the inevitable dreariness of the wide waste of scarcely heaving water will oppress the mind till the sailor may murmur: “So lonely ’twas that God himself Scarce seemed there to be.” It is beyond dispute that the sea has been one of the most important factors in civilizations ancient and modern. Greece was no longer supreme in power when her naval supremacy was gone; Rome was not mistress of the world till she became mistress of the Mediterranean. Not a single great system of civilization has originated in districts far inland. The great centers--Greece, Rome, Asia Minor, Egypt, Spain, England--all that have wielded unusual power--are sea-coasts, peninsulas or islands. The Jew became prominent as a trader from the day Jewish vessels sailed from Tarshish. To some extent, these facts must be considered as results of position only, however powerful the tendencies or traits of any particular stock. It is not merely as a highway for commerce and ready intercommunication that the seas have enriched mankind. The submarine world presents views as strange and weirdly beautiful as the ancient myths of nymphs and naiads. “Deep in the wave lies a coral grove, Where the purple mullet and goldfish rove; Where the seaflower spreads its leaves of blue, That never were wet with falling dew; But in bright and changeful beauty, shine Far down in the green and glassy brine.” And thousands of the human race depend entirely upon the products of the sea for a livelihood. The fish taken as food would be an enormous item in any year: but the billows that surge over the deep conceal far more treasure than these. “Full many a gem of purest ray serene, The dark unfathomed caves of ocean bear.” All our pearls, nearly all our amber, sponges, and as beautiful and delicate as spun glass, corals of infinite number and variety--all these, and more, we must obtain from the depths of the sea. Yet, while eagerness for gain leads men to brave countless perils to obtain these treasures, thousands of sad hearts will deem them dearly bought, and recall the more precious treasures of the deep. “Yet more! the billows and the depths have more! High hearts and brave are gathered to thy breast! They hear not now the booming waters roar; The battle thunders will not break their rest. Keep thy red gold and gems, thou stormy grave! Give back the true and brave! “Give back the lost and lovely! those for whom The place was kept at board and hearth so long, The prayer went up through midnight’s breathless gloom, And the vain yearning woke ’midst festive song! Hold fast thy buried isles, thy towers or throne-- But all is not thine own.