Each hath a separate mission to fulfill, And when their path diverges from our own, And they have said farewell! and turned away From our embrace—oh, then, we are _alone!_
We miss them in all places, everywhere, And feel a shadow, and an emptiness Forever by our side—but most of all In the departed one’s accustomed place.
We turn to speak to them—they are not there— The thought we would have uttered curdles back Upon our heart, a stifling agony— We turn our tearful gaze along the track
By which the dear one went—’tis desolate— Our home—our heart—our world is desolate— In all the places where our joy has been Dark shades, and weeping memories, congregate.
But when our only one—the dearest, best, The angel of our household, bids good-bye And goes forth weeping—then the tortured heart Reels with the anguish of the broken tie.
Yes—parting is the bitterness of life— The agony of death—the ban of earth— The inevitable doom—to love—to part— Is the condition of our human birth.
Thank God! there is a world where loved ones meet In perfect beauty, and unclouded joy, Where all is love—where parting never comes The everlasting rapture to destroy.
THE HEAD-QUARTERS OF GENERAL JACKSON AT THE BATTLE OF NEW ORLEANS.
By the courtesy of Mr. J. R. Smith, the artist, we are permitted to present our readers with another view of a remarkable place. It is Montgomery’s House, occupied by General Jackson as his headquarters at the time of the celebrated Battle of New Orleans, January 8, 1815. It is surrounded by a splendid garden and grounds, and a beautiful grove of cedars, which in this latitude grow to an immense size. The line of intrenchments running up the lane by Montgomery’s House back to the cedar swamp can still be distinctly traced. Farther down on the banks of the river Mississippi are four live-oak trees, of immense size, forming a square, and hanging with Spanish moss. Beneath these trees the British commander, General Packenham, expired and was laid out. The spot is a favorite resort of curious visiters from the city, who go to examine the battle-ground. Below this is a splendid building, called the Battle-Ground Sugar Refinery, on the rear of which is a group of willows, with a mound in the centre, and surrounded by water. Here are buried the 2000 British warriors who were slain in the battle of the 8th of January. A planter’s house near the spot was occupied, previously to the action, by General Packenham as his head-quarters. All these objects form very suitable subjects for the pencils of our artists; and we are only surprised that they have not been drawn, engraved and familiarized to the public long ago.