THE HAMILTON ASSOCIATION. 45 



apex of that great wonder of the antique world. The mighty 

 cokimns of humanity marched in stately review. There was 

 an awful grandeur in their tread, despite every evidence of pain 

 and wrong. The hosts of Egypt, Assyria and Judea appeared ; 

 Carthage, Babylonia and Persia next, with Macedonia, Greece 

 and Rome on their trail. The Messiah's Advent was seen and 

 soon the crash of falling Rome was heard. The settling of the 

 Nations, the Reformation of Europe, the Crusades — a New 

 World appeared. Britain's Glory, the French Revolution, the 

 American Republic were seen. Far off raged the war for exis- 

 tence and supremacy, dark clouds rolling above the combatants, 

 and I caught the sound of Byron's despairing wail : 



' ' There is the moral of all human tales ; 

 'Tis but the same rehearsal of the past, 

 First Freedom, and then Glory — when that fails. 

 Wealth, vice, corruption — barbarism at last. 

 And History with all her volumes vast. 

 Hath but one page !" 



Over the colossal panorama of fretful life and warlike 

 confusion there cried the voice of Tennyson, pleading for peace 

 and the brotherhood of man ; for the time when the war drums 

 should beat no longer, 



' ' And the battle-flags be furled 

 In the parliament of man ; the federation of the world." 



I was not left to think that din and strife alone prevailed, 

 for Richelieu spoke : 



" See ! through plots and counterplots — 

 Thro gain and loss — thro glory and disgrace — 

 Along the plains where passionate discord rears 

 Eternal Babel — still the holy stream 

 Of human happiness glides on !" 



But, terrified at the ruthless hand of power and the seem- 

 ing triumph of Evil over Good, I trembled until Lowell spoke : 



" Careless seems the great Avenger ; History's pages but record 

 One long struggle in the darkness, twixt old systems and the word ; 

 Truth forever on the scaffold, Wrong forever on the throne ; 

 Yet that scaffold sways the future, and behind the dark unknown 

 Standeth God within the shadow, keeping watch above His own !" 



