"The Mozart Society at Fisk treated us to an excellent rendering of Haydn's great oratorio, 'The Creation.' Many came over from the city (Nashville),--whites from the "best families," all crowding in, listening, wondering, enjoying! How the music of those well-tuned instruments and voices caught us up and carried us away! Color-line melted and faded out. How we wished the politicians all might have been brought under that magic spell of solos and choruses!" O Music, with thy wand celestial, touch The hearts of men, and by thy alchemy Divine, resolve, remelt, aye, e'en recast The thought and very being! Selfish man, So filled with prejudice and hate hath need, O heavenly messenger, of all thy aid. And as thy votaries in anthems sing With the immortal Haydn, and do praise Creative Wisdom, Who, of one blood made All Nations for to dwell on earth in love, Then let celestial fires descend and burn Complete, the offering of the lips, and purge The dross of caste and hate from every soul! This do, for Satan hath his spectrum set Before the door of human hearts and cast Upon the screen the separated lines Of black and red and yellow--white forsooth, While these should mingle in that glorious Sun That shines alike on all, impartially. Then come, O Music, re-resolve the lines, These color-lines, and let the sun's pure ray Beam forth in unobstructed light and love, Transmuting, by his touch, these human hearts, Till they shall mirror forth the Golden Rule. * * * * * ITEMS. Everywhere the colored contestants in Civil Service examinations succeed admirably in their work. In March just past, there was a competitive examination held in the Custom House at Newark, N.J., for clerkships. Out of forty-three contestants, Mr. J.N. Vandewall, a well known young colored man, stood No. 1, 96 per cent. There was only one other colored contestant, Mr. G.W. Harris. He stood fifth, with an average of 86 per cent. Mr. A.C. Garner, our colored representative in the Chicago Theological Seminary, passed an excellent examination last week, and received praise not only from his Professors but from his student friends as well. Out of a class of forty, he was one of seven chosen by the Professor of Elocution to represent the class in oratory at the closing exercises held last week.