Barringer High School - Athenaeum Yearbook (Newark, NJ)

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8 CIIAKLKS XII OK SWKDKN. CHARLES XII OF SWEDEN. BY G. C. H . '79 BRILLIANT arc the scenes displayed in history ; the rise, the fall, the noon-tide, the splendor, the gradual decline, and at last the utter extinction of the most powerful nations; the lives and the deeds of heroes long since dead, kingdoms lost and won, kings dethroned, the age of chivalry, the crusades, the extinction of Feudalism, and the Reformation, all of which were truly grand events. About the close of the 17th century, Charles XII, a youth of sixteen, ascended the throne of Sweden. Sweden, at this time, stood at the- highest point of her power. The possessions of the crown had been increased, and the Treasury filled by the prudence and frugality of Charles XI. The fleet and army were in a good condition; much of the present territory of Russia was then under Swedish rule, the site now occupied by St. Petersburg being a swampy hollow on Swedish soil. In courage and military spirit, the Swedes were inferior to none. On the death of Charles XI, the rulers of Russia, Poland and Denmark thought that the time had come for depriving Sweden of the lands which she had conquered. They accord- ingly concluded an alliance, and proceeded to attack Sweden at different points. But, to the astonishment of Europe, the young king of Sweden, who had hitherto been looked upon as weak in intellect, suddenly displayed a lively and energetic spirit, and remarkable military talents. In a few months he had conquered Denmark, re- peatedly defeated the united armies of Saxony and Poland, and on the 30th of November, 1701, with a force of 8,000 Swedes, he defeated a Russian force of ten times his number, at Narva. Having de- posed the King of Poland, and placed a creature of his own on the throne, he next turned his attention to Saxony—the ruler of which country he completely humilia- ted. Whilst Charles was lingering in Sax- ony, Peter the Great, was not idle. He built vast fortresses, reclaimed after pro- digious labor the swampy valley of the Neva, and laid the foundation of the new capital—St. Petersburg. Had Charles, when he left Saxony to turn his arms against the last and greatest of his foes, marched directly against St. Petersburg, he might easily have destroyed the Czar’s new plans : but. fortunately for Russia, he proceeded to penetrate into the heart of the country. No Russian army opposed the fool-hardy king, who, at the head of his gallant forces, waded through streams, and marched across pathless morasses. But now came the turning point in the life of Charles. Instead of waiting for his General (Lowenhaupt), confident of victo- ry, he fought the battle of Pultowa, which resulted in a total defeat of the Swedish army. Charles, a helpless fugitive, barely saved himself, with about 2,000 followers in a shelterless desert in the dominions of Turkey: the remainder of the fugitives— some 16,000—were obliged to surrender. Not one of those brave warriors ever re- visited his home. They were dispersed over the vast empire, some died in the mines of Siberia, others as beggars on the highways. Thus perished this heroic band, as admirable in their endurance as in their triumphs. Charles was honorably received and generously treated by the Turks, but

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ATLANTIS. 7 every good, nature in all its different as- pects, the mighty forests and the eternal hills, the crystal waters and the grassy plains, stand and shout aloud its triumph. The ceaseless ebb and flow of ocean, the endless march of time from eternity to eternity, the nightly marshalling of the hosts of heaven upon the measureless fields of space, attest truth’s immutability. ATLANTIS. BY HELEN I- TUTTLE, '79 AWAY down the distant ages, borne to us on the swift wings of the flying centuries, there comes an old legend : a legacy left us by those ancient ancestors of ours, who feared Mars, adored Venus, and re- vered Jupiter. The dead and gone gen- erations speak to us with these words. Once, long ago. there lay in the sweet waters of Atlanticus, westward far away, a land beautiful beyond description ; fair beyond mortal conception. The balmy winds of the south played round it, the warm skies of the east bent over it, the icy finger of the north drew round it a magic circle, and the western waters lapped its golden sands. Brave men built its cities, and tilled its fields. Beautiful women dwelt in its palaces. Neptune himself held the reins of State, and the love of the gods guarded from all ill. And the fame of this fair Atlantis, this paradise on Earth, spread far and wide through all lands, over all seas ; and many there were who would fain leave their allotted tasks unfinished, and hie them to this blessed country ; and the gods saw and knew it was not well; so they wafted the happy island beyond the bounds of mortality, while the unsatisfied ones sought, and found it not. Thus saith the ancient oracle. To-day there lies a region in the coun- try of nowhere in the realm of King Nihil, as bright and beautiful as that land of old, where all fond hopes are realized, where all happy dreams come true. There the fountain of perpetual youth pours forth its sweet waters. Wealth untold awaits the poverty-stricken. Fullness of joy is there for the sad. wisdom for the ignorant, peace for the troubled, rest for the weary. And this happy place is called Utopia. Many have wandered hither and thither on this broad earth, searching for this far-famed kingdom ; yet the way leading to its lofty mountains and fertile valleys remains undiscovered. But there lies still another country be- yond this world of ours, fairer than ancient Atlantis, more beautiful than modern Utopia; whose inhabitants shall no more say—I am sick. “ And there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor cry- ing. “And The Lamb is The Light thereof.” No one can miss the path to this heavenly city, since the crucified Christ stretches his pierced hands to the sinful world, saying—“ I am The Way.

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VOICES OF THE NIGHT. 9 the thought of returning a vanquished man without an army to his kingdom was un- endurable to his haughty soul; he plotted to involve the Turks in a war with Rus- sia. At length his plans seemed about to succeed. The Turks marched against the Czar, and, but for the sagacity of the Em- press Catharine, would have captured his entire army. Peace soon followed. Charles still re- mained in Turkey even after the Sultan had withdrawn the hospitality. It was not until news was brought him, that nearly all his possessions in Germany were in the hands of the enemy that he sudden- ly left Turkey, after a residence of five years, and arrived unexpectedly before the gates of Stralsund. The King continued the war for five years without success. In 1716 he fell upon Norway with a small army. It was here that Charles met his death before the fortress of Freidrichshall, which he was besieging. Thus closed the life of a monarch whose military career may be likened to the flight of a meteor, dazzling in its brilliancy, but brief in dura- tion. The ba.ttle of Pultowa may well be reckoned as one of the most decisive battles in history. Had the Swedes been vic- torious, their heroic king might have driven back the semi-barbarous Russians to their Asiatic home, and the glorious banner of Sweden might to-day be floating from the Arctic Ocean to the Black Sea. VOICES OF THE NIGHT. BY CLARA VALENTINE. ’81. It came to pass during the reign of King Dobbins in the province governed by Prince E. O., that one of the rulers in the province came unto me and said, “ Thou shalt write a composition and do thou make it good, so that the girls of this di- vision may shine in the Annual, and be puffed up with righteous pride like unto the rest of womankind. And do thou take for a subject unto thy composition.— “ Voices of the Night. And I lifted up my voice and wept, and said unto her, “ Why hast thou brought this affliction upon me? Have I not always been a faithful servant unto thee? Have I not always said rightly unto thee my les- sons, and is that not sufficient for thee ? And she was wroth against me; and said unto me, ‘‘Oh, thou girl of little wisdom, knowest thou not that it is the custom of this kingdom to give unto the maidens, compositions, when the burden of lessons is more than they can bear? Knowest thou not that it is well for the mind to be crammed ? Get thee away, I am angry with thee for thy blindness. And I went unto my dwelling place, and thought and wondered much concerning the things which had been revealed unto me. And I said unto myself,—“ I will wait until all my people are asleep, then I will arise and go to my window, and 1 will listen unto those things that raise their voices in the night, that I may the more easily judge concerning them. And it came to pass as I said. And behold I heard a grievous cry, like unto six harps with strings broken, and the clashing of untoned cymbals. And I lifted up mine eyes unto the next place wherein