South Carolina Temperance Advocate

Poetry.
From the New York People's Organ.

THE REDEEMED
BY AUGUSTA M. COOPER.

I knew a noble and truthful youth,
And bright was his beaming eye
And beauty shaded his curling hair
And sat on his forehead high;
Friends sprang around by the young man's side,
Like flowers by a bubbling spring,
And beautiful ones their pure love brought
To him, as an offering.

An envious spirit hovered near
To bind the soul of the youth ;
And sought, while whispering honeyed words,
To shadow his love and truth ;
It brought a cup with a poisoned dreg
For the tempted one to sip,
Till oft the foam of the ruby wine
Was moist'ning his crimson lip.

Then quickly his friends all left his side,
And jeered his unmeaning word;
And beautiful ones soon shrank away.
When a drunkard's laugh they heard ;
They never sought to release the grasp
Of the demon upon his mind,
And not a tone to the fallen one
Was spoken in accents kind.

I hastily flew to the sinning youth,
Who madly was wandering on,
And whispered of honor, and friends and love
He had in the dear hours gone;
I strove to rouse his despairing heart
To a will and a purpose high.
To wake his soul from the sins of earth
And bid it look to the sky.

Twas not in vain : and he knelt with me
In grief on the velvet sod,
And my heart went up in an earnest prayer,
For strength, from a loving God :
I've lived to see him a noble man,
And free from each tempting snare:
I've learned to know there will nought reclaim
The erring, like love and prayer.