PS 3100 T8 SRLF ?\ ~~TT~: . -- "~nr3 LOEWS BRIDGE, fS 3100 BROADWAY IDYL. NEW YORK : M. DOOLADY, PUBLISHER, 44 S BROOME STREET. 1867. Entered, according to Act of Congress, in the year 1867, by M. DOOLADY, In the Clerk s Office of the District Court of the United States for the Southern District of Xe\v York. JOHN J. REED, PRINTER AND STEREOTYPE!?, 43 Centre Street, New York. A BROADWAY IDYL. IT 1 OR hours I stood upon THE BRIDGE, ( ) Which looms like a volcanic ridge, Above a scathing 1 fire below. A flaming crater of burning hearts And, as souls passed beneath my feet, As weary souls passed to and fro A knowledge came, so sad, yet sweet, Each inner life I seemed to know. 6 A BEOADWAY IDYL. Oh, heaven and earth ! the sins and sorrows That scarred each heart with countless furrows ! And yet I had a glimpse of love ; For maidens, pure as snow-white dove And innocent of guile, All heedless of this world of pain, Passed under with a smile. Bright rosy cheeks, the badge of health Eyes dancing in their mirth And rose-bud lips as yet impressed, Soft golden hair, by none caressed, For save the passion born at birth, A lill GAD WAY IDYL. 7 And vanity the sin of wealth, Their hearts were pure, free of the lust, Which aye debases mortal dust. And faces sweet as Poet s dream, Sad as the fair Evangeline, Or like Maud Muller. by the stream In the meadows raking* hay, Whose face betrays the " vag ue unrest" Which drives from every human breast All happiness away. Some seeking- for their Gabriel," Some mournin.2 1 for lost " Jud^e." 8 A BROADWAY IDYL. Some hiding neath a smiling* face The sorrow I know well, The sorrow which makes hearts but graves, And faces monuments. Full many a floweret passed beneath, Clasping 1 the hand of sin, And childish voices in merry g lee, Made musical the din, Like some sweet symphony which swells Amid the noise on battle field, Waking", in many a heart, the wells Of some emotion A BROADWAY IDYL. Long since dead to all save One Who for us gave His only Son ; And over me a softness crept, And pining for my own. I wept. Thank God for children! for they give New life to those who would not live. But that the bonds, so holy bound, Like some fresh vine, an oak around Their aching hearts, too full of grief, Which find in bondage sweet relief. God bless each childish happy face, Each fairy form so full of grace 10 A BROADWAY IDYL. For without children life would b Devoid of all its purity. An angel? No, tis but a child of earth. But Venus smiled at that fair maiden s birth, True, Poverty has placed on her his mark Of scanty garments But tattered robes hide not the wealth and grace That nature showered on hair, and form, and face. Full many a childless parent would bestow Cold, yellow glittering 1 gold, could that fair child A BEOADWAY IDYL. 11 With her pure face, by art s hand undefiled, Have been her very own. But Nature sells not. freely does she give, God in His wisdom, that we all may live Contented with our lot, Gives mind and beauty to His favored few, To some He grants more than their meed of wealth, And to the rest He opes His store of health. This child is leading 1 by her gentle hand Her ag^ed grandsire, on whose sightless eyes The hand of Time has placed his seal of seals. 12 A BROADWAY IDYL. Nor will they open, until in the skies Light of all light His glorious self reveals. OH, on they pass but ah ! that piercing scream Awakes me is it but a dream ? No ! there lie stands in middle of Broadway A frozen statue, moving neither way. A horse is near him, and with instinct rare The little child, who makes his life her care 7 As if to shield him from approaching harm, Twines her fair arms about his aged form. I hold my breath ; but ah, no need of fear, The watchful guardian of the Bridge ( 2 ) is near, A Jt ROADWAY IDYL. 13 Robed in his blue coat, with the star of gold, Whose courage gives him mine of strength un told ; He hurls the horso back, and they onward move, The loving iruided by the hand of love. A rag-man passes, clad in vesture poor. O scorn him not, for in his dirty bag 1 Is many a space for thoughts to rest upon Of countless value is each little rag : Like trifles they accumulate, And when they mingle into one, By trying process changing state, 14 A BROADWAY IDYL. Upon their surface lurks the hate Or love, of many a nation. Tis well we think not. as we cast aside The tiny fragments of our daily task, Of the dread tid ing s those same rag s may bring 1 E en to our door. Some great man s fate, like Maximilian s doom, May o er even strangers cast a death-like gloom. Some unjust act, a NATION put to shame, Some lines of praise, but pages full of blame. Praise g-ive to poets, for tis poets due, Worth should be granted to the rag-man too, A nnoAnwAY IDYL. 15 For in his hands the firm foundation lies, Upon which poets airy-castles rise. Down, down from Romance s perch, my muse, Wipe Fancy s dust from off thy shoes: Let good and pure rest for a while, Portray realities of guile. Guile 1 Say. is there real guilt on earth? And shall we all be judged By sins not weakness 7- God forbid ! Mortals we are. conceived in sin None, none are pure, all ;; might have been," 16 A BROADWAY IDYL. Had woman s heart been made of stone. All, all are frail, and she- who passes now With stains of sin upon her pallid brow, And misery untold within her heart, I leave to Him who said, " Neither do I condemn thee. go thy way And sin no more." for what art thou but clay ! Weary and slow she passes neath the arch, And now, upon her face I see a flush, as if her youth Had been renewed by some glad truth. As glancing up, into a manly face, A BROADWAY IDYL. 17 She speaks her greeting- with a pleading- grace. No word from him : naug-ht save a smile of scorn ! Alone she stands he with the tide moves on. All color from the flushing- cheeks now dies, Hands press her heart to stifle woe s deep cries. And onward, moved by demon of despair, She braves the " king 1 of terrors " in his lair. Say, is she saved 1 Will the grim spectre, Death, Take from her more than life s short fleeting breath ? 18 A miOADWAY IDYL. Doom her to endless misery of mind, Leaving" a tainted name behind ? Men swell the current, many of them wear Upon their brows the cruel badge of care. The mogic Greenback, like some rolling 1 ball. Gathers the man-moss, hurls them into" Wall." ( 3 ) Each eager face in passing seems to say " Chasing a dollar, comrades, clear the way ! [ am ambitious, and I fain would win : Would gain the dollar even if I sin." And oft, alas, in raging lust for gold, Life s cup is broken, and a soul is sold ! A I! ROAD WAY IDYL. 19 Some push along with satisfaction s air, While others wear the visage of despair. Some, looking* forward, in perspective see When their one dollar shall ten thousand be. Some glancing upward, building in the sky Bright airy castles soon to fade and die : While sad-faced men look backward and pass on Cursing the day that ever they were born. For empty pockets begets woes untold, And friends and comfort vanish with our gold. Then should we wonder that the trash is sought, With which e en friendship is oft sold and bought ] 20 A BROADWAY IDYL. There, mark the difference in the prosperous man, And one who gains existence as he can One with his head erect, the other bowed, The poor are humble, but the rich are proud. Hark ! surely there is music in the air ! Tis "Dixie" floating on this Northern breeze. Thrilling each South-ern heart with thoughts Of a lost Nation s hope, and her despair. This world is strange, tis an anomaly ! For glancing downward now I see o o A one-armed soldier, in a coat of blue And, by-the-by, his legs are missing too. A BROADWAY IDYL. 21 Grinding 1 with his one hand the "Dixie" song". Perchance, who knows, that very tune, was played, When in the midst of some ir.ad martial raid The missile came alonor Which left of noble manhood but the wreck. Now. standing- by his side, is one I know, a warrior, brave for Southern rights : All strife is ended, and all warring" done. And the blue-clad soldier s eyes seem dancing lights, As in his hand the Southern warrior places 22 A P> ROADWAY IDYL. His mite ; true, tis a small donation, But it betrays the great appreciation Of a brave soul, for spirit kindred born.( 4 ) Now : Yankee Doodle " falls upon my ear, Then " Erin s Wearing- of the Green " I hear ; And as the human current moves along, o I read their Nation as each hears the song For faces speak, and eyes will tell the truth : When Memory, with swift electric string, Draws Past to Present, on sweet music s wing. A tear in manhood s eye is no disgrace, And pity lends a charm to every face. A BROADWAY IDYL. 23 Statesmen, the satellites of Fame, Are m in !>*! ini* 1 \vith the throng;. o +j ^-> Some heart sore with a Nation s blame, Some charmed by the Siren son ; Of present popularity. Ah me ! how changes tide with time, Public opinion is as vacillating* As seasons are, forever on the chang-e, Warm, temperate, cold, in chang-ing* only true, Or like some serpent, with its roseate hut , Of commendation, luring* on its victim E en to death ; who, wounded by the stini-* Of misconception, like the poor snail. 24 ^ BROADWAY IDYL. Shrinks in liis shell, and starving- for fame, Dies in obscurity. New eyes are mine I see as ne er before ; Not forms alone, as in the days of yore, But acts sins long" untold And acts of mercy to my gaze unfold. I see too, lives of men, And step by step, I trace some back to when With ragged jacket, hatless head, and feet Frozen and bare, they wandered in the street, With hope, ambition, faith within their hearts, Whose dirty faces bore the stamp of .MAX. A L ROADWAY IDYL. 25 God s own insignia, neither wealth nor fame, Nor riirht by birth to high ancestral name, Can grant such priceless boon. The glory be to him who can declare I am the founder of the name I bear. Not the last scion of the great of earth, But first ; the hour which gave me birth Shall be remembered, until time shall be Lost in the mazes of Eternity. One word of praise, and it is nobly won For him who said, I will win for my Son A name all glorious and bright. "( 5 ) 26 A BROADWAY IDYL. Censorious world ! oh why not o er the past Oblivion s vail in its soft darkness cast And honor irrant. for what one is not WAS. O Our City rulers puss in g rand array, Some whose each step pollutes this snowy way, Whose nervous g lances tell that they have sold Their honor for position and for g-old. Others, whose pure lives can command Respect, aye love, of all e en in this land, Where merit s granted but to favored few. Our present Mayor, with abstracted air, Comes with kind greeting 1 , for high, low and fair. A B R AD WAY IDYL. 27 In each heart holds he a much envied place, And his position fills with nameless grace. And yet he bears upon his brow the badge Of hope deferred, Ambition s goal half won The raco for station only just begun. ( 6 ) His rival follows, and determination Within his eye shows will to do, or dare- Not only will, but power, Dame Nature s priceless dower. From very foot the mount of fame he trod : Sprung from the people, he s the people s god.( 7 ) And Authors, too, the devils of the quill, 28 A BROADWAY IDYL. Who daily, hourly their poor brains distil: Exalted, trampled by the public will ; And yet they cater, and will cater still, Undaunted by the missiles hurled Each day by a censorious world. Some with their faces beaming 1 bright See in their eyes success light ; Some who on yesterday were naught, To-day they find themselves the sought And courted, for their irenius bright, A reputation Made by the " NATION," Growing like Jonah s gourd all in a night. A BROADWAY IDYL. 29 Arid some poor sinner who awoke From dream of fame, alas to find His fancy s child, child of his mind, Damned by the critics, Or unnoticed passed. Ah, well, when he is dead, perchance his name May live forever, immortalized by fame. Such is the world s great largess to the dead, The genius who when living- wanted bread. Tis marvellous how mortals can invent The ways and means to increase worldly stores. Scorn not beginnings, and each small thing- prize, 30 A BROADWAY IDYL. From e en a cord ; ( 8 ) sometimes large fortunes rise. Yon apple-woman, vender of small wares, Stale lozenges, fruit, candy, and vile cakes, Who sells to urchins pennies worth of aches, Has now the gold safe hoarded in the bank, With which to buy hig h place in fashion s rank. Merit is nothing, money rules the day Right royally, with rare despotic sway. Something familiar comes before me now, A picture of the Southern cotton-plant. Broadway to-day, with its white glittering shield. A 1! no AD WAY IDYL. 31 Is not as pure as Southern cotton field ; With flakes of snow bursting from bolls of green, Like some imprisoned genius scorning to be Confined by laws, which bind society, And breaking bonds is wafted on the breeze Of public favor, or gathered by the slaves Of Fashion, whose vile hands Pollute its purity. True, fragments now and then Are gently taken to the hearts of men White flowers of fancy oftimes sink to rest Deep in the wells of some fair maiden s breast : 32 A BROADWAY IDYL. Pure in themselves, they yet become more fail- By contact with the holy thoughts in there. Cotton and slaves, twas thus we counted gold, The slaves are free, the free in bondage said ; And now some man with rare prolific brains, Genius inventive, by the name of Gaines, Has made a bitters of the cotton plant ; Polluting thus the hitherto white name By clothing it in the vile badge of shame. White, glaring white, is all the earth below, And Broadway seems a universe of snow." A BROADWAY IDYL. 33 Or like the Ocean s silver-crested waves, Upon whose breasts thousands of barks arc tossed ; Some brave the storm, by cautious pilots mann d, Some strike on breakers, ere they reach the land, And are forever lost. E er yet the sun his quarter s course had run, Buyers and sellers their day s work begun. Behind the counter patiently they toil, Nor mingle with the busy passing 1 throng 1 ; 34 A BROADWAY IDYL. Save here and there, an eager care-faced man, Who wiping cold dew from his tortured brow, Seeks -Wall." to borrow wherewithal to pay The rude, insulting , taunting, clamorous crew, Who all-importunate demand their due. -Teachers of truth, now with the throng pass by, Some hypocrites, with sanctimonious air, Sin in their hearts, upon their faces prayer. Preaching the truth, and living but a lie, Make me repeat this maxim ever good " I am more afraid of Error in the guise of Truth, A BROADWAY IDYL. 35 Than Truth in garb of Error." ft Brave was the man. his heart was pure and strong", Who. from the pulpit, said the world was wrong To clothe the Prodigal in direst shame, And bless the brother with a stainless name. Tis to the dying* that the doctors g ive The healing potion, that will make them live. No. not the righteous did Chvist come to save, The weak need courage, not the strong- and brave. He passes now, upon his face a smile 36 A BROADWAY IDYL. That faces wear, when hearts are free from guile. " Church of the strangers," ( 10 ) I have watched thy growth, Have seen thee from a mustard seed spring* forth, And in thy towering- majesty arise, Until thy spreading- branches touched the skies, All honor be to him whose tender care Has raised the sapling- to a tree so fair. And : Norwood s " author, whose great study s man A BROADWAY IDYL. 37 Seems seeking 1 on this thoroughfare to find Some subject for his mighty mind To dwell upon With which to charm the senses of the millions Who throng- to hear him, for he s Fashion s " rage," As one will be, who makes his church a theatre, His pulpit but a stag-e. Religion in this wise, enlightened day, Is free to all, that is, if all have gfold ; The vilest sinner is absolved for pay, And to him wide the <> rand church-doors unfold. 38 A BROADWAY IDYL. But woe to him who fain would enter in The gilded fold, whose poverty s his sin. Now is the Hall clock on the stroke of One ; The Sultans of the journalistic art, Some without brains, and many without heat!, Come forth to lord it, and in one short hour The City 11 quake beneath its ruling- power. The daily press, Whose influence is almighty, Then it should Feed greedy masses, with the pure and good, Not gather like the o-reat Jove-headed Wood. J C / A ft ROADWAY IDYL. 39 The daily slander, or the last sensation, Showing our shame to every foreign nation. He s for the South ! what care I if he is, Good can be found here, we have evil South. The MAX I honor for his love of risrht o And justice, but my truthful muse Can give no merit to the : Evening* News." The c; Evening- Mail " I Arrant an honored place In the home circle, for its columns bear Naught save the pure, no badge of our disgrace, Nothing that Age or Youth would blush to see, or heer. 40 A BROADWAY IDYL. The Poet editor, (") whose graceful rhyme Touches the heart like the soft, sweet chime Of memory bells, approaches now. His hair is silvered by the hand of Time. But his eyes still beam with the youth sublime That wells from the heart : the poetic fire That lives, and lives. through years and years, Whose brightness is dimmed not by joys nor tears. Ah ! now I see in the passing throng 1 A " prophet and poet," our (; king- of song-,"( 12 ) The bard of Erin, as brave and true A BROADWAY IDYL. 41 A " Private." as ever wore the blue, Whose bright lights of genius most brilliantly shine, When kindled on altar of love and wine. Now conies a white-haired man with mild and lamb-like face-, Kind, gentle eyes, who bears an honored name, Beloved by friend, revered by even foe, Wields the pen-sceptre with majestic grace, ( I3 ) Who, by example, soothed a people s hate, And saved a nation from the cursing woe And bitter shame of striking conquered foe 42 A BROADWAY IDYL. Was once o farmer s lad in the old " Granite State." The hardy sons of stern New England s soil, Taught from their birth to fear not want, nor toil, Bear not the marks of the most dire disease That Southerners inherit, love of ease Well, times have changed, the galling chain That made the black man bow Subservient to a master s mighty will, Is broken for Eternity ; And with that chain the cord that bound A BROADWAY IDYL. 43 Our Southern souls in idleness to earth, Wealth earned by others, strown with lavish hand, With but one power, the power to command, Is loosed, And on Ambition s wings our eager soul Can reach the mount, Ambition s much-prized goal, And grasping to our hearts the spectre Fame, We faint to find the goddess but a name. Dreaming again ! Ah, how the memory clings To the dead past ; a touch but opes the door 44 A BROADWAY IDYL. Of tlie dim vista of departed years, And phantoms of our hopes and fears, In dreamy indistinct array, Seem flitting- up and down this snowy way. A loaded wag-on now, has ope cl the door " Wilcox and Gibbs machine and nothing" more. ( I4 ) Now, I am in the sunny land of flowers, And smell the perfume from the jasmine bowers; By opened window sit I half my days, Sewing" the while, but stopping oft to gaze At two brig-lit fairies, who with sable friends A ]! HO AD WAY IDYL. 45 Hide, like the pixies, Underneath the petals of some bright flower, Whose clear celestial hue My darling s shame, with their bright eyes of blue. They crown each other with the garlands fair, The "grey-beard" mingles with their silken haii- Like cords of silver, with the jet and gold, Soft tiny hands are resting on my brow, I too am crowned ; " I would have made your wreath of white," 46 A BROADWAY IDYL. The eldest says, :; you are so good, But, mother, sister said that you were true, And so we added all these violets blue." My good machine partaking- of my pride Sang 1 one sweet song 1 , and made the stitches fine, Making 1 the children hers as well as mine. Tis half-past one, and now is seen In countless numbers eager " limbs of law " Wending their way to " Courtlandt " from "Nas sau," To while away an hour with ; Smith and Green." ( ls ) A BROADWAY IDYL. 47 Their minds to fortify, with meat and drink, Ex necessitate rei, to enable them to think. Law! say. what is the law but power? The strongest mind will rule the hour. Kit^iit, justice, mercy, ah ! where are they now? Not in this land, or, if here, bound in chains. And only loosed by the command of law, To whose decree, howe er unjust we bow, In meek submission low. This science intricate we trace E en to the dwelling place Of our first parents ; 48 A BROADWAY IDYL, Children of nature, and of God, They knew not there was sin Till Satan, in a lawyer s garb, Their Eden entered, and with him the light Or power of knowing wrong from right. But, like his children of the present day. By statements colored in a le jal way, And well instilled into his client s mind By the rare subtleties of lore profound. Sowing his seed into prolific ground. He made the white black, and the darkness light, Changed Adam s day into eternal night A I1ROADWAY IDYL. 49 By causing* wrong" appear to be the right : And ever thus, as serpents charm they, when They cast their glamour on the eyes of men, And their each word s a snare, Of Lawyers then, ye innocent, beware ! This world s a stage, each mortal acts a part Of life s deep tragedy. A breaking heart Is often hid beneath a smiling face. Ye, over righteous, if this world s a stage, Why scorn the mimic copy of life s page 1 Sermons are preached to touch the hearts of men: No sermon ever moved my heart, as when 50 A BROADWAY IDYL. I heard sweet ; Fanchon," on her bended knee, ( l6 ) Sending- above to the kind Deity A maiden s holy prayer; And then and there I too prayed that the ray divine Within my sinful heart should shine. Oft have I seen the eye of ag-e grow dim At the mere attitude of homeless (: Rip." ( I7 ) No temperance lecturer could call the vow Which once burst forth in passionate impulsive ness, A BROADWAY IDYL. 51 From one who heard the play. " Never, oh never, shall e en the smallest sip, So help me God, again pollute my lip Of aught that will intoxicate !" Surely the spirits which surround us rise And register such vows above the skies. Now comes a spirit brave, I ween, Who on the theater s board is queen, But on this tragic stageof life, When kinsmen were at war and strife, An angel ministering became. ( l8 ) In sable robes she stood by beds of death, 52 A BROADWAY IDYL. Wiped the death dews, and caught the latest breath Of the brave boys in blue, Who are sleeping 1 now in the silent grave, That o er all the land one flag- might wave. It waves but its folds are dyed with the blood Of the murdered martyrs, the brave, the true, Who wore the GREY, and who wore the BLUE ! " Physician, heal thyself!" I fain would cry To those devoted to the healing art, Who in vast numbers now are passing by : A BROADWAY IDYL. 53 Is there one wise enough to heal A wound in his own heart ? Can healing 1 potions which the Ibctors give Imbue the fainting- with a wish to live ? Can one relieve the sleepless nights of pain, Ambition s meed, the torture of the brain That ever grasps beyond, above, so high, That all its efforts prove, alas ! in vain, And weary, sinking to the earth, It curses hour that gave it birth, Dies, or becomes insane ? There comes an old, well known slouch hat, 54 A BROADWAY IDYL. Which hides no slouching- soul beneath its shade, ( l9 ) But one whose, greatest power lies In curing body by first healing mind. Did they not know when the immortal Davis lay Within his prison cell. That the Leach s skill was not in drugs, Who healed and made him well 1 They knew not, who the power of speech denied, Of histories in touch of hands ; Of volumes in a glance. How could they know 1 formed of earth s com mon clay, A P> RO AD WAY IDYL. 55 Of the magnetic cords which bind The thoughts of those whose natures are refined, Whose bodies are subservient to the mind. Strange, how a mortal by the power of will And genius, tho untutored can exalt Himself, until he will appear A being from another sphere. As unlike to the common throng As rhyming jingle to a stately song . Few days ago, I heard kind blessings showered Upon his head who now draws near :( 20 ) 56 A BROADWAY IDYL. Who had opened the once closed portals Of a soul s doors. A mother, with a fearful heart, Without one ray of hope, Placed in this Doctor s hands her only child, Whose beauty needed naught, save sight, To make it seem an angel bright. One stifled cry ! l Oh, mother, is this light ? Twas black before, and, mother, now tis white. I see you, mother, and I see God too ! The little child, with its pure instinct rare, Felt that God s spirit surely must be there, A BROADWAY IDYL 57 For mother taught Light was, at God s com mand, And God alone could hold light in His hand. The seasons change, opinions change, And even senses change with time ; In age we see not with the eyes We looked from in our youth s full prime. Couloir (Jo rose is turned to sober grey, Which grows more sombre every hour and day ; And Fashion too, like all things here below, Is ever changing, as the sunset cloud ; First a vast mountain, then a fleecy shroud, 58 A BROADWAY IDYL. A mass of darkness, now of crimson hue, Soft, silver-tinted, then a violet blue, Then blending all the shades in the rainbow. Now Fashion s minions, in the last new style, Pass and repass, disdaining the slight smile That curls the lip of ever scornful man, Whose brains inventive all new styles design, From fancy goiters to arranging- hair. I ve studied Nature, and I ve studied Art, Can at a glance detect, in smallest part Of a grand toilet, whose great Artist s skill, Moulded the madam to her august will, A n no AD WAY IDYL. 59 If from the fashion-plates of Harper s good " Bazar," (i Die Modenwelt " or " Magazine Of Madam Demorest," the robes were made. If the rival artists( 21 ) of the present day. Which hold in Fashion s world the sway Of reigning queens, Their wondrous genius used to create The airy, fairy figures slight, AVliich make this city full of light. I know, if from our " Merchant Prince " was bought The fabric rare, made in a foreign land. 60 A BROADWAY IDYL. Upon whose very surface seems inwrought A sightless eye, a wasted, helpless hand Of some poor wretch, who e en his senses gave To deck the garment over which we rave. Those tasty habits, costly, plain, and neat, Disclosing- neath their folds two tiny feet, Snugly encased in leather-shoes thick soled, Are snares which catch the unwary heart of man ; Those costly jewels, too, from " Browne and Spaulding s " bought Are many a lesson to the wedded taught, That Fanchon bonnet, ribbon and a flower. A BROADWAY IDYL. 61 Speak to man s pocket with all potent power. But Fashi:>n. although charming for a while, Has not the lastinir power of a smile. Broadway ! all irlorions and grand, the city s heart ; A panorama ! on the changing scene I g aze With reverential awe. Work of man s hand proof of a mortal s skill, Who moulds such structures to his mighty will. Once, where the c: Herald " palace stands, The red man claimed his home and lands. One hundred years ag o Hans smoked at ease 62 A BROADWAY IDYL. On summer eve, beneath the sheltering 1 trees "Which grew where now the " Leader," " Tri bune," "World." Is daily, weekly, to our gaze unfurled, Sending abroad the city s different views Of national affairs. Where stands the office of the Surrogate and < : Times," A church-bell pealed its sweet and solemn chimes, Not twenty years ago. So the huire bmldina* rears its stately head A JIROADWA Y IDYL. 63 Above the city of the sainted dead. Thrice haunted spot ! for when the Hall clock Strikes the hour of ten eacli night, One gifted with a two-fold sight Can witness scenes, scenes so appalling, drear, That common sculs would faint to even hear. First conies the red man. brandishing in air His tomahawk, showing despair Upon his dusky face ; Then, with triumphant stare, He waves above his head the hair, Dripping with gore, of newly murdered foe. His pale wife follows, and a sad surprise 64 A UROM)\VAY IDYL. Rests on her face, and in her mournful eyes. They seem to miss the grand old forest trees. And with the wail, " No home ! no place of rest ! They vanish as they came. Fantastic forms in dress of olden times Enter at will, through each self-opening door, Or oft arise in seeming through the floor. Chanting with solemn voices, old sweet hvmns ; o * Such good old tunes, as in the days of yore Made echoes ring from hill-side, and from shore. Old wrinkled dames, men in their manhood s prime, A BROADWAY IDYL. 65 And round-faced maidens, with their locks of night, Their crimson cheeks, and eyes so fuh of light, Linger a moment, and then fade away. Men robed in later styles the dark halls fill, Hold eager consultation ; then a thrill Of indignation seems to move the mass, And to the office of the Surrogate ( 22 ) they throng, In a chill current, like the whirlwind strong And eagerly they seek, in each small nook to find 66 A BROADWAY IDYL. Some traces of the WILL they left behind. Some smiling 1 faces look upon me now, But many glance, with a dark lowering" brow, Upon the fragments of a broken will. In deep sepulchral tones, amid the gliostly din, A stern voice utters, ; Bring 1 the culprit in." And the last Surrogate o Is ushered in, and takes his chair of state ; Grim Death is standing- by his head, And o er him spirits of the happy dead Are keeping" watch. Orphans and widows, with all patience wait A BROADWAY IDYL. 67 To hear the verdict of the Surrogate. He tears the will, declares tis LAW S command, And in a moment all the ghostly band Have vanished, save the solemn clerk Who writes until earth s pall of night Is changed for robes of glorious light. Shadows on the snow are lying", Day is dead, the year is dying ; Wailing winds around are sighing For the year that now is dying. 68 A BROADWAY IDYL. Tell me, year, before thy fleeting-, Tell me what will be the greeting 1 Of the year we ll soon be meeting, Are the hopes that fill me, cheating ? Old year, whisper still I listen ! Are hopes only drops that glisten For a moment, as they christen Rose-buds newly born ? And the old year tells me, dying, In the voice of winds soft sighing " Child of earth, cease, cease thy crying, What is life but hope 1 A BROADWAY IDYL. 69 Old year, give me e er thy leaving* Token, that I may cease grieving 1 ; Make my faith pure, keep ine believing Both in man and God. Silver clouds are o er me sailing, And the strickened year fast paling", Softly whispers mid the wailing " I leave thee LOVE and HOPE." NOTES. As this Book is expected to have considerable circulation outside the limits of the City, it has been suggested that a few Notes be appended, explanatory of the localisms contained therein : NOTE 1. Loew s, or as it is commonly called, Fulton Street Bridge, was completed March, 1866, the building being supervised by the Hon. Charles E. Loew, whose name has been be stowed upon it by an Act of the Common Council of New York. It is a large aerial structure, at the intersection of Broad- 72 .NOTES. wav and Fulton Street, where the thoroughfare is continually thronged with vehicles of all kinds, rendering it almost im possible for pedestrians to pass. NOTE 2. Only for readers not familiar with New York would it be necessary to say, that this refers to the Police. NOTE 3. Wall Street is our temple of Mammon, where men of money " most do congregate." NOTE 4. This is no fancy sketch. The writer actually saw this, saw a Southern soldier give alms to the Northern soldier, who can be seen at any time near the Bridge playing an NOTES. 73 organ. Indeed everything described was seen, if not pre cisely in the order mentioned. NOTE 5. It is but common justice to say that this manly sentiment is reported of the Hon. John Morrissey. NOTE 6. Hon. John T. Hoffman is Mayor of New York at this writing, November llth, l8Gt. NOTE 7. And the lion. Fernando Wood, the rival candidate for the Mayoralty. NOTE 8. Always at the Bridge are venders selling the dancing toys, whose motions depend upon an clastic string, the 74 NOTES. invention of which lias brought a fortune to the in ventor. NOTE 9. This quotation i.s from Rev. Dr. Deems, and the allusion to " the prodigal," refers to a sermon preached by Dr. Deem?, in which he represents the elder brother as worse than the prodigal. A report of that discourse, which produced a great impression on its delivery, appeal 1 ? in Every Month," for September, published by S. T. Taylor. NOTE 10. The Church of the Strangers," the name of a congrega tion composed of persons of all denominations, mostly stran gers in New York ; and its pastor, Dr. Deems, is abundant in labors among the sick, the poor, and the prisoner, and those who have no friends. It gives the author pleasure to say a word for an enterprise so catholic and so beneficial. NOTES. 75 NOTE 11. Perhaps it is superfluous to mention the name of the venerable William C. Bryant, of the "Evening Post." NOTE 12. "Miles O Reilly" is the well known name of Gen. Charles G. Halpine, who is justly called our "King of Song," and who has written certain beautiful things, which will be remembered long after his career as a politician shall have been forgotten. NOTE 13. With whatever power Hon. Horace Greeley does any thing, the wielding of the pen is the only thing he is accused of doing " with grace." NOTE 14. The " Wilcox and Gibbs sewing machine," celebrated 76 NOTES. alike for its simplicity, rapidity of movement, as well as its durability, was patented in 1857, first sold in 1859, since which time one hundred thousand have been sold. NOTE 15. A well known and excellent restaurant in Cortlandt street. NOTE 16. Maggie Mitchell, the fascinating actress, has made this character memorable. NOTE 17. Play-goers will always know Joe Jefferson by his remark able impersonation of " Rip Yan Winkle." NOTE 18. Mrs. Gen. Lander, our American actress, is believed to surpass Ristqri in the character of EJizafyeth. Her goodness NOTES. 77 is equal to her greatness, as her attentions to the soldiers during the war demonstrates. NOTE 19. Dr. J. J. Craven, the physician attendant on Jeffersou Davis at Fortress Monroe, and author of " Prison Life of Davis." NOTE 20. This actually occurred in the practice of Edward B. Foote, M. D., the celebrated medical and electrical the rapeutist, and author of " Medical Common Sense." NOTE 21. The artists referred to, are Madams M. F. Gillespie and Demorest, whose exquisite taste has rendered them renowned in the fashionable circles, not only of New York, but of the whole United States. 78 NOTES. NOTE 22. Hon. Gideon J. Tucker, who has held important State offices for more than twenty years, and is one of the first political writers of the age, is the present Surrogate of New York, and has occupied that position for the last five years. It is said of him that he has never been politically wrong in his life. FEB 3 1986