a good land. Thêre are corn and wine; there are cities, towns, and villages ready built to our hands. 6. “Let us arise and come suddenly upon them, and we shall not only get all these possessions, but we shall get great glory." And when he had so said, he looked round him with much exultation,1 and a crowd of dark hairy faces behind him cried out, "Ay, it is true! Let us arise and get great glory!" 7. But at that word, thêre stood up Mynheer 2 Kindermann, an old man- —a věry old man. He was of low stature, of a stout, broad frame, and his hair, which was věry white, hung down upon his shoulders; and his beard also, as white as driven snow, fell reverently upon his breast. That old man had a large and tranquil countenance; his features were bōld, and of a very healthful complexion; his face, though of a goodly breadth, was of a striking length, for his forehead was bold and high, and his eyes had a pleasant fireside expression, as though he had been used only to behold his children and his children's children at their play, or to fix them on the loving form of his wife or his friend. 8. As he arose, there was a great silence, and he stood and sighed; and those who were near him heard him mutter, in a lōw tone, the word "Glory," but those afar off only saw his lips move. Then he said ǎloud, "My brethren! I am glad that you are called upon to get great glory; but what is that glory to which Mynheer Van Manslaughter calls you? In my youth, as some of you well know, I traveled far and wide with my merchandise; I have sojoûrned in all the countries that adjoin ours, and they are truly good countries, and full of people; but what of that? 9. "It is not people that we lack: it is land; and I should like to know how we are to take this land, that is full of people, and yět do those people no wrong! If we go to take that land, we shall find the people ready to defend their homes and their children; and if we fight in a bad cause, we shall probably gět beaten, like thieves and robbers, for our pains;-and is that glory? But if we are able to take that land, we must first kill 1 Exultation (ĕgz'ul ta'shun), lively joy at success or victory, or at any advantage gained; great delight. 2 Myn heer', Sir; Mr. ;-the ordinary title of address among the Dutch; hence, a Dutchman. or drive out those that cultivate it, and make it fit to live in ;— and is that glory? 10. And if we take those cities, and towns, and villages, we must kill those who built them, or have lived pleasantly in them, with God's blessing. Oh, what hŏnèst, inoffensive men, what good, kind-hearted mothers, what sweet and tender brothers and sisters, what dear little babes, we must mûrder and destroy, or drive away from their warm homes, which God has given them, and which are almost as dear to them as their lives, into the dişmal forests, to perish with cold and hunger, or to be devoured by wild beasts, and, in their anguish, to eûrse us before the Great Father who made us all! My brethren, I can not think that is glory, but great disgrace and infamy,1 and a misery that, I trust, shall never come upon us. 11. "I have long looked about me, and I see that heaven has given all those countries round us to whom he would, and they are full of people; they are full of rich fields and vineyards; they are full of towns for men, and temples for God; they are full of warm, bright, happy homes, where there are proud fathers, and glad mothers, and innocent children, as amongst ourselves; and eûrsèd be he who would distûrb or injure them." 66 BU II. 49. THE HONEST DUTCHMEN. PART SECOND. UT, my brethren, how shall we gět glōry? and, what is of mōre immediate necessity, how shall we get land to live in? I have been thinking of this, and it has come into my mind that it has been too long the custom for men to call themselves warriors when they desire to be murderers, and to invade the property and the lives of their neighbors; and I have thought, as all the land is taken up, and as we can not, without great sin, invade the land, that we had better invade the sea, where we can take, and wrong no man. 2. "And who does not know, that has looked toward the sea, that there is much ground which seems properly to belong neither to the sea nor the land? Sometimes it is covered with the 1 In'fa my, the complete loss of character; public disgrace. waters, and sometimes it is partly bâre-a dreary, slimy, and profitlèss region, inhabited only by voracious1 crabs, that make war upon one another, the stronger upon the weaker-and sea-fowl, which come in like conquerors and subdue them, and devour them, and get what Van Manslaughter calls 'great glory.' My brethren, let us invade the sea-let us gět piles, and beams, and stōnes, and dig up the earth, and make a large mound which will shut out the sea, and we shall have land enough and to spâre." 3. As he finished his speech, there arose a deep mûrmûr, that grew and grew, till it spread among the people collected in thousands without, and at length became like the sound of the ocean itself; and then the people cried out, "Yes, we will invade the sea!" and so it was decreed. 4. Then began they with axes to fell wood; with lēvers 2 and mattocks to wrench up stones; and with wagons, horses, and oxen, to draw them to the sea. Now, it being the time of low water, and the tide being gone down very far, they began to dig up the earth, and to make a mighty bank. So, when the sea came up again, it saw the bank and the people upon it in great numbers; but it took no notice thereof. 5. And it went down, and came up again, and they had pushed out the bank still farther, and raised it higher, and secured it with beams, and piles, and huge stones, and it began to wonder. And it went down and came up again, and they had pushed the bank still farther, so that, in great amaze, it said within itself, "What are these little insignificant creatures doing? Some great scheme is in their heads, but I wot not what; and one of these days I will come up and overturn their banks, and sweep bōth it and them ǎway together." 6. But, at length, as it came up once on a time, it beheld that the bank was finished. It stretched across from land to land, and the sea was entirely shut out. Then it was filled with wonder that such little creatures had done so amazing a deed; and with great indignation that they had presumed to interrupt the 1 Voracious, greedy for eating; eager to devour or swallow; very hungry. 2 Le'ver, a bar of metal, wood, or other substance used to exert a pressure, lift, or sustain a weight. Mǎt'tock, a kind of pick-ax, having the iron ends broad instead of pointed. 4 Wŏt, to know. progress of itself-the mighty sea, which stretched round the whole world, and was the greatest moving thing in it. Retreating in fury, it collected all its strength, and came with all its billows, and struck the bank in the midst as with thunder. 7. In a moment there appeared on the top of the mound, on the whole length of it, a swarm of little stout men, thick as a swarm of bees. Marvelous was it to see how that throng of little creatures was all astir, running here, and running there; stopping up crevices, and repairing damages done by that våst and tremendous enemy, that, roaring and foaming, repeated its blows like the strokes of a million of battering-rams, till the faces of the men were full of fear, and they said, "Surely the mound will fall!" Then came the sea, swelling and raging mōre dreadfully than ever, and, ûrged by the assistance of a mighty wind, it thundered against the bank and bûrst it! The waters flowed triumphantly over all their old places, and many men perished. 8. Then went Van Manslaughter among the people with great joy, and many loud words, saying, "See what has come of despising my counsel! See what glory your old counselor has brought you to! Come now, follow me, and I will lead you to possessions whêre you need not fear the sea. Let us leave it to people this bog with fish. I am for no new-fangled schemes, but for the good old plan of fair and honorable war, which has been the highway to wealth and glory from the beginning of the world." 9. Then began the people to be very sad, and to listen to his words; but Mynheer Kindermann called them again to him, and bid them be of good heart, and to repair the bank; to make it stronger, and to build towers upon it, and to appoint men to dwell in them, that they might continually watch over and strengthen it. So the people took coŭrage and did so; for they said, "Let us take no man's goods, and let us do no mûrder.” Therefore they renewed the mound; and the sea came up in tenfold wräth, and smote it worse than before; but it was all in vain. It failed not, save a little here and there; and the people seeing it, set up a great shout, and cried, "The mound will stand!" 10. Then did they begin to dig and drain, to plant trees, to build towns, and to lay out gärdens; and it became a beautiful country. Then the inhabitants rejoiced, saying, "Others have invaded lands, and killed people; but we have hûrt no man. We have only invaded the sea, and Heaven has made us out of it a goodly heritage!" 11. These are the people whose wealth and in'dustry are known through the whole world. They have sent out colonies to the ends of the earth, and have got themselves the name of the Honest Dutchmèn. Would that they had always been as wise and merciful as they were on that day! III. WILLIAM HOWITT. 50. WAR NOT ALL A BLESSING. T was a sergeant 1 old and gray, IT Well singed and bronzed from siege and pillage, Along the turnpike of the village. 2. For days and nights the winding host Had through the little place been marching; Till every throat was hōarse and parching. 4. They only saw a gallant show Of heroes stalwart 5 under banners; 'Twas theirs to yield but wild hosannas. 1 Sergeant (sar'jent), a non-commissioned officer, next in rank above the corporal, in a company of infantry, or troop of calvary, whose duty is to instruct recruits in discipline, to form the ranks, etc. 2 Wāke, the track left by a vessel in the water; hence in the way or train of. 3 E lec'tric, relating to, or caused by, electricity. 4 Stāve, part of a psälm or hymn. 5 Stalwart (stol' wart), brave; strong; violent. |