Original and Selected Poetry.

Evening Star, Issue 6705, 12 September 1885, Page 1 (Supplement)

Original and Selected Poetry.

WHO IS THE THIEF? Is it he whose failing vitals, Btinted of their needful food, Dim his moral eyes' discernment 'Twixt tho evil and the good— Who, to still his wailing children's Hungry clamoring for more, Steals a loaf or somo such trifle When the wolf is at the door ? And must lie bo dragged to a dungeon away, Who has nothing remaining to pawn or to pay ? Is it he, the low-browed creature, With the undeveloped mind; Small of brain and fierce of feature — Scarec a thing of human kind— Who, with stern and savage aspect, Threatening pistol-shot or knife, On the highway intercepts you For "your money or your life? " Is this the true type of the thief of to-day ? And is this form of robbery likely to pay ? No ! 'tis he, the well-fed rascal With the hypocritic smileBreathing cant and pious precept, Versed in every crafty wile; Debt on debt incessant piling (To the struggling tradesman's grief), Then within the bankrupt's haven From his burden seeks relief! Your bolts and your bars may keep burglars away, But how can you cope with the thief who vxm't )XIII ? It is he, the lazy tippler, Soaking all his meagre pelf, Blighting every manly feeling, Pacrificing all to self; Robbing wife and helpless infant Of their food and father's care, In their dismal squalor pining, Left with less than pauper's fare. No quality baser tho footpads display Than the thief who alone for his guzzle can pay! It is he, the human spider, Who with daxt'rous hand prepares For the simple and unwary Devilish, deep, and subtle snares; Who by craft and skilful scheming Gluts his ravening vampire maw— Spoils the widow and the orphan By his quips and quirks of law. No felon so foul on this planet to-day As the thief who makes heartless chicanery pay. J.B.H. (Dunedin.) THE DEMON OF THE PIT. "The Demon of the Pit: a Ballad of the Boards," written by Mr Frederick Langbridge, describes (says tho 'Spectator') the realistic side of a child actress's life, with a hare-brained sort of infatuation of its own. It is an EdgarPocish ballad en the child who impersonates "the Demon of the Pit" at the Pandemonium Theatre, and who delights so much in the most ordinary of childish delights when she is off the boards: — If you chance to make a qally Through tho region of Soho, You may pass a frightful ally That is known as Eden row ; And among the children playing On tlic cobble pavement there, Thera is one that s worth surveying, For she's really very fair. She's a perfect darling—bless her ! And sho has Bucb charming ways That the passers-by address her With a word or two of praise ; And enthusiastio stoppers Arc occasionally known To present the child with coppers— Having darlings of their own. Whereupon she'll call her cronies, Who are always pretty near, And invest in proud polonies Or imperial ginger-beer. She will call her friends and cronies, Who make answer with a cheer, And invest in proud polonies, In the fat and fair polonies. In the rich and rare polonies, Or imperial ginsjer-beer. So when next you're not too bußy, Let rne beg of you to go, And inquire for little Lizzy In her grimy Eden row; You will find her sweet and dimply, On a doorstep sitting down, And she'll look an angel simply In her short and shabby gown. Now I fancy few, if any, Who have seen my little pet, And have tipped her with a penny, Which Bhe laughed aloud to get, Have imagined for a second That this charming little fay Must decidedly be reckoned Quite a " woman of tho day." It has never crossed their fancy For a moment, I'll engage, That the child was Miss Delancy, Of the Pandemonium Stage. It would never cross the fancy, If one pondered for an age, That the child was Miss Delaney, The surprising Miss Delancy, Tho prodigious Miss Delancy, Of the Pandemonium Stage. Though herself no hint affording Of the footlights' lurid flame, Each adjacent shop and hoarding Is emblazoned with her name. Sec —Aerial flights of fancy ! Pyrotechnic blaze of wit ! With Miss Juliet Delancy As the Demon of tho Pit! Though the boldest might have faltered At an outlay half as large, Yet the prices are unalteredThere will be no extra charge; Amid plaudits loud as thunder, And emotion past control, The astounding Infant Wonder Will sustain her famous role. In a misc where all entrances, The most unexampled hit Is Miss Juliet Delancy's, As the Demon of the Pit; While the tout ensemble entrances, It is owned the choicest grit Is Miss Juliet Delancy's— The enormouß Miss Delancy's, The astounding Miss Delancy's, As the Demon of the Pit!