320 



KIDD'S OWN JOURNAL. 



ORIGINAL POETRY. 

 SOCIAL HARMONY. 



" Christmas comes but Once a Year." — Old Ballad. 

 BY HELEN HETHERINGTON. 



The Summer is over; its joys have all fled: 

 Its beautiful flowers are wither'd, — or dead ! 

 The bright sun that blessed us no longer imparts, 

 Its grandeur and glory to gladden our hearts: 



Yes; Summer is over! but let us not mourn; 

 Hope tells us its beauty again will return : 

 Again merry hearts will respond with delight, 

 To the Nightingale's song by the moon's gentle 

 light. 



Cold Winter advances, — and has it no joy, — 

 No prospect of pleasure our thoughts to employ? 

 Oh — yes; countless blessings unceasingly flow, 

 Our " guardian star" points the way we should go. 



It brings a fair season of joy to the mind, 

 Of peace upon Earth, and good-will to mankind ; 

 That union of Friendship, Affection, and Love, 

 Which dwells with the bright, ''happy spirits" 

 above. 



Let our hearts wander back to the scenes of our 



youth, 

 To the dawn of Sincerity, Friendship, and Truth ; 

 They still ardently glow with affection and 



pride, 

 At the thoughts of " dear home and its bright 



FIRESIDE." 



What a rich fund of merriment, laughter and glee, 

 Was ours when we furnished that famed 



" Christinas Tree ! " 

 Aye, for many long weeks, ere it brightly shone 



forth, 

 In the blaze of its ornaments, beauty, and worth! 



How many kind hearts shared our joy and 



delight ; 

 And joined in the sport on that grand festive 



night! 

 Sweet Innocence sat upon every brow, 

 Whilst the laugh echo'd under the Misseltoe 



bough. 



Oh! ne'er may the pleasures that happily chime, 

 With the heart's kindest feelings, be silenc'd by 



time ; 

 Shall Absence or Distance annihilate Truth, — 

 Or the vows which we pledged in the bright days 



of youth? 



Oh — no! then let Envy for ever depart, 

 Whilst the chord of Affection responds in each 



heart ; 

 Let old and young meet once a year, and 



so prove, 

 The trammels of " habit" are out- weighed 



by Love ! 



First Love. — Scarcely one person out of twenty 

 marries his first love ; and scarcely one out of 

 twenty of the remainder has cause to rejoice at 

 having done so. What we love in those early 

 days, is generally rather a fanciful creation of 

 our own, than a reality. We build statues of 

 snow, and weep when they melt. 



DOMESTIC LAYS —No. I. 



THE HUSBAND'S PS A YES. 



Oh! Tuou whose merciful decree 



Hath knit our hearts in bonds of love, 



Our sure defence and safeguard be, 

 Whate'er our wedded lot may prove. 



Without thy blessing, love is vain 

 The varied ills of life to bear ; 



But when bestowed, few griefs remain 

 Beyond affection's healing care. 



Avert from us the spirit's chill, 



Each wandering thought and fickle mood; 

 Mould every feeling to thy will, 



Incline our hearts to every goo3, — 



Implanting deep that perfect trust, 



Of Love's rich soil the flower most dear; 



Turn all our promised joys to dust, 

 But leave that root unwithered here. 



Blend with our Love that gentleness 

 Which turns each angry word aside, 



Which stifles wrath with tenderness, 

 And melts away the frost of Pride. 



Nor let unkindness ever reach, 



Nor harsh unfeeling thoughts impair, 



The tenderness of years ; but teach 

 Our hearts to bear and to forbear. 



Be ours a unity of mind, 



A unity of sweetest love ; 

 A unity of " faith," entwined 



With the dear "hope" of joys above. 



We know that in our hearts there lies, 



With all their love, the germ of change ; 



The world can break the holiest ties, 



A breath the tenderest thoughts estrange. 



We pra} r , O God! that grief like this, 

 Our eartbly course may never see ; 



We'll make our love a lasting bliss 

 By resting all its " hopes" on thee ! 



[We are in possession of a series of these beauti- 

 ful'' Lays,"whose amiable author is personally un- 

 known to us. We should indeed be proud of 

 his acquaintance ; and trust that if this " note" 

 should attract his attention, he will not hesitate 

 to communicate with us.] 



NOTICE TO OUR SUBSCRIBERS. 



Stamped Covers for Volume I. of Our Journal, price 

 Is. 2d., also a copious Index, Title, and Preface to 

 Volume L, price 3d., are now ready, and may be" had 

 of our Publisher. Also Volume I., price 5s. cloth, 

 Post-free, 5s. 6d. ; and Vol. II., Part 1, price 4s.Gd. cloth. 



London : Published for William Kidd, by William 

 Spooner, 379, Strand, (to whom all Letters, Parcels, 

 and Communications. Addressed to "the Editor, '•' 

 and Books for Review, are to be forwarded J ; and 

 Procurable, by order, of every Bookseller and News- 

 vendor in the Kingdom. Agentsi Dublin, John Wise- 

 heart; Edinburgh, John Menzies ; Glasgow, John 

 M'Leod; Liverpool, Miss Meyrick, Hanover Street, 

 and J. Evans, 21G, Falkner btreet ; Manchester, Abel 

 Heywood, Oldham Street. 



City Agent : J. Aleen, 20 , Warwick Lane, Paternoster 

 Row. Sold also by Berger, Vickers, Purkess, and 

 all the Wholesale Dealers. 



London : M, S. Myers, Printer, 22, Tavistock Street, Covent Garden. 



