There come the dim forms of the mighty dead, Around the steep which bears the hero's name. The stars look down upon them-and the same Pale orb that glistens o'er his distant grave, Gleams on the summit that enshrines his fame, And lights the cold tear of the glorious braveThe richest, purest tear, that memory ever gave!' Mount of the clouds! when winter round thee throws The hoary mantle of the dying year, Sublime amid thy canopy of snows, Thy towers in bright magnificence appear! 'Tis then we view thee with a chilling fear, Till summer robes thee in her tints of blue; When lo! in softened grandeur, far, yet clear, Thy battlements stand clothed in Heaven's own hue, To swell as Freedom's home on man's unbounded view! G. M. A MAIDEN'S SONG OVER THE GRAVE OF HER LOVER. Aye, flowers may glow In new born beauty, and the rosy spring To deck the earth its sparkling wreaths may bring, And I have sought The lowly violet, that in shade appears, And rosebuds too, Crimson as young Aurora's blush, or white And flowers, that close Their buds beneath the sun, but pure and pale There will be none To deck thy grave with flowers, and chant for thee When I am gone. But thou shalt have A gift more precious than the buds I fling- Upon thy grave. IANTHE. MOZART'S REQUIEM. The tongue of the vigilant clock tolled one, The shrouded moon looked out upon A cold, dank region, more cheerless and dun, Mozart now rose from a restless bed, And his heart was sick with care; Though long had he wooingly sought to wed He knelt to the God of his worship then, "T was balm to his soul, and he rose again He was tall, this stranger who gazed on him, His cheek was pale and his eye was dim, "Mozart !-there is one whose errand I bear, "Who cannot be known to thee; "He grieves for a friend and would have thee prepare "A Requiem, blending a mournful air "With the sweetest melody!" "I'll furnish the Requiem then," he cried, Mozart grew pale when the vision fled, He knew 't was a messenger sent from the dead, He knew that the days of his life were told, The blood through his bosom crept slowly and cold, The flame that was flickering, Yet he went to his task with a cheerful zeal, He gazed on his loved one who cherished him well, "This music will chime with my funeral knell, The cold moon waned-on that cheerless day, CRITICAL NOTICES. R. D. 1. An Oration delivered at Lancaster, Mass. in celebration of American Independence, July, 1825. By Joseph Willard. Cambridge. 8vo. pp. 24. 2 Charge of Judge Howe to the Grand Jury of Hampshire County, delivered at the late term of the Court of Common Pleas in that County. Published in the Hampshire Gazette. Northampton. WE have placed these titles at the head of a short article, for the purpose of bringing before our readers, in other words than our own, the subject to which the performances are more particularly devoted. The appropriation of means for the support of free schools is a subject of the last importance to the whole country; but it is one of peculiar interest to the inhabitants of Massachusetts at the present time. And no better evidence of the public interest and the direction of public opinion upon the subject, could be given them, than is to be found in the sentiments which are constantly coming in every possible form from gentlemen of the first respectability in different sections of the commonwealth; and on occasions, too, when topics are usually selected for discussion with reference to their immediate importance to the public welfare. We have no design here to bestow praise upon Mr Willard's Oration, though it is both sensible and eloquent; for we have before said, that it is quite impossible for us to notice particularly even a few of the many excellent orations, which the press has this year sent forth. But his views of the importance and of the state of the free schools of Massachusetts seem to us so just, and are so well expressed withal, that we wish to have them more generally read and known, than they probably will be in their present form. "Look over our country, and see what vast sums are annually raised in the old states, and the reservations of land that are made in the new states, for the purpose of education alone, whose blessings, free to all, open to all, are brought to the fireside of the humblest individual. But even here there is room for improvement. I confine the remark to our own state. Are we as active in promoting the cause of education as our situation, the spirit of the age, and circumstances demand? How stand we in this respect compared with our fathers? Do we not far outstrip them in our regard for free schools, and the intellectual cultivation of the great body of the people? No; to our shame be it said, and repeated too, we are as far behind them in these things, as we are in advance of them in population and wealth, They built up schools, to use the language of the times," to the end that learning may not be buried in the graves of our forefathers in church and commonwealth." And look for a moment at their situation; in a wilderness, to be subdued by the hard hand of toil; in poverty, surrounded by inveterate and treacherous foes; compelled, and that not unfrequently, togo forth to their daily labours, yea, to the worship of their God in the sanctuary, with arms in their hands to protect themselves, their wives, and their children. These men made better public provision for the diffusion of knowledge, according to their ability, than is enjoyed at the present day, excepting in a few of our largest towns. Massachusetts, a humble, poor, dependent colony in 1647, with an existence of but eighteen years, exerted herself more strenuously for the good cause, than Massachusetts, independent, powerful, and rich, in 1825. "Let me not be misunderstood; I speak solely of our free schools. The liberality of individuals is great; they have expended, and will continue to expend, untold sums in colleges, academies, and private schools; and the beneficial results continually force themselves upon our notice. But the poor man's son who aspires to a finished education, is shut out from academies and private schools; he cannot go there, and, in the language of inspiration, "buy without money and without price." He seeks for the grammar schools, where genius, though clothed in rags, once found encouragement and instruction; where the streams once flowed, open to every one; but the doors are barred against him, against all, by the strong arm of the government. He is compelled to sit down in silence, and lament for the sad necessities that encircle him, or to trust to the charities of others, to be stung, it may be, to the very soul with the chill feeling of dependency. We would respect public authorities, we would reverence public opinion when fully, calmly, and fairly expressed. In this instance, as in most others, the Legislature followed the general voice, instead of directing it. It is we, the people, who have blinded our own eyes, by disregarding the law while it existed, or by loosely enforcing its injunctions; marring the simple and beautiful system projected by our ancestors in wisdom, and handed down to us with the sanction of almost two centuries, with the sanction also of distinguished benefits." Judge Howe's charge is wholly devoted to the subject of popular education. He sketches some of the moral and political advantages to the country, which flow from the free schools; and points out some of the faults, which, he believes, exist in our present system-if system it can be called. The charge, we think, is all sensible, and calculated to awaken much attention to the subject, and to direct efforts for improvement to the proper points. We earnestly recommend the whole piece to the careful perusal of our readers; but can find room only for the following extract. "Grammar schools were intended by our forefathers to aid young men in preparing for college, and to enable those who could not afford the expense of a regular classical education, to obtain a better one at home than our common schools would afford. Every town containing two hundred families, it was supposed, would need a school of this description, and the duty of providing it was accordingly imposed. That the greatest advantages might result from it, provision was made, that the school should be alike open to all, that it should be under the control of the selectmen, and that every child in the town, of the proper age and requisite qualifications, should be entitled to participate in its privileges. The spirit in which these provisions originated, is approved by all. It has been said, however, that these institutions were calculated only for the benefit of the rich, and that the poor derived little or no advantage from them. If this be so, it is a result, directly opposed to the views and intentions of those who framed the law. But can this opinion be correct? If more of the children of the wealthy are found in these schools, than of the poor, it ought to be recollected that the state has an equal interest in the education of all its youththat the burden of supporting these institutions falls chiefly upon the rich-but above all, that the wealthy will find elsewhere the means of education for their children, while the poor will be left to grow up in a state of ignorance, and but poorly qualified to discharge the duties imposed upon them by the constitution of their country. Nor have the rich any occasion to complain of this, any more than of the other expenses of civil government. If the means of education are afforded to the poor as well as to them, the state of society is improved by it-the standard of public morals is elevated-a greater security is furnished to their wealth, and their taxes for the support of the poor are diminished, in proportion as the causes of pauperism are removed." Gramatica completa de la Lengua Inglesa, para Uso de los Españoles; con un suplemento, que contiene las frases mas precisas para romper en una conversacion,formas de documentos comerciales, y descripciones de las Ciudades de Filadelfia y de Washington. Por Stephen M'L. Staples, A. M. Filadelfia. 1825. 12mo. pp. 276. Since the South American states have achieved their independence, the intercourse between them and the United States and Europe, particularly England, has been vastly increased. As they advance in improvements and in the resources of free and independent nations, this intercourse will become more intimate, and all the political and commercial relations will spring up, which usually subsist between neighbouring nations having many common interests and common sympathies. This will render a knowledge of the Spanish language necessary for many in our own country; and a knowledge of the English language no less necessary for many in the states of South America. Several Grammars of the Spanish language have been already offered to the public. The Grammar of Mr Staples is the first we have seen of the English language, written in Spanish; and designed to aid those, who understand the latter language only, in the acquisition of a knowledge of the English. This design is a good one, and we think the work must be well adapted to the wants of many who are constantly arriving in our country, and whose first object of course is to acquire a |