Page:Over the river, and other poems.djvu/13

Rh with special distinctness. The greater part of the "Patriotic" pieces show how Mrs. Wakefield entered into the very life and spirit of the soldiers, and how deeply she sympathized with the anxious ones at home. The poem entitled "War to the Knife, and the Knife to the Hilt" cannot be read without a shudder. It is an heroic and awful strain, as terrible as the fiercest lines in the "Marseillaise Hymn." The reader must remember that it was written in the darkest hours of the war, when the very life of the nation was in peril. The writer felt no personal animosity; but she loved her country and longed to see its assassins smitten. Her heart was one of peculiar tenderness, and she would have ministered to a wounded foe with gentle helpfulness. The songs of patriotism are alone sufficient to recommend the whole volume to those who fought our country's battles, and all those who rejoiced in the triumph of freedom.

The "Miscellaneous Poems" which fill the closing pages are of varied merit, and, except a few amusing trifles, are worthy of a place. See, for example, "Katie blowing Bubbles," "Bertha's Christmas," and others. With these explanations and remarks, the volume is left to its fortunes, with the assured belief that many will give it a warm reception, and cherish it as a peculiar treasure. A. P. M.

., September, 1882.