54
R AT I
A DDR ESSR I ) TO
O R E D PE O PLE .
An d I heard a vo ice from heaven qayi ng u nto me
W rite
Blessed a re we d ea d w /z z'c/z d i eI n M e L ord!
l a t th ey may rest f rom t/ze z'
r la éors
A n d th e i r w orks
Do th em.
!R E!, xiv . I !.!
E!A N G E L I N E .
A L B A N Y
W EED PARSONS CO . ,PR INTERS.
18 74 .
CHARLES SUMNER .
3511 mem or i a l!.
The nation ’s heart i s sad
Her best beloved son ,
The great and good!Has winged his fl ight from earth
,
An d wh i te robed angels
the gorgeous scenery of the skyTo let hi s sou l pass onward
To his God!sent his messenger to bid him !Come .
Sumner is dead
Oh many moons must come
And many go
Ere we be comforted again,
Or hush the sighs
That fol low him up the golden stai r,
Echoing th rough all the shining corridors
Of heaven ,Where our beloved one has gone to rest 1
EM O R IAM .
Sumne r i s dead
0 sad repeating words!That beat upon our hearts
Like showers of frozen hai l
Melting i n tears
That swell the tidal wave of sorrow ,
Sweeping adown the great Pacific l pes,
R ush ing along
the sorrowfu l shores of the broad A tlantic .
Sumner is dead
And bitter tears
From our sad eyes
Doth make us l i ttle recompense
For his most noble l ife!ThoughThe nations of the earth rise up to comfort u s
The glorious Orient and the kindly Occident
Stretch forth thei r hands‘To u s
Across the spaces of the earth
EM O R IAM .
Sumner is d ead‘
!And the tears of heaven
mi ngl i ng with the tears of earth ,
Above hi s new made grave .
Showers of stormy rain
Descend upon the grave of our beloved dead
Whose most honored dust
I s heirloom
all the sorrowing nations of earth
Sumner i s dead!O mournfu l hearts ,
At whose red ! li ntel doors
The angel of sorrow knocks ,
And knocks again!tear fi l led eyes!upon whose drooping fringesThe heavy foot of sorrow presses hard
Be comforted
For G od shal l wipe the tears from your sad eye s ,
® r a f i o n .
There i s a word,
When once spoken,
Fixe s its meaning upon every human brain ,And find s a habitation
,
Within the sacred chambers of the sou l
A word,
Whether spoken on the shores of the Orient,
Lying in slumbrous dreams
A! near the sun
Or the land of the snow an d i ce,
Where gorgeous temples ari se,
Whose translucent walls are
Bu i lded without the sound of hammer or chi sel .
Whether spoken
I n the halls of learning or at the fireside,
On the sh ip ’s deck
Or the sold ier’s camp,
Finds an echo
I n every human heart
EM O R IAM .
A word
Fraught with deepest meaning
To ye ,O ye down! trodden nation!
Who stood alone
Under the sombre shadow of the past, waiting
For the angel of the future , the sound
Of whose foot! fal ls made the present tremu lous
With coming tid ings!A word ,
Pregnant with joys to the poor fettered slave ,
Toi l ing i n the heat and burthen of the day
I n southern fields,
Where the snowy cotton
Unfurls its fleecy banner to the breeze
Or i n the lu xuriant tropi cs ,
Where forests
Are al l ablaze with gorgeous flowers , and birds ,
And the odorous ai r
I s laden with orange and spi ce!
EM O R IAM .
Or toi ling
I n northern lati tudes,
Where his best efforts
upward tendencies are clogged!His life burdened with sorrow
And i l l! requ ited toi l!O ye men
Over whose helpless nakedness
H e cast the mantle of liberty , woven out!Woof and weft!
Of the threads of h is very li fe!Ye men
Whose faces were never so b lack as not to show
Behind thei r dark surface
The features of a brother!Whose hands
,unstained by crime
,were never so black
As to be unfit for hi s grasp
I n loving token of a long lost
B rotherhood
10
EM O R IAM .
O ye men!Whom he d iscovered
Prone i n the val ley of tribu lation!Looking with infinite longing , and sad yearning eyes ,At the solemn vau lt of heaven ,
Where stars
Take thei r nightly cou rse
Around a mysterious centre
Wondering,
I f within the fold ing of those azu re doors,
There was room for youYe men!
For whom thi s great apostle of l i berty
Stretched forth the rod of justi ce ,And smote
,
With a fearless blow , the stony rock of national caste ,Til l al l the waters of l i berty
Flowed forth
And he gave you to drink!
EM O R IAM .
The strong right arm
That smote the pi llar of
Your wrongs in the dust!Call ing backFleeting generations
,before whose revelations
The whi te faces of the earth
Stood sti l l
Trembling before outraged heaven .
Upon whose faithfu l pages every oppression ,Every lash of the whip ,
Every tear
From long suffering eyes were registered
For future reference
Beware
Said Sumner in his great appeal to humanity ,
Of the groans of w ounded son/s
Oppress not to the a tternzost
A single kearl‘
For one solitary szg/z izaspow er to overset
A w/zo'
le world
EM O R IAM .
O , ye freed people!Scarce had the name of
Traced its gu i lty lines upon the page
Of that most consummate act
Of cruelty,
When a hundred guns from Boston ’s classi c heights
Belched forth their teemi ng fire
I n ratification
Of the great treaty of blood!Like a ponderous knell!
Their jarring sound boomed out you r death cry ,
Upon the sou l of Sumner!And all the night, of that most lu rid day ,
Alone with h is God .
His fast retreating and coming footsteps
Made hi s si lent chamber eloquent with his agony .
And kept thei r mournfu l rythm
With the throes of his sou l
14
EM O R IAM .
This true man
Who stood up in your mid st
Like a pi llar of l ight
Endowed with power to emit a radiance
All i ts own!When friend and foe alike
R efusing the succor and protection
Of a common humanity
Would force back the hapless
Fugitive slave
To the hel l of slavery
T/zus openly DEFYING
sen timen t of!ustice, i mmun i ty and e/zrz'
stz'
an duty .
Leaving to coming generations
A record of human wrongs ,Amongst the crimes of lzz
’
story ,anot/zer
[5 about to be recorded ,
W/zz'
e/t no tears can blot out
Said the upright statesman .
15
EM OR IAM .
As he stood
Amidst the surging tide
Of calumny and misconception ,Bearing up
Against the pressure of the waves of caste .
His solemn words echoing through the senate
By the supreme lawWhich commands me to do!ustice
By the comprehensive
A nd conscien tious law
Of brotherhood
By the const itution
I have sw orn to support
I am bound to d isobey th is act
A nd never,
any circumstance,can I render volun tary a id to
Pa ins and penalties I w ill endure
Th is!grea t w rong I w ill not do.
Better be the victim,
Than the i nstrumen t of w rong!
16
EM O R IAM .
What wonder
That common minds
Lacking the moral vertebrae!backbone)a grand an d noble humanity , should de em
Passionate!Yet
,what is l ife
Without passionate feeling
To false sentiment!I t i s indeed
,a dangerous aux i l iary !
But no true sentiment is complete
Without it .
!
And truer sentiments
Never li t the fires of eloquence in a purer breast
Than Sumner’s
A breast that heaved with indignation
For your bitter wrongs ,And the piteous spe ctacle of human nature
That Tan ey’s mandate presented
To the eyes of the world
EM OR IAM .
That,The blackman
no rights the w hite ma n is bound to
O omnipotent
And omnipresent God
Who made us i n thine own image ,Breathing
Thine own pure breath
I nto our dust! created bod ies
Giv ing of thine own li feA semblance
great in all i ts puri ty so grand in al l i ts fu lness ,That ou r humanity can scarce contain i t!So
,whether ou r faces be black , or whether
They be whi te ,
I f we but retain thy semblance
And keep w i th in
EM O R IAM .
The sacred
Cloister of our sou ls
lamp that thou d idst consecrate
And gave
I nto our most solemn keeping
To i lluminate the fair pages of our lives ,And shed
I ts holy l ight upon the path
That l ies along the shimmering moon! beams of the sky ,Upon whose si lver stai rExpectant angels wait
Whose luminous wings enfold us round about
Bearing our happy sou ls
Beyond the sapphire gates
To the home
From whence we came
We are as one to thee !
And all the thinking,reason ing na tions
Of the earth
20
EM O R IAM .
Once only
history of thi s nation
The floor of the senate chamber
Dedicated to ju sti ce and li berty,
I s stained with the blood
Of a martyr!He lay helpless and lifeless along that floor
Like an Athenian warrior
Slain upon the altar of hi s country
H is grand,proud head
Dyed with the crimson tide
Of his own life blood!His pale
,cold face
,and white soundless lips
Appeal ing in thei r speechless agony
banner of hi s country , that hung in starry folds
Above his head!The hand that smote him to the earth
Severed the life! chord of h is
Physi cal well! being
21
EM O R IAM .
But,
Out of the blood
of the turmoi l , the warfare
Passionate striv ings ,Out of the pain and angu ish
,
Out of the ru in and sol i tude ,
the great si lence that lay upon his li fe,
There rose up
A spiri t of grande
With the thews and sinews of D iv i ne wisdomA grander, nobler, truer manhood
Wrought ou t of the fires
Of angu ish and pain!A wisdom that has gone i ts slow , su re round
Upon the wheels of time ,Calling out of your own nation a fu ll man
To sit in the chai r
Of himwho smote your patriot and fri endAt his post of du ty
EM O R IAM .
From the ru i n wrought
By a thoughtless and passionate hand
Sumner,the christian statesman
Arose grander than ever!Daring to speak the truth
Having the moral cou rage to wear i t proud ly
Upon his l ips!Flooding its glorious light
Upon the actions of h is l i fe
Oh!How we revereThe man who speaks the truth
Whose words and actions
Call no unhealthy effort to the mind!I n winnowing out the one bright grain
Of truth
From the chaff of shiftless falsehood
The ti red brain,weary with analyzing
ght rest in his statements, nor placed them
Within its crucible!
EM O R IAM .
O tru th!Thou art born of God
On thy fai r brow
The j eweled crown of purity gleams!Thy garments
lumi nous w i th shimmering star! l ight
O truth
Thou semblance of the l iving God
What have we not borne,what suffered
For thee
Misconception
Darkens thy fai r featu res
Misconstruction covers thee wi th her shadowy mantle
Throwing wide
The flood!gates of sorrowThat rush from the bitter fountain
Of the gri eved soul!I n thy right hand i s a crown
Of glory!I n thy leftA crown of thorns
24
E M O R IAM .
And
The d read Sau l'
s march
Thri ll i ng i ts weird music
Above h is grave,echo of d ead expectancy and woe!That fall upon our hearts
Like the rustling leaves of autumn
Ah
There are human faces
Meeti ng our eyes each day,
Which,
I f they lay cold and sti l l
ai r would rend with ou r lamentations
An d sorrow!And our sad tears wou ld vainly tryTo wash the lines of care
From their dead faces
That fi l l the haunted chamber of our sou ls
For evermore
E M O R IAM .
Yet!No word of sympathy
,
No outstretched hand ,
Bore to thei r fu l l expectant hearts
A token
No kind li ng glance
Of sympathetic brotherhood
Bore to thei r asking ey
I have a care of thee
Thus we go on day after day , wrapping
The mantle of selfishness round ou r humanity
Looking so earthward
The tears of our grieving brotherFall upon ou r feet
O,have a care that
such sin as this be recorded i n Heaven ’s register
To burthen your free sou ls
As ye go upward!
27
EM O R IAM .
When
The weary day
Lays down her ti red head
Upon the dreamy pi llow of the past,
Closmg the si lent gates of n ight
On her departing foot! fal ls
Throwing back upon ou r thri l l ing senses
The cu rtains of mystery!That float upon the si lence and hush
Of the night season 3
Making the soundless ai r
Tremu lou s with l ife!’Tis then
,
And not ti l l then .
Pervaded by a d ivine restlessness
We kneel
And loose our earthly shoes from off our
For the ground whereon we stand
I s holy
28
E M O R IAM .
Alone
With the d iv ine scu lptor ,Whose une rring chisel
R ounds the uneven cu rves and awkward cornersOf our erring natu re
The heroi c statu e
I s wrought ou t of roughest marble
So , the good man
I s mou lded out of his very fau lts
Thus the great master hand
With d iv ine preci sion
Measured the breadth and depth and height
Of Sumner!To fi ll wi th honor and credi t
The royal shrine
grand and noble niche prepared
I n heaven
And i n the stirring history
Of the world
29
EM O R IAM .
There are men
So utterly narrow!minded
So wanti ng in moral vertebrae
grand human nature , that they are never greatly
Tempted
Satan,
With discrimi nating acumen , seeks higher
Prey than these
They are all too fl imsy , weak and crude
For hi s pu rposes!
Upon the men of moral breadth , of depths
Of human pi ty
Of height of divine abid ing IS ome prince
Of the sons of the earth
Whom God has chosen
For some great epoch in our history
The whole arti l lery of hell
I s brought to bear!
80
EM OR I AM .
Tried and tru sted of G od
F i tted to go down to the arena
fight the great fight,
! from the going
To the rising of the sun
Struggli ng with some deadly temptation that has
Locked h im
I n its Si newy embrace
Or taking some wi ld passion
By the throat
And strangling i t out of ex i stence .
These,
The large! hearted,square!head ed ,
high minded
Men of h istory,
Are h is best stock in trade
these temptation comes a nd if they falllashes them to h i s char i ot wheels
An d carri es them i n triumph
I nto hel l
3 1
EM O R IAM .
Bu t Sumner
man of princely integrity ,
Accepted no defeat,acknowledged no tempter!
The lobbyist,
Engaged i n tu nneli ng under human natu re
F led from before h is face '
The briber,Whose soft i nsinuating palm
Takes kindly to the hands of his fellow man!
Who cometh with a smi le ,And asketh for no receipt
Whose loosened purse stri ngs,bind
The tender conscience
With cord s,gripped by the sinewy
Of Satan,
Turns aside to let Sumner pass on
The utterly incorruptible
EM O R IAM .
’Twas not in vai n
He sat ,A studiou s disciple
At the royal feet of wisdom!Culling the sweets of knowledge from her tomes
Not in vain
D id he v i si t other lands , and other cl imesFi l l ing up
The vast storehouses of h is mind ,With the rarest
An d richest '
gems of cu ltu re ,The grand posi tion he had taken in the great
Human fami ly
Needed thi s!stood like a great tree in the forest
The branches of whi ch stretched ou t
So far
As to cover the oppressed onesOf the whole world
34
EM O R IAM .
Le t us al l
!i nd le ou r aspi rationsh is shrine!For the lofti est ideas
Flow from him
This our modern Solomon who challenged
The admi ration of the world!Whose wi se and pure character
Stands ou t before u s to! night
As one
That fi l ls the void i n ou r h ighest ideasOf manhood!
The light of h is example
Throws its clear defining ray along
The pathway of our l ives
!eeping ou r eye upon that beacon of l ightWe shal l not stumble
,
But fu lfi l l ou r duties truthfu l ly , manfu l ly ,
And with a pu re heart!
E M O R IAM .
His character ,i ts human and d iv ine greatness ,
Has a wond rous completeness
Comprehensive
i ts compact firmness , i ts grasp of justice .
!i tali ts rounded pu ri ty , i ts magnanimous
Humani ty
Subtle
I n i ts fine intu i tive sympathy!Grand
I n i ts lofty ideas of du ty!
Has left u s a ri ch inheri tance not in lands
Or tenements ,
But i n j ewels of si lver , j ewels of gold
And preci ous stones
Heir! looms that shal l crown our l ivesWith honor
3 6
E M O R IAM .
These j ewels
Dived in fathoms deep of the waters
Of tribu lation,
Are ou r common heri tage!His
Nobi li ty of character,caught from divine communing '
His
Devotion to truth and integri ty of purpose
H is
Allegiance to pure principles and honor!
His
Grand moral and physi cal cou rage ,And his great humanity
Towering in strength,l ike a giant tree
I n the forest,These are the casket of gems
He has wi lled to our keeping ,
To adorn our lives!
3 7
EM O R I A M .
We stand amazed
At the pyramid of work
toi lsome labors , he has raised
Labors‘
Assoc iated with your rise , progression ,And preservation
The pages of hi s l ife are i lluminated with
The records of h is toi l
These facts
Shou ld pass into your l ives , elevating and ennobling
Your effortsR aising you upward to
The true dignity of dai ly labor!Ye diggers of the soi l ,
R emember that he w as a d igger amongst
The roots of wisdom
R emember that he was pre!eminently
A laborer,Whose deeds have passed securely
I nto the history
Of the world!
EM O R IAM .
His
Work i s done
temple i s bu i l t all bu t the crest
And to tender and loyal hand s he has
The finish ing thereof
He has fulfi lled the mi ssion to which
God called him
With the bright band of thinkers
An d laborers ,Has brought you out of bondage , of Egyptian
Darkness
To the glorious noon day of freedom .
The p romised land
ls yours by d ivine and human righ t!From his immense alt i tud e , with the eyes
Of prophesy ,He cou ld see you possessed of
I ts every corner!
39
EM O R IAM .
His
Wreath i s wov en!Not upon the garni tu re of costly
Sepu lchre
Bu t upon the loving and sorrowing hearts
Of four mi l l ions of freed people
Not upon
The marble statue
But upon the appreciati ve consci ousness
Of the world at large
H is wreath i s woven!Every leaf bedewed with tears
Every flower wreathed in with lamentations!Tied with the heart! strings of a nation ’s love!But
, we mourn not as one without hope
For I am the resu rrection an d li fe
Sai th the Lord
He w ho beli eveth i n me,though he were d ead
Yet shall be live .
40
E M O R IA M .
Who stood alone
the outer fringes of proud
Humani ty
Appeali ng i n your helpless d egradation
To the pi ty of the world
R emember
For the hand
That made room for you
Amongst the nations of the earth
An d placed a seat
I n the halls’
of ci vi li zati on!R emember
For the hand,
That dug out of the sh i fting sand s
Of publ i c opinion
gem you wear proud ly upon your bosoms ,Lies cold in dea th
EM O R IAM .
Ye women ,
R emember
take alast l ingering look
At the face
Of your dead martyr ,
which the su rging tide of calumny
And mi sconception
Have left thei r harrowi ng! traces,
That he was
The great high pri est of your nation
Ministering
To its highest aspi rati ons
R emember
The hand
That li es wi th such pathetic atti tude
Above h is qu i et bosom,
Opened wide the gates of freedom
To your weary footsteps ,And let you in!
43
EM O R IAM .
O ye women
R emember
And take heed
What influ ence ye bring to bear upon
The coming gene ration
For ye , too ,
Form a strong link
I n the chain of our c i v i l ization
Woman,i n all ages
,in all c l imes
White and black ,Have swayed an i nfluence over the world
For evi l or for good ,
Which has swept the black tide of iniqu i ty ,Whose waters reach down to the uttermost depths
Of hel l
Or the gentle waves of good , freighted with
A nation ’s blessings .
Upon the waves,w hose reflex actions
Are the curren ts thatflow
From heaven
44
EMO R IAM .
O ye women
R emember
And forget not
Your great patriot and
Left to your keeping
The jewels of d iv ine and human greatness
Washed with h is tears
Brightened with his love!Remember
And forget not
The intertwining of your prayer extended hands
Forms a stai rw ay
By which your nation hope
To reach all greatness,
All pu rity , all‘gran deur
And at last
fol low you r leader up the shining stai r
To heaven!
E M O R IAM .
The voice of sympathy
Hath a thousand tongues ,Making the si lent mystery of night
Eloquent w ith gentle whisperings .
out of the seclusion of my qu iet life
To ye
O ye mi l lions of freed people , I have come
To ye my sympathies go forth to!night .
Sympathies ,whose fountai n head , the angel of puri ty si ts
Arid from her sacred niche , beholds
The comi ng and the going thereof.
For ye
Whom he called his chi ldren , were knit
With every fibre of his heart
And your wrongs echoed
To the innermost chamber of hi s sou l .
His loss i s greatest
4G
E M O R IAM
O ye men!Who loved him
With a love past tell ing
the better for h is noble efforts
Let the pi ctu re of his glorious life
Hang ever before your eyesSancti fying your efforts , ennobl ing your aspirations!
He suffered
I n the throes of agony to give bi rth
To a higher manhood
Be that manhood
True,you have been buffetted and
R udely tossed ,But that has passed into the obliv i on
The receding age
The present and future
Are open to you as never before
Helping hands are extend ed to you
Tahe care of your opportun i ties
EM O R IAM .
Ye men
Cu ltivate truth!For honor and independence
Follow qu i ckly u pon its footsteps’Tis true
The standard of Sumner i s h igh
But a! dow n the ladder of hi s li fe there
Steps of grani te mou ld
That wi ll bear you upward
And onward
Be ye governed by no ignoble motives !
The time is not far distant when the missing
Fringes
Of the glorious mantle of liberty
Wi ll be sewn on by lovi ng hands
Be prepared for i t!R eceive i t upon your knees
With uncovered heads
R emembering whose hand had
Wrought i t ou t
48
E M O R IAM .
Tahe
Care of your rights I
Comes across the ocean of eternity ,A solemn message from you r friend
And benefactor
Be worthy of h im!
R aise the standard of your people h igher ,
An d higher sti ll
To! day i s you rs
Grasp!rm hold of i t,for i t cometh not
Again!Let the world see and note
The heroi c fibre
Of which you are made
R emember the gates of a great future
Are Open to you
Educate you rselves , your women and your chi ld ren
I naugurate and carry on
R eform within yourselves '
Enlarge your minds!!u icken yourI ntell igence , and follow i n the footsteps
Of Sumner!
EM O R IAM .
Y e men
Look well and wisely
To your pol iti cal welfare '
not the fou l fingers of bribery
An d corruption
Pollu te the pure scrol l of your
B irthright
R emember the loving laborers upon the walls
Of l iberty ’s republ ican temple .
A temple bu i lt on free soi l
Its corner stone , said Sumner , i sfreedomI ts broad , al l sustaining arches ,Truth
,!ustice and human i tyLike the anci ent R oman capitol , at once
A temple and a ci tadelFit shrine for the geniu s of American institut ions.
A shrine a t whose h igh A ltar
The best and noblest of the land doth min ister
A temple where in the lamp of human pi tySuspended by the cha in of un iversal brotherhood
Sw ings itsperpetual light
EMO R IAM .
Adieu
Charles Sumner!Thou friend of humani ty , Adieu!
Never!Ti ll the sunFolds up his gorgeous mantle!Hid ing his bu rning head
I n the dark valley of chaos
Never!Ti l l the moon ’s pale hand
Forgets to throw her si lver shower
A!down the ether track!Never!
Ti l l the angels forget
To replenish the gli stening starlight
I n the sky
Never
Ti ll the great surging deep recedes
To the mysterious outlet
From whence the voice of God
Called i t forth!
C3!
13
E M O R IAM .
Never
T il l the murmuring shells
Lying along the sunny shores
Forget thei r musi c!Never
Ti l l the flowers hide thei r heads
Upon the dying heart of natu re ,Sighing out the requ iem
There i s no more life
And the birds go si lently to thei r death!Never!
Til l human hearts
Throb out thei r last breath
Shalt thou beforgotten
Nay!Not even then!ForAs we go upward on our last journey
We’l l see thy name with the names of the ju st
Written in letters of gold
Across the skyF in is .
