came to a 'melancholy and' degraded

end.j Oh, the snow, the beautiful'

siioiv, »rv Filling the sky and earth'

below ; t Over the housetops, over the

street, Over the heads of the' '.people,

yyjuLibeet 1 Dancing —

llitting-^-skinnnihg 'mong';' J

Beautiful snow ! it can do no wrong. , .

Flying to kiss a fair lady's 'oheek, 4 '

1 Clinging to lips in a frolicsome freak

; Beautiful snow, from heaven above,

Pure as an.angel, gentle' as love !\

Oh,; the. snow, the beautiful snow-'! I

How the ilakes gather and laugh as they

g°. Whirling about in maddening fun ; :

' - , Chasings-laughing — hurrying by —

It lights on tho face, and it sparkles,

the eye, ^ ? And tho dogs with a bark

and a bound Snap at the crystals as they

eddy around ; The town is alive, and its

heart in a glow,' To welcome the coming

of beautiful snow ! How wild the crowd

goes swaying along, Hailing each other

with honour ?: and song ; How ,the: gay

sleighs .like meteors flash by, , .'

'??' . '? Bright 'for a - moment, then

lost to the eye ; . s.. , Ringing —

swinging— dashing they: go Over the

crust of the beautiful' snow : Snow so

pure whan it falls from the sky, To be

trampled ;Ud tracked by thousands of

feet, Till it blends with the filth in

the horrible street.Once; Once; I? was-

pure as.sno.w, but^Ijfell-r^Y J Fell

like the snow-flakes froiuiheayenCfo ' '

hell ' Fell to he trampled as iiltli in

the streetFell to be scoffed, to be spit

on, and beat ; Pleading— cursings—

dreading. to die-^ Selling my soul to

whoever .would buy Dealing in 'shame

'for a' morsel of 'bread,' Hating tho

living and fearing the dead. Merciful

God ! have I fallen.so low ? ? And yet I

was once like the beautiful snow. _ J .

. ... . . ... . . Once I was fair as the

beautiful snowy With an eye

hke:its:iryst'al,',fraiheart'like its

glow ; Once 1 was loved .for my innocent

grace,. Flattered and sought for''tlie

cnarhi^ .Mi ? — : my face '?- s'- ' '' t

J '-'u,s b' Fathers — mothers — sisters,

all, Uod and myselfj-A have lost tail !

The 'xeriest^w-reich 'rtliat fgefes,

/'shivering ' ' ' Will make a wide sweep

lest I wander too nigh. For all that is

on or above me, I .know. There's nothing

so pure ''as 'the beautiful snow. -r How

strango it should be that tliik

beautiful snow. . Should fall on a

sinner with nowhere to gQ ! : ,] How

strange it should be when the1 night

comes again, . If the snow and the ice

struclf- ' my. desperate brain !

Fainting— freezing— dying .alone, , Too

wicked- for' 'prayer, 'too' 'weak for 'a

moan ? To he heard in the streets of

th*e~drazy ; town, Gone mad in the joy,

of tlie-snow, comings^dbwn i U i To be

and to ctie iri my terrible woo, With a

bed' and a shroud '.pf thebeauti-. ? -

s?1*™ gj'ein.r»id .ic Helpless and foul

as tne trampled snow, Sinner, ' despair

not'! Christ stoopeth low .. . ' rl To

rescue the soiil that'islipstin^sinj,^ y

Toraise it to life and -enjoyment again.

Groaning— bleeding — dying for thee, The

CrucifiedThung on.thepjurseditree i ,

His accents of mercy.) ,fall;..BofL on.

thine ear, ' Is there mercy for me ?

Will he heed my weak prayep.1'5', r1? O

God ! in the stream' that; for sinnors

did flow, Wash me, and I shall be whiter

than snow.