And yet it is a pretty place where his new house might be;
  An orchard-road that leads your eye straight out upon the sea:—­
  The boy not work his father’s farm? it seems almost a shame;
  But any selfish plan for him he’d never let me name.

  He’s reenlisted for the war, for victory or for death;
  A soldier’s grave, perhaps,—­the thought has half-way stopped my breath,
  And driven a cloud across the sun;—­my boy, it will not be! 
  The war will soon be over; home again you’ll come to me!

  He’s reenlisted; and I smiled to see him going, too: 
  There’s nothing that becomes him half so well as army-blue. 
  Only a private in the ranks; but sure I am, indeed,
  If all the privates were like him, they ’d scarcely captains need!

  And I and Massachusetts share the honor of his birth,—­
  The grand old State! to me the best in all the peopled earth! 
  I cannot hold a musket, but I have a son who can;
  And I’m proud for Freedom’s sake to be the mother of a man!

* * * * *

THE PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION.

For the first time since the American Presidency was created, the American people have entered upon a Presidential election in time of great war.  Even the election of 1812 forms no exception to this assertion, as the second contest with England did not begin until the summer of that year, when the conditions of the political contest were already understood, and it was known that Mr. Madison would be reelected, in spite of the opposition of the Federalists, and notwithstanding the disaffection of those Democrats who took De Witt Clinton for their leader.  Mr. Madison, indeed, is supposed to have turned “war man,” against his own convictions, in order to conciliate the “Young Democracy” of 1812, who had resolved upon having a fight with England,—­and in that way to have secured for supporters men who would have prevented his reelection, had he defied them.  The trouble that we had with France at the close of the last century undoubtedly had some effect in deciding the fourth Presidential contest adversely to the Federalists; but though it was illustrated by some excellent naval fighting, it can hardly be spoken of as a war:  certainly, it was not a great war.  The Mexican War had been brought to a triumphant close before the election of 1848 was opened.  Of the nineteen Presidential elections which the country has known, sixteen were held in times of profound peace,—­as Indian wars went for nothing; and the other three were not affected as to their decision by the contests we had had with France or Mexico, or by that with England, which was in its first stage when Mr. Madison was reelected.  Every Presidential election, from that of 1788 to that of 1860, found us a united people, with every State taking some part in the canvas.  Even South Carolina in 1860 was not clearly counted out of the fight until after Mr. Lincoln’s success had been announced, and rebellion had been resolved upon.