The Poets and Poetry of Cecil County, Maryland Part 41

I do not wish thee worldly wealth-- For it may flee away; I do not wish thee beauty's charms-- For they will soon decay.

I do not wish for thee the joys Which from earth's pleasures spring; These give at best a fleeting bliss, And leave a lasting sting.

I do not wish thee mortal fame-- This, like a meteor bright, Gleams but a moment on the sky, And leaves behind no light.

I wish for thee that richer wealth, No earthly mines reveal, "Which moth and rust cannot corrupt, And thief can never steal."

I wish for thee the sweeter joys, Which from religion flow; These have the power to soothe and bless, In hours of deepest woe.

I wish for thee the honor pure, Descending from on high; To lift thy soul away from earth, And raise it to the sky.

I wish that peace through all thy life, May on each step attend; May rapture crown its closing hour, And perfect bliss its end.

THE CHRISTIAN'S ANCHOR.

How oft when youthful skies are clear, And joy's sweet breezes round us play, We dream that as through life we steer, The morrow shall be like to-day.

We paint each scene with rainbow hues, And gaily sail on stormless seas, While hope, through life's bright future, views The port she thinks to make with ease.

But ah! how soon dark clouds of woe Spread o'er those skies a deepening shade, And waves of sorrow overflow, And all the rainbow glories fade.

'Tis thus earth's hopes, however bright, Expire and vanish, one by one, E'en as the sh.o.r.e recedes from sight, When glides the free bark swiftly on.

Yet the redeemed, with anchor firm, Time's swelling billows shall outride, And far beyond the raging storm Shall make the port on Canaan's side.

Oh, may this bright and blissful hope Fill my poor heart with joy and peace, Bid me 'mid all life's storms look up To yon blest land, where storms shall cease.

And when with life's last gale I've striven, And all its raging waves have pa.s.s'd, Oh, may I, in the port of heaven, My anchor Hope securely cast.

CALLANDER PATTERSON.

Callander Patterson was born near Perryville, Cecil county, May 6, 1820.

His education was obtained at the common schools of the neighborhood.

Many years ago he went to Philadelphia, where he studied dentistry, which he has since practiced in that city. Mr. Patterson commenced writing poetry when quite young, but published nothing until upwards of forty years of age. His poetry--of which he has written much--seems to have been of a religious character.

Owing to causes beyond our control, the following poem is the only one, adapted to this book, that we have been able to obtain.

G.o.d IS GREAT.

Our G.o.d is great! and to his arm I'll trust my destiny; For what in life or death can harm The soul that leans on thee?

Thine arm supports the universe, For by thy might alone The blazing comets speed their course, Revolving round thy throne.

They go and come at thy command To do thy sovereign will; Each one supported by thy hand, Its mission to fulfill.

Through boundless s.p.a.ce, 'mid s.h.i.+ning spheres, Those wingless heralds fly; Proclaiming through the lapse of years That G.o.d still reigns on high.

And all those burning suns of night That light the distant s.p.a.ce, Declare thy power infinite, Thy wisdom and thy grace.

We try to scan those regions far Till vision fades away, And yet beyond the utmost star Are plains of endless day.

And when we earthward turn our gaze, With wonder and delight, We marvel at the lightning's blaze And tremble at its might.

And yet, thy hand is in it all, For there thy love is seen: By it the rain is made to fall, And earth is robed in green.

The cyclone on its path of death That rises in an hour, The fierce tornadoes' wildest breath, But faintly show thy power.

And though the laws are yet unknown That guide them in their path, They are the agents of thy throne For mercy, or for wrath.

Thus I behold thy wondrous arm And own thy works divine: Then what in life or death can harm So long as thou art mine?

TOBIAS RUDULPH.

Tobias Rudulph, the subject of this sketch, was the third person of that name and was the grandson of the Tobias Rudulph, who was one of four brothers who emigrated from Prussia and settled in Cecil county early in the eighteenth century. For many years the family took a conspicuous part in public affairs.

Tobias Rudulph's uncle and his uncle's cousin Michael, the son of Jacob, and the uncle of Mrs. Lucretia Garfield, very early in the Revolutionary war joined a company of Light Hors.e.m.e.n, which was recruited in this county and served with great bravery and distinction in Light Horse Harry Lee's Legion in his Southern campaigns. They were called the Lions of the Legion.

John Rudulph won the t.i.tle of "Fighting Jack" by his courage and audacity, both of which essential requisites of a good soldier he seems to have possessed in a superabundant degree.

Tobias, the subject of this sketch, was born in Elkton, in the old brick mansion two doors east of the court house, on December 8, 1787. He was the oldest of four children, namely: Zebulon, a sketch of whose life appears in this volume; Anna Maria, who married James Sewell; and Martha, who married the Reverend William Torbert.

Anna Maria is said to have been a poetess of no mean ability, but owing to the state of literature in this county at the time she wrote, none of her poetry, so far as we have been able to learn was published, and after diligent search we have been unable to find any of her ma.n.u.script.

Tobias studied law with his mother's brother, James Milner, who resided in Philadelphia, where he practiced law,--but who subsequently became a distinguished Presbyterian minister and Doctor of Divinity--and was admitted to the Elkton Bar and practiced his profession successfully until the time of his death which occurred in the Fall of 1828. He was a man of fine ability and amused himself when he had leisure in courting the Muses, but owing to his excessive modesty published nothing now extant except "Tancred, or The Siege of Antioch," a drama in three acts, which was printed in Philadelphia, in 1827. Owing to the fact that simultaneously with its publication, a drama of the same name by another author appeared as a candidate for literary favor, Mr. Rudulph--though his work was highly commended by Joseph Jefferson the elder, then in the height of his dramatic career, through the foolish fear that he might he accused of plagiarism--suppressed his drama and never allowed it to be introduced upon the stage.

Mr. Rudulph married Maria Hayes. They were the parents of four children, Amelia, James, Anna Maria and Tobias. The two first mentioned are dead, the others reside in Elkton. Until a very recent period the family spelled the name Rudulph, which spelling has been followed in this work, though the name is now generally spelled Rudolph.

SELECTION FROM TANCRED.