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 UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. 
 
Digitized by the Internet Archive 
 in 2010 with funding from 
 The Library of Congress 
 
 http://www.archive.org/details/dreamepicpoemOOrobi 
 
A DREAM. 
 
 AN EPIC POEM. 
 
 BY 
 
 JOSEPH CARVER ROBINSON. 
 
 it 
 
 3^ 
 
 
 J. C. ROBINSON, PUBLISHER, "^^ 
 
 34 Broad St., Boston, Mass. 
 
Copyright, j8Sq, 
 
 By Joseph Carver Robinson, 
 
 boston, mass. 
 
 Electrotyped and Printed by 
 Addison C. Getchell, Boston, Mass. 
 
INTRODUCTORY REMARKS. 
 
 For fear some evil minded person might 
 wantonly misconstrue my flights of fancy, 
 wherein I have that power, Monopoly, seize 
 on creation, as being irreverent, I will say I 
 cast no slighting reflections on the Omnip- 
 otent ; but I wish to show what vast pro- 
 portions a Monopoly would assume if not 
 alone confined to our little world of suffer- 
 ance. 
 
 This work was printed for private dis- 
 tribution, but having several hundred copies 
 in excess of my pleasure to distribute as a 
 private edition, I offer them to the public. 
 
 J. C. ROBINSON. 
 
As in this poem I have pictured the 
 
 future of Monopoly, I would respectfully 
 
 dedicate it to the Independent Oil Man and 
 
 to all those whose sympathy and efforts go 
 
 forth to oppose and crush out Monopoly 
 
 from our midst. 
 
 J. C. R. 
 
A DREAM. 
 
 A WONDROUS dream my mind conceived, 
 at first 
 It gave me joy beyond all hope. There seemed 
 No bound of perfect bliss that mind could draw^ 
 So fair as this ; the darkest night was turned 
 To day, and Heaven's sylvan shades and nooks 
 Were enwrapped by gold'n streams of living 
 
 brooks. 
 Then, there were no pains in the depths of Hell 
 As did my troubled soul indwell. 
 
 I dreamed I'd turned the world into a fount 
 Of Oil, and wov'n the silken stream of gold 
 
6 A DREAM. 
 
 And green into vast wealth, by a long 
 
 Continuous dream. 
 
 My greedy mind, with ease 
 
 Expanded to the work, until rivers 
 
 That used to be, turned to Oil. So all waters, 
 
 Even the sea ! 
 
 Methought the world's last days had come ; the 
 
 race 
 Of struggling man was run. Had not the Lord 
 My soul giv'n strength, the troubled horrors 
 That reached me from the very highest peaks 
 Where suffering humanity had scaled, 
 I should have lost heart and let slip my soul 
 From its mortal part, such dire horrors mocked 
 
 me ! 
 
 I trembling stood, as one dumb-bound. 
 Here, struggling in the sea, a doomed life, 
 Buff^'ting the dark'ned stream with lusty sinews. 
 
A DREAM. 7 
 
 Fighting in vain 'gainst death. There, men of 
 
 sin, 
 Half-demon, half-dev'l, who through life were 
 
 hunted, 
 Hated, and outlawed, pleading for the boon 
 That had made them miserable ! 
 
 Amid human wail this small speck of earth 
 In blackened space whirled as a great Oil Bub- 
 ble, 
 Drowning man in his sin. As I alone reigned 
 Supreme on this gold'n wave, a smiling greed 
 Filled my brain. I forgot the horrors I'd seen, 
 And gloated o'er my Oily Sea of wealth, 
 This translucent liquid of living green. 
 
 The world was mine ! All this great Oil Bub- 
 ble ! 
 My countless wealth now seemed most secure, 
 As humanity no longer did endure. 
 
8 A DREAM. 
 
 I'd heard their last gi'oans and seen their death- 
 throes ; 
 
 They'd sunk beneath the waves to death ; the 
 waves 
 
 Obliterated the scene of doom, 
 
 Leaving no trace to mark their tomb. 
 
 I stood monarch of all this vast plain ; 
 
 Was the rich harvest worth the lives I'd slain ? 
 
 Yes! why not? I'd crushed a mortal foe's de- 
 sire, 
 
 And quenched in them a most rebellious fire. 
 
 Rid the world of sin by sacrificing blood, 
 
 Merely rep'tition of another flood. 
 
 Ha ! ha ! they were loth to swamp in my spoil, 
 
 If their souls were light they could swim in Oil. 
 
 How quickly they shot to the core of Hell ! 
 
 For them, a fitter place there's none to dwell. 
 
 Then, an awful stillness fill'd the heavy air. 
 In this death-like quiet my bark drifted 
 
A DREAM. 9 
 
 As a thing of ease ; so still one scarce could 
 
 Hear the rippling of the seas; erewhile, 
 
 The frantic shrieks of man nigh drove me 
 
 mad — 
 Now the awful silence seemed quite as bad. 
 
 " But why disheartened ? " I asked myself. 
 
 " I have caused misery without pity : 
 
 I've crushed Titusville, Bradford, Oil City — 
 
 Hundreds of towns by honest toil that reared 
 
 Their heads from the product of Oil. I took 
 
 Millions from the land and left it as bare 
 
 As a babe's hand ; took the substance of the earth 
 
 And put it into my purse ; I blighted 
 
 The country as with a curse, without one 
 
 Pang of remorse." 
 
 When the people 
 
 Had no woe, they were thoughtless of the mor- 
 row. 
 
lO . A DREAM. 
 
 This was the time I laid my plans to pluck 
 The joy from the heart of man, thus reaping 
 Their harvest, by a sharp turn, that they'd 
 
 toiled 
 For years to earn. 
 
 'Twas the clinking 
 Of the drill in 
 The flinty rock, 
 And the genius 
 Of a Drake gave 
 The w^orld a shock. 
 
 I loved the doleful sound of the walking-beam, 
 As it echoed over wood and vale and stream. 
 I loved the rustic scenes of long ago, 
 The hills that spouted Oil in steady flow. 
 
 Methinks I hear the sound of jar, and thud 
 Of drill ; note the running of the sand-reel. 
 
A DREAM. II 
 
 I hear the sand-pump in the well below ; 
 (This sand-pumping, Oil unto me doth show.) 
 Hear the rattling of the bull-wheel, letting 
 The tools down the well. See ! the walking- 
 beam 
 Is lowered, and the temper-screw is set, 
 Driller at his post, but work's not movmg 
 Yet. Now the walking-beam is in motion ! 
 Up and down it goes, drilling the soft rock 
 And the hard, till into the Oil-sand it goes. 
 
 I hear the sound of gas from below, 
 Hear the pent-up force in the earth 
 
 Now getting ready for a flow. 
 A gusher's soon to have its birth. 
 
 See the rope and tools outward fly ! 
 
 On, through the spray of gas and Oil, 
 Leaping upward towards the sky, 
 
 I see the startled son of toil, — 
 
12 A DREAM. 
 
 Joining pipe ne'er fail ; 
 
 In the tank Oil flows 
 Spouting like a whale 
 
 Every time it blows. 
 
 See the golden cream 
 
 To the surface rise, 
 Sparkling like a beam 
 
 Coming from the skies. 
 
 Whatever pow'r used, whatever mode of toil, 
 
 The people still produced a flood of Oil. 
 
 Year by year they wrought hand and heart with 
 
 toil, 
 Their wealth was mine ; 'twas all for me their 
 
 spoil. 
 
 As the moth in the candle's light e'er finds 
 Certain doom, so, unto the " Oil-man " did 
 The Exchange prove his financial tomb. 
 
A DREAM. , 13 
 
 The Refiners gave what I demanded, 
 Reluctant ; they'd little money to spare. 
 They'd say " Advance of freight takes the pro- 
 fits, 
 And scarcely leaves a cent in our pockets." 
 
 I used to keep their nose to the grindstone, 
 Filch fro their purse, and squeeze from them 
 
 groan. 
 This, man might say was " cruel." Perhaps 
 
 'twas. 
 But it pleased me ; 'twas the way I had to draw 
 From them a fee. 
 
 The Producers made consolidated efforts 
 To protect themselves against my power ; 
 Ev'ry attempt they made was damaging 
 To their success and beneficial to mine. 
 This one man power is great ; one need not 
 spend 
 
14 A DREAM. 
 
 His efforts in contending against his 
 
 Own element, but can send his combined 
 
 Sti'ength into the enemy's camp, who 
 
 At the best are divided in opinions. 
 
 I could always discover their weakest points, 
 
 And, like as a successful general 
 
 Conquers his foe, I would break down all 
 
 Opposing opposition, and throttle 
 
 The Producers' movements by the hand 
 
 Of Monopoly. 
 
 On this Sea of Oil I floated in my dream, 
 
 I loved this sea for which I'd worked my 
 
 scheme. 
 I had now no toil, no care to guard. 
 
 As in this blissful mood I lay. 
 
 The green wave undulating as a thing 
 
 Of life, — 
 
 I felt not, nor cared not, for what had been ; 
 
A DREAM. 15 
 
 I felt ne'er a pang for committing sin. 
 On I flew ! My ship. rode like a cork 
 Through gold'n glimmering beams of moon-lit 
 
 seas, 
 While the Oily wave with its gentle swell 
 Would repel any storm that time could foretell. 
 No power (save Heaven) that was afloat 
 Could wreck my craft or harm my boat. Me- 
 
 thought, 
 " I'm blest ; the Great Power above protects 
 
 me, 
 Although, alas. His punishment severe 
 Has fall'n on mine enemies, who ai*e writhing 
 In torture beneath me." 
 
 Lo ! now light as winged mist, so white the 
 
 locks 
 And beard that swung to the breeze as wave's 
 
 crest ; 
 At his right side, jewelled set, a golden 
 
1 6 A DREAM. 
 
 Key he wore, while in his hand a crooked 
 Staff he bore ; two wings, di'mond hinged, from 
 
 his 
 Back protruding ; thus St. Peter from out 
 The gates of Heaven to me forth came. 
 St. Peter gave his hand to me, 
 And straight bore me on through the yielding 
 
 air. 
 Up, up past the Archipel'gos of stars 
 To the verdant rivage of the crystal 
 Ocean. 
 
 The burst of a new being filled my soul, 
 A pure unfoldment of a better life. 
 Angels sang sweet songs as they floated amid 
 Feathery clouds ; all Heaven's consort 
 Commixed and commingled without discord. 
 Obedient to her laws we drifted 
 Through a melodious chorus with spherical 
 Accuracy, subject to one great law ; 
 
A DREAM. 1"] 
 
 All law being subject to us ; with our souls 
 Attuned luito all things, all things attuned 
 To our souls, a dulcet finish was giv'n , 
 To Heaven's symphony. 
 
 Years appeared to pass like soft music 
 
 In this melodious dream ; all timing 
 
 With my ev'ry wish ; from day to day, each 
 
 Gentler hour seemed enkindling within me 
 
 A new life, increasing ever in joy. 
 
 With greed I feasted upon each fleeting 
 
 Moment, ever reluctant to let it pass ; 
 
 Passing, always left my cup overcharged 
 
 With new sweets. Now all sins of earth seemed 
 
 purged, 
 And naught was left but the purest 
 Gems of soul, whose precious liquid drops 
 
 caused 
 But sweetest bliss that crowned my ev'ry 
 
 thought. 
 
t8 a dream. 
 
 The birth of my new being 
 
 Gave unto me such ravishing delight, 
 
 I could but think Heav'n (though but on its 
 
 verge) 
 Held but little more happiness for me, 
 So supreme was my bliss. 
 
 How majestic the hills crowned 
 The winding meads, terrace o'er terrace, reach- 
 ing 
 Up until the blue expanse of Heaven 
 Was as a bower of ravishing sweets. 
 With such seraphic forms the place did teem 
 It entranced all my sense in this fair dream. 
 Angels roamed beneath Heaven's sunlit trees, 
 And with joy sported o'er the fragrant leas. 
 
 No care, no thought of gold, or greed of gain 
 Possessed me, as I gazed o'er this heav'nly plain. 
 All these charming scenes to me were as truth. 
 
A DREAM. 19 
 
 Here feeble age again renewed its youth : 
 For here the Universe, the great Fountain 
 Of all life ! 
 
 As I, entranced, gazed around, St. Peter 
 Unto me thus spoke : 
 
 " Man, wonder not at this, nor yet do dote, 
 For far in the realms of the God of Light, 
 Far reaching, far beyond thy spirit's sight. 
 Yes, so far beyond thy picturing mind 
 As thy flooded earth from the farth'rest star ; 
 So far that the star's light could never shine 
 In myr'ads of years on that world of thine ; 
 So far that but the purest souls could trace 
 The soft ether depths of eternal space. 
 There the sov' reign spirit of Life doth dwell. 
 Self-made and self- formed by some mighty 
 
 spell ! 
 A rad'ant centre 'round which just souls move, 
 Ay, a perfect haven of peace and love. 
 
20 A DREAM. 
 
 There the records of holy lives are scrolled ; 
 There may the righteous enjoy bliss untold." 
 
 From my seat in Heaven, how glorious 
 
 To peer through the infinite space all jewelled 
 
 With sky-flowers, 
 
 And note the harmony, the grandeur 
 
 Of the Omnipotent ! 
 
 " Casting visual nerve 
 Askance," the orbs in sj^ace whose rays of ligiit 
 From billions of years down to a second 
 It takes to reach the earth, drew my scenic 
 To a focus. By looking from the stars 
 In their sev'ral magnitudes, each in turn, 
 All of which I could command from my seat 
 In Heaven, and by so connecting them 
 With spirit eye to convey sight as does 
 Telephone sound to the ear, I could trace 
 All events of earth, from the fall of man 
 
A DREAM. 11. 
 
 Down to the coming of the second flood. 
 In a twinkle I could compass the world's 
 History ; note its foundation source, and mark 
 The development of all 'vents thereon. 
 
 Time, to me was as nothing. A billion 
 Of years was but as a thought. All the earth 
 Was before me as a great book, wherein 
 I could trace the minutest details 
 Of man, bird, or beast. 
 
 As I from star to star noted the face 
 
 Of creation, I saw on my world, seas 
 
 Converted into deserts ; mountains and plains 
 
 Sunk beneath the wave. I saw my native land, 
 
 America, her hills pricking their heads 
 
 High above the waters, when all that now " is 
 
 Visible of Europe, save a few islands 
 
 Dotted here and there, was submerged ;" "while 
 
 America's coast line laid bare from 
 
22 A DREAM. 
 
 Nova Scotia to the far west," and the sun 
 Pregnant with life, conceiving on the uprising 
 Hills, grasses in copious green, fruits and flowers, 
 Europe was beneath the sea, peopled by 
 Finny tribes and perverse monsters of the deep. 
 " Fish swam o'er the face of Europe that the like 
 In man's history ne 'er was seen," feasting 
 On the same grounds where kings and princesses 
 In all their regal sway have since bailqueted. 
 The crocodiles, alligators, and snakes 
 Ugly coiled, first found shores in America 
 To bask in the sun. Here birds first chirped 
 
 their' 
 Sweet notes from bending boughs. Before Eu- 
 rope 
 Saw the light of day America beat 
 And palpitated with life. 
 
 After this age of the world. 
 
 All blessed by God, I saw a change in earth's 
 
A DREAM. 23 
 
 Formation ; Asia, Africa, and Europe 
 Rose above the water's surface and were 
 Coupled with America by a neck of land. 
 Now forming the ocean bed. Then opened 
 Up to me the garden of Eden in all its 
 Unfoldments ; the creation of Adam and Eve ! 
 If was a beauteous sight to see, 
 The birth of love in its primitive 
 Simplicity, wise counsel, strength, and tender 
 Care blended. 
 
 In converse close, beheld I 
 
 Adam and his lovely Eve ; list'ning intent, 
 
 Methought I heard Adam address Eve thus, 
 
 " Sweet companion of my joys, the way of 
 
 peace 
 And happiness is ours ; the path wherein 
 We tread determines the future state of man. 
 We have boundless scope, our will and way is 
 Unmolested and unforbidden, save 
 
24 A DUE AM. 
 
 The fruitage of a choice tree herein planted 
 
 In our garden Eden to leave untouched ; 
 
 This fruitage, though swfeet and knowledge giv- 
 
 If partaken of brings death and the curse of sin 
 Upon us and our seed. With jealous care 
 Thou flesh of mine I'll guide your steps far from 
 This tree ; together let us walk abroad 
 The works of creation to view. We being 
 The most perfect and God-like, His harvests 
 Are all for our comfort, yet judiciously 
 We must vise them." 
 
 I traced this happy twain 
 
 Wandering far mid the rocks, trees, flowers, 
 
 And fruits of creation ravished by God's 
 
 Unfoldments of life and beauty, until 
 
 Adam, being weary from assisting 
 
 Eve through the virgin growth of tangled 
 
 Vegetable life, lay him down to rest ; 
 
A DREAM. 25 
 
 He, the while, giving a warning voice to Eve, 
 Saying, " Keep close within this bower, 
 At farthest go not beyond my voice's sound 
 For fear some evil one may be hereabout 
 Lurking, and with seductive art lure thee 
 On to sin." 
 
 " Fear not, dear Adam," said Eve. " The wis- 
 dom 
 Of your words has deep rooted in my heart, 
 And no lui'king evil can entice me 
 From thy love and my fixed purpose to be 
 True unto thee." Time wafted on ; during 
 The hours of Adam's God-like sleep. Eve 
 
 strayed 
 And fell ; and that canker sin in the heart 
 Of man has been working ever since. 
 
 I traced the steps of primitive man ; 
 Like as our pilgrim fathers fled their 
 
26 A DREAM. 
 
 Native heath under the scourge of religious 
 
 Persecution, so these children of the East 
 
 Fled deep into the wilds of then unknown 
 
 America, and worshipped their God then, 
 
 As we now, according to the dictates 
 
 Of conscience. They built their cabin sides of 
 
 mud, 
 And made dry their roofs by layers of bark ; 
 Their bunks, soft strewn with hemlock twigs, 
 
 made 
 Downy beds for the persecuted pilgrims. 
 They loved this land, new to them, this land of 
 
 bloom 
 And plenty. Rich the chase in deer and bear, 
 Sea and forest birds. Seas swarmed with fish 
 
 and furs ; 
 God's bounty was everywhere. It seemed 
 As if the hand of Providence guided them, 
 For as they were in the distance pursued 
 Across this neck of land by their foe. 
 
A DREAM. 27 
 
 The ocean changed the course of her mighty 
 Deep, shutting off communication by land, 
 Between America, with Europe, Asia, 
 And Africa, protecting these persecuted 
 Souls from farther pursuit. The land that bore 
 Verdure green in trees and vines, found a 
 
 wat'ry 
 Grave. Bowers of shading foliage 
 On whose boughs birds took shelter, hatched 
 
 their young. 
 Lay as grounds for shoals of fish to spawn and 
 
 feast. 
 In nooks where grew fruitage choice, were 
 
 pearly shells 
 About all strewn ; seaweed wove in webs 'bout 
 The trailing vines, while coral insects built 
 About the trees. Shut off by seas, the battles 
 Of the East could not harrass further these 
 Persecuted children. The great waters 
 Had opened their flood-gates, closing from them 
 
28 A DREAM. 
 
 Farther pursuit ; they were free, and need bend 
 To no will save the Great Spirit's. 
 
 From other stars I saw the " waves 
 
 Of the Atlantic Ocean for ages 
 
 Beating against the shores of Africa 
 
 And Spain," that wei'e ever wasting, wasting, 
 
 until 
 " The Straits of Gibraltar opened before them." 
 I saw Niagara Falls open its 
 Flood-gates near where Lewiston now stands, 
 And gradually recede year by year. 
 Eating its way back through thousands of years 
 Until it occupied its present site. 
 
 By looking from a star 
 
 (To reach the earth it took its light nineteen 
 
 Hundred years) , — I could see that speck of 
 
 earth 
 In all its unfoldments, as it swung 
 
A DREAM. 29 
 
 In eternal space nineteen cent'ries 'go ! 
 
 I there marked the fall of Jerusalem. 
 
 Fi"om other stars saw Christ striding the flood, 
 
 While his disciples were standing abashed 
 
 At the suspension of Nature's great laws, 
 
 And the accomplishment of this miracle. 
 
 I noted all wars as in a pictui^e. 
 
 From savage barb'rians to the conflict 
 
 Of the Rebellion. 
 
 I saw the curse and glory in all ages 
 
 Of the world ! Vast and powerful empires, 
 
 Great monarchs and their resplendent courts ; 
 
 I saw clearly into all the secret 
 
 Workings of those huge pow'rs ; how to nourish 
 
 Their strength, and how best their opposing 
 
 Opposition to withstand. 
 
 I noted 
 The artistic Greeks ; their quick insight 
 
30 A DREAM. 
 
 Into all things that to noble actions led ; 
 
 The downfall, by savage hosts of ^tolians, 
 
 Of their oldest sanctuary of plastic art, 
 
 Dodona ; and, too, the fertile Samos, 
 
 Where rose the ancient temple of Juno, 
 
 Whose seed nourished the God-heads of Grecian 
 
 Art, devastated, laid w^aste by usurping 
 
 Pow'rs. I dwelt so long and so earnestly 
 
 On the sacred groves of Apollo, 'mid 
 
 Whose shades the Grecian gods wei^e wrought, 
 
 that I 
 Was entranced, so wondrous was this age 
 Of art. 
 
 Then, changing events drew my attention 
 
 To the panorama of my life that remained 
 
 Indellibly fixed on the spacious 
 
 Heavens, travelling from one sphere to another 
 
 On the wings of light, yet ever present 
 
 Like a shadow in the sun. My acts of 
 
A DREAM. 31 
 
 Inhumanity seemed most prominent 
 And would repeatedly cross my range of vision, 
 However adjusted. To have these skeletons 
 Of fate always before me, plagued me some- 
 what. 
 But suddenly I was attracted by 
 A beautiful system of changing shades, 
 Which so engrossed my attention for a time, 
 I forgot these visions of sin, and marked 
 The beautiful emerald tints, like blades 
 Of grass, with orange blending, radiating 
 Into the most exquisite shades of gold. 
 The far distant suns shed reflections from 
 Their mirrors, on opaque bodies that hung 
 Poised in space, transposing them into gardens 
 Of Eden, that I longed to possess. 
 
 I drew a focus from a ray of light 
 
 That brought my scenic to the vale of Oil Creek. 
 
 It was summer, and the primitive growth 
 
32 A DREAM. 
 
 Of nature lay palpitating with life 
 
 And beauty o'er vale and hill. Where the 
 
 broad 
 River w^ound its silent way, by stars at night, 
 The sun by day, to the mouth or source, 
 The Indians canoeing, tracked their way. 
 
 I saw the Indians at their sports ; some 
 
 Anointing themselves with Seneca Oil, 
 
 Others lounging carelessly in the shade. 
 
 As quietly I sat watching these children 
 
 In their accustomed habits, and listening 
 
 To the dreamy murmur of a fovmtain 
 
 In the vale, breathing its soft notes of slumber, 
 
 I was startled to see the Indians 
 
 In hot pursuit of a fleeing stag. 
 
 My heart with ardor beat as he skirted 
 
 The green hills, far swifter than the eagle's 
 
 flight. 
 On they sped, the hell-hounds were after him ! 
 
A DREAM. 33 
 
 Close on his trail the arrows were flying. 
 
 " Speed ! speed for your life ! You must speed, 
 
 for death 
 By the redskins is close at your side ! " On, 
 On now he flew ; past fleet-running foxes. 
 Past wildcats and hares, past mountains and 
 
 gorges ; 
 Past swift-running streams whose waters he'd 
 
 quaflied ; 
 Now sighting the hills near the broad flowing 
 River ; missing the arrows that came 
 From the quiver, he onward did speed. 
 His sinews were strained to the sight of his eye. 
 The waters that lay at the foot of the mountain, 
 To reach was his hope for his life. 
 Fleet he is speeding with flag in the air, 
 Ev'ry nerve strained to its utrhost tension. 
 Close and closer he's nearing his hoped-for 
 
 goal ! 
 Yet close and closer the hounds are on him. 
 
34 ^ DREAM. 
 
 See ! he is trembling, he staggers, he reels ! 
 
 Almost a life his efforts have cost. 
 
 Now on the verge of safety, can it be 
 
 That it's lost? Look ! the hounds are tearing 
 
 Him dovv^n ! The red blood of life gushes 
 
 Forth from his w^ounds. One more effort he 
 
 makes, 
 Goring the dogs as they rush for his life. 
 Crimson with their blood his antlers are dyed, 
 Coloring the waters as he plunges 
 'Neath the dark-flowing tide. " Hurrah ! Hur- 
 rah ! " 
 I cried, as he swam bravely o'er and 'scaped 
 'Neath the thicket on the far-distant shore. 
 
 As I gazed around 'mid the sloping hills, 
 
 On pine-fringed streams with nodding crests 
 
 dipping 
 Low and gracefully to the resinous aii. 
 Where clustering vines and fragrant laurels 
 
A DREAM. 35 
 
 Were blooming fresh in nature's wilds ; where 
 
 wild rose 
 And gay honeysuckle were twining close, 
 And intermingling their sweets on passing 
 
 breeze ; 
 In religious worship saw I the children 
 Of the forest. After the chief had rehearsed 
 In love and war their conquests of the past, 
 Till the sun westward drove across the sloping 
 Hills to its rest, until night with her sable 
 Wings kissed up the day in soft sleep, unveiling 
 Her stars, and chasing her glor'ous canopy 
 Of light behind the deep'ning shades of gloom, 
 Sat the devout children of the forest 
 Amid their worship. As they passed the calur 
 
 met 
 Of peace among their braves, Seneca Oil, 
 As if by magic, arose to the surface 
 Of the stream. The moon sank behind the hill ; 
 Darkness lay like a pall over the face 
 
36 A DREAM. 
 
 Of earth. As the torch-bearer with steady 
 Hand, unfaltering step, moved forward and 
 
 dipped 
 His light amid the oleaginous fluid, 
 The great fire in a golden, lambent glow 
 Of flame shot above their bending forms, 
 While they chanted forth in unison : — 
 
 "Oh, Great Spirit! 
 Mighty art Thou ! Thy power doth far surpass 
 The wild waste with all its rocks and streams, 
 With all its hills and vales. We love Thee, 
 As we love the shade of the wood at noonday 
 
 heat. 
 We love Thee as the dew the flowers ; 
 As the earth the sun ; as the hunter the chase. 
 Guide us to hunting-grounds whei^e birds and 
 
 beasts 
 Are feasting in the shades ; where streams are 
 
 filled 
 
A DREAM. 37 
 
 With otter, mink, fish and foAvl. Make us 
 
 keen 
 Of sight, quick of ear, ~ 
 
 So detecting all trails that lead to danger. 
 Like as autumnal leaves are swept by whirlwinds 
 Sweep away the pale-faces from our shores. 
 Drive them across the great waters that they 
 May not come in the dark night, with soundless 
 Steps like snowflakes' fall, and murder our sleep. 
 Drive them from us that we may not in fear 
 Rest on our tomahawk and bow. Drive them 
 From us that a cloud may lift from the face 
 Of our race ; that the sighing of our hearts 
 Will be no more ; that the wrath in our eyes 
 May soft'n ; that our voices, like hollow winds. 
 May not be mournful. Drive them from us 
 That our squaws' hearts may not be sad ; that 
 
 they 
 May not raise the wail of grief for our braves 
 Slain in battle. Like a cloud before the wind 
 
30 A DREAM. 
 
 They have driven us tow^ards the setthig 
 Sun, seeking our lives like Kichemanatou, 
 The god of evil ; slain our braves w^hose spirits 
 Novs^ are shaking the shaggy locks of the w^ood, 
 And whispering to us on the passing breeze 
 Of ' Revenge ! ' No more shall we hear their 
 
 whoop 
 In the chase ; no more their bows twang in our 
 Defence ; no more the scalp of the foe 
 Shall hang from their belts. The pale-faces have 
 
 sent 
 Them to their long home. The Evil spirit 
 Is in the pale-faces ! Drive them from us, 
 That we may build our wigwams, raise our 
 
 corn. 
 Hunt and live many moons from now in peace. 
 At last guide us safe through the dark river 
 Of death to the forests of our lost braves." 
 
 As those savage children looked upon 
 
A DREAM. 39 
 
 The towering wall of fire, they worshipped 
 
 It as a deity. Again and again 
 
 Their shouts of praise went forth to the Great 
 
 Spirit. 
 Again and again the echo from the, hills 
 Fell back upon the ear, till morn broke forth, 
 Kissing up the dew from off their brows, 
 And closing this simple but devout worship 
 Of their Deity. 
 
 I marked the development of Petroleum, 
 Tracing it from the heathen fire-worshippers 
 To the blanket gathei-ing Oil merchant 
 Selling it as a sov'reign cure for aches and 
 
 pains ; 
 On through decades of years, till the clumsy 
 Haymaker was set in diamonds 
 From its still further development 
 And commercial value. 
 I saw thousands of people, like a hurricane, 
 
4© A DREAM. 
 
 Sweep the land, rush on to the Oil region, 
 Secure leases, drill wells, until Oil Creek vale 
 Was a very fount of Oil, flowing 
 To waste unceasingly. Short of baiTels, 
 Short of tanks, no pipe-lines then, as since. 
 To checker the land like a spider's netting. 
 And convey the crude Oil safe to market ; 
 But four thousand teams, and hundreds of flat- 
 boats 
 In daily rounds could not transport the crude 
 
 Oil 
 To railroads distant, fast enough to relieve 
 The glutted tanks that sat buried in the wealth 
 Of their overflowing contents. 
 
 As I gazed on this scene. Nature seemed hurt. 
 And in her sobbing pulsations sent forth 
 A stream of Oily tears that came welling 
 Up from her lacerated heart, as if weeping 
 For the wrong-doing of man. 
 
A DREAM. 41 
 
 The confined gas 
 From the way-down bo welly depths of earth, 
 In its spontan'ous rising to earth's surface 
 Flayed the rich green Oil into yellow foam, 
 That floated like flakes of gold on the em'rald 
 Oily surface of the tanks, then like heat went 
 
 escaping 
 From the pipe in rings, floating far and wide 
 In the generous air. 
 
 I saw hundreds of towns in the Oil region 
 
 Rise like magic, and vanish like mist 
 
 Before a summer's day. 
 
 I could trace in different periods 
 
 Of my life, the husbandman tilling 
 
 His beautiful green and golden-ripe 
 
 Harvest lands. I could note the mellow dawn 
 
 Shed its soft lustre o'er Pennsylvania's hills. 
 
 And the autumnal tints in a thousand 
 
 Colors, beautiful, changing. 
 
42 A DREAM. 
 
 Methought I could hear 
 The sih'ery tones of trickling stream 
 As it wound its way through Oil Creek vale, 
 Past yielding wells, on, on past Oil farms rich, 
 To the river Alleghany it took 
 Its course. I could see flowing wells throwing 
 Their golden spray into the derricks high 
 That glisten'd in the sun's beams like rainbow 
 
 hues, 
 Diamond-sprinkled, or like Heav'n's jewels 
 Goodly set in varied shades sparkling in the 
 
 sky. 
 
 I took note of the pompous, wise Professor, 
 
 Who in the sorcery of his wits. 
 
 Where the hills meet the vales, went groping 
 
 'long 
 The ground with a forked witch-hazel twig, 
 Locating an Oil well for some innocent, 
 Unsuspecting, gullible fellow. 
 
A DREAM. 
 
 43 
 
 Too, the Oil-smeller, with his nose to the earth 
 Went snuffing the secrets from the womb of 
 Nature — 
 
 The spiritualistic mediums 
 Gathered information from departed souls 
 And located Oil-wells according 
 To their direction, which, notwithstanding, 
 From a higher pow'r were not always produc- 
 tive. 
 From the punctured soil gushed a min'ral Oil 
 That lit the spots of earth yet unhallowed 
 By the sun. Along our streets, and at our 
 Hearth-stones Nature's gas shed a welcome ray. 
 
 Her golden glow of wealth in my full purse 
 Like di'monds shone. Far out upon the sea 
 The Oily fluid glowed, a ruby beacon 
 To the mariner. Like a divine thought 
 It has shed its g-lamour o'er all the world. 
 
44 ^ DREAM. 
 
 I noted all the changes, diflerent, 
 In the " Oil Fever," from the first coming 
 In of the Drake-well to my crawning effort 
 In Oil producing. ' I watched with pleasure 
 My dazzling triumph, "The S. I. Co.," 
 Bud and blossom into the " S. O. Co.," 
 Which rolled on in its greedy flood until 
 It swept the world, developing a maw 
 Insatiable. 
 
 I saw the world in its development 
 From beginning through ages of mis'ry 
 And lustre. I saw the earth when its cascades. 
 Cataracts, nodding woodlands, hills and vales 
 Were by water submerged, again and again. 
 Then I walked with the husbandman while turn- 
 ing 
 The sod, and tasted sweet the breathing odors 
 Of newly opened furrows. I marked 
 America's patriarchs cluster like stars 
 
A DREAM. 45 
 
 To beat bacK English despots, that with hand 
 
 Mighty were trying to hold them under 
 
 The monarchial yoke. I saw Liberty 
 
 Take shape amid the primitive forests 
 
 Of America ; woodmen felling the trees, 
 
 The log cabin spring up ; fields of waving grain 
 
 Shoot forth ; heard the song of the reaper, 
 
 The tingling of the herd-bell, until all 
 
 Nature teemed with life and liberty 
 
 Amid this grand Republic. 
 
 But in the midst of my meditations, 
 St. Peter interposed and bade me follow. 
 Down, down we flew, our wings dipping sweetly 
 The rainbow hue of the star-spangled Heavens ; 
 On we flew, through gleaming fields of aste- 
 roids. 
 Disturbing not the spirit of night, 
 Nor yet the drowsy ferry-man on his 
 Nocturnal rounds, whose great business 
 
46 A BREAM. 
 
 I'd destroyed, but who yet goes mournfully, 
 Silently on his way. Still on we flew. 
 
 After travelling several 
 Billions of miles, we directed our course 
 By a flick'ring ray of light shooting forth 
 From a bright star of the twelfth magnitude, 
 Whose waning glow from starting-point to earth 
 Is four thousand years en route^ trav'ling two 
 
 hundred 
 And thirty thousand miles in a second, 
 A distance of twenty-three thousand billions 
 Of miles. 
 
 Down, down we winged, on past Neptune, 
 On past Uranus floating sol'tary 
 In the gloomy distance of giddy space. 
 On, on past myriads of solar systems, 
 From whose shades of gold and green, blue and 
 red, 
 
A DREAM. 47 
 
 Shone forth in a unison of soft colors of 
 The most ravishing shades of beauty to greet us. 
 Oh ! with what an unimaginable charm, 
 Clothed in gorgeous splendor, hung the glitt- 
 
 'ring 
 Lights in space. We passed ruby moons, glim- 
 
 'ring 
 Stars of emerald hue ; large opal suns, 
 All shining with irridescent glory ! 
 This heavenly jewelry soft'ning into 
 Varied shades, beautiful, illumined my track 
 Through space. 
 
 We swiftly rushed past mighty orbs. 
 
 Whose "marble beams" in lustre, heat, and 
 
 light. 
 Out-vied the sun. Then, slowly on with slack'n'd 
 Speed and resting mien we moved through hazy 
 
 blue 
 Of dreamy ether in an ecstacy 
 
48 A BREAM. 
 
 Of delight. Again on, my soul's propelling 
 
 pow'i" 
 Forced me, winged with flight to outstrip the 
 
 fleetest 
 Ray of light. Down, down we flew, deviating 
 Our course to shun Saturn in the seventh 
 Heavens, under whose malevolent rays 
 The Producers and Independent Refiners were 
 
 born. 
 Filling them full of foulest contagions. 
 Paralysis, gout, abscesses, obstructions 
 Of the heart and liver; breeding discord 
 And contention in their souls. As for a base 
 Purpose, some power from the bowelled deep 
 Hath fixed thee in the Heav'ns, thou detested 
 Plague spot. 
 
 On, on, swiftly on we flew, past 
 
 The polluting air of that most loathsome 
 
 Planet, Saturn, till we neared the smiling, 
 
A DREAM. 49 
 
 Refulgent rays of Jupiter, shining 
 Forth to meet us. We held our course direct 
 Across her bright, broad expanse of surface, 
 Anon dipping low to rest on mountain 
 Peak our flight. 
 
 Methought I then gazed around 
 
 In a bewilderment of pure delight ; 
 
 For all things were beautifully strange to me. 
 
 The fruit, the flowers, the grain, and the soil. 
 
 All animated and vegetable life 
 
 Were of a most ravishing symmetry. 
 
 The ant'lopes nimbly bounded from jewelled 
 Rock to rock, plucking sweet herbage, to me 
 Of unknown growth, which fed their lives and 
 
 love 
 Alike. They so fondly caressed each other, 
 I bethought me, if the children of earth 
 Could have seen that spirit of devoted love 
 
50 A DREAM. 
 
 In the brute creation of Jupiter, 
 
 They would have slunk for shame, it so far 
 
 surpassed 
 All human love that e'er w^as seen on earth. 
 Ev'ry branch, ev'ry quiver in each leaf 
 Was sacred to love ; through ev'ry bower 
 And palace in the land was heard the voice 
 Of love. From the songs of Nature that came 
 In snatches on the fragrant breeze, was love ! 
 There was nothing in Nature that was void, 
 For through all things sweet love seemed mur- 
 muring. 
 I saw great trees with massive roots clinging 
 To ci-evice side and around diamond rock, 
 Whose glaring space was cover'd part with lucid 
 Green and golden shades of moss, while other 
 
 part 
 In gorgeous color was exposed to view. 
 From each pore the trees sent forth such frag- 
 rance, 
 
A BREAM. 51 
 
 It gave to the air a soft, 
 Dreamy delight. 
 
 As we wandered o'er this broad jewelled ex- 
 panse, 
 With transports we gazed in the valley below. 
 On Jupiter's most ravishing beauties. 
 We noted the vessels on the broad green, 
 Glimm'ring sea, going to and from their marts, 
 Swept ever on by the mighty wind, swift 
 As in the blue void winged — no ships of 
 
 earth, 
 Puritan or Mayflower, so fleet as they. 
 
 Low in the vale anon our way we took. 
 Passing stupendous vine-clad palaces ; 
 Over sweet murmuring rills and winding meads ; 
 On, past blooming banks of velvet flowers ; 
 Winding on, throixgh, and past vast sylvan 
 shades, 
 
52 A DREAM. 
 
 To the haunts of wood-nymphs we held our 
 
 way. 
 At our approach the nymphs lipped sweet their 
 
 songs, 
 Filling our souls with all the harmony 
 Of Heaven's melodies. 
 
 How soft the perfumed breezes blew ! 
 
 As to the wood we gently drew : 
 
 Voices murmuring in the bow'rs, 
 
 Nymphs were gath'ring bright-hued flowers, 
 
 Some were reclining on the ground, 
 
 Others dancing to music's sound. 
 
 Ev'ry tuini they new graces showed. 
 
 As from the lute soft music flowed. 
 
 Flushed by the giddy, whirling maze, 
 On ruby cheeks 'twas sweet to gaze ; 
 While down their necks that 'lectric glowed, 
 Begemmed, their silken tresses flowed. 
 
A BREAM. 53 
 
 Scarfs of gems of the brightest hue 
 Swung, as they whirled the ether blue. 
 
 From their ears hung pearls that softly glowed, 
 
 While from their necks fair rubies showed. 
 
 On their fingers the rarest stone 
 
 In countless rays like meteors shone. 
 
 Here love poured forth its sweetest show'r 
 
 To living grace in ev'ry bow'r. 
 
 All Nature nestled as a dove, 
 
 All perfect planned by hand of Love. 
 
 We lingered long until the dusky eve 
 
 Broke in, then decked in flowers appeared their 
 
 Queen, the most exquisite beauty e'er was seen. 
 
 In a sweet dignity of royal birth 
 
 The divine working of her charms shone forth. 
 
 For her people she was pregnant with love ; 
 
 Their faith in her was deep as mighty space 
 'bove. 
 
 In ev'ry movement a noble self-repose, 
 
54 A DREAM. 
 
 A Queen of queens her ev'ry grace but shows ; 
 Such par'mount grandeur on earth ne'er was 
 
 seen ; 
 There ne'er was compeer to this woodland 
 
 queen. 
 
 As along over Jupiter's bosom 
 Of unparalleled soil, the dappled sun 
 Serene arose, kissing sweetly the melting 
 Dew from refreshed Nature, I stood amazed, 
 In transports at Jupiter's unfoldments. 
 Broad fields of rip'ning grain lay before me ; 
 Herds of cattle ; great cities cut and reared 
 From diamond quarries loomed up so bright, 
 The changing hues dazzled my spirit sight. 
 
 As we onward took our course, people trooped 
 After us, decked in garlands of rarest 
 Flowers (some to me very like the tube-rose 
 And orange blossom), went strewing them 'long 
 
A DREAM. 55 
 
 Our path. 'Mong those children of inno- 
 cence 
 God reigned in the heart supreme. Transgres- 
 sion, 
 None there ; no sin, all a un'ty of love 
 And saint-like pur'ty. All things so beautiful 
 To the spirit-eye so perfect all work. 
 One might have mistaken it for the abode 
 Of angels ! 
 
 The animals found so easy 
 Their support, in pleasure and harmony 
 Dwelt as one family. The spotted leopard, 
 Lion and mottled fawn (as I would call them) , 
 Mingled and sported in the same forest. 
 Plumy birds of passage, fearless of man. 
 Winged their swift course unmolested, over 
 Running streams, and through fields of rip'ning 
 
 grain, 
 From zone to zone. 
 
56' A DREAM. 
 
 Birds of song ever warbled their sweet lays 
 
 In the never-changing spring ; singing praise 
 
 To new glories that awaited upon 
 
 The dawning of each moi^n, or sang to sleep 
 
 The dewy eve to its ambrosial shades. 
 
 There the verdant banks of flowers ever 
 
 Bloomed unasked ; new buds putting forth, ere 
 
 old 
 Beauties died away. 
 
 With unalloyed pleasure, 
 I watched the twilight deepen into sable 
 Gloom, over forest and o'er mountain-tips 
 'Till sleep, that " balm of life," rested on Jupi- 
 ter's 
 Fair domains. Amid this quiet profound 
 The teeming soil sent forth a mellow warmth 
 Of budding beauty, so closely linking 
 Animate and inanimate nature 
 That Jupiter seemed the one sacred spot 
 
A DREAM. 57 
 
 Blest by God. The spontaneous growth of life's 
 Nourishment gave food and drink like a nurse ; 
 Flesh and blood were fed and watered from her 
 Prolific harvests without an effort. 
 There were such existing relations between 
 Jupiter and her children, one could pluck 
 A jewel from the sod and in its crystal 
 Depths, see reflected the pur'ty of her life. 
 
 Jupiter seemed to say to her nurslings, 
 
 " I know you all, you are my children, flesh 
 
 And bone of my getting ! You are of me, 
 
 A part and parcel of my great whole. 
 
 I love you all, yet I'm proud of my hills, 
 
 Forests, slopes and vales ; they all obey my 
 
 laws. 
 Pulsate and throb to the beating of my 
 Desires. The mallow-grass that's filled 
 With little insects, the flowers, sipped by 
 Murmuring bees, are of me. My nature 
 
58 A DREAM. 
 
 Thrills with the dawning of new life. I enthuse 
 All with love, as if the rock, tree, turf 
 And animate nature was the common 
 Father, mother of all life embodied ' 
 In one creature." 
 
 The people of Jupiter in religious 
 Liberties, domestic relations. 
 The magical splendor of their art, 
 Internal and external developments 
 Are crowned with such a halo of glory 
 As no other world can hope to achieve. 
 
 We winged on, over 
 
 The blooming sod of Jupiter, whose fragrance 
 
 Led sweet our trail. ('Tis said, Jupiter's soft 
 
 beams 
 Shed lustre o'er the birth of all 
 Great men), and whose refulgent rays gave 
 
 forth 
 
A DREAM. 59 
 
 Unus'al brightness when I first drew breath 
 Of mortal life. 
 
 It was said, there were great 
 
 Freaks in Nature, before unknown to man 
 
 At my birth. New suns appeared in the 
 
 Heav'ns 
 To illume this greatest of all occasions ! 
 
 New stars of the first magnitude shone forth 
 In the blue depths serene of boundless space ; 
 While all of the planets in the radius 
 Of billions of miles, shone unparalleled 
 Forth, on this, the most peerless occasion. 
 But the earth, ne'er before was in such rage. 
 Nature, in her ever mysterious 
 Workings, held strange freaks. Black clouds, 
 
 demon-like 
 Frowned o'er the face of Heaven, while the 
 
 earth, 
 
6o ' A DREAM. 
 
 Like a stagg'ring drunkard, reeled to and fro, 
 Shaking its poles to the very centre. 
 
 Through all the wildness of her nature 
 Earth opened up the channels of her flood 
 And vom'ted forth from her unsated womb 
 Huge slimy monsters of the deep. She shook 
 Her avalanches, whose projecting peaks 
 Hung like a lowering pestilence 
 Over doomed cities ; sending grim teiTor 
 To heart of man. 
 
 It was predicted at my birth, 
 
 Of me, after a certain number of years 
 
 I " should fill the world with dread and woe ! 
 
 Bring all living creatures down to my feet ; 
 
 Cause mis'ry and suff''ring to man before 
 
 Unknown ; making earth quake, shiv'ring man's 
 
 soul with fear. 
 While at my passing out earth would explode, 
 
A DREAM. 6l 
 
 And shoot forth into space, a worthless wreck ! " 
 Thus far all's proved true 'twas prophesied 
 Of me, and why not all the rest ? 
 
 On we flew, past Mars in its blood glimm'ring 
 
 light, 
 Shedding forth its horrors hast'ning our flight 
 To the sun's burning rays ; there we lent 
 Extra speed to our pinions, and swifter 
 Than thought we flew through burning rays. 
 
 Then we , 
 
 Onward winged till we reached our sister 
 
 worlds, Venus 
 And Murcury. 
 
 Still on we winged, till we scaled the giddy 
 Heights aloft and seated ourselves on the horn 
 Of the crescent moon, there to bethink us 
 And take a prospectus of my gloomy world - 
 below. 
 
62 A DREAM. 
 
 With St. Peter when first setting out, 
 I, as if perforce he took me, reluctantly 
 Followed. At the prodigious aerial flight 
 I was somewhat affrighted. Towards the disk 
 Of the silver moon soaring up, o'er white 
 Pillowed clouds, on through the blue sky front- 
 ing 
 The stars, leaving behind earth's shades, we 
 
 winged. 
 In the distance vast lay my torments, for 
 To fall was death ! if lost, become a wanderer 
 In space. 
 
 Still we onward wafted, 
 I the while keeping sight of my sun that 
 Seemed to shine with unusual lustre 
 Until to a star dim and faint, waning. 
 Sunk into the distance, hiding from me 
 Its identity in the midst of the 
 Milky way. It seemed as if a cloud, 
 
A DREAM. 6:^ 
 
 Creamy white, had veiled her surface, yet 'mid 
 
 Its translucent folds shone soft opalescent 
 
 Hues, fixing my ken as if tranced by its 
 
 Beauteous maze. So far from home being, 
 
 I at first mourned the awful calamity. 
 
 And inward perplexed lay with thovights of evil 
 
 Nature framed, being fearful I could not 
 
 Return to my possessions. I was about 
 
 To lose heart, when straight from the mental 
 
 strain 
 I was relieved by being endowed with 
 Angelic range of vision that brought to light 
 My world and its attending spheres as if close 
 At hand. 
 
 Again being myself, with pleasure I viewed 
 The charming scenes that were dotted over 
 This vast field of space. The changing systems 
 Of gold'n gales from pellucid depths of color 
 Reminded me of one grand flower garden. 
 
64 . A DREAM. 
 
 All the hues and shades of plants and flowers 
 Were pictured in this array of Heav'n's jewels. 
 The binary suns, white and purple, 
 Yellow and blue, gold and red, changing 
 Periodically, variable, from 
 A maximum to a minimum of 
 Intensity, ravished my senses 
 With their most wonderful beauty. 
 As I looked o'er 
 Our nebula (I might say mine) of thirty 
 Millions of worlds I bethought me, " What an 
 Improvement I shall make in the condition 
 Of affairs in this unorganized 
 System of worlds when I assume control ! 
 'Twill become apparent how I shall develop 
 Matters farther on. Here is the hand that 
 Will hold the sceptre of power and at 
 Pleasui'e wield it. 'Tis but a mission 
 Providence has assigned me ; for what it's 
 Worth I'll use it. I'll eat into the commerce 
 
A DREAM. 65 
 
 Of creation, as into the vitals 
 
 Of man, consumption. As death fattens on 
 
 life . . 
 
 I'll grow rank on life's substance. The infinite 
 Riches that lie before me I can but 
 Admire, in wonder silent. 
 I'll discover in boundless space, new spheres 
 With Oil laden, with immeasurable 
 Stratas of lead, zinc, copper, hills of 
 Solid iron, rushing streams whose sands are 
 Intermingled with gold and precious stones. 
 Ocean like deserts of exhaustless fertil'ty, 
 These multiform products will all enhance 
 My stores of wealth. I will still on, opening up 
 A multiplicity of worlds in distance 
 So vast the flight of soul scarce can reach, so 
 
 vast 
 Fancy cannot picture, nor figures compute 
 This immensity of space, nor my 
 Accruing wealth. 
 
66 A DREAM. 
 
 " With deep int'rest and vision telescopic 
 
 I view these nebula fields before me ; 
 
 The arbitrary shades disappear and void 
 
 Opens its world of wonders, wherein 
 
 The mighty machinery of the Heav'ns 
 
 Is only excelled by the vast viewless 
 
 Void. All this wonder amid my little world 
 
 Loses prestige and sinks in insignificance. 
 
 I will for the present (continued I, still 
 
 Self communing), establish a centre 
 
 In each nebula making my head-quarters 
 
 In my beloved star Jupiter ; this, of all 
 
 My different organized systems to be 
 
 The centre. But soft ! a difficulty 
 
 Stupenduous will soon arise, from Jupiter's 
 
 Not having a capacity to contain 
 
 The wealth accumulating by my projected 
 
 Scheme ; this will necessitate my building 
 
 A world with dimensions prodigious. I will 
 
 Take spheres, a multiplicity, and resolve 
 
A DREAM. 67 
 
 Them into one great orb, scooped and hollowed 
 
 Like an urn, to increase its capacity ; 
 
 With vaults and cells for holding lucre ; 
 
 All fire-proof, roofed with gold and set with 
 
 precious 
 Stones. Yes ! I will make such a world. I 
 
 will 
 Plant this world in the centre of operations 
 Making it the recipient and observatory 
 Of my entire domain. 
 I will be in communication 
 With each and ev'ry world in all the diff'rent 
 Nebulce so as to note the earnings 
 Of each individual sphere, and mark 
 The reports to, and returns from the centre 
 Of operations of each nebula. 
 There is nothing in this arrangement but 
 What is practical, and I shall put it 
 Into operation at once. My expenses 
 Will be slight, as I shall arrange for spirits 
 
68 A DREAM. 
 
 To do the work, who, like chameleons. 
 
 Shall feed upon air. " Let me see, how shall 
 
 I manage this?" mused I ; '' the spirits now 
 
 In Heaven, I may not control, but all 
 
 Of those in Hell I think I can manage. 
 
 And there is by far the largest percentage 
 
 Below. This is what I will do, I'll bail 
 
 Them out ! It can be done if I have to bribe 
 
 The devil, and have their services 
 
 For his considei-ation. I'll make him 
 
 My foreman, to keep them in fear ; if they 
 
 Become incorrigible he can subdue 
 
 Them. There are some fearfully bad characters 
 
 From the Oil regions that are now languishing 
 
 In Hell, which, to keep in subjection, 
 
 Will need the combined forces, and constant 
 
 Vigilance of the Penal Powers, yet I 
 
 Must needs have them, for most of them have 
 
 had 
 A large experience in the Oil business. 
 
A DREAM. 69 
 
 And can take right hold and do the drilling for, 
 
 And refining of Oil. I am going 
 
 To test the territory for Oil 
 
 On all of my possessions ; if anticipated 
 
 Results follow I'll make the Oil business 
 
 A prominent feature of my new domains. 
 
 Yet there are some difficulties in the way ; 
 
 Those very souls that I needs must have 
 
 My work to execute I would fain leave 
 
 In the Pool. Ah, well ! I'll through the week 
 
 work 
 Them, then deep in Hell drive them forth to 
 
 languish, 
 And abide their time Sundays. Holidays 
 I'll sink them lower in the depths of woe to 
 
 chafe 
 And smite the air into eddying dusky 
 WWrlwinds, that, moaning will mock their cries 
 And lamentations sore, until, grief-tried 
 And horror-stricken, they will plead for mercy ; 
 
70 A DREAM. 
 
 Thus subdued from Hell come forth, penitent 
 And obedient to work my will. 
 
 " When bringing souls from the depths of grief 
 And torments, with vicious designs, somewhat 
 Subdued, I'll have them to understand 
 By my suggestion and desire they were 
 Released. This will make them revere me 
 As a god, and thus I shall command more 
 Work from them. Yet some few despoiled 
 
 wretches 
 From the Oil regions, the Producers and Inde- 
 pendent 
 Refiners, who somewhat tried my patience 
 When they were on earth, by interfering 
 With my schemes, and bowed reluctantly 
 To my will, I'd still make acknowledge 
 My superiority and again feel 
 My pow'r. I'll have them feed upon Hell's 
 diet, 
 
A DREAM. 71 
 
 Brimstone, for all time, thus driving the corrup- 
 tion 
 From their blood in carbuncle-sores. I'll have 
 Adders about them coiled with their ' venom'd 
 
 stuck,' 
 In torture dire lancing their fest'rings, putrid. 
 While the pestilent sores are from their blood 
 Forth-coming and they in grief lamenting, 
 In mocking exposure I'll have them before 
 My very eyes exhibited ; then chuckling 
 I'll feed upon their misery until 
 They pleading beg for relief, which for certain 
 Considerations in obedience 
 I'll grant them. This will be a humiliation 
 Sore to their haughty souls and a triumph 
 
 grand 
 For me. I fear those souls that while on earth 
 Murder committed, will of no service 
 Be to me ; deep in the lower stratas 
 Of Hell they will be so scourged with torture, 
 
72 A DREAM. 
 
 That sore lamenting their time they can but 
 
 spend. 
 'Tis well, I'd shrink from this ' godless crew.' 
 Some few souls there are, when they were on 
 
 earth 
 I had some slight regard for, now languishing 
 In the Pool, abjured their heav'nly bliss 
 By monopolizing certain commodities 
 To the detriment and discomfort 
 Of others ; to them, be it said, I acted 
 With some consideration ; I'll give them 
 My lightest employment, have them clean 
 
 ' Stills.' 
 
 " Feasible are all my plans, and when 
 I get matters systematized as I did 
 The S. O. Company on earth, I will 
 Then connect the different nebulae 
 And planetary systems to my central 
 Focus, with a ray of light both for sight 
 
A DREAM. 73 
 
 And sound, no matter how far distant. 
 
 With this telephone of sight and sound, I can 
 
 Note the every day occurrences. 
 
 Of transpiring events. Had I been 
 
 Possessed w^ith ambition, I might 
 
 Have developed this thought, and had my scheme 
 
 In operation previous to this. 
 
 I have no fear but that I can crush all 
 
 Opposition that may present itself, 
 
 And thus amass the wealth of the entire 
 
 Creation. I will not drown more worlds, but 
 
 In a commercial way, absorb the wealth 
 
 Of each planet, until the people groaning 
 
 Under the weight of poverty and oppression. 
 
 Dying, will let slip their souls. While escaping, 
 
 I will enlist these airy immortals 
 
 Into my service to work as I may 
 
 Dictate, feed them upon air-diet. 
 
 And occasionly give them a little 
 
 Recreation in Hell. 
 
74 A DREAM. 
 
 " I will place a series of worlds 
 In convenient groups to use as plants 
 For vast Oil distilleries, and all the globes 
 Containing Oil, at a close proximity, 
 So, with a slight outlay of material 
 I can pipe the Oil to my refining 
 Int'rest. Having all under one supervision 
 I can manufacture with much less expense. 
 I will place my exporting and shipping 
 Facilities under one organized head. 
 Having millions of worlds in use for wharfage. 
 And export shipping traffic. 
 This will bring my several interests 
 Together, under one management. Having 
 Complete control of the Oil business, I'll chai-ge 
 The people as much per gallon as my fancy 
 Dictates, which will be no trivial sum. 
 I will introduce a new system 
 Of currency (having my own profile 
 On the face of each coin) , to be used 
 
A DREAM. 75 
 
 Universally throughout all creation. 
 
 I'll establish mints, and do all the coining 
 
 Myself; this to be done under an organized 
 
 System of worlds similar to my Oil int'rests. 
 
 For this work I shall need to secure spirits 
 
 Known for honesty and integrity, 
 
 Which will be difficult, they'd be so liable 
 
 To spirit away the precious metals. 
 
 For this work I must needs secure some 
 
 Of the old Puritan stock if I have 
 
 To search Heaven for such help. I will 
 
 Also allow but one language spoken, 
 
 The English, in order to do away 
 
 With interpreters and a complication 
 
 Of difficulties that would arise 
 
 From a mixture of tongue. 
 
 " Worlds that are prolific 
 
 With tin and other valuable metals, 
 
 I will place at a convenient distance 
 
*]6 A DREAM. 
 
 From my refining interests, having 
 
 The tin metal for the manufacture 
 
 Of cans to be used in exporting Oil 
 
 From sphere to sphere ; this will be done by 
 great 
 
 Air vessels flying through space fleet as thought, 
 
 Manned by skilled spirits. I will allow 
 
 No electric lights, or electricity 
 
 Used, save in death, and that I will adopt 
 
 As a mode of execution. I'll permit 
 
 No gas used, or light save Oil, and that all 
 
 Must come through me. If the Oil gives out, 
 
 I might put in the Edison light, but 
 
 I'll give no royalty on the invention. 
 
 The desire for gold hath so goaded me on, 
 
 That I as yet have made but a start 
 
 And my projected scheme doth only approxi- 
 mate 
 
 An approach to my desire. I would 
 
 Make a proviso touching upon my 
 
A DREAM. 77 
 
 Refining plants. If I can the heat of Hell 
 Control (no doubt but I can), my distilling 
 Of Oil will therein be done ; this will o'ercome 
 A series of difficulties that needs 
 Must otherwise be perplexing ; bribing 
 The Devil and taking souls out of their 
 Natural sphere ; while not least but last, 
 The enormous saving of fuel. 
 Which alone would bring to my purse countless 
 Millions. This is a generous thought. 
 And further into the heat of Hell I'll look. 
 Such results can I bring 'bout as controlling 
 The ne'er consuming Penal fires, I'll astonish 
 Creation ! Piping to save in conveyance 
 Of crude Oil from sphere to sphere ; the worlds 
 Teeming with Oil I will wheel convenient 
 To the Pool, tap them, suck the Oil from their 
 Bowels, tow them back to do their natural 
 Work. I must soon manage to give the Devil 
 An audience with me to see what 
 
78 A DREAM. 
 
 Arrangement satisfactory I can 
 Make for his lieat. 
 
 " 'Tis true, while floating near the gates of 
 
 flame 
 The people these worlds occupying 
 Will need salamanders to be, to withstand 
 The overpressure of heat. But what odds 
 To me if they should wither under the blight 
 Of Hell? 'Twill, figuratively speaking, 
 Only be a day sooner for them ; all 
 Things considered, it may be for the best. 
 Save many from a degradation deeper 
 Who would have committed murder, then 
 
 sunk 
 Lower down within the pool ; by this mode 
 The average will be better, thus the plane 
 Of punishment higher and less. Like as 
 To a nest of worms suspend'd from a tree- 
 bough 
 
A DREAM. 79 
 
 Burning, the people while anchored at Hell's 
 
 gate 
 On worlds laden with Oil will squirm. En- 
 joyed 
 I should have, had I in operation 
 This scheme when in life and bloom was my 
 
 little 
 World ! A bath in Hell I'd given it. 
 And contents. To the verge of attraction 
 I should have towed it, then like as a fated 
 Soul in Niagara's suction w^hirls on, on 
 Ever faster until beneath the torrent 
 Mighty is entombed, thus the Penal fires 
 Mid all her torments would have drawn the 
 
 world 
 And contents in its vortex, there consumed it. 
 By the substance of their bodies, the souls 
 Being scorched would like withering leaves, 
 
 cringe 
 Float and flutter in the blighting heat. 
 
8o A DREAM. 
 
 "But stay, 
 I would not the Oil sacrifice ! The souls 
 Would be of no consideration. 
 For diversion and on great occasions 
 Such as my birthday, those worlds whereon 
 The people have become poor and caused me 
 Some annoyance, and I have extracted 
 All the valuables I'll have carted to 
 And consumed ni Hell. 
 
 " I have spirit-pow'rs 
 Suggested for moving worlds, if they'll not serve 
 My purpose I have still another 
 Expedient which is as follows, as to the result. 
 No question. For illustration, my little 
 World, should I desire, along beside Jupiter 
 Placed, a vast cable I should from earth 
 To Jupiter stretch, to each planet fasten 
 The ends ; the rotation of Jupiter, being 
 The heavier body, by the winding 
 
A DREAM. 8 1 
 
 Of the rope draw Earth perforce to any 
 Point desired ; the two existing planets 
 Between. By this system to any place in space 
 I can tow planets. From rays of light I'll 
 Weave the ropes drawn from spheres far distant, 
 
 yet 
 In direct lines of those to be moved. 
 To put a perfect finish to this work 
 I'll have temper'd the rays of light with Petro- 
 leum 
 Heat, insuring strength and durability. 
 
 " I'd have no gas used, erewhile I said ; this 
 
 will 
 Be true in one sense, no manufactured gas 
 I will have used but all natural gas. 
 For economy and profit I'll introduce 
 And use in Oil distillation, providing 
 No terms with the Devil satisfactory 
 Can be made for heat. No doubt some of my 
 
82 A DREAM. 
 
 Old worlds, that for ev'ry other purpose 
 Are useless, hold concealed in their bowels 
 Trillions upon trillions of feet cubit 
 Of natural gas. If this be so, I can 
 It utilize to as equal good advantage 
 As Oil, and at less expense. Out of a group- 
 ing 
 Of worlds choice, those that are the most densely 
 Populated, rich in domestic comforts 
 And conveniences of life, I'll select. 
 As another blessing, pipe my gas to them 
 For fuel. I'll a system organize 
 For convenience and profit, to that 
 Similar I had on earth ; however, instead 
 Of so much per-month charging, by the foot 
 I'll sell. I'll wheel these worlds north or out 
 Of the direct rays of their suns ; push them 
 To the cold latitudes ; increase consumption 
 Of gas by an extra pressure of frigid 
 Temperature, the while my profit increasing. 
 
A DREAM. 83 
 
 " A practical man 
 Might deem it impossible to connect 
 Worlds that are constantly in rotary 
 Movement with pipe, but I think that affairs 
 I have arranged so as with rotation 
 Not to interfere, or with most freaks 
 That nature may see fit to indulge in. 
 The scheme I've projected is to connect them 
 With swing and swivel joints, this will of rotation 
 And parallel movement admit, which is 
 Sufficient. If this system does not work, 
 Arrange, I will, the orbs to suit my 
 Convenience ; thus all complicated 
 Difficulties bridging. 
 
 " Save in executions, I've intimated, 
 I'd have no electricity used, but 
 Reflection careful confirms the necessity 
 In each world of establishing a telegraphic 
 System, both for my profit and the people's 
 
84 , A BREAM. 
 
 Convenience. In civilization the worlds 
 
 That are young and backward, I'll forward 
 
 Bring with the rapidity of thought, at once 
 
 I'll establish the great civilizer 
 
 Of creation, a system of Education ; 
 
 Make the people prosperous, happy. 
 
 And thus early have them contributing 
 
 To me from a rich, productive virgin soil. 
 
 Also, I must introduce to facilitate 
 
 Trade (my profit always considered), a system 
 
 Of well regulated railroads. I'll have 
 
 No commerce commissioners to balk 
 
 My arrangements but have all conducted 
 
 As a government affair under one 
 
 Organized head ; as all public necessities, 
 
 Such as railroads, telegraphs and telephones 
 
 Should be. 
 
 *' I'll arrange all traffic conveyances 
 So they will be as easy of access 
 
A DREAM. 85 
 
 To one as another and with the same 
 
 Efforts, like results will follow. This 
 
 Equality will encourage an active . 
 
 Spirit in trade, thus good effects will ensue. 
 
 I'll have no monopolies but what I 
 
 Establish. Centralizing money to 
 
 Throttle commerce is dangerous to my 
 
 Interest and the general welfare 
 
 Of the common herd. As much as practical, 
 
 I must do away with money power, 
 
 (Save in myself) ; it breeds extremes, poverty 
 
 And affluence ; extremes breed trouble. 
 
 I must try if possible, to keep the people 
 
 On the same level, so mingling will assist 
 
 Each other. Of course, eventually 
 
 My steady drain will absorb their wealth, 
 
 But they will go down on the same plane, 
 
 Embraced by unsympathizing poverty 
 
 And sympathizing friends, attributing 
 
 The unavoidable results to fate. 
 
86 A DREAM. 
 
 " As I am confident the proposed system 
 
 Will not work to an advantage on all 
 
 Of my spheres, I shall need to study, somewhat, 
 
 Into the dispositions of the numerous 
 
 Kinds of human life that my difF'rent worlds 
 
 Are peopled with, to determine the best mode 
 
 Of government to subject them to. 
 
 Varying soil and climate will produce 
 
 A multiplicity of temperaments. 
 
 Hence diff'rent systems in government will 
 
 Need be enforced. It is possible and quite 
 
 Probable, on some of my planets I shall 
 
 Be compelled to organize a militant 
 
 Form of government and force compulsory 
 
 Co-operation, bring combatants 
 
 And non-combatants together at the 
 
 Bayonet's point. Through militant power 
 
 I can force people into a bulwark 
 
 Of defence against themselves, thus forming 
 
 A structure that will stoutly resist change. 
 
A DREAM. 87 
 
 As I develop this thought, it rather 
 Pleases me. I'll centralize government 
 Administrations through coercive movement 
 So that it will run like clockwork at my 
 Pleasure. I'll have an organization 
 Of spies to examine into and report 
 Upon the working of high officials 
 And the people's doings, all being subject 
 To my investigation and disposal. 
 
 " Under my militant form of governinent 
 
 I'll force the people to yield to me their 
 
 Earnings, beyond that required to sustain 
 
 A miserable existence. All must be 
 
 Completely at my disposal, labor, 
 
 Property and person. I'll subject the people 
 
 To such a severe discipline so that I 
 
 Can transplant them to this or that locality 
 
 As I may direct without their having 
 
 A voice in the matter. All persons, 
 
88 A DREAM. 
 
 Under pain of death will be required 
 To render a true account of moneys 
 Earned, and how disposed of to me. No citizen 
 Can belong to himself or family, 
 But, like chattels, to the government ; 
 (Which is myself.) I'll allow no man 
 A privilege but that I grant ; all will 
 Be held responsible to my headship ; 
 Individuals, military, 
 Political and judicial. I'll engender 
 Into the militant pow'r such brutality 
 That to commit murder will be but pleasure. 
 I'll make crime habitual to them, so 
 Liberty and life will be easily 
 Disposed of. I'll force the people into 
 A blind obedience ; I'll allow them 
 To have no will of their own ; their will must 
 Be mine ; they must have a passive expectance, 
 And accept what comes to them through my en- 
 tailed 
 
A DREAM. 89 
 
 System, without a murmur. My power shall 
 
 be 
 Absolute ; I'll absorb property, liberty 
 And life at pleasure. 
 
 " This militant system will only be 
 Enforced where it is absolutely necessary ; 
 On some of my worlds I'll be more lenient. 
 I'll arrange to give the people leases, with the 
 Consideration that half their product, all metal, 
 
 mineral 
 Wealth, and precious stones shall recur to me. 
 The worlds that have grown old in sei'vice 
 And lost their vitality, I will use 
 As places to banish souls, those that are slightly 
 Disobedient ; leave them in durance vile. 
 And dumb silence for a time to suck their gums 
 On the airless orbs for sustenance. This will 
 Bring them under subjection. The old worlds 
 That I cannot use, I will explode to clear 
 
90 A DREAM. 
 
 Space of stagnant matter ; the defunct orbs 
 Useless rolling, concealed within their bowels 
 Precious stones may be hid. All this debris 
 
 dead 
 Is not lost, its latent forces are but 
 Hid. Out of this substance of seeming worth- 
 less 
 Solids, I will effect new orbs, gather 
 What mineral wealth they contain, then have 
 Spirits wheel the debris down to the 
 Penal fires, to consume it. Out of the smoke 
 And mist arising from Hell's vapors, create 
 New worlds, the uniting elements 
 Producing chemical action will again 
 Bring forth gold and precious stones, then 
 
 smould'ring 
 Down to an inorganic life will shoot forth 
 Rank growths of vegetation, that covering 
 The soil in windfalls and drifts, which decom- 
 posing 
 
A DREAM. 91 
 
 Will produce Petroleum Oil. The internal 
 
 Eruptions from pent-up gases will shoot forth 
 
 In earthquakes, volcanoes, enclosing 
 
 In their boweled depths this accumulation 
 
 Of Oil ; holding it as in a reservoir 
 
 For future development. 
 
 " I v^ill set this planetary system 
 
 Under such an organized law of operation 
 
 As ne'er was known before ; for my convenience 
 
 Destroying woidds and building worlds that will 
 
 Eclipse anything ever befoi-e wheeled 
 
 In void. If I'd had the management 
 
 Erewhile, of these heav'nly orbs, the affairs 
 
 Of space would have been more systematically 
 
 Arranged ; as it is I will make a complete 
 
 Revolution in the solar system. 
 
 I should not have had any dead stock in worlds 
 
 On my hands, I should have had them all 
 
 Advantageously utilized, previous 
 
92 A DREAM. 
 
 To their dotage. The one I'm sitting on, as 'tis, 
 It's not wortli the powder 'twill take to explode 
 It, though, possibly there may be a few 
 Gems concealed in its inner crevices. 
 
 " ' Can I manage this stupendous scheme? ' 
 (I asked myself, thoughtfully). 'Ah, yes! 
 
 yes!' 
 Confidently replied my heai^t. Just look, 
 I mused, at what I used to do on my 
 Little world ; it was a small matter 
 Beside this, 'tis true, but it gave me practice, 
 And confidence in iny ability. 
 To review somewhat. I held the Railroads 
 In the palm of my hand ; they dare not issue 
 A rate I was opposed to, and made all 
 Rates that I demanded of them. I controlled 
 The Oil market and the turpentine trade ; 
 Was prominent and successful in the 
 Western land grab ; whatever I invested 
 
A DREAM. 93 
 
 In, proved successful. If there was any 
 Loss to be sustained, I made other shoulders 
 Bear it than mine. The Petroleum Oil 
 Market was the base and backbone of my 
 Operations ; I absorbed all who dealt 
 Therein. It amused me somewhat to see 
 The ' Buckwheats ' sell Oil-farms, or make a 
 
 strike 
 In Oil, securing a snug fortune 
 By accident, as it were, and attributing 
 It to some imaginary smartness 
 Of theirs, then go on the Oil market 
 With their wealth and a self-puffed-up opinion, 
 A di'mond gracing their shirt front, in lustre 
 Not moi'e luminous than the ruby tints 
 Of their nose ; speculate, win a few dollars ; 
 Ever suspecting 'twas through some smart- 
 ness 
 Of theirs ! though one might ask, no one could 
 tell, 
 
94 ^ DREAM. 
 
 Wherein they were smart ; they could not tell 
 
 themselves ! 
 But the while wearing an air of importance, 
 Thinking the Oil market could not run without 
 Their assistance, that they needs must have their 
 Say in its manipulation, to keep 
 It alive. 
 
 "/was the power behind the throne ! I'd 
 Allure them on, like water, wanton boys, 
 Venturing farther and farther in the stream. 
 Until swept away by the flood. I would 
 Load them up with large quantities of Oil, 
 Having the while some of my supernumeraries 
 Whisper around that ' the market was on 
 The advance ! ' to make them eager for the bait. 
 When they were well loaded with high-priced 
 
 Oil 
 Let the market drop back a few cents, 
 Keeping them paying storage as long as 
 
A DREAM. 95 
 
 I deemed it practical, then force the market 
 
 Down to a beggar's price, increasing 
 
 The charges on storage, until they were 
 
 Compelled to sell their Oil way below 
 
 The buying price ; thus stoi'age and shrinkage 
 
 In price would swamp them, financially. 
 
 This was but one of my schemes ; I had various 
 
 Ways of tripping them, always successful 
 
 And where they least expected it. I found 
 
 It the most potent to cast my line 
 
 For the heavy dealers first, and bring them 
 
 Floundering ashore securely hooked. 
 
 Of course, during my angling for the large fish, 
 
 Some few small speculators won by taking 
 
 The reverse of the market from those I hooked ; 
 
 But what odds.? the money they made was as if 
 
 Loaned. When I wanted it I set my nets 
 
 And entrapped them. 'Twas enjoyment to me 
 
 But it made them squirm, and if ever they 
 
 Struggled to the surface, again, like as flies 
 
96 A DREAM. 
 
 For sweets gather around a molasses cask, 
 For lucre, they would at it, and again 
 Be fleeced. 
 
 "As brains are 
 A simple compound of albumen, fat. 
 Water, and phosphate salts, there can be no 
 Reasonable excuse for a mistake, 
 But I've sometimes believed that through the 
 
 Oil regions 
 The Lord must have substituted alcohol 
 For water, such a reckless exhibition 
 Of thought was displayed by this so-called 
 ' Wise faction of speculators.' It was 
 So easy for me to fleece them, it became 
 Monotonous and I had to devise 
 New schemes for my diversion in land 
 Speculations. 
 
 *' The Independent Refiners were the most 
 
A BREAM. 97 
 
 Perplexing crew that e'er I encountered 
 
 During all my experience in business ; 
 
 Not so much for their executive ability 
 
 As from the various vv^ays they had to annoy 
 
 Me. I tried to buy them up to keep them 
 
 Out of the trade, but I was only lending 
 
 Fuel to the flame, for I gave them 
 
 Exorbitant prices for their works and they 
 
 Would use, as I might say, my money 
 
 To fight ine with ; build new refineries 
 
 With an increase of capacity to flood 
 
 The refined market with low-priced Oil. 
 
 Then I tried to agree upon a uniform 
 
 Price with them to sell Oil at, but this was 
 
 An utter impossibility, they were 
 
 Always slopping over in some way, couldn't 
 
 keep 
 To the agreement, so I left them disgusted. 
 These were the only points wherein I was 
 Weak ; however, I soon took another tack 
 
98 A DREAM. 
 
 Which proved more successful ; bought up Rail- 
 roads ! 
 Used ev'ry means to throw obstructions in their 
 Way, I put what I called the freezing pi-ocess 
 To them. I, on illuminating Oil 
 Increased the freight on all their shipments, 
 Having the Railroads give me a rebate 
 On same. I dropped prices where they sold on 
 Illuminating Oil below the cost 
 To manufacture. I had the Railroads 
 Hold back their shipments until their customers 
 (Where they sold at a profit) countermanded 
 Their orders. I had men paid to invent 
 Schemes to harass their movements ; I placed 
 All annoyances conceivable 
 In their way to thwart their success, until 
 They were at my mercy. It is most 
 Wonderful what an energetic man 
 Can do if he sets his whole heart and mind 
 To the issue ! 
 
A DREAM. 99 
 
 " One might wonder why I flooded the world, 
 As I left hut a straggling lot of Oil men, 
 Like as a bird with wing broken, half famished, 
 Seeking here and there for a paltry living. 
 I confess 'twas a shame to take advantage 
 Of such weak creatures, but finding ev'ry one 
 Plotting for my ruin, I became somewhat 
 Desperate and deemed it best to exterminate 
 The whole race of man, though I must confess 
 I felt a few pangs of remorse when I 
 Saw the work of destruction go on. 
 
 " 'Tis true I held regal sway, 
 Sat like a god above the underlings 
 On that mighty throne. Monopoly. 
 Commerce was my cradle 
 Of delight. I had affairs working under 
 Such a system, all I needed to do, was 
 To say to the Old World, ' contribute ! ' and it 
 Contributed. My voice was heard in ev'ry 
 
lOO A DREAM. 
 
 Quarter of the globe, saying, ' contribute ! ' 
 Twenty millions a year was my income, 
 Sucked from the blood of toil ; my ghost of 
 
 oppression 
 Crept into the hovels of the poor 
 Sapping their sustenance and lives, producing 
 Misery broadcast as famine. I made 
 Men so poor that poverty was ashamed 
 Of them ! so poor it was a disgrace to live, 
 Yet they clung to life with the tenacity 
 Of a millionaire, struggling to save what 
 They had been all their days trying to get 
 Rid of, an impoverished life. I burnt the 
 
 mark 
 Of oppression on the forehead of Liberty ; 
 I trampled it under the foot of MonojDoly. 
 I held a sway that made me practically 
 King. But, as affairs have terminated, 
 I regret not the world's destruction, 
 Everything works as I desire." 
 
A DREAM. lOI 
 
 We encountered en route through space a shoot- 
 ing 
 Star ; it moved with such terrific velocity 
 That w^e, being near, the suction drevv^ us in 
 Its w^ake, holding us as a vise for millions 
 Of miles. We marked terrible events 
 From this w^heel of fire. It onw^ard drove like 
 Lightning, passing world after world in the 
 Constellation of the Hunting Dogs, 
 Which were so much attracted to us, we drew 
 Everything from their surface, rivers, lakes. 
 Oceans, cities, living creatures, all were 
 Engulfed and consumed in our tail of fire ! 
 I could hear the last wail of helpless creatures 
 As they were being swept up by the mighty 
 Rushing torrent of attraction. 
 
 Here water gas was produced with a wondrous 
 
 Effect; water amid the intense heat 
 
 Consumed like Oil, burning in a blue transparent 
 
I02 A DREAM. 
 
 Light, showing a perfect combustion, 
 
 Surpassing all attempts ever made 
 
 On earth. To my dismay I discovered 
 
 That the star w^as being forcibly 
 
 Attracted by a sun ; ever increasing 
 
 Its speed it drove directly to her centre. 
 
 Trembling, with a crash struck the slag that 
 
 shot 
 In space a flood of spangles, then through 
 
 ether 
 Came dropping back, begemming the heavens 
 With hailstones of gold ! Still on it flew 
 Through the umbra, parting the molten wave 
 On either side, forcing its way directly 
 Through her metallic bowels. The great force 
 Of opposition somewhat slackened 
 Our speed, and the star, groaning, rock'd to and 
 
 fro 
 In the molten inwards of the sun, 
 As if struggling for an existence ; 
 
A DREAM. 103 
 
 The while sweeping 011 till, with a sound 
 
 mighty, 
 It rushed from the sun's embrace, burned to a 
 
 half 
 Consumed orb. Away back through the open- 
 ing 
 The incoming lava-wave came surging 
 On our flank reaching out its tongue of flame 
 As if to entrap us, but we following 
 So close in the star's wake through the orifice, 
 Like as the Israelites crossing the Red Sea, 
 Before the incoming waves could close 
 The opening we escaped. So intense was 
 The heat floating o'er this bed of molten 
 Liquid, like as a cremating furnace 
 Was the air ; had I longer to stay entomb'd 
 My soul must have perished therein. This en- 
 counter 
 Somewhat dazed me and for a time I lost 
 My bearings. The star never stopped, onward 
 
I04 A DUE AM. 
 
 Flew, until it became so hot for us 
 By consumption of accumulating 
 Matter, though on the extreme verge of attrac- 
 tion, 
 That it was imperative to rid 
 Ourselves of this law, and we laid our plans 
 For a coming crisis. 
 
 Directly in our front 
 Was an orb, young in years, and gi^een with 
 
 fields, 
 Summer was warbling forth a melodious 
 Existence ; flowej-s and golden fruits maturing 
 In fragrant bowers ; the awful majesty 
 Of life was peeping from plant and palace. 
 I held my breath waiting for an expected 
 Crash, for two mighty orbs to come together, 
 But my sight misled me somewhat ; missing 
 The expected collision, we came so close 
 That flound'ring for a time like as to a balloon 
 
A DREAM. 105 
 
 O'er trees and housetops, we sustained our- 
 selves 
 On a huge immovable rock. 
 
 On the star flevvr ! 
 Sucking every thing from the surface 
 Of this globe, consuming as it w^ent, until 
 Exploding, vanished. This gi"eat frame w^e 
 
 clung to, 
 Trembling, shot after for a distance. 
 But soon losing the force of attraction 
 Dropped behind in unknown ether. We, 'scap- 
 ing 
 From her surface, left her heaving and swaying 
 To do or die, like an abandoned ship 
 At sea. I bethought me what a feast 
 The flames would have had should the star have 
 
 flown 
 Past my little woi^ld, sucking in the Oil, 
 And the corses in its depths ! 
 
Io6 A DREAM. 
 
 " I must manage soon to get my refining 
 
 Interest under way so as to 
 
 Utilize this Oil, save an enomnous 
 
 Shrinkage that is constantly going on 
 
 From evaporation. The nice green Oil 
 
 That now floats light in gravity will soon 
 
 Reduce to forty or less, making an 
 
 Inferior grade of illuminating 
 
 Oil, thus necessitating the expense 
 
 And trouble of mixing it with new Oil 
 
 That will be developed from as yet unknown 
 
 Territory. To start with, I must needs 
 
 Build new refineries, but as soon as I 
 
 Can get the surface free from Oil on my world, 
 
 I will utilize the vast amount 
 
 Of still capacity and machinery 
 
 Used in Oil manufacturing, left by 
 
 The Independents and Myself. This will 
 
 Be a very great saving to me. 
 
A DREAM. 107 
 
 ' ' Of course these suggestions are merely 
 
 Speculative, as yet I cannot tell 
 
 Just what will be the best mode of operation, 
 
 But this will show itself in the course of time. 
 
 I speak of this world's more especially 
 
 Being mine as I already have possession 
 
 Of it ; but in reality the vast 
 
 Universe is as much mine. I will as soon 
 
 As I get thoroughly established, 
 
 Issue a proclamation, setting forth ray position 
 
 As Ruler o'er creation, a King o'er kings, 
 
 So that my regal sway will be clearly 
 
 Defined. I'll lay down a form of government 
 
 For each sphere ; placing kings or dictators 
 
 As I shall deem best suited for the people. 
 
 All being subservient to my will. 
 
 I do not so much mind the machinery 
 
 I jDlace to govern my worlds, but what 'twill 
 
 Accomplish. I value that most, popular 
 
 Or unpopular, which produces 
 
I08 A DREAM. 
 
 The best results. I shall have spirits armed 
 And equipped on every planet 
 Sufficient to quell any outbreak or 
 Disturbance that may arise 'mong the people, 
 And if must needs be, sw^eep them from the 
 
 face 
 Of existence. I think I've the w^orkings 
 Of the solar system thoroughly mapped out. 
 And know just what course tc pursue to secure 
 The greatest revenue. 
 I'll have the diurnal rotary of each 
 Planet working under such a system, 
 So that day on each and every orb 
 Will come about at one and the same time. 
 I'll shorten the da3's to six hours by increase 
 Of velocity of each orb, then as evening 
 Rolls in I'll slacken the rotary speed, 
 Making the nights longer, but having 
 In the aggregate the same time consumed 
 As before. This will be done to increase 
 
A DREAM. 109 
 
 The demand and sale of Oil ; the workingman's 
 
 day 
 Will run into night, necessitating 
 All shops and factories to be lighted 
 By Petroleum. The Oil consumed by 
 Each person will be charged, and on the day 
 Of settlement deducted from their wages. 
 The people will attribute this change 
 In the planetary system to the freaks 
 Of nature, thus relieve me of any 
 Suspicion they might otherwise have. 
 Enhancing the while my profits to an 
 Alarming extent. I may, in remote 
 Sections, extinguish some of my suns, and heat 
 And light the worlds they shone upon by Oil 
 And gas. Of course, as yet I cannot tell 
 About this ; it will depend somewhat on 
 Future Oil developments. If my 
 Territory is pi'olific and bids fair 
 To be long-lived, I can advance this scheme ; 
 
no A BREAM. 
 
 If not, I will need to economize 
 
 Somewhat by allowing my suns to do 
 
 Their natural woi'k." The workings of Heaven's 
 
 Machinery was quite entertaining 
 
 And somewhat instructive to me. 
 
 I saw Saturn 
 And her great frame whirl'd in space by spirit 
 
 pow'r, 
 Accomplishing its diurnal rot'ry 
 In ten hours. I had scanned the azure void 
 Of Heav'n, dreaming in her translucent mist, 
 Spent a delightful time on my belov'd 
 Star Jupiter ; urged St. Peter to stay 
 'Till I could bore for Oil ; but he'd demurred 
 Saying that we had been thi"ee nights away. 
 And my corse being exposed to the heat 
 "Smelt rank" to Jupiter; and that I "must 
 
 hie 
 Thither, take up my old abode again, 
 
A DREAM. Ill 
 
 Set the heart in motion, and, by so doing. 
 
 Stop decomposition." I had witnessed 
 
 In panoramic form, from different spheres, 
 
 The development of my little world 
 
 From molten chaos to the present time. 
 
 I wished to know somewhat of the constellation 
 
 Of the Great Bear, and we directed our 
 
 Way by the dazzling splendor of the Pole Star. 
 
 This lord of the night never varying from 
 
 Its course, but, sentinel like, ever at his 
 
 Post, led straight our way. I saw en route, new 
 
 worlds 
 Loom up, stars shoot from their spheres, heav'ns 
 
 succeed 
 To heavens ; vast celestial objects come 
 And go ; calorific powers transform 
 Vapors into worlds, still the Eye of the North, 
 In a fixed course, God-like, is ever true. 
 
 As I looked o'er these vast nebulse fields, 
 
112 A DREAM. 
 
 A storm of thought through my mind swept. 
 
 " How 
 Like Jove, wlio defied and held tlie liglitnings 
 At bay, I, in tlie palm of my hand creation 
 Hold ! This is no phantom thought, no hallu- 
 cination 
 Wrought from fever-heated brains. No ! no ! 
 
 Those 
 Fields of nebulae through the mighty void 
 Dotted golden with blinking stars, peeping 
 Out from cloud and sky at me suspiciously. 
 Are mine ! They know," thought I, " from my 
 
 transcendent 
 Skill, the controlling power belongs to me. 
 
 'Tis 
 So decreed. I'm to be Ruler ! No power 
 Can wrest the sceptre from me. My advantage 
 
 in life 
 Is above the opposing power of wisdom. 
 Providence hath so hedged me round, no force 
 
A DREAM. 113 
 
 Can change or effect a disturbance 'gainst 
 My will ; all must succumb to my bidding." 
 
 As we lingered on the crescent, 
 I bethought me, what a dreary prospect 
 Is this moon. 'Neath our feet the cold dumb 
 
 sod ; 
 Nothing above but a vast, viewless void ; 
 Nothing around but that time had destroyed. 
 Nothing was seen but had a dead dull glare 
 While a bleak dread silence was ev'rywhere. 
 There were no fanning zephyrs to cool 
 The fevered brow, no clouds floating silver- 
 tipped 
 Through fathomless space ; no lily-crest waves 
 'Mid the waterless seas, shaking their cor'nets 
 Of foam 'gainst jutting rocks. There was no 
 
 sky ; 
 No azure vault to rest the eye ; the ear 
 Detected no sound ; no murmur of voices 
 
114 -^ DREAM. 
 
 To cheer and comfort the weary soul. 
 No song from sweet linnet or babbling brook 
 E'er woke an echo ; unchang'ble silence 
 Held sovereignty. No life, and no death 
 On this airless orb. 
 
 Cities that had once been peopled, 
 Stood all tenantless in this drear profound, 
 Paved streets whereon great kings had trod, lay 
 
 brown 
 And echoless. Huge monuments of the dead 
 That for years never an eye had rested on. 
 Stood, spire-like, pointing to Heav'n for what 
 
 had been. 
 Pond'rous books of unknown tongue lay before 
 
 me. 
 In them were hid the secrets of the past. 
 But we raised not a book, disturbed not a leaf, 
 Left untouched the secrets of this sacred 
 History. 
 
A DREAM. 115 
 
 I spoke to St. Peter, but my voice 
 Fell lifeless on my ear. I then touched him 
 And pointed to the moon's refulgent beams, 
 Throwing a silv'ry glow of soft liquid light 
 To the limpid air of my world below, 
 As a sign that I would like to depart. 
 He signified assent, and with renewed speed 
 We both swift winged from this hearse of death. 
 
 As we neared 
 Our journey's end, I could see my vessel 
 Riding like a cork over deluged hills 
 On the soft rocking of the oily wave. 
 
 As we nearer drew. 
 My ghastly second self in the gleaming 
 Moonbeams seemed so like a fright, I was loth 
 To take it on again, and begged St. Peter 
 (Although my pinions were weak from service) 
 That I might return with him. 
 
Il6 A DREAM. 
 
 But he, denying, left me, half in fear. 
 
 Half in disgust, quiv'ring o'er my loathsome 
 
 corse. 
 I felt like winging in space without a guide. 
 Till I touched the safety valve of the heart 
 And the vig'rous pumping sent the warm blood 
 Coursing through my veins, setting life's ma- 
 chin' ry 
 In motion. 
 
 I (still dreaming) thought to see the Saint 
 Afar, outstretched my hand for him to take 
 Me again through the alabaster gates. 
 But it was then that the gates gently drew 
 And left but Heav'n's impress my mind to view. 
 While thus in Morpheus' languid arms I lay, 
 Smooth as a tiller's plowshare cleaves the soil 
 My staunch vessel's proud keel cut clear her way 
 On through this limpid, liquid Sea of Oil. 
 As the gold'n sea rose and sank in cadencfe 
 
A DREAM. 117 
 
 Gentle, all Heav'n's grandeur was refulgent 
 To my tranced sense. My soul drew me to 
 
 realms 
 Of love while my mortal form withheld me 
 From above. 
 
 Thus for hours wafted my wings of thought on 
 
 high, 
 Until below the pangs of hunger drew 
 My sense. Now as Nature produced no seed 
 Of life, my soul and body were in strife ; 
 My several parts did demand meat 
 And fruit of the soil, while the earth I'd flooded 
 For greed of gain, and with it all matter 
 That did life maintain. 
 
 While thus rent and pierced with pangs of hun- 
 ger, 
 I saw, by Heaven's tapers, food which did 
 Resolve itself into airy-like vapors 
 
Il8 A DREAM. 
 
 Transmitting odors and sustenance sweet. 
 As my boat amid this life-saving air 
 Moved along, through ev'ry fibre of my being 
 It sent new^ life, new strength and new joy 
 As it went. 
 
 Then, methought, I most earnestly did pray, — 
 " Oh Father Omnipotent ! who makest 
 Life supreme, strengthen, prolong, make real 
 My soul-fledged dream. Let thy glories that 
 
 o'er me 
 Have burst, environ me as sin does souls 
 Deep cursed." 
 
 As thus I prayed, a voice methought I heard. 
 Looking up, lo ! forthcoming from his bright 
 Estate, an Emissary of Heaven 
 Stretching his broad pinions rainbow-like o'er 
 The canopy of earth ! Chafing the air 
 Li whispering whirlwinds he straight approached 
 Apace. 
 
A DREAM. 119 
 
 I wore a feigned boldness, and questioned close 
 
 His right on this mundane sphere. Said I, 
 
 " You surely can have no business here, for I'm 
 
 The only mortal alive on earth and need 
 
 You not, nor w^ant no parley vv^ith you. 
 
 You have no lucre v^hereby I could profit ; 
 
 It must be through some misdirected 
 
 Route you've led awrong your steps." As he 
 
 nothing 
 Said, I feigned more boldness and questioned his 
 
 right 
 Asking " why he made so free as to alight 
 On my vessel.?" told him that it " was unsafe 
 To trifle so with my sacred privileges ; 
 That my authority as King of the world 
 And dignity as such must be respected ; 
 It must not be encroached upon wantonly ; 
 That I should be greeted as my position 
 Demanded, courteously, and with due respect." 
 At this he to me closer approached, wearing 
 
I20 A DREAM. 
 
 A smile of confidence that seemed to belittle 
 Me, and addressed me thus, — 
 
 "I am 
 An Emissary of Heav'n, sent by the Great 
 And All-Wise Power to hold a conference 
 With you. I wish to draw a picture, 
 A fair and truthful picture, that you may 
 Look at, and see depicted your own 
 Littleness. 
 
 " Of Heaven, thou something know ; 
 
 Thou know'st the requirements to retain 
 
 A seat therein ; know'st man may look on 
 
 Heav'n 
 Even if his soul is reeking in sin. 
 As 'twere, to see pleasures he might have gained 
 If against justice he had not profaned. 
 
 " Thou knowest man should make the well-being 
 
A DREAM. 121 
 
 Of human souls the chief end of life. 
 Whene'er man has wrought for this great 
 
 aim 
 He approves himself in the sight of God, 
 And thus in one grand chain of love welds 
 His way to Heaven." 
 
 My feigned boldness could not last. 
 Why did I start and recoil at this voice ? 
 My faint heart trembl'd as to condemn itself. 
 " The folly of my own imaginings 
 Will betray me," thought I. 
 
 But yet that terrible voice went on, — 
 
 " In Hell, torture is meted out to man 
 
 According to his sins. If in the garb 
 
 Of a saint he the Devil serves, then his 
 
 Punishment is doubly severe. He who 
 
 On Heaven his eyes have bent, then is doomed 
 
 To everlasting punishment, has double 
 
122 A DREAM. 
 
 Portion of jDain to bear, double misery 
 Of Hell's torments to share. 
 
 " Man's days are o'ershadowed with the bless- 
 ing 
 Or cursing of his life. The Power that shap'd 
 
 thee 
 Made thee a free agent, thy form as temple 
 For the soul ; a place wherein to build 
 For lasting joys, or for future punishment. 
 
 " Man's pleasure should not come from hoarding 
 
 wealth ; 
 Worldly gains are but dross ; the grasping 
 Millionaire is poorer than the poor. He's 
 
 cursed ! 
 Alone in the love of God is wealth ; it cheers 
 
 the soul and fills 
 Man with an eager desire to aid the weak. 
 This gracious inner longing to aid the poor 
 
A DREAM. 123 
 
 Is God-given balm, and drops refreshing 
 On man's soul like dews from Heaven upon 
 The w^ith'ring leaf. 
 
 " A God-loving man is a blessing ; 
 He comforts all within his reach, and bestows 
 Much charity upon the poor. One cannot 
 Be God-loving and selfish, too. 'Tis priceless 
 Riches, doing good ! The light of divinity- 
 Shines through the good man's acts. The poor 
 
 thou 
 Mad'st live through all their days in poverty 
 Find in death no punishment ; nothing 
 Can deprive them of Heav'nly bliss, though like 
 As a curse thine iron hand of oppression 
 Crushed them while on earth. 
 
 "When the Almighty fashioned thee in the 
 
 womb 
 Of life, filling thy breast with Heaven's gift, 
 
124 -^ DREAM. 
 
 Charity, setting his sacred seal on thy head 
 
 ' To give the world assurance of a man,' 
 
 He expected gratitude for his labor 
 
 In thy help of fellow creatures. From thee, 
 
 Charity should have been heralded through 
 
 The land like rain ; ringing in love-notes 
 
 From hut to hovel, until echoing 
 
 Was heard and felt in ev'ry nook and corner 
 
 In the world. From thy hand, Charity should 
 
 Have gone forth assisting suff'ring humanity, 
 
 Protecting it from the ills of life. 
 
 As the mother hen her brood. Thou thought'st 
 
 by 
 Throttling commerce and bringing suffering 
 
 man 
 To thy feet, to be great ! Greatness does not 
 Come from that source in life. He who would 
 Be great is but a servant of the people. 
 Man can find no better employment than 
 To advance his brother's condition in life. 
 
A DREAM. 125 
 
 What hast thou done but strangled all love and 
 
 life? 
 See ! whereon we float no shore we reach ; no 
 Leaf, bird or man e'er greets us. Sweet life 
 
 from 
 The lap of earth ne'er more buds ; plants, flow- 
 ers, 
 Twigs and trees are swept by thee into the 
 
 gulf 
 Of death. Dost thou call this poverty of soul, 
 Greatness ? ' Would I bid thee impoverish thy- 
 self 
 To help fellow creatures } ' No ! 'tis writ, 
 ' Man shall to himself no violence do.' " 
 
 "Oh! 
 This commandment I've been most faithful to, 
 Beloved and Righteous Ruler on high. 
 Not even the length or depth of a hair's 
 Breadth ; not the tiniest nicety 
 
126 A DREAM. 
 
 Of a molecule's width, not the turning-point 
 Of one small iota, have I wavered 
 From this path of duty." 
 
 " He, who in any way against his neighbor 
 By malicious desire, or base intrigue 
 Doeth violence, shall inherit 
 The Kingdom of Hell ! " 
 
 " Oh Thou, whose eyes command eternal space, 
 Search not my ways too close, for fear that I 
 
 might 
 Through a greed of gain, have sinned in thy 
 
 sight." 
 
 " Man must not take by pillage or by fraud 
 His neighbor's sustenance." 
 
 " Oh, Great and Most High," I prayed, " have 
 mercy 
 
A DREAM. 127 
 
 On me, thy child, floating on this fathomless 
 
 sea ; 
 Oh, forsake not this single soul, drifting 
 On, on, forever on, I know not where. 
 Thou who doth dwell within the spirit 
 Of all things, reach out a protecting hand 
 To me ! Have mercy on my wretched state." 
 
 My heart did swell within me, and I felt 
 
 This shoreless stretch of wealth for which I'd 
 
 planned. 
 Had placed my soul in jeopardy. 
 If the world was mine, to what end was't 
 
 gained 
 If my soul was doomed to eternal pain .'' 
 
 Methought, 
 "Strange contrast to my wretched mind's this 
 
 sea. 
 That like a liquid mirror calm is flowing, 
 
128 A DREAM. 
 
 The swift unfoldment of my future state 
 Comes o'er me like a plague. 
 
 " I'm cast like a man in the desert wild, 
 Wayward and trackless is the course ; all drear, 
 No cheer, no fruit, no flower doth him surround. 
 From me Hope's fled. I'm left on a barren 
 
 waste. 
 Revolving in the boundless blue of eternal space. 
 What a sad change is this that comes o'er my 
 
 fate! 
 Erewhile creation vast was too narrow 
 For my soul, now no place so small but I 
 Would hide." 
 
 " Thou should'st not 
 Have in any way intimidated 
 Fellow man ; should'st have left the avenues 
 Of trade open to all alike. Thou should'st 
 Have shunned conspiracy of ev'ry kind. 
 
A DREAM. 129 
 
 Especially that which would defeat honest 
 Toil. As thou hast conspired and injured 
 Fellow man, thou art doomed, and Heaven 
 Thou shalt not see ! " 
 
 " Oh Most High ! " in anguish then I cried, 
 " Have thou compassion on me, I pray thee, 
 On my knees beg I you sentence to stay. 
 Until here below I can penance do 
 That will save my soul." 
 
 " Dost thou once think," replied the awful 
 
 voice, 
 " Thou canst drown God's soil, devastate, lay 
 
 waste 
 God's whole domain with Peti'oleum Oil, 
 And .not feel the hand of Justice on thee.? 
 They, who of the great bounties of Nature 
 Have shared most lavishly and selfishly 
 Have kept the necessities of life away 
 
130 A DREAM. 
 
 From suffering man, must bide their time in 
 Hell. 
 
 " Hast thou helped the weak, or hast led the 
 
 blind 
 Or, hast converted the wisdom that God 
 Has given thee into base, selfish ends ; 
 Drowning not only man in all his sin, 
 But the beasts of the wood, and stifled 
 Birds of the air. 
 
 " Thou hast revolted ! turned 
 Traitor to God ! Swept away his flocks, drown'd 
 All earth that beat and palp'tated with life 
 And joy. You stole upon the secrets 
 Of the night when earth was in darkness 
 Crown'd when nature lay diffused in sleep ; 
 
 when 
 All was lulled to a quiet, unsuspecting 
 Rest, to the secret safety-valve of the world, 
 
A DREAM. 131 
 
 To touch was death to all but thee. From 
 
 Thy premeditated designs to drown 
 
 The world thou did'st build a bark, a craft 
 
 Of ingenious device, modeled to float 
 
 On Oil. When all was ready, in the dread 
 
 hour 
 Of the night, secretly you touched the valve 
 That deluged the world with Oil, then stole 
 
 away 
 For safety unto thy bark that lay moored 
 In Oil Creek, hard by, there, with an inner 
 Self-satisfied air watched the sad work 
 Of destruction go on until nature 
 Lay buried at thy feet. You've plucked the 
 
 sweets 
 From earth, the soul from man, blasted all life ; 
 Sent the tide forever searching, never 
 Reaching a shore. The mighty ocean 
 That before naught but God could stay, as it 
 
 swept 
 
132 A DREAM. 
 
 Eternally on in a trackless swell, 
 
 Pointing to the great day when the fathomless 
 
 Depths should give up the dead, now lies a 
 
 prey 
 To thy wilful designs. The cataracts 
 That went pouring adown the mountain side 
 In dazzling splendor are no more. 
 How inferior is thy insignificance 
 To the great power that thy wanton hand 
 Has destroyed ! " 
 
 "Oh, stay thee!" 
 I cried, " I can endure no more. I here 
 Invoke in thy presence, the Almighty 
 To lift this blubb'ry Oil from off the face 
 Of earth, and restore to drown'd man his life 
 Estates. Oh, give me but the power to purge 
 The innermost recesses of my soul, free 
 From sin by doing penance, and hereafter 
 I will live grand and pure as the ever 
 
A DREAM. 133 
 
 Filt'ring waters, till the irresistible 
 
 Current of time will have done with me here." 
 
 " All thy world in solemn gloom displays 
 A mocking contrast to better days ; days 
 Of life and cheer, of love, comfort, and hope 
 In Heaven. A deep, sad, solemn repose 
 Lays all around, no welcome sound, no voice 
 Invades this mighty deep ; nothing save 
 Reflected fancies of death. Dreadful sights 
 To compare with earth that was ! To satisfy 
 A greedy desire for gold, you wrought yourself 
 A tomb of fire ! This sea you reverence 
 As a god, will plague your life as pestilence 
 Did sinful man's when he at will roamed 
 O'er the sod. What say you ? 
 ' You would but rejoent.' 
 Vain foolish man, there are no acts or words 
 Could purge your guilty soul all free from 
 sin ! " 
 
134 ^ DREAM. 
 
 " But should I yield to you my Oil, all my 
 Possessions, my power, what then ? " 
 
 " You have no 
 Lasting possessions, no power, but life, 
 And that you've cursed by greed of gain, cut off 
 Your own enjoyment by selfish ends. 
 Consider, — what is wealth ? 
 Is'tGold? Oil? No! no! 
 A kindly hand and a cheerful heart, a clear 
 Conscience, honest efforts ; faith and love 
 In an Over-ruling Power ; such is 
 An everlasting wealth, a foundation 
 For an eternal life. What are riches 
 In gold, in Oil, compared unto this t 
 Though you possess the whole, you get nothing 
 But what you eat, drink, and wear; you are as 
 
 poor 
 As a beggar, with all this world at your feet. 
 Ah, man ! man 1 thy life is vain ; the days thou 
 
A DREAM. 135 
 
 Should'st end in peace, thou shalt end in pain, 
 Then pain follows pain. The vital air of sin 
 Environs thee, this gloating poison in your 
 Soul that's plucked God's and man's harvest, 
 
 w^ill end 
 Thy days in shame. When thou yield'st this 
 
 mortal 
 Breath and wing to the sable shades of dishonor, 
 While sitting in grief, with trembling mien, 
 
 such 
 Pains, aches, and horrid sights thine eyes will 
 
 behold 
 Thou wilt rebel against thine own lost soul 
 For thy past atroc'ties to man ; there beg 
 And plead for mercy in the most pitiful 
 Lamentations. All comforts of life 
 That's past will rise before thee as mocking 
 Visions ; thy home comforts, all that thou most 
 Desired in earthly life will pest thee with 
 A mocking counterpart of their reality. 
 
136 A DREAM. 
 
 Mountains of gold will rush past thee, produc- 
 ing 
 An eager longing for their possessions ; 
 Taunting pictures of bonds, stocks, will feast 
 
 thy 
 Greedy sight to a bitter disappointment. 
 Thy brain will register sweet images 
 Of quiet, while Hell's torments will fill 
 Thy frame with unrelenting pain. Od'rif 'rous 
 Plants that on earth thou most enjoyed, you'll 
 
 see 
 In Hell ; when you do but seek their arbors. 
 They will yield such a revolting stench, with 
 Nausea and pui-ging you will flee. 
 The shades of Hell are so hot the flesh becomes 
 Crisp and cracks ; great chunks break ofl', leav- 
 ing bare 
 The bone that filters the marrow through its 
 Pores, burning like unto a small blue flame 
 From an unconsuming gas jet. 
 
A DREAM. 137 
 
 "What! pardon? No! no ! 
 As thou through all thy life thus far hast moved 
 An enemy to God and man, thy future 
 Is firm fixed ; there is no law that can change 
 The decree ; the mandate of Heav'n's gone forth, 
 And the authorities of Paradise 
 Have attested to thy fate. Hell's thy future 
 Home. Do I think there is a chance for you.^ 
 Thy chance of Heav'n doth as poorly sit 
 As does thy dead earth to bloom with life again." 
 
 As these last words were spoken, he vanished. 
 Lo ! then forth came on the wave's crest 
 Grinning skulls with ugly sightless eyes ! 
 These horrid maggots so wrought in my brain 
 That at every glance I gave, they seemed 
 To expand and distort into ten thousand shapes, 
 Sending a horror through my frame, as if 
 Some energetic power from Hell's core 
 Was throbbing in my heart. 
 
138 A DREAM. 
 
 " Father of Mercy ! " I cried, 
 " I, thy humbled child, bow me down crushed 
 In spirit to pray ; my hopes are fled, unless 
 Thee my poor chained soul will but hear and 
 
 heed. 
 I pray for those that 'neath my feet lowly lie ; 
 Those whose tortured souls deep in Hell do lan- 
 guish ; 
 Oh take them to thy realms of bliss on high ! 
 Lift me from my wretched state, and pity ine, 
 Father, for Pity's sake." 
 
 Then, methought, an icy chill 
 Convulsed my frame. It now seemed freezing 
 
 cold, 
 Yet 'twas not winter. " It must be," said I, 
 " The law of Nature has o'erleaped itself 
 And fiillen back into the arms of Frost, 
 Or why this pale, sickly look ! Wherefore this 
 
 numbing 
 
A DREAM. 139 
 
 Cold, erewliile so warm and serene?" This 
 
 seemed 
 Most strange, and yet to me it was real. 
 As the cold increased. 
 
 Great peaks of the highest mountains loomed up. 
 Through the congealing Oil ; barren and bleak 
 They stood, shrouded in winding sheets of snow, 
 As monuments to the dead world. 
 
 Silently the fabric of my Dream 
 Arose in pure transparent peaks of ice. 
 Till Frost had locked the world in solidity. 
 I gazed mournfully on this scene, shiv'ring 
 And shaking, as was my congealing blood 
 Slowly sealing up the channels of life. 
 That dread empire, Fi'ost, had now closed all 
 Resources of Nature. I'd nothing to do 
 But wait. Living, I silent stood within 
 My ice-bound tomb. 
 Every hour I noted 
 
140 A DREAM. 
 
 The dissipation of heat. Frost 
 Glistened in the sun's warmless rays. All light 
 And heat were but as a drear mockery 
 To the time. 
 
 Blocks of ice roofed by flakes of snow 
 Environed me. There was nothing but ice, 
 Crags and peaks of ice ! All was a drear waste 
 Of bleak despair. My heart sickened, turned 
 
 cold, 
 And lay like lead in its cerements. Thought I, 
 "Nature is a tomb, a blank monument 
 To what has been. Her spirit of life's fled. 
 I, alone, stand mid this wreck and ruin. 
 Forlorn. Darkness sits brooding in my soul ; 
 I wait the coming of I know not what, 
 I trust that it may be joy, but alas, 
 I fear eternal sorrow." 
 
 The waning moon shone in pitiful paleness 
 
A DREAM. 141 
 
 Above the cloud-tipped pyramids of ice ; 
 Winds, in doleful sounds and mournful cadence 
 Swept ever through my useless rigging. 
 My life was as death, drear, cold, and barren. 
 My stagnant blood went shivering backward 
 To its source ; my soul was hopeless and forlorn* 
 There were no joyous thoughts to give me cheer, 
 For blasted hopes there came no welcome sound. 
 
 I was sick of life which bore no fruit for me, 
 Mem'ry pierced iny heart with pictures of the 
 
 past. 
 The running brook, the church upon the hill. 
 On them to think my eyes with tears did fill. 
 No more a joy, was life to me, below, 
 My spirit was bleeding o'er its wretched state, 
 My shaft, then flying from the golden past 
 Aimed for death's river quiv'ring on the blast. 
 Hell sure was gaping wide before my eyes. 
 I was loth to die, and was loth to live. 
 
142 A DREAM. 
 
 Life or death (if my choice I could but take), 
 I knew not which, so wretched was my state. 
 
 " Oh God of Love ! " I prayed, " one boon but 
 
 grant 
 To me ; roll back the years till I clasp 
 Mother's knee, and let my yearning eyeballs 
 Once more trace the smiles, joys and shadows 
 Upon her sweet face. Oh, but let me die 
 On her dear breast ! I'd lived a goodly time 
 When I her bosom pressed. 
 
 " But no ! no ! no ! this never can so be. 
 Ah, well ! soon from this living death I'll flee. 
 All around the wind of Death has blown. 
 While mighty swaths the scythe of Time hath 
 mown." 
 
 As I stood bemoaning my sad fate, 
 
 I thought to feel a breath of temp'rate air 
 
A DREAM. 143 
 
 Fan soft my cheek ; a hundred changes came 
 O'er my face, while a thousand swept ni}- soul. 
 My heart, anon so cold, now burned with the 
 
 fire 
 Of youth ; with joy I paced the smooth surface 
 Of my ice-girt ship. 
 
 I noted the blubbery Oil take shape. 
 And marked the mountain peaks disappear, 
 As the Oil expanded to the sun's heat ; 
 I rejoiced as I floated once again 
 A thing of life. 
 
 As the airy heat danced and quivered 
 Over my face, touching as with a balm 
 My frost-nipped soul, I gazed about with de- 
 light 
 On the broad bosom of my em'rald sea, 
 While the sun's warm rays went quivering 
 down 
 
144 ^ DREAM. 
 
 The Arctic cope of Heaven. I could picture 
 In the sky the fair mirage of a verdant rivage ; 
 Castles towering on the peak of some beetling 
 
 bluff, 
 Contending armies in deadly combat 
 For its supremacy ; sabres gleaming 
 In air ; fleecy clouds issuing smoke-like 
 As from heavy guns, v^^hile in the distance 
 Was heard a low mutt'ring sound, then dense 
 
 and black 
 The angry sky was seen ; as lightnings leaped 
 And quiv'red through the dun clouds, thunders 
 
 burst 
 Forth in tremendous explosions making 
 The eternal space of Heaven tremble 
 To its base. 
 
 The lightning blue from the torrent's blast 
 Shivered, rent in twain my stately mast. 
 And shot its zigzag streaks of vivid Hell 
 
A DREAM. 145 
 
 Thwart the Oily flood, crash on crash, pell-mell. 
 I thought that Nature's day, and all was done, 
 That earth to the fiery fiend must succumb. 
 
 *' Father Omnipotent ! " I cried, " make Thou 
 The lightning to but stay its course, or far 
 From my combustible sea spend its force." 
 
 My voice was smothered as burst the blackened 
 Heav'ns in tongues of fire and harsh confusion. 
 The elements battling with dire alarms 
 Shook the sky, chafing it with streaks of 'lectric 
 Light, making doubly terrible the black'ned 
 Night. The hurling thunders rolled from pole 
 
 to pole. 
 Trembling the earth as fear quaked my soul ; 
 Red thunderbolts seemed to environ me, 
 I would but escape ! Where could I flee ? 
 " What horrid death," thought I, " if in this Oil 
 The electric spark should fly ! " 
 
146 A DREAM. 
 
 Then the forked lightning rent asunder 
 
 The black'ned sky ; 'twas like a snake with 
 
 hellish 
 Venomed tongue darting at ev'ry object 
 That it would shun. It split the clouds in twain, 
 And then, into the green sea it went. 
 Far and farther fire licked the liquid main, 
 Till flaming ramparts arose like walls ; 
 To escape all efibrts vain. What could strife 
 Avail when the devouring element sought 
 The consuming of my life.'' 
 
 The curling flames upward leaped and licked the 
 
 stars. 
 That like rockets in the darkest night downward 
 Fell, bursting, begemming all the Heavens 
 With jewels of light. The Oily sea before 
 Me lay a sheet of flame, a bed of fire ; 
 A counterpart of Hell's desire ! 
 Satan, sure, must have swept the skies with his 
 
A DREAM. I^>J 
 
 Flaming wheel, no other power would have 
 Wrought this scene of woe. " Earth," thought 
 
 I, " cannot 
 Withstand this tide of flame, melting she must 
 Float a metallic flood, or bursting, in space 
 Find an ignoble grave." Round and round 
 The mighty cauldron boiled, seething and hissing 
 Till, shudd'ring, the earth to her vei'y poles 
 Convulsive shook. 
 
 Then a whirling, eddying blast of fire 
 
 And stifling smoke enshrouded me. " Oh, 
 
 God ! " 
 I groan'd in agony, " shield me, I pray Thee, 
 From this frightful death." Soon the scathing 
 Flames my spars did lick, oh ! those livid 
 
 tongues. 
 Of Hell, how they stuck ! They cringed like a 
 
 cur 
 At my feet, yet repelled every effort, 
 
148 A DREAM, 
 
 All means defeated to quench their hot thirst ; 
 Ever becoming stronger and fiercer 
 By what they fed on. 
 
 Anon, 
 My vessel's course was stayed, her masts, they 
 
 fell! 
 Nowhere could I flee. Then, as if to make 
 Existence still more ajDpalling, Hell's 
 Dumb reptiles took shelter along with me. 
 Over my flesh their cringing bodies crawled, 
 From heat distilling pois'nous ooze. Their 
 
 shrieks 
 Of pain mocked my own sad doom. I prayed 
 
 God 
 To "• end this torture dire ! to quench this life 
 Of mine, or extinguish this mad fire." 
 
 Then methought. 
 Those souls that I supposed were in the Pool, 
 
A DREAM. 149 
 
 (And of all I most eai-nestly wished there) , 
 The Producers and. Independent Refiners 
 Peered at me from Heaven and heard my 
 Supplications, I could have endur'd anything 
 But this ; that they should enjoy Heav'n's high 
 
 estate 
 While I in torture pent, w^as more than Hell's 
 Punishment. Oh, it was too much ! I prayed 
 That the red flames would devour me outright, 
 That I might be fore'er hidden from their sight. 
 To see and know the very men in life 
 Whose exaltations I opposed, whose sway 
 I checked, and whose very persons I loathed 
 With consummate hatred were dignified 
 In Heav'n unto a perfect unity 
 With angelic life, was more than nature 
 Could endure. My heart swelled and wellnigh 
 
 burst 
 With its grief and mortification. Ay, 
 My very hair seemed like hot irons 
 
150 A DREAM. 
 
 Goatling, burning, and searing my tortured 
 Brain, so horrible was my Dream-wrought 
 Punishment. 
 
 Methought a railway ti'ain was running through 
 The windings of my nature. I could feel 
 The red-hot coals singe and burn my soft flesh, 
 As in languid curves through the ways of my 
 Vile and crooked life it forced slow its way. 
 
 Then the world went rocking, heaving, sway- 
 
 In convulsions, till fissures grav'tating 
 
 To the earth's centre opened up, taking 
 
 In seas of Oil to be vomited forth 
 
 In volumes of flames and heat that melted 
 
 The earth's substance into molten liquid. 
 
 Then lowering clouds that hung low with 
 
 floods 
 Of water burst their cerements, letting forth 
 
A BREAM. ■ 151 
 
 Their contents into the earth-centring 
 Crevices. Like as to a boiler 
 From over-pressure of steam explodes. 
 Did the earth in atoms shoot foi'th in space. 
 
 Then, 
 Methought, my soul in a new form winged 
 
 forth ; 
 Fearful of the falling debris it sped 
 As a thief from Justice. So fast I flew 
 The world's chaos of bones and coffin-cinders 
 Soon fell behind my swift expanse of flight. 
 On I flew I past countless myr'ads of solar 
 Systems ; on, on beyond this wilderness 
 Of worlds till the galaxy of Heaven 
 Was hid from view. On, so deep into 
 The abyss of distance that the sun's rays 
 Gleamed ghost-like amid the sable shades 
 Of suburban Hell. 
 
152 A DREAM. 
 
 Down into this illim'table dungeon 
 
 Of hoary blackness I long stood gazing 
 
 With useless eyes, till they starting seemed to 
 
 burst 
 From their sockets. I could see, not with eyes. 
 Yet with other senses which were so acute 
 That all Hell's horrid creatures seemed before 
 
 me. 
 I trembling prayed to the Prince of Darkness 
 For but a moiety of my former peace ; 
 But alas ! he laughed my supplications 
 To scorn. 
 
 Then the scene was sadly changed ; with its 
 
 change 
 There was increase of pain. The intense heat 
 Sapped the marrow from my bones, elicited 
 From me low stifled moans ; still was I loth 
 For the Independent Oil men to know 
 What I suffered deep down in the dark confines 
 
A DREAM. 153 
 
 Of the damned, and slinking crawled behind 
 
 A projecting rock to hide. 
 
 Then, methought, my sight was cleared with 
 
 euphrasy, 
 And I met monopolists, stock-jobbers, 
 Railroad kings, murderers, thieves, incendiaries. 
 And vile leaders of political rings ! 
 Men with subtlety and guile in their souls. 
 I tried to flee from them as from a ghost. 
 But I could not escape. These double-tongued 
 Dev'ls proclaimed me leader of their hellish 
 Train. 
 
 Such horrid sounds and sights, 
 Of infernal hue came from this damned pit 
 I shudder whenever I think of it ! 
 There were oflsprings of pride, in life, honored. 
 In Hell blaspheming their names. 
 
 I saw all the Stygian sufferings 
 
154 ^ DREAM. 
 
 Portrayed in the sins of those creatures, Ay, 
 And felt the pangs myself. My throat was 
 
 parched 
 With heat ; I could hear and see trickling 
 
 streams 
 At a distance ; great cakes of ice were before 
 My sight. I yearned for thenT, I rushed for 
 
 them 
 Through dim vapory mists of scalding dew, 
 Yet nearer unto them I never drew. 
 I could see broad lakes, lashing their waves 
 
 'gainst 
 The massive rocks, sending their milk-white 
 
 spray 
 High in space, as if to augment my thirst. 
 
 As on I sped, my parched tongue hung 
 As if to catch descending drops of sjoray ; 
 No moisture fell save to blister, as it touched. 
 On I flew till my agonizing pains 
 
A DREAM. 155 
 
 Biu'st forth in horrid shrieks that went echoing 
 Terrific through the sable vaults of Hell. 
 
 " Oh ! " cried I, " if I were but on eaith again, 
 
 I would treat all mankind as my equals. 
 
 I'd earn an honest living as did just men. 
 
 I would not let railroads discriminate 
 
 In my favor 'gainst the people's interest, 
 
 But if honestly I should amass wealth 
 
 Beyond any reasonable demand, 
 
 I'd help the cripple 'long the way of life, 
 
 That he also in his turn might give aid 
 
 To whomsoe'er he might." 
 
 Then, methought, I came to a lake of Oil 
 That looked very like old Bradford stock sub- 
 jected 
 To a high pressure of Hell's heat, seemingly 
 Undergoing a distillation. At first 
 I became somewhat interested, and watched 
 
156 A DREAM. 
 
 The smooth surface of the Oil, as, like a mirror 
 It shone, reflecting the little globules 
 Of vapor, that rose and floated to the utmost 
 Height, roofed and walled in by Hell, condens- 
 ing. 
 Fell back to repeat again the e'er revolving 
 Process like as to the continuous 
 Distillation of a Van Sycle Still. 
 The vapory globules mingling, so blended 
 With the substance of Hell as to make 
 Sulphuretted hydrogen, emitting 
 An offensive odor like unto decomposed 
 Eggs. This produced such a nausea that I, 
 Stifling, searched for a manhole through which 
 
 to 'scape, it 
 Seeming as if I was enclosed in a heated Still. 
 But this means of exit being fastened 
 I bethought of, and rushed for, the Vapor-pipes, 
 Squeezed through with the venomous odors 
 And escaped by the way of the Tail-house, 
 
A DREAM. 157 
 
 Througn a two-inch pipe, thinking to elude 
 
 My difficulties, but 'stead enhanced 
 
 Them, for I encountered Lucifer, 
 
 And trusting to the endurance and speed 
 
 Of my tried pinions sought to escape him by 
 
 flight, 
 The while making fiendish faces at, and 
 Letting forth tones of mocking satire 
 That greatly incensed him. He, with resent- 
 ment strong, 
 In hot pursuit forth sped to chase me down 
 And flay my flesh. To see the visage 
 Of Lucifer in rage, terror seized me 
 And I regretted my rash step. What could 
 I do but flee? To sue for mercy was vain. 
 So I put foith all efforts to escape. 
 This goaded Lucifer to his utmost speed. 
 And we both like lightning flew, I with fear 
 Which nerved me to the task, Lucifer in wrath 
 To chastise me. The imps as if mocking 
 
158 A DREAM. 
 
 Spurred their leader to the chase until to me 
 He closer drew, not within arm's reach, how- 
 ever, 
 But with bearded tail outstruck, laying my flesh 
 Open to the bone from hip to shoulder. 
 I, from force of the blow, being disabled 
 Could not farther flee, so about forth turned, 
 With tooth and nail seized upon Lucifer, 
 It being my only chance, trusting 
 To o'er-power him. Close embraced we both 
 Downward fell into the boiling Pool ; 
 Lucifer being undermost sunk beneath 
 The surface, and strangling straight sought 
 
 breath ; 
 This separated us and he 
 Forth swimming left me, helpless, crippled 
 In the heated lava that coursed through my 
 
 wound 
 Inflicted sores until I burst forth in shrieks 
 Of pain for help ! This devil heeded me not 
 
A DREAM. 159 
 
 Until he reached the shore, then sent his imps 
 To bring me unto him, and like as 
 A porous plaster adheres to hair and flesn, 
 Lucifer glued me to his side, addressing me 
 thus : 
 
 " I am Prime Minister 
 Unto his Satanic Majesty, 
 Sent by him to judge you by impartial 
 Scrutiny as to the enormity 
 Of your fallacious guile." 
 
 I implored his Lordship, 
 " To deal with due consideration with me. 
 To think I prayed him, of the souls I'd launched 
 Into his care by drowning the world with Oil ! " 
 Said I, "Through me you've received many 
 
 souls 
 That would otherwise have reformed and gone 
 The primrose way to Heaven." 
 
l6o A DREAM. 
 
 " Yes ! yes ! " said he, " this is all very true, 
 But you seem to forget that in drowning 
 The world, you've extinguished all life thereon, 
 Thus ruined all my prospects from that sphere. 
 You've stopped a resource of souls that for 
 
 millions 
 Of years would have been the recipients 
 Of my spleen ! 
 
 " Yes ! ninety per cent would have come to me. 
 From that small world I was getting more souls 
 Than from all the rest of my territory. 
 Not that alone, you have quite disheartenea 
 The devils that I had on earth recruiting 
 Souls for the Stygian Pool. Now, as they 
 Are out of service they are rioting 
 Through the bowels of Hell most disgracefully. 
 And you, you alone, are responsible 
 For all this trouble." 
 
A DREAM. l6l 
 
 Thus conversing, it was not long before my 
 
 Cui-iosity was aroused by loud 
 
 Noises hard by, looking, in horrid shapes 
 
 I saw all the usurers of earth, towards 
 
 Me move. Straight terror convulsed me lest 
 
 they 
 Should break their bonds and seize upon me, but 
 Viewing closer their tumultuary 
 Proceedings, I was soon convinced that they 
 
 were 
 In parley o'er the rate of interest 
 To exact for some imaginary loan. 
 There were no transactions, but dreadful phan- 
 toms 
 Of, in their imaginings. Here, I saw 
 All frailties of life confusedly thrown 
 Together ; God-mocking christians ; no charity. 
 No love but for self. Men with beastly 
 Appetites for drink ; men so penurious 
 They were dishonest, petty thieves. It seemed all 
 
1 62 A DREAM. 
 
 The immortal venom of earth together 
 Like worms through the lust of sin in pain 
 And contention were crawling. 
 
 Torrents of shrieks and moans 
 In tumults of unrelenting pain greeted me. 
 Horrors horrid came welling up to my sight 
 From this pit of infamy. Black Sin, 
 Scathed and scarred in welt'ring, misshap'n 
 
 souls 
 Was before me. "Oh!" thought I, "what a 
 
 curse 
 Hangs o'er this frightful region." As I stood 
 Spellbound, Lucifer asked, " Why on those souls 
 I so long gazed.? " I answered, " I know not 
 Save from pity." Said he, "While on earth 
 
 they were 
 Vile wretches of the lowest order 
 And deserve not pity. You need all your 
 Inborn sympathy for self." Then, methought 
 
A DREAM. 163 
 
 A venomous snake with forked tongue shot 
 Darting pains through my loins as it coiled 
 About me. Clammy scales crept slowly 
 O'er my flesh, and I, shudd'ring, griped with 
 
 frenzy 
 The snake's protruding head, squeezing until 
 It lifeless fell at my feet prone down. 
 Then it seemed I had strangled a creature 
 Human ! one most fair. I, shrieking, tried to 
 
 escape, 
 But to Lucifer seemed close bound ; 
 And could not stir ! The horror of my posi- 
 tion 
 Was inexpressible. Fast stayed o'er my 
 Bloody work my revolting soul must soon 
 Have lost its reason but for Lucifer's 
 Shutting from my ken this aspect horrible, 
 And I gave forth a sigh like one relieved 
 From pain. Mid all this darkness Lucifer 
 Signified his pleasure and he leading, 
 
164 A DREAM. 
 
 We both winged like bats through the blackened 
 
 void 
 Until of a sudd'n we alighted on a projecting 
 Rock that low'ring o'erhung a lake of sin. 
 My sight here being restored I directed 
 My gaze to a scene the most of all I would 
 But shun. 
 
 Directly in our front, methought 
 I saw my royal crew of earth welt'ring 
 In a pool of burning Oil, that stank so like 
 Lima stock but for the torments 
 And visible presence of Lucifer 
 I surely must have thought me on earth. 
 These godless wretches seemed wading in this 
 Burning Oil to their armpits, the wound-inflict- 
 ing 
 Flames in fest'ring horrors marked their features. 
 As to each in turn I my gaze directed, 
 They seemed most faithful unto their old 
 
A DREAM. 165 
 
 Employer and employment, for with 
 Uplifted hand above my ken to make sure 
 My focus one I beheld in scrolls of flame 
 Writing, as if woi'king on some private 
 Papers. He should have passed unknown but 
 
 for his 
 Writing (so awful was his flame-eaten flesh) ; 
 I knew it well ; not alone that, however, 
 The dazzling real'ty of base transactions 
 That on earth were secrets between us, now stood 
 Out in letters of flame, as startling 
 As Belshazzar's writing on the wall. 
 This double-hoofed devil exposing my 
 Secrets incensed me. Then I saw menials 
 That I'd paid on earth as spies, in close 
 Communion, as if o'er some mean inatter 
 Of weighty importance were debating; 
 Planning some diabolical scheme 
 To entrap the Independent Refiners. 
 They all did sigh sore-tortured, save one, and he 
 
1 66 A DREAM. 
 
 Was a lean, hungry, Cassius-looking cur, 
 So black in visage that mid the darkness 
 Of the pit, him around all seemed v/hite. 
 As he thus sat, emitting flame from his 
 Steel-plated nostrils he evinc'd an enjoyment 
 That a veteran would experience 
 In smoking a fragrant Havana 
 After long abstemiousness. I had fear 
 Of him, however valuable to me 
 On earth to assist in doing my secret work. 
 " He is a Judas," said I to myself, 
 " Should he see me he would betray me, his 
 Old master ; should he outspeak or laugh. 
 It would most damaging be to my cause. 
 That I'm befoie His Highness pleading." 
 So I slunk back as if to hide, but he. 
 Seeing this movement, defined my motive 
 And leading, they all laughed with a horrid 
 Hellish meaning that unto Lucifer 
 Exposed my position, for he after, 
 
A DREAM. 167 
 
 Close eyed me with a suspiciousness that 
 Bespoke eternal vigilance on my 
 Movements. 
 
 In glancing around o'er this assemblage 
 
 Of incarnate fiends, I could not recall 
 
 One of all my many partners or employees 
 
 But what were here. I, thinking them 
 
 Good, likely fellows, asked Lucifer about 
 
 This crew. (I'd thought in drowning them to 
 
 send 
 Them to Heav'n to bless me, 'stead they were 
 
 here 
 To curse me.) In brief he replied : 
 
 " The reason of this is 
 That all Monopolists and whosoe'er 
 Encourages their work, or profits from 
 This base mode of money making, their souls 
 Are Satan's." 
 
1 68 A DREAM. 
 
 " Great Lucifer, if so you feel inclined 
 Impart to me who are those wretched souls 
 Whose faces front this way, even now ? 
 Those whose forms are stooping low hard by 
 
 where 
 That black fruitage grows that's pois'nous, 
 
 deadly 
 To the taste. Those corporal festerings 
 That stand close, but all sep'rate from my crew, 
 Writhing, fast stayed in the earth as if like seeds 
 They grew rooted to the sod ? Such tortures 
 Are in their mien they sure are some doomed 
 Immortals for bloody sins on earth, 
 To thee committed." 
 
 But Lucifer, straight answering, said, 
 " No, they are not for murder held but for 
 Controlling the Trusts of earth and in 
 Advancing prices on staple products 
 Made hungry many a deserving mouth. 
 
A DREAM. 169 
 
 None of this class escaped us, we had them 
 Registered for our keeping long before 
 They left the mortal form. No death-bed 
 Repentance could shield them from their just 
 Punishment ; and thou mighty leader 
 Of Monopoly and Trusts shall feel doubly 
 The inflicting torments of Hell." 
 
 "Oh Great One! 
 Change thou the spirit of thy proem, 
 And let fall lightly upon me thy wrath. 
 On earth I revered thee unknown to the Church. 
 I keep nothing from thee, I am for thee. 
 Have compassion on me, thy co-worker." 
 
 But Lucifer replied, 
 " Your greedy calculations of selfishness 
 Being subversive unto holiness 
 Has caused your downward fall to sable shades, 
 'Stead of rising to ulterior perfection. 
 
170 A DREAM. 
 
 We like this malicious working in souls, 
 But yours is too sordid ; it has a horrid 
 Effect over our reign of contention. 
 And thus 'tis an everlasting disgust 
 Sums up all previous dealings with you. 
 You now come here with a supple spirit 
 And laudable craftiness that would do 
 Great credit to his Satanic Majesty, 
 Waiting for the first opportunity 
 That presents itself to seize on Satan's 
 Substance and then convert it into 
 A Monopoly. 
 
 '"• Hell teems with souls 
 Of both noble and ignoble extraction, 
 But there is not one within my keeping 
 That's as base and hollow-hearted as thou ! 
 There hangs a curse about thy neck that would 
 Set Hell groaning 'neath its weight ; thou hast 
 More arts of cunning than would cheat Satan 
 
A DREAM. 171 
 
 Out of his throne. I am after thee 
 
 So be wary, for on thee I'll vent my spleen." 
 
 "Noble Lucifer!" I cried, "on my weak 
 
 spirit 
 Vent not your royal malice that with fear 
 Like a shadow's now trembling before you. 
 I'll abdicate my Sea of Oil to you 
 And pipe it to the nether depths of all, 
 If thou'lt but let me off." 
 
 " Vile dissembler ! 
 Do you think to stand in false light to Satan, 
 As you have to God's people, by saying ' 
 You'll abdicate your Oil and pipe it to Hell.? 
 Base deceiver, think'st I know not thy world 
 Is no more .? I know all thy treachery 
 Unto man ; thy crooked ways in life 
 Are no secret to me. 
 
]:72 A DREAM. 
 
 "Thou thought'st to reach the resplendent 
 
 summit 
 Of primeval glory by displaying 
 A false face. Throw by the mask and stand 
 
 forth, 
 Stamped for the red consuming penal fires. 
 I know thee for what thou art, a devil 
 In the guise of an angel ! The spirits 
 Of Hell shall seize thee." 
 
 Oh ! what agony tore my soul, as upon 
 The utmost heights of a barren perpendicular 
 Rock, by winding paths and gorges deep-laid, 
 He dragged me. I closed my eyes to shut 
 
 out 
 The aspect horrible that before me 
 Lay. From the abyss deep down, weltering 
 In their lust, wrangled crooked perverse mon- 
 sters 
 Of Hell, whose jaws kept working 
 
A DREAM. 173 
 
 With scissor-like movement to catch my tremb- 
 ling 
 Bulk, then suspended in space by this devil 
 Lucifer. 
 
 As I passed slowly, surely 
 To my doom how I did plead for mercy. 
 But Lucifer scoffed at my prayers and said, 
 " I give your body unto the reptiles 
 Of the damned, and your soul to nether depths 
 Of all." 
 
 Oh ! then, methought those slimy reptiles rent 
 And tore the flesh from oft' my bones, leaving 
 My soul bare, naked ; shiv'ring with Fear's 
 
 cold. 
 Amid Hell's heat. 
 
 Minutes passed like years in this tortured sleep, 
 Until, amid unbearable horrors 
 
174 ^ DREAM. 
 
 I awoke to find my sinewy form 
 
 Low bent, hair bleached to snowy whiteness. 
 
 Time passes slowly on, 
 
 But yet no rest my soul doth find, such torments 
 
 Gave my Petroleum Dream ! 
 
LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 
 
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