THE CEMETERY ON THE HILL

Otago Witness, Issue 2805, 18 December 1907, Page 81

THE CEMETERY ON THE HILL

In the dawn my spirit rose Aad,*»y^i^^%t4rieiid'3 repose; - And 'l ched, "Oh, friend, arise and let mi ■ ]^ tn& mt>rnin|£ air blows ctuQ, •„ "~ :r ejfcSji I.^&in wouM seekthe.^hiU. . ," ? *' rest in peace- th^frftnas of long "3. ; - age**" • i • : •■ "Owef tJ»are', very still, On the, ,aiop* of yonder., hill, Lies many an on« beloved by you and me; And perhaps if ye are them When the dawning thrills .-the air. Soft&finig of their Spirits' gladnefs w« - m«y ccc. " N So hand in hand we flew. Across. the morning dew Till «ii reached the sacrect spot upon th« , hill; •' - * All Jbke aii^was filled witii flowers, And we witched the dawning hours, . "- -But, alas I the spirits rested very still. And our sottls e*nk low in fear, Fot the.sHenc* seemed so dr«*r, .. ~ '. 'Until all my being shouted, "They arc . come!" For &c growing light revealed What before nad been concealed, .And the friendly voices were no loagei ' dumb. < - For the &un arose in flame, And' we trmced each well-loved name, And the friendly voices sounded in out ears';' And their faces rose before As plain as .e'er of yore Ans theit fcindly tones dispelled our earthlj feus. She who sank beneath the- wave - :^ who g»V» his life to s*ve, He who perished on the , river bank alone] "He who fell by hostile ahoY- * Those whose love is ne'er forgot, And whose nusn are graved in hearts ar on this stone. And tboee who gave their breath To th« \ttpouc'« fiery death Did - th«ir duty in the flfnw and s*nl below — The -stron£ ft .th/e brat*,,, the truer— 'OS't^tfie^e^He that we kneWf" „ And we Joyed them, tbougl^ we never toM them bo. But the sun had risen with might, And ifi» beams of living -light ' Seem to guide us to the kibour of the d»yj And we. Jinrned with wUUng feet, Fob our ia'sk T?a» not opm^ete, And "at Love and Duty's call we mus4 * W?y " " — E. M. Bonuf

■riWith a Reason.— Host : "^"hy did „ytfu tell all our guestß that 'this tiinnei was to be % very informal affair? " Hostess : "So that t could be the best-dressed woman- here" — The^ New Theology.— "When a French explorer, who was a sceptic, was travelling in the Fiji Islands,- he came across a cannibal 'who -was reading^a book, and 1 which so greatly aroused. his curiosity thas he asked. the cannibal what the book was. "The. Bible," the man replied. ".What! That old-exploded book? Nobody believes that the Bible is true over in my country,'" «aid the sceptic. "I don't know about -.hat."' replied the cannibal. "If it hadn't been for the Bible I would have stewed you long ago."