ard change thy soul shouldst wring,
Oh! mourn but for the change within;
Grieve over bright illusions fled,
O'er fondly cherish'd hope, now dead,
O'er errors of the days of youth,
Ere wisdom taught the path of truth.
Then hail, ye blossoms of the grave,
That o'er the care-worn temples wave--
Sent to remind us of "that bourn,
Whence traveller can ne'er return;"
The harbingers of peace and rest,
Where only mortals can be blest.

CHAPTER XVIII.

Read Victor Hugo's _Dernier Jour d'un Condamne!_ It is powerfully
written, and the author identifies his feelings so strongly with the
condemned, that he must, while writing the book, have experienced
similar emotions to those which a person in the same terrible position
would have felt. Wonderful power of genius, that can thus excite
sympathy for the erring and the wretched, and awaken attention to a
subject but too little thought of in our selfish times, namely, the
expediency of the abolition of capital punishment! A perusal of Victor
Hugo's graphic book will do more to lead men's minds to reflect on this
point than all the dull essays; or as dull speeches, that may be
written or made on it.

Talking of ---- to-day with ---- ----, she remarked that he had every
sense but common sense, and made light of this deficiency. How
frequently do we hear people do this, as if the possession of talents
or various fine qualities can atone for its absence! Common sense is
not only positively necessary to render talent available by directing
its proper application, but is indispensable as a monitor to warn men
against error. Without this guide the passions and feelings will be
ever leading men astray, and even those with the best natural
dispositions will fall into error.

Common sense is to the individual what the compass is to the
mariner--it enables him to steer safely through the rocks, shoals, and
whirlpools that intersect his way. Were the lives of criminals
accurately known, I am persuaded that it would be found that from a
want of common sense had proceeded their guilt; for a clear perception
of crime would do more to check its perpetration, than the goodness of
heart which is so frequently urged as a preventive against it.

Conscience is the only substitute for common sense, but even this will
not supply its place in all cases. Conscience will lead a man to repent
or atone for crime, but common sense will preclu