CHARLES MACKAY, LL.D.

CHARLES MACKAY, a British poet and journalist, was born in Perth in 1812, and gained a valuable portion of his education in Belgium, where, in 1830, he was a witness of the startling events of the revolution there. In 1834, he published a small volume of poems, which was the means of introducing him to the notice of John Black, the editor of the "Morning Chronicle," through whose instrumentality he became connected with that paper. After being connected with the "Morning Chronicle" for about nine years, during which time he published a small volume of poems, the principal of which was "The Hope of the World," he became editor of the "Glasgow Argus," entering upon his duties in September, 1844. He relinquished the conduct of that paper at the general election in 1847. In 1846, the Glasgow University conferred the title of doctor of laws upon Mr. Mackay by unanimous vote. He now writes the chief leading articles for the "Illustrated London News." Mr. Mackay has published several volumes of poems-"The Salamandrine;" "Legends of the Isles ;" "Egeria;" "Town Lyrics;" "Voices from the Crowd;" ;" "Voices from the Mountains," &c., &c., and also several works in prose, the best known of which is, his "Memoirs of Extraordinary Popular Delusions."

CLEAR THE WAY.

MEN of thought! be up, and stirring Night and day:

Sow the seed-withdraw the curtain

CLEAR THE WAY!

Men of action, aid and cheer them,
As ye may!

There's a fount about to stream,

There's a light about to beam,
There's a warmth about to glow,

There's a flower about to blow;
There's a midnight blackness changing

Into gray.

Men of thought and men of action,

CLEAR THE WAY!

Once the welcome light has broken,
Who shall say

What the unimagined glories

Of the day?

What the evil that shall perish

In its ray?

Aid the dawning, tongue and pen ;
Aid it, hopes of honest men;
Aid it, paper-aid it, type-

Aid it, for the hour is ripe,

And our earnest must not slacken Into play.

Men of thought and men of action, CLEAR THE WAY!

Lo a cloud's about to vanish
From the day;

And a brazen wrong to crumble
Into clay.

Lo! the right's about to conquer:
CLEAR THE WAY!

With the right shall many more

Enter smiling at the door;

With the giant wrong shall fall

Many others great and small,

That for ages long have held us

For their prey.

Men of thought and men of action, CLEAR THE WAY!

THE LIGHI IV THE WINDOW.

LATE or early home returning,
In the starlight or the rain,
I beheld that lonely candle
Shining from his window-pane.
Ever o'er his tattered curtain,
Nightly looking, I could scan,
Aye inditing-writing—writing,
The pale figure of a man;
Still discern behind him fall
The same shadow on the wall.

Far beyond the murky midnight,
By dim burning of my oil,
Filling aye his rapid leaflets,

I have watched him at his toil;

Watched his broad and sunny forehead,

Watched his white industrious hand,

Ever passing and repassing;

Watched and strove to understand

What impelled it-gold, or fame—

Bread, or bubble of a name.