YRA, AND

OTHER

POEMS. BY ALICE CAREY. NewYork: J. S. Red

Nassau street.

THE spirit of poetry is plainly not the spirit of this age; mammon takes precedence of the muses; and hence the little of true poetry that comes to the public eye in our day, is found in scintillations or scraps, like bits of gold in a bushel of California quartz. Since Byron, there has not been a fresh volume of poetry published in the English language that, as a whole, comes up to the standard. There are fine flashes, brilliant coruscations; indeed we may point to a few short poems of the right material; but for an entire engrossment of the writings of one person that will stand the test of criticism, it cannot be found. We do not mean, by this, to say there is no poetic genius at the present day, but the spirit of the age is its antipodal, and the fire is smothered in the sodden ashes of a cheap and corrupt literature.

In the poems before us, from the pen of our country woman, Alice Carey, there is much of sweetness and fine feeling, yet we confess that her "Clovernook," a prose production, pleased us better than "Lyra." Among the most pleasing of this collection, we may mention the "Christmas Story," "Fire Pictures," and " Ulalie." From the latter we quote a single stanza:

"The crimson of the maple trees

Is lighted by the moon's soft glow;
Oh, nights like this, and things like these,
Bring back a dream of long ago.

For, on an eve as sweet as this,
Upon this bank, beneath this tree,
My lips, in love's impassioned kiss,
Met those of Ulalie."

Brothers.

This volume comprises a series of letters addressed to the Hon. Roger B. Taney, Chief Justice of the United States, the Chief Justice being a member of the Romish Church. The writer of these letters is evidently master of the subject that he handles, having for his object the exhibition of the tyranny of the Church and its efforts to subvert the institutions of civil and religious liberty. We received this volume at the hour of going to press, and hence have not had time to give it that careful perusal which its character seems to demand. Since Catholicism has thrown down the gauntlet in defiance of Protestantism, as associated with government in this country, every thing of this nature is read with deep interest, and we shall give the volume a more deliberate perusal hereafter. We make a single extract, illustrating the tyranny of the priesthood over the people in Catholic Ireland:

"In company with Dr. Edgar, and of Dr. Andrews, of Queen's College, Belfast, and of Mr. Allen, of Ballina, names not unknown in Ireland, or Britain, or America, I visited the Scotch Mission School in Ballenglen. It was deeply interesting to see there upward of a hundred children, neatly dressed, under pious and competent teachers, taught to learn and to earn,' and, with few excep tions, collected from the surrounding huts of the Papal peasantry. Do you see that girl on the upper seat, about twenty-one or two years of age?' said the noble Scotch lady at the head of the female department to me. I looked, and replied in the affirmative. That girl,' she continued, has been here but a few weeks. She came here not knowing a letter, and scarcely any thing else. She is learning rapidly, and can now earn two or three shillings a week with her needle, and can do considerable for the support of her family. When going home from school yesterday, the priest met her at the road, and sought to horsewhip her for coming here; but she outran him. She told her grievance to her mother, who sided with the priest, and expressed her sorrow that he did not catch her; and yet she returned here this morning, but without sleeping a wink or eating a mouthful since she left here yesterday afternoon.' Amazed at the statement, I asked if there was no redress against such priestly barbarity. What can we

do?' was the reply. We may indict them, but then nobody will peril their life by testifying against them; nor can you get a jury, on which there is a single Catholic, to convict them. A priest, not long ago, was indicted for flogging a woman terribly, and yet, when called to witness against him, she testified that "his reverence did not hurt her at all." And this is but an illustra

tion of what is now of daily occurrence in almost

every portion of Ireland."

of the editor, that the journal will prove Protestant without being sectarian, and thus independently advocate "the grand principles of CIVIL AND RELIGIOUS LIBERTY," we hail its advent.

Sectarian papers may not defend boldly civil and religious liberty, through fear of losing the foreign portion of their adherents; our politicopartisan papers do not and dare not, through fear of losing party votes; and thus we declare the Protestant to have entered an unoccupied field, (barring our presence ;) and cheerfully do we advise American Republicans to patronize it, so long as the editor may prove true to his colors.

THE AMERICAN PATRIOT, quite a large weekly sheet, published at Boston, and devoted to the

NATIONAL REPUBLICAN interests of our country, is received weekly at our office. The Patriot is neatly printed, energetic in tone, firm, and yet sprightly. We commend it to the favorable attention of an American public.

THE ORDER OF UNITED AMERICANS was established to awaken in the minds of the children of the soil sentiments of true liberty, such as were promulgated in the day when our country took upon itself a new condition, and stood before the world a bright example in the practice of civil and religious liberty; a practice exercised with too much generous consideration toward the yet unenlightened portion of those seeking our shores, whether monarchists or imbeciles alike, and which has led at first to the occasional, but now to the more frequent declaration of the most conVOL. III.

ceited and designing assumptions, not only on the part of many resident aliens in our midst, but also to a great extent on the part of those who have become our adopted fellow-citizens.

The honest, manly fear of offending his fellow-inan, has led the American too frequently to remain silent before the presuming voice of the foreigner; a courtesy which, instead of commanding the respect of an incoming people, has but led to a greater boldness, and one which would finally claim the right, in presumption, to enforce a continued silence upon the native-born citizen. Indeed, so accustomed has the latter become to treating the foreigner with courteous deference, that it would be difficult for him to set aside such practice, even though his reward be but impertinent arrogance, accompanied with at. tempts to deprive him of his natural and inherited rights. Nor is it desirable that the American should abate his politeness, but rather that he should maintain his dignity, and, with inanly rebuke, teach the presumptive voice of the stranger its place in the land of freedom's children.

It is for such an end that the Order of United Americans has been established.

19

It

is for the purpose of bringing together the sons of the soil, that, face to face, they may speak over the sentiments of their sires, and thus quicken and develop their inborn patriotism. It is that they may become acquainted with their fellow American, even to the discovery of those ennobling impulses which govern them all alike; so that, in their incoming and outgoing throughout the land, they may meet in the apparent stranger an American brother, and become strengthened by an interchange of manly words, giving and receiving the language of patriotism, until all that are born on the soil may fervently and openly declare the sentiments of their nation, and exclaim, with honest pride, "Thank God, I too am an American!" It is thus for the purpose of creating a moral tone, an American voice, throughout the land, that the Order of United Americans has been established; yes, established upon the full conviction that it is only through such means that our country may hope to escape from that thraldom which is planned for it by the reckless demagogue, designing monarchist, or cunning jesuitical Papist; only through such means, that this republic may remain a bright example to the world, as in its early days, or avoid the fearful issues of a civil strife. The means chosen for the accomplishment of the desired end are simple, honest, and, through faith, will prove effective. It is but that of the voice of upright Americans, declaring their national sentiments in such tones of manly decision as may lead the designing foes of liberty to stand aback, teaching them that the term American expresses a people possessed of a distinctive character; and, if they be kind or tolerant, bearing much without anger, yet that they are not a people to be finally wheedled or successfully trampled upon. That such truth may be timely appreciated, and our national character respected by all incomers, is the desire of, and the main object to be accomplished through, the workings of the Order.

THE WASHINGTON MONUMENT.-We have the pleasure to present to the public, this month, a view of the contemplated monument to be built by the Order of United Americans in memory of the virtues and patriotism of him who was "First in war, first in peace, and first in the hearts of his countrymen."

This magnificent structure was designed by our fellow-townsman, Minard Lafever, Esq., whose genius as an architect is portrayed in several of our most elegant structures, both public and private, in this and other cities of the Union, and among which we may mention that of the Church of the Holy Trinity in Brooklyn, a building unsurpassed in the various qualities of church architecture by any thing of the kind heretofore erected in this country.

We are pleased in being able to state that the plan proposed for raising the requisite fund for the erection of this monument has met with universal approval, on account of its simplicity and feasibility, and that a general inquiry is now made for the purchase of lots in the cemetery, by those who desire to partake of the honor of a share in its construction. Subscriptions and money have been sent in from great distances, in various parts of the country, the subscribers expressing the utmost eagerness to own a patch of land in the little enclosure of forty acres, and saying that they have no particular choice of location, the sole object being to contribute, by the purchase of one or more burial-lots, to the grand enterprise, and of owning a small piece of land under its shadow. One gentleman writes from Washington, saying that the people of the Capital are so pleased with the plan, that they think of getting up a similar association in that city, believing they can finish a monument there by private means, and in this manner, before the pile now in the course of construction by the government can be completed. Every thing indicates a successful issue to our enterprise; and we prophesy that in six months after the work is commenced, there will not be a lot for sale in the cemetery. We give below a

DESCRIPTION OF THE MONUMENT.

The style of the design is selected from Egyptian order consists of details sufficiently massive to enarchitecture, for the reason that no other style or dure the ravages of time; and also, that no other style or order of architecture presents in its general forms a sufficient monumental cast to strike the beholder at first sight with monumental impressions, and call forth emotions of wonder and awe. Egyptian architecture possesses all these highly important characteristics; and it is quite clear that the design presented has in its general architectural features all the best elements of a monumental subject, excelling all other structures of the kind,