers shook. He.-- inius, I.artius, sped them back, But still Horatius faced the foe. Brave as a lion mad with blood Who rules the jungle as his own, Until into the droumy flood, Swollen and eddying below. The sundered bridge fell thundering down. Then, in his battered armor girt. And weak from many a bleeding hurt. With sword in sheath and shield in hand, Horatius leapt into the tide. And swam to reach the other side. Welcomed with mighty shouts to land. O, glorious man, of gallant deed ! Thou and thy comrades shall not die. But live with us in minstrelsy, And in fair Canada's direst need w The Building of the Bridge. The t-^le shall fire our soldiery, And teach our sons to fight and bleed. As years sped on, man's cultured brain Evolved more-glorious indusi ry : Our builders n^w material sought, And thus, in Britain's Isle we see How Stephenson and Darby wrought Their iron bridges, which remain Their monuments of skill and thought ! Full well he builded in his day. Wise Stephenson ! a seer of those Who nobly strive, with mighty tiiroes. The spirit's promjHings to obey, Of whom Fate's voice is heard to say. ■' However good the work he plan — Though arts advance and faths be found His quest is ne^'er won of man, His work and wisdom hrive their bound, For, if he solve all mystery, He equaleth his Deity." i Though man be stubborn, strong, and stern. There dwells within much tenderness, — Warm loves which starve for happiness, — Emotions which for kindness yearn As children crave a fond caress, — Nor is it strange that he should turn From .some vast bridge willi arts aglow, And think more fair the moss-grown bow, Which, in some country solitude. Where babel trade may not intrude, Spans .some sweet whisper-hiding burn, Where, in the gloaming, lovers uieet Beneath the kindly arching boughs, To breathe the old, old tale, and vows Heari-born and holy, strong and sweet. mm TJic Ihiildino of (he Jlricfoe, A different scene, in shadows dun, The pityinji^ soul now l^roods upon, And sees on Heresina's flood Two bridjfcs, retl and dank vvitli blood, Built for his perishii^L; army's flight, When through cold Russia's wintry gloom Napoleon hastened from his doom, — When, hovering rourcl him day and night. The Cossacks on tiie sufferers fell. Coming like shadows unawares, Like leojxirds leaping from their lairs, Revengeful, j^trong, implacable. The exhausted, striving pontoniers* Died as tliey wrought, and when each pass Was choketl with the retreating mass, The Russian ba .eries on the bank Hurled crashing ball and shrieking shell, All aimed and timed so deadly well They swept the victims, rank on rank. Mangled and torn, beneath the wave, Of thousands the antended grave. For them the roof-trees wait in vain ; No welcome swells their hearts again ; No friends shall shout on their return. No witelv lips shall kiss and yearn, No leajiing babes shall laugh and prate. And hearts and homes are desolate. Ah, River.' strife is reeari/iess, (Vid -woes and leant its "wa^cs ; Bid Death destroy his bridi^e of boats, and <( ars forever eease. Their reeords read wiih dreariness. — oh, close the bloody pages ! 1 listen for thy ^lis^rning notrs lehieh sing our br'd',' of peace. Fair, light and stmng our bridge shall be ; No wasteful weight our builders rear ; The skilled, ingenious luiginecr. Versed in the records oi his art. lO The Bill! din o of the Bi idi^c. Seeking great strengtli, with .symmetry, The points of weight and strain defines, And builds his structure on tliese lines, Rejecti.ig every useless part ; With arch and truss-work aptly joined. He plans for strength and grace combined. That Peojile shall not retrograde Who view, in daily life displayed. The love of beauty. He who sees The pleasing structures of his land, Though he be slow to understand, Must grasp some meaning by degrees, Must feel some thoughts within him stir, Must hear some promptings which aver, " Thev point to life more broad, more grand, They tell t.f things more fair than these." Then shall his heart know warmer moods. His soul reach higher altitudes. Culled from the eloquent solitudes Of fair New Brunswick's wealthy woods, Tough birch, oudasting years of years, Shall form ^foundations for th( piers. Jointed and bolted, and hemmed around By ponderous piles which pierce the ground. And filled with anchoring tons of rocks. Deep in the stream the stout cribs lie And stem the tide which rushes by And bravely bear the ice-floe's shocks. O, builders ! lay them true and strong ; For if the humbler work go wrong The finer parts ye rear in vain : Even so the social life of man. Which national strength may ne'er attain Unless each fill his destined sjihere. However lowly in life's plan. t!^ The Building of the Bridge. II With patient hearts that toil and bear, Defying fortune, large with cheer. And next the stalwart piers we raise Of cedar, wood which Solomon Hewed from the slopes of Lebanon When building to his Maker's praise. (Ah/ Solomoju in glory dressed. Was not arrayed like one of these Nude lilies slumbering on thy breast, O, thou fair stream of mysteries /) We sheathe tliem in the water-ways With planks of bircii, that ice and drift May take no hold, may find no rift, To work ihem harm ; the sloping prows We plate with iron, like mighty plows. To cut the ponderous floes which lift When, strong as death, which none may fly, The giant spring-flood crushes by. Meanwhile, upon the eastern bank, Where timber for each span is stored, The shores resound with busy clank As skilled mechanics ply their trade, Shaping the solid Southern pine For arch and brace, and post, and chord, Following the plan in every line. Till every shapely part is made And fashioned to the true design. The sturdy blows fall thick and fast, The sundered chips fly left and right From early dawn to early night, As leaves before a wintry blast From skeleton trees are scattered down, And loudly from the waiting town The impadent, watchful whisdes blow As the tides of labor ebb and flow. t2 The Building of the Bridge. Behold the dignity of toil ! These are our Country's flesh and bones, — These are the Nation's beams and stones, — First, he who tills the generous soil, Winning a People's daily food, And then the mighty multitude Of laborers and tradesmen skilled. Who work and strive, who plan and build, In Arts well learned and understood. Their toil allows the grace and ease Of those within the wealthy zone, And they, in turn, their task must own. Nor hide their talents in the ground, For suffering and gloom abound. And it is theirs to banish these. And wherewith shall the strife be laid Which shackles wealth, and toil, and trade ? There is a law within the soul Whose mandates softly breathe content, And calm injustice and dissent, — Unwrit save in the Holy Scroll, — The Law of Conscience, this should sway Master and workman night and day. A generous wage for willing work. Whether it be of hand or brain, — The toiling arm which does not shirk, — The hand which grasps not all the gain. Smiting die humble laborer, — By these our Nation we shall rear, Until we be, from sea to sea, One happy home, one family, Where wealth, and toil, and trade shall meet And make our National life complete. Now, rough and strong, from pier to pier A humble stage the builders rear. Of posts which pierce the ooze and mud, The Biilding of the Bridge. n >i And tremble in the tawny flood, To upliold the infant, growing span. As a mother holds in loving arms. Trembling for life's unseen alarms, The child who soon shall be a man. Then from the yard the beams are brought, To true dimensions defdy wrought For chord and arch, for post and stay, And set in place without delay, Till, one by one, each graceful span Is reared without a fault or flaw, As trim and true as on the plan, And smoothly swings the ponderous draw, A highway o'er a highway thrown. As busy ships speed up and down. Ah! hapi)y those whose wedded life. If ever marred by passing strife, Swings easily to its path again. For life hath darksome days and cares, And selfishness sets many snares. But love can let all faults glide past. Then close its portals firm and fast. More perfect for the break, the pain. As skies are fairest after rain. Lo, after many toilful days Of single efibrts muhiplied, Of minutes chained in their swift flight, Of labor set in cheerful ways. Of knowledge ordering all aright, — The sum and end and visible praise Of mind and hand in work allied, Our Bridge, perfected, crowns the tide! O, River, tell it to tlic sea / Ring-, waves, a marriage melody.' Sigli, south ulio oer tliee teaninq;, Faintly catch tliy nieanin(^, SiQh, for life is far too short to -.erite the lore it bears. Thus, t/to2i mystic River, Shalt thou sing forever. Till time and fide are rolled aside and garnered 'a'ith the rears,- Sing when bridge and toilers Arc garnered by the spoilers. Time and tide, which shall abide the ttnbnilding of the spheres. Yet shall we take some pleasure In our happy leisure, Leaning o'er thee from this bridge to con thy song aright; Basking in thy rudiance. Thankful for thy complaisance, Oblivious, for a little zchile, of Times strong ivestering flight. TO Fredericton, November, 1885.