"And as the coming time advances,

There shall upon this flag appear
A central star; holy and clear

Its light shall shine, and be more dear
To me than all,—that star is Kansas.

"Kansas the name

14 child of the wind

That sweeps her grassy fields, and brings
The storm upon his fretful wings,
Or on the cyclone rides, and flings
The torn and scattered wreck behind.

"But ere that time shall come the flail
Of Truth will fall upon this land,
Harder than stroke of Titan's hand;
The golden grain, by Heaven's command,
Is thrashed, and winnowed in the gale."

Thus said, the goddess flung her robe

Upon the breeze, and took her flight
From the Atlantic shore; her bright

Path a blazing meteor's light,

With heavenly train, shone round the globe.

THE NATAL HOUR.

Decorate the Thirtieth of May!

15

Shall we now the great act deplore

Which gave us Kansas?-nevermore.
She was called fresh from the dark shore

Of Time; she came; hail mighty day!

All hail!

Kansas this day was born; Not full-fledged and armed, like fair Minerva from the matted hair

Of Jove, to wing her flight in air, And chant "Ad astra" to the morn;

But in the dark and sullen storm

Of civil strife; like one without
A friend or home; and tossed about
Forlorn, and mocked by the rude shout

Of ruffian bands in demon's form.

Sweet Kansas of the fragrant plain!

Thy natal hour shall mark a day

Wreathed in flowery love; whose bright ray Shall gild the world, and whose sweet lay Shall charm like some Æolian strain.

III.

THE STRUGGLE IN KANSAS WITH FREEDOM AGAINST THE

GREAT HYDRA-AMERICAN SLAVERY.

AND now we turn the sable leaf

Of that great book where Time records The wrongs, the strifes, the bitter words, Where Vice with Error's heart accords, And read the story of our grief.

Quaff then the darker drink, brought fresh
From Lethe's stream; for sure I am
That when this world's great book you scan,
No darker deeds are found, where man
Against mankind in living flesh

Has waged the wrong. Quaff and forget,
That e'er the issue could be made,
That ever premise had been laid,
That ever human tongue had said,
Where man his brother man has met,

16

That slavery is right. Here then
The issue came, and war on earth:
Shall Kansas from her hallow'd birth
Be free or slave? Proclaim it forth,
And heaven and hell attend on men.

Slavery, like the great Python

Apollo slew;- bred in the slime

Of earth; whose birth was the first crime Against mankind, and that sublime.

Iniquity of hell to dethrone

The rights of man, now crawling winds
Herein in slimy, snaky fold:

Or like the dragon great of old,

On Thebes' rich plain in story told, Great Cadmus slew, and wond' rous finds

That from his teeth sown in the earth,

A race of men comes forth from clods, For civil strife; and whom the gods Turned man to man, barring all odds, Against his equal man by birth.

Python and dragon both, with fierce

And bloody mouth, crawling it came;-
Eyes that shot forth a burning flame

Glared round for prey; and naught could tame The gloated beast of hell, nor pierce

Its flinty scales, till it had fed

And fattened on the blood and flesh

Of Freedom's sons. This past, then fresh From ample meal the vengeful mesh

He slipped, and wounded, writhing fled.

But e'er that time let me recall,

And briefly note, some deeds of crime,
Some deeds of valor won, sublime
To stand throughout recorded time,-
Or passing note how heroes fall.

And Slavery's banner now unfurled

Dark on the breeze of Kansas floats. Strange flag! on which foul Treason dotes; Whereon is writ: "Missouri votes On Kansas soil, or bursts a world!"

Classical in the third degree!

But what does Slavery care? her flag Floats not o'er classic halls; her rag Was made in Freedom's blood to drag, And blazon forth iniquity.

And this strange flag herein they send,
Painted in black, with threats of war,
And words of hell,and from afar
Comes the red flag with its lone star,
And the ruffian to defend.

Then Slavery's champions these words

Proclaim: "Come direful War and whet Thy sword; and let no freeman set His foot on Kansas soil,-17 forget That he is man, ye ruffian hordes ! 18