THE KINGDOM OF HOME. bursts of the national love. They have not been so uniform in deciding who is the sovereign in this kingdom. The baby, says one, is the "Prince of the parlor." Yes, baby is king, and he rules us With something that comes from above; Mrs. Hunt sings that children are The only sovereigns on the earth Whose sway is certain to endure. And Mrs. Craik in her familiar poem, raises one child to a particular throne, as "Philip, my king." The first selection in this volume strikes the key-note, by declaring that "Home is the kingdom, and love is the king," for it is love that raises the babe to his throne, and gives him his power. The poetry of Home is not confined to the productions of the great names on the list of immortal English poets. It is not the poetry of the intellect, but of the heart: and many who have been eloquent on no other theme, have sung the praises of home. in a way that has touched the hearts of thousands. A collection of this kind must, therefore, include not only the productions of the masters, but those of many a minor poet as well. Many an humble singer, though not endowed with the gift of the highest poetry, has nevertheless sung from his experience of the loves of the fireside and the Home in a way that gives him a right to a place in the Kingdom of Home, and to all such we gladly open our doors. FAMILY ALTAR, THE. FAMILY TIES FAREWELL, A FATHER'S COMING FIRESIDE EVENING HYMN, OUR FIRESIDE, MY AIN John Greenleaf Whittier Thomas Hood... Felicia D. Hemans. Samuel B. Sumner Fitzarthur. Charles Kingsley James Thomas Fields. . 190 206 Arthur Cleveland Coxe 75 xii LENT JEWELS, the LESSON THE LIBRARY, THE LIGHT OF HOME, THE. LINES.... LINES LEFT AT A FRIEND'S HOUSE. LITTLE BROWN CABIN, THE.. LITTLE CHILD'S HYMN, A LITTLE KINGS AND QUEENS, THE. .Sarah Josepha Hale. LITTLE MAIDEN, THE, AND THE LITTLE BIRD. Lydia Maria Child. Little One, MY LOVE A SCEPTRE. .Edgar Fawcett... 246 174 165 123 |