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diff --git a/.gitattributes b/.gitattributes new file mode 100644 index 0000000..6833f05 --- /dev/null +++ b/.gitattributes @@ -0,0 +1,3 @@ +* text=auto +*.txt text +*.md text diff --git a/14849-8.txt b/14849-8.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..850d84a --- /dev/null +++ b/14849-8.txt @@ -0,0 +1,15470 @@ +The Project Gutenberg EBook of Leaves of Life, by Margaret Bird Steinmetz + +This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with +almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or +re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included +with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org + + +Title: Leaves of Life + For Daily Inspiration + +Author: Margaret Bird Steinmetz + +Release Date: January 31, 2005 [EBook #14849] + +Language: English + +Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1 + +*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK LEAVES OF LIFE *** + + + + +Produced by Stephen Schulze and the Online Distributed Proofreaders Team + + + + + + + +LEAVES OF LIFE + +FOR DAILY INSPIRATION + +BY + +MARGARET BIRD STEINMETZ + + +1914 + + +The Bible text used in this book is taken from the American Standard +Edition of the Revised Bible, copyright, 1901, by Thomas Nelson & +Sons, and is used by permission. + + +DEDICATED + +TO THOSE WHO HAVE HELPED IN GATHERING THESE LEAVES--AND TO THOSE WHO +MAY GATHER SOMETHING FROM THEM. + + +ACKNOWLEDGMENTS + +The Macmillan Company, New York, N.Y. + Shailer Mathews, Jane Addams, Newell Dwight Hillis, + Marion Crawford. + +The Century Company, New York, N.Y. + S. Weir Mitchell, Theodore Roosevelt, John Kendrick + Bangs, Richard Watson Gilder, Edith Thomas. + +Oxford University Press, London, E.C. + Annie Matheson. + +The Saalfield Publishing Company, Akron, Ohio. + Joseph Jefferson. + +Mitchell Kennerley, New York. + Theodosia Garrison: My Litany. + +Thomas Y. Crowell Company, New York, N.Y. + Charles W. Eliot: The Durable Satisfactions of Life. + J.R. Miller. + +The Pilgrim Press, Boston, Mass. + Henry Ward Beecher. + +Harper & Brothers, New York, N.Y. + Will Carleton: Farm Legends. + Margaret E. Sangster: Easter Bells. + +Elbert Hubbard, Roycroft Shop, East Aurora, N.Y. + Printed by special permission of the publishers. + +W.B. Conkey, Hammond, Ind. + Ella Wheeler Wilcox, copyrighted 1912. + +National W.C.T.U., Evanston, Ill. + Frances E. Willard. + +American Baptist Publication Society, Philadelphia, Pa. + W.E. Winks. + +Rand, McNally & Company, Chicago, Ill. + Marie Bashkirtseff. + +Tennesseean and American, Nashville, Tenn. + G. Rice. + +Cosmopolitan Magazine, New York, N.Y. + O. Henry. + +The H.M. Rowe Company, Baltimore, Md. + Edwin Leibfreed: Poems. + +Permission from President Wilson for the excerpts from his speeches. + +Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston, Mass. + Kate Douglas Wiggin, Richard Watson Gilder, Josephine + Peabody, John Hay, Hugo Münsterberg, Edith Thomas, + Lyman Abbott, John Burroughs, Elizabeth Stuart Phelps, + Thomas Bailey Aldrich, Julia Ward Howe, Harriet + Beecher Stowe, Joel Chandler Harris, Lucy Larcom, + Bret Harte, Bayard Taylor, Alice Freeman Palmer, + Thomas W. Higginson. + +Charles Scribner's Sons, New York, N.Y. + Henry van Dyke: Music and Other Poems. + Maltbie D. Babcock: Thoughts for Every Day Living. + Sidney Lanier: Poems of Sidney Lanier. + Robert Bridges: Robert Bridges' Poems. + George Meredith: Last Poems. + James Anthony Froude: Short Studies on Great Subjects. + Robert Louis Stevenson: Poems and Works. + W.E. Henley: Poems. + Eugene Field: Western Verse. + +G.P. Putnam's Sons, New York and London. + Arthur Christopher Benson: Along the Road, Silent Isle, + From a College Window, Joyous Gard, Lord Vyet and Other Poems. + +Little, Brown & Company, Boston, Mass. + Emily Dickinson, Laura E. Richards, Edward Everett Hale. + + +George H. Doran Company, New York, N.Y. + Sir Oliver Lodge, Arnold Bennett, J. Stalker, A.H. Begbie. + +Fleming H. Revell Company, New York, N.Y. + Percy C. Ainsworth, E.H. Divall, Margaret E. Sangster, + J.H. Jowett, George Matheson. + +Longmans, Green & Company, New York and London. + William James. + +Dodd, Mead & Company, New York, N.Y. + Maurice Maeterlinck, Hamilton Mabie, Ian Maclaren, + Jerome K. Jerome, G.K. Chesterton, Paul Laurence Dunbar. + +Small, Maynard & Company, Boston, Mass. + Mrs. Charlotte Perkins Gilman, John B. Tabb, Ernest Crosby. + +Lothrop, Lee & Shepard Company, Boston, Mass. + Paul Hamilton Hayne. + +Doubleday, Page & Company, Garden City, New York + Charles Wagner, Edwin Markham, Helen Keller. + +E.P. Dutton Company, New York. + George Macdonald. + + + + +JANUARY + + Janus am I; oldest of potentates; + Forward I look, and backward, and below + I count, as god of avenues and gates, + The years that through my portals come and go. + + I block the roads, and drift the fields with snow; + I chase the wild fowl from the frozen fen; + My frosts congeal the rivers in their flow, + My fires light up the hearths and hearts of men. + + --Henry W. Longfellow. + + + + +JANUARY FIRST + +Bartolome Esteban Murillo, baptized 1618. + +Paul Revere born 1735. + +Betsy Ross born 1752. + +Maria Edgeworth born 1767. + +Arthur Hugh Clough born 1819. + + Old things need not be therefore true, + O brother men, nor yet the new; + Ah! still awhile the old thought retain, + And yet consider it again! + + We! what do we see? each a space + Of some few yards before his face; + Does that the whole wide plan explain? + Ah, yet consider it again! + + Alas! the great world goes its way, + And takes its truth from each new day; + They do not quit, nor can retain, + Far less consider it again. + + --Arthur Hugh Clough. + + There are two sorts of content; one is connected with exertion, the + other habits of indolence. The first is a virtue; the other a vice. + + --Maria Edgeworth. + + Oh send out thy light and thy truth; let them lead me: + Let them bring me unto thy holy hill, + And to thy tabernacles. + + --Psalm 43. 3. + +Almighty God, lead me in the search for life. Teach me what is +important and what is unimportant; what is false, and what is true. +Remove the hindrances that keep me from the worthiest deeds, and grant +that I may have the peace that comes with surrender of self to thy +will. Amen. + + + + +JANUARY SECOND + +General James Wolfe born 1727. + +Colonial flag first raised 1776. + +Mary Carey Thomas born 1857. + + To what profit we could use the time for our present task that we + spend in impatient waiting and wondering over the future! So often + the future is just one step up from the present, but some of us miss + it by preferring to wait for an elevator. + + --M. B. S. + + Prepare to live by all means, but for heaven's sake do not forget to + live. You will never have a better chance than you have at present. + You may think you will have, but you are mistaken. + + --Arnold Bennett. + + He that riseth late must trot all day, and shall scarce overtake his + business at night; while laziness travels so slowly that poverty + soon overtakes him. He that lives on hope will die fasting. + + --Benjamin Franklin. + + Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might, for there + is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in Sheol, whither + thou goest. + + --Ecclesiastes 9. 10. + +Gracious Father, my heart burns with shame when I think how much I +claim, and how little I am. I pray that my body may not cast a shadow +to-day, and cloud the light of my life to-morrow. Cleanse the windows +of my soul that I may take in thy glory. Amen. + + + + +JANUARY THIRD + +Marcus Tullius Cicero born B.C. 106. + +Martin Luther excommunicated 1521. + +Douglas Jerrold born 1803. + +Charles Wagner (France) born 1852. + + To be continually advancing in the paths of knowledge is one of the + most pleasing satisfactions of the human mind. These are pleasures + perfect consistent with every degree of advanced years. + + --Cicero. + + Fidelity in small things is at the base of every great achievement. + We too often forget this and yet no truth needs more to be kept in + mind particularly in the troubled eras of history and in the crises + of individual life. In shipwreck a splintered beam, an oar, any + scrap of wreckage saves us. To despise the remnants is + demoralization. + + --Charles Wagner. + + He that is faithful in a very little is faithful also in much and he + that is unrighteous in a very little is unrighteous also in much. + + --Luke 16. 10 + +Almighty God, may I understand that thou art in everything and that I +cannot hide from thee, for thou boldest me though I know it not. Give +me the desire, and help me to learn of thy laws, that I may know that +even in the least of things, I have the liberty to obtain happiness by +obeying them. Amen. + + + + +JANUARY FOURTH + +Archbishop Usher born 1580. + +Jacob L. Carl Grimm born 1785. + +Elizabeth Peabody died 1894. + + Years rush by us like the wind, we see not whence the eddy comes, + nor whitherward it is tending, and we seem ourselves to witness + their flight without a sense that we are changed: and yet time is + beguiling man of his strength, as the winds rob the trees of their + foliage. + + --Sir Walter Scott. + + The bell strikes one. We take no note of Time + But from its loss. To give it, then a tongue + Is wise in man; as if an angel spoke + I feel the solemn sound. If heard aright + It is the knell of my departed hours: + Where are they? + + --Edward Young. + + Days should speak, And multitude of years should teach wisdom. And + the breath of the Almighty giveth them understanding. It is not the + great that are wise, Nor the aged that understand justice. + + --Job 32. 7, 9. + +Lord God, help me to see my mistakes, and bring me to the realization +of my life. Grant that I may no longer use the time that thou gavest +me to learn in, heedlessly, but to give it my best thought and care. +Amen. + + + + +JANUARY FIFTH + +Stephen Decatur born 1779. + +Robert Morrison born 1782. + +Thomas Pringle born 1789. + + Let me go where'er I will, + I hear a sky-born music still: + It sounds from all things old, + It sounds from all things young, + From all that's fair, from all that's foul, + Peals out a cheerful song. + + It is not only in the rose, + It is not only in the bird, + Not only where the rainbow glows, + Nor in the song of woman heard, + But in the darkest, meanest things + There alway, alway something sings. + + 'Tis not in the high stars alone, + Nor in the cup of budding flowers, + Nor in the redbreast's mellow tone, + Nor in the bow that smiles in showers, + But in the mud and scum of things + There alway, alway something sings. + + --Ralph Waldo Emerson. + + The heavens declare the glory of God; And the firmament showeth his + handiwork. + + --Psalm 19. 1. + +Almighty God, grant that my life may no longer be a noise, but be kept +in tune with the sublimest melodies, that wherever I am, there may be +no discords in the songs of my soul. Through thy loving-kindness may +my songs resound. Amen. + + + + +JANUARY SIXTH + +Epiphany, or Twelfth-Day. + +Joan d'Arc born 1412. + +David Dale born 1739. + + 'Twas even so! and thou the shepherd's child, + Joanne, the lowly dreamer of the wild! + Never before and never since that hour + Hath woman, mantled with victorious power, + Stood forth as thou beside the shrine didst stand, + Holy amidst the knighthood of the land. + + --Mrs. Felicia Hemans. + + Every one must recognize the splendid work which has been done by + women in social and educational fields. And it will, I believe, come + more and more to be recognized that in some respects women are + specially fitted for government and for official-municipal life. + + --Sir Oliver Lodge. + + Now Deborah, a prophetess, the wife of Lappidoth, she judged Israel + at that time. And she dwelt under the palm tree of Deborah between + Ramah and Bethel in the hill-country of Ephraim: and the children of + Israel came up to her for judgment. + + --Judges 4. 4, 5. + +My Father, help me to be thoughtful and just. May I consider the great +truths and broader visions that may not be seen from where I stand. +May I be willing to accept a better view. Grant that I may realize +that the battle of life is not a sham battle, but a struggle for the +advancement of life. Amen. + + + + +JANUARY SEVENTH + +General Putnam born 1718. + +Robert Nicholl born 1814. + +T. DeWitt Talmage born 1832. + + Opportunities fly in a straight line, touch us but once and never + return, but the wrongs we do others fly in a circle; they come back + from the place they started. + + --T. DeWitt Talmage. + + Our share of night to bear, + Our share of morning, + Our blank is bliss to fill, + Our blank is scorning. + + Here a star, and there a star, + Some lose their way, + Here a mist, and there a mist, + Afterwards--day! + + --Emily Dickinson. + + Arise ye, and depart; for this is not your resting-place. + + --Micah 2. 10. + +Lord God, give me the desire to be persistent in service, while I have +health and strength. May I experience the sweetness that comes in +doing the thing that I ought to have done, as well as that in which I +took the most pleasure. Help me to so live that my days may be useful, +and be recalled with bright and happy recollections. Amen. + + + + +JANUARY EIGHTH + +John Earl of Stair died 1707. + +Sir William Draper died 1787. + +Alfred Russel Wallace born 1823. + +William Wilkie Collins born 1824. + +Sir Laurence Alma-Tadema born 1836. + + A blue bird built his nest + Here in my breast. + "O bird of Light! Whence comest thou?" + Said he, "From God above: + My name is Love." + + A mate he brought one day, + Of plumage gray. + "O bird of Night! Why comest thou?" + Said she: "Seek no relief! + My name is Grief." + + --Laurence Alma-Tadema. + + It is not so much resolution as renunciation, not so much courage as + resignation, that we need. He that has once yielded thoroughly to + God will yield to nothing but God. + + --John Ruskin. + + Behold, God will not cast away a perfect man, Neither will he uphold + the evildoers. He will yet fill thy mouth with laughter, And thy + lips with shouting. + + --Job 8. 20, 21. + +Almighty God, help me to understand that peace does not come in +rebellion or grieving, but is obtained through the calm of the soul. +Grant that if I may be perplexed or worried to-day, I may have the +power to control myself and wait in thy strength. Amen. + + + + +JANUARY NINTH + +Dr. Thomas Brown born 1778. + +Elizabeth O. Benger died 1822. + +Caroline Lucretia Herschel died 1848, aged ninety-seven. + + Wondrous is the strength of cheerfulness altogether past calculation + its powers of endurance. Efforts to be permanently useful must be + uniformly joyous--a spirit of all sunshine. + + --Thomas Carlyle. + + Honest good humor is the oil and wine of a merry meeting. + + --Washington Irving. + + A laugh is worth a hundred groans in any market. + + --Charles Lamb. + + A glad heart maketh a cheerful countenance; But by sorrow of heart + the spirit is broken. + + Better is a dinner of herbs, where love is, Than a stalled ox and + hatred therewith. + + --Proverbs 15. 13, 17. + +Gracious Father, if I am sorrowing over disappointment and am +forgetful, grant that I may see the things thou hast made, for which I +should be thankful. Help me to so live that I may have a right to +claim a cheerful heart. Amen. + + + + +JANUARY TENTH + +Dr. George Birkbeck born 1776. + +Michel or Marshal Ney born 1769. + +Karl von Linné, Linnæus, died 1778. + +Ethan Allen born 1737. + + Shall I hold on with both hands to every paltry possession? All I + have teaches me to trust the Creator for all I have not seen. + + --Ralph Waldo Emerson. + + The practical weakness of the vast mass of modern pity for the poor + and the oppressed is precisely that it is merely pity; the pity is + pitiful but not respectful. Men feel that the cruelty to the poor is + a kind of cruelty to animals. They never feel that it is injustice + to equals; nay, it is treachery to comrades. + + --G.K. Chesterton. + + Be ye all like-minded, compassionate, loving as brethren, + tender-hearted, humble-minded: not rendering evil for evil, or + reviling for reviling; but contrariwise blessing. + + --1 Peter 3. 8, 9. + +God of justice, may I pause to remember that while I may do a mean act +and keep it hidden from others, I cannot keep it hidden from myself, +nor from thee. Help me to have a nobler sense of the quality of life, +and less anxiety for the quantity, that I may avoid harshness and +selfishness, and be given to tenderness and justice. Amen. + + + + +JANUARY ELEVENTH + +Alexander Hamilton born 1757. + +Bayard Taylor born 1825. + +William James born 1842. + +Alice Caldwell Regan Rice born 1870. + + The paternal relation to man was the basis of that religion which + appealed directly to the heart; so the fraternity of each man with + his fellow was its practical application. + + --Bayard Taylor. + + It is indeed a remarkable fact that sufferings and hardships do not, + as a rule, abate the love of life; they seem on the contrary, + usually to give it a keener zest; and the sovereign source of + melancholy is repletion. Need and struggle are what excite and + inspire. Our hour of triumph is what brings the void. + + --William James. + + Blessed is the man that endureth temptation; for when he hath been + approved, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord + promised to them that love him. + + --James 1. 12. + +Lord God, I come to thee for help that the small things may not force +themselves into my life, and keep me from pursuing the larger things +which are continually open to me. May I not be blind to what I may +have and be, through inspiration and work. Grant that I may not be +satisfied to remain in that in which I have triumphed, but climb to +greater endeavors. Amen. + + + + +JANUARY TWELFTH + +Edmund Burke born 1729. + +Johann Heinrich Pestalozzi born 1746. + +François Coppée born 1842. + +John S. Sargent born 1856. + + Show the thing you contend for to be reason; show it to be common + sense; show it to be the means of attaining some useful end. The + question with me is not whether you have a right to render your + people miserable, but whether it is your interest to make them + happy. + + --Edmund Burke. + + Like the star + That shines afar, + Without haste + And without rest, + Let each man wheel with steady sway + Round the task that rules the day, + And do his best. + + --Goethe. + + Love suffereth long, and is kind; love envieth not; love vaunteth + not itself, is not puffed up. + + --1 Corinthians 13. 4. + +Gracious Father, cause me to be critical of my life, that I may not be +deceived in myself. Help me to look into my soul and see what thou +dost find there; and with humility may I acknowledge what I am to +thee, and seek thy wisdom and love. Amen. + + + + +JANUARY THIRTEENTH + +George Fox, founder Society of Friends, died 1691. + +Samuel Woodworth (Old Oaken Bucket) born 1785. + +Order of King's Daughters founded 1886. + + Have thy soul feel the universal breath + With which all nature's quick, and learn to be + Sharer in all that thou dost touch or see; + Break from thy body's grasp thy spirit's trance; + Give thy soul air, thy faculties expanse; + Love, joy, even sorrow,--yield thyself to all! + They make thy freedom, groveling, not thy thrall. + Knock off the shackles which thy spirit bind + To dust and sense, and set at large the mind! + Then move in sympathy with God's great whole, + And be like man at first, a _Living Soul_. + + --Richard Henry Dana. + + I was deeply impressed by what a gardener once said to me concerning + his work. "I feel, sir," he said, "when I am growing the flowers or + rearing the vegetables, that I am having a share in creation." I + thought it a very noble way of regarding his work. + + --J.H. Jowett. + + For we are God's fellow workers: ye are God's husbandry, God's + building. + + --1 Corinthians 3. 9. + +Creator of all, help me to see what there is for me to do; and help me +to know that I cannot be productive if I am hovering in the choice of +my work. May I learn from thy great works of heaven and earth the ways +of selection and steadfastness. Give me the desire to work and the +confidence that is needed to carry on my work. Amen. + + + + +JANUARY FOURTEENTH + +Madame de Sévigné died 1696. + +Edmund Halley died 1742. + +Pierre Loti born 1850. + + Are you in earnest? Seize this very minute + What you can do, or dream you can; begin it; + Boldness has genius, power magic in it. + Only engage, and then the mind grows heated; + Begin and then the work will be completed. + + --Goethe. + + Were half the power that fills the world with terror, + Were half the wealth bestowed on camps and courts, + Given to redeem the human mind from error, + There were no need of arsenals or forts. + + --Henry W. Longfellow. + + Choose you this day whom ye will serve;... but as for me and my + house, we will serve Jehovah. + + --Joshua 24. 15. + +Almighty God, help me to appreciate the sacredness of work while I +have it to do. Grant that I may be spared the wretchedness that comes +from working with fragments from idleness. May I do my part, even if +it be in obscurity and the night overtakes me before it is done. Amen. + + + + +JANUARY FIFTEENTH + +Molière born 1622. + +Dr. Samuel Parr born 1747. + +Edward Everett died 1865. + + The sun withholds his generous beam; + Athwart my soul the shadows stream; + The weird winds boisterously blow, + And drift the melancholy snow. + + When I, in sorrow and despair, + Expect the storm, with tender care + He rends the clouds and through the blue + The glorious sun breaks forth anew. + + --M.B.S. + + So with the wan waste grasses on my spear, + I ride forever seeking after God. + My hair grows whiter than my thistle plume + And all my limbs are loose; but in my eyes + The star of an unconquerable praise; + For in my soul one hope forever sings, + That at the next white corner of the road + My eyes may look on Him. + + --G.K. Chesterton. + + He brought me forth also into a large place; + He delivered me, because he delighted in me. + + --Psalm 18. 19. + +Loving Father, if I may be discouraged to-day, strengthen my faith. +May I not weary of waiting for thee, but trust in thy promises. Amen. + + + + +JANUARY SIXTEENTH + +Edmund Spenser died 1599. + +Johann August Neander born 1789. + +Edward Gibbon died 1794. + +Sir John Moore died 1809. + + But lovely concord, and most sacred peace, + Doth nourish vertue, and fast friendship breeds; + Weake she makes strong, and strong thing does increase, + Till it the pitch of highest praise exceeds. + + --Edmund Spenser. + + Perfect good-breeding is the result of nature and not of education; + for it may be found in a cottage, and may be missed in a palace. + 'Tis the genial regard for the feeling of others that springs from + an absence of selfishness. + + --Disraeli. + + Can a fig tree, my brethren, yield olives, or a vine figs? neither + can salt water yield sweet. + + --James 3. 12. + +Heavenly Father, help me to value my thoughts, words, and deeds. If at +the close of the day, there may be one who has been wounded by my +injustice, may I be willing to make quick atonement. May I avoid the +ways and words that hurt; and not only wish rightly and work rightly, +but speak to enrich others with tenderness. Amen. + + + + +JANUARY SEVENTEENTH + +John Ray died 1705. + +Benjamin Franklin born 1706. + +George Bancroft died 1891. + + Employ thy time well if thou meanest to gain leisure; and since thou + art not sure of a minute, throw not away an hour! Leisure is time + for doing something useful; this leisure the diligent man will + obtain, but the lazy man never; a life of leisure and a life of + laziness are two things. + + --Benjamin Franklin. + + There is nothing to gain and everything to lose by despising the + example of nature, and making arbitrary rules for oneself. Our + liberty wisely understood is but a voluntary obedience to the + universal laws of life. + + --Amiel. + + I will meditate on thy precepts, + And have respect unto thy ways. + + --Psalm 119. 15. + +My Father, help me to understand the power of nature, that I may be +willing to obey her laws. I pray that I may so live that my life will +proclaim itself without need of boasting or deception. Forbid that I +should spend my life in perfecting trifles, and have no leisure to +enjoy thy great gifts. Amen. + + + + +JANUARY EIGHTEENTH + +Charles de Montesquieu born 1689. + +John Gillies born 1747. + +Daniel Webster born 1782. + + We would leave for the consideration of those who shall occupy our + places some proof that we hold the blessings transmitted from our + fathers in just estimation; some proof of our attachment to the + cause of good government and of civil and religious liberty; some + proof of a sincere and ardent desire to promote every thing which + may enlarge the understanding and improve the hearts of men. + + --Daniel Webster. + + Brother and friend, the world is wide, + But I care not whether there be + The soothing song of a summer tide + Or the thrash of a wintry sea, + If but through shimmer and storm you bide, + Brother and friend, with me. + + --Percy C. Ainsworth. + + Honor all men. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the King. + + --1 Peter 2. 17. + +Almighty God, I thank thee for all the tender influences of life; for +all the gentleness and strength that may be given and received through +friendship. Help me to be careful of what I do, for my sake, and for +the sake of those who may follow me. Amen. + + + + +JANUARY NINETEENTH + +Hans Sachs died 1576. + +William Congreve died 1729. + +James Watt born 1736. + +Robert E. Lee born 1807. + +Edgar Allan Poe born 1809. + + I stand amid the roar + Of a surf-tormented shore, + And I hold within my hand + Grains of the golden sand-- + How few! Yet how they creep + Through my fingers to the deep, + While I weep--while I weep! + O God, can I not save + One from the pitiless wave? + Is all that we see or seem + But a dream within a dream? + + --Edgar Allan Poe. + + Do not train up your children in hostility to the government of the + United States. Remember that we are one country now. Dismiss from + your mind all sectional feeling, and bring them up to be Americans. + + --Robert E. Lee. + + Wait for Jehovah: Be strong, and let thy heart take courage; Yea, + wait thou for Jehovah. + + --Psalm 27. 14. + +Lord God, I pray that if I have struggled for the wrong, and have +worked with weak hands, thou wilt forgive me for my lost strength. +Give me more light to shine upon my work, upon thy promises, and upon +my duties; and with thy wisdom may I search for the truth that is +behind every wrong, and for the purpose that is beyond all +journeyings. Amen. + + + + +JANUARY TWENTIETH + +Eve of Saint Agnes. + +David Garrick died 1779. + +John Howard died 1790. + +John Ruskin died 1900. + +Nathaniel P. Willis born 1806. + + How like a mounting devil in the heart + Rules the unreigned ambition! Let it once + But play the monarch, and its haughty brow + Glows with a beauty that bewilders thought + And unthrones peace forever. Putting on + The very pomp of Lucifer, it turns + The heart to ashes. + + --Nathaniel P. Willis. + + Temperance, in the nobler sense, does not mean a subdued and + imperfect energy; it does not mean a stopping short in any good + thing, as love or in faith; but it means the power which governs the + most intense energy, and prevents its acting in any way but as it + ought. + + --John Ruskin. + + And thy gentleness hath made me great. + + --Psalm 18. 35. + + +Gracious Father, I pray that I may be willing to profit by the +experience of great teachers, and appreciate the value of strong +principles. May I too live for the higher ideals of life, and through +a sympathetic response add power and virtue to other lives, while +gaining strength for my own. Amen. + + + + +JANUARY TWENTY-FIRST + +Miles Coverdale died 1568. + +John Fitch born 1743. + +John C. Fremont born 1813. + +Thomas Erskine born 1750. + +Thomas Jonathan (Stonewall) Jackson born 1824. + + So long as we love we serve; so long as we are loved by others I + would almost say that we are indispensable; and no man is useless + while he has a friend. + + --Robert L. Stevenson. + + So to the calmly gathered thought + The innermost of life is taught, + The mystery dimly understood, + That love of God is love of good: + That to be saved is only this-- + Salvation from our selfishness. + + --John Greenleaf Whittier. + + Love worketh no ill to his neighbor: love therefore is the + fulfillment of the law. And this, knowing the season, that already + it is time for you to awake out of sleep: for now is salvation + nearer to us than when we first believed. + + --Romans 13. 10, 11. + + +Tender Father, may I not attempt to serve life for my own +gratification. May I not interpret love through vanity, but from +reality. Make me worth while, that I may be relied upon for my +pledges, and needed for my services. Amen. + + + + +JANUARY TWENTY-SECOND + +Andrea del Sarto died 1531. + +Francis Bacon born 1561. + +Lord George Byron born 1788. + +Queen Victoria died 1901. + + Father of light! to thee I call, + My soul is dark within: + Thou who canst mark the sparrow's fall, + Avert the death of sin, + Thou who canst guide the wandering star, + Who calm'st the elemental war, + Whose mantle is yon boundless sky, + My thoughts, my words, my crimes forgive; + And since I soon must cease to live, + Instruct me how to die. + + --Lord Byron. + + Knowledge, whether it descend from divine inspiration or spring from + human sense, would soon perish and vanish to oblivion if it were not + preserved in books, traditions, conferences, and places appointed. + + --Francis Bacon. + + Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of the + prophecy, and keep the things that are written therein. + + --Revelation 1. 3. + +Almighty God, I would have thy counsel as I read the words and follow +the deeds of helpful lives, that I may be inspired to nobler +activities. Give me the desire to know more of thy holy word, that I +may have a better knowledge of life. Amen. + + + + +JANUARY TWENTY-THIRD + +John Hancock born 1737. + +William Pitt died 1806. + +Charles Kingsley died 1875. + +Paul Gustave Doré died 1883. + + Never lose an opportunity of seeing anything beautiful. Welcome it + in every fair face, every fair sky, every fair flower, and thank Him + for it, who is the fountain of all loveliness. + + --Charles Kingsley. + + Nature never did betray + The heart that loved her; 'tis her privilege + Through all the years of this life, to lead, + From joy to joy; for she can so impress + With quietness and beauty, and so feed + With lofty thoughts, that neither evil tongues, + * * * * * + Nor all the dreary intercourse of daily life, + Shall e'er prevail against us or disturb + Our cheerful faith, that all which we behold + Is full of blessings. + + --William Wordsworth. + + Is not God in the height of heaven? + And behold the height of the stars, how high they are! + And thou sayest, What doth God know? + Can he judge through the thick darkness? + + --Job 22. 12, 13. + +Lord God, I pray that I may not overlook thy blessings of beauty while +endeavoring to perform my duties. Guide me that I may not struggle to +be where thou wouldst not have me go. Amen. + + + + +JANUARY TWENTY-FOURTH + +Charles Earl of Dorset born 1637. + +Frederick the Great born 1712. + +Charles James Fox born 1749. + + The great Gods pass through the great Time-hall, + Stately and high; + The little men climb the low clay wall + To gape and spy; + "We wait for the Gods," the little men cry, + "But these are our brothers passing by." + + The great Gods pass through the great Time-hall; + Who can see? + The little men nod by the low clay wall, + So tired they be; + '"Tis weary waiting for Gods," they yawn, + "There's a world o' men, but the Gods are gone." + + --A.H. Begbie. + + But their eyes were holden that they should not know him. + + --Luke 24. 16. + +My Father, may I be careful of getting weary and missing the best +through the need of rest. Intensify my desire for the songs and +glorious ways, that I may not settle into dullness and slumber, while +others pass on in the light. I pray for a keener sense of the +possessions made possible by the deeds and cares of noble men and +women. Amen. + + + + +JANUARY TWENTY-FIFTH + +Robert Burns born 1759. + +Lord Frederick Leighton died 1896. + +Daniel Maclise born 1811. + + When ranting round in pleasure's ring + Religion may be blinded: + Or if she gie a random sting, + It may be little minded: + But when on life we're Tempest-driv'n-- + A conscience but a canker, + A correspondence fixed wi' Heav'n, + Is sure a noble anchor. + + --Robert Burns. + + Be good, sweet maid, and let who will be clever; + Do noble things, not dream them, all day long: + And so make life, death, and that vast forever + One grand sweet song. + + --Charles Kingsley. + + O Lord, by these things men live; + And wholly therein is the life of my spirit: + Wherefore recover thou me, and make me to live. + + --Isaiah 38. 16. + +Gracious Father, grant that I may not be willing to spend my life for +trivial needs, for thou dost measure me for what I am, and boldest me +for what I lose in waste. Be with me in my judgment of what is best, +that I may make the most of my life. Amen. + + + + +JANUARY TWENTY-SIXTH + +Lord George Sackville born 1716. + +Benjamin Robert Haydon born 1786. + +Mary Mapes Dodge born 1838. + +General Gordon (Chinese Gordon) killed 1885. + + Ave Maria! blessed be the hour, + That time, the clime, the spot, where I so oft + Have felt that moment in its fullest power + Sink o'er the earth so beautiful and soft, + While swung the deep bell in the distant tower + Or the faint dying day-hymn stole aloft, + And not a breath crept through the rosy air, + And yet the forest leaves seemed stirred with + prayer. + + --Lord Byron. + + I am quite happy, thank God, and like Lawrence, I have tried to do + my duty. + + --General Gordon (just before death). + + For in the day of trouble he will keep me secretly + in his pavilion: + In the covert of his tabernacle will he hide me; + He will lift me up upon a rock. + + --Psalm 27. 5. + +Heavenly Father, teach me how to breathe in the sweetness of life. +Reveal to me the life that will bring peace to the soul. May I not be +dismayed, but find the "Peace that passeth all understanding," the +perfect peace that comes from thee. Amen. + + + + +JANUARY TWENTY-SEVENTH + +Johannes Wolfgang Mozart born 1756. + +A.W. von Schlegel born 1767. + +David Friedrich Strauss born 1808. + + To keep young, every day read a poem, hear a choice piece of music, + view a fine painting, and, if possible, do a good action. Man's + highest merit always is, as much as possible, to rule external + circumstances, and as little as possible to let himself be ruled by + them. + + --Goethe. + + Let us not always say, + "Spite of this flesh to-day + I strove, made head, gained ground upon the whole!" + As the bird wings and sings, + Let us cry, "All good things + Are ours, nor soul helps flesh more now than flesh helps soul!" + + --Robert Browning. + + Surely goodness and loving-kindness shall follow me all the days of + my life. + + --Psalm 23. 6. + +Loving Father, help me to foresee that it is what I care for to-day +that determines how I will find old age. May I not bring my closing +years to weariness and lonesomeness, but may I have the restfulness +that comes with communing with thee. Amen. + + + + +JANUARY TWENTY-EIGHTH + +Charlemagne died 814. + +Sir Francis Drake died 1596. + +Peter the Great died 1725. + +Charles George Gordon (Chinese Gordon) born 1833. + + He only is advancing in life whose heart is getting softer, whose + blood warmer, whose brain quicker, and whose spirit is entering into + living peace. And the men who have this life in them are the true + lords and kings of the earth--they, and they only. + + --John Ruskin. + + Just where you stand in the conflict, + There is your place! + Just where you think you are useless, + Hide not your face! + God placed you there for a purpose, + What e'er it be; + Think you he has chosen you for it: + Work loyally. + + --Anonymous. + + O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and the knowledge of + God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past tracing + out! + + --Romans 11. 33. + +My Father, I thank thee that thou hast endowed me with a will; help me +to use it aright. May I have the knowledge of what thou dost demand of +my soul, that I may do my best with what thou hast given me. Help me +that I may reach out for the highest ideals of life. Amen. + + + + +JANUARY TWENTY-NINTH + +Emanuel Swedenborg born 1688. + +Thomas Paine born 1737. + +Adelaide Ristori born 1822. + +William McKinley, Ohio, twenty-fourth President +United States, born 1843. + + God will keep no nation in supreme place that will not do supreme + duty. + + --William McKinley. + + Reputation is what men and women think of us; character is what God + and the angels know of us. + + --Thomas Paine. + + The reward of one duty is the power to fulfill another. + + --George Eliot. + + Let thy hand be upon the man of thy right hand, + Upon the son of man whom thou madest strong for thyself. + So shall we not go back from thee: + Quicken thou us, and we will call upon thy name. + + --Psalm 80. 17, 18. + +My Father, I pray that I may be just and be given to kindness. May I +be conscious of my virtues, and use them to overcome my faults. May I +hear clearly thy call that I may be sure of the way as I lead others +to duty and happiness. Amen. + + + + +JANUARY THIRTIETH + +Archbishop Butler born 1774. + +Walter Savage Landor born 1775. + +Henri Rochefort born 1830. + + Why, why repine, my pensive friend, + At pleasures slipped away? + Some the stern fates will never lend, + And all refuse to stay. + I see the rainbow in the sky, + The dew upon the grass; + I see them and I ask not why + They glimmer or they pass. + With folded arms I linger not + To call them back; 'twere vain; + In this, or in some other spot, + I know they'll shine again. + + --Walter Savage Landor. + + When disappointment comes meet it, but do not carry it along with + you; nor fetter your spirit by changeless haste. "Memory will always + pursue some precious instance of itself," which will bring either + renewed confidence or resignation. + + --M. B. S. + + For thou shalt forget thy misery; + Thou shalt remember it as waters that are passed away. + + --Job 11. 16. + +Gracious Father, help me to "Lift mine eyes unto the hills" that +glorify the discouraging ways. May I appreciate thy great love, and +from my limitations find the possibilities that are limitless. Amen. + + + + +JANUARY THIRTY-FIRST + +Cromwell dissolved Parliament 1655. + +Charles Edward (Young Pretender) died 1788. + +Franz Schubert born 1797. + +James G. Elaine born 1830. + + Nature demands that man be ever at the top of his condition. He who + violates her laws must pay the penalty, though he sit on a throne. + + --James G. Elaine. + + Dig channels for the streams of love, + Where they may broadly run; + And love has overflowing streams + To fill them every one. + + For we must share if we must keep + The good things from above; + Ceasing to give, we cease to have-- + Such is the law of love. + + --R. C. Trench. + + And thy life shall be clearer than the noonday; + Though there be darkness, it shall be as the morning. + + --Job 11. 17. + +My Father, I would remember that it is mostly from my inspirations +that I conceive life. Take away hatred and vanity that keep me in +faults, and awake in me the thoughts that are responsible for visions +that lead to high ideals. Amen. + + + + +FEBRUARY + + + Then came old February, sitting + In an old wagon, for he could not ride, + Drawn of two fishes for the season fitting, + Which through the flood before did softly slide + And swim away; yet he had by his side + His plow and harness fit to till the ground, + And tools to prune the trees, before the pride + Of hasting prime did make them bourgeon wide. + + --Edmund Spenser. + + + + +FEBRUARY FIRST + +Ben Jonson born 1574. + +John Philip Kemble born 1757. + +Arthur Henry Hallam born 1811. + +George Cruikshank died 1878. + + It is not growing like a tree + In bulk, doth make man better be; + Or standing long an oak, three hundred year, + To fall a log at last, dry, bald, and sere: + A lily of a day + Is fairer far in May, + Although it fall and die that night-- + It was the plant and flower of Light. + In small proportions we just beauties see; + And in short measure life may perfect be. + + --Ben Jonson. + + There are four things which are little upon the earth, + But they are exceeding wise: + The ants are a people not strong, + Yet they provide their food in the summer; + The conies are but a feeble folk, + Yet make they their houses in the rocks; + The locusts have no king, + Yet go they forth all of them by bands; + The lizard taketh hold with her hands, + Yet is she in king's palaces. + + --Proverbs 30. 24-28. + +Creator of all, lead me to see the light, and instruct me that I may +be able to reason. Guard me against spectacular endeavors, that I may +be genuine. Amen. + + + + +FEBRUARY SECOND + +Candlemas Day. + +Nell Gwynn born 1650. + +Hannah More born 1745. + +William Henry Burleigh born 1812. + + 'Twas doing nothing was his curse-- + Is there a vice can plague us worse? + The wretch who digs the mine for bread, + Or plows, that others may be fed, + Feels less fatigue than that decreed + To him who cannot think, or read. + Not all the peril of temptations, + Not all the conflict of the passions, + Can quench the spark of Glory's flame, + Or quite extinguish Virtue's name. + + --Hannah More. + + Sound, sound the clarion, fill the fife! + To all the sensual world proclaim, + One crowded hour of glorious life + Is worth an age without a name. + + --Sir Walter Scott. + + He went out, and found others standing; and he saith unto them, Why + stand ye here all the day idle? They say unto him, Because no man + hath hired us. He saith unto them, Go ye also into the vineyard. + + --Matthew 20. 6, 7. + +Eternal God, who hath weighed the mountains and measured the seas, I +pray that I may not be satisfied to wait in idleness, and let thy +wisdom pass away from me as the days. Steady me in my weakness, and +reveal to me my strength as I draw near and ask of thee. Amen. + + + + +FEBRUARY THIRD + +Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy born 1809. + +Horace Greeley born 1811. + +Frederick William Robertson born 1816. + +Sidney Lanier born 1842. + + My soul is sailing through the sea, + But the past is heavy and hindereth me. + The past hath crusted cumbrous shells + That hold the flesh of cold sea-mells + About my soul. + The huge waves wash, the high waves roll, + Each barnacle clingeth and worketh dole + And hindereth me from sailing. + + --Sidney Lanier. + + To stand with a smile upon your face, against a stake from which you + cannot get away--that no doubt is heroic. True glory is resignation + to the inevitable. But to stand unchained, with perfect liberty to + go away held only by the higher chains of duty, and let the fire + creep up to the heart--that is heroism. + + --F.W. Robertson. + + We are pressed on every side, yet not straitened; perplexed, yet not + unto despair; pursued, yet not forsaken; smitten down, yet not + destroyed. + + --2 Corinthians 4. 8, 9. + +Gracious Father, thou knowest what I am and the condition of my life. +May I seek thy will for me. Grant that I may never struggle for +consolation through indulgence and indolence, but in my sorrow and +failure may I reach out for thy enduring comfort. Amen. + + + + +FEBRUARY FOURTH + +Mark Hopkins born 1802. + +W. Harrison Ainsworth born 1805. + +Jean Richepin born 1849. + +Thomas Carlyle died 1881. + + Life is not a May-game, but a battle and a march, a warfare with + principalities and powers. No idle promenade through fragrant orange + groves and green flowery spaces, waited on by coral muses, and the + rosy hours; it is a stern pilgrimage through the rough, burning, + sandy solitudes, through regions of thick-ribbed ice. + + --Thomas Carlyle. + + For all sweet and pleasant passages in the great story of life men + may well thank God; for leisure and ease and health and friendship + may God make us truly and humbly grateful; but our chief song of + thanksgiving must be always for our kinship with him, with all that + such divinity of greatness brings of peril, hardship, toil, and + sacrifice. + + --Hamilton Mabie. + + Thy bars shall be iron and brass; + And as thy days, so shall thy strength be. + + --Deuteronomy 33. 25. + +My Father, help me to choose the road that leads to my work, and may I +not fail to reach it, by wandering away from it. Keep me in touch with +the human side of life, holding in mind that "Truth and honesty are +the noblest works of God." Amen. + + + + +FEBRUARY FIFTH + +Sir Robert Peel born 1788. + +Ole Boreman Bull born 1810. + +John Muir born 1810. + +Dwight L. Moody born 1837. + + When a great man dies, then has the time come for putting us in mind + that he was alive! + + --Thomas Carlyle. + + If I practice one day, I can see the result. If I practice two days, + my friends can see it. If I practice three days, the great public + can see it. + + --Ole Bull. + + Those who say they will forgive but can't forget an injury simply + bury the hatchet while they leave the handle out, ready for + immediate use. + + --Dwight L. Moody. + + But I hold not my life of any account as dear unto myself, so that I + may accomplish my course. + + --Acts 20. 24. + +Almighty God, if I am uncertain, and tremble at the crossroads in +doubt of the right way, may I wait and be led by thee, and follow on, +even if the way be dark and rough. May I be faithful and have thy +presence as thou promised at the end. Amen. + + + + +FEBRUARY SIXTH + +Queen Anne of England born 1665. + +Aaron Burr born 1756. + +Sir Henry Irving born 1838. + + Nothing earthly will make me give up my work in despair. I encourage + myself in the Lord my God and go forward. + + --David Livingstone. + + To expect defeat is nine tenths of defeat itself. + + --Marion Crawford. + + I do not see how any man can afford, for the sake of his nerves and + his nap, to spare any action in which he can partake. + + --Ralph Waldo Emerson. + + Art is a jealous mistress, she requires the whole man. + + --Michael Angelo. + + Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit you like men, be strong. + + --1 Corinthians 16. 13. + +Almighty God, help me to have true conceptions, that my life may not +be secured to needless purposes. May my soul be influenced by high +ideals, and my work be the production of truth and not of selfishness. +Protect me from evil that I may be kept pure and strong for my work. +Amen. + + + + +FEBRUARY SEVENTH + +Millard Fillmore, New York, thirteenth President United States born 1800. + +Sir Thomas More born 1478. + +Charles Dickens born 1812. + +Anne Radcliffe died 1823. + +Sidney Cooper died 1902. + + Let no man turn aside ever so slightly, from the broad path of + honor, on the plausible pretense that he is justified by the + goodness of his end. All good ends can be worked out by good means. + + --Charles Dickens. + + If evils come not, then our fears are vain; + And if they do, fear but augments the pain. + + --Sir Thomas More. + + A human heart knows aught of littleness, + Suspects no man, compares with no one's ways, + Hath in one hour most glorious length of days, + A recompense, a joy, a loveliness; + + Like eaglet keen, shoots into azure far, + And always dwelling nigh is the remotest star. + + --William Ellery Channing. + + Teach me thy way, O Jehovah; + I will walk in thy truth: + Unite my heart to fear thy name. + + --Psalm 86. 11. + +Gracious Father, I pray that thou wilt control my impulses, and +protect me from false interpretations. May I have wisdom, and search +for the high and holy ways. Help me to be patient for thy purposes, +and may my relations to life be triumphant in thy standards. Amen. + + + + +FEBRUARY EIGHTH + +Samuel Butler born 1612. + +John Ruskin born 1819. + +General Sherman born 1820. + +Jules Verne born 1828. + +Richard Watson Gilder born 1844. + + If you want knowledge, you must toil for it; and if pleasure, you + must toil for it. Toil is the law. Pleasure comes through toil, and + not by self-indulgence and indolence. When one gets to love work his + life is a happy one. + + --John Ruskin. + + Whatever sceptic could inquire for, + For every why he had a wherefore. + + --Samuel Butler. + + Through love to light! O wonderful the way, + That leads from darkness to the perfect day! + From darkness and from sorrow of the night + To morning that comes singing o'er the sea. + Through love to light! through light O God to Thee! + Who art the love, the eternal light of light! + + --Richard Watson Gilder. + + We must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the + night cometh, when no man can work. + + --John 9. 4. + +My Father, I pray that I may not weight my life with worthless +efforts. May I be guided to the right work, and through the love of it +find strength for my soul. Amen. + + + + +FEBRUARY NINTH + +C.F. Volney born 1757. + +William Henry Harrison, Virginia, ninth President United States, born 1773. + +Anthony Hope (Hawkins) born 1863. + +George Ade born 1866. + + A man's own observation, what he finds good of, and what he finds + hurt of, is the best physic to preserve health. But it is a safer + conclusion to say, "This agreeth not well with me, therefore I will + not continue it"; than to say, "I find no offense of this, therefore + I may use it." For strength of nature in youth passeth over many + excesses, which are owing a man till his age. + + --Francis Bacon. + + Though man a thinking being is defined, + Few use the grand prerogative of mind. + How few think justly of the thinking few! + How many never think, who think they do! + + --Jane Taylor. + + Blessed is the man that endureth temptation; for when he hath been + approved, he shall receive the crown of life. + + --James 1. 12. + +Almighty God, I would learn that while thou art a forgiving Lord, +nature has no mercy on them that break her laws. Forgive me for all my +neglect, and help me to see the way in which thou hast through mercy +led me. Give me the power to endure and the strength to resist +temptation. May I seek to understand thy laws, that I may not fail +through ignorance. Amen. + + + + +FEBRUARY TENTH + +Rev. Henry Hart Milman born 1791. + +Charles Lamb born 1775. + +Sir William Napier died 1860. + + Never let the most well-intended falsehood escape your lips; for + Heaven, which is entirely Truth, will make the seed which you have + sown of untruth to yield miseries a thousandfold. + + --Charles Lamb. + + We cannot command veracity at will; the power of seeing and + reporting truly is a form of health that has to be distinctly + guarded, and as an ancient rabbi has solemnly said, "The penalty of + untruth is untruth." + + --George Eliot. + + The bat hangs upside down and laughs at a topsy-turvy world. + + --Unknown. + + The lip of truth shall be established for ever; + But a lying tongue is but for a moment. + + --Proverbs 12. 19. + +Lord God, give me the will to hold to the truth and the strength to +help keep the world true; and may I help others to look up and catch +the truth from the purest light. Amen. + + + + +FEBRUARY ELEVENTH + +Mary, Queen of England, born 1516. + +Daniel Boone born 1735. + +Lydia M. Child born 1802. + +Washington Gladden born 1836. + +Thomas A. Edison born 1847. + + Few, in the days of early youth, + Trusted like me in love and truth. + I've learned sad lessons from the years; + But slowly and with many tears; + For God made me to kindly view + The world that I was passing through. + + And all who tempt a trusting heart + From faith and hope to drift apart, + May they themselves be spared the pain + Of losing power to trust again! + God help us all to kindly view + The world that we are passing through! + + --Lydia M. Child. + + For ye shall go out with joy, and be led forth with peace: the + mountains and the hills shall break forth before you into singing; + and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands. + + --Isaiah 55. 12. + +Lord God, I pray that I may not rest my hope in self alone, but know +that the greatest joy is in the hope of the world. Help me to have +faith in mankind; and with a loyal heart and a brave spirit be as kind +to the world as I can. Amen. + + + + +FEBRUARY TWELFTH + +Dr. Cotton Mather born 1663. + +Peter Cooper born 1791. + +Abraham Lincoln, Kentucky, sixteenth President United States, born 1809. + +Robert Charles Darwin born 1809. + +George Meredith born 1828. + + With malice towards none, with charity for all, with firmness in the + right as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish + the work we are in; to bind up the nation's wounds, ... to do all + which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace among + ourselves and with all nations. + + --Abraham Lincoln. + + The great moral combat between human life and each human soul must + be single.... When a soul arms for battle she goes forth alone. + + --Owen Meredith. + + According to the grace of God which was given unto me, as a wise + master builder I laid a foundation; and another buildeth thereon. + + --1 Corinthians 3. 10. + +Almighty God, I thank thee for the courage that comes with a great +life. Help me to be brave, even if it is only that others may be +blest. May I lay a careful foundation and plan to build the best that +I can afford. Amen. + + + + +FEBRUARY THIRTEENTH + +David Allan born 1744. + +Maurice de Talleyrand-Périgord born 1754. + +Richard Wagner died 1883. + + A man is not his hope, nor yet his despair, nor yet his past deed. + We know not yet what we have done; still less what we are doing. + Wait till evening, and other parts of our work will shine than we + had thought at noon, and we shall discover the real purport of our + toil. + + --Henry D. Thoreau. + + When you make a mistake don't look back at it long. Take the reason + of the thing into your mind, and look forward. Mistakes are lessons + of wisdom.... The past cannot be changed. The future is yet in your + power. + + --Hugh White. + + He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing seed for sowing, + Shall doubtless come again with joy, bringing his sheaves with him. + + --Psalm 126. 6. + +My Father, help me to survey my life. Make me compassionate and +considerate, that I may be qualified to promote that which is helpful. +May I appreciate that what is worth keeping I can obtain from thee. +Amen. + + + + +FEBRUARY FOURTEENTH + +Saint Valentine's Day. + +Captain James Cook killed 1779. + +Jean Ernest Reynaud born 1808. + + Oh! little loveliest lady mine, + What shall I send for your valentine? + Summer and flowers are far away; + Gloomy old Winter is king to-day; + Buds will not blow, and sun will not shine: + What shall I do for a valentine? + + I've searched the gardens all through and through + For a bud to tell of my love so true; + But buds are asleep and blossoms are dead, + And the snow beats down on my poor little head: + So, little loveliest lady mine, + Here is my heart for your valentine. + + --Laura E. Richards. + + Oh rank is gold, and gold is fair, + And high and low mate ill; + But love has never known a law + Beyond its own sweet will! + + --John G. Whittier. + + Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God. + + --1 John 4. 7. + +Loving Father, may I not fall to nodding in the balmy air of luxury +and miss the messages of love. Arouse me, that I may give and take in +the treasures of love as they come my way, and that they may not pass +unnoticed. Amen. + + + + +FEBRUARY FIFTEENTH + +Galileo Galilei born 1564. + +Louis XV born 1710. + +S. Weir Mitchell born 1829. + +Sir Frederick Treves born 1853. + + The night I know is nigh at hand, + The mists lie low on hill and bay, + The autumn sheaves are brown and dry, + But I have had the day. + + Yes, I have had, dear Lord, the day. + When at thy call I have the night + Brief be the twilight as I pass + From light to dark, from dark to light. + + --S. Weir Mitchell. + + + If thou faint in the day of adversity, thy strength is small--too + small to be worth talking about, for the day of adversity is its + first real opportunity. + + --Maltbie Babcock. + + Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him + that loved us. + + --Romans 8. 37. + +My Father, may my daily work not be the means of separating me from +thee, but may I have thee for my companion through my work. Forbid +that I should ever submit to despair from weakness of body, but that I +may be blest and grow strong as my spirit lives in thee. Amen. + + + + +FEBRUARY SIXTEENTH + +Philip Melanchthon born 1497. + +Gasper de Coligny born 1517. + +Thomas Robert Malthus born 1766. + +Ernst Heinrich Haeckel born 1834. + + Thy love shall chant its own beatitudes + After its own life working. A child's kiss + Set on thy sighing lips shall make thee glad. + A poor man served by thee shall make thee rich; + A sick man helped by thee shall make thee strong; + Thou shalt be served thyself by every sense + Of service which thou renderest. + + --Elizabeth B. Browning. + + Ask nothing more of me, sweet; + All I can give you I give. + Heart of my heart, were it more, + More would be laid at your feet: + Love that should help you to live, + Song that should help you to soar. + + --Algernon Charles Swinburne. + + All things therefore whatsoever ye would that men should do unto + you, even so do ye also unto them. + + --Matthew 7. 12. + +Lord God, I pray that I may not neglect the help and happiness that I +may give with compassion and love. Make me strong in all the senses +that answer to the call of humanity. Help me to guide and protect +little children, and to care for the comforts of the old. Amen. + + + + +FEBRUARY SEVENTEENTH + +Kate Greenaway born 1846. + +Michael Angelo Buonarroti died 1563. + +Giordano Bruno burned at Rome 1600. + +Molière died 1673. + +Rose Terry Cooke born 1827. + +Frances E. Willard died 1898. + + It is not much + To give a gentle word or kindly touch + To one gone down + Beneath the world's cold frown, + + And yet who knows + How great a thing from such a little grows? + O, oftentimes, + Some brother upward climbs + And hope again + Uplifts its head, that in the dust had lain, + Gives place to morning's light. + + --E. H. Divall. + + I will seek that which was lost, and will bring back that which was + driven away, and will bind up that which was broken, and will + strengthen that which was sick. + + --Ezekiel 34. 16. + +My Father, may I not sorrow so that I fail to comfort the sorrowing, +and may I not be so happy that I fail to see that others need to be +glad. I thank thee for thy providences. May I serve thee in helping +others to brighter lives. Amen. + + + + +FEBRUARY EIGHTEENTH + +Martin Luther died 1546. + +George Peabody born 1795. + +Wilson Barrett born 1846. + + A mighty fortress is our God, + A bulwark never failing: + Our helper he amid the flood + Of mortal ills prevailing. + For still our ancient foe + Doth seek to work us woe; + His craft and power are great: + And, armed with cruel hate, + On earth is not his equal. + + --Martin Luther. + + Let us stand by our duty fearlessly and effectively. I am not bound + to win, but I am bound to be true. I am not bound to succeed, but I + am bound to live up to the light that I have. + + --Abraham Lincoln. + + Jehovah is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; + My God, my rock, in whom I will take refuge. + + --Psalm 18. 2. + +Lord God, help me to lay my life in the rocks of thy foundation, and +not in moving sands which are tossed from shore to shore. May I cling +to the rock that was cleft for me and trust for thy care. Amen. + + + + +FEBRUARY NINETEENTH + +Copernicus born 1473. + +Leonard Bacon born 1802. + +W.W. Story born 1819. + +Adelina Patti born 1843. + + So mine are these new fruitings rich, + The simple to the common brings; + I keep the youth of souls who pitch + Their joy in this old heart of things; + + Full lasting is the song, though he + The singer passes; lasting too, + For souls not lent in usury, + The rapture of the forward view. + + --George Meredith. + + All deep things are Song. It seems, somehow, the very central + essence of us, Song; as if all the rest were wrappages and hulls! + the primal element of us; of us, and all things. + + --Thomas Carlyle. + + Ye shall have a song as in the night when a holy feast is kept; and + gladness of heart, as when one goeth with a pipe to come unto the + mountain of Jehovah. + + --Isaiah 30. 29. + +Lord God, help me to feel the power of praise. "As words without +thoughts never to heaven go," so the highest praises are never sung +alone, but rendered with service and love. May I have the heart to +sing thy praises far and near, and rejoice in him from whom all +blessings flow. Amen. + + + + +FEBRUARY TWENTIETH + +J.H. Voss born 1828. + +Joseph Jefferson born 1829. + +Mihaly Munkacsy (Michael Lieb) born 1844. + + Who serves his country well has no need of ancestors. + + --Voltaire. + + Lo, Spring comes forth with all her warmth and + love, + She brings sweet justice from the realms above; + She breaks the chrysalis, she resurrects the dead; + Two butterflies ascend encircling her head. + And so this emblem shall forever be + A sign of immortality. + + --Joseph Jefferson. + + Thou wilt guide me with thy counsel, + And afterward receive me to glory. + + --Psalm 73. 24. + +Lord God, I pray that I may not neglect my soul in trying to fathom +immortal life. If I may be hesitating between comfort and work, remind +me of the greatness of the place which I started to reach. May I not +grow weary of climbing and falter on the stair. Breathe upon me thy +inspiration and love, that I may continue in faith all the way. Amen. + + + + +FEBRUARY TWENTY-FIRST + +Edmund William Gosse born 1849. + +Karl Czerny born 1791. + +Cardinal John H. Newman born 1801. + +Jean L.E. Meissonier born 1815. + +Alice Freeman Palmer born 1855. + + Prune thou thy words, the thoughts control + That o'er thee swell and throng; + They will condense within thy soul, + And change to purpose strong. + + --John H. Newman. + + Think truly, and thy thoughts + Shall the world's famine feed; + Speak truly, and each word of thine + Shall be a fruitful seed; + Live truly, and thy life shall be + A great and noble creed. + + --Horatio Bonar. + + We ought to love everybody and make everybody love us. Then + everything else is easy. + + --Alice Freeman Palmer. + + Then shall thy light break forth as the morning, and thy healing + shall spring forth speedily; and thy righteousness shall go before + thee; the glory of Jehovah shall be thy rearward. + + --Isaiah 58. 8. + +Almighty God, look upon me with pity; so often I have obeyed the +thoughts that have been misleading and profitless. Make me more +careful of what I think and say, and may I learn from my mistakes the +forbidden paths. Help me to keep my mind in unity with thy will. Amen. + + + + +FEBRUARY TWENTY-SECOND + +George Washington, Virginia, first President United +States, born 1732. + +James Russell Lowell born 1819. + +Margaret E. Sangster born 1838. + + Labor to keep alive in your breast that little spark of celestial + fire called conscience. + + --George Washington. + + Life is a sheet of paper white + Whereon each one of us may write + His word or two, and then comes night. + Greatly begin! though thou hast time + But for a line, be that sublime. + Not failure, but low aim is crime. + + --James Russell Lowell. + + God keep us through the common days, + The level stretches white with dust, + When thought is tired, and hands upraise + Their burdens feebly since they must; + In days of slowly fretting care + Then most we need the strength of prayer. + + --Margaret E. Sangster. + + Make level the path of thy feet, + And let all thy ways be established. + + --Proverbs 4. 26. + +Lord God, help me to realize the influence of the individual life. And +as I would care for my own, may I seek to do for others; and may I not +criticize, but help all who are trying to make the world better. Amen. + + + + +FEBRUARY TWENTY-THIRD + +Samuel Pepys born 1633. + +George F. Handel born 1685. + +George Frederick Watts born 1817. + +John Keats died 1821. + +Margaret Deland born 1857. + + Labor is life! 'tis the still water faileth; + Idleness ever despaireth, bewaileth: + Keep the watch wound, or the dark rust assaileth; + Flowers droop and die in the stillness of noon. + Labor is glory! the flying cloud lightens; + Only the waving wing changes and brightens, + Idle hearts only the dark future frightens, + Play the sweet keys, wouldst thou keep them in tune. + + --Frances S. Osgood. + + KEATS + + Palled death, with kisses ghostly, + Wooed and won him while too young, + And the world reveres him mostly, + For the songs he might have sung. + + --Samuel A. Wood. + + Enlarge the place of thy tent, and let them stretch forth the + curtains of thy habitations; spare not: lengthen thy cords, and + strengthen thy stakes. + + --Isaiah 54. 2. + +Almighty God, I pray for the will to do my finest work. Disclose to me +if I am being detained by serving selfishness in myself or in others. +Lead me to what is right for me to do; and may I diligently tarry in +it. Amen. + + + + +FEBRUARY TWENTY-FOURTH + +Samuel Lover born 1797. + +Robert Fulton died 1815. + +George William Curtis born 1824. + + 'Tis not to enjoy that we exist, + For that end only; something must be done; + I must not walk in unreproved delight + These narrow bounds, and think of nothing more, + No duty that looks further and no care. + + --William Wordsworth. + + We weave our thoughts into heart-spun plans, + And weave secure for a fitful day, + But lose in the web of earthly things + The pattern of sublimity. + + Shall days spring up as wild vines grow, + Unheeding where they climb or cling? + Consider, child, before you sow, + And wait not until harvesting. + + --M.B.S. + + Jehovah is my strength and my shield; + My heart hath trusted in him, and I am helped: + Therefore my heart greatly rejoiceth; + And with my song will I praise him. + + --Psalm 28. 7. + +Loving Father, command my judgment for the influences which I permit +to come into my life. Grant that I may not delay my purposes for the +lack of comforts which are so often made more than life. With thy +strength may I be steadfast in what I would achieve. Amen. + + + + +FEBRUARY TWENTY-FIFTH + +William Seely died 1521. + +Sir Christopher Wren died 1723. + +Jane Goodwin Austin born 1831. + +Camille Flammarion born 1842. + + In general, pride is at the bottom of all great mistakes. All other + passions do occasionally good; but wherever pride puts in its word + everything goes wrong. + + --John Ruskin. + + He that is proud eats up himself: pride is his own glass, his own + trumpet, his own chronicle; and whatever praises itself but in the + deed, devours the deed in the praise. + + --William Shakespeare. + + Save me alike from foolish pride + Or impious discontent; + At aught Thy wisdom hath denied, + Or aught Thy wisdom lent. + + --Alexander Pope. + + A man's pride shall bring him low; But he that is of a lowly spirit + shall obtain honor. + + --Proverbs 29. 23. + +Heavenly Father, I pray that I may not let pride keep me down when it +may be mine to be carried to the heights. With tenderness take me out +of myself, that I may see how pride deceives, and destroys an humble +spirit. Help me to master both stubbornness and pride. Amen. + + + + +FEBRUARY TWENTY-SIXTH + +Christopher Marlowe (baptized 1564). + +Victor Hugo born 1802. + +Lord Cromer born 1841. + +Thomas Moore died 1852. + + When I go down to the grave I can say, like so many others, I have + finished my work; but I cannot say I have finished my life; my day's + work will begin again the next morning. My tomb is not a blind + alley; it is a thoroughfare. It closes in the twilight to open in + the dawn. + + --Victor Hugo. + + There's nothing bright above, below, + From flowers that bloom to stars that glow, + But in the light my soul can see + Some feature of the Deity. + + There's nothing dark below, above, + But in its gloom I trace God's love, + And meekly wait that moment when + His truth shall turn all bright again. + + --Thomas Moore. + + Jehovah redeemeth the soul of his servants; + And none of them that take refuge in him shall be + condemned. + + --Psalm 34. 22. + +Lord God, may I not only feel the need of thee when I am burdened with +sorrow and care, but may I have need of thee in my pleasures and joys. +I thank thee for thy gracious kindness, thy mercy and thy protection. +Amen. + + + + +FEBRUARY TWENTY-SEVENTH + +Henry Wadsworth Longfellow born 1807. + +Ellen Terry born 1848. + +Mary F. Robinson born 1857. + + Lives of great men all remind us + We can make our lives sublime, + And, departing, leave behind us + Footprints on the sands of time-- + + Footprints that perhaps another, + Sailing o'er life's wintry main, + A forlorn and shipwrecked brother, + Seeing, shall take heart again. + + --Henry W. Longfellow. + + They are slaves who fear to speak + For the fallen and the weak; + They are slaves who will not choose + Hatred, scoffing, and abuse, + Rather than in silence shrink + From the truth they needs must think; + They are slaves who dare not be + In the right with two or three. + + --James Russell Lowell. + + Even so let your light shine before men; that they may see your good + works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven. + + --Matthew 5. 16. + +Merciful Father, help me to know that my shadow cannot fall without +me, and that my footprints cannot be found where I have never trodden. +I pray that thou wilt make me so familiar with the right path that it +may be mine to have the privilege of leading others to the right +places. Amen. + + + + +FEBRUARY TWENTY-EIGHTH + +Montaigne born 1533. + +Mary Lyon born 1797. + +Sir John Tenniel born 1820. + + Soul, rule thyself; on passion, deed, desire, + Lay thou the laws of thy deliberate will. + Stand at thy chosen post, Faith's sentinel: + Though Hell's lost legions ring thee round with fire, + Learn to endure. + + --Arthur Symonds. + + The confidence in another man's virtue is no slight evidence of a + man's own, and God willingly favors such a confidence. + + --Montaigne. + + Though a host should encamp against me, + My heart shall not fear: + Though war should rise against me, + Even then will I be confident. + + --Psalm 27. 3. + +My Father, may I ever be kept in remembrance of my virtue, and may I +be sensitive to its strength. As I go on my way, keep me within +control of the impetuous desires of my nature, and in call of the +duties and obligations of my daily life. Amen. + + + + +FEBRUARY TWENTY-NINTH + +Anne Lee born 1736. + +G.A. Rossini born 1792. + +John Landseer died 1852. + + Happy is he and more than wise + Who sees with wondrous eyes and clean + This world through all the gray disguise + Of sleep and custom in between. + + --G.K. Chesterton. + + In the morning, when thou findest thyself unwilling to rise, + consider with thyself presently, if it is to go about a man's work + that I am stirred up. Or was I made for this, to lay me down, and + make much of myself in a warm bed. + + --Marcus Aurelius. + + Arise and be doing, and Jehovah be with thee. + + --1 Chronicles 22. 16. + +Gracious Father, help me to take of the wealth of my day, while it is +in season, and accessible. May I not be ignorant of the abundance in +which I live, and be found in overwhelming regret. Forgive me for all +that I have missed in life, and make me more watchful of that which is +to come. Amen. + + + + +MARCH + + + Spring still makes spring in the mind, + When sixty years are told; + Love makes anew this throbbing heart, + And we are never old. + Over the winter glaciers, + I see the summer glow, + And through the wild-piled snowdrift + The warm rosebuds below. + + --Ralph Waldo Emerson. + + + + +MARCH FIRST + +Alexander Balfour born 1767. + +Frederick François Chopin born 1809. + +Augustus Saint-Gaudens born 1848. + +William Dean Howells born 1837. + + Thy soul shall enter on its heritage + Of God's unuttered wisdom. Thou shalt sweep + With hand assured the ringing lyre of life, + Till the fierce anguish of its bitter strife, + Its pain, death, discord, sorrow, and despair, + Break into rhythmic music. Thou shalt share + The prophet-joy that kept forever glad + God's poet-souls when all a world was sad. + Enter and live! Thou hast not lived before. + + --S. Weir Mitchell. + + Return unto thy rest, O my soul; + For Jehovah hath dealt bountifully with thee. + For thou hast delivered my soul from death, + Mine eyes from tears, + And my feet from falling. + + --Psalm 116. 7, 8. + +Almighty God, grant that I may never be so discouraged that I feel my +life has been spent. Help me to so live, that I may not follow into +hopeless days, but look for the bright and beautiful in to-morrow. +Forgive me for all that I have asked for and accepted through willful +judgment, and make me more careful in selecting my needs. Amen. + + + + +MARCH SECOND + +Juvenal born A.D. 40. + +John Wesley died 1791. + +Horace Walpole died 1797. + + Nature never says one thing, Wisdom another. + + --Juvenal. + + By all means, use some times to be alone; + Salute thyself--see what thy soul doth wear; + Dare to look in thy chest, for 'tis thine own, + And tumble up and down what thou findest there. + + --William Wordsworth. + + Lonesomeness is part of the cost of power. The higher you climb, the + less can you hope for companionship. The heavier and the more + immediate the responsibility, the less can a man delegate his tasks + or escape his own mistakes. + + --Shailer Mathews. + + But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thine inner chamber, and + having shut thy door, pray to thy Father who is in secret, and thy + Father who seeth in secret shall recompense thee. + + --Matthew 6. 6. + +My Father, I pray that thou wilt take care of my thoughts when I am +alone and tired, and keep them strong and clean. Grant that while I +commune with thee I may yield to my needs and be restored with keener +energy for worthier deeds. May I ask of thy wisdom every day. Amen. + + + + +MARCH THIRD + +Edmund Waller born 1605. + +George Herbert died 1633. + +Christine Nilsson born 1843. + + Pitch thy behaviour low, thy projects high, + So shalt thou humble and magnanimous be; + Sink not in spirit: who aimeth at the sky, + Shoots higher than he that means a tree. + + --George Herbert. + + We and God have business with each other; and in opening ourselves + to his influence our deepest destiny is fulfilled. + + --William James. + + While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things + which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal; but + the things which are not seen are eternal. + + --2 Corinthians 4. 18. + +Almighty God, help me to remember that "the power of character is the +highest point of success," and that thou hast put within reach of all +the choice ideals of life. May I have the desire to cultivate strong +purposes, and strive for high endeavors, that I may not aim for the +low. Amen. + + + + +MARCH FOURTH + +Casimer Pulaski born 1748. + +Sir Henry Raeburn born 1756. + +E.W. Bull, originator Concord grape, born 1806. + +Alexander Graham Bell born 1847. + + It is perfectly obvious that men do necessarily absorb, out of the + influences in which they grow up, something which gives a complexion + to their whole after-character. + + --Anthony Froude. + + All common things, each day's events + That with the hour begin and end, + Our pleasures and our discontents + Are rounds by which we may ascend. + + --Henry W. Longfellow. + + Our doubts are traitors, and make us lose the good we oft might win + by fearing to attempt. I + + --Shakespeare. + + And David put his hand in his bag, and took thence a stone, and + slang it, and smote the Philistine in his forehead; and the stone + sank into his forehead, and he fell upon his face to the earth. + + --1 Samuel 17. 49. + +My Father, I would remember that my life may decline from the neglect +of small things; for as thou dost nourish the wheat from flakes of +snow, and supply the springs from drops of rain, so thou wilt +strengthen my soul from every little blessing. I pray that I may not +forget to watch my habits, and keep track of the hours that culture +and sustain my life. Amen. + + + + +MARCH FIFTH + +Correggio died 1534. + +Howard Pyle born 1853. + +Arthur Foote born 1853. + + When I have the time so many things I'll do, + To make life happier and more fair + For those whose lives are crowded now with care, + I'll help to lift them from their low despair + When I have time. + + When I have time the friend I love so well + Shall know no more the weary, toiling days; + I'll lead his feet in pleasant paths always, + And cheer his heart with words of sweetest praise, + When I have time. + + Now is the time! Speed, friend; no longer wait + To scatter loving smiles and words of cheer + To those around whose lives are drear; + They may not need you in the far-off year: + Now is the time. + + --Unknown. + + Behold now is the acceptable time; behold, now is the day of + salvation. + + --2 Corinthians 6. 2. + +Lord God, teach me this day to know that the veriest trifle often +keeps happiness alive, and that the smallest trifle often may kill it. +I pray that now thou wilt put within my heart that touch of love, +which brings consideration for others, and the care that brings the +greatest happiness. Amen. + + + + +MARCH SIXTH + +Michael Angelo Buonarroti born 1475. + +Elizabeth Barrett Browning born 1806. + +George du Maurier born 1831. + + Beloved, let us love so well + Our work shall still be better for our love, + And still our love be sweeter for our work: + And both commended for the sake of each + By all true workers and true lovers born. + + --Elizabeth B. Browning. + + Earth saddens, never shall remove, + Affections purely given; + And e'en that mortal grief shall prove + The immortality of love, + And heighten it with heaven. + + --Elizabeth B. Browning. + + And if I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and if I give my body + to be burned, but have not love, it profiteth me nothing. + + --1 Corinthians 13. 3. + +Loving Father, I pray that I may not try to change the standard of +love by grafting on my own selfishness and infirmities. May I remember +that it is mostly for gratification that love is held to the base in +life; may I follow it to the summits, where it is divine. Amen. + + + + +MARCH SEVENTH + +Sir Thomas Wilson died 1755. + +Sir Edwin Landseer born 1802. + +Luther Burbank born 1849. + + Earth gets its price for what it gives us; + The beggar is taxed for a corner to die in, + The priest has his fee who comes and shrives us, + We bargain for the graves we lie in; + At the devil's booth are all things sold, + Each ounce of dross costs its ounce of gold; + For a cap and bells our lives we pay, + Bubbles we buy with a whole soul's tasking; + 'Tis heaven alone that is given away, + 'Tis only God may be had for the asking. + + --James Russell Lowell. + + We are our own fates. Our own deeds + Are our doomsmen. Man's life was made + Not for men's creeds, + But men's actions. + + --Owen Meredith. + + + The free gift of God is eternal life. + + --Romans 6. 23. + + +Gracious Father, may the world speak to me of thy love, and of thy +gifts of peace and power, which it freely offers. May I not pass by +its great values, and prefer to purchase at a great cost my indolence +and dissipation. + +--Amen. + + + + +MARCH EIGHTH + +Dr. John Fothergill born 1712. + +C.P. Cranch born 1813. + +Anna Letitia Barbauld died 1825. + + O boundless self-contentment voiced + In flying air-born bubbles! + O joy that mocks our sad unrest, + And frowns our earth-born troubles! + + The life that floods the happy fields + With song and light and color, + Will shape our lives to richer states + And heap our measures fuller. + + --C.P. Cranch. + + One may secure and preserve that repose in the turbulence of a great + city--as Shakespeare surely found and preserved it in the London of + the sixteenth century. For repose does not depend on external + conditions; it depends on sound adjustment to tasks, opportunities, + pleasures, and the general order of life. + + --Hamilton Mabie. + + That we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in godliness and gravity. + + --1 Timothy 2.2. + +Gracious Father, help me to understand that peace cannot abide in +misery, nor can it stay with every mood. May I be able to overcome the +depression that may keep me in sadness and isolation, and have delight +in the gladness of friends, and live in the peace of strong +resolutions. Amen. + + + + +MARCH NINTH + +Americus Vespucius born 1451. + +Lewis Gonzaga born 1568. + +Comte de Mirabeau born 1749. + +William Cobbett born 1762. + +Edwin Forrest born 1806. + + Yet nerve thy spirit to the Proof, and blanch not at thy chosen lot; + The timid good may stand aloof, the sage may frown--yet faint thou not; + Nor heed the shaft too surely cast, the foul and hissing bolt of scorn; + For with thy Side shall dwell, at last, the victory of endurance born. + + --William C. Bryant. + + You cannot dream yourself into a character; you must hammer and + forge yourself into one. + + --James Anthony Froude. + + Can thy heart endure, or can thy hands be strong, in the days that I + shall deal with thee? + + --Ezekiel 22.14. + +Loving Father, search me, and if there be any evil ways in me, correct +them, and lead me into the ways everlasting. I pray that I may not be +deformed from selfishness, but with a lowly and expectant heart run +with patience and triumph the race that is set before me. Amen. + + + + +MARCH TENTH + +Bishop Duppa born 1698. + +Professor Playfair born 1748. + +Charles Loyson (Père Hyacinthe) born 1827. + + So he died by his faith. That is fine-- + More than the most of us do. + But stay. Can you add to that line + That he lived for it too? + + It is easy to die. Men have died + For a wish or a whim-- + From bravado or passion or pride. + Was it hard for him? + + But to live: every day to live out + All the truth that he dreamt, + While his friends met his conduct with doubt, + And the world with contempt. + + Was it thus that he plodded ahead, + Never turning aside? + Then we'll talk of the life that he led. + Never mind how he died. + + --Ernest Crosby. + + For I have no pleasure in the death of him that dieth, saith the + Lord Jehovah: wherefore turn yourselves, and live. + + --Ezekiel 18. 32. + +Almighty God, help me to live an upright life. Give me courage to +abandon useless customs, and seeming duties that keep me from +perfecting my life. Amen. + + + + +MARCH ELEVENTH + +Torquato Tasso born 1544. + +Alexander Mackenzie died 1820. + +Henry Drummond died 1897. + + There is nothing that is puerile in nature; and he who becomes + impassioned of a flower, a blade of grass, a butterfly's wing, a + nest, a shell, wraps around a small thing that always contains a + great truth. To succeed in modifying the appearance of a flower is + insignificant in itself, if you will; but reflect upon it for + however short a while and it becomes gigantic. + + --Maurice Maeterlinck. + + O world, as God has made it! All is beauty: + And knowing this, is love, and love is duty: + What further may be sought for or declared? + + --Robert Browning. + + Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, + neither do they spin: yet I say unto you, that even Solomon in all + his glory was not arrayed like one of these. + + --Matthew 6. 28, 29. + +Creator of all, I do know that if I may hold myself close enough, I +can hear restful music through the breeze, and find secrets in the +flowers and leaves. I rejoice that thou hast made the woods and rivers +that thou dost love, so I too might possess them, and not be a tenant +of them only. May I look and study deeper the things which bring me +closer to thee. Amen. + + + + +MARCH TWELFTH + +Cesare Borgia killed 1507. + +Bishop Buckley born 1684. + +Simon Newcomb born 1835. + + Among the happiest and proudest possessions of a man is his + character. It is a wreath, it is a bank in itself. What is the + essence and life of character? Principle, integrity, independence. + + --Bulwer Lytton. + + No great genius was ever without some mixture of madness, nor can + anything grand or superior to the voice of common mortals be spoken + except by the agitated soul. + + --Aristotle. + + Handsome is that handsome does. + + --Oliver Goldsmith. + + Since thou hast been precious in my sight, and honorable, and I have + loved thee; therefore will I give men in thy stead, and peoples + instead of thy life. + + --Isaiah 43. 4. + +Lord God, forbid that I should try to supplant character with manners +and worldly goods. May I remember that thou seest me, and knowest me, +and I need no shield from thee. Help me that I may be found acceptable +while thou dost search me to the depths of the soul. Amen. + + + + +MARCH THIRTEENTH + +Joseph Priestley born 1733. + +Esther Johnson (Stella) born 1681. + +Regina Maria Roche died 1845. + + If stores of dry and learned lore we gain + We keep them in the memory of the brain; + Names, things, and facts--whate'er we knowledge call, + There is the common ledger for them all; + And images on this cold surface traced + Make slight impressions and are soon effaced. + But we've a page more glowing and more bright + On which our friendship and our love to write; + That these may never from the soul depart, + We trust them to the memory of the heart. + There is no dimming--no effacement here; + Each pulsation keeps the record clear; + Warm golden letters all the tablet fill, + Nor lose their luster till the heart stands still. + + --Daniel Webster. + + I often wonder why it is that we are not all kinder than we are. How + much the world needs it! How easily it is done! How instantaneously + it acts! How infallibly it is remembered! + + --Henry Drummond. + + Cast thy bread upon the waters; for thou shalt find it after many + days. + + --Ecclesiastes 11. 1. + +My Father, thou hast taught me through the gifts of life, that there +is no labor or price too dear to pay for love. I pray to love thee +more that I may have more love to bestow on others. Amen. + + + + +MARCH FOURTEENTH + +Thomas H. Benton born 1782. + +Johann Strauss born 1804. + +Victor Emmanuel born 1820. + + Rivers to the ocean run, + Nor stay in all their course; + Fire ascending seeks the sun; + Both speed them to their source; + So a soul that's born of God, + Pants to view his glorious face, + Upward tends to his abode, + To rest in his embrace. + + --Robert Seagrave. + + As the bird trims her to the gale + I trim myself to the storm of time; + I man the rudder, reef the sail, + Obey the voice at eve obeyed at prime; + Lowly faithful, banish fear, + The port well worth the cruise is near + And every wave is charmed. + + --Ralph Waldo Emerson. + + As the hart panteth after the water brooks, + So panteth my soul after thee, O God. + + --Psalm 42. 1. + +My Father, I pray that if I meet with difficulty, I may not go +backward, nor stand still, and fear to go forward. Unfold to me the +depth and breadth of the ideal and beautiful, that I may not be +content to succeed in the shallowness of life: but may I aspire to the +height of the soul, even if I fail to acquire great things. Amen. + + + + +MARCH FIFTEENTH + +Julius Cæsar killed B.C. 44. + +Peasants War began 1512. + +Andrew Jackson, North Carolina, seventh President +United States, born 1767. + +John Davenport died 1670. + + I will take the responsibility! + + --Andrew Jackson. + + What ought to be possible for everyone is to arrive at a sort of + harmony of life, to have definite things that they want to do.... + The people whom it is hard to fit into any scheme of benevolent + creation are the vague, insignificant, drifting people, whose only + rooted tendency is to do whatever is suggested to them. + + --Arthur C. Benson. + + Heard are the voices, + Heard are the sages, + The worlds, and the ages; + Choose well! your choice is + Brief and endless. + + --Goethe. + + Only be strong and very courageous, to observe to do according to + all the law.... + + --Joshua 1. 7. + +Gracious Father, I pray that thou wilt free me from evil thoughts +before they become a habit. Create in me that freedom which makes me +not ashamed to acknowledge the wrong, and which will enable me to +stand for the right. Quicken my thoughts, that they may keep my heart +inspired. Amen. + + + + +MARCH SIXTEENTH + +James Madison, Virginia, fourth President United +States, born 1751. + +Caroline Lucretia Herschel born 1750. + +Alexander Watts born 1797. + + If we live truly we shall see truly. It is as easy for the strong + man to be strong as it is for the weak to be weak. When we have new + perception we shall gladly disburthen the memory of the hoarded + treasures as old rubbish. When a man lives with God his voice shall + be as sweet as the murmur of the brook and the rustle of the corn. + + --Ralph Waldo Emerson. + + The tissue of the life to be, + We weave with colors all our own, + And in the field of Destiny + We reap as we have sown. + + --Raphael. + + Now when they beheld the boldness of Peter and John, and had + perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marveled; + and they took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus. + + --Acts 4. 13. + +Lord God, quiet me if I am not calm, that my soul may be able to +contemplate and have an opportunity to grow. Help me, that I may be +able even in discouragements to have the true perception of life. +Amen. + + + + +MARCH SEVENTEENTH + +Saint Patrick's Day. + +Ebenezer Elliott born 1781. + +Dr. Thomas Chalmers born 1780. + +Moncure D. Conway born 1832. + +Clara Morris born 1849. + +What is really wanted is to light up the spirit +that is within a child. In some sense and in some +effectual degree there is in every child the material +of good work in the world; and in every child, not +only in those who are brilliant, not only in those +who are quick, but in those who are stolid, and even +in those who are dull. + +--William Gladstone. + +If you make children happy now, you will make +them happy twenty years hence by the memory of +it. + +--Kate Douglas Wiggin. + +And these words, which I command thee this day, +shall be upon thy heart; and thou shalt teach them +diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them +when thou sittest in thy house, and when thou +walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and +when thou risest up. + +--Deuteronomy 6. 6, 7. + +Lord God, may I be diligent for the progress of +little children. Show me how I may minister unto +them; and grant that I may be able to see the +necessity of giving, more than I do the pleasure of +receiving. Amen. + + + + +MARCH EIGHTEENTH + +William Byrd died 1674. + +John C. Calhoun born 1782. + +Grover Cleveland, New Jersey, twenty-second President +United States, born 1837. + + My minde to me a kingdom is: + Such perfect joy therein I finde + As far exceeds all earthly blisse + That God or nature hath assignede. + + --William Byrd. + + Teach your proud will to make those nobler choices + Which bring to soul and heart enduring health. + Deafen your ears to those contending voices, + Look in your heart, learn your own being's wealth. + Its resources vast, its undiscovered treasure + Waiting for these same idle hands to mine. + Learn that the grandest of Nature's creations + May not be bounded by man's limitations. + + --Rose E. Cleveland. + + But he is in one mind, and who can turn him? + And what his soul desireth, even that he doeth. + + --Job 23. 13. + +Almighty God, grant that I may never succumb to the controlling +influences of the body, and lose the power of my mind. May I guard the +dictates of my heart and keep my mind in command to obey thy will. +Amen. + + + + +MARCH NINETEENTH + +David Livingstone born 1813. + +Alice French (Octave Thanet) born 1850. + +William Jennings Bryan born 1860. + + Isn't it interesting to get blamed for everything? But I must be + thankful in feeling that I would rather perish than blame another + for my misdeeds and deficiencies. + + --David Livingstone. + + Criticism is helpful. If a man makes a mistake, criticism enables + him to correct it; if he is unjustly criticized, the criticism helps + him. I have had my share of criticism since I have been in public + life, but it has not prevented me from doing what I thought proper + to do. + + --William Jennings Bryan. + + For himself hath said, I will in no wise fail thee, neither will I + in any wise forsake thee. So that with good courage we say, The Lord + is my helper; I will not fear. + + --Hebrews 13. 5, 6. + +Loving Father, I thank thee that thou art the same yesterday, to-day, +and forever; and I am glad I cannot receive from thee the slights and +wounds that I may give or receive from my friends. May I be +considerate and more forgiving, and by my sincerity be worthy of the +purpose which I pursue. Amen. + + + + +MARCH TWENTIETH + +Publius Ovidius (Ovid) born B.C. 43. + +Sir Isaac Newton died 1727. + +Karl August Nicander born 1799. + +Henrik Ibsen born 1828. + + Whoever is not with me in the essential things of life, him I no + longer know--I owe him no consideration. + + --Henrik Ibsen. + + Only he who lives in truth finds it. The deepest truth is not born + of conscious striving, but comes in the quiet hour when a noble + nature gives itself into the keeping of life, to suffer, to feel, to + think, and to act as it is moved by a wisdom not its own. + + --Hamilton Mabie. + + Forgetting the things which are behind, and stretching forward to + the things which are before, I press on toward the goal unto the + prize of the high calling of God. + + --Philippians 3. 13, 14. + +Lord God, I thank thee for the silent ways of revelation which bring +hopeful communion with thee. Help me to be composed, that my life may +not create a noise and my soul miss the messages that come from the +depths of truth and love. Amen. + + + + +MARCH TWENTY-FIRST + +Johann Sebastian Bach born 1685. + +Archbishop Cranmer burnt at Oxford 1556. + +Jean Paul Richter born 1763. + +Henry Kirke White born 1785. + + Go through life with soft influences breathing around thee. Keep thy + heart high above the many-colored mist of earth and above its storm + clouds. + + --Jean Paul Richter. + + Recollection is the only paradise from which we cannot be turned + out. + + --Jean Paul Richter. + + Come, Disappointment, come! + Thou art not stern to me; + Sad monitress! I own thy sway, + A votary sad in every day, + I bend my knee to thee, + From sun to sun + My race will run; + I only bow, and say, My God, thy will be done! + + --Henry Kirke White. + + If I say, I will forget my complaint, + I will put off my sad countenance, and be of good cheer. + + --Job 9. 27. + +Gracious Father, help me to respond cheerfully when called upon to +give. May I never repent of tenderness which others fail to +appreciate, but may I be glad of all that I give and for all I +receive. Amen. + + + + +MARCH TWENTY-SECOND + +Sir Anthony Vandyke born 1599. + +Caroline Sheridan Norton born 1808. + +Johann Goethe died 1832. + +Dr. Farrar, Dean of Canterbury, died 1903. + +Rosa Bonheur born 1822. + + Red Love still rules the day, white Faith enfolds the night, + And hope, green-mantled, leads the way by the walls of the City of Light. + Therefore I walk as one who sees the joy shine through + Of the other Life behind our life, like the stars behind the blue. + + --Dean Farrar. + + There can be no greater delight than is experienced by a man who, by + his own unaided resources, frees himself from the consequences of + error: Heaven looks down with satisfaction upon such a spectacle. + + --Goethe. + + Thine eyes shall see the king in his beauty: they shall behold a + land that reacheth afar. + + --Isaiah 33. 17. + +Lord God, help me to remember that I may not only be forgiven for my +transgression, but with thy help I may be led away from the wrong. May +I be content to follow where thou dost lead. Amen. + + + + +MARCH TWENTY-THIRD + +Pierre Savant La Place born 1749. + +Schuyler Colfax born 1823. + +Richard A. Proctor born 1837. + + Silence is the element in which great things fashion themselves + together; that at length they may emerge, full-formed and majestic, + into the daylight of life.... Nay, in thy own mean perplexities, do + thou thyself but hold thy tongue for one day; on the morrow how much + clearer are thy purposes and duties! + + --Thomas Carlyle. + + Deliberate much before you say and do anything; for it will not be + in your power to recall what is said or done. + + --Epictetus. + + Set a watch, O Jehovah, before my mouth; + Keep the door of my lips. + + --Psalm 141. 3. + +My Lord, make me a lover of the truth. Make me careful of my thoughts, +and the words I would speak, that I may not think selfishly and speak +cruelly, but keep myself holy unto thee. Amen. + + + + +MARCH TWENTY-FOURTH + +Queen Elizabeth died 1603. + +Fanny Crosby born 1820. + +Henry W. Longfellow died 1882. + +Sir Edwin Arnold died 1904. + +Every quivering tongue of flame +Seems to murmur some great name, + Seems to say to me "Aspire!" +No endeavor is in vain; +Its reward is in the doing, +And the rapture of pursuing + Is the prize of vanquished gain. + +--Henry W. Longfellow. + + Never be sad or desponding + If thou hast faith to believe; + Grace for the duties before thee + Ask of thy God and receive. + + --Fanny Crosby. + + I spread forth my hands unto thee: + My soul thirsteth after thee, as a weary land. + + --Psalm 143. 6. + +Almighty God, make me conscious of my weaknesses, and make me ashamed +of my indulgences. Give me a victory over self; and may I consider +more what I put in my life. May I be eager for that which will inspire +me for greater aspirations. Amen. + + + + +MARCH TWENTY-FIFTH + +Archbishop John Williams born 1582. + +Joachim Murat born 1771. + +Anna Seward died 1809. + + How awful is the thought of the wonders underground, + Of the mystic changes wrought in the silent, dark profound! + How each thing upward tends by necessity decreed, + And the world's support depends on the shooting of a seed! + + The summer's in her ark, and this sunny-pinioned day + Is commissioned to remark whether Winter holds her sway: + Go back, thou dove of peace, with myrtle on thy wing, + Say that floods and tempests cease, and the world is ripe for Spring. + + --Horace Smith. + + I should never have made my success in life if I had not bestowed + upon the least thing I have ever undertaken the same attention and + care that I have bestowed upon the greatest. + + --Charles Dickens. + + Gather up the broken pieces which remain over, that nothing be lost. + + --John 6. 12. + +Loving Father, cause me to learn from nature that to have perfection I +must be attentive at the beginning of growth. Help me to select with +care the soil wherein I plant; and to weed and cultivate my life that +it may grow to beauty and usefulness. Amen. + + + + +MARCH TWENTY-SIXTH + +Konrad von Gesner born 1516. + +W. E. H. Lecky born 1838. + +Gustave Guillaumet born 1840. + +Walt Whitman died 1892. + + Every man takes care that his neighbor shall not cheat him, but a + day comes when he begins to care that he do not cheat his neighbor. + Then all goes well. He has changed his market-cart into a chariot of + the sun. + + --Ralph Waldo Emerson. + + He that is unacquainted with the nature of the world must be at a + loss to know where he is. And he that cannot tell the ends he was + made for is ignorant both of himself and the world too. + + --Marcus Aurelius. + + Give diligence to present thyself approved unto God, a workman that + needeth not to be ashamed, handling aright the word of truth. + + --2 Timothy 2. 15. + +Almighty God, may I not only approve of justice and kindness, but +practice it. Grant that I may be attentive to the call of work and +steadfast in completing it. May I be sincere to those who are dear to +me, and never falter in my support to those who are dependent upon me. +Amen. + + + + +MARCH TWENTY-SEVENTH + +Alfred Vigny born 1799. + +General A. W. Greely born 1847. + +Sir Gilbert Scott died 1878. + + It takes great strength to bring your life up square + With your accepted thought and hold it there: + Resisting the inertia that drags it back + From new attempts, to the old habit's track. + It is so easy to drift back, to sink. + So hard to live abreast of what you think. + + --Charlotte Perkins Stetson. + + If a person had delivered up your body to anyone whom he met in his + way, you would certainly be angry. And do you feel no shame in + delivering up your own mind to be disconcerted and confounded by + anyone who happens to give you ill language. + + --Epictetus. + + Wherefore, O King Agrippa, I was not disobedient unto the heavenly + vision. + + --Acts 26. 19. + +My Father, my soul sinks with shame when I think of the great moments +that I have given over to mean little things. Help me that I may +reckon more on the value of time, and live not to tolerate life, but +to have a great need for it, that day by day I may have a deeper +consciousness of its appropriate use. Amen. + + + + +MARCH TWENTY-EIGHTH + +Santi d'Urbino Raphael born 1483. + +Sir Thomas Smith born 1514. + +Margaret (Peg) Woffington died 1760. + + They may not need me, + Yet they might; + I'll let my heart be + Just in sight-- + + A smile so small + As mine might be + Precisely their + Necessity. + + --Unknown. + + You hear that boy laughing?--you think he's all fun; + But the angels laugh too at the good he has done; + The children laugh loud as they troop to his call, + And the poor man that knows him laughs loudest of all. + + --Oliver Wendell Holmes. + + Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamor, and railing, + be put away from you, with all malice: and be ye kind one to + another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other. + + --Ephesians 4. 31. + +Lord God, I pray that I may be fair, and not pass judgment on those +whom I like or those whom I dislike, and so bring unhappy regrets. May +I remember that, though hasty judgment often may be temporary, the +gain or loss of a friend may be permanent. Amen. + + + + +MARCH TWENTY-NINTH + +Dr. John Lightfoot born 1602. + +John Tyler, Virginia, tenth President United States, +born 1790. + +Amelia Barr born 1831. + + The year's at the spring + And the day's at the morn; + The hillside's dew-pearled; + The lark's on the wing: + The snail's on the thorn; + God's in his heaven: + All's well with the world. + + --Robert Browning. + + Dear Lord and Father of mankinds + Forgive our feverish ways; + Reclothe us in our rightful mind; + In purer lives thy service find, + In deeper reverence praise. + + --John G. Whittier. + + In quietness and in confidence shall be your strength. + + --Isaiah 30. 15. + +Lord God, I beseech thee to give me the strength which endures. Grant +that I may have the ceaseless content which is secured by choosing and +continuing in the right way. From the wealth of each day renew my +hope, and quiet my soul with the calm of thy peace. Amen. + + + + +MARCH THIRTIETH + +Sir Henry Wotton born 1568. + +Archbishop Somner born 1606. + +John Fiske born 1842. + +John Constable died 1837. + + I said, "Let us walk in the field." + He said, "Nay walk in the town." + I said, "There are no flowers there." + He said, "No flowers but a crown." + + I said, "But the air is thick, + And the fogs are veiling the sun." + He answered, "Yet souls are sick + And souls in the dark undone." + + I cast one look at the field, + Then set my face to the town. + He said: "My child, do you yield? + Will ye leave the flowers for the crown?" + + Then into his hand went mine + And into my heart came He, + And I walked in a light divine + The path I had feared to see. + + --George Macdonald. + + Now therefore amend your ways and your doings, and obey the voice of + Jehovah your God. + + --Jeremiah 26. 13. + +Eternal God, teach me the way of a complete and unbroken trust. In my +disappointments, and in my devotions, may my faith and hope be as +immortal as my soul. May I listen for thy voice and answer thy call. +Amen. + + + + +MARCH THIRTY-FIRST + +Ludwig von Beethoven died 1827. + +Joseph Francis Haydn born 1732. + +Andrew Lang born 1844. + +Charlotte Brontë died 1855. + + The Great Being unseen, but all-present, who in his beneficence + desires only our welfare, watches the struggle between good and evil + in our hearts, and waits to see whether we obey his voice, heard in + the whispers of conscience, or lend an ear to the Spirit Evil, which + seeks to lead us astray. Rough and steep is the path indicated by + divine suggestion; mossy and declining the green way along which + temptation strews flowers. Then conscience whispers, "Do what you + feel is right, obey me, and I will plant for you firm footing." + + --Charlotte Brontë. + + God help us do our duty, and not shrink, + And trust in heaven humbly for the rest. + + --Owen Meredith. + + I call heaven and earth to witness against you this day, that I have + set before thee life and death, the blessing and the curse: + therefore choose life. + + --Deuteronomy 30. 19. + +My Father, as I review my life I am impressed how accurately my deeds +have copied my thoughts. And though I have failed the so often, yet I +pray that thou wilt accept my yearnings, to think and work for the +best in every day. Amen. + + + + +APRIL + + God's April is coming up the hill, and the noisy winds are quieting + down, subdued by the fragrance of the wild flowers on the way. Lest + we miss the richness of life, while pursuing the world, God + continues to pour out precious fragrance from his storehouse, and + unconsciously, our souls are lulled to peace through the sweetness + of April days. + + --M.B.S. + + + + +APRIL FIRST + +All Fools' Day. + +William Harvey born 1578. + +Prince von Bismarck born 1815. + +Edwin A. Abbey born 1852. + +Agnes Repplier born 1858. + + It is a peculiar quality of a fool to perceive the faults of others, + and to forget his own. + + --Cicero. + + A man may be as much a fool from the want of sensibility as the want + of sense. + + --Mrs. Jameson. + + He that knows not, and knows not that he knows not, is a fool: shun + him. + + --Arabian Maxim. + + Seest thou a man wise in his own conceit? + There is more hope of a fool than of him. + + --Proverbs 26. 12. + +Almighty God, grant that I may be spared the allurements of deceptive +happiness which leaves weary days. I ask for wisdom that I may not +speak foolishly, think foolishly, or act foolishly; and may I not be +detained by the foolishness of others, but pursue my work, whether it +be far or near. Amen. + + + + +APRIL SECOND + +Charlemagne born 742. + +Thomas Jefferson, Virginia, third President United +States, born 1743. + +Hans Andersen born 1805. + +Frederic A. Bartholdi born 1834. + +Emile Zola born 1840. + + When a man assumes a public trust he should consider himself public + property. + + --Thomas Jefferson. + + We hold these truths to be self-evident--that all men are created + equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain + unalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty, and the + pursuit of happiness. + + --Declaration of Independence. + + Breathes there the man with soul so dead + Who never to himself hath said, + This is my own, my native land! + Whose heart hath ne'er within him burned + As home his footsteps he hath turned + From wandering on a foreign strand? + + --Sir Walter Scott. + + Render therefore unto Cæsar the things that are Cæsar's. + + --Matthew 22. 21. + +My Lord, I thank thee for the wisdom and love that is spoken through +the lives of strong men and women. Grant that I may be willing to +learn of them, and gladly serve where I am needed, remembering that +thou art Lord of all. Amen. + + + + +APRIL THIRD + +George Herbert born 1593. + +Washington Irving born 1783. + +Edward Everett Hale born 1822. + +John Burroughs born 1837. + + Sum up at night what thou hast done by day + And in the morning what thou hast to do: + Dress and undress thy soul: mark the decay + And growth of it; if with thy watch that too + Be dowl, then wind up both; since we shall be + Most surely judged, make thy accounts agree. + + --George Herbert. + + To look up and not down, + To look forward and not back, + To look out and not in, and + To lend a hand. + + --Edward E. Hale. + + There is a healthy hardiness about real dignity that never dreads + contact and communion with others, however humble. + + --Washington Irving. + + I put on righteousness, and it clothed me: + My justice was as a robe and a diadem. + + --Job 29. 14. + +My Lord, I pray that I may always be found clothed in love and +kindness. Make me worthy to minister to those who may be dependent on +me, and whether they be rich or poor, high or low, may I try to help +them. Amen. + + + + +APRIL FOURTH + +Oliver Goldsmith died 1774. + +Dorothea Dix born 1802. + +James Freeman Clarke born 1810. + + "The greatest object in the universe," said a certain philosopher, + "is a good man struggling with adversity"; yet there is still a + greater, which is the good man who comes to relieve it. + + --Oliver Goldsmith. + + Yet I believe that somewhere, soon or late, + A peace will fall + Upon the angry reaches of my mind; + A peace initiate + In some heroic hour when I behold + A friend's long-quested triumph, or unbind + The tressed gold + From a child's laughing face. I still believe-- + So much believe. + + --J. Drinkwater. + + But whoso hath the world's goods, and beholdeth his brother in need, + and shutteth up his compassion from him, how doth the love of God + abide in him? + + --1 John 3. 17. + +Almighty God, may I have a liberal heart. Grant that I may feel the +needs of thy children in all lands; and may I be willing to give of +thy blessings, as I am ready to receive them. May my tribute be not +only of tender thoughts and kind words, but may I give of myself, and +of what I have, as thou hast through love and wisdom done for me. +Amen. + + + + +APRIL FIFTH + +Elihu Yale born 1648. + +Sir Henry Havelock born 1795. + +Frank Stockton (Francis) born 1834. + +Algernon Charles Swinburne born 1837. + + As morning hears before it run + The music of the mounting sun, + And laughs to watch his trophies won + From darkness, and her hosts undone, + And all the night becomes a breath, + Nor dreams that fear should hear and flee + The summer menace of the sea, + So hear our hope what life may be, + And know it not for death. + + --Algernon Charles Swinburne. + + I came from God, and I'm going back to God, and I won't have any + gaps of death in the middle of my life. + + --George MacDonald. + + The hope of the righteous shall be gladness; + But the expectation of the wicked shall perish. + + --Proverbs 10. 28. + +Lord God, teach me the way and show me the light of the eternal day; +and may the vision fill my soul as I take courage and follow it. May I +not be fearful of what may be provided, but remember that before the +creation of life thou didst have a purpose in death. May I be +trustful. Amen. + + + + +APRIL SIXTH + +Albert Dürer died 1528. + +James Mill born 1773. + +Jean Baptiste Rousseau born 1669. + + Even if the sacrifices which are made to duty and virtue are painful + to make, they are well repaid by the sweet recollections which they + leave at the bottom of the heart. + + --Jean B. Rousseau. + + I am the man of a thousand loves, + A thousand loves have I; + And all my loves are white-winged doves, + That into my soul would fly. + + I am the man of a thousand friends + Of tuneful memory; + And each of them spends the delicate ends + Of a brilliant day with me. + + And all my gifts are magical words + That sing sweet songs to me; + And the sensitive words are caroling birds + In the garden of imagery. + + --Edwin Leibfreed. + + Be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee the crown of life. + + --Revelation 2. 10. + +Loving Father, I bless thee for thy love and ministry. May I enter +into a broader conception of sharing thy gifts. May I not seek thy +blessings to keep, but to use for renewed inspiration. Amen. + + + + +APRIL SEVENTH + +Saint Francis Xavier born 1506. + +William Wordsworth born 1770. + +William Ellery Channing born 1780. + + My heart leaps up when I behold + A rainbow in the sky: + So was it when my life began; + So is it now I am a man; + So be it when I shall grow old, + Or let me die! + The child is Father of the Man; + And I could wish my days to be + Bound each to each by natural piety. + + --William Wordsworth. + + A self-controlled mind is a free mind, and freedom is power. I call + that mind free which jealously guards its intellectual rights and + powers. I call that mind free which resists the bondage of habit, + which does not live on its old virtues, but forgets what is behind, + and rejoices to pour itself forth in fresh and higher exertions. + + --William Ellery Channing. + + That ye be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and put on the new + man, that after God hath been created in righteousness and holiness + of truth. + + --Ephesians 4. 23, 24. + +Lord God, give me the power to control my mind and heart, that I may +not be a slave to habits that may keep me from eternal love and +blessedness. May I have sympathy and compassion for others, and +cherish thy tenderness and mercy as I hold it in my daily life. Amen. + + + + +APRIL EIGHTH + +Petrarch crowned 1341. + +William Herbert, Earl of Pembroke, born 1580. + +David Rittenhouse born 1732. + + If I can stop one heart from breaking, + I shall not live in vain; + If I can ease one life from aching, + Or cool one pain, + Or help one fainting robin + Unto his nest again, + I shall not live in vain. + + --Emily Dickinson. + + The most solid comfort one can fall back upon is the thought that + the business of one's life is to help in some small way to reduce + the sum of ignorance, degradation, and misery on the face of this + beautiful earth. + + --George Eliot. + + Make full my joy, that ye be of the same mind, having the same love, + being of one accord, of one mind; doing nothing through faction or + through vainglory, but in lowliness of mind each counting other + better than himself. + + --Philippians 2. 2, 3. + +My Father, take away the spirit, if I may be inclined to keep the +best, and to be always seeking my portion. May I have the desire to +share with those who have less, and to give to those who may have +more, whether it be of bread or love. Amen. + + + + +APRIL NINTH + +Fisher Ames born 1758. + +John Opie died 1807. + +Dante Gabriel Rossetti died 1882. + + Gather a shell from the strown beach + And listen at its lips; they sigh + The same desire and mystery, + The echo of the whole sea's speech. + And all mankind is this at heart-- + Not anything but what thou art: + And Earth, Sea, Man are all in each. + + --Dante Gabriel Rossetti. + + And as, in sparkling majesty, a star + Gilds the bright summit of some glory cloud; + Brightening the half-veil'd face of heaven afar; + So when dark thoughts my boding spirit shroud, + Sweet Hope! celestial influence round me shed, + Waving the silver pinions o'er my head. + + --John Keats. + + Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, + that ye may abound in hope, in the power of the Holy Spirit. + + --Romans 15. 13. + +Almighty God, may I ever know the generous glow that comes with an +overwhelming desire to cultivate the soul. With hope may I find the +way through the darkness that leads to immortality, even if I may have +to experience the weariness that may accompany it. Amen. + + + + +APRIL TENTH + +Hugo Grotius born 1583. + +William Hazlitt born 1778. + +General Lew Wallace born 1827. + +General William Booth born 1829. + + The essence of happy living is never to find life dull, never to + feel the ugly weariness which comes of overstrain; to be fresh, + cheerful, leisurely, sociable, unhurried, well-balanced. It seems to + me impossible to be these things unless we have time to consider + life a little, to deliberate, to select, to abstain. + + --Arthur C. Benson. + + Four things come not back--the spoken word, the sped arrow, the past + life, the neglected opportunity. + + --William Hazlitt. + + Wherefore, brethren, give the more diligence to make your calling + and election sure. + + --2 Peter 1. 10. + +My Father, may I not miss my work through indifference and feel it is +thy neglect of me. May I be reminded that the enrichment of life comes +through persistency and being consistent, and may not be found on the +idle paths of extravagant ways. Help me to take up my work with a +willing spirit and give my best to it. Amen. + + + + +APRIL ELEVENTH + +George Canning born 1770. + +Edward Everett born 1794. + +Donald G. Mitchell (Ik Marvel) born 1822. + + The safe path to excellence and success in every calling, is that of + appropriate preliminary education, diligent application to learn the + art of assiduity and practicing it. + + --Edward Everett. + + That nothing walks with aimless feet; + That not one life shall be destroyed, + Or cast as rubbish to the void, + When God hath made the pile complete. + + Behold, we know not anything: + I can but trust that good shall fall + At last--far off--at last, to all, + And every winter change to spring. + + --Alfred Tennyson. + + And we desire that each one of you may show the same diligence unto + the fullness of hope even to the end: that ye be not sluggish, but + imitators of them who through faith and patience inherit the + promises. + + --Hebrews 6. 11, 12. + +Lord God, help me in all my circumstances, and be with me in my daily +work. Help me in my efforts, as I endeavor to attain, and may my will +be hid in thine. Amen. + + + + +APRIL TWELFTH + +Edward Young died 1765. + +Edward Bird born 1772. + +Henry Clay born 1777. + + I would rather be right than be President. + + --Henry Clay. + + + Who does the best his circumstances allow + Does well, acts nobly; angels could no more. + + --Edward Young. + + Pedigree haz no more to do in making a man aktually grater than he + iz than a pekok's feather in his hat haz in making him aktually + taller. When the world stands in need of an arestokrat, natur + pitches one into it, and furnishes him papers without enny flaw in + them. + + --Josh Billings. + + Cast not away therefore your boldness, which hath great recompense + of reward. For ye have need of patience, that, having done the will + of God, ye may receive the promise. + + --Hebrews 10. 35, 36. + +Lord God, help me to select with care the site, the plans, and the +foundation of my life. May I use the best material; and may it be +worthy of a permanent home. Amen. + + + + +APRIL THIRTEENTH + +Madame Jeanne Guyon born 1648. + +Dr. Thomas Beddoes born 1760. + +James Harper born 1795. + + If there were dreams to sell, + Merry and sad to tell, + And the crier rang the bell, + What would you buy? + + A cottage lone and still + With bowers nigh, + Shadowy, my woes to still, + Until I die. + Such pearl from Life's fresh crown + Fain would I shake me down, + Were dreams to have at will + This would best heal my ill, + This would I buy. + + --Thomas Lovell Beddoes. + + I pray you, bear me hence From forth the noise and rumor of the + field Where I may think the remnant of my thoughts In peace, and + part this body and my soul With contemplation and devout desires. + + --William Shakespeare. + + Come ye yourselves apart into a desert place, and rest awhile. + + --Mark 6. 31. + +Lord God, help me to bear in mind that to step aside and safeguard the +mind in contemplation is a safe guard to the soul. Amen. + + + + +APRIL FOURTEENTH + +Dr. George Gregory born 1754. + +George Frederic Handel died 1759. + +Horace Bushnell born 1802. + + Flower in the crannied wall, + I pluck you out of the crannies-- + Hold you here, root and all, in my hand, + Little flower--but if I could understand + What you are, root and all, and all in all, + I should know what God and man is. + + --Alfred Tennyson. + + So much is history stranger than fiction, and so true it is Nature + has caprices which Art dares not imitate. + + --Thomas Macaulay. + + Nature is the face of God. He appears to us through it, and we can + read his thoughts in it. + + --Victor Hugo. + + Many, O Jehovah my God, are the wonderful works + which thou hast done, + And thy thoughts which are to us-ward. + + --Psalm 40. 5. + +Eternal God, I thank thee for the seasons which bring abundance and +beauty. I thank thee for thy loving care, which is over all and +forever. May I behold thy works and make thee a very present help for +all my needs, and perceive the joy of thy love through the greatness +of the earth. Amen. + + + + +APRIL FIFTEENTH + +Emile Souvestre born 1806. + +John Lothrop Motley born 1814. + +Henry James born 1843. + +Abraham Lincoln died 1865. + + Two thirds of human existence are wasted in hesitation, and the last + third in repentance. + + --Emile Souvestre. + + And, having thus chosen our course, let us renew our trust in God + and go forward without fear and with manly hearts. + + --Abraham Lincoln. + + The barriers are not erected which shall say to aspiring talent, + "Thus far and no further." + + --Beethoven. + + Be strong and of good courage. + + --Joshua 1. 6. + +Almighty God, I pray that I may always be alive to my opportunities, +but may I never leave others impoverished by taking advantage of them. +May my prosperity be conducted with my eyes open, guarding what I give +and receive, that my possessions may remain valuable through life. +Amen. + + + + +APRIL SIXTEENTH + +Charles Montagu, Earl of Halifax, born 1661. + +Charles W. Peale born 1741. + +Sir John Franklin born 1786. + + Weary of myself and sick of asking + What I am, and what I ought to be, + At the vessel's prow I stand, which bears me + Forward, forward, o'er the starlit sea + + O air-born voice! long since severely clear, + A cry like thine in my own heart I hear. + Resolve to be thyself: and know that he + Who finds himself, loses his misery. + + --Matthew Arnold. + + This above all to thine own self be true, + And it must follow, as the night the day, + Thou can'st not then be false to any man. + + --William Shakespeare. + + Let thine eyes look right on, + And let thine eyelids look straight before thee. + Make level the path of thy feet, + And let all thy ways be established. + + --Proverbs 4. 25, 26. + +My Father, give me a sense of nearness to thee when I may be faltering +from weariness in well doing. May I hold to my determinations. Help me +to know what is useless, that I may not give unnecessary energy, and +to know what is worth while, that I may acquire strength through the +power of truth. Amen. + + + + +APRIL SEVENTEENTH + +Bishop Benjamin Hoadley died 1761. + +Benjamin Franklin died 1790. + +William G. Simms born 1806. + + Shall I ask the brave soldier who fights at my side, + In the cause of mankind, if our creeds agree? + Shall I give up the friend I have valued and tried, + If he kneel not before the same altar as me? + + --Thomas Moore. + + I met a little Elf-man once, + Down where the lilies blow. + I asked him why he was so small + And why he didn't grow. + + He slightly frowned, and with his eye + He looked me through and through. + "I'm quite as big for me," said he + "As you are big for you." + + --John Kendrick Bangs. + + Woe unto them that are wise in their own eyes, and prudent in their + own sight! + + --Isaiah 5. 21. + +Loving Father, grant that I may not barter love with formalities, nor +sacrifice love for customs. But, may I have a fellowship that is true +and sincere, and that may be counted on, though all and for all. Amen. + + + + +APRIL EIGHTEENTH + +Lord Jeffreys died 1689. + +George Henry Lewes born 1817. + +Sir Francis Baring born 1740. + + Nor can I count him happiest who has never + Been forced with his own hand his chains to sever, + And for himself find out the way divine; + He never knew the aspirer's glorious pains, + He never earned the struggler's priceless gains. + + --James Russell Lowell. + + There is not time for hate, O wasteful friend. + Put hate away until the ages end. + Have you an ancient wound? Forget the wrong-- + Out in my West a forest loud with song + Towers high and green over a field of snow, + Over a glacier buried far below. + + --Edwin Markham. + + Fight the good fight of the faith, lay hold on the life eternal, + whereunto thou wast called, and didst confess the good confession in + the sight of many witnesses. + + --1 Timothy 6. 12. + +Lord God, help me to realize the power of my life. I feel ashamed and +alarmed when I think of the grievous wrongs I may have done for greed. +May I have delight in the struggles I have made for the ways of +righteousness. Make me careful to avoid the things that debase life. +May I aspire for the highest and best. Amen. + + + + +APRIL NINETEENTH + +Roger Sherman born 1721. + +Lord Byron died 1824. + +Lord Beaconsfield (Disraeli) died 1881. + +Charles Darwin died 1882. + + The secret of success in life is for a man to be ready for his + opportunity when it comes. --Disraeli. + + One sees, and the other does not see; one enjoys + an unspeakable pleasure, and the other loses that + pleasure which is as free to him as the air.... + The whole outward world is the kingdom of the + observant eye. He who enters into any part of + that kingdom to possess it has a store of pure enjoyment + in life which is literally inexhaustible and + immeasurable. His eyes alone will give him a life + worth living. + + --Charles W. Eliot. + + Having eyes, see ye not? + + --Mark 8. 18. + +My Father, help me to realize that I cannot feel the joy that breathes +through the early morning unless I am with it. May I see distinctly +the glory of to-day. Help me to be watchful and keep my spirit awake, +that I may receive thy revelations. Amen. + + + + +APRIL TWENTIETH + +Marcus Aurelius born 121. + +Elizabeth Barton (Maid of Kent) executed 1534 + +Sir Francis T. Baring born 1796. + +Alice Cary born 1820. + + Do not act as if you had ten thousand years to throw away. Death + stands at your elbow. Be good for something while you live and it is + in your power. + + --Marcus Aurelius. + + And O, my heart, my heart, + Be careful to go strewing in and out + The way with good deeds, lest it come about + That when thou shalt depart, + No low lamenting tongue be found to say, + The world is poorer since thou went'st away + + --Alice Cary. + + A good man prolongs his life; to be able to enjoy one's past life is + to live twice. + + --Martial. + + The righteous shall be had in everlasting remembrance. + + --Psalm 112. 6. + +Heavenly Father, thou hast made my life dear; forgive me if I have +made dearer the things that I have put around it. Many days have been +used for costly things that have faded and are laid aside. May I +realize the meaning of days that have been lost. Make me more +concerned for what I put in the days to come. Amen. + + + + +APRIL TWENTY-FIRST + +Peter F. Abelard died 1142. + +Friedrich Fröbel born 1782. + +Reginald Heber born 1783. + +James Martineau born 1805. + +Charlotte Brontë born 1816. + +Henry Shaw (Josh Billings) born 1818. + + Education should lead and guide man to clearness concerning himself + and in himself, to peace with nature, and to unity with God. + + --Friedrich Fröbel. + + When spring unlocks the flowers, to paint the + laughing soil; + When summer's balmy showers refresh the mower's + toil; + When winter binds in frosty chains the fallow and + the flood, + In God the earth rejoiceth still, and owns its maker + good. + + --Reginald Heber. + + A memory without a blot or contamination must be an inexhaustible + source of pure refreshment. + + --Charlotte Brontë. + + For ye are all sons of light, and sons of the day: we are not of the + night, nor of darkness. + + --1 Thessalonians 5. 5. + +Lord of light, thou art the light of my life. May I make thee the joy +and light of my soul. Call me to where it is clear and high, that I +may see above the mist. May I not weary in climbing to reach thee in +the high places. Amen. + + + + +APRIL TWENTY-SECOND + +Henry Fielding born 1707. + +Immanuel Kant born 1724. + +Philip James Bailey born 1816. + + We live in deeds, not years: in thoughts, not breaths: + In feelings, not in figures on a dial. + We should count time by heart-throbs. He most lives + Who thinks most, feels the noblest, acts the best. + + --Philip James Bailey. + + Men cease to interest us when we find their limitations. The only + sin is limitation. As soon as you once come up with a man's + limitations it is all over with him. + + --Ralph Waldo Emerson. + + But he that looketh into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and so + continueth, being not a hearer that forgeteth but a doer that + worketh, this man shall be blessed in his doing. + + --James 1. 25. + +Lord God, help me to break away from habits that fasten me in the ruts +of life. Draw me out to thy broad way, where there are no limits to +thy wonderful works, that I may expand my life. Amen. + + + + +APRIL TWENTY-THIRD + +William Shakespeare born 1564, died 1616. + +Cervantes died 1616. + +J.M.W. Turner born 1775. + +James Buchanan, Pennsylvania, fifteenth President +United States, born 1791. + +James Anthony Froude born 1818. + +Thomas Nelson Page born 1853. + +Edwin Markham born 1852. + + My crown is in my heart, not on my head: + Not decked with diamonds and Indian Stones, + Nor to be seen. My crown is called content. + A crown it is that seldom kings enjoy. + + --William Shakespeare. + + At the heart of the cyclone tearing the sky + And flinging the clouds and the towers by + Is a place of central calm: + So here in the roar of mortal things, + I have a place where my spirit sings, + In the hollow of God's Palm. + + --Edwin Markham. + + Rest in Jehovah, and wait patiently for him: + Fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way. + + --Psalm 37. 7. + +Almighty God, my heart beats quicker and the desire for thy care grows +stronger when I remember thy promises are given for all eternity. May +I be grateful and contented with thy love and care. Amen. + + + + +APRIL TWENTY-FOURTH + +Edmund Cartwright born 1743. + +Anthony Trollope born 1815. + +Arthur Christopher Benson born 1862. + + By religion I mean the power, whatever it be, which makes a man + choose what is hard rather than what is easy; what is lofty and + noble rather than what is mean and selfish; that puts courage into + timorous hearts and gladness into clouded spirits. + + --Arthur C. Benson. + + For all noble things the time is long and the way rude.... For every + start and struggle of impatience there shall be so much attendant + failure.... But the fire which Patience carries in her own hand is + that truly stolen from heaven--unquenchable incense of life. + + --John Ruskin. + + But they that wait for Jehovah shall renew their strength; they + shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run and not be + weary; they shall walk, and not faint. + + --Isaiah 40. 31. + +My Father, I pray that I may not be indifferent to the call of my +soul. May I not seek to serve the disappearing and neglect to make +life worthy. Acquaint me with the permanent values of life. Make clear +the way of strength, that I may not be misled by ease and carried to +weakness. May my life be ennobled by the power of my possessions. +Amen. + + + + +APRIL TWENTY-FIFTH + +Oliver Cromwell born 1599. + +John Keble born 1792. + +Alexander Duff born 1806. + +Guglielmo Marconi born 1874. + +Mrs. Burton Harrison (Constance Cary) born 1846. + +Samuel Wesley died 1735. + + Truly God follows us with encouragements: let him not lose his + blessing upon us! They come in season, and with all the advantages + of heartening, as if God should say, "Up and be doing, and I will + stand by you and help you!" There is nothing to be feared but our + own sin and sloth. + + --Oliver Cromwell. + + Sun of my soul, thou Saviour dear, + It is not night if thou be near; + O may no earthborn cloud arise + To hide thee from thy servants' eyes. + + --John Keble. + + For Jehovah God is a sun and a shield: + Jehovah will give grace and glory; + No good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly. + + --Psalm 84. 11. + +My Father, may I not err in choosing thy benefits, nor fail from the +neglect to use them. Make me appreciative of all thy gifts, and, +through thy wisdom and power, may I find the best use for them. Amen. + + + + +APRIL TWENTY-SIXTH + +David Hume born 1711. + +Daniel Defoe died 1791. + +Charles F. Browne (Artemus Ward) born 1834. + + How strange a chequer-work of Providence is the life of man! and by + what secret different springs are the affections hurried about, as + different circumstances present! To-day we love what to-morrow we + hate; to-day we seek what to-morrow we shun; to-day we desire what + to-morrow we fear; nay, even tremble at the apprehension of. + + --Daniel Defoe. + + Now don't do nothin' which isn't your Fort, for ef you do you'll + find yourself splashin' round in the Kanawl, figgeratively speakin'. + + --Artemus Ward. + + Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. And there + are diversities of ministrations, and the same Lord. And there are + diversities of workings, but the same God, who worketh all things in + all. + + --1 Corinthians 12. 4-6. + +Lord forbid that I should fear to change for the better or be so +pleased with myself and the things which surround me that I feel no +need for a higher life. Make me dissatisfied if I am not trying to +grow in truth and to live in noble deeds. Amen. + + + + +APRIL TWENTY-SEVENTH + +Samuel Morse born 1791. + +Lajos Kossuth born 1802. + +Herbert Spencer born 1820. + +Ulysses S. Grant, Ohio, eighteenth President United +States, born 1822. + +Ralph Waldo Emerson died 1882. + + People who are dishonest, or rash, or stupid will inevitably suffer + the penalties of dishonesty, or rashness, or stupidity. + + --Herbert Spencer. + + Abide in the simple and noble regions of thy life; obey thy heart. + + --Ralph Waldo Emerson. + + Well, then, we must cut our way out. + + --General Grant. + + Wherefore take up the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to + withstand in the evil day, and, having done all, to stand. + + --Ephesians 6. 13. + +Loving Father, help me to live a simple and noble life. Grant that I +may have the blessedness that comes through peace, and escape the +misery that comes from cruelty and untruth. Through my life may what I +reap show that I have been careful in choosing and cultivating what I +have sown. Amen. + + + + +APRIL TWENTY-EIGHTH + +Charles Cotton born 1630. + +James Monroe, Virginia, fifth President United +States, born 1758. + +Anthony Ashley, Earl of Shaftesbury, born 1801. + + During a long life I have proved that not one kind word ever spoken, + not one kind deed ever done, but sooner or later returns to bless + the giver, and becomes a chain, binding men with golden bands to the + throne of God. + + --Earl of Shaftesbury. + + There's many a time when the bitterest thing + Is said without reason, and God knows + The courage it takes to suffer the sting, + By hiding the wounds that the heart shows. + + There's many a sob we bravely keep down + For the sake of old times revered so, + There's many a head with thorns for a crown + Where kisses would soon make the heart glow. + + --Edwin Leibfreed. + + So shalt thou know wisdom to be unto thy soul; + If thou hast found it, then shall there be a reward, + And thy hope shall not be cut off. + + --Proverbs 24. 14. + +My Father, if I am to-day without happiness, may I go in search of it. +Help me to remember that the will thou hast given me to overcome evil +with good I may use to overcome misery with happiness. Make me careful +that I may not be trapped by selfishness as I look for joy. May I +delight in the sweet sensations that are felt in having consideration +for others, and may I make kindness a daily habit. Amen. + + + + +APRIL TWENTY-NINTH + +Michel Ruyter died 1676. + +Abbe Charles de St. Pierre died 1743. + +Matthew Vassar born 1792. + +Edward Rowland Sill born 1841. + + Never yet was a springtime, + Late though lingered the snow, + That the sap stirred not at the whisper + Of the south wind, sweet and low; + Never yet was a springtime + When the buds forgot to blow. + + Ever the wings of the summer + Are folded under the mold; + Life that has known no dying, + Is Love's, to have and to hold, + Till, sudden, the burgeoning Easter! + The song! the green and the gold![1] + + --Margaret E. Sangster. + + In tracing the shade, I shall find out the sun. + + --Owen Meredith. + + All chastening seemeth for the present to be not joyous but + grievous; yet afterward it yieldeth peaceable fruit unto them that + have been exercised thereby, even the fruit of righteousness. + + --Hebrews 12. 11. + +Almighty God, grant that as the fulfillment of the green comes to the +withered grass, so thy restoring may come to me with the glory of life +that comes in the resurrection of the soul. I trust thee to bring me +out of winter's seal, that I may help make the spring. Amen. + +[Footnote 1: From Easter Bells. Copyright, 1897, by Harper & +Brothers.] + + + + +APRIL THIRTIETH + +Chevalier de Bayard killed 1524. + +Sir John Lubbock born 1834. + +James Montgomery died 1854. + +David Livingstone died 1873. + + We scatter seeds with careless hands, + And dream we ne'er shall see them more; + But for a thousand years + Their fruit appears + In weeds that mar the land. + + --John Keble + + And there came up a sweet perfume + From the unseen flowers below, + Like the savor of virtuous deeds, + Of deeds done long ago. + + --Mrs. Southey. + + Mary therefore took a pound of ointment of pure nard, very precious, + and anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped his feet with her hair: + and the house was filled with the odor of the ointment. + + --John 12. 3. + +My Father, I pray that it may be mine to have the recollection of +happy deeds, and not the memory of unkept promises. Help me to +remember that one act is worth a thousand intentions, and that memory +is the storehouse that supplies old age. Make me careful of my memory, +that it may not be burdened. Amen. + + + + +MAY + + + I cannot see what flowers are at my feet, + Nor what soft incense hangs upon the boughs, + But, in the embalmed darkness, guess each sweet + Wherewith the seasonable month endows + The grass, the thicket, and the fruit tree wild; + White hawthorn, and the pastoral eglantine; + Fast-fading violets covered up in leaves; + And mid-May's wildest child, + The coming musk-rose, full of dewy wine, + The murmurous haunt of flies on summer eves. + + --John Keats. + + Such a starved bank of moss + Till that May morn, + Blue ran the flash across: + Violets were born. + + --Robert Browning. + + + + +MAY FIRST + +Arbor Day. + +Joseph Addison born 1672. + +Arthur, Duke of Wellington, born 1769. + + If you wish to succeed in life, make perseverance your bosom friend, + experience your wise counselor, caution your elder brother, and hope + your guardian genius. + + --Joseph Addison. + + He who plants a tree, he plants love; + Tents of coolness spreading out above + Wayfarers, he may not live to see. + Gifts that grow are best; + Hands that bless are blest; + Plant-life does the rest! + Heaven and earth help him who plants a tree, + And his work his own reward shall be. + + --Lucy Larcom. + + And he shall be like a tree planted by the streams of water, + That bringeth forth its fruit in its season, + Whose leaf also doth not wither; + And whatsoever he doeth shall prosper. + + --Psalm 1. 3. + +My Creator, give me joyful eyes for joyful nature. May I be alive to +the gentle influences of a May day which bring new experiences to all +who may receive them: and may I serve thee by unfolding to others the +love of truth, the love of good, and the love of beauty. Amen. + + + + +MAY SECOND + +Leonardo da Vinci died 1519. + +Robert Hall born 1764. + +Jerome K. Jerome born 1859. + +William Henry Hudson born 1862. + + Without a false humility; + For this is love's nobility,-- + Not to scatter bread and gold, + Goods and raiment bought and sold; + But to hold fast his simple sense, + And speak the speech of innocence, + And with hand and body and blood, + To make his bosom-counsel good. + He that feeds man serveth few; + He serves all who dares be true. + + --Ralph Waldo Emerson. + + Small service is true service while it lasts: + Of humblest friends scorn not one: + The daisy, by the shadow it casts, + Protects the lingering dewdrop from the sun. + + --William Wordsworth. + + Surely then shalt thou lift up thy face without spot; + Yea, thou shalt be steadfast, and shalt not fear. + + --Job 11. 15. + +Heavenly Father, I would be thankful for the blessings I am inclined +to forget. Give me a heart of gratitude, and forbid that I should hold +my friends for material gain or selfish ends. May I through the +truthfulness of my lips, and the honor of my acts, be a necessary +friend. Amen. + + + + +MAY THIRD + +Niccolo Machiavelli born 1469. + +Thomas Hood died 1845. + +Jacob Riis born 1849. + + The longing for ignoble things; + The strife for triumph more than truth; + The hardening of the heart that brings + Irreverence for the dreams of youth; + + All these must first be trampled down + Beneath our feet, if we would gain + In the bright fields of fair renown + The right of eminent domain. + + --John Keble. + + One lesson, and only one, history may be said to repeat with + distinctness; that the world is built somehow on moral foundations; + that in the long run, it is well with the good; in the long run it + is ill with the wicked. + + --James Anthony Froude. + + No soldier on service entangleth himself in the affairs of this + life; that he may please him who enrolled him as a soldier. And if + also a man contend in the games, he is not crowned, except he have + contended lawfully. + + --2 Timothy 2. 4, 5. + +Gracious Father, may my heart be mindful of thee, that I may discover +the truth and possess it. Steady me in my affections and save me from +wandering impulses; and may I help to put wrong down and uplift +humanity. Amen. + + + + +MAY FOURTH + +Frederick Edwin Church born 1826. + +Isaac Barrow died 1677. + +John James Audubon born 1780. + +Horace Mann born 1796. + +Thomas Henry Huxley born 1825. + + The chess board is the world, the pieces are the phenomena of the + universe, the rules of the game we call the laws of nature. My + metaphor will remind some of you of the famous picture in which + Retzsch has depicted Satan playing chess with man for his soul. + Substitute for the mocking fiend in that picture a calm, strong + angel, who is playing "for love," as we say, and would rather lose + than win, and I should accept it as an image of human life. + + --Thomas Henry Huxley. + + Riches and nobility fade together. O, my God! be thou praised for + having made love for all time, and immortal as thyself. + + --George Sand. + + He hath given food unto them that fear him: + He will ever be mindful of his covenant. + The works of his hands are truth and justice; + All his precepts are sure. + + --Psalm 111. 5, 7. + +Father of life, I know I cannot hold youth. I may have prosperity or +poverty. I thank thee that thou hast taught me that love may be kept +changeless through all. Amen. + + + + +MAY FIFTH + +Napoleon Bonaparte died 1821. + +Empress Eugenie born 1826. + +Bret Harte died 1902. + + As I stand by the cross, on the lone mountain's crest, + Looking over the ultimate sea, + In the gloom of the mountain a ship lies at rest, + And one sails away from the lea; + One spreads its white wings on the far-reaching track, + With pennant and sheet flowing free; + One hides in the shadow with sails laid aback-- + The ship that is waiting for me. + + But lo! in the distance the clouds break away, + The gate's glowing portals I see, + And I hear from the outgoing ship in the bay + The song of the sailors in glee. + So I think of the luminous footprints that bore + The comfort o'er dark Galilee, + And wait for the signal to go to the shore + To the ship that is waiting for me. + + --Bret Harte. + + Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, + I will fear no evil; for thou art with me; + Thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me. + + --Psalm 23. 4. + +Eternal God, I praise thee, that "thy love is broader than the measure +of man's mind," and that through all my years I may hide myself in +thee, trusting thee to the end. Amen. + + + + +MAY SIXTH + +Plato born B.C. 427. + +Robespierre born 1758. + +General Andrea Messena born 1758. + + Hard ye may be in the tumult, + Red to your battle hilts; + Blow give blow in the foray, + Cunningly ride in the tilts. + But tenderly, unbeguiled-- + Turn to a woman a woman's + Heart, and a child's to a child. + + Test of the man if his worth be + In accord with the ultimate plan + That he be not, to his marring, + Always and utterly man. + That he may bring out of the tumult, + Fetter and undefiled, + To woman the heart of a woman-- + To children the heart of a child.[1] + + --O. Henry. + + A man's concern is only whether in doing anything he is doing right + or wrong--acting the part of a good man or a bad. + + --Plato. + + A faithful man shall abound with blessings. + + --Proverbs 28. 20. + +Almighty God, I pray that I may seek sincerely those whom I approach +with sympathy, and by my honor may they feel the same sincerity for +me. Amen. + +[Footnote 1: Special permission Cosmopolitan Magazine, New York.] + + + + +MAY SEVENTH + +Correggio born 1494. + +Robert Browning born 1812. + +Johannes Brahms born 1833. + +Lord Rosebery (Archibald Primrose) born 1847. + + So, take and use thy work: amend what flaws may lurk, + What strain o' the stuff, what warpings past the aim! + My times be in Thy hand! perfect the cup as planned! + Let age approve of youth, and death complete the same! + + --Robert Browning. + + No matter how often defeated, you are born to victory. The reward of + a thing well done is to have done it. + + --Ralph Waldo Emerson. + + When I hear a young man spoken of as giving promise of high genius, + the first question I ask about him is always--Does he work? + + --John Ruskin. + + Ye therefore shall be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect. + + --Matthew 5. 48. + +O God, I pray that thou wilt search me, and in the silent moments show +me myself without obstruction. Breathe upon me thy awakening breath, +that I may be revived to nobler activities. Amen. + + + + +MAY EIGHTH + +Rev. William Jay born 1769. + +François Mignet born 1796. + +Louis Gottschalk born 1829. + +John Stuart Mill died 1873. + + A profound conviction raises a man above the feeling of ridicule. + + --John Stuart Mill. + + A garden is a lonesome thing, God wot! + Rose plot, + Fringed pool, + Ferned grot-- + The veriest school + Of peace; and yet the fool + Contends that God is not-- + Not God! in the gardens! when the eve is cool? + Nay but I have a sign; + 'Tis very sure God walks in mine. + + --Thomas E. Brown. + + Jehovah bless thee, and keep thee: + Jehovah make his face to shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee: + Jehovah lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace. + + --Numbers 6. 24, 25, 26. + +My Father, may this be a day of usefulness. Make me sure of myself, +that I may not spend my days in questioning, but accept with +gratefulness thy love and tender care. Make me worthy to be called thy +child. Amen. + + + + +MAY NINTH + +John Brown (Ossawattomie) born 1800. + +Johann Schiller died 1805. + +J.M. Barrie born 1860. + + Have love! not love alone for one, + But man as man thy brother call: + And scatter like the circling sun + Thy charities on all. + + --Johann Schiller. + + He spoke, and words more soft than rain + Brought the Age of Gold again: + His action won such reverence sweet, + As hid all measure of the feat. + + --Ralph Waldo Emerson. + + That their hearts might be comforted, they being knit together in + love. + + --Colossians 2. 2. + +Gracious Lord, I pray that I may not only be known to those who are my +own, but may I consider all mankind. May those who need me find me +through my gentleness, and may they be assured by quiet confidence and +faith. Amen. + + + + +MAY TENTH + +Rouget de l'Isle born 1760. + +Jared Sparks born 1789. + +James Bryce born 1838. + +Sir Henry Stanley died 1904. + + For four months and four days I lived with David Livingstone in the + same house, or in the same boat, or in the same tent, and I never + found a fault in him. I am a man of quick temper, and often without + sufficient cause, I dare say, have broken the ties of friendship; + but with Livingstone I never had cause for resentment, but each + day's life with him added to my admiration for him. + + --Sir Henry Stanley. + + In speech right gentle, yet so wise: princely of mien, + Yet softly mannered; modest, deferent, + And tender-hearted, though of a fearless blood. + + --Edwin Arnold. + + Ye are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hid. + + --Matthew 5. 14. + +Almighty God, help me to aspire, that my life may tend toward the +ideal. May I be persuaded that I cannot be that which I do not +possess, nor can I live in that which I do not know. Help me to put +the best in what I do, that I may not feel I have failed, even though +it may not seem to be a success. Amen. + + + + +MAY ELEVENTH + +Baron Münchhausen born 1720. + +William Pitt, Earl of Chatham, died 1778. + +Jean Léon Gérôme born 1824. + + And methought that beauty and terror are only one, not two; + And the world has room for love, and death, and thunder and dew; + And all the sinews of hell slumber in the summer air; + And the face of God is a rock, but the face of the rock is fair. + Beneficent streams of tears flow at the finger of pain; + And out of the cloud that smites, beneficent rivers of rain. + + --Robert Louis Stevenson. + + It is more shameful to be distrustful of our friends than to be + deceived by them. + + --La Rochefoucauld. + + Thou shalt rejoice in all the good which Jehovah thy God hath given + unto thee. + + --Deuteronomy 26. 11. + +Lord God, may I comprehend the sacredness of friendship. I thank thee +for my friends, and for all the beautiful influences which they bring +to my life. May I never hold friendship without the sincerity to +return it. Correct my faults, and cause me to learn the secret of +cheerful endurance, that I may be steadfast. Amen. + + + + +MAY TWELFTH + +Robert Fielding died 1712. + +James Sheridan Knowles born 1784. + +Dante Gabriel Rossetti born 1828. + +Jules Massenet born 1842. + + Look in my face; my name is Might-have-been; + I am also called No-more, Too-late, Farewell; + Unto thine ear I hold the dead sea-shell + Cast up thy Life's foam-fretted feet between; + Unto thine eyes the glass where that is seen + Which had Life's form and Love's, but by my spell + Is now a shaken shadow intolerable, + Of ultimate things unuttered the frail screen. + + --Dante Gabriel Rossetti. + + Let me not pass my work at morn + And then at eve, + Find for what purpose I was born-- + Just as I leave. + + --M.B.S. + + We must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the + night cometh, when no man can work. + + --John 9. 4. + +Lord God, I do earnestly pray that thou wilt give me strength to break +away, if I may be trying to free myself from habits that mar my +character. May I not lose courage and fall back in the old ways, but +by faith be led where I should go. Amen. + + + + +MAY THIRTEENTH + +Carolus Linnæus (Karl von Linné) born 1707. + +Alphonse Daudet born 1840. + +Sir Arthur Sullivan born 1842. + + I heard a voice in the darkness singing + (That was a valiant soul I knew), + And the joy of his song was a wild bird winging + Swift to his mate through a sky of blue. + + And his song was of love and all its bringing + And of certain day when the night was through; + I raised my eyes where the hope was springing, + And I think in his heaven God smiled too + (That was a valiant soul I knew). + + --J. Stalker. + + The soul aids the body, and at certain moments raises it. It is the + only bird which bears upward its own cage. + + --Victor Hugo. + + But desire earnestly the greater gifts. + + --1 Corinthians 12. 31. + +Gracious Lord, I rejoice that thou dost know the depths of my soul, +and that I may call upon thee to supply its needs. Make me worthy that +I may not be kept from the springs of joy where my soul may be +refreshed, and where I may gather hope and encouragement for the +greater loves of life. Amen. + + + + +MAY FOURTEENTH + +John Dutton born 1659. + +Gabriel D. Fahrenheit born 1686. + +Robert Owen born 1771. + +Henry Grattan died 1820. + + They that wander at will where the + Works of the Lord are revealed, + Little guess what joy can be got + From a cowslip out of the field. + + --Alfred Tennyson. + + Move onward serenely, cast aside regret, cleanse and purify life, + only be undismayed and hopeful, as you turn page after page of the + revelation of God. + + --Arthur C. Benson. + + Thou wilt show me the path of life: + In thy presence is fullness of joy; + In thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore. + + --Psalm 16. 11. + +My Father, I thank thee that nature reveals thy power as she unfolds +her beauty and wonder to the searching eye. Guide me that I may see in +the little flower the smile of welcome, the look of kindness, and the +beauty of hope which it renders to all; and may I learn from it thy +protection in the smallest things of life. Amen. + + + + +MAY FIFTEENTH + +Ephraim Chambers died 1740. + +Florence Nightingale born 1820. + +Michael W. Balfe born 1808. + +Edmund Keane died 1833. + +Daniel O'Connell died 1847. + + Light human nature is too lightly lost + And ruffled without cause, complaining on, + Restless with rest, until being overthrown, + It learneth to lie quiet. + + --Elizabeth Barrett Browning. + + Was the trial sore? + Temptation sharp? Thank God a second time! + Why comes temptation but for a man to meet + And master and make crouch beneath his foot, + And so be pedestaled in triumph? Pray + "Lead us into no such temptations, Lord!" + Yea, but, O thou whose servants are the bold, + Lead such temptations by the head and hair, + Reluctant dragons, up to who dares fight + That so he may do battle and have praise. + + --Robert Browning. + + Therefore we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things that + were heard, lest haply we drift away from them. + + --Hebrews 2. 1. + +Almighty God, if I am overwhelmed by the tides of temptation and +discouragement, let me not drift away to sea, but anchor and take +harbor in thee. May I not be afraid to trust in thy protection, but +calmly wait and watch for thy deliverance. Amen. + + + + +MAY SIXTEENTH + +Sir William Patty born 1623. + +Honore de Balzac born 1799. + +William H. Seward born 1801. + +Felicia Hemans died 1835. + + Favored of Heaven! O Genius! are they thine, + When round thy brow the wreaths of glory shine; + While rapture gazes on thy radiant way, + 'Midst the bright realms of clear mental day? + No! sacred joys! 'tis yours to dwell enshrined, + Most fondly cherished, in the purest mind. + + --Felicia Hemans. + + Genius is intensity. + + --Honore Balzac. + + But what if I fail of my purpose here? + It is but to keep the nerves at strain, + To dry one's eyes and laugh at a fall, + And, baffled, get up and begin again-- + So the chase takes up one's life, that's all. + + --Robert Browning. + + Be urgent in season, out of season. + + --2 Timothy 4. 2. + +My Lord, my life makes me conscious of weakness, and my memory brings +regret; forgive me for the lost strength I neglected to develop. In +thy compassion encourage me to be more watchful of my power, that I +may usefully increase it, and not willfully deplete it. May I learn +the need of constancy in well-doing. Amen. + + + + +MAY SEVENTEENTH + +Heloise died 1163. + +Matthew Parker died 1575. + +Edwin Jenner born 1749. + + The weakest among us has a gift, however seemingly trivial, which is + peculiar to him, and which worthily used, will be a gift to his race + forever. + + --John Ruskin. + + Not in entire forgetfulness, + And not in utter nakedness, + But trailing clouds of glory do we come + From God who is our home. + + --William Wordsworth. + + A weak mind sinks under prosperity as well as under adversity. A + strong and deep mind has two highest tides--when the moon is at + full, and when there is no moon. + + --Julius Hare. + + Thou hast granted me life and lovingkindness; And thy visitation + hath preserved my spirit. + + --Job 10. 12. + +Almighty God, I pray that I may have a true appreciation of the +quality of life. Reveal to me my responsibilities and help me to make +them my opportunities. Keep me in search of thoughts and deeds that +will increase the delight of my soul. Amen. + + + + +MAY EIGHTEENTH + +Francis Mahony (Father Prout) died 1866. + +Mrs. Johnson (Stella) born 1735. + +John Wilson (Christopher North) born 1785. + + Longing is God's fresh heavenward will, + With our poor earthly striving; + We quench it, that we may be still + Content with merely living. + + But would we learn that heart's full scope + Which we are hourly wronging, + Our lives must climb from hope to hope, + And realize our longing. + + --James Russell Lowell. + + Pretexts are not wanted when one wishes a thing. + + --Goldoni. + + Friendship is for all aid and comfort through all the relations of + life and death--for serene days and graceful gifts and country + rambles; but also for rough roads, and hard fare, shipwreck, + poverty, and persecution. + + --Ralph Waldo Emerson. + + Strive to enter in by the narrow door. + + --Luke 13. 24. + +Eternal God, I pray that thou wilt graciously restore my spirits if I +may have settled into despondency over my disappointments. May I have +the will to rise above them, and patiently strive for renewed hope. +Amen. + + + + +MAY NINETEENTH + +James Boswell died 1795. + +Johann Gottlieb Fichte born 1762. + +William E. Gladstone died 1898. + + Tired! Well, what of that? + Didst fancy life was spent on beds of ease, + Fluttering the rose-leaves scattered by the breeze? + Come! rouse thee, work while it is called to-day! + Coward, arise--go forth upon the way! + + Lonely! And what of that? + Some one must be lonely; 'tis not given to all + To feel a heart responsive rise and fall, + To blend another life into its own; + Work may be done in loneliness; work on. + + Dark! Well, what of that? + Didst fondly dream the sun would never set? + Dost fear to lose thy way? Take courage yet, + Learn thou to walk by faith and not by sight, + Thy steps will be guided, and guided right. + + --Unknown. + + And let us not be weary in well-doing: for in due season we shall + reap, if we faint not. + + --Galatians 6. 9. + +My Father, if thou wert far off I could not reach thee in time, for I +falter so much and need thee so often. I pray that thou wilt keep so +near that I can feel thy love and strength breathing within me. Amen. + + + + +MAY TWENTIETH + +Elizabeth G. Fry born 1780. + +John Stuart Mill born 1806. + +Alfred Domett born 1811. + +Rudolf H. Lotze born 1817. + +Marquis de Lafayette died 1834. + + Nature has written a letter of credit upon some men's faces which is + honored wherever presented. You cannot help trusting such men; their + very presence gives confidence. There is a "promise to pay" in their + faces which gives confidence, and you prefer it to another man's + indorsement. Character is credit. + + --William M. Thackeray. + +Henry Drummond has told us how in the heart of Africa he came across +men and women who remembered the only white man they ever saw +before--David Livingstone; and as you cross his footsteps in the dark +continent men's faces light up as they speak of the kind doctor who +passed there years ago. They could not understand him; but they felt +the love that beat in his heart. + + Who is wise and understanding among you? let him show by his good + life his works in meekness of wisdom. + + --James 3. 13. + +My Lord, inspire me with kind words and thoughtful deeds, that I may +share the yearnings and sympathy of others. May my life show that I am +dependable, and may none be left lonely to-day because of my +forgetfulness. Amen. + + + + +MAY TWENTY-FIRST + +Albrecht Dürer born 1471. + +Fernando de Soto died 1542. + +Alexander Pope born 1688. + + Self-love but serves the virtuous mind to wake + As the small pebble stirs the peaceful lake; + The center moved, a circle straight succeeds, + Another still, and still another spreads; + Friend, parent, neighbor, first it will embrace, + Its country next, and next, the human race. + + --Alexander Pope. + + A gentleman is one who understands and shows every mark of deference + to the claim of self-love in others, and exacts it in return from + them. + + --William Hazlitt. + + But he knoweth the way that I take; + When he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold. + My foot hath held fast to his steps; + His way have I kept, and turned not aside. + + --Job 23. 10. + +Lord God, teach me how secret actions make or destroy my life. Show me +the deep lines made by sorrow and discontent that cannot be effaced. +May I look toward the corrections of life and not on my imperfections, +that my life may be a helpful influence. Amen. + + + + +MAY TWENTY-SECOND + +Newman Hall born 1816. + +Wilhelm Richard Wagner born 1813. + +Maria Edgeworth died 1849. + +Victor Hugo died 1885. + + Who cares for the burden, the night, and the rain, + And the long, steep, lonesome road, + When at last through the darkness a light shines plain, + When a voice calls "Hail," and a friend draws rein, + With an arm for the stubborn load? + + For life is the chance of a friend or two + This side of the journey's goal. + Though the world be a desert the long night through, + Yet the gay flowers bloom and the sky shows blue + When a soul salutes a soul. + + --Unknown. + + In all misfortune the greatest consolation is a sympathizing friend. + + --Cervantes. + + They help every one his neighbor; and every one saith to his + brother, Be of good courage. + + --Isaiah 41. 6. + +Loving Father, may I lay hold upon the highest standards of friendship +and so be qualified to be a friend. May those who call and lean on me +feel secure in my support. May none ever be ashamed to call me friend. +Grant that those whom I love may keep faith with me. Amen. + + + + +MAY TWENTY-THIRD + +Thomas Hood born 1798. + +Margaret Fuller Ossoli born 1810. + +Henrik Ibsen died 1896. + +Dr. John Campbell died 1861. + + Chance cannot touch me! Time cannot hush me! + Fear, Hope, and longing, at strife; + Sink as I rise, on, on, upward forever, + Gathering strength, gaining breath-- + Naught can sever + Me from the Spirit of Life. + + --Margaret Fuller. + + But evil is wrought by want of thought, as well as want of heart. + + --Thomas Hood. + + For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy + to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed to us-ward. + + --Romans 8. 18. + +Heavenly Father, cause the newness of life to continue to flow through +my heart, that I may not be fatigued, as I struggle with +discouragements. Release me from hopeless cares that I have made mine, +thinking they were thine. May I trust in the boundless limit of thy +mercy, and rejoice in the world of living light. Amen. + + + + +MAY TWENTY-FOURTH + +Jean Paul Marat born 1744. + +Stephen Girard born 1750. + +Sir Robert Adair born 1763. + +Queen Victoria born 1819. + +Caroline Fox born 1819. + + I see my way as birds their trackless way. + I shall arrive! what time, what circuit first, + I ask not: but unless God send his hail + Or blinding fireballs, sleet, or stifling snow, + In some time, his good time, I shall arrive: + He guides me and the bird. + + --Robert Browning. + + To live in the presence of great truths and eternal laws--that is + what keeps a man patient when the world ignores him, and calm and + unspoiled when the world praises him. + + --Honore Balzac. + + But whoso putteth his trust in Jehovah shall be safe. + + --Proverbs 29. 25. + +Lord Jehovah, all goodness, tenderness, and forbearance that are in my +life have come from thee. May I not lose them in self, but by them +make possible happiness and endurance for others. Amen. + + + + +MAY TWENTY-FIFTH + +Ralph Waldo Emerson born 1803. + +Edward Bulwer-Lytton (George) born 1803. + +Dr. William Paley died 1805. + +William Henry Channing born 1810. + + Hast thou named all the birds without a gun? + Loved the wild rose, and left it on the stalk? + At rich men's tables eaten bread and pulse? + Unarmed faced danger with a heart of trust? + And loved so well a high behavior, + In man or maid, that thou from speech refrained, + Nobility more noble to repay? + O, be my friend and teach me to be thine! + + --Ralph Waldo Emerson. + + What the superior man seeks is in himself; + What the small man seeks is in others. + + --Confucius. + + Make no friendship with a man that is given to anger; + And with a wrathful man thou shalt not go. + + --Proverbs 22. 24. + +Lord God, may I live for the pure and upright, and have the +blessedness of a rejoicing heart. May I yearn for the secrets of +nature. Grant that my life may not seek destruction, but tenderly find +and protect life. Amen. + + + + +MAY TWENTY-SIXTH + +The Venerable Bede died 735. + +Count Nicolas Ludwig Zinzendorf born 1800. + +Capel Lofft died 1821. + + Let us disengage ourselves from care about the passing things of + time; let us soar above our worldly possessions. The bee does not + less need its wings when it has gathered an abundant store, for if + it sink in the honey, it dies. + + --Saint Augustine. + + Perhaps if we could penetrate nature's secrets, we should find that + what we call needs are more essential to the well-being of the world + than the most precious grain or fruit. + + --Nathaniel Hawthorne. + + We trust the Lord in faith serene, + A ladder he hath given; + The lower rounds in earth are seen, + The higher reach to heaven. + + --Thomas Brevior. + + Is not the life more than the food, and the body than the raiment? + + --Matthew 6. 25. + +Almighty God, I bless thee for the privilege of a great life. May I +not be satisfied to rest with idle hands in youth and make age +regretful because I have lived a useless life: but with a clear eye +and an exalted mind may I choose the "durable satisfactions" that may +be mine. Amen. + + + + +MAY TWENTY-SEVENTH + +Alighieri Dante born 1265. + +John Calvin died 1564. + +Julia Ward Howe born 1819. + +Noah Webster died 1843. + +John Kendrick Bangs born 1862. + + To your judgments give ye not the reins + With too much eagerness, like him who ere + The corn be ripe, is fain to count the grains: + For I have seen the briar through the winter snows + Look sharp and stiff--yet on a future day + High on its summit bear the tender rose: + And ship I've seen, that through the storm hath passed, + Securely bounding o'er the watery way, + At entrance of the harbor wrecked at last. + + --Dante, translated by Wright. + + In the beauty of the lilies Christ was born across the sea, + With a glory in his bosom that transfigures you and me: + As he died to make men holy, let us die to make them free, + While God is marching on. + + --Julia Ward Howe. + + Trust in Jehovah with all thy heart, + And lean not upon thine own understanding. + + --Proverbs 3. 5. + +Lord God, help me to know my ability, that I may not attempt with +weakness that which requires strength to undertake; and make me stable +that I may not relax vigilance even though victory seems assured. +Amen. + + + + +MAY TWENTY-EIGHTH + +William Pitt born 1759. + +Thomas Moore born 1779. + +Louis Agassiz born 1807. + + The bird let loose in eastern skies, + When hastening fondly home, + Ne'er stoops to earth her wing, nor flies + Where idle warblers roam; + But high she shoots through air and light, + Above all low delay, + Where nothing earthly bounds her flight, + Nor shadow dims her way. + + --Thomas Moore. + + Remember, the essence of religion is, a heart void of offense toward + God and man; not subtle speculative opinions, but an active + principle of faith. + + --William Pitt. + + And hope putteth not to shame; because the love of God hath been + shed abroad in our hearts. + + --Romans 5. 5. + +God of mercy, reveal to me the hallowed life. May I be reminded that, +while I may save and keep the dust from things that perish, my life, +though unkept and undeveloped, tells in itself the value and need of +the most watchful care. Amen. + + + + +MAY TWENTY-NINTH + +Patrick Henry born 1736. + +Joseph Fouche born 1763. + +Josephine died 1814. + +Gerald Massey born 1829. + + Is life so dear or peace so sweet as to be purchased at the price of + chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God. I know not what course + others may take, but as for me, give me liberty or give me death. + + --Patrick Henry. + + Though hearts brood o'er the past, our eyes + With smiling features glisten; + For lo! our day bursts up the skies, + Lean out your souls and listen! + The world is following freedom's way, + And ripening with her sorrow; + Take heart! Who bears the cross to-day + Shall wear the crown to-morrow. + + --Gerald Massey. + + For God gave us not a spirit of fearfulness; but of power and love + and discipline. + + --2 Timothy 1. 7. + +Lord God, may I never feel that I have a right to sell thy joys, nor +the privilege of giving away my burdens. Grant that I may not forsake +my principles, but may I keep the way clear that memory may find an +unruffled rest. Amen. + + + + +MAY THIRTIETH + +Decoration Day. + +Joan d'Arc burned at Rouen 1431. + +Alexander Pope died 1744. + +Voltaire died 1778. + +Alfred Austin born 1835. + + Here is the nation God has builded by our hands. What shall we do + with it? Who stands ready to act again and always in the spirit of + this day of reunion and hope and patriotic fervor? The day of our + country's life has but broadened into morning. Do not put uniforms + by. Put the harness of the present on. Lift your eyes to the great + tracts of life yet to be conquered in the interest of righteous + peace, of that prosperity which lies in a people's hearts and + outlasts all wars and errors of men. + + --Woodrow Wilson. + + Cover them over with beautiful flowers: + Deck them with garlands these brothers of ours; + Lying so silent, by night and by day, + Sleeping the years of their manhood away; + + * * * * * + + Give them the laurels they lost with their life. + + --Will Carleton. + + Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for + his friends. + + --John 15. 13. + +My Father, as I pause this day to think of the brave men and women who +have given their lives for the sake of others, may I be thankful for +them. May I remember that noble deeds and kind words are never lost, +but that self may block the way to justice. O Father, make war to +cease! and lead us to victories that are won through peace. Amen. + + + + +MAY THIRTY-FIRST + +Ludwig Tieck born 1773. + +Joseph Haydn died 1809. + +Walt Whitman born 1819. + + Passage, immediate passage! the blood burns in my veins! + Away, O soul! hoist instantly the anchor! + Out the hawser--haul out--shake out every sail! + Have we not stood here like trees in the ground long enough? + Have we not groveled here long enough eating and drinking like mere brutes? + Have we not darkened and dazed ourselves with books long enough? + Sail forth--steer for the deep waters only, + Reckless, O soul, exploring, I with thee, and thou with me, + For we are bound where mariner has not dared to go, + And we will risk the ship, ourselves and all. + + --Walt Whitman. + + Be strong and of good courage, fear not, nor be affrighted at them: + for Jehovah thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not + fail thee, nor forsake thee. + + --Deuteronomy 31. 6. + +My Father, give me joyful courage to squarely face my life. Help me to +know that I cannot vanquish life by evading duties, nor encircling +myself with indulgences. If I may be blind to my situation, restore my +sight that I may make ready a worthy passage with thee. Amen. + + + + +JUNE + + + There lives a glory in these sweet June days + Such as I found not in the days gone by, + A kindlier meaning in the unclouded sky, + A tenderer whisper in the woodland ways; + And I have understanding of the lays, + The birds are singing, forasmuch as I + Have learned how love avails to satisfy + A man's whole heart, and fills his lips with praise. + + --Percy C. Ainsworth + + + + +JUNE FIRST + +Nicolas Poussin born 1594. + +Sir Christopher Marlowe died 1593. + +Sir David Wilkie died 1841. + +Hugo Münsterberg born 1863. + + In every act of ours, in every feeling and every volition and every + thought, we are conscious of a self which expresses its aims and + meanings. Every idea of ours points beyond itself, every volition + binds us in decision, and every experience gets meaning by our + attitudes. The most immediate task which life demands from us in the + understanding of ourselves and of others is, therefore, to interpret + our ideas, to draw the consequences of our will, to appreciate the + attitudes, to measure them by higher standards. + + --Hugo Münsterberg. + + And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. + + --Genesis 1. 26. + +My Creator, I pray that I may not only have the desire to know life, +but the assurance to live it. Help me to understand that my earthly +possessions are not the measure of my life, nor my body the boundary +of my living. May I reach for the high standards that are free, +without limit, to all. Amen. + + + + +JUNE SECOND + +Ethelbert baptized 597. + +John Randolph born 1773. + +Thomas Hardy born 1840. + + In battle or business, whatever the game, + In law or in love, it is ever the same: + In the struggle for power, or scramble for pelf, + Let this be your motto: "Rely on yourself." + + --John G. Saxe. + + Labor is necessary to excellence. This is an eternal truth, although + vanity cannot be taught to believe or indolence to heed it. + + --John Randolph. + + But let each man prove his own work, and then shall he have his + glorying in regard of himself alone, and not of his neighbor. + + --Galatians 6. 4. + +Almighty God, I regret the hours of indiscretion and waste; through +thy forgiveness may I have thy help over past wrongs. May I have a +deeper conception of a profitable life, that I may hereafter live by +it. Amen. + + + + +JUNE THIRD + +Sydney Smith born 1771. + +Dr. John Gregory born 1724. + +Richard Cobden born 1804. + +Jefferson Davis born 1808. + +Norman Macleod born 1812. + + Certainly, let the board be spread and let the bed be dressed for + the traveler; but let not the emphasis of hospitality lie in these + things. Honor to the house where they are simple to the verge of + hardship, so that there the intellect is awake and reads the law of + the universe, the soul worships truth and love, honor and courtesy + flow into all deeds. + + --Ralph Waldo Emerson. + + Kind actions, and good wishes, and pure thoughts + No mystery is here: Here is no boon + For high--yet not for low: The smoke ascends + To heaven as lightly from the cottage hearth + As from the haughtiest palace. + + --William Wordsworth. + + Given to hospitality. + + --Romans 12. 13. + +Gracious Father, I beseech thee to give me wisdom for kind thoughts +and deeds. Teach me true hospitality, that I may be gracious in my own +home and appreciative in the home of others. May I not temper my +hospitality for certain reasons, but have a genuine welcome for all. +Amen. + + + + +JUNE FOURTH + +George III born 1738. + +Lord Edward Fitzgerald died 1798. + +General Garnet Wolseley born 1833. + + This is the gospel of labor--ring it, + Ye bells of the kirk-- + The Lord of Love came down from above + To live with the men who work. + This is the rose he planted, here + In the thorn-cursed soil; + Heaven is blest with perfect rest, but + The blessing of earth is toil. + + --Henry van Dyke + + No man is born into the world whose work + Is not born with him. There is always work + And tools to work withal, for those who will; + And blessed are the horny hands of toil. + + --James Russell Lowell. + + Six days thou shalt do thy work, and on the seventh day thou shalt + rest. + + --Exodus 23. 12. + +My Father, I pray for the love of work, and the desire to cultivate +life. Stir me, that I may be ambitious. May I not stare at life in an +everyday way and forget that others are watching for the surprises. +Help me to be considerate and kind in all that I do. Amen. + + + + +JUNE FIFTH + +Socrates born B.C. 469. + +Dr. Adam Smith born 1723. + +Karl Maria von Weber died 1826. + +O. Henry died 1910. + + You think that upon the score of foreknowledge and divining I am + infinitely inferior to the swans. When they perceive approaching + death they sing more merrily than before, because of the joy they + have in going to the God they serve. + + --Socrates. + + O yet we trust that somehow good + Will be the final goal of ill, + To pangs of nature, sins of will, + Defects of doubt, and taints of blood; + + That nothing walks with aimless feet; + That not one life shall be destroyed, + Or cast as rubbish to the void, + When God hath made the pile complete. + + --Alfred Tennyson. + + How precious is thy lovingkindness, O God! And the children of men + take refuge under the shadow of thy wings. + + --Psalm 36. 7. + +Eternal God, forbid that I should try to set up thy judgment-seat in +so small a place as self, and attempt to render decisions for thee. My +soul lives anew as I think of thy love, and that there is no place +where thy mercy can be withheld from me. Amen. + + + + +JUNE SIXTH + +Diego R. Velasquez born 1599. + +Pierre Corneille born 1606. + +Nathan Hale born 1755. + +Sir John Stainer born 1840. + + These stones that make the meadow brooklet murmur + Are the keys on which it plays. + O'er every shelving rock its touch grows firmer, + Resounding notes to raise. + + If every path o'er which footsteps wander, + Were smooth as ocean strand, + There were no theme for gratitude and wonder + At God's delivering hand. + + --W. E. Winks. + + We also rejoice in our tribulations: knowing that tribulation + worketh steadfastness; and steadfastness, approvedness; and + approvedness, hope. + + --Romans 5. 3, 4. + +My Father, if rain may come to-day, may I realize its help, with the +power of the sun, to increase life; and may its influence be sweet and +wholesome to me, as I learn that sadness is temporary and will +disappear with the coming of gladness. May I go search for the joy +that may be mine to-day. Amen. + + + + +JUNE SEVENTH + +Robert Bruce died 1329. + +George Bryan (Beau Brummel) born 1778. + +Rev. W.D. Conybeare born 1787. + + When the lamp is shattered + The light in the dust lies dead-- + When the cloud is scattered + The rainbow's glory is shed. + When the lute is broken + Sweet tones are remembered not; + When the lips have spoken + Loved accents are soon forgot. + + --Percy Bysshe Shelley. + + A slip of the rose may take root, and bring forth a bloom to give + peace to the soul. A slip of the tongue may take root, and bring + forth a thorn that will torture the soul. + + --M.B.S. + + Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of + itself, except it abide in the vine; so neither can ye, except ye + abide in me. + + --John 15. 4. + +Many of us, O Father, overlook the fragrance of the rose while we are +being pierced by its thorn. Increase my faith in life and in thee, +that I may not be dismayed over mysteries, but sincerely wait for +deliverance. Amen. + + + + +JUNE EIGHTH + +Mohammed died 632. + +Thomas Rickman born 1776. + +Charles Reade born 1814. + +John Everett Millais born 1829. + + If one touch of nature makes the whole world kin, methinks that + sweet and wonderful thing sympathy is not less powerful. What golden + barriers, what ice of centuries, it can melt in a moment! + + --Charles Reade. + + If I had two loaves of bread, I would sell one to buy white + hyacinths to feed my soul. + + --Mohammed. + + What do you live for if it is not to make life less difficult for + each other? + + --George Eliot. + + Pure religion and undefiled before our God and Father is this, to + visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep + oneself unspotted from the world. + + --James 1. 27. + +My Father, help me to understand that kind hearts and willing hands +are made possible by the depth and greatness of thy love. May I +possess the spirit of forgiveness and consideration, that I may not +hold prejudice and revenge, but help with sympathy and tenderness. +Amen. + + + + +JUNE NINTH + +George Stephenson born 1781. + +John Howard Payne born 1791. + +Richard D. Blackmore born 1825. + +Charles Dickens died 1870. + + Reflect upon your present blessings of which every man has many; not + upon your past misfortunes, of which all have some. + + --Charles Dickens. + + 'Mid pleasures and palaces though we may roam, + Be it ever so humble, there's no place like home! + A charm from the skies seems to hallow us there, + Which, sought through the world, is ne'er met with elsewhere. + Home! home! sweet, sweet home! + There's no place like home! + + --John Howard Payne. + + For thou shalt forget thy misery; + Thou shalt remember it as waters that are passed away. + + --Job 11. 16. + +Lord God, my soul fills with gratitude for the blessings which I have +received and enjoyed. Help me to conform to thy will concerning my +duties. May I not try to resist thy providence. I pray that thou wilt +bless my daily life, and make my home a place to dispense kindness and +cheerfulness. Amen. + + + + +JUNE TENTH + +Sir Edwin Arnold born 1832. + +Henry M. Stanley born 1840. + +Edward Everett Hale died 1809. + +Robert Schumann born 1810. + + What have you done with your soul, my friend? + Where is the ray you were wont to send, + Glancing bright through the outer night, + Touching with hope what was dark before, + Glimmering on to the further shore? + + --Arthur C. Benson. + + God suffers the light to know eclipse, + Dashes the cup from the eager lips; + You perchance would have drunk too deep. + + --Arthur C. Benson. + + Lift where you stand. + + --Edward Everett Hale. + + A friend is the first person who comes in when the whole world has + gone out. + + --Unknown. + + Who comforteth us in all our affliction, that we may be able to + comfort them that are in any affliction, through the comfort + wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God. + + --2 Corinthians 1.4. + +Almighty God, help me to correct my mistakes, and to be more careful +of what I take in my life. May I always stretch out a hand of love to +inspire others with confidence to care more for themselves and more +for thee. Amen. + + + + +JUNE ELEVENTH + +Roger Bacon died 1292. + +George Wither born 1588. + +John Constable born 1776. + + Exceeding gifts from God are not blessings, they are duties. They do + not always increase a man's happiness; they always increase his + responsibilities. + + --Charles Kingsley. + + Make a rule and pray for help to keep it. Once a day spare room for + a thought that will pursue a strong purpose. Help in some way the + progress of a weary soul who cannot repay you. + + --M. B. S. + + There is no true potency, remember, but that of help; nor true + ambition, but ambition to save. + + --John Ruskin. + + And if thou draw out thy soul to the hungry, and satisfy the + afflicted soul: then shall thy light rise in darkness, and thine + obscurity be as the noon day. + + --Isaiah 58. 10. + +Heavenly Father, when I think of how little I have given away my heart +burns with shame, as I recall what thou hast given to me. May I from +this day be more thoughtful of thy tender compassion by being less +selfish with what I have. Amen. + + + + +JUNE TWELFTH + +Harriet Martineau born 1802. + +Charles Kingsley born 1819. + +Dr. Thomas Arnold (Arnold of Rugby) died 1842. + +Sir Oliver Lodge born 1851. + + Do to-day's duty, fight to-day's temptation, and do not weaken and + distract yourself by looking-forward to things which you cannot see, + and could not understand if you saw them. + + --Charles Kingsley. + + Genuine religion has its roots deep down in the heart of + humanity.... The actions of the Deity make no appeal to any special + sense. We are deaf and blind, therefore, to the imminent grandeur + around us unless we have insight enough to appreciate the whole and + to recognize the woven fabric of existence flowing steadily from the + loom of an infinite progress toward perfection. + + --Sir Oliver Lodge. + + Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down + from the Father of lights, with whom can be no variation, neither + shadow that is cast by turning. + + --James 1. 17. + +Gracious Father, forbid that I should make thee regret thy gifts to +me; and if I have failed to appreciate them, look upon me with pity, +for I have cheated myself more than I have thee. Give me a deeper +appreciation, that I may be strengthened day by day in the veriest +duties of life. Amen. + + + + +JUNE THIRTEENTH + +Dr. Thomas Young born 1773. + +General Winfield Scott born 1786. + +Dr. Thomas Arnold (Arnold of Rugby) born 1795. + +William Butler Yeats born 1865. + + Beyond all wealth, honor, or even health, is the attachment we form + to noble souls, because to become one with the good, generous, and + true is to become, in a measure, good, generous, and true ourselves. + + --Thomas Arnold. + + Open thy bosom, set thy wishes wide, and let in manhood--let in + happiness; admit the boundless theater of thought from nothing up to + God ... which makes a man. + + --Thomas Young. + + Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their + labor. For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow; but woe to + him that is alone when he falleth, and hath not another to lift him + up. + + --Ecclesiastes 4. 9, 10. + +Heavenly Father, I thank thee for good friends, and for the delight +that dwells in fellowship. Give me the power to apprehend love, and +guard me against the ways to lose it. May I look to my friends to help +me to be pure, and to help me live my truest life. Amen. + + + + +JUNE FOURTEENTH + +Carlo Guidi born 1650. + +Harriet Beecher Stowe born 1812. + +Mary Carpenter died 1877. + + When you get into a tight place, and everything goes against you + till it seems as if you couldn't hold on a minute longer, never give + up then, for that's just the time and place that the tide will turn. + + --Harriet Beecher Stowe. + + I cannot do it alone, + The waves run fast and high, + And the fogs close chill around, + And the light goes out in the sky; + But I know that we two + Shall win in the end-- + God and I. + + --Unknown. + + Let us hold fast the confession of our hope that it waver not. + + --Hebrews 10. 23. + +Almighty God, I pray that thou wilt sustain me when I may be enduring +for a purpose, and to accomplish it seems beyond my strength. Renew me +with courage, and give me unceasing hope, and faith that is able to +hold out to the end. Amen. + + + + +JUNE FIFTEENTH + +Thomas Randolph born 1605. + +Edward Grieg born 1843. + +Thomas Campbell died 1844. + + What is rightly done stays with us, to support another right beyond, + or higher up; whatever is wrongly done vanishes; and by the blank, + betrays what we would have built above. + + --John Ruskin. + + The seed ye sow another reaps, + The wealth ye find another keeps, + The robe ye weave another wears, + The arms ye forge another bears. + + --Percy Bysshe Shelley. + + Thou drewest near in the day that I called upon + thee; thou saidst, Fear not. + O Lord, thou hast pleaded the causes of my soul; + thou hast redeemed my life. + + --Lamentations 3. 57, 58. + +Lord God, reveal to me my selfishness if I am receiving much and +giving little to satisfy life. May I be grateful and considerate of +all those who labor to give me comfort and happiness. Amen. + + + + +JUNE SIXTEENTH + +Hugh Capet succeeds to throne of father 956. + +Sir Richard Fanshawe died 1666. + +Sir John Cheke born 1514. + + When to the sessions of sweet, solemn thought + I summon up remembrance of things past, + I sigh the lack of many a thing I sought. + But if the while I think on thee, dear friend, + All losses are restored and sorrows end. + + --William Shakespeare. + + Seldom can the heart be lonely + If it seek a lonelier still-- + Self-forgetting, seeking only + Emptier cups of love to fill. + + --F. R. Havergal. + + The Lord Jehovah hath given me the tongue of them that are taught, + that I may know how to sustain with words him that is weary. + + --Isaiah 50. 4. + +Gracious Father, keep within me that cheer and courage which never has +a place for weary murmurings; and with peace make the hours of +solitude profitable as they pass. Help me to seek those who are in +need of sympathy and encouragement, that I may help them to have a +tranquil life. Amen. + + + + +JUNE SEVENTEENTH + +Joseph Addison died 1719. + +Charles François Gounod born 1818. + +Sir E. C. Burne-Jones died 1898. + + He who plants a tree + Plants a hope. + Rootlets up through fibers blindly grope, + Leaves unfold unto horizons free. + So man's life must climb + From the clods of time + Unto heavens sublime. + Canst thou prophesy, thou little tree, + What the glory of the boughs shall be? + + --Lucy Larcom. + + Very early, I perceived that the object of life is to grow. + + --Margaret Fuller. + + Many a genius has been slow of growth. Oaks that flourish for a + thousand years do not spring up into beauty like a reed. + + --George Henry Lewes. + + And Jesus advanced in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and + men. + + --Luke 2. 52. + +Almighty God, thy power is so great I cannot express it; help me to +comprehend the meaning of it, that I may feel more profoundly thy +expectations of my life. May I remember that to forget that life is +eternal may make me to lose all it has grown. Amen. + + + + +JUNE EIGHTEENTH + +Robert Stewart born 1769. + +Battle of Waterloo 1815. + +William Cobbett died 1835. + + Not he the threatening texts who deals + Is highest 'mong the preachers, + But he who feels the woes and weals + Of all God's wandering creatures. + He doth good work whose heart can find + The spirit 'neath the letter; + Who makes his kind of happier mind, + Leaves wiser men and better. + + Dear Bard and Brother! let who may + Against thy faults be railing, + (Though far, I pray, from us be they + That never had a failing!) + + --James Russell Lowell. + + Avenge not yourselves, beloved, but give place unto the wrath of + God: for it is written, Vengeance belongeth unto me; I will + recompense, saith the Lord. + + --Romans 12. 19. + +Heavenly Father, I pray that I may not be so occupied in expressing my +judgment of others, that I will forget to live in thy judgment myself. +May I have the compassion for others that I hope to receive from thee. +Amen. + + + + +JUNE NINETEENTH + +Magna Charta signed, Runnymede, 1215. + +Blaise Pascal born 1623. + +Charles H. Spurgeon born 1834. + + Find your niche and fill it. If it is ever so little, if it is only + a hewer of wood or a drawer of water, do something in the great + battle for God and truth. + + --Charles Spurgeon. + + If I do what I may in earnest, I need not mourn if I work no great + work on earth. To help the growth of a thought that struggles toward + the light; to brush with gentle hand the stain from the white of one + snowdrop--such be my ambition. + + --George Macdonald. + + Jehovah thy God will bless thee in all thy work, and in all that + thou puttest thy hand unto. + + --Deuteronomy 15. 10. + +Lord God, I pray that I may not through conceit be betrayed into +slacking my work, or through visions of greatness lose it. Teach me +how to obtain the secret wealth in the smallest thing; and may I +recognize thy treasures, and fill my life with the finest that may be +given me. Amen. + + + + +JUNE TWENTIETH + +John of Lancaster born 1389. + +Dr. Adam Ferguson born 1723. + +Anna Letitia Aiken (Mrs. Barbauld) born 1743. + + If the soft hand of winning Pleasure leads + By living waters, and through flowery meads, + Where all is smiling, tranquil, and serene, + Oh! teach me to elude each latent snare, + And whisper to my sliding heart, "Beware!" + With caution let me hear the Syren's voice, + And doubtful, with a trembling heart rejoice. + If friendless in a vale of tears I stray, + Where briars wound, and thorns perplex my way, + Still let my steady soul thy goodness see, + And, with a strong confidence, lay hold on Thee. + + --Anna Letitia Barbauld. + + For thou, O God, hast proved us: + Thou hast tried us, as silver is tried. + + --Psalm 66. 10. + +O Lord, teach me to select my pleasures with care, that I may not +plunge into joyful moments that are irretrievable. May I indulge in +the pleasures that bring happiness and not weariness. Grant that I may +have the honor to protect others from harm and loss, as I engage in my +pleasures and in my work. Amen. + + + + +JUNE TWENTY-FIRST + +Captain John Smith died 1631. + +Anthony Collins born 1676. + +Jacques Offenbach born 1819. + + In our eagerness to solve life we start out to trace its mysteries + and trample God's truths as we search. As we return we discover the + shattered treasures, and gladly stoop to gather up the fragments, + and with them translate the revelations of the soul. + + --M.B.S. + + I stretch my hands out in the empty air; + I strain my eyes into the heavy night; + Blackness of darkness!--Father, hear my prayer; + Grant me to see the light! + + --George Arnold. + + But when he came to himself he said, How many hired servants of my + father's have bread enough and to spare, and I perish here with + hunger! I will arise and go to my father. + + --Luke 15. 17, 18. + +Heavenly Father, I pray that as I search for the truth I will not be +so eager to seek thy mysteries as I am to extend thy ministries. Grant +that by thy love I will be guided in comprehending and exalting thy +kingdom. May my service bring me wisdom as I obey thy laws. Amen. + + + + +JUNE TWENTY-SECOND + +Matthew Henry died 1714. + +Karl Wilhelm von Humboldt born 1767. + +H. Rider Haggard born 1856. + + The safe and general antidote against sorrow is employment. Sorrow + is a kind of rust in the soul, which every new idea contributes in + its passage to scour away. + + --Dr. Johnson. + + We may be sure that one principle will hold throughout the whole + pursuit of thoughtful happiness--the principle that the best way to + secure future happiness is to be as happy as is rightfully possible + to-day. To secure any desirable capacity for the future, near or + remote, cultivate it to-day. What would be the use of immortality + for a person who cannot use well half an hour? asks Emerson. + + --Charles W. Eliot. + + Strengthen ye the weak hands, and confirm the feeble knees. Say to + them that are of a fearful heart, Be strong, fear not. + + --Isaiah 35. 3, 4. + +Loving Father, help me that I may realize the depth of thy love. If I +may be discouraged over my failures, speak to me hopefully and lead me +out where I may find the right way to succeed. May I not be kept in +sorrow, but find each day the happiness that brings a thankful heart. +Amen. + + + + +JUNE TWENTY-THIRD + +Mark Akenside died 1770. + +John Fill born 1625. + +Josephine born 1763 + + Could we by a wish + Have what we will and get the future now, + Would we wish aught done undone in the past? + So, let him wait God's instant men call years; + Meantime hold hard by truth and his great soul, + Do out the duty! Through such souls alone + God stooping shows sufficient of his light + For us i' the dark to rise by. And I rise. + + --Robert Browning. + + Press not thy purpose on thy Lord, + Urge not thy erring will, + Nor dictate to the Eternal mind + Nor doubt thy Maker's skill. + + --Lydia H. Sigourney. + + Cause me to hear thy loving-kindness in the morning; + For in thee do I trust: + Cause me to know the way wherein I should walk; + For I lift up my soul unto thee. + + --Psalm 143. 8. + +My Father, help me to see that in my portion of work thou hast +entrusted me to help further thy kingdom. Correct me if I am wrong in +interpreting thy way. May I concentrate my mind and make my heart and +hands do the work which thou hast given for me to do. Amen. + + + + +JUNE TWENTY-FOURTH + +Jean Baptiste Massillon born 1663. + +Alexandre Dumas born 1803. + +Henry Ward Beecher born 1813. + +General Lord Kitchener born 1850. + + All the world cries, "Where is the man who will save us?" Don't look + so far for this man, you have him at hand. This man--it is you, it + is I, it is each one of us! How to constitute oneself a man? Nothing + harder if one knows not how to will it; nothing easier if one wills + it. + + --Alexandre Dumas. + + Many of our troubles are God dragging us, and they would end if we + would stand upon our feet and go whither he would have us. + + --Henry Ward Beecher. + + Ye shall therefore keep my statutes, and mine ordinances; which if a + man do, he shall live in them. + + --Leviticus 18. 5. + +Gracious Lord, I pray that I may have reverence for that which is pure +and holy, and that my soul may delight in the presence of the good. +Help me to so live that I may have the memory of precious deeds, and +that I may not have to depend on the service of others to supply +contentment for my closing days. Amen. + + + + +JUNE TWENTY-FIFTH + +William Smellie died 1795. + +Antoine Jean Gros died 1835. + +Lucy Webb Hayes died 1889. + + In every feast remember there are two guests to be entertained--the + body and the soul; and what you give the body you presently lose, + but what you give the soul remains forever. + + --Epictetus. + + We take pains and weary to faultlessly clothe the body. We + persevere, and often struggle, to adorn the mind. As we pass through + the rays of truth, sometimes we find, after all we have put on, we + have left bare the soul. + + --M.B.S. + + For what shall a man be profited, if he shall gain the whole world, + and forfeit his life? + + --Matthew 16. 26. + +Lord God, help me to understand that thou hast made the principle of +truth so that I cannot add to it, nor take from it, lest in altering +it I might destroy it. May I never try to make my purpose cover the +truth, but without fear, face the light where truth shines the +brightest. Amen. + + + + +JUNE TWENTY-SIXTH + +Archbishop Robert Leighton died 1684. + +Dr. Philip Doddridge born 1702. + +George Morland born 1763. + + Why are we so glad to talk and take our turns to prattle, when so + rarely we get back to the stronghold of our silence with an + unwounded conscience? + + --Thomas a Kempis. + + I have read that those who listened to Lord Chatham felt that there + was something finer in the man than anything which he said. + + --Ralph Waldo Emerson. + + Speech is like the cloth of Arras opened and put abroad, whereby the + imagery doth appear in figure; whereas in thoughts they lie but as + in packs. + + --Plutarch. + + Keep thy tongue from evil, + And thy lips from speaking guile. + + --Psalm 34. 13. + +Tender Father, make me more watchful of the time that I give to +useless thoughts and words, and save me from cutting words, which make +deeper impressions than can be cut with sharp tools. Forgive me for +the hours that have not been profitable; I would I had them back, for +my heart and mind have need of them. Amen. + + + + +JUNE TWENTY-SEVENTH + +Paul Laurence Dunbar born 1872. + +Lafcadio Hearne born 1850. + +Helen Keller born 1880. + + Of course, it was not easy at first to fly. The speech wings were + weak and broken; nothing was left save the impulse to fly, but that + was something. One can never consent to creep when one has an + impulse to soar. There are so many difficulties in the way, so many + discouragements; but I kept on trying, knowing that perseverance and + patience win in the end. + + --Helen Keller. + + De da'kest hour, dey allus say, + Is des' befo' de dawn, + But it's moughty ha'd a-waitin' + Were de night goes frownin' on; + An' it's moughty ha'd a-hopin' + When de clouds is big and black, + An' all de t'ings you's waited fu' + Has failed, er gone to wrack-- + But des' keep on a joggin' ind a little bit o song. + De moon is allus brightah w'en de night's been long. + + --Paul Laurence Dunbar. + + Weeping may tarry for the night, + But joy cometh in the morning. + + --Psalm 30. 5. + +My Father, I thank thee for life and its faculties. May I not be +deceived by gratification and miss the permanent satisfactions. Make +me brave that I may be courageous in affliction, and not be dismayed +over humiliations and disappointments. May I be kept in harmony with +thy will. Amen. + + + + +JUNE TWENTY-EIGHTH + +Henry VIII born 1491. + +Jean Jacques Rousseau born 1712. + +John Wesley born 1703. + +Frederick William Faber born 1814. + + Workman of God! O lose not heart, + But learn what God is like; + And in the darkest battlefield + Thou shalt know where to strike. + + For right is right, since God is God; + And right the day must win; + To doubt would be disloyalty, + To falter would be sin. + + --F. W. Faber. + + Leisure and I have parted company. + I look upon the world as my parish. + The best of all is, God is with us. + To overdo is to undo. + + --John Wesley. + + But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only. + + --James 1. 22. + +Lord God, I pray for a desire to work. May I not be deceived in my +convictions, and work for that of which I may afterward be ashamed. +Lead me into a clear conception of right and wrong. Help me to see as +thou dost see, that I may walk with confidence in thy steps. Amen. + + + + +JUNE TWENTY-NINTH + +Paul Rubens born 1577. + +Baron John De Kalb born 1721. + +Elizabeth Barrett Browning died 1861. + + Do ye hear the children weeping, O my brothers, + Ere the sorrow comes with years? + They are leaning their young heads against their mothers, + And they cannot stop their tears. + The young lambs are bleating in the meadows; + The young birds are chirping in the nests; + The young fawns are playing with the shadows; + The young flowers are blowing toward the west: + But the young, young children, O my brothers! + They are weeping bitterly. + They are weeping in the playtime of the others, + In the country of the free. + + --Elizabeth B. Browning. + + Moreover thou hast taken thy sons and thy daughters, whom thou hast + borne unto me, and these hast thou sacrificed unto them to be + devoured. + + --Ezekiel 16. 20. + +Father of all, I pray that I may always love children. May I never +forget that I wanted things and needed things when I was a child, and +that the help and neglect which I received then told in my life. Make +me interested in the purposes that will help the progress of the child +to-day, and may I realize that the child does not need my casual +charity as much as it needs my permanent justice. Amen. + + + + +JUNE THIRTIETH + +Alexander Brome died 1666. + +Archibald Campbell beheaded 1685. + +Sir Thomas Pope Blount died 1697. + + Be useful where thou livest, that they may + Both want and wish thy pleasing presence still; + Kindness, good parts, great places are the way + To compass this. Find out men's wants and will, + And meet them there. All worldly joys go less + To the one joy of doing kindnesses. + + --George Herbert. + + Thrice happy he, who by some shady grove, + Far from the clamorous world, doth live his own; + Though solitary, who is not alone, + But doth converse with that eternal love + + --William Drummond. + + Seek, and ye shall find. + + --Matthew 7. 7. + +My Father, help me to draw from the wisdom of life, that my soul may +grow in knowledge and power. May I have the quiet confidence that +comes in trusting thee. May I help others to think on the uplifting +things of life. Amen. + + + + +JULY + + + Then came hot July, boiling like to fire, + That all his garments he had cast away; + Upon a lion raging yet with ire + He boldly rode, and made him to obey. + + --Edmund Spenser. + + A pleasing land of drowsyhead it was, + Of dreams that wave before the half-shut eye; + And of gay castles in the clouds that pass, + For ever flushing round a summer sky. + + --James Thomson. + + + + +JULY FIRST + +Comte de Rochambeau born 1725. + +Gideon Welles born 1802. + +George Frederick Watts died 1904. + + There is no unbelief! + Whoever plants a seed beneath a sod, + And waits to see it push away the clod, + He trusts in God. + + There is no unbelief! + And day by day, and night, unconsciously, + The heart lives by that faith the lips deny-- + God knoweth why. + + --Bulwer Lytton. + + More and more I see that nothing is so necessary for the religious + condition of the mind as absolute simplicity. We know what we have + got to do, and the only thing is to ask ourselves whether we are + doing it as well as we can. + + --George Frederick Watts. + + Being therefore justified by faith, we have peace with God. + + --Romans 5. 1. + +My Creator, I praise thee for the knowledge of life, and the hope of +immortality. Help me to express my belief, and to give my utmost for +the divinest, that I may be worthy of life eternal. Amen. + + + + +JULY SECOND + +Archbishop Cranmer born 1489. + +Christopher W. Gluck born 1714. + +Richard Henry Stoddard born 1825. + +Sir Robert Peel died 1850. + + One step more, and the race is ended; + One word more, and the lesson's done; + One toil more, and a long rest follows + At set of sun. + + Who would fail, for one step withholden? + Who would fail, for one word unsaid? + Who would fail, for a pause too early? + Sound sleep the dead. + + --Christina G. Rossetti. + + One who never turned his back, but marched breast forward, + Never doubted clouds would break, + Never dreamed, though right were worsted, wrong would triumph, + Held we fall to rise, are baffled to fight better, Sleep to wake. + + --Robert Browning. + + He that endureth to the end, the same shall be saved. + + --Matthew 10. 22. + +My Father, thou hast proven the strength of thy promises by thy tender +love and mercy through the darkest hours. Help me always to cling to +the hope that thou hast provided for my soul. May I be trustful, and +be thankful to "see so much as one side of a celestial idea, one side +of the rainbow, and the sunset sky." Amen. + + + + +JULY THIRD + +John S. Copley born 1737. + +Henry Grattan born 1746. + +Eugene Sue died 1857. + + Not from the dangers that beset our path + From storm or sudden death, or pain or wrath, + We pray deliverance; + But from the envious eye, the narrowed mind + Of those that are the vultures of mankind + Thy aid advance. + + Not at the strong man's righteous rage or hate, + But at the ambushed malice laid in wait + Thy strength arise; + At those who ever seek to spot the fair + White garments of a neighbor's character + With mud of lies. + + --Theodosia P. Garrison.[1] + + Putting away therefore all wickedness, and all guile, and + hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil speakings. + + --1 Peter 2. 1. + + +My Lord, may I remember that to protect the character of others is to +add virtue to my own. Grant that I may see the good and not be looking +for the evil. Cause me to know that peace will not abide in deceit or +revenge, but may be found in a happy and charitable spirit. Help me to +earn thy peace. Amen. + +[Footnote 1: Special permission by Mitchell Kennerly, New York.] + + + + +JULY FOURTH + +Independence Day. + +Colonel William Byrd died 1704. + +Nathaniel Hawthorne born 1804. + +Thomas Jefferson died 1826. + + By the rude bridge that arched the flood, + Their flag to April's breeze unfurled, + Here once the embattled farmers stood, + And fired the shot heard round the world. + + --Ralph Waldo Emerson. + + Then conquer we must, when our cause it is just, + And this be our motto, "In God is our trust"; + And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave + O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave! + + --Francis Scott Key. + + Seek not to keep your soul perpetually in the unwholesome region of + remorse. It was needful to pass through that dark valley, but it is + infinitely dangerous to linger there too long. + + --Nathaniel Hawthorne. + + And this city shall be to me for a name of joy, for a praise and for + a glory, before all the nations of the earth, which shall hear all + the good that I do unto them. + + --Jeremiah 33. 9. + +Lord of justice and peace, may I not pause at the marked stones of the +brave to learn of liberty, but may I look for the opportunities that I +may measure up to because of them, and do my part to keep the peace +and spread the blessings of our land. Amen. + + + + +JULY FIFTH + +Mrs. Sarah Siddons born 1755. + +David G. Farragut born 1801. + +George Sand born 1804. + +Cecil Rhodes born 1853. + + Nature alone can speak to our intelligence an imperishable language, + never changing, because it remains within the bounds of eternal + truth and of what is absolutely noble and beautiful. + + --George Sand. + + Say, dost thou understand the whispered token, + The promise breathed from every leaf and flower? + And dost thou hear the word ere it be spoken, + And apprehend love's presence by its power? + + --Unknown. + + But ask now the beasts, and they shall teach thee; And the birds of + the heavens, and they shall tell thee: Or speak to the earth, and it + shall teach thee; And the fishes of the sea shall declare unto thee. + Who knoweth not in all these, That the hand of Jehovah hath wrought + this? + + --Job 12. 7-9. + +Lord God, direct me away from self, that I may learn of thy wisdom, +and help further thy kingdom. Give me patience to search for thy +truths, that I may obtain the noblest to use for thy service. Amen. + + + + +JULY SIXTH + +John Huss burned at Constance, Baden, 1369. + +Baron Wilhelm Leibnitz born 1646. + +John Paul Jones born 1747. + +John Flaxman born 1755. + + No man likes to acknowledge that he has made a mistake in the choice + of his profession, and every man worthy of the name will row long + against wind and tide before he allows himself to cry out, "I'm + baffled!" and submit to be floated passively back to land. + + --Charlotte Brontë. + + There is nothing so small but that we honor God by asking his + guidance of it, or insult him by taking it into our hands. + + --John Ruskin. + + If I take the wings of the morning, + And dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea; + Even there shall thy hand lead me, + And thy right hand shall hold me. + + --Psalm 139. 9, 10. + +My Father, I pray that I may have wise judgment and use discretion in +the choice of my work. May I remember that only that is genuine which +is received and used for thee. Amen. + + + + +JULY SEVENTH + +Alexis, son of Peter the Great, died in prison 1718. + +Thomas Blacklock died 1791. + +Richard Brinsley Sheridan died 1816. + + The surest way not to fail is to determine to succeed. + + --Richard B. Sheridan. + + I felt my hot blood a-tingling flow; + With thrill of the fight my soul did glow; + And when, braced and pure, + I emerged secure + From the strife that had tried my courage so, + I said, "Let heaven send me sun or rain, + I'll never know flinching fear again." + + --Thomas Crawford. + + For the Lord Jehovah will help me; therefore have I not been + confounded: therefore have I set my face like a flint, and I know + that I shall not be put to shame. + + --Isaiah 50. 7. + +Lord Jehovah, help me to learn how to be strong and brave, that I may +not remain in fear and weakness. Help me to conquer unworthiness, and +to overcome discouragements, that I may be spared the needless battles +that are brought on through impatience and selfishness. Keep my soul +in repose, that I may add to my conquering strength. Amen. + + + + +JULY EIGHTH + +Jean de La Fontaine born 1621. + +Dr. Samuel D. Gross born 1805. + +Joseph Chamberlain born 1836. + + Neither gold nor grandeur can render us happy. + + --La Fontaine. + + Spirit of God! descend upon my heart; + Wean it from earth; through all its pulses move; + Stoop to my weakness, mighty as thou art, + And make me love thee as I ought to love. + + I ask no dream, no prophet ecstasies, + No sudden rending of the veil of clay: + No angel visitant, no opening skies-- + But take the dimness of my soul away. + + --George Croly. + + For a man's life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which + he possesseth. + + --Luke 12. 15. + +Eternal God, help me to honor my life; and may I realize, whether I +select good or bad, much or little, the harvesting is for eternity. +Grant that I may not make my life accumulate gold and grandeur, and +laden it with much spending; but may I strive and love what thou dost +love, and make my life worthy of my labor. Amen. + + + + +JULY NINTH + +Henry Hallam born 1777. + +Edmund Burke died 1797. + +Elias Howe born 1819. + + Discretion of speech is more than eloquence; and to speak agreeably + to him with whom we deal is more than to speak in good words or in + good order. + + --Francis Bacon. + + When anyone provokes you, be assured it is your opinion which + provokes you. Try therefore, in the first place, not to be hurried + away with appearance. For if you once gain time and respite, you + will more easily command yourself. + + --Epictetus. + + Let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye + may know how ye ought to answer each one. + + --Colossians 4. 6. + +My Father, help me to learn through kindness and tenderness the value +of self-control. Help me in the moods of jealousy and impatience, that +I may not cause others unhappiness by words or deeds. Teach me how to +overcome the ways that keep me discontented, that I may have a +brighter speech. Amen. + + + + +JULY TENTH + +John Calvin born 1509. + +Sir William Blackstone born 1723. + +Frederick Marryat born 1792. + + The quality of mercy is not strained; + It droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven + Upon the place beneath. It is twice blessed; + It blesseth him that gives, and him that takes. + 'Tis mightiest in the mightiest; it becomes + The throned monarch better than his crown; + + * * * * * + + It is enthroned in the hearts of kings; + It is an attribute to God himself. + + --William Shakespeare. + + His gain is loss; for he that wrongs his friend + Wrongs himself more, and ever has about + A silent court and jury, and himself + The prisoner at the bar, ever condemned. + + --Alfred Tennyson. + + Brethren, even if a man be overtaken in any trespass, ye who are + spiritual, restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness; looking to + thyself, lest thou also be tempted. + + --Galatians 6. 1. + +My Father, help me to avoid the critical spirit that leans toward +injustice. Grant that none may be made despondent waiting for my +mercy; but through forgiveness may I inspire confidence in those who +have made mistakes, and influence them to a better life. Amen. + + + + +JULY ELEVENTH + +Robert de Bruce born 1274. + +Jean Marmontel born 1723. + +John Quincy Adams, Massachusetts, sixth President +United States, born 1767. + +Susan Warner (E. Wetherell) born 1819. + + A friend to chide me when I'm wrong, + My inmost soul to see: + And that my friendship prove as strong + For him as his for me. + + --John Quincy Adams. + + Our chief want in life is somebody who shall make us do what we can: + this is the service of a friend. + + --Ralph Waldo Emerson. + + It is better to hear the rebuke of the wise, than for a man to hear + the song of fools. For as the crackling of thorns under a pot, so is + the laughter of the fool. + + --Ecclesiastes 7. 5, 6. + +My Father and Friend, who calleth me to check the progress of the +wrong, make me submissive and eager for what is right, that I may +learn and uphold to others thy purposes and desires. Amen. + + + + +JULY TWELFTH + +Caius Julius Cæsar born B.C. 100. + +Josiah Wedgwood born 1730. + +Alexander Hamilton killed 1804. + +Henry David Thoreau born 1817. + +Clara Louise Kellogg born 1842. + + Each reaching and aspiration is an instinct with which all nature + consists and cooperates, and therefore it is not in vain. If a man + believes and expects great things of himself it makes no odds where + you put him, he will be surrounded by grandeur. + + --Henry David Thoreau. + + If you have built castles in the air, your work need not be + lost--that is where they should be: now put foundations under them. + + --Henry David Thoreau. + + He is like a man building a house, who digged and went deep, and + laid a foundation upon the rock: and when a flood arose, the stream + brake against that house, and could not shake it: because it had + been well builded. + + --Luke 6. 48. + +Lord of strength, I pray that while I may lay a strong foundation for +my life, I may remember that I should not delay the building by +neglecting to complete the plans. May I look to-day and see if I am +making my words stronger than my life. With thy wisdom help me to +realize that the test of life is made with the soul. Amen. + + + + +JULY THIRTEENTH + +Richard Cromwell died 1712. + +Elijah Fenton died 1730. + +Jean Paul Marat killed by Charlotte Corday 1793. + + Let each day take thought for what concerns it, liquidate its own + affairs, and respect the day which is to follow, and then it shall + be ready. + + --Amiel. + + What does your anxiety do? It does not empty to-morrow, brother, of + its sorrow; but ah! it empties to-day of its strength. It does not + make you escape the evil; it makes you unfit to cope with it if it + comes. + + --Ian Maclaren. + + Be not anxious for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall + drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. + + --Matthew 6. 25. + +My Father, save me from the habit of borrowing. So often I borrow +trouble and cannot use it, when the peace that I possess is all that I +need. Help me, that I may not miss the glory of to-day, by +anticipating the uncertainty of to-morrow; but may I discern my place +and have delight in every day. Amen. + + + + +JULY FOURTEENTH + +Bastille destroyed 1789. + +Jane Baillie Welch Carlyle born 1801. + +Owen Wister born 1860. + + Sail fast, sail fast, + Ark of my hopes, Ark of my dreams; + Sweep lordly o'er the drowned Past, + Fly glittering through the sun's strange beams; + Sail fast, sail fast. + Breath of new buds from off some drying lea, + With news about the Future scent the sea; + My brain is beating like the heart of Haste. + I'll loose me a bird upon this Present waste; + Go, trembling song, + And stay not long; O, stay not long; + Thou art only a gray and sober dove, + But thine eye is faith and thy wing is love. + + --Sidney Lanier. + + God speed thee, pretty bird; may thy small nest, + With little ones all in good time be blest. + I love thee much; + For well thou managest that life of thine, + Well I!--O ask not what I do with mine! + Would I were such! + + --Jane Welch Carlyle. + + Behold the birds of the heaven, that they sow not, neither do they + reap, nor gather into barns; and your heavenly Father feedeth them. + Are not ye of much more value than they? + + --Matthew 6. 26. + +My Father, may I start this day with more faith in myself and greater +love for thy world. May my soul be awakened to the highest and be +ready for the joys of to-day. Amen. + + + + +JULY FIFTEENTH + +Inigo Jones born 1573. + +Rembrandt born 1607. + +Henry Edward Manning born 1808. + +William Winter born 1836. + + His was the heart that overmuch + In human goodness puts its trust, + And his the keen, satiric touch + That shrivels falsehood into dust. + + Fierce for the right, he bore his part + In strife with many a valiant foe; + But laughter winged his polished dart, + And kindness tempered every blow. + + --William Winter. + + A wise man will so act that whatever he does may rather seem + voluntary and of his own free will than done by compulsion, however + much he may be compelled by necessity. + + --Machiavelli. + + Wherefore I saw that there is nothing better, than that a man should + rejoice in his works; for that is his portion: for who shall bring + him back to see what shall be after him? + + --Ecclesiastes 3. 22. + +Lord God, may I not forget that it is in the light, and not the +darkness, that my work is revealed. I beseech thee to pour in thy +light as I plan my life, and open my heart and mind for the reception +of thy truth. Amen. + + + + +JULY SIXTEENTH + +Andrea del Sarto born 1486. + +Sir Joshua Reynolds born 1723. + +Margaret Fuller Ossoli perished at sea 1850. + + Reverence the highest, have patience with the lowest. Let this day's + performance of the meanest duty be thy religion. Are the stars too + distant? Pick up the pebble that lies at thy feet and from it learn + all. + + --Margaret Fuller. + + The situation that has not its Duty, its Ideal, was never yet + occupied by man. Yet, here is this miserable, despicable Actual, + wherein thou standest--here or nowhere is thy Ideal! Work it out + therefrom! + + --Thomas Carlyle. + + + And whosoever shall give to drink unto one of these little ones a + cup of cold water only, in the name of a disciple, verily I say unto + you he shall in no wise lose his reward. + + --Matthew 10. 42. + +Great God, may I begin this day bearing in mind that the things which +I think and do are my life. I pray that thou wilt keep me from making +great efforts for that which is valueless, and thus waste my life. May +I watch my pride and indolence that they may not cause me to lose the +best. Amen. + + + + +JULY SEVENTEENTH + +Dr. Isaac Watts born 1674. + +Charlotte Corday guillotined 1793. + +Paul Delaroche born 1797. + +J.A. McNeil Whistler died 1903. + + So frail is the youth and beauty of men, + Though they bloom and look gay like the rose; + But all our fond cares to preserve them is vain, + Time kills them as fast as he goes. + + Then I'll not be proud of my youth nor my beauty, + Since both of them wither and fade; + But gain a good name by well doing my duty; + For this will scent like the rose when I'm dead. + + --Isaac Watts. + + Onward, onward may we press + Through the path of duty; + Virtue is true happiness, + Excellence true beauty; + Minds are of supernal birth, + Let us make a heaven of earth. + + --James Montgomery. + + All things therefore whatsoever ye would that men should do unto + you, even so do ye also unto them. + + --Matthew 7. 12. + +My Lord and my strength, I pray that I may possess that expectancy +which comes in joyous hope and have the endurance that is controlled +by courage and energy. Grant in the future that I may be less +concerned about my living and more anxious for what I make of my life. +Amen. + + + + +JULY EIGHTEENTH + +William Makepeace Thackeray born 1811. + +Jane Austen died 1817. + +Jean Antoine Watteau died 1721. + + Learn to admire rightly: the great pleasure of life is that. Note + what great men admired; they admired great things; narrow spirits + admire basely and worship meanly. + + --W.M. Thackeray. + + Our thoughts are often more than we are, just as they are often + better than we are. And God sees us as we are altogether, and not in + separate feelings or actions, as our fellow men see us. We are + always doing each other injustice, and thinking better or worse of + each other than we deserve, because we only hear separate feelings + or actions. We don't see each other's whole nature. + + --George Eliot. + + The wilderness and the dry land shall be glad; and the desert shall + rejoice, and blossom as the rose. + + --Isaiah 35. 1. + +Eternal God, may I become more like thee. Give me the desire to +associate myself with people and places where the divine spirit is +supreme. May my soul breathe in the influence of all that is good and +true; and may I use my life for thy honor and praise. Amen. + + + + +JULY NINETEENTH + +John Martin born 1789. + +Samuel Colt born 1814. + +Charles Victor Cherbuliez born 1829. + + In love, if love be love, if love be ours, + Faith and unfaith can ne'er be equal powers: + Unfaith in aught is want of faith in all. + + It is the little rift within the lute + That by and by will make the music mute, + And ever widening slowly silence all. + The little rift within the lover's lute, + Or little pitted speck in garner'd fruit, + That rotting inward slowly molders all. + + It is not worth the keeping: let it go: + But shall it? Answer, darling, answer no. + And trust me not at all or all in all. + + --Alfred Tennyson. + + Take us the foxes, the little foxes, + That spoil the vineyards; + For our vineyards are in blossom. + + --Song of Solomon 2. 15. + +Loving Father, help me to put away the distractions and cares that +make me discontented. Grant that I may not set myself in "gilded +pride" and keep out the precious things of life. Help me to abandon +doubt and suspicion, and keep the faith that is happy to believe and +willing to forgive. Amen. + + + + +JULY TWENTIETH + +Petrarch born 1304. + +Thomas Lovell Beddoes born 1803. + +John Sterling born 1806. + +Jean Ingelow died 1897. + + Let thy day be to the night + A letter of good tidings! Let thy praise + Go up as birds go up--that when they awake, + Shake off the dew and soar. + + --Jean Ingelow. + + I, and the bird, + And the wind together, + Sang a supplication + In the winter weather. + + The bird sang for sunshine, + And the trees for winter fruit, + And for love in the spring time + When the thickets shoot. + + And I sang for patience + When the teardrops start; + Clean hands and clear eyes, + And a faithful heart. + + --Arthur C. Benson. + + Unto thee, O Jehovah, do I lift up my soul. + + --Psalm 25. 1. + +Lord God, if I am discouraged this morning, may I pause for thine +encouragement. Grant that the fear of the night may make no decline in +my morn, but that "into the future I may fuse the past," and use what +is clearest for to-day. Amen. + + + + +JULY TWENTY-FIRST + +Matthew Pryor born 1664. + +William Lord Russell beheaded 1683. + +Robert Burns died 1796. + + Our heaven must be within ourselves, + Our home and heaven the work of faith + And thro' this race of life which shelves + Downward to death. + While over all a dome must spread, + And love shall be that dome above; + And deep foundations must be laid, + And these are love. + + --Christina Rossetti. + + If happiness has not her seat + And center in the breast, + We may be wise or rich or great, + But never can be blest. + + --Robert Burns. + + Keep thy heart with all diligence; For out of it are the issues of + life. + + --Proverbs 4. + +My Father, if I choose to be unhappy and miserable, may I not be to +myself and friends as "a harp with one string." Help me to free myself +from thinking and anticipating things that keep me from the pleasure +that I might receive and give. May I have more trust in my friends and +in thee. Amen. + + + + +JULY TWENTY-SECOND + +Sir John Graham killed 1298. + +Pilgrims started for America 1620. + +Earl of Shaftesbury (Anthony Ashley Cooper) born 1621. + + How comes it to pass, then, that we appear such cowards in + reasoning, and are so afraid to stand the test of ridicule? + + --Earl of Shaftesbury. + + He that of such a height hath built his mind, + And reared the dwelling of his thoughts so strong, + As neither fear nor hope can shake the frame + Of his resolved powers; nor all the wind + Of vanity or malice pierce to wrong + His settled peace, or to disturb the same: + What a fair seat hath he, from whence he may + The boundless wastes and wilds of man survey? + + --Samuel Daniel. + + Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee; + because he trusteth in thee. + + --Isaiah 26. 3. + +O Lord, it is not that I am ashamed to ask thee for the truth that I +do not more diligently seek it, but it is because I fear the sacrifice +that may follow in obtaining it. I would that I could understand that +thy strength is given in the sacrifice. Make me braver as I seek to +live in the truth. Amen. + + + + +JULY TWENTY-THIRD + +Richard Gibson died 1690. + +Charlotte Cushman born 1816. + +Coventry Patmore born 1823. + + I do not ask, O Lord, that life may be + A pleasant road; + I do not ask that thou would'st take from me + Aught of its load. + + For one thing only, Lord, dear Lord, I plead: + Lead me aright-- + Though strength should falter, and though heart should bleed-- + Through peace to light. + + --Adelaide A. Procter. + + O, why and whither?--God knows all, + I only know that he is good, + And that whatever may befall + Or here or there, must be the best that could. + + --John G. Whittier. + + Lead me, O Jehovah, in thy righteousness because of mine enemies; + Make thy way straight before my face. + + --Psalm 5. 8. + +Loving Father, may I never fail to ask for thy guidance, for thou hast +promised to lead me to the cool springs while I pass through the +desert places. Help me to put myself in thy keeping and say, "Thy will +be done." Amen. + + + + +JULY TWENTY-FOURTH + +Rev. John Newton born 1725. + +John P. Curran born 1750. + +J.G. Holland born 1819. + + As the winged arrow flies + Speedily the mark to find; + As the lightning from the skies + Darts and leaves no trace behind; + Swiftly thus our fleeting days + Bear us down life's rapid stream; + Upward, Lord, our spirits raise; + All below is but a dream. + + --John Newton. + + O gentlemen! the time is short; + To spend that shortness basely were too long, + If life did ride upon a dial's point, + Still ending at the arrival of an hour. + + --William Shakespeare. + + Jehovah, make me to know mine end, + And the measure of my days, what it is; + Let me know how frail I am. + + --Psalm 39. 4. + +Lord, forbid that I should overcast my life with intentions, and +neglect to put in the deeds. May I not be satisfied to spend my days +in being merely occupied, but live to learn and work. May I not be +dismayed over what I might have been, but with all my might do what I +can now. Amen. + + + + +JULY TWENTY-FIFTH + +Thomas à Kempis died 1471. + +Simon Bolivar born 1783. + +Arthur James Balfour born 1848. + + Blessed indeed are those ears which listen not after the voice which + is sounding without, but after the truth teaching within. + + --Thomas à Kempis. + + How joyed my heart in the rich melodies + That overhead and round me did arise! + The moving leaves--the water's gentle flow-- + Delicious music hung on every bough. + Then said I in my heart, "If that the Lord + Such lively music on the earth accord; + If to weak, sinful man such sounds are given, + O! what must be the melody of heaven!" + + --Izaak Walton. + + But thou, O Jehovah, knowest me; thou seest me, and triest my heart + toward thee. + + --Jeremiah 12. 3. + +Loving Father, thou hast made it needful for me to know that the songs +which are sung by divine love are rarely heard by cruel hearts. Grant +that my soul may chord with the sweetest music that vibrates in the +beauty and harmony of life. Amen. + + + + +JULY TWENTY-SIXTH + +Charles Emmanuel died 1630. + +John Wilmot died 1680. + +George Clinton born 1739. + + Quiet minds cannot be perplexed or frightened, but go on in fortune + or misfortune at their own private pace, like a clock during a + thunderstorm. + + --Robert L. Stevenson. + + I have learned, as days have passed me, + Fretting never lifts the load; + And worry, much or little, + Never smooths an irksome road; + For do you know that somehow, always, + Doors are opened, ways are made; + When we work and live in patience + Under all the cross that's laid. + + --Unknown. + + But whoso hearkeneth unto me shall dwell securely, And shall be + quiet without fear of evil. + + --Proverbs 1. 33. + +Merciful and just God, I pray that I may regulate my life by thy +standards and conform my life to thy laws, that thy goodness and mercy +may not be wasted on me. Help me to bear in mind, that willingness is +the power that starts the hands to work. May I have thy presence while +I wait in quietness, that I may be helped through the anxious moments. +Amen. + + + + +JULY TWENTY-SEVENTH + +Thomas Campbell born 1777. + +Alexandre Dumas-fils born 1824. + +Dr. John Dalton died 1844. + + What's hallowed ground? 'Tis what gives birth + To sacred thoughts in souls of worth!-- + Peace! Independence! Truth! go forth + Earth's compass round; + And your high-priesthood shall make earth + All hallowed ground. + + --Thomas Campbell. + + Remember the week day to keep it holy. + + --Elbert Hubbard. + + The meaning of life comes to us mostly in great revealing flashes + and intense emotions. + + --Dean Farrar. + + To the pure all things are pure. + + --Titus 1. 15. + +Gracious Father, may I not feel that it is necessary to wait for +certain days and ceremonies to prepare to worship thee, while at every +moment thy love is pleading for me. May I through the busiest hours +and the most perplexing moments serve thee in reverence and obedience, +and ever give praise to thy holy name. Amen. + + + + +JULY TWENTY-EIGHTH + +John Sebastian Bach died 1750. + +Robespierre executed 1794. + +Jean Baptiste Corot born 1796. + + O Light that followest all my way, + I yield my flickering torch to thee; + My heart restores its borrowed ray, + That in thy sunshine's blaze its day + May brighter, fairer be. + + --George Matheson. + + Follow your Star that lights a desert pathway, yours or mine, + Forward, till you learn the highest Human Nature is divine. + Follow Light and do the Right--for man can half control his doom-- + Till you see the deathless Angel seated in the vacant Tomb. + + --Alfred Tennyson. + + My soul waiteth for the Lord, + More than watchmen wait for the morning; + Yea, more than watchmen for the morning. + + --Psalm 130. 6. + +Almighty God, help me to kindle my life by the shining light of thy +power and love, that I may be an ambassador for thee. Amen. + + + + +JULY TWENTY-NINTH + +Andrew Marvell died 1678. + +William Wilberforce died 1833. + +Dr. Thomas Dick died 1857. + + I wrestle not with rage + While fury's flame doth burn; + It is vain to stop the stream + Until the tide doth turn. + + But when the flame is out + And ebbing wrath doth end + I turn a late enraged foe + Into a quiet friend. + + --Robert Southwell. + + If I can lend + A strong hand to the fallen, or defend + The right against a single envious strain, + My life though bare + Perhaps of much that seemeth dear and fair + To us on earth, will not have been in vain. + + --Unknown. + + A friend loveth at all times; + And a brother is born for adversity. + + --Proverbs 17. 17. + +Gracious Father of us all, if I may have cause to be provoked to-day, +help me to rise above my angry passions, and not from weakness plunge +into that for which I may be sorry. Make me self-forgetful, that I may +be willing to make peace with those whom I may have displeased. Amen. + + + + +JULY THIRTIETH + +Samuel Rogers born 1763. + +Thomas Gray died 1771. + +W.T. Adams (Oliver Optic) born 1822. + +Prince Bismarck died 1898. + + Sit down, sad soul, and count + The moments flying; + Come, tell the sweet amount + That's lost by sighing! + How many smiles?--a score? + Then laugh, and count no more; + For day is dying. + + Lie down sad soul, and sleep, + And no more measure + The flight of time, nor weep + The loss of leisure; + But here by this lone stream, + Lie down with us, and dream + Of starry treasure. + + Bryan Waller Procter. + + The only thing grief has taught me is to know how shallow it is. + Grief will not carry you one step into real nature; grief can teach + me nothing. + + --Ralph Waldo Emerson. + + Leave off, ye simple ones, and live; + And walk in the way of understanding. + + --Proverbs 9. 6. + +God of love, may I come quickly to thee, when I am in need of +protection and sympathy. Guard me against sorrow that is drawn from +the imagination. May I not allow grief to drag me into misery, but +with strength and courage may I find happiness in thy daily will. +Amen. + + + + +JULY THIRTY-FIRST + +John Conybeare died 1775. + +John Ericsson born 1803. + +Paul B. Du Chaillu born 1835. + +Phoebe Cary died 1871. + + Be wise to-day; 'tis madness to defer; + Next day the fatal precedent will plead; + Thus on, till wisdom is pushed out of life. + Procrastination is the thief of time; + Year after year it steals, till all are fled, + And to the mercies of a moment leaves + The vast concerns of an eternal scene. + + --Dr. Edward Young. + + O, my friend, rise up and follow + Where the hand of God shall lead; + He has brought thee through affliction, + But to fit thee for his need. + + --Mary Howitt. + + For he is our God, + And we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand. + To-day, O that ye would hear his voice! + Harden not your heart. + + --Psalm 95. 7, 8. + +Lord God, I come to thee for help, that I may make more of my life. +Steady me, that I may know its value without wavering, and the loss it +sustains from wasted days. I pray that I may live more in thy +commandments, and with my work accept the joy of thy love. Amen. + + + + +AUGUST + + + Flame-like, the long midday, + With not so much of sweet air as hath stirred + The down upon the spray, + Where nests the panting bird, + Dozing away the hot and tedious noon, + With fitful twitter, sadly out of tune. + + Pleasantly comest thou, + Dew of the evening, to the crisped-up grass; + And the curled corn-blades bow, + As the light breezes pass, + That their parched lips may feel thee, and expand, + Thou sweet reviver of the fevered land. + + So, to the thirsting soul, + Cometh the dew of the Almighty's love; + And the scathed heart, made whole, + Turneth in joy above, + To where the spirit freely may expand, + And rove, untrammeled, in that "better land." + + --William D. Gallagher. + + + + +AUGUST FIRST + +Andrew Melville born 1545. + +Richard Henry Dana, Jr., born 1815. + +Maria Mitchell born 1818. + + Am I wrong to be always so happy? This world is full of grief; + Yet there is laughter of sunshine, to see the crisp green on the leaf, + Daylight is ringing with song-birds, and brooklets are crooning at night; + And why should I make a shadow when God makes all so bright? + Earth may be wicked and weary, yet cannot I help being glad! + There is sunshine without and within me, and how should I mope or be sad? + God would not flood me with blessings, meaning me only to pine + Amid all the bounties and beauties he pours upon me and mine; + Therefore I will be grateful, and therefore will I rejoice; + My heart is singing within me; sing on, O heart and voice. + + --Walter C. Smith. + + Rejoice always. + + --1 Thessalonians 5. 16. + +Gracious Father, my soul floods with joy for the blessings of life. +May it be my privilege to be happy in them. Help me not to ask thee +for anything which will cause loss to another; may I not delight in a +lonely view, but as I see thy glory bring others to the vision also. +Amen. + + + + +AUGUST SECOND + +Thomas Gainsborough died 1788. + +Elisha Gray born 1835. + +Marion Crawford born 1854. + +William Watson born 1859. + + The Holy Supper is kept, indeed, + In whatso we share with another's need; + Not what we give, but what we share, + For the gift without the giver is bare; + Who gives himself with his alms feeds three, + Himself, his hungering neighbor, and me. + + --James Russell Lowell. + + And when o'er storm and jar I climb, + Beyond life's atmosphere, + I shall behold the lord of time + And space--of world and year. + + O vain, far quest! not thus my heart + Shall ever find its goal! + I turn me home--and there thou art, + My Father, in my soul. + + --George Macdonald. + + That they should seek God, if haply they might feel after him and + find him, though he is not far from each one of us; for in him we + live, and move, and have our being. + + --Acts 17. 27, 28. + +O Lord, my gracious Father, may I not be so eager for more, that I +feel I have nothing to spare. Help me to realize that if I may be on +the mountain-top, or at the level of the sea, thy spirit may dwell in +my soul. May I rejoice that I can always receive and share thy grace +and love. Amen. + + + + +AUGUST THIRD + +John Henley born 1692. + +Henry Cuyler Bunner born 1855. + +Eugene Sue died 1857. + + Set out in the very morning of your lives with a frank and manly + determination to look simply for what is right and true in all + things.... This is the only way to know God's will and do it. You + may not find it at once, but you have set your face in the true + direction to find it. + + --Jeremy Taylor. + + The important thing in life is to have a great aim, and to possess + the aptitude and perseverance to attain it. + + --Goethe. + + Blessed are they that keep his testimonies, + That seek him with the whole heart. + + --Psalm 119. 2. + +Lord God, forbid that I should lose the opportunities of making my +life by waiting for sudden developments. Cause me to notice that the +tree that bears fruit must first grow the blossom before it may be +perfected by the sun: whether thou hast made me greater or less, may I +be ashamed to live in untruth and wait in idleness. Amen. + + + + +AUGUST FOURTH + +Percy Bysshe Shelley born 1792. + +Edward Irving born 1792. + +Walter H. Pater born 1839. + + We look before and after, + And pine for what is not; + Our sincerest laughter + With some pain is fraught; + Our sweetest songs are those that tell of saddest thought. + + Yet if we could scorn + Hate and pride and fear, + If we were things born + Not to shed a tear, + I know not how thy joy we ever could come near. + + --Percy Bysshe Shelley. + + It becomes no man to nurse despair, + But in the teeth of clenched antagonisms + To follow up the worthiest till he die. + + --Alfred Tennyson. + + He suffered no man to do them wrong; + Yea, he reproved kings for their sakes. + + --1 Chronicles 16. 21. + +My Father, I bless thee for thy patience and forbearance. I pray that +thou wilt forgive me for all the sorrow that I have made from +rebellion and despair, and with thy forgiveness may I receive patience +and cheerful courage. Amen. + + + + +AUGUST FIFTH + +John Eliot born 1604. + +John, Lord Wrottesley, born 1798. + +Richard Lord Howe died 1799. + + To live within a cave--it is most good; + But if God made a day, + And some one come, and say, + "Lo! I have gathered faggots in the wood!" + E'en let him stay, + And light a fire, and fan a temporal mood! + So sit till morning! when the light is grown + That he the path can read, + Then bid the man Godspeed! + His morning is not thine: yet must thou own + Those ashes on the stone. + They have a cheerful warmth. + + --Thomas Edward Brown. + + It is given to us sometimes, even in our everyday life, to witness + the saving influence of a noble nature, the divine efficacy of + rescue that may lie in a self-subduing act of fellowship. + + --George Eliot. + + And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, + Inasmuch as ye did it unto one of these my brethren, even these + least, ye did it unto me. + + --Matthew 25. 40. + +Father of mankind, may I not be a barrier to the discouraged, but help +them in the ways of encouragement. May I not allow pride and prejudice +to keep me from acts of love and deeds of kindness, but may I be +worthy of thy trust. Amen. + + + + +AUGUST SIXTH + +Ben Jonson died 1637. + +François Fénelon born 1651. + +Daniel O'Connell born 1775. + +Alfred, Lord Tennyson, born 1809. + + O well for him whose will is strong! + He suffers, but he will not suffer long; + He suffers, but he cannot suffer wrong; + For him nor moves the loud world's random mock, + Not all Calamity's hugest waves confound, + Who seems a promontory rock, + That compassed round with turbulent sound, + In middle ocean meets the surging shock, + Tempest-buffeted, citadel-crowned. + + --Alfred Tennyson. + + Grandeur of character lies in force of soul--that is, in the force + of thought, moral principle, and love; and this may be found in the + humblest condition of life. + + --William Ellery Channing. + + So then, brethren, stand fast. + + --2 Thessalonians 2. 15. + +Eternal God, help me that I may not be deceived by my surroundings as +I seek to have life abundantly. Instruct me that it is by the way of +character that I must attain the laws of growth, and learn reverence +for the spirit of divine life. Amen. + + + + +AUGUST SEVENTH + +Battle of Thermopylae B.C. 480. + +Frederick William (Dean) Farrar born 1831. + +Alexander M. Bell died 1905. + + Although a friend may remain faithful in misfortune, yet none but + the very best and loftiest will remain faithful to us after our + errors and our sins. + + --Dean Farrar. + + Friendship is like a debt of honor: the moment it is talked of it + loses its real name, and assumes the more ungrateful form of + obligation. From hence we find that those who regularly undertake to + cultivate friendship find ingratitude generally repays their + endeavors. + + --Oliver Goldsmith. + + For even in their wickedness shall my prayer continue. + + --Psalm 141. 5. + +Lord God, may I ever continue to be thankful for the times thou hast +helped me, when I have asked for thy compassion; may I recall the joy +in which I received it, when it may be mine to have compassion and +extend a helping hand to others. I pray that I may place my life where +it will be stronger than adversity and controlled by sincerity and +love. Amen. + + + + +AUGUST EIGHTH + +Charles A. Dana born 1819. + +Laurence Hutton born 1843. + +Cecile Chaminade born 1861. + + Lo! all the glory gone! + God's masterpiece undone! + The last created and the first to fall; + The noblest, frailest, godliest of all. + + Child of the humble sod, + Wed with the breath of God, + Descend! for with the lowest thou must lie-- + Arise! thou hast inherited the sky. + + --John B. Tabb. + + Far away there in the sunshine are my highest aspirations; I cannot + reach them, but I can look up and see their beauty, believe in them, + and try to follow where they lead. + + --Louisa M. Alcott. + + I will lift up mine eyes unto the mountains: + From whence shall my help come? + + --Psalm 121. 1. + +Heavenly Father, may I see as I raise my eyes to the mountains that +without the deep shadows there would be no vision of the high-light, +and still higher may I see that without the sun there would be no +color to encircle the rainbow. And beyond, O Father, may I believe +that without the shadow of the cross we could not have the glory of +the resurrection. May I keep the vision clear. Amen. + + + + +AUGUST NINTH + +Izaak Walton born 1593. + +John Dryden born 1631. + +Francis Scott Key born 1780. + +Joseph Jacques Tissot died 1902. + + All habits gather, by unseen degrees, + Brooks make rivers, rivers run to seas. + + --John Dryden. + + Now it catches the gleam of the morning's first beam, + In full glory reflected now shines on the stream; + 'Tis the star-spangled banner; O yet may it wave + O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave! + + --Francis Scott Key. + + Do not be troubled because you have not great virtues. God made a + million spears of grass where he made one tree.... Only have enough + of little virtues and common fidelities, and you need not mourn + because you are neither a hero nor a saint. + + --Henry Ward Beecher. + + The reward of humility and the fear of Jehovah + Is riches, and honor, and life. + + --Proverbs 22. 4. + +Lord God, who keepest truth to generations, and who through love and +wisdom hath gathered us into nations, forgive me for what I have done +that is wrong, and for what I have neglected that was right. May I +give greater loyalty to my country and to thee. Amen. + + + + +AUGUST TENTH + +Founding of Greenwich Observatory 1675. + +Sir Charles Napier born 1782. + +George Park Fisher born 1827. + + No one can ask honestly or hopefully to be delivered from temptation + unless he has himself honestly and firmly determined to do the best + he can to keep out of it. + + --John Ruskin. + + Men at some time are masters of their fates: + The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, + But in ourselves, that we are underlings. + + --William Shakespeare. + + The greatest punishment one can have is to discover, not how hard, + but how low he has fallen. + + --M.B.S. + + O Timothy, guard that which is committed unto thee, turning away + from the profane babblings and oppositions of the knowledge which is + falsely so-called. + + --1 Timothy 6. 20. + +Almighty God, through thy mercies may I recognize my faults, and +correct any evil that is in me. Make me strong, that I may not yield +to temptation. May I have regard for thy will and be prepared to take +thy messages as they are flashed to the soul. Amen. + + + + +AUGUST ELEVENTH + +Jean Victor Moreau born 1761. + +Octave Feuillet born 1821. + +Signer Crispi died 1901. + + Heaven overreaches you and me, + And all earth's gardens and her graves. + Look up with me, until we see + The day break and the shadows flee. + What though to-night wrecks you and me + If so to-morrow saves? + + --Christina G. Rossetti. + + The essence of joy lies in the doing rather than in the result of + the doing. There is a lifelong and solid satisfaction in any + productive labor, manual or mental, which is not pushed beyond the + limit of strength. + + --Charles W. Eliot. + + Show me thy ways, O Jehovah; + Teach me thy paths. + Guide me in thy truths, and teach me. + + --Psalm 25. 4, 5. + +My Father, keep me where my eyes may look expectantly toward the dawn, +through the darkness. Take away everything that comes between me and +the brightness of the morning. Amen. + + + + +AUGUST TWELFTH + +Robert Southey born 1774. + +Francis Horner born 1778. + +Edith Thomas born 1854. + +Katherine Lee Bates born 1859. + + Our restlessness in this world seems to indicate that we are + intended for a better. We have all of us a longing after happiness; + and surely the Creator will gratify all the natural desires he has + implanted in us. + + --Robert Southey. + + Whenso my quick, light-sandaled feet + Bring me where Joys and Pleasures meet, + I mingle with their throng at will; + They know me not an alien still, + Since neither words nor ways unsweet + Of stored bitterness I spill; + Youth shuns me not nor gladness fears, + For I go softly all my years. + + --Edith Thomas. + + He hath swallowed up death forever; and the Lord Jehovah will wipe + away tears from off all faces. + + --Isaiah 25. 8. + +Loving Father, help me to guard my inclinations. May I be able to +appreciate that though I may be restless from ambition, I also may be +restless through discontent. Correct my life, that my desires may meet +the true demands of my soul. Strengthen me with the power of calmness, +that "I may go softly all my years," even though I walk through the +bitterness of sorrow. Amen. + + + + +AUGUST THIRTEENTH + +Jeremy Taylor died 1667. + +Dr. William Wotton born 1669. + +Elizabeth Stuart Phelps Ward born 1844. + +Elizabeth Prentiss died 1878. + +Sir John Millais died 1896. + + Feeling the way--and all the way up hill; + But on the open summit, calm and still, + The feet of Christ are planted; and they stand + In view of all the quiet land. + + Feeling the way--and if the way is cold, + What matter? since upon the fields of gold + His breath is melting; and the warm winds sing + While rocking summer days for him. + + --Elizabeth S. Phelps. + + All the performances of human art, at which we look with praise and + wonder, are instances of the resistless force of perseverance. + + --Samuel Johnson. + + But abide thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been + assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them. + + ---2 Timothy 3. 14. + +My Lord, I would remember to ask thee this morning for that of which I +seem to have most need. May I have the will to keep my patience and +realize the untold power of my words and actions. Give me thy peace, +not only to rest in, but that I may have it to give to others. Amen. + + + + +AUGUST FOURTEENTH + +Dr. Meric Casaubon born 1599. + +Dr. Charles Button born 1737. + +Walter Besant born 1836. + +Ernest Thompson Seton born 1860. + +Florence Nightingale died 1910. + + I count this thing to be grandly true, + That a noble deed is a step toward God; + Lifting the soul from the common clod + To a purer air and a broader view. + + We rise by the things that are under our feet, + By what we have mastered of good or gain, + By the pride deposed and the passion slain, + And the vanquished ills that we hourly meet. + + --Richard Watson Gilder. + + No Apostle of Liberty much to my heart ever found I; + License each for himself, this was at bottom their want. + Liberator of many! first dare to be Servant of many; + What a business is that, would'st thou know it, go try! + + --Goethe. + + Prove all things; hold fast that which is good. + + --1 Thessalonians 5. 21. + +Gracious Father, if I may be beginning this day with an unclean +purpose in my heart, help me to clear it away; if I may be trying to +avoid some urgent duty, make me ashamed to resist it. Keep away the +desires that harm my life, and that withhold the enjoyment of my +common work. Amen. + + + + +AUGUST FIFTEENTH + +Jeremy Taylor baptized 1613. + +Napoleon Bonaparte born 1769. + +Sir Walter Scott born 1771. + +Thomas de Quincey born 1785. + + And do our loves all perish with our frames? + Do those that took their root and put forth buds, + And their soft leaves unfolded in the warmth + Of mutual hearts, grow up and live in beauty, + Then fade and fall, like fair, unconscious flowers? + + O, listen, man! + A voice within us speaks the startling word, + "Man, thou shalt never die!" + + --Richard Henry Dana. + + I am drawing near to the close of my career; I am fast shuffling off + the stage. I have been perhaps the most voluminous author of the + day; and it is a comfort to me to think I have tried to unsettle no + man's faith, to corrupt no man's principle, and that I have written + nothing which on my deathbed I should wish blotted. + + --Sir Walter Scott. + + But concerning love of the brethren ye have no need that one write + unto you: for ye yourselves are taught of God to love one another. + + --1 Thessalonians 4. 9. + +Almighty God, may I have that faith in eternal life which will make me +careful of what I choose for my own and more careful of what I put in +the lives of others. Amen. + + + + +AUGUST SIXTEENTH + +Ralph Thoresby born 1658. + +Dr. Thomas Fuller died 1661. + +Dr. Matthew Tindal died 1733. + + The secret of goodness and greatness is in choosing whom you will + approach and live with, in memory or imagination, through the + crowding obvious people who seem to live with you. + + --Robert Browning. + + Fair Nature's book together read, + The old wood-paths that knew our tread, + The maple shadows overhead-- + + Where'er I look, where'er I stray, + Thy thought goes with me on my way, + And hence the prayer I breathe to-day. + + --John Greenleaf Whittier. + + Shall two walk together, except they have agreed? + + --Amos 3. 3. + +Lord God, I thank thee for the delight of congenial companions and the +memory of friendship. May I not be quick to lose my friends through +misunderstanding and selfishness. May I be considerate and constant +and be able to climb to the highest steeps of friendship. Amen. + + + + +AUGUST SEVENTEENTH + +Dr. William Carey born 1761. + +David Crockett born 1786. + +Mary Abigail Dodge (Gail Hamilton) died 1896. + + The destiny of nations lies far more in the hands of women--the + mothers--than in the hands of those who possess power. We must + cultivate women, who are educators of the human race, else a new + generation cannot accomplish its task. + + --Froebel. + + In an old continental town they will show you a prison in a tower, + and on all the stones of that prison within reach one word is + carved--it is, "Resist!" Years ago a godly woman was for forty years + immured in that dungeon, and she spent her time in cutting with a + piece of iron on every stone that one word, for the strengthening of + her own heart and for the benefit of all who might come after her, + "Resist!" "Resist!" "Resist!" + + --J.G. Mantle. + + + Then Mordecai bade them return answer unto Esther, Think not with + thyself that thou shalt escape in the king's house, more than all + the Jews ... and who knoweth whether thou art not come to the + kingdom for such a time as this? + + --Esther 4. 13, 14. + +Lord God, give me wisdom to help relieve the ignorant and suffering. +May I strive in every way to free thy people, that they may be +uplifted in the progress of life. Amen. + + + + +AUGUST EIGHTEENTH + +Virginia Dare, first English child born in America, 1587. + +Dr. Henry Hammond born 1605. + +Robert Williams Buchanan born 1841. + +John Russell born 1792. + + Pour out thy love like the rush of a river, + Wasting its waters for ever and ever, + Through the burnt sands that reward not the giver; + Silent or songful thou nearest the sea. + + Scatter thy life as the summer showers pouring. + What if no bird through the pearl rain is soaring? + What if no blossom looks upward adoring? + Look to the life that was lavished for thee. + + --Unknown. + + Who is the happiest person? He whose nature asks for nothing that + the world does not wish and use. + + --Goethe. + + Freely ye received, freely give. + + --Matthew 10. 8. + +My Father, I pray that I may have the sympathy that responds with +consideration and devotion. May it be a joy for me to give comfort and +render service where I may help. Grant that I may not linger too long +in happiness and miss thy blessings, but remember that to "travel +hopefully is a better thing than to arrive." Amen. + + + + +AUGUST NINETEENTH + +Augustus Cæsar died A.D. 14. + +James Watt died 1819. + +Robert Bloomfield died 1823. + +Honore Balzac died 1850. + + It is written not, "Blessed is he that feedeth the poor," but + "Blessed is he that considereth the poor." And you know a little + thought and a little kindness are often worth more than a great deal + of money. + + --John Ruskin. + + So pity never leaves the gentle breast + Where love has been received a welcome guest; + As wandering saints poor huts have sacred made, + He hallows every heart he once has swayed, + And, when his presence we no longer share, + Still leaves compassion as a relic there. + + --Thomas Sheridan. + + If a brother or sister be naked and in lack of daily food, and one + of you say unto them, Go in peace, be ye warmed and filled; and yet + ye give them not the things needful to the body; what doth it + profit? + + --James 2. 16. + +Tender Father, help me to consider those who receive the crust of +bread at my door; for if it be needed it is asked for by sad and +desperate lives. Make me conscious of thy mercy and help, that I may +be considerate for the one with the outstretched hand. Amen. + + + + +AUGUST TWENTIETH + +Saint Bernard died 1153. + +Robert Herrick born 1591. + +John and Cornelius De Witt killed 1672. + +Francis Asbury born 1745. + +Henry P. Liddon born 1829. + +Benjamin Harrison, Ohio, twenty-third President +United States, born 1833. + + The busy world shoves angrily aside + The man who stands with arms akimbo set + Until occasion tells him what to do; + And he who waits to have his task marked out + Shall die and leave his errand unfulfilled. + + --James Russell Lowell. + + Awake, arise! the hour is late! + Angels are knocking at thy door! + They are in haste and cannot wait, + And once departed come no more. + + --Henry W. Longfellow. + + Boast not thyself of to-morrow; + For thou knowest not what a day may bring forth. + + --Proverbs 27. 1. + +Gracious Father, grant that I may not tarry so long, that when I +arrive I will hear, "Too late, too late, ye cannot enter now"; but may +I be so persistent with every day that when I arrive I may be ready as +well as on time. Amen. + + + + +AUGUST TWENTY-FIRST + +Lady Mary Montagu died 1762. + +Jules Michelet born 1798. + +John Tyndall born 1820. + + Let us never be afraid of innocent joy; God is good and what he does + is well done; resign yourself to everything, even happiness; ask for + the spirit of sacrifice, of detachment, of renunciation, and above + all, for the spirit of joy and gratitude. + + --Amiel. + + That's the wise thrush; + He sings each song twice over, + Lest you should think he never could recapture + The first fine careless rapture! + + --Robert Browning. + + And these things we write, that our joy may be made full. + + --1 John 1. 4. + +Lord God, help me to keep the things under my feet that are inclined +to destroy happiness. Show me clearly the line which divides right and +wrong, that I may not fear the censure of the world. Help me to act +with good judgment and be calm in obeying thy laws. Amen. + + + + +AUGUST TWENTY-SECOND + +John B. Gough born 1817. + +Warren Hastings died 1818. + +G. W. De Long born 1844. + + I never saw a moor, + I never saw the sea; + Yet know I how a heather looks + And what a wave must be. + + I never spoke with God, + Nor visited in heaven; + Yet certain am I of the spot + As if the chart were given. + + --Emily Dickinson. + + I don't want to possess a faith; I want a faith which will possess + me. + + --Charles Kingsley. + + Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, saith Jehovah of + hosts. + + --Zechariah 4. 6. + +My Father, may there be no room in my soul for doubt. Help me to be +cautious and careful that my own neglect and carelessness may not +cause the loss of my faith. May I be trustful as I look for the great +light that guides me over the uncertain way. Amen. + + + + +AUGUST TWENTY-THIRD + +Rowland Hill born 1744. + +Louis XVI born 1754. + +William E. Henley born 1849. + + Out of the night that covers me, + Black as the Pit from pole to pole, + I thank whatever gods may be + For my unconquerable soul. + + It matters not how strait the gate, + How charged with punishments the scroll, + I am master of my fate, + I am the captain of my soul. + + --W. E. Henley. + + A man who has borne himself honorably through a whole life makes an + action honorable which might appear ambiguous in others. + + --Goethe. + + Wherefore, my beloved brethren, be ye steadfast, unmovable. + + --1 Corinthians 15. 58. + +Father of mercy, I beseech thee to protect me in my endeavors as I try +to live my ideals. May I not choose unnecessary burdens, and when I +most need to be strong find that I have lived in that which has +weakened my life. I ask for a clear mind and a strong heart that I may +be "Captain of my soul." Amen. + + + + +AUGUST TWENTY-FOURTH + +William Wilberforce born 1759. + +William Thomas Moncrieff born 1794. + +Theodore Parker born 1810. + + Give me, Lord, eyes to behold the truth; + A seeing sense that knows the eternal right; + A heart with pity filled, and gentlest ruth; + A manly faith that makes all darkness light: + Give me the power to labor for mankind; + Make me the mouth of such as cannot speak; + Eyes let me be to groping men and blind. + + --Theodore Parker. + + Love's hearts are faithful, but not fond, + Bound for the just, but not beyond; + Not glad, as the low-loving herd, + Of self in other still preferred, + But they have heartily designed + The benefit of broad mankind. + And they serve men austerely, + After their own genius, clearly, + Without a false humility. + + --Ralph Waldo Emerson. + + Herein I also exercise myself to have a conscience void of offense + toward God and men always. + + --Acts 24. 16. + +Heavenly Father, help me to-day to look into my heart and see the +truth of my life, and show me thy heart that I may see the truth of +life. Amen. + + + + +AUGUST TWENTY-FIFTH + +Thomas Chatterton died 1770. + +Sir William Herschel died 1822. + +Francis Bret Harte died 1902. + + O teach me in the trying hour, + When anguish swells the dewy tear, + To still my sorrows, own thy power, + Thy goodness love, thy justice fear. + + Then why, my soul, dost thou complain? + Why drooping seek the dark recess? + Shake off the melancholy chain, + For God created all to bless. + + --Thomas Chatterton. + + Each substance of a grief hath twenty shadows + which show like grief itself, but are not so: + For sorrow's eye, glazed with blinding tears, + Divides one thing entire to many shadows. + + --William Shakespeare. + + Why art thou cast down, O my soul? + And why art thou disquieted within me? + Hope thou in God. + + --Psalm 42. 5. + +Loving Father, forbid that I should be lonesome, and forget thou art +my friend: and may I not pass over thy mercies while waiting for thy +compassion. Help me to find contentment in the inheritances of the +earth, where I may always draw from thee. Amen. + + + + +AUGUST TWENTY-SIXTH + +Sir Robert Walpole born 1676. + +Adam Clarke died 1832. + +Henry Fawcett born 1833. + + Lord, for to-morrow and its needs + I do not pray; + Keep me, my God, from stain of sin + Just for to-day. + Help me to labor earnestly, + And duly pray; + Let me be kind in word and deed, + Father, to-day. + + Let me no wrong or idle word + Unthinking say; + Set thou a seal upon my lips + Through all to-day. + Let me in season, Lord, be grave, + In season gay; + Let me be faithful to thy grace, + Dear Lord, to-day. + + --Ernest Wilberforce. + + And which of you by being anxious can add one cubit unto the measure + of his life? + + --Matthew 6. 27. + +My Lord, I pray that thou wilt control my life, and bless the going +out of my work, be it ever so great or small. Help me to realize the +necessity of earnestness, that I may "work while it is to-day," and I +have the light, and not wait for the night, when it is too dark for +work to be done. May I be faithful in my work until it is completed. +Amen. + + + + +AUGUST TWENTY-SEVENTH + +William Woollett born 1735. + +James Thomson died 1748. + +George W. F. Hegel born 1770. + + Who are thy playmates, boy? + "My favorite is joy, + Who brings with him his sister Peace, to stay + The livelong day. + I love them both; but he + Is most to me!" + + And where are thy playmates now, + O man of sober brow? + "Alas! dear joy, the merriest is dead, + But I have wed + Peace; and our babe, a boy + Newborn, is joy." + + --John B. Tabb. + + Depart from evil, and do good; + Seek peace, and pursue it. + + --Psalm 34. 14. + +Lord God, may I realize more my dependence on thee for the joys of +life. I pray that as I accept thy gifts I will not neglect to take the +peace and happiness which thou dost give with them. Grant that I may +have the bright hope and cheerful courage that is the experience of +power and truth. Amen. + + + + +AUGUST TWENTY-EIGHTH + +Johann W. von Goethe born 1749. + +Ormsby MacKnight Mitchel born 1809. + +Jones Very born 1813. + +Count Lyoff (Leo) Tolstoy born 1828. + +Sir Edward Burne-Jones born 1833. + +Leigh Hunt died 1859. + + All truly wise thoughts have been already thought a thousand times; + but to make them truly ours we must think them over again honestly, + till they take firm root in our personal experience. + + --Goethe. + + The light that fills thy house at morn + Thou canst not for thyself retain; + But all who with thee here are born + It bids to share an equal gain. + + The wave, the blue encircling wave, + No chain can bind, no fetter hold; + Its thunders tell of Him who gave + What none can ever buy for gold. + + --Jones Very. + + And the glory which thou hast given me I have given unto them + + --John 17. 22. + +Father of love, I thank thee for thy daily love and for thy daily +bread. May I feel that thy gifts are for all, and not mine to keep and +store from those who are in need. Help me as I say, "Thy will be done +to me," to so will it to others. Amen. + + + + +AUGUST TWENTY-NINTH + +John Locke born 1632. + +John Fawcett born 1768. + +Frederick D. Maurice born 1805. + +Oliver Wendell Holmes born 1809. + +Maurice Maeterlinck born 1862. + + Build thee more stately mansions, O my soul, + As the swift seasons roll! + Leave thy low-vaulted past! + Let each new temple, nobler than the last, + Shut thee from heaven with a dome more vast, + Till thou at length art free, + Leaving thine outgrown shell by life's unresting sea! + + --Oliver Wendell Holmes. + + We all live in the sublime. Where else can we live? That is the only + place of life. Though you have but a little room, do you fancy that + God is not there, too, and it is impossible to live therein a life + that shall be somewhat lofty? Do you imagine that you can possibly + be alone, that love can be a thing one knows, a thing one sees; that + events can be weighed like the gold and silver of ransom? + + --Maurice Maeterlinck. + + My soul waiteth in silence for God only: + From him cometh my salvation. + + --Psalm 62. 1. + +Loving Father, help me to live, that my spirit may always dwell in thy +protecting love. Amen. + + + + +AUGUST THIRTIETH + +Cleopatra died B. C. 30. + +William Paley born 1743. + +Julian A. Weir born 1852. + + Thyself and thy belongings + Are not thine own so proper as to waste + Thyself upon thy virtues, they on thee. + Heaven doth with us as we with torches do, + Not light them for themselves; for if our virtues + Did not go forth of us, 'twere all alike + As if we had them not. Spirits are not finely touched + But to fine issues, nor Nature never lends + The smallest scruple of her excellence, + But, like a thrifty goddess, she determines + Herself the glory of a creditor, + Both thanks and use. + + --William Shakespeare. + + Brethren, be ye imitators together of me, and mark them that so walk + even as ye have us for an ensample. + + --Philippians 3. 17. + +My Father, I pray that I may not let my life become commonplace +through habit. May I not be content to rest in my virtues and let the +days pass neglected. Awaken my dull satisfactions to a desire to live +for the greatest, that I may have the greatest to live for. Amen. + + + + +AUGUST THIRTY-FIRST + +John Bunyan died 1686. + +Charles James Lever born 1806. + +Theophile Gautier born 1811. + +Queen Wilhelmina of Holland born 1880. + + Let us be patient, and endure a while; the time may come that God + may give us a happy release; but let us not be our own murderers. + + --John Bunyan. + + He that is down need fear no fall; + He that is low no pride; + He that is humble ever shall + Have God to be his guide. + + --John Bunyan. + + Time delivers fools from grief and reason wise men. + + --Epictetus. + + For our light affliction, which is for the moment, worketh for us + more and more exceedingly an eternal weight of glory. + + --2 Corinthians 4. 17. + +My Lord, if I may be walking through fields that are rough with grief +and care, may I have the courage to continue on to the smooth +pastures, where I may walk with comfort and peace. May I not let the +weariness and sorrow that may come to my heart to-day dwarf my hope +and enjoyment of the future. Amen. + + + + +SEPTEMBER + + + Go forth at eventide, + The eventide of summer, when the trees + Yield their frail honors to the passing breeze, + And woodland paths with autumn tints are dyed; + When the mild sun his paling luster shrouds + In gorgeous draperies of golden clouds, + Then wander forth, mid beauty and decay, + To meditate alone--alone to watch and pray. + + --Emma C. Embury. + + + + +SEPTEMBER FIRST + +Edward Alleyn born 1566. + +Lydia Sigourney born 1791. + +James Gordon Bennett, Sr., born 1795. + +William Stanley Jevons born 1835. + + O ye, who proudly boast, + In your veins, the blood of sires like these, + Look to their lineaments. Dread lest ye lose + Their likeness in your sons. Should mammon cling + Too close around your heart, or wealth beget + That bloated luxury which eats the core + From manly virtue, or the tempting world + Make faint the Christian purpose in your soul, + Turn ye to Plymouth Rock, and where they knelt + Kneel, and renew the vow they breathed to God. + + --Lydia Sigourney. + + Educate children without religion, and you make a race of clever + devils. + + --Duke of Wellington. + + Remember his covenant for ever, + The word which he commanded to a thousand generations. + + --1 Chronicles 16. 15. + +O Lord of wisdom, kindle me with a love for true knowledge, that I may +strive, in the moments I have now, to culture my life. Not by might, +not by power, but by thy spirit, O Lord, may I learn and teach thy +children. Amen. + + + + +SEPTEMBER SECOND + +John Howard born 1726. + +Henry George born 1839. + +George R. Sims born 1842. + +Eugene Field born 1850. + +Newell Dwight Hillis born 1858. + + And thus we sat in darkness, + Each one busy in his prayer; + "We are lost!" the captain shouted, + As he staggered down the stair. + But the little daughter whispered, + As she took his icy hand, + "Isn't God upon the ocean, + Just the same as on the land?" + + --Eugene Field. + + Happiness is through helpfulness. Every morning let us build a booth + to shelter some one from life's fierce heat. Every noon let us dig + some life-spring for thirsty lips. + + --Newell Dwight Hillis. + + Jehovah is nigh unto all them that call upon him, + To all that call upon, him in truth. + + --Psalm 145. 18. + +Heavenly Father, may I live that my spirit may never feel lost from +thee; and when I am in great need of thee, even unto death, may I know +that thou art very near. Amen. + + + + +SEPTEMBER THIRD + +Oliver Cromwell died 1658. + +George Lillo died 1739. + +Bishop James Harrington born 1847. + +Sarah Orne Jewett born 1849. + + Love thyself last: cherish those hearts that hate thee: + Corruption wins not more than honesty. + Still in thy right hand carry peace, + To silence envious tongues. Be just and fear not: + Let all the ends thou aim'st at be thy country's, + Thy God's and truth's; then if thou fallest, O Cromwell, + Thou fallest a blessed martyr. + + --William Shakespeare. + + Surely, the only true knowledge of our fellow man is that which + enables us to feel with him, which gives us a fine ear for the + heart-pulses that are beating under the mere clothes of circumstance + and opinion. + + --George Eliot. + + With all lowliness and meekness, with long-suffering, forbearing one + another in love. + + --Ephesians 4. 2. + + Lord, give thy people consistency of judgment, one heart, and mutual + love; and go on to deliver them, and with the work of the + reformation; and make the name of Christ glorious in the world. + Teach those who look too much on thy instruments to depend more upon + thyself. Pardon the folly of this short prayer: Even for Christ's + sake. And give us a good night, if it be thy pleasure. Amen. + + --Prayer by Oliver Cromwell, just before death. + + + + +SEPTEMBER FOURTH + +Pindar, poet, born B. C. 522. + +William E. Dodge born 1805. + +Phoebe Cary born 1824. + +Sir Wilfred Lawson born 1829. + + I ask not wealth, but power to take + And use the things I have, aright; + Not years, but wisdom that shall make + My life a profit and delight. + + --Phcebe Gary. + + Another day may bring another mind, + A mind to learn when there is none to teach; + To follow when no leader we can find; + To enjoy when good is now beyond our reach. + + A better mind, but not a better time, + A mind to will, but not a time to do + What had been done, if we in life's bright prime, + When God was ready, had been ready too. + + --Thomas T. Lynch. + + Give diligence to present thyself approved unto God, a workman that + needeth not to be ashamed. + + --2 Timothy 2. 15. + +My Father, help me to have lofty thoughts, and may I not be content +until they are carried into purpose. Help me to conquer that which +will keep me from an act of happiness, and grant that by thinking of +that which is pure, and doing that which is good, I may be made +helpful and true. Amen. + + + + +SEPTEMBER FIFTH + +Catherine Parr died 1548. + +Cardinal Richelieu born 1585. + +Robert Fergusson born 1750. + +Giacomo Meyerbeer born 1791. + +Richard C. Trench born 1807. + + Be patient! O, be patient! Put your ear against the earth; + Listen there how noiselessly the germ o' the seed has birth-- + How noiselessly and gently it upheaves its little way, + Till it parts the scarcely broken ground, and the blade stands up in day. + + Be patient! O, be patient!--though yet our hopes are green, + The harvest fields of freedom shall be crowned with sunny sheen. + Be ripening! be ripening--mature your silent way, + Till the whole broad land is tongued with fire on freedom's harvest day. + + --Richard C. Trench. + + And let patience have its perfect work, that ye may be perfect and + entire, lacking in nothing. + + --James 1. 4. + +Gracious Father, help me to see the truth as thou hast made it, and +may I not be indifferent to the beauty and patience of the earth's +revelations. May I not mistake indolence for patient ambition, which I +would have for anxious hours, and which I need for my heart's desires. +Amen. + + + + +SEPTEMBER SIXTH + +Moses Mendelssohn born 1729. + +Marquis de Lafayette born 1757. + +Jane Addams born 1860. + + God will not seek thy race, + Nor will he ask thy birth; + Alone he will demand of thee, + What hast thou done on earth? + + --Persian. + + One dreams of the time when the interest and capacity of each person + shall be studied with reference to the industry about to be + undertaken. + + --Jane Addams. + + Honor is purchased by deeds we do, honor is not won, until some + honorable deed is done. + + --Sir Christopher Marlowe. + + In diligence not slothful; fervent in spirit; serving the Lord. + + --Romans 12. 11. + +Gracious Father, wilt thou bring to my mind and heart the important +things which are needed in preparing life. Help me to use the strength +that is given to me for to-day, that I may not have to give to-morrow +to learning what I should have known. Amen. + + + + +SEPTEMBER SEVENTH + +Queen Elizabeth born 1533. + +Comte de Buffon born 1707. + +Victorien Sardou born 1831. + +Hannah More died 1833. + +John G. Whittier died 1892. + + Side by side + In the low sunshine by the turban stone + They knelt; each made his brother's woe his own, + Forgetting, in the agony and stress + Of pitying love, his claim of selfishness; + Peace, for his friend besought, his own became; + His prayers were answered in another's name; + And when at last they rose up to embrace, + Each saw God's pardon in his brother's face. + + --John G. Whittier. + + My care is like my shadow in the sun, + Follows me flying, flies when I pursue it; + Stands and lies by me, does what I have done, + This too familiar care does make me rue it. + No means I find to rid him from my breast, + Till by the end of things it be suppressed. + + --Queen Elizabeth. + + Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. + + --Galatians 6. 2. + +Lord God, help me to look for those who are in need of help. Forgive +me for my failures, and may I gather up my broken promises and try to +redeem them. I ask for thy forgiveness, as I ask that thou wilt help +me to forgive them who may have trespassed against me. Amen. + + + + +SEPTEMBER EIGHTH + +Richard Coeur de Lion born 1157. + +A.W. Schlegel born 1767. + +Antonin Dvorak born 1841. + + All service ranks the same with God,-- + With God, whose puppets, best and worst, + Are we: there is no last nor first. + + + --Robert Browning. + + Thou needest not man's little life of years, + Save that he gather wisdom from them all; + That in thy fear he lose all other fears, + And in thy calling heed no other call. + Then shall he be thy child to know thy care, + And in thy Self the eternal Sabbath share. + + + --Jones Very. + + He that keepeth the commandment keepeth his soul; + But he that is careless of his ways shall die. + --Proverbs 191. 6. + +My Lord, forbid that I should want to live to be known only for power +and pride. Help me to strive for that which is helpful and lovely. May +I never be restrained from thee, but delight to follow in thy way. +Help me to be obedient to thy laws, that I may learn thy truths. Amen. + + + + +SEPTEMBER NINTH + +Battle of Flodden. + +James the Fourth of Scotland killed 1513. + +Luigi Galvani born 1737. + + Then welcome each rebuff + That turns earth's smoothness rough, + Each sting that bids nor sit, nor stand but go! + Be our joys three-parts pain! + Strive and hold cheap the strain; + Learn, nor account the pang; dare, never grudge the throe. + + --Robert Browning. + + Life without industry is guilt; and industry without art is + brutality. + + --John Ruskin. + + Blessed is the man that endureth temptation; for when he hath been + approved, he shall receive the crown of life. + + --James 1. 12. + +Almighty God, help me as I start this day to remember how easy it is +to drive the peace from it. May I do my best to keep it, and defy any +indolence or disposition, that may make me spoil it. May I lay me down +at night in peace and sleep because of the contentment that has filled +the hours. Amen. + + + + +SEPTEMBER TENTH + +William the Conqueror died 1087. + +Dr. Thomas Sheridan died 1788. + +Mungo Park born 1771. + +Mrs. Godwin (Mary Wollstonecraft) died 1797. + + Let the wind blow east, west, north, or south, the immortal soul + will take its flight to the destined point. + + --Thomas Sheridan. + + He is void of true taste who strives to have his house admired by + decorating it with showish outside; but to adorn our character by + gentleness of a communicative temper is a proof of good taste and + good nature + + --Epictetus. + + Let fortune empty her whole quiver on me. + I have a soul that, like an empty shield, + Can take it all, and verge enough for more. + + --Thomas Dryden. + + The Lord will deliver me from every evil work, and will save me unto + his heavenly kingdom. + + --2 Timothy 4. 18. + +Almighty God, I bless thee that it is thou who brought me to live on +earth; and I rejoice that it is thou who wilt judge my life when thou +takest me away. May I be saving thy rich gifts that I may not be found +poor; and may I be worthy to receive thine inheritance and hear thee +say, "Well done." Amen. + + + + +SEPTEMBER ELEVENTH + +Battle of Marathon B. C. 490. + +William Lowth born 1661. + +James Thomson born 1700. + + But what is virtue but repose of mind, + A pure ethereal calm, that knows no storm; + Above the reach of wild ambitious wind, + Above the passions that this world deform. + + --James Thomson. + + And if I pray, the only prayer + That moves my lips for me + Is, "Leave the heart that now I bear, + And give me liberty!" + + Yes, as my swift days near their goal, + 'Tis all that I implore; + In life and death, a chainless soul + With courage to endure. + + --Emily Brontë. + + Cast not away therefore your boldness, which hath great recompense + of reward. + + --Hebrews 10. 35. + +Tender Father, may I pause this morning to look at that which I keep +uppermost in my life; and if it may not be worthy of thy esteem, may I +be bold enough to revise my ideals. With thy compassion may I free my +heart and mind of all unworthiness, and be given endurance to restore +the empty places. Amen. + + + + +SEPTEMBER TWELFTH + +Jean-Philippe Rameau born 1693. + +Griffith Jones died 1786. + +Charles Dudley Warner born 1829. + + Our duty is to be useful, not according to our desires, but + according to our powers. + + --Amiel. + + How good is man's life, the mere living! how fit to employ + All the heart and the soul and the senses for ever in joy! + + --Robert Browning. + + Do something! No man is born with a mortgage on his soul; but every + man is born a debtor to Time. Meet this obligation before you find + too late that your life is impoverished and you cannot redeem it. + + --M.B.S. + + Let him labor, working with his hands the thing that is good, that + he may have whereof to give to him that hath need. + + --Ephesians 4. 28. + +My Father, what I have left out of my life I know I cannot recover +now. I pray that I may give the best to what is left. Make me +deliberate, that I may prove my earnestness. Make me industrious, that +I may use my best resources to develop my life and further thy +kingdom. Amen. + + + + +SEPTEMBER THIRTEENTH + +William Cecil born 1520. + +Michael de Montaigne died 1592. + +General Wolfe died 1759. + +Charles James Fox died 1806. + + And thou, O river of to-morrow, flowing + Between thy narrow adamantine walls, + But beautiful, and white with waterfalls + And wreaths of mist, like hands the pathway showing; + I hear the trumpets of the morning blowing. + + It is the mystery of the unknown + That fascinates us; we are children still, + Wayward and wistful; with one hand we cling + To the familiar things we call our own, + And with the other, resolute of will, + Grope in the dark for what the day will bring. + + --Henry W. Longfellow. + + Behold, happy is the man whom God correcteth. + + --Job 5. 17. + +Almighty God, I pray that thou wilt help me to correct my life to-day +that I may know a better way to-morrow; and may I be mindful and try +to do right. Grant that I may be patient and kind if I may be sick or +in need, and always keep uppermost the faith of deliverance and +eternal care. Amen. + + + + +SEPTEMBER FOURTEENTH + +Alighieri Dante died 1321. + +Alexander Baron von Humboldt born 1769. + +Julia Magruder born 1854. + +Charles Dana Gibson born 1867. + + Since it is Providence that determines the fates of men, their inner + nature is thus brought into unison. There is such harmony, as in all + things of nature, that one might explain the whole without referring + to a higher Providence. But this only proves the more clearly and + certainly this higher Providence, which has given existence to this + harmony. + + --Wilhelm von Humboldt. + + The good mariner, when he draws near the port, furls his sails and + enters it softly; so ought we to lower the sails of our worldly + operations, and turn to God with all heart and understanding. + + --Dante. + + Thy righteousness is like the mountains of God; + Thy judgments are a great deep: + O Jehovah, thou preservest man and beast. + + --Psalm 36. 6. + +My Father in heaven, may I hear thy voice to-day! May I be quiet as I +listen to thee. Above the clamor of the crowd may I hear thee calling +me. May I hear thee in my joys and in my sorrows; in my work and in my +leisure. May I listen to thee oftener, that I may be familiar with thy +ways. Amen. + + + + +SEPTEMBER FIFTEENTH + +James Fenimore Cooper born 1789. + +Louis Joseph Martel born 1813. + +Porfirio Diaz born 1830. + +William Howard Taft, Ohio, twenty-sixth President United States, born 1857. + + Friendship is one of the cheapest and most accessible of pleasures; + it requires no outlay and no very serious expenditure of time or + trouble. It is quite easy to make friends, if one wants to... There + is surely no greater pleasure in the world than to feel one is + needed, welcomed, missed, and loved. + + --Arthur C. Benson. + + "Friendship is love without his wings." + + --William H. Taft (from Byron). + + Without sympathy, in the highest sense of intellectual penetration, + kindness may be a folly, and intended aid, oppression. + + --John Ruskin. + + He that maketh many friends doeth it to his own destruction; but + there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother. + + --Proverbs 18. 24. + +My Father, may I know the delight of true friendship which is +responsive and sincere. May I never feel so secure in myself that I +will cease to want friends, or be so dependent on others that I will +be continually seeking them. May I understand the value of having a +stanch friend and of being one. Amen. + + + + +SEPTEMBER SIXTEENTH + +Gabriel D. Fahrenheit died 1736. + +W. Augustus Muhlenberg born 1796. + +Francis Parkman born 1823. + + Yes, to this thought I hold with firm persistence-- + The last result of wisdom stamps it true: + He only earns his freedom and existence + Who daily conquers them anew. + + --Goethe. + + For thee hath been dawning + Another blue day; + Look how thou let it + Slip empty away. + + --Goethe. + + Happy the man, and happy he alone, + Who can call to-day his own: + He who, secure within, can say, + "To-morrow, do thy worst, for I have lived to-day." + + --John Dryden. + + Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of Jehovah is + risen upon thee. + + --Isaiah 60. 1. + +Gracious Father, help me to be alert this morning and select the +noblest that is in to-day. May I be diligent and not find in the +evening that I have been unworthy of the day. Amen. + + + + +SEPTEMBER SEVENTEENTH + +Samuel Prout born 1783. + +Dr. John Kidd died 1851. + +Walter Savage Landor died 1864. + + In the hour of distress and misery the eye of every mortal turns to + friendship; in the hour of gladness and conviviality, what is your + want? It is friendship. When the heart overflows with gratitude or + with other sweet and sacred sentiment, what is the word to which it + would give utterance? A friend. + + --Walter Savage Landor. + + The hurried quest of some people to get hold of new friends is so + perpetual that they never have time to get acquainted with anyone. + + --M.B.S. + + Thine own friend, and thy father's friend, forsake not; + And go not to thy brother's house in the day of thy calamity: + Better is a neighbor that is near than a brother far off. + + --Proverbs 27. 10. + +My Lord and my Friend, I pray that my sympathy may be sincere and +comforting, and with a glad heart I may bring rejoicing to my friends. +May I learn from thee how I may be a permanent friend. Amen. + + + + +SEPTEMBER EIGHTEENTH + +Trajan, Roman emperor, born 1584. + +James Shirley born 1596. + +Samuel Johnson born 1709. + +Joseph Story born 1779. + + There is no greater happiness than to be able to look on a life + usefully and virtuously employed: to trace our own purposes in + existence by such tokens that excite neither shame nor sorrow. + + --Dr. Johnson. + + The perfect poise that comes-from self-control, + The poetry of action, rhythmic, sweet-- + The unvexed music of the body and soul + That the Greeks dreamed of, made at last complete. + Our stumbling lives attain not such a bliss; + Too often, while the air we vainly beat, + Love's perfect law of liberty we miss. + + --Annie Matheson. + + Brethren, I have lived before God in all good conscience until this + day. + + --Acts 23. 1. + +Heavenly Father, may I not confuse my life with rebellion, but through +thy guidance find peace. Help me through the perplexities that may +keep me from the quietness of to-day. Keep me in sight of the great +plan of life, that I may grow steadfastly toward thee. Amen. + + + + +SEPTEMBER NINETEENTH + +Battle of Poitiers 1356. + +Hartley Coleridge born 1796. + +President Garfield died 1881. + + Be not afraid to pray--to pray is right. + Pray if thou canst, with hope; but ever pray + Though hope be weak, or sick with long delay; + Pray in the darkness, if there be no light. + Far is the time, remote from human sight, + When war and discord on earth shall cease: + Yet every prayer for universal peace + Avails the time to expedite. + + --Hartley Coleridge. + + More things are wrought by prayer + Than the world dreams of. Wherefore let thy voice + Rise like a fountain for me night and day. + For what are men better than sheep or goats + That nourish a blind life within the brain, + If, knowing God, they lift not hands of prayer + Both for themselves and those who call them friend? + For so the whole world is every way + Bound by gold chains about the feet of God. + + --Alfred Tennyson. + + Continue stedfastly in prayer, watching therein with thanksgiving. + + --Colossians 4. 2. + +O Lord, give me the desire to pray, and teach me to pray as thou +wouldst have my needs. Sustain me, that I may overcome my weaknesses, +and strengthen me, that I may have thine approval. May I be reverent +and unselfish as I come to thee in prayer. Amen. + + + + +SEPTEMBER TWENTIETH + +Battle of Salamis B. C. 480. + +Alexander the Great born B. C. 356. + +Robert Emmet died 1803. + +David Ross Locke (Petroleum V. Nasby) born 1833. + + 'Tis weary watching wave by wave, + And yet the tide heaves onward; + We climb, like corals, grave by grave, + That pave a pathway sunward. + We're driven back, for our next fray + A newer strength to borrow; + And where the vanguard camps to-day, + The rear shall rest to-morrow. + + --Gerald Massey. + + Be like the bird, that, pausing in her flight + A while on boughs too slight, + Feels them give way beneath her, and yet sings, + Knowing that she hath wings. + + --Victor Hugo. + + Trust in Jehovah, and do good; + Dwell in the land, and feed on his faithfulness. + + --Psalm 37. 3. + +Eternal God, help me to realize that life is not only endless but, +whether I live in love and obedience, or wait in neglect and +indifference, that I can never separate myself from thee. May I be +diligent in worthy endeavors to do my best for thee. Amen. + + + + +SEPTEMBER TWENTY-FIRST + +Girolamo Savonarola born 1452. + +Emperor Charles V died 1558. + +Sir Walter Scott died 1832. + + It is the secret sympathy, + The silver link, the silken tie, + Which heart to heart and mind to mind + In body and in soul can bind. + + --Sir Walter Scott. + + No action, whether foul or fair, + Is ever done, but it carves somewhere + A record, written by fingers ghostly, + As a blessing or a curse, and mostly + In the greater weakness or greater strength + Of the acts which follow it. + + --Henry W. Longfellow. + + And he said unto them, Look on me, and do likewise: and, behold, + when I come to the outermost part of the camp, it shall be that, as + I do, so shall ye do. + + --Judges 7. 17. + +Loving Father, may I remember that from the beginning, all things were +created beautiful and were given for love. I pray that I may be +willing to be guided to the beautiful things of life and receive from +them the delight of thy love. Amen. + + + + +SEPTEMBER TWENTY-SECOND + +Peter Simon Pallas born 1741. + +Michael Faraday born 1791. + +Theodore Edward Hook born 1788. + + Man learns to swim by being tossed into life's maelstrom and left to + make his way ashore. No youth can learn to sail his life-craft in a + lake sequestered and sheltered from all the storms, where other + vessels never come. Skill comes through sailing one's craft amidst + rocks and bars and opposing fleets, amidst storms and whirls and + counter currents. + + --Newell Dwight Hillis. + + O, a trouble's a ton or a trouble's an ounce, + Or a trouble is what you make it! + And it isn't the fact that you're hurt that counts, + But only--how did you take it? + + --Edmund C. Vance. + + And thus, having patiently endured, he obtained the promise. + + --Hebrews 6. 15. + +Tender Father, may I not encourage the disposition to enlarge and make +much of the troubles and disappointments of life, and make light of +the joys and privileges. I pray that I may keep a large place for +happiness. Amen. + + + + +SEPTEMBER TWENTY-THIRD + +Karl Theodore Körner born 1791. + +Hjalmar Hjorth Boyesen born 1848. + +Wilkie Collins died 1889. + +M.F.H. De Haas died 1895. + + When over the fair fame of friend or foe + The shadow of disgrace shall fall; instead + Of words to blame, or reproof of thus and so, + Let something good be said. + + Forget not that no fellow-being yet + May fall so low but love may lift his head; + Even the cheek of shame with tears is wet + If something good be said. + + --Author unknown. + + The right Christian mind will ... find its own image wherever it + exists; it will seek for what it loves, and draw out of all dens and + caves, and it will believe in its being, often when it cannot see + it; and so it will lie lovingly over the faults and rough places of + the human heart, as the snow from heaven does over the hard, and + black, and broken mountain rocks. + + --John Ruskin. + + To him that is ready to faint kindness should be showed from his + friend. + + --Job 6. 14. + +Lord God, grant that after years of climbing I may not find the mist +in my soul has dulled the vision of thy glory. Keep me from the habit +of looking for faults, and missing the virtues in others. Forbid that +I should be so occupied in taking measure of other lives that I +neglect to measure my own. Amen. + + + + +SEPTEMBER TWENTY-FOURTH + +John Marshall born 1755. + +Zachary Taylor, Virginia, twelfth President United +States, born 1784. + +S.R. Crockett born 1860. + + Get the truth once uttered, and 'tis like + A star newborn that drops into its place, + And which, once circling in its placid round, + Not all the tumult of the earth can shake. + + --James Russell Lowell. + + If you would be well spoken of, learn to speak well of others. And + when you have learned to speak well of them, endeavor likewise to do + well to them; and reap the fruit of being well spoken of by them. + + --Epictetus. + + He that slandereth not with his tongue, + Nor doeth evil to his friend, + Nor taketh up a reproach against his neighbor; + He that doeth these things shall never be moved. + + --Psalm 15. 3, 5. + +Lord God, I bless thee for the lives of men and women who are willing +to be led by the truth, and who are worthy to follow thee. I pray that +thou wilt make me truthful, and keep me steadfast, that none may go +astray by the uncertainty of my way. Amen. + + + + +SEPTEMBER TWENTY-FIFTH + +William Romaine born 1714. + +Felicia D. Hemans born 1793. + +W.M. Rossetti born 1829. + + Not as the conqueror comes, + They, the true-hearted, came; + Not with the roll of the stirring drums, + And the trumpet songs of fame: + + Amidst the storm they sang, + And the stars heard and the sea; + And the sounding aisles of the dim woods rang + To the anthem of the free. + + Ay, call it holy ground, + The soil where first they trod; + They have left unstained what there they found-- + Freedom to worship God. + + --Felicia D. Hemans. + + But they shall sit every man under his vine and under his fig-tree; + and none shall make them afraid. + + --Micah 4. 4. + +Eternal God, may I look to the Pilgrims and learn that to pray by +faith with the heart is not to pray by faith of the imagination. Help +me to pray, and have faith to struggle for that which I would +rightfully have. Amen. + + + + +SEPTEMBER TWENTY-SIXTH + +Admiral Cuthbert Collingwood born 1750. + +Dr. Mary Walker born 1832. + +Irving Bacheller born 1859. + +Frederic William Faber died 1863. + + God is never so far off as even to be near-- + He is within: Our spirit is the home he holds most dear. + To think of him as by our side is almost as untrue + As to remove his throne beyond the starry blue. + + --F.W. Faber. + + Nearer, my God, to thee, + Nearer to thee! + E'en though it be a cross + That raiseth me; + Still all my song shall be-- + Nearer, my God, to thee, + Nearer to thee! + + --Sarah F. Adams. + + My righteousness I hold fast, and will not let it go: My heart shall + not reproach me so long as I live. + + --Job 27. 6. + +My Father, may I consider the place in which I stand: and may I not be +deceived in thinking I am near thee while I am living far away. Teach +me the way to draw nearer to thee each day, until my spirit may +continually dwell with thee. Amen. + + + + +SEPTEMBER TWENTY-SEVENTH + +George Cruikshank born 1792. + +Samuel Francis Dupont born 1803. + +Aimé Millet born 1819. + +Henri Frédéric Arniel born 1821. + + The man who has no refuge in himself, who lives, so to speak, in his + front rooms, in the outer whirlwind of things and opinions, is not + properly a personality at all; ... he is one of a crowd. + + --Amiel. + + Happy the heart that keeps its twilight hour, + And in the depths of heavenly peace reclined, + Loves to commune with thoughts of tender power-- + Thoughts that ascend, like angels beautiful. + + --Paul Hamilton Hayne. + + The art of meditation may be exercised at all hours and in all + places; and men of genius in their walks, at table, and amidst + assemblies, turning the eye of the mind inward, can form an + artificial solitude; retired amidst a crowd, calm amidst + distractions, and wise amidst folly. + + --Disraeli. + + Commune with your own heart upon your bed, and be still. + + --Psalm 4. 4. + +Heavenly Father, save me from being so poor in spirit, that I will +have to be sustained by the bright spirits of others. May I be +continually refreshed by the spirit of life that may be found at all +times. Amen. + + + + +SEPTEMBER TWENTY-EIGHTH + +Francis Turner Palgrave born 1824. + +Frances E. Willard born 1839. + +General John D. French born 1852. + +Mary Anderson born 1859. + + Unless there is a predominating and overmastering purpose to which + all the accessories and incidents of life contribute, the character + will be weak, irresolute, uncertain. + + --Frances E. Willard. + + Life is not an idle ore, + But iron dug from central gloom, + And heated hot with burning fears, + And dipt in baths of hissing tears, + And battered with the shocks of doom + To shape and use. + + --Alfred Tennyson. + + He that doubteth is like the surge of the sea driven by the wind and + tossed.... A double-minded man, unstable in all his ways. + + --James 1. 6, 8. + +O God, help me to be positive. May I not want to be in so many places, +and in so many things, that I can never be found in anything. Help me +to know that a purpose secured is worth many attempts, and that to +have a character I must build it. Amen. + + + + +SEPTEMBER TWENTY-NINTH + +Pompey killed B.C. 48. + +Robert Lord Clive born 1725. + +Horatio Nelson born 1758. + + O strange and wild is the world of men + Which the eyes of the Lord must see-- + With continents, inlands, tribes, and tongues, + With multitudes bond and free! + All kings of the earth bow down to him, + And yet--he can think of me. + + For none can measure the mind of God + Or the bounds of eternity, + He knows each life that has come from him, + To the tiniest bird and bee, + For the love of his heart is so deep and wide + That it takes in even me. + + --Mary E. Allbright. + + Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? and not one of them shall + fall on the ground without your Father: but the very hairs of your + head are all numbered. + + --Matthew 10. 29, 30. + +Almighty God, cause me to look out this morning, and open wide my +eyes, that I may see what great preparation thou hast made that I +might live. May I be ashamed to start wrong and be unworthy of the +glory of this day. Amen. + + + + +SEPTEMBER THIRTIETH + +George Whitefield died 1770. + +William Hutton born 1723. + +John Dollond died 1761. + + Up, up, my soul, the long-spent time redeeming; + Sow thou the seeds of better deeds and thought; + Light other lamps while yet thy lamp is beaming-- + The time is short. + + Think of the good thou might'st have done when brightly + The suns to thee life's choicest season brought; + Hours lost to God in pleasure passing lightly-- + The time is short. + + If thou hast friends, give them thy best endeavor, + Thy warmest impulse, and thy purest thought, + Keeping in mind and words and action ever-- + The time is short. + + --Elizabeth Prentiss. + + What is your life? For ye are a vapor that appeareth for a little + time, and then vanisheth away. + + --James 4. 14. + +Loving Father, help me to realize that I am not living in the right +way nor the right place if I am discontented, or happy in trifles and +untruth. Help me to find my place, and with thy help may I stand firm +and confident. Amen. + + + + +OCTOBER + + + The morns are meeker than they were, + The nuts are getting brown; + The berry's cheek is plumper, + The rose is out of town. + The maple wears a gayer scarf, + The field a scarlet gown; + Lest I should be old-fashioned, + I'll put a trinket on. + + --Emily Dickinson. + + + + +OCTOBER FIRST + +Saint John Viscount Bolingbroke born 1678. + +Pierre Corneille died 1684. + +Rufus Choate born 1799. + + He speaks not well who doth his time deplore, + Naming it new and a little obscure, + Ignoble and unfit for lofty deeds. + All times were modern in the time of them, + And this no more than others. Do thy part + Here in the living day, as did the great + Who made old days immortal. + + --Richard Watson Gilder. + + He who is false to present duty breaks a thread in the loom, and + will find the flaw when he may have forgotten the cause. + + --Henry Ward Beecher. + + For use almost can change the stamp of nature, + And master the devil, or throw him out + With wondrous potency. + + --William Shakespeare. + + And when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went into his + house (now his windows were open in his chamber toward Jerusalem;) + and he kneeled upon his knees three times a day, and prayed, and + gave thanks before his God, as he did aforetime. + + --Daniel 6. 10. + +Heavenly Father, help me to get away from doubt that leads to despair. +Give me a vision of hope that is stayed on faith. May I be conscious +and appreciative of my privileges while they come to me and make them +immortal. Amen. + + + + +OCTOBER SECOND + +Aristotle died B.C. 322. + +Major John Andre hanged 1780. + +William Ellery Channing died 1842. + + I am not earth-born, though I here delay; + Hope's child, I summon infiniter powers, + And laugh to see the mild sunny day + Smile on the shrunk and thin autumnal hours; + I laugh, for hope hath a happy place for me-- + If my bark sinks, 'tis to another sea. + + --William E. Channing. + + The stars shall fade away, the sun himself + Grow dim with age, and Nature sink in years; + But thou shall flourish in immortal youth, + Unhurt amidst the war of elements, + The wreck of matter and the crush of worlds. + + --Thomas Addison. + + For with thee is the fountain of life: + In thy light shall we see light. + + --Psalm 36. 9. + +My Father, I would pray that my sense of gloom may not be more than +thy grace. May the glorious light of thy love break through my +disheartened soul, and reveal the sincerity of thy promises, that I +may be happy in thy care. Amen. + + + + +OCTOBER THIRD + +Robert Barclay died 1690. + +George Bancroft born 1800. + +William Morris died 1896. + + Come hither, lads, and harken, + For a tale there is to tell + Of the wonderful days a-coming, + When all shall be better than well. + + Come, then, let us cast off fooling, + And put by ease and rest, + For the cause alone is worthy + Till the good days bring the best. + + --William Morris. + + Man's life is but a working day + Whose tasks are set aright; + A time to work, a time to pray, + And then a quiet night. + And then, please God, a quiet night + Where palms are green and robes are white; + A long-drawn breath, a balm for sorrow, + And all things lovely on the morrow. + + --Christina G. Rossetti. + + And the ransomed of Jehovah shall return, and come with singing unto + Zion; and everlasting joy shall be upon their heads. + + --Isaiah 61. 11. + +Heavenly Father, help me to see that before the night thou hadst +planned the morning, and that thou hast never sent the night without +the hope of the morning. Before I rest in the night may I be ready for +the morning. Amen. + + + + +OCTOBER FOURTH + +Francis of Assisi died 1226. + +Edmund Malone born 1741. + +François Guizot born 1787. + +Jean François Millet born 1814. + +Rutherford B. Hayes, Ohio, nineteenth President +United States, born 1822. + +M.E. Braddon born 1837. + + We ought to rise day by day with a certain zest, a clear intention, + a design to make the most of every hour; not to let the busy hours + shoulder each other or tread on each other's heels, but to force + every action to give up its strength and sweetness. There is work to + be done, and there are empty hours to be filled as well.... But, + most of all, there must be something to quicken, enliven, practice + the soul. + + --Arthur C. Benson. + + Men's souls ought to be left to see clearly; not jaundiced, blinded, + twisted all awry, by revenge, moral abhorrence, and the like. + + --Thomas Carlyle. + + But there is a spirit in man, + And the breath of the Almighty giveth them understanding. + + --Job 32. 8. + +Spirit of life, I pray that thou wilt continually live within me. May +my days be spent neither in waste nor idleness, but planned to use, +with the best that is given me. Amen. + + + + +OCTOBER FIFTH + +Jonathan Edwards born 1703. + +Denis Diderot born 1713. + +Horace Walpole born 1717. + +Nancy Hanks died 1818. + +Chester A. Arthur, Vermont, twenty-first President +United States, born 1830. + +H.R. Guy de Maupassant born 1850. + + Earth gets its price for what earth gives us; + The beggar is taxed for a corner to die in, + The priest has his fee who comes and shrives us, + We bargain for the graves we lie in; + At the devil's booth are all things sold, + Each ounce of dross costs its ounce of gold; + For a cap and bells our lives we pay, + Bubbles we buy with a whole soul's tasking; + 'Tis heaven alone that is given away, + 'Tis only God may be had for the asking. + + --James Russell Lowell. + + + The free gift of God is eternal life. + + --Romans 6. 23. + +Gracious Father, may the world speak to me of thy gifts, and of the +peace and power which it freely offers. May I not pass by thy great +appeals, and prefer to purchase at a great cost my indolence and +dissipation. Amen. + + + + +OCTOBER SIXTH + +Jenny Lind Goldschmidt born 1820. + +Harriet G. Hosmer born 1830. + +Charles Stewart Parnell died 1891. + +Alfred Tennyson died 1892. + + The heart which boldly faces death + Upon the battlefield, and dares + Cannon and bayonet, faints beneath + The needle-points of frets and cares. + The stoutest spirits they dismay-- + The tiny stings of every day. + + Ah! more than martyr's aureole + And more than hero's heart of fire, + We need the humble strength of soul + Which daily toils and ills require. + Sweet patience, grant us, if you may + An added grace for every day. + + --Adelaide A. Procter. + + Sunset and evening star, + And one clear call for me! + And may there be no moaning of the bar, + When I put out to sea. + + --Alfred Tennyson. + + Fret not thyself. + + --Proverbs 24. 19. + +My Father, I pray that I may not be dismayed over life, and its +trifles. Help me to master difficulties great and small, and give me +patience through all until I reach the untroubled way. Amen. + + + + +OCTOBER SEVENTH + +Sir Philip Sidney died 1586. + +Edgar Allan Poe died 1849. + +Oliver Wendell Holmes died 1894. + +Mary J. Holmes died 1907. + + Yet in opinions look not always back; + Your wake is nothing, mind the coming track; + Leave what you've done for what you have to do; + Don't be "consistent," but be simply true. + + --Oliver Wendell Holmes. + + A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds, adored by + little statesmen and philosophers and divines. With consistency a + great soul has nothing to do. + + --Ralph Waldo Emerson. + + Speak unto the children of Israel, that they go forward. + + --Exodus 14. 15. + +Heavenly Father, I pray that I may not be so consistent in the small +things of life that I will lose the great inspirations that come to +the soul. Broaden my life, that I may have the freedom of heart and +mind to pass over the failures and interruptions, and with vigorous +energy continue in the progress of life. Amen. + + + + +OCTOBER EIGHTH + +Caroline Howard Gilman born 1794. + +Edmund Clarence Stedman born 1833. + +John Hay born 1838. + + He weren't no saint; them engineers + Is pretty much alike-- + One wife in Natchez-under-the-Hill, + Another one here in Pike; + A keerless man in his talk was Jim, + And an awkward hand in a row, + But he never flunked, and he never lied-- + I reckon he never knowed how. + + --John Hay. + + He is brave whose tongue is silent + Of the trophies of his word. + He is great whose quiet bearing + Marks his greatness well assured. + + --Edwin Arnold. + + The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, + that I am not as the rest of men. + + --Luke 18. 11. + +Lord God, thou knowest what I am and where I belong. Have mercy upon +me and strengthen me, that I may not through weakness stay in the +darkness. Lead me out into the light; and may I find my way and be +contented with it. Amen. + + + + +OCTOBER NINTH + +Michael Cervantes born 1547. + +Jacques Auguste de Thuanus (De Thou) born 1553. + +Charles Camilla Saint-Saëns born 1835. + + I will not doubt, though all my ships at sea + Come drifting home with broken masts and sails; + I shall believe the Hand which never fails + From seeming evil worketh good for me; + And though I weep because those sails are battered, + Still will I cry, while my best hopes lie shattered, + "I trust in Thee." + + --Ella Wheeler Wilcox.[1] + + Cease every joy to glimmer on my mind. + But leave, O leave the light of hope behind. + + --Thomas Campbell. + + Hope deferred maketh the heart sick; But when the desire cometh, it + is a tree of life. + + --Proverbs 13. 12. + +Loving Father, help me to pass by my discouragements of yesterday and +look into the hope of to-day. Make me more careful of my strength, and +less forgetful of thy promises and of my trust. Amen. + +[Footnote 1: Special permission W.B. Conkey, Hammond, Indiana. +Copyright 1912.] + + + + +OCTOBER TENTH + +Henry Cavendish born 1731. + +Benjamin West born 1738. + +Hugh Miller born 1802. + +Giuseppe Verdi born 1813. + +Fridtjof Nansen born 1861. + + We cannot make bargains for blisses, + Nor catch them like fishes in nets; + And sometimes the thing our life misses + Helps more than the thing which it gets. + For good lieth not in pursuing, + Nor gaining of great nor small, + But just in the doing and doing + As we would be done by is all. + + --Alice Gary. + + True, it is most painful not to meet the kindness and affection you + feel you have deserved, and have a right to expect from others; but + it is a mistake to complain, for it is no use; you cannot extort + friendship with a cocked pistol. + + --Sydney Smith. + + Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. + + --Matthew 22. 39. + +Lord God, help me to understand that true affection is not that which +as it gives feels it merits return. May I avoid being selfish and +stubborn; and with my affections give peace and joy. Amen. + + + + +OCTOBER ELEVENTH + +Sir Thomas Wyatt died 1542. + +Dr. Samuel Clarke born 1675. + +James Barry born 1741. + + Ask God to give thee skill + In comfort's art, + That thou may'st consecrated be + And set apart, + Unto a life of sympathy; + For heavy is the weight of ill + In every heart; + And comforters are needed much + Of Christlike touch. + + --Alexander Hamilton. + + The man who melts + With social sympathy though not allied, + Is than a thousand kinsmen of more worth. + + --Euripides. + + Who comforteth us in all our affliction, that we may be able to + comfort them that are in any affliction, through the comfort + wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God. + + --2 Corinthians 1. 4. + +Heavenly Father, thou hast made sympathy divine. May I never make it +commonplace. Grant that as thou dost bless and comfort me I may be +willing to comfort others, and do whatsoever thou wouldst have me do. +Amen. + + + + +OCTOBER TWELFTH + +Columbus discovered America 1492. + +Lyman Beecher born 1775. + +George W. Cable born 1844. + +Helena Modjeska born 1844. + + One poor day! + Remember whose and how short it is! + It is God's day, it is Columbus's. + One day with life and heart is more than time enough to found a world. + + --James Russell Lowell. + + An illusion haunts us, that a long duration, as a year, a decade, a + century, is valuable. But an old French sentence says, "God works in + moments." We ask for long life, but 'tis deep life or grand moments + that signify. Let the measure of Time be spiritual, not mechanical. + Life is unnecessarily long. Moments of insight, of fine personal + relation, a smile, a glance--what ample borrowers of eternity they + are! + + --Ralph Waldo Emerson. + + One day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years + as one day. + + --2 Peter 3. 8. + +My Father, I pray that when the "sun sets to-day my hope may not set +with it." Be with me earlier than the dawn, that I may plan with thee +a new day. I pray that thou wilt release me from anything that keeps +me from reaching the highest. Amen. + + + + +OCTOBER THIRTEENTH + +Theodore Beza died 1605. + +Murat, King of Naples, shot 1815. + +Elizabeth Fry died 1845. + + What stronger breast-plate than a heart untainted! Thrice is he + armed that hath his quarrel just, And he but naked, though locked up + in steel, Whose conscience with injustice is corrupted. + + --William Shakespeare. + + A man's accusations of himself are always believed, his praises + never. + + --Montaigne. + + Justice needs that two be heard. + + --From Goethe's Autobiography. + + That which is altogether just shalt thou follow, that thou mayest + live. + + --Deuteronomy 16. 20. + +Lord of justice, if I may be influenced this morning by doubt and am +inclined to be resentful, wilt thou cause me to have a generous spirit +and keep my faith. May I never descend to anything base or deceitful, +but may I remember that if I lay down my life, I may have the power to +take it up again. Amen. + + + + +OCTOBER FOURTEENTH + +William Penn born 1644. + +James Fenimore Cooper died 1851. + +Duke of Wellington died 1852. + + Do good with what thou hast, or it will do thee no good. If thou + wouldst be happy, bring thy mind to thy condition, and have an + indifferency for more than what is sufficient. + + --William Penn. + + The finest fruit earth holds up to its Maker is a finished man. + + --Humboldt. + + I considered Napoleon's presence in the field equal to forty men in + the balance. + + --Duke of Wellington. + + What is man, that thou art mindful of him? And the son of man, that + thou visitest him? For thou hast made him but little lower than God, + And crownest him with glory and honor. + + --Psalm 8. 4, 5. + +Eternal God, may I know the value of the gift of life. May I think +seriously of it, and not through abuse or neglect cripple it, +remembering that it is mine to sow, to grow, and to reap. I pray that +I may care more for the food and raiment of my soul than I care for +the food and raiment of my body. Amen. + + + + +OCTOBER FIFTEENTH + +Virgil born B.C. 70. + +Evangelista Torricelli born 1608. + +Edward Fitzgerald born 1763. + + Being not unacquainted with woe, I learned to help the unfortunate. + + --Virgil. + + There are some hearts like wells green-mossed and deep + As ever summer saw, + And cool their water is, yea, cool and sweet; + But you must come to draw. + They hoard not, yet they rest in calm content, + And not unsought will give; + They can be quiet with their wealth unspent, + So self-contained they live. + + --Author unknown. + + For out of much affliction and anguish of heart I wrote unto you + with many tears; not that ye should be made sorry, but that ye might + know the love which I have more abundantly unto you. + + --2 Corinthians 2. 4. + +Gracious Father, help me to understand that while I may be content to +rest with what I have gathered, I cannot preserve the strength of my +soul unless I share my possessions. Give me a passion for humanity +that will advance gifts through love, and offer service without the +need of an appeal. Amen. + + + + +OCTOBER SIXTEENTH + +Bishop Hugh Latimer burned at Oxford 1555. + +Albrecht von Haller born 1708. + +Noah Webster born 1758. + +Robert Stephenson born 1803. + + As ships meet at sea--a moment together, when words of greeting must + be spoken, and then away upon the deep--so men meet in this world; + and I think we should cross no man's path without hailing him, and + if he needs, giving him supplies. + + --Henry Ward Beecher. + + Nothing is more unaccountable than the spell that often lurks in a + spoken word. A thought may be present to the mind, and two minds + conscious of the same thought, but as long as it remains unspoken + their familiar talk flows quietly over the hidden idea. + + --Nathaniel Hawthorne. + + And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? + + --Matthew 5. 47. + +Heavenly Father, I pray that thou wilt give me a generous heart. May I +not lose sight of the truth, that thou hast made others to have the +same needs and wants that I may have. May I not through pride or +egoism fail to help, and neglecting to speak, miss an opportunity to +assist. May I be self-forgetful in friendly service. Amen. + + + + +OCTOBER SEVENTEENTH + +Andreas Osiander died 1552. + +Frederic Chopin died 1849. + + Good name, in man or woman, dear my Lord, Is the immediate jewel of + their souls; Who steals my purse, steals trash; 'tis something, + nothing; 'Twas mine, 'tis his, and has been slave to thousands; But + he that filches from me my good name Robs me of that which not + enriches him, And makes me poor indeed. + + --William Shakespeare. + + Keep back your tears when a soul is untrue; + "Sorrow is shallow"; and one can wade through + The mud and the marshes, and still endure + If he finds he has kept his spirit pure. + + The rose near died when it fell to its lot + To break its heart for forget-me-not; + But after its heart was healed by the dew, + Right by its side a sweet violet grew! + + --M.B.S. + + A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches, And loving + favor rather than silver and gold. + + --Proverbs 22. 1. + +My Father, teach me the value of the possessions that can neither be +handled nor seen; and may I not take them away from others. Help me to +keep thy commandment "Thou shalt not steal," and interpret it in all +its relations to life. Amen. + + + + +OCTOBER EIGHTEENTH + +Matthew Henry born 1662. + +Margaret (Peg) Woffington born 1720. + +Helen Hunt Jackson born 1831. + +Frederick Harrison born 1831. + + Yet I argue not against heaven's hand or will, nor bate a jot of + heart of hope;, but still bear up and steer right onward. + + --John Milton. + + Write it on your heart that every day is the best day in the year. + No man has learned anything rightly until he knows that every day is + doomsday. + + --Ralph Waldo Emerson. + + He mourns that day so soon has glided by: + E'en like the passage of an angel's tear + That falls through the clear ether silently. + + --John Keats. + + I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: + I will counsel thee with mine eye upon thee. + + --Psalm 32. 8. + +My Father, if I may be living in bad habits, help me to get out of +them. If I may be neglectful of good deeds, help me to get at them. +May I reach for the highest purposes as I search for the realities, +and may I not delay, but start to-day. Amen. + + + + +OCTOBER NINETEENTH + +Dean (Jonathan) Swift died 1745. + +Leigh Hunt born 1784. + +Henry Kirke White died 1806. + + Don't look too hard except for something agreeable; we can find all + the disagreeable things we want, between our own hats and boots. + + --Leigh Hunt. + + Instead of a gem or a flower, cast the gift of a lovely thought into + the heart of a friend. + + --George Macdonald. + + For the want of common discretion the very end of good breeding is + wholly perverted; and civility, intended to make us easy, is + employed in laying chains and fetters upon us, in debarring our + wishes, and in crossing our most reasonable desires and + inclinations. + + --Jonathan Swift. + + If it be possible, as much as in you lieth, be at peace with all + men. + + --Romans 12. 18. + +My Lord, help me to adjust my life to what I ought to be, rather than +be content in what I am. May I not spend my time in dreaming of +obstacles, or searching for things that hurt, but may I be gentle and +kind, and as I see the truth speak for it and follow it. Amen. + + + + +OCTOBER TWENTIETH + +Sir Christopher Wren born 1632. + +Thomas Hughes born 1823. + +Charles Dudley Warner died 1900. + + There has always seemed to me something impious in the neglect of + health. I could not do half the good I do if it were not for the + strength and activity some consider coarse and degrading. + + --Charles Kingsley. + + To keep well drink often, but water; + Eat not that which makes life shorter; + But first, with all your might and skill, + Just chain your habits to your will. + + --M.B.S. + + I will be lord over myself. No one who cannot master himself is + worthy to rule, and only he can rule. + + --Goethe. + + Know ye not that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit which is + in you, which ye have from God? + + --1 Corinthians 6. 19. + +Lord God, may I not wait until I am afflicted and cannot use them to +thank thee for my blessings. Guard me against infirmities that are +brought on through indulgences, and help me to control my life. May I +never forget that regret will not retrieve the life that is spent, +even if it brings forgiveness and hope for the days to come. Amen. + + + + +OCTOBER TWENTY-FIRST + +Samuel Taylor Coleridge born 1772. + +Alphonse Lamartine born 1790. + +Samuel F. Smith born 1808. + +Will Carleton born 1845. + + He prayeth best who loveth best + All things both great and small; + For the dear God who loveth us, + He made and loveth all. + + --Samuel Taylor Coleridge. + + We thank thee, O Father, for all that is bright-- + The gleam of the day and the stars of the night, + The flowers of our youth and the fruits of our prime, + And the blessings that march down the pathway of time. + + --Will Carleton. + + Thanklessness is a parching wind, drying up the fountain of pity, + the dew of mercy, the streams of grace. For doth not that rightly + seem to be lost which is given to one ungrateful? + + --Saint Bernard. + + O give thanks unto Jehovah; for he is good; For his lovingkindness + endureth for ever. + + --Psalm 136. 1. + +My Father, help me to understand that I cannot have self-development +unless the spirit of truth drills my character. Cleanse my heart from +all impurity, and strengthen me for all usefulness: help me to daily +live this prayer. Amen. + + + + +OCTOBER TWENTY-SECOND + +Charles Martel died 741. + +Franz Liszt born 1811. + +George Eliot born 1819. + +Sarah Bernhardt born 1844. + + O may I join the choir invisible + Of those immortal dead who live again + In minds made better by their presence: live + In pulses stirred to generosity, + In deeds of daring rectitude, in scorn + For miserable aims that end with self, + In thoughts sublime that pierce the night like stars, + And with their mild persistence urge man's search + To vaster issues. + + This is life to come, + Which martyred men have made more glorious + For us to strive to follow. May I reach + That purest heaven, be to other souls + The cup of strength in some great agony, + Enkindle generous ardor, feed pure love, + Beget the smiles that have no cruelty, + Be the sweet presence of a good diffused, + And in diffusion ever more intense! + So shall I join the choir invisible + Whose music is the gladness of the world. + + --George Eliot. + + And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish. + + --John 10. 28. + +My Father, I pray that I may be more generous with my smiles and +gladness, and more saving with my tears and sadness. Amen. + + + + +OCTOBER TWENTY-THIRD + +Anne Oldfield died 1730. + +Robert Bridges born 1844. + +Mollie Elliot Seawell born 1860. + + O youth whose hope is high, + Who doth to truth aspire, + Whether thou live or die, + O look not back nor tire. + + Thou that art bold to fly + Through tempest, flood and fire, + Nor dost not shrink to try + Thy heart in torments dire-- + + If thou canst Death defy, + If thy faith is entire, + Press onward, for thine eye + Shall see thy heart's desire. + + --Robert Bridges. + + Doubt indulged becomes doubt realized. To determine to do anything + is half the battle. Courage is victory, timidity is defeat. + + --Nelson. + + And thou, son of man, be not afraid of them, neither be afraid of + their words, though briers and thorns are with thee, and thou dost + dwell among scorpions. + + --Ezekiel 2. 6. + +Gracious Father, try me again by the courage I have to-day, if thou +art judging me by the fear I held yesterday. Help me to see that +wavering is misleading and temperament is deceptive. May I learn +self-control. Amen. + + + + +OCTOBER TWENTY-FOURTH + +Hugh Capet died 996. + +Sir Moses Montefiore born 1784. + +Daniel Webster died 1852. + + Exceeding peace made Ben Adhem bold, + And to the presence in the room he said, + "What writest thou?" The vision raised its head, + And, with a look made of all sweet accord, + Answered, "The names of those who love the Lord." + "And is mine one?" said Abou. "Nay, not so," + Replied the angel. Abou spoke more low, + But cheerily still; and said, "I pray thee, then, + Write me as one that loves his fellow men." + + The angel wrote, and vanished. The next night + It came again, with a great awakening light, + And showed the names whom love of God had blessed-- + And, lo! Ben Adhem's name led all the rest! + + --Leigh Hunt. + + Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and will show thee great + things. + + --Jeremiah 33. 3. + +Lord God, may I keep within my heart that secret sympathy that adds to +the power of life. Help me to seek the things that are real, and not +be deceived by the things which only appear to be. May all with whom I +have to do feel the better for my companionship. Amen. + + + + +OCTOBER TWENTY-FIFTH + +Geoffrey Chaucer died 1400. + +William Hogarth died 1764. + +George W. Faber born 1773. + +Thomas B. Macaulay born 1800. + + Wav'ring as winds the breath of fortune blows, + No power can turn it, and no prayers compose. + Deep in some hermit's solitary cell, + Repose, and ease, and contemplation dwell. + Let conscience guide thee in the days of need, + Judge well thy own, and then thy neighbor's deed. + + --Geoffrey Chaucer. + + To every man upon this earth + Death cometh soon or late; + And how can man die better + Than facing fearful odds, + For the ashes of his fathers + And the temples of his gods. + + --Thomas B. Macaulay. + + Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to + minister, and to give his life a ransom for many. + + --Matthew 20. 28. + +Heavenly Father, help me to remember that I am to cover life's +journey, even though I may go the way carelessly and aimlessly. May I +make an estimate of what I am losing, by waiting so long at the +resting places, "For the road winds up hill all the way to the end, +and the journey takes the whole day long, from morn to night." Amen. + + + + +OCTOBER TWENTY-SIXTH + +Dr. Philip Doddridge died 1751. + +Count Von Moltke born 1800. + +Elizabeth Cady Stanton died 1902. + + One of the notable eddies of the present-day world currents is what + has been loosely called the "Woman Movement." The sensitive and + vicarious spirit of womanhood has been enlisted for service in + behalf of those who have been denied a fair chance, or who are the + victims of oppression, greed, and ignorance. + + --William T. Ellis. + + And whether consciously or not, you must be in many a heart + enthroned: queens you must always be: queens to your lovers; queens + to your husbands and sons; queens of higher mystery to the world + beyond, which bows itself, and will forever bow, before the myrtle + crown, and the stainless scepter of womanhood. + + --John Ruskin. + + O woman, great is thy faith: be it done unto thee even as thou wilt. + + --Matthew 15. 28. + +Lord and Master of all, I pray that thou wilt make me see through my +prejudices and beyond my desires to the very "top of my condition." +May I not wait for places or circumstances that are dimly in the +distance or that are near at hand, but accomplish the work I should do +to-day. Amen. + + + + +OCTOBER TWENTY-SEVENTH + +James Cook born 1728. + +Nicolo Paganini born 1782. + +Theodore Roosevelt, New York, twenty-fifth President +United States, born 1858. + + The vice of envy is not only a dangerous, but a mean vice; for it is + always a confession of inferiority. It may promote conduct which + will be fruitful of wrong to others, and it must cause misery to the + man who feels it. + + --Theodore Roosevelt. + + Of all the passions, jealousy is that which exacts the hardest + service, and pays the bitterest wages. Its service is to watch the + success of one's enemy; its wages to be sure of it. + + --C.C. Colton. + + Dear to me is the friend, yet I can also make use of an enemy. The + friend shows me what I can do, the foe teaches me what I should. + + --Schiller. + + Let us not become vainglorious, provoking one another. + + --Galatians 5. 26. + +Almighty God, I would ask thee that my days be filled with aspiration, +and that my heart may know no envy. Help me to love humanity. May I be +so glad of the success of others that I may never know what it is to +be envious. Amen. + + + + +OCTOBER TWENTY-EIGHTH + +Desiderius Erasmus born 1465. + +John Locke died 1704. + +Georges Jacques Danton born 1759. + + Not so in haste, my heart! + Have faith in God and wait; + Although he linger long, + He never comes too late. + + Until he cometh, rest, + Nor grudge the hours that roll; + The feet that wait for God + Are soonest at the goal; + + Are soonest at the goal + That is not gained by speed; + Then hold thee still, my heart, + For I shall wait his lead. + + --Bayard Taylor. + + It is good that a man should hope and quietly wait for the salvation + of Jehovah. + + --Lamentations 3. 26. + +Lord of life, may I pause to remember that rest may not be obtained +with wretched thoughts, nor can it be enjoyed in discontent. In my +moments of rest wilt thou show me how to relax, and with tranquillity +may I gather hope for renewed ambition. Amen. + + + + +OCTOBER TWENTY-NINTH + +Sir Walter Raleigh beheaded 1618. + +James Boswell born 1740. + +John Keats born 1795. + +Thomas Bayard born 1828. + +Thomas Edward Brown died 1897. + + Rise, O my soul, with thy desires to heaven, + And with divinest contemplation use + Thy time where time's eternity is given, + And let vain thoughts no more thy thoughts abuse; + But down in darkness let them lie: + So live thy better, let thy worse thoughts die! + + --Sir Walter Raleigh. + + The great elements we know of are no mean comforters; the open sky + sits upon our senses like a sapphire crown--the air is our robe of + state, the Earth is our throne, and the Sea a mighty minstrel + playing before it. + + --John Keats. + + Ah Lord Jehovah! behold, thou hast made the heavens and the earth by + thy great power and by thine outstretched arm; there is nothing too + hard for thee. + + --Jeremiah 32. 17. + +Almighty God, I thank thee for the power that gives me the breath of +life. May I be willing to be controlled by its guiding care. Amen. + + + + +OCTOBER THIRTIETH + +Rev. John Whitaker died 1808. + +John Adams, Massachusetts, second President +United States, born 1735. + +Adelaide Anne Procter born 1825. + + And yet thou canst know, + And yet thou canst not see; + Wisdom and sight are slow + In poor humanity. + If thou couldst trust, poor soul, + In Him who rules the whole, + Thou wouldst find peace and rest; + Wisdom and right are well, but trust is best. + + --Adelaide Anne Procter. + + The heart to speak in vain essayed, + Nor could his purpose reach-- + His will nor voice nor tongue obeyed, + His silence was his speech. + + --John Quincy Adams. + + But still believe that story wrong + Which ought not to be true. + + --Richard Brinsley Sheridan. + + Blessed is the man that maketh Jehovah his trust. + + --Psalm 40. 4. + +My Father, may I not be given to unkindly speech. Deliver me from a +critical spirit; and may I not encourage mistrust, but cultivate the +kindly considerations in which life abounds. Amen. + + + + +OCTOBER THIRTY-FIRST + +All Hallow's Eve. + +John Evelyn born 1620. + +Christopher Anstey born 1724. + + Ere, in the northern gale + The summer tresses of the trees are gone, + The woods of autumn, all around our vale, + Have put their glory on. + + The mountains that unfold, + In their wide sweep, the colored landscape round, + Seem groups of giant kings, in purple and gold, + That guard the enchanted ground. + + Ah! 'twere a lot too blessed + Forever in thy colored shades to stray; + Amid the kisses of the soft southwest + To rove and dream for aye; + + And leave the vain low strife + That makes men mad; the tug for wealth and power, + The passions and the cares that wither life, + And waste its little hour. + + --William Cullen Bryant. + + Let the field exult, and all that is therein; Then shall all the + trees of the wood sing for joy. + + --Psalm 96. 12. + +My Father, may I have an appreciation of the wonderful creations of +the earth. Give me a discriminating eye, that I may know the precious +things that thou art growing; and throughout my life may I love the +beautiful, and choose that which will make my life worthy of growth. +Amen. + + + + +NOVEMBER + + + Who said November's face was grim? + Who said her voice was harsh and sad? + I heard her sing in wood paths dim, + I met her on the shore so glad, + So smiling, I could kiss her feet! + There never was a month so sweet. + + --Lucy Larcom. + + + + +NOVEMBER FIRST + +Sir Matthew Hale born 1609. + +William M. Chase born 1849. + +Sir Robert Grant died 1892. + + O worship the King, all glorious above, + O gratefully sing his power and his love; + Our Shield and Defender, the ancient of days, + Pavilioned in splendor, and girded with praise. + + Thy bountiful care what tongue can recite? + It breathes in the air, it shines in the light; + It streams from the hills, it descends to the plain, + And sweetly distills in the dew and the rain. + + --Robert Grant. + + Ye shall walk in all the way which Jehovah your God hath commanded + you, that ye may live, and that it may be well with you, and that ye + may prolong your days in the land which ye shall possess. + + --Deuteronomy 5. 33. + +Almighty God, help me to make my life refulgent while I have the +abundance of summer, that I may not find the November of life bleak +and barren. Help me to live in the realities of life, that I may gain +energy and repose, to use for the lonesome and anxious hours. May I be +watchful for the conditions that thwart life, and with patience wait +for the awakening of truth. Amen. + + + + +NOVEMBER SECOND + +Marie Antoinette born 1755. + +Field-Marshal Radetzky born 1766. + +James Knox Polk, North Carolina, eleventh President +United States, born 1795. + + Overmastering pain--the most deadly and tragical element in + life--alas! pain has its own way with all of us; it breaks in, a + rude visitant, upon the fairy garden where the child wanders in a + dream, no less surely than it rules upon the field of battle, or + sends the immortal war-god whimpering to his father; and innocence, + no more than philosophy, can protect us from this sting. + + --Robert Louis Stevenson. + + My hopes retire; my wishes as before + Struggle to find their resting place in vain; + The ebbing sea thus beats against the shore; + The shore repels it; it returns again. + + --W.S. Landor. + + Yet Jehovah will command his loving-kindness in the day-time, And in + the night his song shall be with me. + + --Psalm 42. 8. + +Loving Father, I bless thee for thy goodness and tender mercy which is +over all. May I trust thy provision and love through all +circumstances, and as I trust myself to thee may I have faith to +believe that thou wilt give me strength for what I may have to endure, +and believe that thou wilt care for me, as thou dost care for all. +Amen. + + + + +NOVEMBER THIRD + +Lucan born A.D. 39. + +William Cullen Bryant born 1794. + +Francis D. Millet born 1846. + +John Watson (Ian Maclaren) born 1850. + +Pearl Mary Teresa Craigie (John Oliver Hobbes) +born 1867. + + Whither, midst falling dew, + While glow the heavens with the last steps of day, + Far, through their rosy depths, dost thou pursue + Thy solitary way! + + Vainly the fowler's eye + Might mark thy distant flight to do thee wrong, + As, darkly painted on the crimson sky, + Thy figure floats along. + + He who, from zone to zone, + Guides through the boundless sky thy certain flight, + In the long way that I must tread alone, + Will lead my steps aright. + + --William Cullen Bryant. + + For Jehovah your God dried up the waters of the Jordan from before + you, until ye were passed over. + + --Joshua 4. 23. + +Almighty God, help me to guard against gratification that leads to +disappointment, that I may not miss the true way. I pray that thou +wilt lift me in my weakness, and carry me over the rough and +discouraging places, that I may be made strong in thy loving care, and +be able to continue alone. Amen. + + + + +NOVEMBER FOURTH + +Guido Reni born 1575. + +James Montgomery born 1771. + +Edmund Keane born 1787. + +Ernest Howard Crosby born 1856. + +Eugene Field died 1895. + + Keep me, I pray, in wisdom's way, + That I may truths eternal seek; + I need protecting care to-day-- + My purse is light, my flesh is weak. + + --Eugene Field. + + No one could tell me where my Soul might be, + I searched for God, but God eluded me. + I sought my brother out, and found all three. + + --Ernest H. Crosby. + + In all thy ways acknowledge him, And he will direct thy paths. + + --Proverbs 3. 6. + +My Father, may I not face the going down of the sun to-day, looking at +life, in a mirror that reflects my own privileges and prejudices, but +may I see it as it is, known to those who are living to make it +better. May the days to come prove my sincerity in wanting the truth +that I might live by it, and help to do good with it. Amen. + + + + +NOVEMBER FIFTH + +Hans Sachs born 1494. + +Dr. John Brown born 1715. + +Benjamin Butler born 1818. + + The thing that goes the farthest + Toward making life worth while, + That costs the least, and does the most, + Is just a pleasant smile. + That smile that bubbles from a heart + That loves its fellow men + Will drive away the cloud of gloom + And coax the sun again. + + --Anonymous. + + One whom I knew intimately, and whose memory I revere, once in my + hearing remarked that, "Unless we love people we cannot understand + them." This was a new light to me. + + --Christina G. Rossetti. + + Oil and perfume rejoice the heart; So doth the sweetness of a man's + friend that cometh of hearty counsel. + + --Proverbs 27. 9. + +Lord God, I pray that I may be worthy of my friends. May I not fear to +go where I am called, and may I go cheerfully, even though the way be +dark and lonesome. Amen. + + + + +NOVEMBER SIXTH + +James Gregory born 1638. + +John Bright born 1811. + +Sir George Williams died 1905. + + Look full into thy spirit's self, + The world of mystery scan; + What if thy way to faith in God + Should lie through faith in man? + + --John Bright. + + Blessed are they who have the gift of making friends, for it is one + of God's best gifts. It involves many things, but above all, the + power of going out of oneself and seeing and appreciating whatever + is noble and loving in another. + + --Thomas Hughes. + + Be perfected; be comforted; be of the same mind; live in peace: and + the God of love and peace shall be with you. + + --2 Corinthians 13. 11. + +Lord God, I earnestly entreat thee to show me if I may be cramping the +happiness in another's life by forcing in my selfishness and demands. +May I understand that perfect gifts are those that come through loving +sacrifice. Make me ashamed to ask for what I refuse or prefer not to +give. Amen. + + + + +NOVEMBER SEVENTH + +Sir Martin Frobisher died 1594. + +William Stukeley born 1687. + +Friedrich Leopold, Count von Stolberg, born 1750. + + Once to every man and nation comes the moment to decide, + In the strife of Truth with Falsehood, for the good or evil side; + Some great cause, God's new Messiah offering each the bloom or blight, + Parts the goats upon the left hand, and the sheep upon the right; + And the choice goes by forever 'twixt that darkness and that light. + + --James Russell Lowell. + + We cannot command veracity at will; the power of seeing and + reporting truly is a form of health that has to be delicately + guarded, and as an ancient rabbi has solemnly said, "The penalty of + untruth is untruth." + + --George Eliot. + + Behold, this only have I found: that God made man upright; but they + have sought out many inventions. + + --Ecclesiastes 7. 29. + +My Father, help me to speak the truth and guard the truth, that +righteousness may be an abiding influence in my life. Amen. + + + + +NOVEMBER EIGHTH + +Edmund Halley born 1656. + +John Milton died 1674. + +Owen Meredith (Bulwer Edward Lytton) born 1831. + + The morning drum-call on my eager ear + Thrills unforgotten yet! the morning dew + Lies yet undried along my field of noon. + But now I pause a while in what I do, + And count the bell, and tremble lest I hear + (My work untrimmed) the sunset gun too soon. + + --Robert Louis Stevenson. + + I fear + Life's many changes, not Death's changelessness. + So perfect is this moment's passing cheer, + I needs must tremble lest it pass to less. + Thus in fickle love of life I live, + Lest fickle life me of my love deprive. + + --Owen Meredith. + + And Jehovah said unto Joshua, Get thee up; wherefore art thou thus + fallen upon thy face? + + Up, sanctify the people, and say, Sanctify yourselves against + to-morrow. + + --Joshua 7. 10, 13. + +Almighty God, help me in these fleeting days that I may not use my +time to consider and hesitate, but be positive in my desires and +pursue them. Grant that I may have the strength to hold each day +precious, and live it more than consistently. Amen. + + + + +NOVEMBER NINTH + +Mark Akenside born 1721. + +William Sotheby born 1757. + +Charles F. Thwing born 1853. + + The victor's road is the easy way. + Straight it stretches and climbs to where + Fame is waiting with garlands gay + To wreathe the fighter who clambers there. + There's applause in plenty and gold's red gleam + For the man who plays on the winning team. + + The loser travels a longer lane; + Level it leads to a lonely land. + There's little glory for him to gain + The voices mock him on either hand; + But the man who wins in the greater game + Is the man who, beaten, fights on the same. + + --G. Rice. + + The hero is not fed on sweets, + Daily his own heart he eats; + Chambers of the great are jails, + And head-winds right for royal sails. + + --Ralph Waldo Emerson. + + He thanked God, and took courage. + + --Acts 28. 15. + +O Lord, I pray that whether I may be successful in the sight of the +world, or whether I may be successful in my own sacrifices, I may have +the freedom of courage, and be master of my life. Amen. + + + + +NOVEMBER TENTH + +Martin Luther born 1483. + +William Hogarth born 1697. + +Oliver Goldsmith born 1728. + +Johann von Schiller born 1759. + +Joaquin Miller born 1841. + +Henry van Dyke born 1852. + + As faith, so is God. + + --Martin Luther. + + Learn the luxury of doing good. + + --Oliver Goldsmith. + + Love is the ladder by which we climb up to the likeness of God. + + --Johann von Schiller. + + And who will walk a mile with me + Along life's weary way? + A friend whose heart has eyes to see + The stars shine out o'er the darkening lea, + And the quiet rest at the end of the day-- + A friend who knows and dares to say, + The brave sweet words that cheer the way + Where he walks a mile with me. + + --Henry van Dyke. + + And whosoever shall compel thee to go one mile, go with him two. + + --Matthew 5. 41. + +My Father, may I not dwell in the appearances of life, where I may +grow selfish; but live in the realities of simplicity. May I not only +seek those who may return me pleasure, but may I find delight in +brightening the walk of a weary friend. Amen. + + + + +NOVEMBER ELEVENTH + +Alfred de Musset born 1810. + +Thomas Bailey Aldrich born 1836. + +Rev. Joshua Brookes died 1821. + + I'll not confer with Sorrow + Till to-morrow, + But joy shall have her way + This very day. + + --Thomas Bailey Aldrich. + + Shall we have ears on the stretch for the footfalls of sorrow that + never come, but be deaf to the whirr of the wings of happiness that + fill all space? + + --Maurice Maeterlinck. + + This day is a day of good tidings, and we hold our peace: if we + tarry till the morning light, punishment will overtake, us; now + therefore come, let us go and tell the king's household. + + --2 Kings 7. 9. + +Loving Father, I pray that thou wilt help me to overcome unhappiness. +May I not let depression overpower me, but claim the promises of joy +that are open to every life. May I be blest by my own cheerfulness and +encourage others to possess it. Amen. + + + + +NOVEMBER TWELFTH + +Saint Augustine died A. D. 354. + +Richard Baxter born 1615. + +Amelia Opie born 1769. + +Elizabeth Cady Stanton born 1815. + +Thomas Lord Fairfax died 1671. + + In life it is difficult to say who do you the most mischief--enemies + with the worst intentions or friends with the best. + + --Edward Bulwer. + + The friends thou hast, and their adoption tried, Grapple them to thy + soul with hooks of steel. + + --William Shakespeare. + + Where persons who ought to esteem and love each other are kept + asunder, as often happens, by some cause which three words of frank + explanation would remove, they are fortunate if they possess an + indiscreet friend who blurts out the whole truth. + + --Thomas B. Macaulay. + + Yea, mine own familiar friend, in whom I trusted, + Who did eat of my bread, + Hath lifted up his heel against me. + + --Psalm 41. 9. + +Lord God, help me to consider more carefully what I offer to my +friends; and may I not be critical of what I receive from my friends. +May I not be a hindrance instead of a help to those who would have my +companionship. Amen. + + + + +NOVEMBER THIRTEENTH + +Sir John Moore born 1761. + +Robert Louis Stevenson born 1850. + +Sir John Forbes died 1861. + + Little do we know our own blessedness; for to travel hopefully is a + better thing than to arrive, and the True Success is to labor. + + --Robert Louis Stevenson. + + Whether thy work be fine or coarse, planting corn or writing epics, + so only it be honest work, done to thine own approbation, it shall + earn a reward to sense as well as to the thought. + + --Ralph Waldo Emerson. + + Nature gives to labor; and to labor alone. In a very garden of Eden + a man would starve but for human exertion. + + --Henry George. + + But let each man prove his own work, and then shall he have his + glorying in regard of himself alone, and not of his neighbor. + + --Galatians 6. 4. + +My Father, make pure living clear to me, that I may not be deceived in +my work; and may I not use my working hours searching for more +suitable work, but may I be sure in what I am that I may feel secure +in what I undertake to do. Amen. + + + + +NOVEMBER FOURTEENTH + +Bishop Hoadley born 1676. + +Fanny Mendelssohn-Hensel born 1805. + +Robert Smythe Hichens born 1864. + + Give us, O give us, the man who sings at his work! Be his occupation + what it may, he is better than any of those who follow the same + pursuit in silent sullenness. + + --Thomas Carlyle. + + What doctor possesses such curative resources as those latent in a + single ray of hope? The mainspring of life is in the heart. Joy is + the vital air of the soul, and grief is a kind of asthma complicated + by atony. + + --Amiel. + + I will sing unto Jehovah as long as I live: + I will sing praise to my God while I have any being. + + --Psalm 104. 33. + +Loving Father, restore the spirit of gentleness and meekness if it may +be withered within me, that I may be contented. May I make it a habit +to be happy over my work and cheerful about my duties. May I never +lose the view of the glory of thy kingdom. Amen. + + + + +NOVEMBER FIFTEENTH + +William Pitt, Earl of Chatham, born 1708. + +William Cowper born 1731. + +Sir William Herschel born 1738. + +Johann Lavater born 1741. + +Richard Henry Dana born 1787. + +Ida Tarbell born 1857. + + The parting sun sends out a glow + Across the placid bay, + Touching with glory all the show-- + A breeze! Up helm! Away! + + Careening to the wind, they reach, + With laugh and call, the shore. + They've left their footprints on the beach, + But them I hear no more. + + --Richard Henry Dana. + + Art little? Do thy little well: + And for thy comfort know + The great can do their greatest work + No better than just so. + + --Goethe. + + But be thou an ensample to them that believe, in word, in manner of + life, in love, in faith, in purity. + + --1 Timothy 4. 12. + +Lord God, grant that if I may be complaining of what Providence has +not sent me, I may not be neglecting what Providence has given me. May +I not pause too long over what I have done, or over what I might have +done, but may I be appreciative of what thou dost expect of me and +endeavor to accomplish it. Amen. + + + + +NOVEMBER SIXTEENTH + +Tiberius born B.C. 42. + +Gustavus Adolphus killed 1632. + +Francis Danby born 1793. + + Judge not the workings of his brain + And of his heart thou canst not see; + What looks to thy dim eyes a stain + In God's pure light may only be + A scar, brought from some well-won field, + Where thou would'st only faint and yield. + + And judge none lost; but wait and see, + With hopeful pity, not disdain; + The depth of the abyss may be + The measure of the height of pain + And love and glory that may raise + The soul to God in after days! + + --Adelaide A. Procter. + + I am more afraid of deserving criticism, than of receiving it. + + --William Gladstone. + + Judge not, that ye be not judged. + + --Matthew 7.1. + +Lord Jehovah, judge of all mankind, forbid that I should set myself as +a judge of another's life, and neglect to live for the higher judgment +of my own. May I not be absorbed in that which thrives in darkness, +but live in the light of honesty and gentleness. Amen. + + + + +NOVEMBER SEVENTEENTH + +Queen Mary of England died 1558. + +Joost van den Vondel born 1587. + +George Grote born 1794. + + There are evergreen men and women in the world, praise be to + God!--not many of them, but a few. They are not the showy folk. + (Nature is an old-fashioned shopkeeper; she never puts her best + goods in the window.) They are only the quiet, strong folk; they are + stronger than Fate. The storms of life sweep over them, and the + biting frosts creep round them; but the winds and the frosts pass + away, and they are still standing, green and straight. + + --Jerome K. Jerome. + + And he shall be like a tree planted by the streams of water, + That bringeth forth its fruit in its season, + Whose leaf also doth not wither; + And whatsoever he doeth shall prosper. + + --Psalm 1.3. + +Gracious Lord, may I not spend most in equipment and forget the tides, +which may desert me on the sands, or the rocks in the channels, which +may crush the finest vessel. May I be prepared for the hard knocks if +they come, but may I know how to keep clear of them. Amen. + + + + +NOVEMBER EIGHTEENTH + +Sir David Wilkie born 1785. + +Louis J. M. Daguerre born 1789. + +Cyrus Field born 1819. + +William S. Gilbert born 1836. + + If e'er when man had fallen asleep, + I heard a voice, "Believe no more," + A warmth within the breast would melt + The freezing reason's colder part, + And like a man in wrath, the heart + Stood up and answered, "I have felt." + + --Alfred Tennyson. + + Faith is the deep want of the soul. We have faculties for the + spiritual, as truly as for the outward world. God, the foundation of + all existence, may become to the mind the most real of all beings. + The believer feels himself resting on an everlasting foundation. + + --William Henry Channing. + + And they said one to another, Was not our heart burning within us, + while he spake to us in the way, while he opened to us the + scriptures? + + --Luke 24. 32. + +Lord God, save me from a hard and doubting heart. May I be trustful +and come to thee in faith. All the days of my life may my lips sing +thy praise as I unfold thy love and purposes. Amen. + + + + +NOVEMBER NINETEENTH + +Nicolas Poussin died 1665. + +Albert Thorwaldsen born 1770. + +James A. Garfield, Ohio, twentieth President United +States, born 1831. + +Mary Hallock Foote born 1847. + +Count Lyoff (Leo) Tolstoy died 1910. + + And son I live, you see, + Go through the world, try, prove, reject, + Prefer, still struggling to effect + My warfare; happy that I can + Be crossed and thwarted as a man, + Not left in God's contempt apart, + With ghastly smooth life, dead at heart, + Tame in earth's paddock, as her prize. + + --Robert Browning. + + Be good at the depths of you, and you will discover that those who + surround you will be good even to the same depths. Therein lies a + force that has no name; a spiritual rivalry that has no resistance. + + --Maurice Maeterlinck. + + First of all, I must make myself a man; if I do not succeed in that, + I can succeed in nothing. + + --James A. Garfield. + + That we may be no longer children, tossed to and fro and carried + about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, in + craftiness, after the wiles of error. + + --Ephesians 4. 14. + +Eternal God, I thank thee for all the sterling elements that greaten +the individual life. I pray that I may not desire to be kept a small +creature, but seek to grow in wisdom and love, and qualify for mighty +purposes and achievements. Amen. + + + + +NOVEMBER TWENTIETH + +Paul Potter born 1625. + +Thomas Chatterton born 1752. + +William Ellery Channing born 1818. + +Sir Wilfred Laurier born 1841. + + Then why, my soul, dost thou complain? + Why drooping seek the dark recess? + Shake off the melancholy chain, + For God created all to bless. + + The gloomy mantle of the night, + Which on my sinking spirits steals, + Will vanish at the morning light, + Which God, my East, my Sun, reveals. + + --Thomas Chatterton. + + Lady, there is a hope that all men have-- + Some mercy for their faults, a grassy place + To rest in, and a flower-strewn, gentle grave: + Another hope which purifies our race, + That when that fearful bourne forever past, + They may find rest--and rest so long to last. + + I seek it not, I ask no rest forever, + My path is onward to the farthest shores. + + --William Ellery Channing. + + He brought me up also out of a horrible pit, out of the miry clay; + And he set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings. + And he put a new song in my mouth. + + --Psalm 40. 2, 3. + +My Father, I pray that I may have patience to live through the +difficulties of life. May I correct my faults, that they may not +destroy my peace and take from me my strength; help me to center my +life in brightness and hope. Amen. + + + + +NOVEMBER TWENTY-FIRST + +Claude Lorraine died 1682. + +Bryan Waller Procter (Barry Cornwall) born 1787. + +Mary Johnston born 1870. + + There is not a creature from England's king + To the peasant that delves the soil, + Who knows half the pleasures the seasons bring + If he had not his share of toil. + + --Barry Cornwall. + + It may be proved, with much certainty, that God intends no man to + live in this world without working; but it seems to me no less + evident that he intends every man to be happy in his work. Now, in + order that people may be happy in their work, these three things are + needed: they must be fit for it; and they must not do too much of + it; and they must have a sense of success in it. + + --John Ruskin. + + Let him labor, working with his hands the thing that is good, that + he may have whereof to give to him that hath need. + + --Ephesians 4. 28. + +My Father, if my work seems hard to-day, may I not cease working if I +grow weary, but may my strength be renewed to continue my work. May +the aim of my work be to please thee, and to help in the progress of +humanity. Amen. + + + + +NOVEMBER TWENTY-SECOND + +Saint Cecilia martyred A.D. 230. + +Sir Henry Havelock died 1857. + +Justin M'Carthy born 1830. + + Sometimes the sun, unkindly hot, + My garden makes a desert spot, + Sometimes a blight upon the tree + Takes all my fruit away from me; + And then with throes of bitter pain + Rebellious passions rise and swell; + And so I sing and all is well. + + --Paul Laurence Dunbar. + + Such songs have power to quiet + The restless pulse of care, + And come like benediction + That follows after prayer. + + --Henry W. Longfellow. + + Songs consecrate to truth and liberty. + + --Percy Bysshe Shelley. + + David took the harp, and played with his hand: so Saul was + refreshed, and was well, and the evil spirit departed from him. + + --1 Samuel 16. 23. + +Almighty God, I thank thee that thou wilt come to me as my heart cries +for need. I bless thee that thou dost come to me as my lips sing thy +praise. I pray that I may be saved from a cruel and cheerless heart, +and be a sharer of the songs that are sung to the soul. Amen. + + + + +NOVEMBER TWENTY-THIRD + +Thomas Tallis died 1585. + +Franklin Pierce, New Hampshire, fourteenth President +United States, born 1804. + +Marie Bashkirtseff born 1860. + + Asleep, awake, by night or day, + The friends I seek are seeking me; + No word can drive my bark astray, + Nor change the tide of destiny. + + The stars come nightly to the sky, + The tidal wave unto the sea; + Nor time, nor space, nor deep, nor high, + Can keep my own away from me. + + --John Burroughs. + + If a man could make a single rose we would give him an empire; yet + flowers no less beautiful are scattered in profusion over the world, + and no one regards them. + + --Martin Luther. + + Let patience have its perfect work. + + --James 1. 4. + +My Creator, may I remember that after thou didst create the earth thou +didst say it was good. May I love the fragrance and beauty of the +flowers which were made to nourish the soul, and the fruits and herbs +which were made to nourish the body. May my song of thanksgiving be +new every morning, as I awake in the abundance of what thou hast +prepared. Amen. + + + + +NOVEMBER TWENTY-FOURTH + +John Knox died 1572. + +Baron Spinoza born 1632. + +Grace Darling born 1815. + +Frances Hodgson Burnett born 1849. + + I waited long until the sky + Should give me of its blue + To weave and wear, and share, and weave + The very stars into. + The days they went, the years they went, + And left my hands instead + Another thing for wonderment, + The mending and the bread. + + Ah me, and one must set a hand + To burnish up the task, + And hush and hush the old demand + A wakeful heart will ask. + But with a star's clear eye on me, + O, I can hear it said, + "What souls there be that only see + The mending and the bread!" + + --Josephine P. Peabody. + + The riches of a commonwealth + Are free, strong minds and hearts of health. + And more to her than gold or grain, + The cunning hand and cultured brain. + + --John G. Whittier. + + For the life is more than the food, and the body than the raiment. + + --Luke 12. 23. + +My Father, I pray that thou wilt help me, that I may not consume my +life in preparing clothes and food for my body. Amen. + + + + +NOVEMBER TWENTY-FIFTH + +Charles Kemble born 1775. + +John Bigelow born 1817. + +Paul Haupt born 1858. + +John Kitto died 1854. + + I will not kill or hurt any living creature needlessly, nor destroy + any beautiful thing, but will strive to save and comfort all gentle + life and guard and perfect all natural beauty on earth. I will + strive to raise my own body and soul daily into all the higher + powers of duty and-happiness, not in rivalship or contention with + others, but for help, delight, and honor of others and for the joy + and peace of my own life. + + --John Ruskin. + + They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain; for the + earth shall be full of the knowledge of Jehovah, as the waters cover + the sea. + + --Isaiah 11. 9. + +Lord God, I rejoice in the blessedness of peace. May I not try to +force peace where cruelty has entered, but keep a watch for what may +come into my life. I pray that if I may be in turbulence to-day, thou +wilt quiet me with thy peace which knows no fear or wrong. Amen. + + + + +NOVEMBER TWENTY-SIXTH + +Sir William Ware born 1594. + +John Elwes died 1789. + +John Loudoun Macadam died 1836. + + I'd like a way + To change the clouds that bring us sorrow, + And build to-day a bright to-morrow; + To banish cares that tarry long, + And have the days like the blue-bird's song-- + I'd like a way. + + I'll find a way-- + I'll set sail when the breeze is high, + And calmly drift when pleasure's nigh; + I'll steer a course afar from tears, + And take in joy the coming years-- + I'll find a way. + + I've lost the way! + Out through the gloom a beam of light + Looks like a purpose looming bright! + Up with the sail! I'll out to sea + And bring that purpose back with me, + Or go its way. + + --M.B.S. + + Unto the upright there ariseth light in the darkness: He is + gracious, and merciful, and righteous. + + --Psalm 112. 4. + +My Father, I pray that I may not through indifference wander without a +purpose, or through discouragement stumble through the darkness. May I +be drawn to the light by the vision of hopeful and useful days. Amen. + + + + +NOVEMBER TWENTY-SEVENTH + +Horace died B.C. 8. + +Marquise d'Aubigné Maintenon born 16324. + +General Artemus Ward born 1727. + +Fanny Kemble born 1809. + +Alexandra Dumas died 1895. + + Be this thy brazen bulwark of defense, to preserve a conscience void + of offense, and never turn pale with guilt. + + --Horace. + + Is life a noxious weed which whirlwinds sow? + A useless flint o'er which the waters flow? + Not so! + A life well spent has not its weight in gold; + It is the clearest crystal earth doth hold, + A gem beside which suns seem dull and cold. + + --Robert Louis Stevenson. + + That they may lay hold on the life which is life indeed. + + --1 Timothy 6. 19. + +Lord God, I pray that my life may not be impoverished by neglect, nor +burdened with indulgences, but that it may be kept in condition for +high endeavors. Grant that I may never be content to rest in +satisfaction and ease when I could struggle and accomplish a good +work. Amen. + + + + +NOVEMBER TWENTY-EIGHTH + +William Blake born 1757. + +Anton G. Rubinstein born 1829 + +Washington Irving died 1859. + + The sorrow for the dead is the only sorrow from which we refuse to + be divorced. Every other wound we seek to heal, every other + affliction to forget. Take warning by the bitterness of this thy + contrite affliction over the dead, and henceforth be more faithful + and affectionate in the discharge of thy duties to the living. + + --Washington Irving. + + Joy and woe are woven fine, + A clothing for the soul divine; + Every grief and pine + Runs a joy with a silken twine. + + --William Blake. + + Ye shall be sorrowful, but your sorrow shall be turned into joy. + + --John 16. 20. + +Heavenly Father, grant that I may not lose the kindness that I may +give and receive to-day. I thank thee for the memories of yesterday, +the hope of to-morrow, and the wisdom of to-day. May I have a vision +of immortality that will keep me through the closest sorrow. Amen. + + + + +NOVEMBER TWENTY-NINTH + +Sir Philip Sidney born 1554. + +A. Bronson Alcott born 1799. + +Wendell Phillips born 1811. + +Louisa M. Alcott born 1832. + + Truth is sensitive and jealous of the least encroachment of its + sacredness. + + --A. Bronson Alcott. + + Faith that withstood the shocks of toil and time, + Hope that defied despair, + Patience that conquered care, + And loyalty whose courage was sublime; + + Teaching us how to seek the highest goal, + To earn the true success; + To live to love, to bless, + And make death proud to take a royal soul. + + --Louisa M. Alcott. + + Nor is it + Wiser to weep a true occasion lost, + But trim our sails, and let old bygones be. + + --Alfred Tennyson. + + In hope of eternal life, which God, who cannot lie, promised before + times eternal. + + --Titus 1. 2. + +Heavenly Father, I pray that I may live in truth; and without fear of +life or death live content in the faith of eternal life. Amen. + + + + +NOVEMBER THIRTIETH + +Peregrine White born New England 1620. + +Jonathan Swift born 1687. + +Samuel L. Clemens (Mark Twain) born 1835. + +Winston Churchill born 1874. + + He gave it for his opinion that whoever could make two ears of corn, + or two blades of grass, to grow upon a spot of ground where only one + grew before, would deserve better of mankind, and do more essential + service to his country, than the whole race of politicians put + together. + + --Jonathan Swift. + + That man may last, but never lives, + Who much receives, but nothing gives; + Whom none can love, whom none can thank,-- + Creation's blot, creation's blank. + + --Thomas Gibbons. + + Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, + shaken together, running over, shall they give into your bosom. For + with what measure ye mete it shall be measured to you again. + + --Luke 6. 38. + +My Father, preserve my soul from all selfishness. May I delight in thy +teaching as I trust in thy word. I pray that I may not only speak +truthfully, but that I may leave the door of my spirit open, that +truth may always enter and abide continually. Amen. + + + + +DECEMBER + + + He comes--he comes--the Frost Spirit comes: + You may trace his footsteps now + On the naked woods and the blasted fields, + And the brown hill's withered brow. + He has smitten the leaves of the gray old trees, + Where their green came forth, + And the winds, which follow wherever he goes, + Have shaken them down to earth. + + He comes--he comes--the Frost Spirit comes! + Let us meet him as we may, + And turn with the light of the parlor fire + His evil power away; + And gather closer the circle round, + Where the firelight dances high, + And laugh at the shriek of the baffled fiend, + As his sounding wing goes by. + + --John G. Whittier. + + + + +DECEMBER FIRST + +Dr. George Birkbeck died 1841. + +Queen Alexandra born 1844. + +R.W. Dale born 1829. + +Ebenezer Elliott died 1849. + + We would fill the hours with the sweetest things, + If we had but a day: + We should drink alone at the purest springs, + In our upward way: + We should guide our wayward or wearied will, + By the clearest light: + We should keep our eyes on the heavenly hills, + If they lay in sight: + We should be from our clamorous selves set free, + To work and pray: + And be what the Father would have us to be, + If we had but a day. + + --Margaret E. Sangster. + + Whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honorable, + whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever + things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be + any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things. + + --Philippians 4. 8. + +Gracious Father, help me to understand that my life grows out of what +I put into my days. Forgive me for the unspoken words and the kind +deeds which I kept for rare days, and had so few occasions to use. May +I be as useful in kindness as I am in work, remembering that to thee +every day is a golden day. Amen. + + + + +DECEMBER SECOND + +David Masson born 1822. + +John Brown hanged, Charlestown, West Virginia +1859. + +Hugh Miller died 1856. + + The solitude of life is known to us all; for the most part we are + alone, and the voices of friends come only faint and broken across + the impassable gulfs which surround every human soul. + + --Hamilton Mabie. + + To have an ideal or to have none, to have this ideal or that--this + is what digs gulfs between men, even between those who live in the + same family circle, under the same roof, or in the same room. You + must love with the same love, think with the same thoughts as some + one else if you are to escape solitude. + + --Amiel. + + The plans of the heart belong to man; + But the answer of the tongue is from Jehovah. + + --Proverbs 16. 1. + +Lord God, help me to take in the glory of life, that my spirit may +never be lonely, even though I may have to be much alone. I pray that +thou wilt spare me the loneliness and the solitude that may be brought +on by selfishness. Make me considerate of others. May I soar above the +disappointments and losses that may come to me, and stay where I may +have thy companionship. Amen. + + + + +DECEMBER THIRD + +Samuel Crompton born 1753. + +Sir Frederick Leighton born 1830. + +Robert Louis Stevenson died 1894. + + To know what you prefer, instead of humbly saying "Amen" to what the + world tells you you ought to prefer, is to have kept your soul + alive. + + --Robert Louis Stevenson. + + There is precious instruction to be got by finding we were wrong. + Let a man try faithfully, manfully to be right. He will grow daily + more and more right. + + --Thomas Carlyle. + + The hero is the man who is immovably centered. + + --Ralph Waldo Emerson. + + Let us draw near with a true heart in fulness of faith, having our + hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience: and having our body washed + with pure water. + + --Hebrews 10. 22. + +Gracious Father, grant that I may not be content to follow through +ignorance and indolence and be led to the lowly paths of life. Make my +Hie positive; and from my surroundings may I look out and struggle to +mount to the highest ideals, that I may be qualified to select the +best in life. Amen. + + + + +DECEMBER FOURTH + +Cardinal Richelieu died 1642. + +William Drummond died 1649. + +Madame Recamier born 1777. + +Thomas Carlyle born 1795. + +John Kitto born 1804. + + It is with a man's soul as it is with nature: the beginning of + Creation is--Light. Till the eye have visions the whole members are + in bonds. Divine moment, when over the tempest-tost Soul, as once + over the wild-weltering Chaos, it is spoken: Let there be Light! + + --Thomas Carlyle. + + What in me is dark + Illumine, what is low raise and support; + That to the light of this great argument + I may assert eternal Providence + And justify the ways of God to men. + + --John Milton. + + For thou art my lamp, O Jehovah; And Jehovah will lighten my + darkness. + + --2 Samuel 22. 29. + +My Lord, forgive me if I have allowed bitterness and misery to darken +my life, for my soul yearns continually for the light. In thy +compassion lead me to the "sunny side of the road where the beautiful +flowers grow," that my path may be made bright and cheerful all the +rest of the way. Amen. + + + + +DECEMBER FIFTH + +Martin Van Buren, New York, eighth President +United States, born 1782. + +Christina G. Rossetti born 1830. + +Alice Brown born 1857. + + A cold wind stirs the blackthorn + To burgeon and to blow, + Besprinkling half-green hedges + With flakes and sprays of snow. + + Through coldness and through keenness, + Dear hearts take comfort so: + Somewhere or other doubtless + These make the blackthorn blow. + + --Christina G. Rossetti. + + There are some men and women in whose company we are always at our + best. All the best stops in our nature are drawn out by their + intercourse, and we find a music in our souls never there before. + + --Henry Drummond. + + And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and good works. + + --Hebrews 10. 24. + +My Father, I thank thee for life. Make me sensitive to the unseen +influences that bring thy messages. May I be led where great riches +may be found through small kindnesses, and where I may learn from the +meek the beauty of earth. Amen. + + + + +DECEMBER SIXTH + +General George Monk born 1608. + +Warren Hastings born 1732. + +Dr. Richard Barham born 1786. + + That low man seeks a little thing to do, + Sees it and does it: + This high man, with a great thing to pursue, + Dies ere he knows it. + That low man goes on adding one to one, + His hundred's soon hit: + This high man, aiming at a million, + Misses an unit. + That, has the world here--should he need the next, + Let the world mind him! + This, throws himself on God, and unperplexed + Seeking shall find him. + + --Robert Browning. + + Hitch your wagon to a star. + + --Ralph Waldo Emerson. + + When thou saidst, Seek ye my face; my heart said unto thee, Thy + face, Jehovah, will I seek. + + --Psalm 27. 8. + +Almighty God, show me what thou hast given for me to do, that I may +not leave undone that which is mine. Forgive me for useless planning +and blind asking for the things which cannot be mine. I pray that my +work may be honest work, well done, and acceptable for thy service. +Amen. + + + + +DECEMBER SEVENTH + +Cicero assassinated B.C. 43. + +John Dalton born 1766. + +Mary Stuart, Queen of Scotland, born 1542. + + It is virtue--yes, let me repeat it again--it is virtue alone that + can give birth, strength, and permanency to friendship. For virtue + is a uniform and steady principle ever acting consistently with + itself. + + --Cicero. + + A common friendship--who talks of a common friendship? There is no + such thing in the world. On earth no word is more sublime. + + --Henry Drummond. + + But thou shalt surely open thy hand unto him, and shalt surely lend + him sufficient for his need. + + --Deuteronomy 15. 8. + +Lord God, wilt thou reveal to me my weakness if I may be insincere; +and give me the strength that I lack to keep me true. May I not take +advantage of the ignorant, or thoughtlessly lead the innocent into +temptation. Grant that I may be a trustful and kind friend. Amen. + + + + +DECEMBER EIGHTH + +John Pym died 1643. + +Richard Baxter died 1691. + +Thomas De Quincey died 1859. + +Elihu Burritt born 1810. + +Robert Collyer born 1823. + + Into the dusk of the East, + Gray with the coming of night, + This may we know at least-- + After the night comes light! + Over the mariners' graves, + Grim in the depths below, + Buoyantly breasting the waves, + Into the East we go. + + On to a distant strand, + Wonderful, far, unseen, + On to a stranger land, + Skimming the seas between; + On through the days and nights, + Hope in each sailor's breast, + On till the harbor lights + Flash on the shores of rest! + + J.H. Jowett. + + So he bringeth them unto their desired haven. + + --Psalm 107. 30. + +Lord God, I pray that thou wilt provide me with thy indwelling peace. +May it keep me reconciled to the decline of years, and enable me to +bear the earthly separation from those whom I love. May I always have +hope and trust in thee. Amen. + + + + +DECEMBER NINTH + +John Milton born 1608. + +Sir Anthony Van Dyck died 1641. + +Joel Chandler Harris born 1848. + + Doth God exact day labor, light denied? + I fondly ask: but Patience, to prevent + That murmur, soon replies, "God doth not need + Either man's work, or his own gifts; who best + Bear his mild yoke, they serve him best; his state + Is kingly; thousands at his bidding speed, + And post o'er land and ocean without rest; + They also serve who only stand and wait." + + --John Milton. + + "'Tain't on'y chilluns w'at got de consate er doin' eve'ything dey + see yuther folks do. Hit's grown folks w'at oughter know better," + said Uncle Remus. + + --Joel Chandler Harris. + + Wherefore, receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us have + grace, whereby we may offer service well-pleasing to God with + reverence and awe. + + --Hebrews 12. 28. + +My Father, teach me to select my work from that which is noble and +true. May I not mold my life in affectation or feel that I must +imitate the lives of others, but grant that I may perfect my life +through experiences which are worthy of increasing endeavors. Amen. + + + + +DECEMBER TENTH + +Thomas Holcroft born 1745. + +Dr. Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet born 1787. + +Eugene Sue born 1804. + + Be of good cheer. Do not think of to-day's failures, but of success + that may come to-morrow. You have set yourselves a difficult task, + but you will succeed if you persevere; and you will have a joy in + overcoming obstacles--a delight in climbing rugged paths which you + would perhaps never know if you did not sometimes slip backward, if + the road were always smooth and pleasant. Remember, no effort that + we make to attain something beautiful is ever lost. + + --Helen Keller. + + We rise by things that are beneath our feet, + By what we have mastered by good and gain, + By the pride deposed and passion slain, + And the vanquished ills that we hourly meet. + + --J.G. Holland. + + He that overcometh, I will give to him to sit down with, me in my + throne, as I also overcame, and sat down with my Father in his + throne. + + --Revelation 3. 21. + +My Father, I pray that I may not be given to contradicting and +doubting, nor take for granted that which needs to be considered. +Grant that I may have the faith and strength of heart to fulfill the +longings of my soul. Amen. + + + + +DECEMBER ELEVENTH + +Sir Roger L'Estrange died 1704. + +Dr. William Cullen born 1712. + +Colley Cibber died 1757. + + Lord, subdue our selfish will; + Each to each our tempers suit, + By thy modulating skill, + Heart to heart, as lute to lute. + + --Charles Wesley. + + One of the last, slowly murmured sayings of Whittier, was this: + "Give--my--love--to--the--world." And this is the world's supreme + need to-day; more than our eloquence, or our knowledge, or our + wealth, or all else besides, it needs our love. True, even love may + sometimes err; but the cure for love's mistakes is just more love; + we often blunder because we do not love enough. God help us all + that, like Whittier, we may live and die, giving our love to the + world. + + --George Jackson. + + Love never faileth. + + --1 Corinthians 13. 8. + +Lord God, help me to see the beauty of the world, and through my duty +may I find the love in the world. May I not spend my life in +discontent, but may I remember that thou hast said, "The meek shall +inherit the earth." Fill my heart with compassion, that I may love my +fellow man as I love myself. Amen. + + + + +DECEMBER TWELFTH + +Chief Justice John Jay born 1745. + +Gustav Flaubert born 1821. + +Robert Browning died 1889. + + A people is but the attempt of many + To rise to the completer life of one. + And those who live for models for the mass + Are singly of more value than they all. + + --Robert Browning. + + Give me the power to labor for mankind; + Make me the mouth of such as cannot speak; + Eyes let me be to groping men and blind; + A conscience to the base; and to the weak + Let me be hands and feet, and to the foolish, mind; + And lead still further on such as thy kingdom seek. + + --Theodore Parker. + + I was eyes to the blind, + And feet was I to the lame. + + --Job 29. 15. + +Almighty God, wilt thou guide me in the direction where I may choose a +useful life; open wide my heart as well as my eyes, that I may early +see my work and be diligent in its prosecution. Reveal to me, when I +may have failed, that I may do better to-morrow. Amen. + + + + +DECEMBER THIRTEENTH + +William Drummond born 1585. + +Dr. Samuel Johnson died 1784. + +Joseph Noel Paton born 1821. + +Phillips Brooks born 1835. + +Hamilton Mabie born 1846. + + When the clouds of sorrow gather over us, we see nothing beyond + them, nor can imagine how they can be dispelled; yet a new day + succeeded to the night, and sorrow is never long without a dawn of + ease. + + --Dr. Samuel Johnson. + + The fountains of joy and sorrow are for the most part locked up in + ourselves.... There come to great, solitary, and sorely smitten + souls moments of clear insight, of assurance of victory, of + unspeakable fellowship with truth and life and God, which outweigh + years of sorrow and bitterness. + + --Hamilton Mabie. + + And ye therefore now have sorrow: but I will see you again, and your + heart shall rejoice, and your joy no one taketh away from you. + + --John 16. 22. + +My Father, may I remember that the days of my life that I give over to +grief can never be reclaimed. Help me that I may not want to keep +sorrow in my life, but with faith may I believe that "weeping may +endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning." Amen. + + + + +DECEMBER FOURTEENTH + +Daniel Neal born 1678. + +Rev. Charles Wolfe born 1791. + +George Washington died 1799. + +Frances Ridley Havergal born 1836. + + Seldom can the heart be lonely, + If it seek a lonelier still; + Self-forgetting, seeking only + Emptier cups of love to fill. + + --Frances R. Havergal. + + When to the sessions of sweet silent thought + I summon up remembrance of things past, + I sigh the lack of many a thing I sought. + And with old woes new wail my dear time's waste + + * * * * * + + But if the while I think on thee, dear friend, + All losses are restored, and sorrows end. + + --William Shakespeare. + + The Lord Jehovah hath given me the tongue of them that are taught, + that I may know how to sustain with words him that is weary. + + --Isaiah 50. 4. + +Gracious Father, keep me cheerful and courageous, that I may not be +given to weary murmurings. May my hours of solitude be spent +profitably as they pass. Grant that I may be a help to those who are +in need of sympathy and encouragement, and through the peace that is +given to me help them to a tranquil life. Amen. + + + + +DECEMBER FIFTEENTH + +Catherine of Aragon born 1485. + +George Romney born 1734. + +Franklin B. Sanborn born 1831. + + Yet frequent visitors shall kiss the shrine, + And ever keep its vestal lamp alight; + All noble thoughts, all dreams divinely bright, + That waken or delight this soul of mine. + + --F.B. Sanborn. + + One small cloud can hide the sunlight; + Loose one string, the pearls are scattered; + Think one thought, a soul may perish; + Say one word, a heart may break. + + --A.A. Procter. + + Self-scrutiny is often the most unpleasant, and always the most + difficult, of moral actions. But it is also the most important and + salutary; for, as the wisest of the Greeks said, "An unexamined life + is not worth living." + + --J. Strachan. + + Try your own selves, whether ye are in the faith; prove your own + selves. + + --2 Corinthians 13. 5. + +Gracious Father, help me that I may not be thoughtless and unkind. May +I be gentle and sympathetic. Forgive me for any unhappiness which I +may have made, and may it be mine to know the rejoicing that comes hi +lifting a discouraged life in time. Amen. + + + + +DECEMBER SIXTEENTH + +John Selden born 1584. + +François La Rochefoucauld born 1610. + +George Whitefield born 1714. + +Jane Austen born 1775. + + So live that when thy summons comes to join + The innumerable caravan that moves + To that mysterious realm where each shall take + His chamber in the silent halls of death, + Thou go not, like the quarry slave at night, + Scourged to his dungeon, but, sustained and soothed + By an unfaltering trust, approach thy grave + Like one who wraps the drapery of his couch + About him and lies down to pleasant dreams. + + --William Cullen Bryant. + + As the wind extinguishes a taper but kindles the fire, so absence is + the death of an ordinary passion, but lends strength to the greater. + + --La Rochefoucauld. + + If a man die, shall he live again? + + --Job 14. 14. + +Heavenly Father, with thy help may I enter into the hope that +overcomes the fear of death. May my days be full of aspiration, and +through faith may my life move toward the eternal and the sublime. +Amen. + + + + +DECEMBER SEVENTEENTH + +Sir Roger L'Estrange born 1616. + +Ludwig van Beethoven born 1770. + +Sir Humphry Davy born 1779. + +John Greenleaf Whittier born 1807. + + The night is mother of the day, + The winter of the spring; + And ever upon old decay + The greenest mosses cling. + Behind the cloud the starlight lurks, + Through showers the sunbeams fall; + For God, who loveth all his works, + Has left his hope with all. + + --John Greenleaf Whittier. + + The sun set; but not his hope: + Stars rose; his faith was earlier up. + + --Ralph Waldo Emerson. + + What I am I have made myself. + + --Sir Humphry Davy. + + Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoiceth: + My flesh also shall dwell in safety. + + --Psalm 16. 9. + +My Father, may I never be content to pass by thy beautiful offerings +and keep on in wretched despair. Save me if I may 'be inclining toward +misery. Give me the spirit of repose, and help me to confide in thee +as I daily seek the strength of thy love. Amen. + + + + +DECEMBER EIGHTEENTH + +Charles Wesley born 1708. + +Lyman Abbott born 1835. + +Samuel Rogers died 1855. + +Sir Joseph John Thomson born 1845. + + And let this feeble body fail, + And let it faint or die; + My soul shall quit this mournful vale, + And soar to worlds on high. + + --Charles Wesley. + + It were better to live an immortal life and be robbed of immortality + hereafter by some supernal power, than to live the mortal, fleshly + animal life, and live it endlessly. Who would not rather have a + right to immortality than to be immortal without a right to be? + + --Lyman Abbott. + + So when a great man dies, + For years beyond our ken, + The light he leaves behind him lies + Upon the paths of men. + + --Henry W. Longfellow. + + But he that soweth unto the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap eternal + life. + + --Galatians 6. 8. + +My Father, I pray that I may be spared the deprivations that may come +from years spent in selfishness. Help me to realize before it is too +late how little self can hold and how much remorse may accumulate. +Help me to aspire to ideals that compel me to live an immortal life. +Amen. + + + + +DECEMBER NINETEENTH + +Gustavus Adolphus born 1594. + +Horatio Bonar born 1808. + +F. Delsarte born 1811. + +Mary A. Livermore born 1820. + +J.M.W. Turner died 1851. + + If a man is to be a pillar in the temple of his God by and by, he + must be some kind of a prop in God's house to-day. We are here to + support, not to be supported. No one can be a living stone on the + foundations of the Spiritual House which is God's habitation without + being a foundation to the stones above him. + + --Maltbie Babcock. + + Since trifles make the sum of human things, + And half our misery from our foibles springs; + Since life's best joys consist in peace and ease, + O let th' ungentle spirit learn from hence, + A small unkindness is a great offense. + + --Hannah More. + + He that overcometh I will make a pillar in the temple of my God, and + he shall go out thence no more. + + --Revelation 3. 12. + +My Father, grant that I may not deceive myself and expect big results +from little efforts; nor be willing to receive assistance and refuse +my support. May I not only be anxious to give others all that I can, +and share their burdens, but may I be glad to help make fewer burdens +for others to bear. Amen. + + + + +DECEMBER TWENTIETH + +Louis the Dauphin died 1765. + +John Wilson Croker born 1780. + +Cyrus Townsend Brady born 1861. + + Love is not love + Which alters when it alteration finds, + Or bends with the remover to remove. + O no! it is an ever-fixed mark + That looks on tempests and is never shaken. + It is the star to every wandering bark, + Whose worth's unknown, although his height be taken. + + --William Shakespeare. + + I will not doubt the love untold + Which not my worth nor want hath bought, + Which wooed me young and wooes me old, + And to this evening hath me brought. + + --Henry David Thoreau. + + Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with + lovingkindness have I drawn thee. + + --Jeremiah 81. 3. + +Loving Father, teach me the secret of constancy, that none may ever be +disappointed in me. May I not reckon what I give on recompense, but +have the spirit of giving which has no measure for what it may receive +in return. May I not be forgetful of thy love which will hold me to +deeper reverence and devotion. Amen. + + + + +DECEMBER TWENTY-FIRST + +Jean Baptiste Racine born 1639. + +Robert Moffat born 1795. + +Laura Bridgman born 1829. + + To think and to feel constitute the two grand divisions of men and + genius--the men of reasoning and the men of imagination. + + --Disraeli. + + Grow old along with me! the best is yet to be, + The last of life, for which the first was made: + Our times are in his hand who saith, a whole I planned, + Youth shows but half; trust God: see all, nor be afraid! + + --Robert Browning. + + But the path of the righteous is as the dawning light, That shineth + more and more unto the perfect day. + + --Proverbs 4. 18. + +Almighty God, I pray that I may have the grace to penetrate the deep +things of life and test their truth and greatness. May I have faith in +thy power and train for the best which thou hast made possible for me +to live. Help me to think and feel aright, that I may be thine to-day, +and in the days of to-morrow may I still be thine, ever keeping bright +memories of past days. Amen. + + + + +DECEMBER TWENTY-SECOND + +Franz Abt born 1819. + +Thomas W. Higginson born 1823. + +George Eliot died 1880. + + Love and Pain + Make their own measure of all things that be. + No clock's slow ticking marks their deathless strain; + The life they own is not the life we see; + Love's single moment is eternity. + + --Thomas W. Higginson. + + Life is made stronger + Giving, receiving; + Love is made longer + Hoping, believing. + + Life is made sweeter, + Truly worth living; + Love is completer, + Trusting, forgiving. + + --M.B.S. + + In love of the brethren be tenderly affectioned one to another; in + honor preferring one another. + + --Romans 12. 10. + +Loving Father, I thank thee that every morn breaks in a new day +without the sadness of yesterday or the gladness of to-morrow. I pray +that I may not lose the love and joy that it brings to-day. Amen. + + + + +DECEMBER TWENTY-THIRD + +Michael Drayton died 1631. + +Robert Barclay born 1648. + +James Sargent Storer died 1854. + + When heaven endows you with all gifts, you are an incomplete being + if you stay still in your corner instead of taking advantage of your + real value. + + --Marie Bashkirtseff. + + Life, which ought to be a thing complete in itself, and ought to be + spent partly in gathering materials, and partly in drawing + inferences, is apt to be a hurried accumulation lasting to the edge + of the tomb. We are put into the world, I cannot help feeling, to be + rather than do. + + --Arthur C. Benson. + + Jehovah is the strength of my life. + + --Psalm 27. 1. + +Heavenly Father, I pray that thou wilt reverse my standards of life if +I may be striving only for selfish gain. May I care for all that I +could be, and may I care for where I should be found, but, most of +all, may I care for what I really am. Help me to keep my mind on thee +that I may find delight in doing thy will. Amen. + + + + +DECEMBER TWENTY-FOURTH + +George Crabbe born 1754. + +Kit Carson born 1809. + +Matthew Arnold born 1822. + +John Morley born 1838. + +William Makepeace Thackeray died 1863. + + Ah, friend, let us be true + To one another! For the world, which seems + To lie before us like a land of dreams, + So various, so beautiful, so new, + Hath really neither joy, nor love, nor light, + Nor certitude, nor peace, nor help for pain, + And we are here as on a darkling plain + Swept with confused alarms of struggle and flight, + Where ignorant armies clash by night. + + --Matthew Arnold. + + We take care of our health, we lay up money, we make our roof tight + and our clothing sufficient, but who provides wisely that we shall + not be wanting in the best property of all--friends? + + --Ralph Waldo Emerson. + + Faithful are the wounds of a friend. + + --Proverbs 27. 6. + +Gracious Lord, fill my life with the spirit of love and sacrifice. I +bless thee for the deep fellowships and tender intimacies; and on the +eve of this Christmas ask thy blessing for all, as my heart rings with +joy for those whom I love. Amen. + + + + +DECEMBER TWENTY-FIFTH + +Christmas Day. + +Sir Isaac Newton born 1642. + +William Collins born 1721. + +Father Taylor born 1794. + + This is the month, and this is the happy morn, + Wherein the Son of heaven's eternal King, + Of wedded maid, and virgin mother born, + Our great redemption from above did bring. + + --John Milton. + + Christmas is here; + Winds whistle shrill, + Icy and chill, + Little care we; + Little we fear + Weather without, + Shelter'd about + The Mahogany tree. + + --William M. Thackeray. + + And the angel said unto them, Be not afraid; for behold, I bring you + good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all the people: for + there is born to you this day in the city of David a Saviour, who is + Christ the Lord. + + --Luke 2. 10, 11. + +Almighty God, I give honor and praise to express my joy for thy great +love in the gift of thy Son, Jesus Christ. With a glad heart I wish +all mankind "A merry Christmas," and may I ever remember, where the +angels sang, "Peace on earth, good will toward men." Amen. + + + + +DECEMBER TWENTY-SIXTH + +Thomas Gray born 1716. + +Mrs. Southworth born 1818. + +Stephen Girard died 1831. + + Let not ambition mock their useful toil, + Their homely joys, and destiny obscure; + Nor grandeur hear with a disdainful smile + The short and simple annals of the poor. + + Nor you, ye proud, impute to those the fault, + If memory o'er their tomb no trophies raise, + Where, through the long-drawn aisle and fretted vault, + The pealing anthem swells the note of praise. + + Full many a gem of purest ray serene + The dark, unfathomed caves of ocean bear; + Full many a flower is born to blush unseen, + And waste its sweetness on the desert air. + + --Thomas Gray. + + Jehovah, my heart is not haughty, nor mine eyes lofty; + Neither do I exercise myself in great matters, + Or in things too wonderful for me. + + --Psalm 131. 1. + +Gracious Father, give me the courage to live my life, and the +endurance to overcome the disappointments that may come to me. May I +not be neglectful of the great opportunities of which I am privileged +to take advantage. May I not be pretentious of what I have not done, +or boastful of what I am, but with my best ability live in truth. +Amen. + + + + +DECEMBER TWENTY-SEVENTH + +Jacques Bernoulli born 1654. + +Johann Kepler born 1571. + +Charles Lamb died 1834. + + There is a time in every man's education when he arrives at the + conviction that envy is ignorance; that imitation is suicide; that + he must take himself for better or worse, as his portion; that, + though the wide universe is full of good, no kernel of nourishing + corn can come to him but through his toil bestowed on that plot of + ground which is given him to till. + + --Ralph Waldo Emerson. + + Knowing ourselves, our world, our task so great, + Our time so brief, 'tis clear if we refuse + The means so limited, the tools so rude + To execute our purpose, life will fleet, + And we shall fade, and leave our task undone. + + --Robert Browning. + + Study to be quiet, and to do your own business, and to work with + your hands. + + --1 Thessalonians 4. 11. + +Lord God of life, give me the desire to learn, and the wisdom to live +in my best. May I not fail to culture my mind and heart and make life +productive and worthy. Help me to see the mistakes that I have made in +the past, and in the year that is approaching not only try to avoid +them, but try to make amends for them. Amen. + + + + +DECEMBER TWENTY-EIGHTH + +Catherine M. Sedgwick born 1789. + +Woodrow Wilson, Virginia, twenty-seventh President +United States, born 1856. + +Thomas B. Macaulay died 1859. + + The government might be serviceable for many things. It might assist + in a hundred ways to safeguard the lives and the health and promote + the comfort and happiness of the people; but it can do these things + only if they respond to public opinion, only if those who lead + government see the country as a whole, feel a deep thrill of + intimate sympathy with every class and every interest in it. + + --Woodrow Wilson. + + The hearts of men are their books; events are their tutors; great + actions are their eloquence. + + --Thomas B. Macaulay. + + Be of good courage, and let us play the man for our people, and for + the cities of our God: and Jehovah do that which seemeth him good. + + --2 Samuel 10. 12. + +Lord God, I pray that my estimate of life may not be as I take it, but +as thou hast given it for peace and prosperity. Teach me my duty to my +country, and make me useful in uplifting and serving humanity. Amen. + + + + +DECEMBER TWENTY-NINTH + +Thomas a Becket died 1170. + +Andrew Johnson, Tennessee, seventeenth President +United States, born 1808. + +William E. Gladstone born 1809. + +Margaret Bottome born 1827. + +Pauline O. Louise, Queen of Roumania (Carmen +Sylva), born 1843. + +Christina G. Rossetti died 1894. + + One example is worth a thousand arguments. + + --William E. Gladstone. + + One day at a time! That's all it can be + No faster than that is the hardest of fate, + And days have their limit, however we + Begin them too early or stretch them late. + + --J.R. Miller. + + He lives happy and master of himself + Who can say, as each day passes on, + I have lived! no matter whether to-morrow + The great Father shall give us a clouded sky or a clear day. + + --Horace. + + Give us this day our daily bread. + + --Matthew 6. 11. + +Eternal God, guard me against the love of praise, that I may not lose +the sense of duty. Start me for the right places and give me strength +with my days, that I may press toward their possession. Deliver me +from drifting when it is mine to pull against the tide, that I may not +be carried out of my course. Shield me from the storms that may gather +about me, and bring us all to the desired haven safe in thy keeping. +Amen. + + + + +DECEMBER THIRTIETH + +Titus born A.D. 40. + +William R. Alger born 1822. + +Rudyard Kipling born 1865. + + God of our fathers, known of old, + Lord of our far-flung battle line, + Beneath whose awful hand we hold + Dominion over palm and pine: + Lord God of Hosts, be with us yet, + Lest we forget--lest we forget! + + For heathen heart that puts her trust + In reeking tube and iron shard; + All valiant dust that builds on dust, + And guarding calls not thee to guard: + For frantic boast and foolish word, + Thy mercy on thy people, Lord! Amen. + + --Rudyard Kipling. + + But thou shalt remember Jehovah thy God, for it is he that giveth + thee power to get wealth. + + --Deuteronomy 8. 18. + +Almighty God, as I come to thee wilt thou forgive me for the errors I +have made, and for the promises that I have broken. Help me to be as +true as the holly that keeps itself red through the snow. Remind me of +my opportunities as I breathe in thy blessings, "Lest I forget!" Amen. + + + + +DECEMBER THIRTY-FIRST + +New Year's Eve. + +John Wycliffe died 1384. + +Battle of Wakefield 1460. + +Charles Marquis Cornwallis born 1738. + + Ring out, wild bells, to the wild sky, + The flying cloud, the frosty light: + The year is dying in the night; + Ring out, wild bells, and let him die. + + Ring out old shapes of foul disease, + Ring out the narrow lust of gold: + Ring out the thousand wars of old, + Ring in the thousand years of peace. + + --Alfred Tennyson. + + Let every dawn of morning be to you as the beginning of life, and + every setting sun be to you as its close. + + --John Ruskin. + + The night is far spent, and the day is at hand: let us therefore + cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of + light. + + --Romans 13. 12. + +My Father, as I look to the past days, I feel much of my happiness and +much of my misery has come from my own choice. May I be more watchful +of my standards and less wasteful of my time, and keep a poise in life +that will leave a memory of well-spent days. For the year that has +passed and for its blessings I thank thee. Amen. + + + + + +End of Project Gutenberg's Leaves of Life, by Margaret Bird Steinmetz + +*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK LEAVES OF LIFE *** + +***** This file should be named 14849-8.txt or 14849-8.zip ***** +This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: + https://www.gutenberg.org/1/4/8/4/14849/ + +Produced by Stephen Schulze and the Online Distributed Proofreaders Team + +Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions +will be renamed. + +Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no +one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation +(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without +permission and without paying copyright royalties. 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Thus, we do not necessarily +keep eBooks in compliance with any particular paper edition. + + +Most people start at our Web site which has the main PG search facility: + + https://www.gutenberg.org + +This Web site includes information about Project Gutenberg-tm, +including how to make donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary +Archive Foundation, how to help produce our new eBooks, and how to +subscribe to our email newsletter to hear about new eBooks. diff --git a/14849-8.zip b/14849-8.zip Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..8d1f1f7 --- /dev/null +++ b/14849-8.zip diff --git a/14849-h.zip b/14849-h.zip Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..8308a0f --- /dev/null +++ b/14849-h.zip diff --git a/14849-h/14849-h.htm b/14849-h/14849-h.htm new file mode 100644 index 0000000..d1cd8d6 --- /dev/null +++ b/14849-h/14849-h.htm @@ -0,0 +1,20684 @@ +<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?> +<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Strict//EN" + "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-strict.dtd"> + +<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"> + <head> + <title> + The Project Gutenberg eBook of Leaves Of Life, by Margaret Bird Steinmetz. + </title> + <style type="text/css"> +/*<![CDATA[ XML blockout */ +<!-- + p { margin-top: .75em; + text-align: justify; + margin-bottom: .75em; + } + + h1,h2,h3,h4,h5,h6 { + text-align: center; /* all headings centered */ + clear: both; + } + hr { width: 20%; + margin-top: 2em; + margin-bottom: 2em; + margin-left: auto; + margin-right: auto; + clear: both; + background: blue; + height: 4px; + } + + table {margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;} + + + body{margin-left: 10%; margin-right: 10%;} + + .blockquot{margin-left: 10%; margin-right: 10%;} + .center {text-align: center;} + + .footnotes {border: dashed 1px;} + .footnote {margin-left: 10%; margin-right: 10%; font-size: 0.9em;} + .footnote .label {} + .fnanchor {vertical-align: super; font-size: .8em; text-decoration: none;} + + .poem {margin-left:10%; margin-right:10%; text-align: left;} + .poem br {display: none;} + .poem .stanza {margin: 1em 0em 1em 0em;} + .poem span {display: block; margin: 0; padding-left: 3em; text-indent: -3em;} + .poem span.i2 {display: block; margin-left: 2em;} + .poem span.i4 {display: block; margin-left: 4em;} + .poem span.i10 {display: block; margin-left: 10em;} + .poem span.i6 {display: block; margin-left: 6em;} + // --> + /* XML end ]]>*/ + </style> + </head> +<body> + + +<pre> + +The Project Gutenberg EBook of Leaves of Life, by Margaret Bird Steinmetz + +This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with +almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or +re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included +with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org + + +Title: Leaves of Life + For Daily Inspiration + +Author: Margaret Bird Steinmetz + +Release Date: January 31, 2005 [EBook #14849] + +Language: English + +Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1 + +*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK LEAVES OF LIFE *** + + + + +Produced by Stephen Schulze and the Online Distributed Proofreaders Team + + + + + +</pre> + + + +<table border="0" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" summary="" width="450"> +<tr><td> + +<h1>LEAVES OF LIFE</h1> + +<h2>FOR DAILY INSPIRATION</h2> + +<h3>BY</h3> + +<h2>MARGARET BIRD STEINMETZ</h2> + +<p class="center">1914</p> + + +<p class="center">The Bible text used in this book is taken from the American Standard +Edition of the Revised Bible, copyright, 1901, by Thomas Nelson & +Sons, and is used by permission.</p> + + +<p class="center">DEDICATED</p> + +<p class="center">TO THOSE WHO HAVE HELPED IN GATHERING THESE LEAVES—AND TO THOSE WHO +MAY GATHER SOMETHING FROM THEM.</p> + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<table border="0" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="0" summary=""> +<tr><td align="center"><a href="#JANUARY"><b>JANUARY</b></a></td></tr> +<tr><td align="center"><a href="#FEBRUARY"><b>FEBRUARY</b></a></td></tr> +<tr><td align="center"><a href="#MARCH"><b>MARCH</b></a></td></tr> +<tr><td align="center"><a href="#APRIL"><b>APRIL</b></a></td></tr> +<tr><td align="center"><a href="#MAY"><b>MAY</b></a></td></tr> +<tr><td align="center"><a href="#JUNE"><b>JUNE</b></a></td></tr> +<tr><td align="center"><a href="#JULY"><b>JULY</b></a></td></tr> +<tr><td align="center"><a href="#AUGUST"><b>AUGUST</b></a></td></tr> +<tr><td align="center"><a href="#SEPTEMBER"><b>SEPTEMBER</b></a></td></tr> +<tr><td align="center"><a href="#OCTOBER"><b>OCTOBER</b></a></td></tr> +<tr><td align="center"><a href="#NOVEMBER"><b>NOVEMBER</b></a></td></tr> +<tr><td align="center"><a href="#DECEMBER"><b>DECEMBER</b></a></td></tr></table> +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> + +<h3>ACKNOWLEDGMENTS</h3> + +<p> +The Macmillan Company, New York, N. Y.<br /> +<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Shailer Mathews, Jane Addams, Newell Dwight Hillis,</span><br /> +<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Marion Crawford.</span><br /> +<br /> +The Century Company, New York, N. Y.<br /> +<span style="margin-left: 1em;">S. Weir Mitchell, Theodore Roosevelt, John Kendrick</span><br /> +<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Bangs, Richard Watson Gilder, Edith Thomas.</span><br /> +<br /> +Oxford University Press, London, E. C.<br /> +<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Annie Matheson.</span><br /> +<br /> +The Saalfield Publishing Company, Akron, Ohio.<br /> +<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Joseph Jefferson.</span><br /> +<br /> +Mitchell Kennerley, New York.<br /> +<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Theodosia Garrison: My Litany.</span><br /> +<br /> +Thomas Y. Crowell Company, New York, N. Y.<br /> +<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Charles W. Eliot: The Durable Satisfactions of Life.</span><br /> +<span style="margin-left: 1em;">J. R. Miller.</span><br /> +<br /> +The Pilgrim Press, Boston, Mass.<br /> +<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Henry Ward Beecher.</span><br /> +<br /> +Harper & Brothers, New York, N. Y.<br /> +<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Will Carleton: Farm Legends.</span><br /> +<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Margaret E. Sangster: Easter Bells.</span><br /> +<br /> +Elbert Hubbard, Roycroft Shop, East Aurora, N. Y.<br /> +<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Printed by special permission of the publishers.</span><br /> +<br /> +W. B. Conkey, Hammond, Ind.<br /> +<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Ella Wheeler Wilcox, copyrighted 1912.</span><br /> +<br /> +National W. C. T. U., Evanston, Ill.<br /> +<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Frances E. Willard.</span><br /> +<br /> +American Baptist Publication Society, Philadelphia, Pa.<br /> +<span style="margin-left: 1em;">W. E. Winks.</span><br /> +<br /> +Rand, McNally & Company, Chicago, Ill.<br /> +<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Marie Bashkirtseff.</span><br /> +<br /> +Tennesseean and American, Nashville, Tenn.<br /> +<span style="margin-left: 1em;">G. Rice.</span><br /> +<br /> +Cosmopolitan Magazine, New York, N. Y.<br /> +<span style="margin-left: 1em;">O. Henry.</span><br /> +<br /> +The H. M. Rowe Company, Baltimore, Md.<br /> +<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Edwin Leibfreed: Poems.</span><br /> +<br /> +Permission from President Wilson for the excerpts from his speeches.<br /> +<br /> +Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston, Mass.<br /> +<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Kate Douglas Wiggin, Richard Watson Gilder, Josephine</span><br /> +<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Peabody, John Hay, Hugo Münsterberg, Edith Thomas,</span><br /> +<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Lyman Abbott, John Burroughs, Elizabeth Stuart Phelps,</span><br /> +<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Thomas Bailey Aldrich, Julia Ward Howe, Harriet</span><br /> +<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Beecher Stowe, Joel Chandler Harris, Lucy Larcom,</span><br /> +<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Bret Harte, Bayard Taylor, Alice Freeman Palmer,</span><br /> +<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Thomas W. Higginson.</span><br /> +<br /> +Charles Scribner's Sons, New York, N. Y.<br /> +<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Henry van Dyke: Music and Other Poems.</span><br /> +<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Maltbie D. Babcock: Thoughts for Every Day Living.</span><br /> +<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Sidney Lanier: Poems of Sidney Lanier.</span><br /> +<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Robert Bridges: Robert Bridges' Poems.</span><br /> +<span style="margin-left: 1em;">George Meredith: Last Poems.</span><br /> +<span style="margin-left: 1em;">James Anthony Froude: Short Studies on Great Subjects.</span><br /> +<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Robert Louis Stevenson: Poems and Works.</span><br /> +<span style="margin-left: 1em;">W. E. Henley: Poems.</span><br /> +<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Eugene Field: Western Verse.</span><br /> +<br /> +G. P. Putnam's Sons, New York and London.<br /> +<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Arthur Christopher Benson: Along the Road, Silent Isle,</span><br /> +<span style="margin-left: 1em;">From a College Window, Joyous Gard, Lord Vyet and Other Poems.</span><br /> +<br /> +Little, Brown & Company, Boston, Mass.<br /> +<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Emily Dickinson, Laura E. Richards, Edward Everett Hale.</span><br /> +<br /> +<br /> +George H. Doran Company, New York, N. Y.<br /> +<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Sir Oliver Lodge, Arnold Bennett, J. Stalker, A. H. Begbie.</span><br /> +<br /> +Fleming H. Revell Company, New York, N. Y.<br /> +<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Percy C. Ainsworth, E. H. Divall, Margaret E. Sangster,</span><br /> +<span style="margin-left: 1em;">J. H. Jowett, George Matheson.</span><br /> +<br /> +Longmans, Green & Company, New York and London.<br /> +<span style="margin-left: 1em;">William James.</span><br /> +<br /> +Dodd, Mead & Company, New York, N. Y.<br /> +<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Maurice Maeterlinck, Hamilton Mabie, Ian Maclaren,</span><br /> +<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Jerome K. Jerome, G. K. Chesterton, Paul Laurence Dunbar.</span><br /> +<br /> +Small, Maynard & Company, Boston, Mass.<br /> +<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Mrs. Charlotte Perkins Gilman, John B. Tabb, Ernest Crosby.</span><br /> +<br /> +Lothrop, Lee & Shepard Company, Boston, Mass.<br /> +<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Paul Hamilton Hayne.</span><br /> +<br /> +Doubleday, Page & Company, Garden City, New York<br /> +<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Charles Wagner, Edwin Markham, Helen Keller.</span><br /> +<br /> +E. P. Dutton Company, New York.<br /> +<span style="margin-left: 1em;">George Macdonald.</span><br /> +</p> + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="JANUARY" id="JANUARY" />JANUARY</h2> +<table border="0" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" summary=""> +<tr><td><a href="#JANUARY_FIRST"><b>01</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#JANUARY_SECOND"><b>02</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#JANUARY_THIRD"><b>03</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#JANUARY_FOURTH"><b>04</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#JANUARY_FIFTH"><b>05</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#JANUARY_SIXTH"><b>06</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#JANUARY_SEVENTH"><b>07</b></a></td></tr> + +<tr><td><a href="#JANUARY_EIGHTH"><b>08</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#JANUARY_NINTH"><b>09</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#JANUARY_TENTH"><b>10</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#JANUARY_ELEVENTH"><b>11</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#JANUARY_TWELFTH"><b>12</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#JANUARY_THIRTEENTH"><b>13</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#JANUARY_FOURTEENTH"><b>14</b></a></td></tr> + +<tr><td><a href="#JANUARY_FIFTEENTH"><b>15</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#JANUARY_SIXTEENTH"><b>16</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#JANUARY_SEVENTEENTH"><b>17</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#JANUARY_EIGHTEENTH"><b>18</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#JANUARY_NINETEENTH"><b>19</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#JANUARY_TWENTIETH"><b>20</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#JANUARY_TWENTY_FIRST"><b>21</b></a></td></tr> + +<tr><td><a href="#JANUARY_TWENTY_SECOND"><b>22</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#JANUARY_TWENTY_THIRD"><b>23</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#JANUARY_TWENTY_FOURTH"><b>24</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#JANUARY_TWENTY_FIFTH"><b>25</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#JANUARY_TWENTY_SIXTH"><b>26</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#JANUARY_TWENTY_SEVENTH"><b>27</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#JANUARY_TWENTY_EIGHTH"><b>28</b></a></td></tr> + +<tr><td><a href="#JANUARY_TWENTY_NINTH"><b>29</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#JANUARY_THIRTIETH"><b>30</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#JANUARY_THIRTY_FIRST"><b>31</b></a></td></tr> +</table> + + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>Janus am I; oldest of potentates;<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Forward I look, and backward, and below<br /></span> +<span>I count, as god of avenues and gates,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">The years that through my portals come and go.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>I block the roads, and drift the fields with snow;<br /></span> +<span class="i2">I chase the wild fowl from the frozen fen;<br /></span> +<span>My frosts congeal the rivers in their flow,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">My fires light up the hearths and hearts of men.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Henry W. Longfellow.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="JANUARY_FIRST" id="JANUARY_FIRST" />JANUARY FIRST</h2> + + +<ul><li>Bartolome Esteban Murillo, baptized 1618.</li> + +<li>Paul Revere born 1735.</li> + +<li>Betsy Ross born 1752.</li> + +<li>Maria Edgeworth born 1767.</li> + +<li>Arthur Hugh Clough born 1819.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>Old things need not be therefore true,<br /></span> +<span>O brother men, nor yet the new;<br /></span> +<span>Ah! still awhile the old thought retain,<br /></span> +<span>And yet consider it again!<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>We! what do we see? each a space<br /></span> +<span>Of some few yards before his face;<br /></span> +<span>Does that the whole wide plan explain?<br /></span> +<span>Ah, yet consider it again!<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>Alas! the great world goes its way,<br /></span> +<span>And takes its truth from each new day;<br /></span> +<span>They do not quit, nor can retain,<br /></span> +<span>Far less consider it again.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Arthur Hugh Clough.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>There are two sorts of content; one is connected with exertion, the + other habits of indolence. The first is a virtue; the other a vice.</p> + +<p> —Maria Edgeworth.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>Oh send out thy light and thy truth; let them lead me:<br /></span> +<span>Let them bring me unto thy holy hill,<br /></span> +<span>And to thy tabernacles.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Psalm 43. 3.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>Almighty God, lead me in the search for life. Teach me what is +important and what is unimportant; what is false, and what is true. +Remove the hindrances that keep me from the worthiest deeds, and grant +that I may have the peace that comes with surrender of self to thy +will. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="JANUARY_SECOND" id="JANUARY_SECOND" />JANUARY SECOND</h2> + + +<ul><li>General James Wolfe born 1727.</li> + +<li>Colonial flag first raised 1776.</li> + +<li>Mary Carey Thomas born 1857.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>To what profit we could use the time for our present task that we + spend in impatient waiting and wondering over the future! So often + the future is just one step up from the present, but some of us miss + it by preferring to wait for an elevator.</p> + +<p> —M. B. S.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Prepare to live by all means, but for heaven's sake do not forget to + live. You will never have a better chance than you have at present. + You may think you will have, but you are mistaken.</p> + +<p> —Arnold Bennett.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>He that riseth late must trot all day, and shall scarce overtake his + business at night; while laziness travels so slowly that poverty + soon overtakes him. He that lives on hope will die fasting.</p> + +<p> —Benjamin Franklin.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might, for there + is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in Sheol, whither + thou goest.</p> + +<p> —Ecclesiastes 9. 10.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>Gracious Father, my heart burns with shame when I think how much I +claim, and how little I am. I pray that my body may not cast a shadow +to-day, and cloud the light of my life to-morrow. Cleanse the windows +of my soul that I may take in thy glory. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="JANUARY_THIRD" id="JANUARY_THIRD" />JANUARY THIRD</h2> + + +<ul><li>Marcus Tullius Cicero born B. C. 106.</li> + +<li>Martin Luther excommunicated 1521.</li> + +<li>Douglas Jerrold born 1803.</li> + +<li>Charles Wagner (France) born 1852.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>To be continually advancing in the paths of knowledge is one of the + most pleasing satisfactions of the human mind. These are pleasures + perfect consistent with every degree of advanced years.</p> + +<p> —Cicero.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Fidelity in small things is at the base of every great achievement. + We too often forget this and yet no truth needs more to be kept in + mind particularly in the troubled eras of history and in the crises + of individual life. In shipwreck a splintered beam, an oar, any + scrap of wreckage saves us. To despise the remnants is + demoralization.</p> + +<p> —Charles Wagner.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>He that is faithful in a very little is faithful also in much and he + that is unrighteous in a very little is unrighteous also in much.</p> + +<p> —Luke 16. 10</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>Almighty God, may I understand that thou art in everything and that I +cannot hide from thee, for thou boldest me though I know it not. Give +me the desire, and help me to learn of thy laws, that I may know that +even in the least of things, I have the liberty to obtain happiness by +obeying them. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="JANUARY_FOURTH" id="JANUARY_FOURTH" />JANUARY FOURTH</h2> + + +<ul><li>Archbishop Usher born 1580.</li> + +<li>Jacob L. Carl Grimm born 1785.</li> + +<li>Elizabeth Peabody died 1894.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Years rush by us like the wind, we see not whence the eddy comes, + nor whitherward it is tending, and we seem ourselves to witness + their flight without a sense that we are changed: and yet time is + beguiling man of his strength, as the winds rob the trees of their + foliage.</p> + +<p> —Sir Walter Scott.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>The bell strikes one. We take no note of Time<br /></span> +<span>But from its loss. To give it, then a tongue<br /></span> +<span>Is wise in man; as if an angel spoke<br /></span> +<span>I feel the solemn sound. If heard aright<br /></span> +<span>It is the knell of my departed hours:<br /></span> +<span>Where are they?<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Edward Young.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Days should speak, And multitude of years should teach wisdom. And + the breath of the Almighty giveth them understanding. It is not the + great that are wise, Nor the aged that understand justice.</p> + +<p> —Job 32. 7, 9.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>Lord God, help me to see my mistakes, and bring me to the realization +of my life. Grant that I may no longer use the time that thou gavest +me to learn in, heedlessly, but to give it my best thought and care. +Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="JANUARY_FIFTH" id="JANUARY_FIFTH" />JANUARY FIFTH</h2> + + +<ul><li>Stephen Decatur born 1779.</li> + +<li>Robert Morrison born 1782.</li> + +<li>Thomas Pringle born 1789.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>Let me go where'er I will,<br /></span> +<span>I hear a sky-born music still:<br /></span> +<span>It sounds from all things old,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">It sounds from all things young,<br /></span> +<span>From all that's fair, from all that's foul,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Peals out a cheerful song.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>It is not only in the rose,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">It is not only in the bird,<br /></span> +<span>Not only where the rainbow glows,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Nor in the song of woman heard,<br /></span> +<span>But in the darkest, meanest things<br /></span> +<span>There alway, alway something sings.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>'Tis not in the high stars alone,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Nor in the cup of budding flowers,<br /></span> +<span>Nor in the redbreast's mellow tone,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Nor in the bow that smiles in showers,<br /></span> +<span>But in the mud and scum of things<br /></span> +<span>There alway, alway something sings.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Ralph Waldo Emerson.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>The heavens declare the glory of God; And the firmament showeth his + handiwork.</p> + +<p> —Psalm 19. 1.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>Almighty God, grant that my life may no longer be a noise, but be kept +in tune with the sublimest melodies, that wherever I am, there may be +no discords in the songs of my soul. Through thy loving-kindness may +my songs resound. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="JANUARY_SIXTH" id="JANUARY_SIXTH" />JANUARY SIXTH</h2> + + +<ul><li>Epiphany, or Twelfth-Day.</li> + +<li>Joan d'Arc born 1412.</li> + +<li>David Dale born 1739.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>'Twas even so! and thou the shepherd's child,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Joanne, the lowly dreamer of the wild!<br /></span> +<span>Never before and never since that hour<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Hath woman, mantled with victorious power,<br /></span> +<span>Stood forth as thou beside the shrine didst stand,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Holy amidst the knighthood of the land.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Mrs. Felicia Hemans.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Every one must recognize the splendid work which has been done by + women in social and educational fields. And it will, I believe, come + more and more to be recognized that in some respects women are + specially fitted for government and for official-municipal life.</p> + +<p> —Sir Oliver Lodge.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Now Deborah, a prophetess, the wife of Lappidoth, she judged Israel + at that time. And she dwelt under the palm tree of Deborah between + Ramah and Bethel in the hill-country of Ephraim: and the children of + Israel came up to her for judgment.</p> + +<p> —Judges 4. 4, 5.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>My Father, help me to be thoughtful and just. May I consider the great +truths and broader visions that may not be seen from where I stand. +May I be willing to accept a better view. Grant that I may realize +that the battle of life is not a sham battle, but a struggle for the +advancement of life. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="JANUARY_SEVENTH" id="JANUARY_SEVENTH" />JANUARY SEVENTH</h2> + + +<ul><li>General Putnam born 1718.</li> + +<li>Robert Nicholl born 1814.</li> + +<li>T. DeWitt Talmage born 1832.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Opportunities fly in a straight line, touch us but once and never + return, but the wrongs we do others fly in a circle; they come back + from the place they started.</p> + +<p> —T. DeWitt Talmage.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>Our share of night to bear,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Our share of morning,<br /></span> +<span>Our blank is bliss to fill,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Our blank is scorning.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>Here a star, and there a star,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Some lose their way,<br /></span> +<span>Here a mist, and there a mist,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Afterwards—day!<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Emily Dickinson.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Arise ye, and depart; for this is not your resting-place.</p> + +<p> —Micah 2. 10.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>Lord God, give me the desire to be persistent in service, while I have +health and strength. May I experience the sweetness that comes in +doing the thing that I ought to have done, as well as that in which I +took the most pleasure. Help me to so live that my days may be useful, +and be recalled with bright and happy recollections. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="JANUARY_EIGHTH" id="JANUARY_EIGHTH" />JANUARY EIGHTH</h2> + + +<ul><li>John Earl of Stair died 1707.</li> + +<li>Sir William Draper died 1787.</li> + +<li>Alfred Russel Wallace born 1823.</li> + +<li>William Wilkie Collins born 1824.</li> + +<li>Sir Laurence Alma-Tadema born 1836.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span class="i4">A blue bird built his nest<br /></span> +<span class="i4">Here in my breast.<br /></span> +<span>"O bird of Light! Whence comest thou?"<br /></span> +<span class="i4">Said he, "From God above:<br /></span> +<span class="i4">My name is Love."<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span class="i4">A mate he brought one day,<br /></span> +<span class="i4">Of plumage gray.<br /></span> +<span>"O bird of Night! Why comest thou?"<br /></span> +<span class="i4">Said she: "Seek no relief!<br /></span> +<span class="i4">My name is Grief."<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Laurence Alma-Tadema.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>It is not so much resolution as renunciation, not so much courage as + resignation, that we need. He that has once yielded thoroughly to + God will yield to nothing but God.</p> + +<p> —John Ruskin.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Behold, God will not cast away a perfect man, Neither will he uphold + the evildoers. He will yet fill thy mouth with laughter, And thy + lips with shouting.</p> + +<p> —Job 8. 20, 21.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>Almighty God, help me to understand that peace does not come in +rebellion or grieving, but is obtained through the calm of the soul. +Grant that if I may be perplexed or worried to-day, I may have the +power to control myself and wait in thy strength. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="JANUARY_NINTH" id="JANUARY_NINTH" />JANUARY NINTH</h2> + + +<ul><li>Dr. Thomas Brown born 1778.</li> + +<li>Elizabeth O. Benger died 1822.</li> + +<li>Caroline Lucretia Herschel died 1848, aged ninety-seven.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Wondrous is the strength of cheerfulness altogether past calculation + its powers of endurance. Efforts to be permanently useful must be + uniformly joyous—a spirit of all sunshine.</p> + +<p> —Thomas Carlyle.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Honest good humor is the oil and wine of a merry meeting.</p> + +<p> —Washington Irving.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>A laugh is worth a hundred groans in any market.</p> + +<p> —Charles Lamb.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>A glad heart maketh a cheerful countenance; But by sorrow of heart + the spirit is broken.</p> + +<p> Better is a dinner of herbs, where love is, Than a stalled ox and + hatred therewith.</p> + +<p> —Proverbs 15. 13, 17.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>Gracious Father, if I am sorrowing over disappointment and am +forgetful, grant that I may see the things thou hast made, for which I +should be thankful. Help me to so live that I may have a right to +claim a cheerful heart. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="JANUARY_TENTH" id="JANUARY_TENTH" />JANUARY TENTH</h2> + + +<ul><li>Dr. George Birkbeck born 1776.</li> + +<li>Michel or Marshal Ney born 1769.</li> + +<li>Karl von Linné, Linnæus, died 1778.</li> + +<li>Ethan Allen born 1737.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Shall I hold on with both hands to every paltry possession? All I + have teaches me to trust the Creator for all I have not seen.</p> + +<p> —Ralph Waldo Emerson.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>The practical weakness of the vast mass of modern pity for the poor + and the oppressed is precisely that it is merely pity; the pity is + pitiful but not respectful. Men feel that the cruelty to the poor is + a kind of cruelty to animals. They never feel that it is injustice + to equals; nay, it is treachery to comrades.</p> + +<p> —G. K. Chesterton.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Be ye all like-minded, compassionate, loving as brethren, + tender-hearted, humble-minded: not rendering evil for evil, or + reviling for reviling; but contrariwise blessing.</p> + +<p> —1 Peter 3. 8, 9.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>God of justice, may I pause to remember that while I may do a mean act +and keep it hidden from others, I cannot keep it hidden from myself, +nor from thee. Help me to have a nobler sense of the quality of life, +and less anxiety for the quantity, that I may avoid harshness and +selfishness, and be given to tenderness and justice. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="JANUARY_ELEVENTH" id="JANUARY_ELEVENTH" />JANUARY ELEVENTH</h2> + + +<ul><li>Alexander Hamilton born 1757.</li> + +<li>Bayard Taylor born 1825.</li> + +<li>William James born 1842.</li> + +<li>Alice Caldwell Regan Rice born 1870.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>The paternal relation to man was the basis of that religion which + appealed directly to the heart; so the fraternity of each man with + his fellow was its practical application.</p> + +<p> —Bayard Taylor.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>It is indeed a remarkable fact that sufferings and hardships do not, + as a rule, abate the love of life; they seem on the contrary, + usually to give it a keener zest; and the sovereign source of + melancholy is repletion. Need and struggle are what excite and + inspire. Our hour of triumph is what brings the void.</p> + +<p> —William James.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Blessed is the man that endureth temptation; for when he hath been + approved, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord + promised to them that love him.</p> + +<p> —James 1. 12.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>Lord God, I come to thee for help that the small things may not force +themselves into my life, and keep me from pursuing the larger things +which are continually open to me. May I not be blind to what I may +have and be, through inspiration and work. Grant that I may not be +satisfied to remain in that in which I have triumphed, but climb to +greater endeavors. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="JANUARY_TWELFTH" id="JANUARY_TWELFTH" />JANUARY TWELFTH</h2> + + +<ul><li>Edmund Burke born 1729.</li> + +<li>Johann Heinrich Pestalozzi born 1746.</li> + +<li>François Coppée born 1842.</li> + +<li>John S. Sargent born 1856.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Show the thing you contend for to be reason; show it to be common + sense; show it to be the means of attaining some useful end. The + question with me is not whether you have a right to render your + people miserable, but whether it is your interest to make them + happy.</p> + +<p> —Edmund Burke.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span class="i6">Like the star<br /></span> +<span class="i6">That shines afar,<br /></span> +<span class="i6">Without haste<br /></span> +<span class="i6">And without rest,<br /></span> +<span>Let each man wheel with steady sway<br /></span> +<span>Round the task that rules the day,<br /></span> +<span class="i6">And do his best.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Goethe.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Love suffereth long, and is kind; love envieth not; love vaunteth + not itself, is not puffed up.</p> + +<p> —1 Corinthians 13. 4.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>Gracious Father, cause me to be critical of my life, that I may not be +deceived in myself. Help me to look into my soul and see what thou +dost find there; and with humility may I acknowledge what I am to +thee, and seek thy wisdom and love. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="JANUARY_THIRTEENTH" id="JANUARY_THIRTEENTH" />JANUARY THIRTEENTH</h2> + + +<ul><li>George Fox, founder Society of Friends, died 1691.</li> + +<li>Samuel Woodworth (Old Oaken Bucket) born 1785.</li> + +<li>Order of King's Daughters founded 1886.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>Have thy soul feel the universal breath<br /></span> +<span>With which all nature's quick, and learn to be<br /></span> +<span>Sharer in all that thou dost touch or see;<br /></span> +<span>Break from thy body's grasp thy spirit's trance;<br /></span> +<span>Give thy soul air, thy faculties expanse;<br /></span> +<span>Love, joy, even sorrow,—yield thyself to all!<br /></span> +<span>They make thy freedom, groveling, not thy thrall.<br /></span> +<span>Knock off the shackles which thy spirit bind<br /></span> +<span>To dust and sense, and set at large the mind!<br /></span> +<span>Then move in sympathy with God's great whole,<br /></span> +<span>And be like man at first, a <i>Living Soul</i>.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Richard Henry Dana.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>I was deeply impressed by what a gardener once said to me concerning + his work. "I feel, sir," he said, "when I am growing the flowers or + rearing the vegetables, that I am having a share in creation." I + thought it a very noble way of regarding his work.</p> + +<p> —J. H. Jowett.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>For we are God's fellow workers: ye are God's husbandry, God's + building.</p> + +<p> —1 Corinthians 3. 9.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>Creator of all, help me to see what there is for me to do; and help me +to know that I cannot be productive if I am hovering in the choice of +my work. May I learn from thy great works of heaven and earth the ways +of selection and steadfastness. Give me the desire to work and the +confidence that is needed to carry on my work. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="JANUARY_FOURTEENTH" id="JANUARY_FOURTEENTH" />JANUARY FOURTEENTH</h2> + + +<ul><li>Madame de Sévigné died 1696.</li> + +<li>Edmund Halley died 1742.</li> + +<li>Pierre Loti born 1850.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>Are you in earnest? Seize this very minute<br /></span> +<span>What you can do, or dream you can; begin it;<br /></span> +<span>Boldness has genius, power magic in it.<br /></span> +<span>Only engage, and then the mind grows heated;<br /></span> +<span>Begin and then the work will be completed.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Goethe.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>Were half the power that fills the world with terror,<br /></span> +<span>Were half the wealth bestowed on camps and courts,<br /></span> +<span>Given to redeem the human mind from error,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">There were no need of arsenals or forts.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Henry W. Longfellow.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Choose you this day whom ye will serve;... but as for me and my + house, we will serve Jehovah.</p> + +<p> —Joshua 24. 15.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>Almighty God, help me to appreciate the sacredness of work while I +have it to do. Grant that I may be spared the wretchedness that comes +from working with fragments from idleness. May I do my part, even if +it be in obscurity and the night overtakes me before it is done. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="JANUARY_FIFTEENTH" id="JANUARY_FIFTEENTH" />JANUARY FIFTEENTH</h2> + + +<ul><li>Molière born 1622.</li> + +<li>Dr. Samuel Parr born 1747.</li> + +<li>Edward Everett died 1865.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>The sun withholds his generous beam;<br /></span> +<span>Athwart my soul the shadows stream;<br /></span> +<span>The weird winds boisterously blow,<br /></span> +<span>And drift the melancholy snow.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>When I, in sorrow and despair,<br /></span> +<span>Expect the storm, with tender care<br /></span> +<span>He rends the clouds and through the blue<br /></span> +<span>The glorious sun breaks forth anew.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—M. B. S.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>So with the wan waste grasses on my spear,<br /></span> +<span>I ride forever seeking after God.<br /></span> +<span>My hair grows whiter than my thistle plume<br /></span> +<span>And all my limbs are loose; but in my eyes<br /></span> +<span>The star of an unconquerable praise;<br /></span> +<span>For in my soul one hope forever sings,<br /></span> +<span>That at the next white corner of the road<br /></span> +<span>My eyes may look on Him.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—G. K. Chesterton.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>He brought me forth also into a large place;<br /></span> +<span>He delivered me, because he delighted in me.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Psalm 18. 19.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>Loving Father, if I may be discouraged to-day, strengthen my faith. +May I not weary of waiting for thee, but trust in thy promises. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="JANUARY_SIXTEENTH" id="JANUARY_SIXTEENTH" />JANUARY SIXTEENTH</h2> + + +<ul><li>Edmund Spenser died 1599.</li> + +<li>Johann August Neander born 1789.</li> + +<li>Edward Gibbon died 1794.</li> + +<li>Sir John Moore died 1809.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>But lovely concord, and most sacred peace,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Doth nourish vertue, and fast friendship breeds;<br /></span> +<span>Weake she makes strong, and strong thing does increase,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Till it the pitch of highest praise exceeds.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Edmund Spenser.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Perfect good-breeding is the result of nature and not of education; + for it may be found in a cottage, and may be missed in a palace. + 'Tis the genial regard for the feeling of others that springs from + an absence of selfishness.</p> + +<p> —Disraeli.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Can a fig tree, my brethren, yield olives, or a vine figs? neither + can salt water yield sweet.</p> + +<p> —James 3. 12.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>Heavenly Father, help me to value my thoughts, words, and deeds. If at +the close of the day, there may be one who has been wounded by my +injustice, may I be willing to make quick atonement. May I avoid the +ways and words that hurt; and not only wish rightly and work rightly, +but speak to enrich others with tenderness. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="JANUARY_SEVENTEENTH" id="JANUARY_SEVENTEENTH" />JANUARY SEVENTEENTH</h2> + + +<ul><li>John Ray died 1705.</li> + +<li>Benjamin Franklin born 1706.</li> + +<li>George Bancroft died 1891.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Employ thy time well if thou meanest to gain leisure; and since thou + art not sure of a minute, throw not away an hour! Leisure is time + for doing something useful; this leisure the diligent man will + obtain, but the lazy man never; a life of leisure and a life of + laziness are two things.</p> + +<p> —Benjamin Franklin.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>There is nothing to gain and everything to lose by despising the + example of nature, and making arbitrary rules for oneself. Our + liberty wisely understood is but a voluntary obedience to the + universal laws of life.</p> + +<p> —Amiel.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>I will meditate on thy precepts,<br /></span> +<span>And have respect unto thy ways.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Psalm 119. 15.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>My Father, help me to understand the power of nature, that I may be +willing to obey her laws. I pray that I may so live that my life will +proclaim itself without need of boasting or deception. Forbid that I +should spend my life in perfecting trifles, and have no leisure to +enjoy thy great gifts. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="JANUARY_EIGHTEENTH" id="JANUARY_EIGHTEENTH" />JANUARY EIGHTEENTH</h2> + + +<ul><li>Charles de Montesquieu born 1689.</li> + +<li>John Gillies born 1747.</li> + +<li>Daniel Webster born 1782.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>We would leave for the consideration of those who shall occupy our + places some proof that we hold the blessings transmitted from our + fathers in just estimation; some proof of our attachment to the + cause of good government and of civil and religious liberty; some + proof of a sincere and ardent desire to promote every thing which + may enlarge the understanding and improve the hearts of men.</p> + +<p> —Daniel Webster.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>Brother and friend, the world is wide,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">But I care not whether there be<br /></span> +<span>The soothing song of a summer tide<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Or the thrash of a wintry sea,<br /></span> +<span>If but through shimmer and storm you bide,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Brother and friend, with me.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Percy C. Ainsworth.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Honor all men. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the King.</p> + +<p> —1 Peter 2. 17.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>Almighty God, I thank thee for all the tender influences of life; for +all the gentleness and strength that may be given and received through +friendship. Help me to be careful of what I do, for my sake, and for +the sake of those who may follow me. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="JANUARY_NINETEENTH" id="JANUARY_NINETEENTH" />JANUARY NINETEENTH</h2> + + +<ul><li>Hans Sachs died 1576.</li> + +<li>William Congreve died 1729.</li> + +<li>James Watt born 1736.</li> + +<li>Robert E. Lee born 1807.</li> + +<li>Edgar Allan Poe born 1809.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>I stand amid the roar<br /></span> +<span>Of a surf-tormented shore,<br /></span> +<span>And I hold within my hand<br /></span> +<span>Grains of the golden sand—<br /></span> +<span>How few! Yet how they creep<br /></span> +<span>Through my fingers to the deep,<br /></span> +<span>While I weep—while I weep!<br /></span> +<span>O God, can I not save<br /></span> +<span>One from the pitiless wave?<br /></span> +<span>Is all that we see or seem<br /></span> +<span>But a dream within a dream?<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Edgar Allan Poe.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Do not train up your children in hostility to the government of the + United States. Remember that we are one country now. Dismiss from + your mind all sectional feeling, and bring them up to be Americans.</p> + +<p> —Robert E. Lee.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Wait for Jehovah: Be strong, and let thy heart take courage; Yea, + wait thou for Jehovah.</p> + +<p> —Psalm 27. 14.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>Lord God, I pray that if I have struggled for the wrong, and have +worked with weak hands, thou wilt forgive me for my lost strength. +Give me more light to shine upon my work, upon thy promises, and upon +my duties; and with thy wisdom may I search for the truth that is +behind every wrong, and for the purpose that is beyond all +journeyings. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="JANUARY_TWENTIETH" id="JANUARY_TWENTIETH" />JANUARY TWENTIETH</h2> + + +<ul><li>Eve of Saint Agnes.</li> + +<li>David Garrick died 1779.</li> + +<li>John Howard died 1790.</li> + +<li>John Ruskin died 1900.</li> + +<li>Nathaniel P. Willis born 1806.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>How like a mounting devil in the heart<br /></span> +<span>Rules the unreigned ambition! Let it once<br /></span> +<span>But play the monarch, and its haughty brow<br /></span> +<span>Glows with a beauty that bewilders thought<br /></span> +<span>And unthrones peace forever. Putting on<br /></span> +<span>The very pomp of Lucifer, it turns<br /></span> +<span>The heart to ashes.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Nathaniel P. Willis.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Temperance, in the nobler sense, does not mean a subdued and + imperfect energy; it does not mean a stopping short in any good + thing, as love or in faith; but it means the power which governs the + most intense energy, and prevents its acting in any way but as it + ought.</p> + +<p> —John Ruskin.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>And thy gentleness hath made me great.</p> + +<p> —Psalm 18. 35.</p></div> + +<hr /> + + +<p>Gracious Father, I pray that I may be willing to profit by the +experience of great teachers, and appreciate the value of strong +principles. May I too live for the higher ideals of life, and through +a sympathetic response add power and virtue to other lives, while +gaining strength for my own. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="JANUARY_TWENTY_FIRST" id="JANUARY_TWENTY_FIRST" />JANUARY TWENTY-FIRST</h2> + + +<ul><li>Miles Coverdale died 1568.</li> + +<li>John Fitch born 1743.</li> + +<li>John C. Fremont born 1813.</li> + +<li>Thomas Erskine born 1750.</li> + +<li>Thomas Jonathan (Stonewall) Jackson born 1824.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>So long as we love we serve; so long as we are loved by others I + would almost say that we are indispensable; and no man is useless + while he has a friend.</p> + +<p> —Robert L. Stevenson.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>So to the calmly gathered thought<br /></span> +<span>The innermost of life is taught,<br /></span> +<span>The mystery dimly understood,<br /></span> +<span>That love of God is love of good:<br /></span> +<span>That to be saved is only this—<br /></span> +<span>Salvation from our selfishness.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—John Greenleaf Whittier.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Love worketh no ill to his neighbor: love therefore is the + fulfillment of the law. And this, knowing the season, that already + it is time for you to awake out of sleep: for now is salvation + nearer to us than when we first believed.</p> + +<p> —Romans 13. 10, 11.</p></div> + +<hr /> + + +<p>Tender Father, may I not attempt to serve life for my own +gratification. May I not interpret love through vanity, but from +reality. Make me worth while, that I may be relied upon for my +pledges, and needed for my services. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="JANUARY_TWENTY_SECOND" id="JANUARY_TWENTY_SECOND" />JANUARY TWENTY-SECOND</h2> + + +<ul><li>Andrea del Sarto died 1531.</li> + +<li>Francis Bacon born 1561.</li> + +<li>Lord George Byron born 1788.</li> + +<li>Queen Victoria died 1901.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>Father of light! to thee I call,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">My soul is dark within:<br /></span> +<span>Thou who canst mark the sparrow's fall,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Avert the death of sin,<br /></span> +<span>Thou who canst guide the wandering star,<br /></span> +<span>Who calm'st the elemental war,<br /></span> +<span>Whose mantle is yon boundless sky,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">My thoughts, my words, my crimes forgive;<br /></span> +<span class="i2">And since I soon must cease to live,<br /></span> +<span>Instruct me how to die.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Lord Byron.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Knowledge, whether it descend from divine inspiration or spring from + human sense, would soon perish and vanish to oblivion if it were not + preserved in books, traditions, conferences, and places appointed.</p> + +<p> —Francis Bacon.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of the + prophecy, and keep the things that are written therein.</p> + +<p> —Revelation 1. 3.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>Almighty God, I would have thy counsel as I read the words and follow +the deeds of helpful lives, that I may be inspired to nobler +activities. Give me the desire to know more of thy holy word, that I +may have a better knowledge of life. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="JANUARY_TWENTY_THIRD" id="JANUARY_TWENTY_THIRD" />JANUARY TWENTY-THIRD</h2> + + +<ul><li>John Hancock born 1737.</li> + +<li>William Pitt died 1806.</li> + +<li>Charles Kingsley died 1875.</li> + +<li>Paul Gustave Doré died 1883.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Never lose an opportunity of seeing anything beautiful. Welcome it + in every fair face, every fair sky, every fair flower, and thank Him + for it, who is the fountain of all loveliness.</p> + +<p> —Charles Kingsley.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span class="i6">Nature never did betray<br /></span> +<span>The heart that loved her; 'tis her privilege<br /></span> +<span>Through all the years of this life, to lead,<br /></span> +<span>From joy to joy; for she can so impress<br /></span> +<span>With quietness and beauty, and so feed<br /></span> +<span>With lofty thoughts, that neither evil tongues,<br /></span> +<span> * * * * *<br /></span> +<span>Nor all the dreary intercourse of daily life,<br /></span> +<span>Shall e'er prevail against us or disturb<br /></span> +<span>Our cheerful faith, that all which we behold<br /></span> +<span>Is full of blessings.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—William Wordsworth.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>Is not God in the height of heaven?<br /></span> +<span>And behold the height of the stars, how high they are!<br /></span> +<span>And thou sayest, What doth God know?<br /></span> +<span>Can he judge through the thick darkness?<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Job 22. 12, 13.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>Lord God, I pray that I may not overlook thy blessings of beauty while +endeavoring to perform my duties. Guide me that I may not struggle to +be where thou wouldst not have me go. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="JANUARY_TWENTY_FOURTH" id="JANUARY_TWENTY_FOURTH" />JANUARY TWENTY-FOURTH</h2> + + +<ul><li>Charles Earl of Dorset born 1637.</li> + +<li>Frederick the Great born 1712.</li> + +<li>Charles James Fox born 1749.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>The great Gods pass through the great Time-hall,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Stately and high;<br /></span> +<span>The little men climb the low clay wall<br /></span> +<span class="i2">To gape and spy;<br /></span> +<span>"We wait for the Gods," the little men cry,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">"But these are our brothers passing by."<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>The great Gods pass through the great Time-hall;<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Who can see?<br /></span> +<span>The little men nod by the low clay wall,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">So tired they be;<br /></span> +<span>'"Tis weary waiting for Gods," they yawn,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">"There's a world o' men, but the Gods are gone."<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—A. H. Begbie.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>But their eyes were holden that they should not know him.</p> + +<p> —Luke 24. 16.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>My Father, may I be careful of getting weary and missing the best +through the need of rest. Intensify my desire for the songs and +glorious ways, that I may not settle into dullness and slumber, while +others pass on in the light. I pray for a keener sense of the +possessions made possible by the deeds and cares of noble men and +women. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="JANUARY_TWENTY_FIFTH" id="JANUARY_TWENTY_FIFTH" />JANUARY TWENTY-FIFTH</h2> + + +<ul><li>Robert Burns born 1759.</li> + +<li>Lord Frederick Leighton died 1896.</li> + +<li>Daniel Maclise born 1811.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>When ranting round in pleasure's ring<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Religion may be blinded:<br /></span> +<span>Or if she gie a random sting,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">It may be little minded:<br /></span> +<span>But when on life we're Tempest-driv'n—<br /></span> +<span class="i2">A conscience but a canker,<br /></span> +<span>A correspondence fixed wi' Heav'n,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Is sure a noble anchor.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Robert Burns.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>Be good, sweet maid, and let who will be clever;<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Do noble things, not dream them, all day long:<br /></span> +<span>And so make life, death, and that vast forever<br /></span> +<span class="i2">One grand sweet song.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Charles Kingsley.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>O Lord, by these things men live;<br /></span> +<span>And wholly therein is the life of my spirit:<br /></span> +<span>Wherefore recover thou me, and make me to live.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Isaiah 38. 16.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>Gracious Father, grant that I may not be willing to spend my life for +trivial needs, for thou dost measure me for what I am, and boldest me +for what I lose in waste. Be with me in my judgment of what is best, +that I may make the most of my life. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="JANUARY_TWENTY_SIXTH" id="JANUARY_TWENTY_SIXTH" />JANUARY TWENTY-SIXTH</h2> + + +<ul><li>Lord George Sackville born 1716.</li> + +<li>Benjamin Robert Haydon born 1786.</li> + +<li>Mary Mapes Dodge born 1838.</li> + +<li>General Gordon (Chinese Gordon) killed 1885.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>Ave Maria! blessed be the hour,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">That time, the clime, the spot, where I so oft<br /></span> +<span>Have felt that moment in its fullest power<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Sink o'er the earth so beautiful and soft,<br /></span> +<span>While swung the deep bell in the distant tower<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Or the faint dying day-hymn stole aloft,<br /></span> +<span>And not a breath crept through the rosy air,<br /></span> +<span>And yet the forest leaves seemed stirred with<br /></span> +<span class="i6">prayer.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Lord Byron.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>I am quite happy, thank God, and like Lawrence, I have tried to do + my duty.</p> + +<p> —General Gordon (just before death).</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>For in the day of trouble he will keep me secretly<br /></span> +<span class="i2">in his pavilion:<br /></span> +<span>In the covert of his tabernacle will he hide me;<br /></span> +<span>He will lift me up upon a rock.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Psalm 27. 5.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>Heavenly Father, teach me how to breathe in the sweetness of life. +Reveal to me the life that will bring peace to the soul. May I not be +dismayed, but find the "Peace that passeth all understanding," the +perfect peace that comes from thee. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="JANUARY_TWENTY_SEVENTH" id="JANUARY_TWENTY_SEVENTH" />JANUARY TWENTY-SEVENTH</h2> + + +<ul><li>Johannes Wolfgang Mozart born 1756.</li> + +<li>A. W. von Schlegel born 1767.</li> + +<li>David Friedrich Strauss born 1808.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>To keep young, every day read a poem, hear a choice piece of music, + view a fine painting, and, if possible, do a good action. Man's + highest merit always is, as much as possible, to rule external + circumstances, and as little as possible to let himself be ruled by + them.</p> + +<p> —Goethe.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span class="i2">Let us not always say,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">"Spite of this flesh to-day<br /></span> +<span>I strove, made head, gained ground upon the whole!"<br /></span> +<span class="i2">As the bird wings and sings,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Let us cry, "All good things<br /></span> +<span>Are ours, nor soul helps flesh more now than flesh helps soul!"<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Robert Browning.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Surely goodness and loving-kindness shall follow me all the days of + my life.</p> + +<p> —Psalm 23. 6.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>Loving Father, help me to foresee that it is what I care for to-day +that determines how I will find old age. May I not bring my closing +years to weariness and lonesomeness, but may I have the restfulness +that comes with communing with thee. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="JANUARY_TWENTY_EIGHTH" id="JANUARY_TWENTY_EIGHTH" />JANUARY TWENTY-EIGHTH</h2> + + +<ul><li>Charlemagne died 814.</li> + +<li>Sir Francis Drake died 1596.</li> + +<li>Peter the Great died 1725.</li> + +<li>Charles George Gordon (Chinese Gordon) born 1833.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>He only is advancing in life whose heart is getting softer, whose + blood warmer, whose brain quicker, and whose spirit is entering into + living peace. And the men who have this life in them are the true + lords and kings of the earth—they, and they only.</p> + +<p> —John Ruskin.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>Just where you stand in the conflict,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">There is your place!<br /></span> +<span>Just where you think you are useless,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Hide not your face!<br /></span> +<span>God placed you there for a purpose,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">What e'er it be;<br /></span> +<span>Think you he has chosen you for it:<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Work loyally.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Anonymous.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and the knowledge of + God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past tracing + out!</p> + +<p> —Romans 11. 33.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>My Father, I thank thee that thou hast endowed me with a will; help me +to use it aright. May I have the knowledge of what thou dost demand of +my soul, that I may do my best with what thou hast given me. Help me +that I may reach out for the highest ideals of life. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="JANUARY_TWENTY_NINTH" id="JANUARY_TWENTY_NINTH" />JANUARY TWENTY-NINTH</h2> + + +<ul><li>Emanuel Swedenborg born 1688.</li> + +<li>Thomas Paine born 1737.</li> + +<li>Adelaide Ristori born 1822.</li> + +<li>William McKinley, Ohio, twenty-fourth President +United States, born 1843.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>God will keep no nation in supreme place that will not do supreme + duty.</p> + +<p> —William McKinley.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Reputation is what men and women think of us; character is what God + and the angels know of us.</p> + +<p> —Thomas Paine.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>The reward of one duty is the power to fulfill another.</p> + +<p> —George Eliot.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>Let thy hand be upon the man of thy right hand,<br /></span> +<span>Upon the son of man whom thou madest strong for thyself.<br /></span> +<span>So shall we not go back from thee:<br /></span> +<span>Quicken thou us, and we will call upon thy name.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Psalm 80. 17, 18.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>My Father, I pray that I may be just and be given to kindness. May I +be conscious of my virtues, and use them to overcome my faults. May I +hear clearly thy call that I may be sure of the way as I lead others +to duty and happiness. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="JANUARY_THIRTIETH" id="JANUARY_THIRTIETH" />JANUARY THIRTIETH</h2> + + +<ul><li>Archbishop Butler born 1774.</li> + +<li>Walter Savage Landor born 1775.</li> + +<li>Henri Rochefort born 1830.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>Why, why repine, my pensive friend,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">At pleasures slipped away?<br /></span> +<span>Some the stern fates will never lend,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">And all refuse to stay.<br /></span> +<span>I see the rainbow in the sky,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">The dew upon the grass;<br /></span> +<span>I see them and I ask not why<br /></span> +<span class="i2">They glimmer or they pass.<br /></span> +<span>With folded arms I linger not<br /></span> +<span class="i2">To call them back; 'twere vain;<br /></span> +<span>In this, or in some other spot,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">I know they'll shine again.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Walter Savage Landor.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>When disappointment comes meet it, but do not carry it along with + you; nor fetter your spirit by changeless haste. "Memory will always + pursue some precious instance of itself," which will bring either + renewed confidence or resignation.</p> + +<p> —M. B. S.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>For thou shalt forget thy misery;<br /></span> +<span>Thou shalt remember it as waters that are passed away.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Job 11. 16.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>Gracious Father, help me to "Lift mine eyes unto the hills" that +glorify the discouraging ways. May I appreciate thy great love, and +from my limitations find the possibilities that are limitless. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="JANUARY_THIRTY_FIRST" id="JANUARY_THIRTY_FIRST" />JANUARY THIRTY-FIRST</h2> + + +<ul><li>Cromwell dissolved Parliament 1655.</li> + +<li>Charles Edward (Young Pretender) died 1788.</li> + +<li>Franz Schubert born 1797.</li> + +<li>James G. Elaine born 1830.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Nature demands that man be ever at the top of his condition. He who + violates her laws must pay the penalty, though he sit on a throne.</p> + +<p> —James G. Elaine.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>Dig channels for the streams of love,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Where they may broadly run;<br /></span> +<span>And love has overflowing streams<br /></span> +<span class="i2">To fill them every one.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>For we must share if we must keep<br /></span> +<span class="i2">The good things from above;<br /></span> +<span>Ceasing to give, we cease to have—<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Such is the law of love.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—R. C. Trench.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>And thy life shall be clearer than the noonday;<br /></span> +<span>Though there be darkness, it shall be as the morning.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Job 11. 17.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>My Father, I would remember that it is mostly from my inspirations +that I conceive life. Take away hatred and vanity that keep me in +faults, and awake in me the thoughts that are responsible for visions +that lead to high ideals. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="FEBRUARY" id="FEBRUARY" />FEBRUARY</h2> + +<table border="0" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" summary=""> +<tr><td><a href="#FEBRUARY_FIRST"><b>01</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#FEBRUARY_SECOND"><b>02</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#FEBRUARY_THIRD"><b>03</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#FEBRUARY_FOURTH"><b>04</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#FEBRUARY_FIFTH"><b>05</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#FEBRUARY_SIXTH"><b>06</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#FEBRUARY_SEVENTH"><b>07</b></a></td></tr> + +<tr><td><a href="#FEBRUARY_EIGHTH"><b>08</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#FEBRUARY_NINTH"><b>09</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#FEBRUARY_TENTH"><b>10</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#FEBRUARY_ELEVENTH"><b>11</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#FEBRUARY_TWELFTH"><b>12</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#FEBRUARY_THIRTEENTH"><b>13</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#FEBRUARY_FOURTEENTH"><b>14</b></a></td></tr> + +<tr><td><a href="#FEBRUARY_FIFTEENTH"><b>15</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#FEBRUARY_SIXTEENTH"><b>16</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#FEBRUARY_SEVENTEENTH"><b>17</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#FEBRUARY_EIGHTEENTH"><b>18</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#FEBRUARY_NINETEENTH"><b>19</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#FEBRUARY_TWENTIETH"><b>20</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#FEBRUARY_TWENTY_FIRST"><b>21</b></a></td></tr> + +<tr><td><a href="#FEBRUARY_TWENTY_SECOND"><b>22</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#FEBRUARY_TWENTY_THIRD"><b>23</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#FEBRUARY_TWENTY_FOURTH"><b>24</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#FEBRUARY_TWENTY_FIFTH"><b>25</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#FEBRUARY_TWENTY_SIXTH"><b>26</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#FEBRUARY_TWENTY_SEVENTH"><b>27</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#FEBRUARY_TWENTY_EIGHTH"><b>28</b></a></td></tr> + +<tr><td><a href="#FEBRUARY_TWENTY_NINTH"><b>29</b></a></td></tr> +</table> + + + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span class="i2">Then came old February, sitting<br /></span> +<span>In an old wagon, for he could not ride,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Drawn of two fishes for the season fitting,<br /></span> +<span>Which through the flood before did softly slide<br /></span> +<span>And swim away; yet he had by his side<br /></span> +<span>His plow and harness fit to till the ground,<br /></span> +<span>And tools to prune the trees, before the pride<br /></span> +<span>Of hasting prime did make them bourgeon wide.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Edmund Spenser.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="FEBRUARY_FIRST" id="FEBRUARY_FIRST" />FEBRUARY FIRST</h2> + + +<ul><li>Ben Jonson born 1574.</li> + +<li>John Philip Kemble born 1757.</li> + +<li>Arthur Henry Hallam born 1811.</li> + +<li>George Cruikshank died 1878.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>It is not growing like a tree<br /></span> +<span>In bulk, doth make man better be;<br /></span> +<span>Or standing long an oak, three hundred year,<br /></span> +<span>To fall a log at last, dry, bald, and sere:<br /></span> +<span class="i2">A lily of a day<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Is fairer far in May,<br /></span> +<span>Although it fall and die that night—<br /></span> +<span>It was the plant and flower of Light.<br /></span> +<span>In small proportions we just beauties see;<br /></span> +<span>And in short measure life may perfect be.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Ben Jonson.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>There are four things which are little upon the earth,<br /></span> +<span>But they are exceeding wise:<br /></span> +<span>The ants are a people not strong,<br /></span> +<span>Yet they provide their food in the summer;<br /></span> +<span>The conies are but a feeble folk,<br /></span> +<span>Yet make they their houses in the rocks;<br /></span> +<span>The locusts have no king,<br /></span> +<span>Yet go they forth all of them by bands;<br /></span> +<span>The lizard taketh hold with her hands,<br /></span> +<span>Yet is she in king's palaces.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Proverbs 30. 24-28.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>Creator of all, lead me to see the light, and instruct me that I may +be able to reason. Guard me against spectacular endeavors, that I may +be genuine. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="FEBRUARY_SECOND" id="FEBRUARY_SECOND" />FEBRUARY SECOND</h2> + + +<ul><li>Candlemas Day.</li> + +<li>Nell Gwynn born 1650.</li> + +<li>Hannah More born 1745.</li> + +<li>William Henry Burleigh born 1812.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>'Twas doing nothing was his curse—<br /></span> +<span>Is there a vice can plague us worse?<br /></span> +<span>The wretch who digs the mine for bread,<br /></span> +<span>Or plows, that others may be fed,<br /></span> +<span>Feels less fatigue than that decreed<br /></span> +<span>To him who cannot think, or read.<br /></span> +<span>Not all the peril of temptations,<br /></span> +<span>Not all the conflict of the passions,<br /></span> +<span>Can quench the spark of Glory's flame,<br /></span> +<span>Or quite extinguish Virtue's name.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Hannah More.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>Sound, sound the clarion, fill the fife!<br /></span> +<span class="i2">To all the sensual world proclaim,<br /></span> +<span>One crowded hour of glorious life<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Is worth an age without a name.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Sir Walter Scott.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>He went out, and found others standing; and he saith unto them, Why + stand ye here all the day idle? They say unto him, Because no man + hath hired us. He saith unto them, Go ye also into the vineyard.</p> + +<p> —Matthew 20. 6, 7.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>Eternal God, who hath weighed the mountains and measured the seas, I +pray that I may not be satisfied to wait in idleness, and let thy +wisdom pass away from me as the days. Steady me in my weakness, and +reveal to me my strength as I draw near and ask of thee. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="FEBRUARY_THIRD" id="FEBRUARY_THIRD" />FEBRUARY THIRD</h2> + + +<ul><li>Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy born 1809.</li> + +<li>Horace Greeley born 1811.</li> + +<li>Frederick William Robertson born 1816.</li> + +<li>Sidney Lanier born 1842.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>My soul is sailing through the sea,<br /></span> +<span>But the past is heavy and hindereth me.<br /></span> +<span>The past hath crusted cumbrous shells<br /></span> +<span>That hold the flesh of cold sea-mells<br /></span> +<span class="i2">About my soul.<br /></span> +<span>The huge waves wash, the high waves roll,<br /></span> +<span>Each barnacle clingeth and worketh dole<br /></span> +<span>And hindereth me from sailing.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Sidney Lanier.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>To stand with a smile upon your face, against a stake from which you + cannot get away—that no doubt is heroic. True glory is resignation + to the inevitable. But to stand unchained, with perfect liberty to + go away held only by the higher chains of duty, and let the fire + creep up to the heart—that is heroism.</p> + +<p> —F. W. Robertson.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>We are pressed on every side, yet not straitened; perplexed, yet not + unto despair; pursued, yet not forsaken; smitten down, yet not + destroyed.</p> + +<p> —2 Corinthians 4. 8, 9.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>Gracious Father, thou knowest what I am and the condition of my life. +May I seek thy will for me. Grant that I may never struggle for +consolation through indulgence and indolence, but in my sorrow and +failure may I reach out for thy enduring comfort. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="FEBRUARY_FOURTH" id="FEBRUARY_FOURTH" />FEBRUARY FOURTH</h2> + + +<ul><li>Mark Hopkins born 1802.</li> + +<li>W. Harrison Ainsworth born 1805.</li> + +<li>Jean Richepin born 1849.</li> + +<li>Thomas Carlyle died 1881.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Life is not a May-game, but a battle and a march, a warfare with + principalities and powers. No idle promenade through fragrant orange + groves and green flowery spaces, waited on by coral muses, and the + rosy hours; it is a stern pilgrimage through the rough, burning, + sandy solitudes, through regions of thick-ribbed ice.</p> + +<p> —Thomas Carlyle.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>For all sweet and pleasant passages in the great story of life men + may well thank God; for leisure and ease and health and friendship + may God make us truly and humbly grateful; but our chief song of + thanksgiving must be always for our kinship with him, with all that + such divinity of greatness brings of peril, hardship, toil, and + sacrifice.</p> + +<p> —Hamilton Mabie.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>Thy bars shall be iron and brass;<br /></span> +<span>And as thy days, so shall thy strength be.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Deuteronomy 33. 25.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>My Father, help me to choose the road that leads to my work, and may I +not fail to reach it, by wandering away from it. Keep me in touch with +the human side of life, holding in mind that "Truth and honesty are +the noblest works of God." Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="FEBRUARY_FIFTH" id="FEBRUARY_FIFTH" />FEBRUARY FIFTH</h2> + + +<ul><li>Sir Robert Peel born 1788.</li> + +<li>Ole Boreman Bull born 1810.</li> + +<li>John Muir born 1810.</li> + +<li>Dwight L. Moody born 1837.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>When a great man dies, then has the time come for putting us in mind + that he was alive!</p> + +<p> —Thomas Carlyle.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>If I practice one day, I can see the result. If I practice two days, + my friends can see it. If I practice three days, the great public + can see it.</p> + +<p> —Ole Bull.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Those who say they will forgive but can't forget an injury simply + bury the hatchet while they leave the handle out, ready for + immediate use.</p> + +<p> —Dwight L. Moody.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>But I hold not my life of any account as dear unto myself, so that I + may accomplish my course.</p> + +<p> —Acts 20. 24.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>Almighty God, if I am uncertain, and tremble at the crossroads in +doubt of the right way, may I wait and be led by thee, and follow on, +even if the way be dark and rough. May I be faithful and have thy +presence as thou promised at the end. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="FEBRUARY_SIXTH" id="FEBRUARY_SIXTH" />FEBRUARY SIXTH</h2> + + +<ul><li>Queen Anne of England born 1665.</li> + +<li>Aaron Burr born 1756.</li> + +<li>Sir Henry Irving born 1838.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Nothing earthly will make me give up my work in despair. I encourage + myself in the Lord my God and go forward.</p> + +<p> —David Livingstone.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>To expect defeat is nine tenths of defeat itself.</p> + +<p> —Marion Crawford.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>I do not see how any man can afford, for the sake of his nerves and + his nap, to spare any action in which he can partake.</p> + +<p> —Ralph Waldo Emerson.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Art is a jealous mistress, she requires the whole man.</p> + +<p> —Michael Angelo.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit you like men, be strong.</p> + +<p> —1 Corinthians 16. 13.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>Almighty God, help me to have true conceptions, that my life may not +be secured to needless purposes. May my soul be influenced by high +ideals, and my work be the production of truth and not of selfishness. +Protect me from evil that I may be kept pure and strong for my work. +Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="FEBRUARY_SEVENTH" id="FEBRUARY_SEVENTH" />FEBRUARY SEVENTH</h2> + + +<ul><li>Millard Fillmore, New York, thirteenth President United States born 1800.</li> + +<li>Sir Thomas More born 1478.</li> + +<li>Charles Dickens born 1812.</li> + +<li>Anne Radcliffe died 1823.</li> + +<li>Sidney Cooper died 1902.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Let no man turn aside ever so slightly, from the broad path of + honor, on the plausible pretense that he is justified by the + goodness of his end. All good ends can be worked out by good means.</p> + +<p> —Charles Dickens.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>If evils come not, then our fears are vain;<br /></span> +<span>And if they do, fear but augments the pain.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Sir Thomas More.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>A human heart knows aught of littleness,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Suspects no man, compares with no one's ways,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Hath in one hour most glorious length of days,<br /></span> +<span>A recompense, a joy, a loveliness;<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>Like eaglet keen, shoots into azure far,<br /></span> +<span>And always dwelling nigh is the remotest star.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—William Ellery Channing.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>Teach me thy way, O Jehovah;<br /></span> +<span>I will walk in thy truth:<br /></span> +<span>Unite my heart to fear thy name.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Psalm 86. 11.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>Gracious Father, I pray that thou wilt control my impulses, and +protect me from false interpretations. May I have wisdom, and search +for the high and holy ways. Help me to be patient for thy purposes, +and may my relations to life be triumphant in thy standards. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="FEBRUARY_EIGHTH" id="FEBRUARY_EIGHTH" />FEBRUARY EIGHTH</h2> + + +<ul><li>Samuel Butler born 1612.</li> + +<li>John Ruskin born 1819.</li> + +<li>General Sherman born 1820.</li> + +<li>Jules Verne born 1828.</li> + +<li>Richard Watson Gilder born 1844.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>If you want knowledge, you must toil for it; and if pleasure, you + must toil for it. Toil is the law. Pleasure comes through toil, and + not by self-indulgence and indolence. When one gets to love work his + life is a happy one.</p> + +<p> —John Ruskin.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>Whatever sceptic could inquire for,<br /></span> +<span>For every why he had a wherefore.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Samuel Butler.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>Through love to light! O wonderful the way,<br /></span> +<span>That leads from darkness to the perfect day!<br /></span> +<span>From darkness and from sorrow of the night<br /></span> +<span class="i2">To morning that comes singing o'er the sea.<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Through love to light! through light O God to Thee!<br /></span> +<span>Who art the love, the eternal light of light!<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Richard Watson Gilder.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>We must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the + night cometh, when no man can work.</p> + +<p> —John 9. 4.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>My Father, I pray that I may not weight my life with worthless +efforts. May I be guided to the right work, and through the love of it +find strength for my soul. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="FEBRUARY_NINTH" id="FEBRUARY_NINTH" />FEBRUARY NINTH</h2> + + +<ul><li>C. F. Volney born 1757.</li> + +<li>William Henry Harrison, Virginia, ninth President United States, born 1773.</li> + +<li>Anthony Hope (Hawkins) born 1863.</li> + +<li>George Ade born 1866.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>A man's own observation, what he finds good of, and what he finds + hurt of, is the best physic to preserve health. But it is a safer + conclusion to say, "This agreeth not well with me, therefore I will + not continue it"; than to say, "I find no offense of this, therefore + I may use it." For strength of nature in youth passeth over many + excesses, which are owing a man till his age.</p> + +<p> —Francis Bacon.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>Though man a thinking being is defined,<br /></span> +<span>Few use the grand prerogative of mind.<br /></span> +<span>How few think justly of the thinking few!<br /></span> +<span>How many never think, who think they do!<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Jane Taylor.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Blessed is the man that endureth temptation; for when he hath been + approved, he shall receive the crown of life.</p> + +<p> —James 1. 12.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>Almighty God, I would learn that while thou art a forgiving Lord, +nature has no mercy on them that break her laws. Forgive me for all my +neglect, and help me to see the way in which thou hast through mercy +led me. Give me the power to endure and the strength to resist +temptation. May I seek to understand thy laws, that I may not fail +through ignorance. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="FEBRUARY_TENTH" id="FEBRUARY_TENTH" />FEBRUARY TENTH</h2> + + +<ul><li>Rev. Henry Hart Milman born 1791.</li> + +<li>Charles Lamb born 1775.</li> + +<li>Sir William Napier died 1860.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Never let the most well-intended falsehood escape your lips; for + Heaven, which is entirely Truth, will make the seed which you have + sown of untruth to yield miseries a thousandfold.</p> + +<p> —Charles Lamb.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>We cannot command veracity at will; the power of seeing and + reporting truly is a form of health that has to be distinctly + guarded, and as an ancient rabbi has solemnly said, "The penalty of + untruth is untruth."</p> + +<p> —George Eliot.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>The bat hangs upside down and laughs at a topsy-turvy world.</p> + +<p> —Unknown.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>The lip of truth shall be established for ever;<br /></span> +<span>But a lying tongue is but for a moment.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Proverbs 12. 19.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>Lord God, give me the will to hold to the truth and the strength to +help keep the world true; and may I help others to look up and catch +the truth from the purest light. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="FEBRUARY_ELEVENTH" id="FEBRUARY_ELEVENTH" />FEBRUARY ELEVENTH</h2> + + +<ul><li>Mary, Queen of England, born 1516.</li> + +<li>Daniel Boone born 1735.</li> + +<li>Lydia M. Child born 1802.</li> + +<li>Washington Gladden born 1836.</li> + +<li>Thomas A. Edison born 1847.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>Few, in the days of early youth,<br /></span> +<span>Trusted like me in love and truth.<br /></span> +<span>I've learned sad lessons from the years;<br /></span> +<span>But slowly and with many tears;<br /></span> +<span>For God made me to kindly view<br /></span> +<span>The world that I was passing through.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>And all who tempt a trusting heart<br /></span> +<span>From faith and hope to drift apart,<br /></span> +<span>May they themselves be spared the pain<br /></span> +<span>Of losing power to trust again!<br /></span> +<span>God help us all to kindly view<br /></span> +<span>The world that we are passing through!<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Lydia M. Child.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>For ye shall go out with joy, and be led forth with peace: the + mountains and the hills shall break forth before you into singing; + and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.</p> + +<p> —Isaiah 55. 12.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>Lord God, I pray that I may not rest my hope in self alone, but know +that the greatest joy is in the hope of the world. Help me to have +faith in mankind; and with a loyal heart and a brave spirit be as kind +to the world as I can. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="FEBRUARY_TWELFTH" id="FEBRUARY_TWELFTH" />FEBRUARY TWELFTH</h2> + + +<ul><li>Dr. Cotton Mather born 1663.</li> + +<li>Peter Cooper born 1791.</li> + +<li>Abraham Lincoln, Kentucky, sixteenth President United States, born 1809.</li> + +<li>Robert Charles Darwin born 1809.</li> + +<li>George Meredith born 1828.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>With malice towards none, with charity for all, with firmness in the + right as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish + the work we are in; to bind up the nation's wounds, ... to do all + which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace among + ourselves and with all nations.</p> + +<p> —Abraham Lincoln.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>The great moral combat between human life and each human soul must + be single.... When a soul arms for battle she goes forth alone.</p> + +<p> —Owen Meredith.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>According to the grace of God which was given unto me, as a wise + master builder I laid a foundation; and another buildeth thereon.</p> + +<p> —1 Corinthians 3. 10.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>Almighty God, I thank thee for the courage that comes with a great +life. Help me to be brave, even if it is only that others may be +blest. May I lay a careful foundation and plan to build the best that +I can afford. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="FEBRUARY_THIRTEENTH" id="FEBRUARY_THIRTEENTH" />FEBRUARY THIRTEENTH</h2> + + +<ul><li>David Allan born 1744.</li> + +<li>Maurice de Talleyrand-Périgord born 1754.</li> + +<li>Richard Wagner died 1883.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>A man is not his hope, nor yet his despair, nor yet his past deed. + We know not yet what we have done; still less what we are doing. + Wait till evening, and other parts of our work will shine than we + had thought at noon, and we shall discover the real purport of our + toil.</p> + +<p> —Henry D. Thoreau.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>When you make a mistake don't look back at it long. Take the reason + of the thing into your mind, and look forward. Mistakes are lessons + of wisdom.... The past cannot be changed. The future is yet in your + power.</p> + +<p> —Hugh White.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing seed for sowing,<br /></span> +<span>Shall doubtless come again with joy, bringing his sheaves with him.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Psalm 126. 6.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>My Father, help me to survey my life. Make me compassionate and +considerate, that I may be qualified to promote that which is helpful. +May I appreciate that what is worth keeping I can obtain from thee. +Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="FEBRUARY_FOURTEENTH" id="FEBRUARY_FOURTEENTH" />FEBRUARY FOURTEENTH</h2> + + +<ul><li>Saint Valentine's Day.</li> + +<li>Captain James Cook killed 1779.</li> + +<li>Jean Ernest Reynaud born 1808.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>Oh! little loveliest lady mine,<br /></span> +<span>What shall I send for your valentine?<br /></span> +<span>Summer and flowers are far away;<br /></span> +<span>Gloomy old Winter is king to-day;<br /></span> +<span>Buds will not blow, and sun will not shine:<br /></span> +<span>What shall I do for a valentine?<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>I've searched the gardens all through and through<br /></span> +<span>For a bud to tell of my love so true;<br /></span> +<span>But buds are asleep and blossoms are dead,<br /></span> +<span>And the snow beats down on my poor little head:<br /></span> +<span>So, little loveliest lady mine,<br /></span> +<span>Here is my heart for your valentine.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Laura E. Richards.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>Oh rank is gold, and gold is fair,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">And high and low mate ill;<br /></span> +<span>But love has never known a law<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Beyond its own sweet will!<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—John G. Whittier.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God.</p> + +<p> —1 John 4. 7.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>Loving Father, may I not fall to nodding in the balmy air of luxury +and miss the messages of love. Arouse me, that I may give and take in +the treasures of love as they come my way, and that they may not pass +unnoticed. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="FEBRUARY_FIFTEENTH" id="FEBRUARY_FIFTEENTH" />FEBRUARY FIFTEENTH</h2> + + +<ul><li>Galileo Galilei born 1564.</li> + +<li>Louis XV born 1710.</li> + +<li>S. Weir Mitchell born 1829.</li> + +<li>Sir Frederick Treves born 1853.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>The night I know is nigh at hand,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">The mists lie low on hill and bay,<br /></span> +<span>The autumn sheaves are brown and dry,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">But I have had the day.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>Yes, I have had, dear Lord, the day.<br /></span> +<span class="i2">When at thy call I have the night<br /></span> +<span>Brief be the twilight as I pass<br /></span> +<span class="i2">From light to dark, from dark to light.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—S. Weir Mitchell.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + + +<div class="blockquot"><p>If thou faint in the day of adversity, thy strength is small—too + small to be worth talking about, for the day of adversity is its + first real opportunity.</p> + +<p> —Maltbie Babcock.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him + that loved us.</p> + +<p> —Romans 8. 37.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>My Father, may my daily work not be the means of separating me from +thee, but may I have thee for my companion through my work. Forbid +that I should ever submit to despair from weakness of body, but that I +may be blest and grow strong as my spirit lives in thee. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="FEBRUARY_SIXTEENTH" id="FEBRUARY_SIXTEENTH" />FEBRUARY SIXTEENTH</h2> + + +<ul><li>Philip Melanchthon born 1497.</li> + +<li>Gasper de Coligny born 1517.</li> + +<li>Thomas Robert Malthus born 1766.</li> + +<li>Ernst Heinrich Haeckel born 1834.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>Thy love shall chant its own beatitudes<br /></span> +<span>After its own life working. A child's kiss<br /></span> +<span>Set on thy sighing lips shall make thee glad.<br /></span> +<span>A poor man served by thee shall make thee rich;<br /></span> +<span>A sick man helped by thee shall make thee strong;<br /></span> +<span>Thou shalt be served thyself by every sense<br /></span> +<span>Of service which thou renderest.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Elizabeth B. Browning.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>Ask nothing more of me, sweet;<br /></span> +<span class="i2">All I can give you I give.<br /></span> +<span>Heart of my heart, were it more,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">More would be laid at your feet:<br /></span> +<span>Love that should help you to live,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Song that should help you to soar.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Algernon Charles Swinburne.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>All things therefore whatsoever ye would that men should do unto + you, even so do ye also unto them.</p> + +<p> —Matthew 7. 12.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>Lord God, I pray that I may not neglect the help and happiness that I +may give with compassion and love. Make me strong in all the senses +that answer to the call of humanity. Help me to guide and protect +little children, and to care for the comforts of the old. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="FEBRUARY_SEVENTEENTH" id="FEBRUARY_SEVENTEENTH" />FEBRUARY SEVENTEENTH</h2> + + +<ul><li>Kate Greenaway born 1846.</li> + +<li>Michael Angelo Buonarroti died 1563.</li> + +<li>Giordano Bruno burned at Rome 1600.</li> + +<li>Molière died 1673.</li> + +<li>Rose Terry Cooke born 1827.</li> + +<li>Frances E. Willard died 1898.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>It is not much<br /></span> +<span>To give a gentle word or kindly touch<br /></span> +<span>To one gone down<br /></span> +<span>Beneath the world's cold frown,<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>And yet who knows<br /></span> +<span>How great a thing from such a little grows?<br /></span> +<span>O, oftentimes,<br /></span> +<span>Some brother upward climbs<br /></span> +<span>And hope again<br /></span> +<span>Uplifts its head, that in the dust had lain,<br /></span> +<span>Gives place to morning's light.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—E. H. Divall.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>I will seek that which was lost, and will bring back that which was + driven away, and will bind up that which was broken, and will + strengthen that which was sick.</p> + +<p> —Ezekiel 34. 16.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>My Father, may I not sorrow so that I fail to comfort the sorrowing, +and may I not be so happy that I fail to see that others need to be +glad. I thank thee for thy providences. May I serve thee in helping +others to brighter lives. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="FEBRUARY_EIGHTEENTH" id="FEBRUARY_EIGHTEENTH" />FEBRUARY EIGHTEENTH</h2> + + +<ul><li>Martin Luther died 1546.</li> + +<li>George Peabody born 1795.</li> + +<li>Wilson Barrett born 1846.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>A mighty fortress is our God,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">A bulwark never failing:<br /></span> +<span>Our helper he amid the flood<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Of mortal ills prevailing.<br /></span> +<span>For still our ancient foe<br /></span> +<span>Doth seek to work us woe;<br /></span> +<span>His craft and power are great:<br /></span> +<span>And, armed with cruel hate,<br /></span> +<span>On earth is not his equal.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Martin Luther.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Let us stand by our duty fearlessly and effectively. I am not bound + to win, but I am bound to be true. I am not bound to succeed, but I + am bound to live up to the light that I have.</p> + +<p> —Abraham Lincoln.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>Jehovah is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer;<br /></span> +<span>My God, my rock, in whom I will take refuge.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Psalm 18. 2.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>Lord God, help me to lay my life in the rocks of thy foundation, and +not in moving sands which are tossed from shore to shore. May I cling +to the rock that was cleft for me and trust for thy care. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="FEBRUARY_NINETEENTH" id="FEBRUARY_NINETEENTH" />FEBRUARY NINETEENTH</h2> + + +<ul><li>Copernicus born 1473.</li> + +<li>Leonard Bacon born 1802.</li> + +<li>W. W. Story born 1819.</li> + +<li>Adelina Patti born 1843.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>So mine are these new fruitings rich,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">The simple to the common brings;<br /></span> +<span>I keep the youth of souls who pitch<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Their joy in this old heart of things;<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>Full lasting is the song, though he<br /></span> +<span class="i2">The singer passes; lasting too,<br /></span> +<span>For souls not lent in usury,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">The rapture of the forward view.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—George Meredith.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>All deep things are Song. It seems, somehow, the very central + essence of us, Song; as if all the rest were wrappages and hulls! + the primal element of us; of us, and all things.</p> + +<p> —Thomas Carlyle.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Ye shall have a song as in the night when a holy feast is kept; and + gladness of heart, as when one goeth with a pipe to come unto the + mountain of Jehovah.</p> + +<p> —Isaiah 30. 29.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>Lord God, help me to feel the power of praise. "As words without +thoughts never to heaven go," so the highest praises are never sung +alone, but rendered with service and love. May I have the heart to +sing thy praises far and near, and rejoice in him from whom all +blessings flow. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="FEBRUARY_TWENTIETH" id="FEBRUARY_TWENTIETH" />FEBRUARY TWENTIETH</h2> + + +<ul><li>J. H. Voss born 1828.</li> + +<li>Joseph Jefferson born 1829.</li> + +<li>Mihaly Munkacsy (Michael Lieb) born 1844.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Who serves his country well has no need of ancestors.</p> + +<p> —Voltaire.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>Lo, Spring comes forth with all her warmth and<br /></span> +<span class="i2">love,<br /></span> +<span>She brings sweet justice from the realms above;<br /></span> +<span>She breaks the chrysalis, she resurrects the dead;<br /></span> +<span>Two butterflies ascend encircling her head.<br /></span> +<span>And so this emblem shall forever be<br /></span> +<span>A sign of immortality.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Joseph Jefferson.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>Thou wilt guide me with thy counsel,<br /></span> +<span>And afterward receive me to glory.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Psalm 73. 24.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>Lord God, I pray that I may not neglect my soul in trying to fathom +immortal life. If I may be hesitating between comfort and work, remind +me of the greatness of the place which I started to reach. May I not +grow weary of climbing and falter on the stair. Breathe upon me thy +inspiration and love, that I may continue in faith all the way. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="FEBRUARY_TWENTY_FIRST" id="FEBRUARY_TWENTY_FIRST" />FEBRUARY TWENTY-FIRST</h2> + + +<ul><li>Edmund William Gosse born 1849.</li> + +<li>Karl Czerny born 1791.</li> + +<li>Cardinal John H. Newman born 1801.</li> + +<li>Jean L. E. Meissonier born 1815.</li> + +<li>Alice Freeman Palmer born 1855.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>Prune thou thy words, the thoughts control<br /></span> +<span class="i2">That o'er thee swell and throng;<br /></span> +<span>They will condense within thy soul,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">And change to purpose strong.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—John H. Newman.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>Think truly, and thy thoughts<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Shall the world's famine feed;<br /></span> +<span>Speak truly, and each word of thine<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Shall be a fruitful seed;<br /></span> +<span>Live truly, and thy life shall be<br /></span> +<span class="i2">A great and noble creed.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Horatio Bonar.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>We ought to love everybody and make everybody love us. Then + everything else is easy.</p> + +<p> —Alice Freeman Palmer.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Then shall thy light break forth as the morning, and thy healing + shall spring forth speedily; and thy righteousness shall go before + thee; the glory of Jehovah shall be thy rearward.</p> + +<p> —Isaiah 58. 8.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>Almighty God, look upon me with pity; so often I have obeyed the +thoughts that have been misleading and profitless. Make me more +careful of what I think and say, and may I learn from my mistakes the +forbidden paths. Help me to keep my mind in unity with thy will. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="FEBRUARY_TWENTY_SECOND" id="FEBRUARY_TWENTY_SECOND" />FEBRUARY TWENTY-SECOND</h2> + + +<ul><li>George Washington, Virginia, first President United +States, born 1732.</li> + +<li>James Russell Lowell born 1819.</li> + +<li>Margaret E. Sangster born 1838.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Labor to keep alive in your breast that little spark of celestial + fire called conscience.</p> + +<p> —George Washington.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>Life is a sheet of paper white<br /></span> +<span>Whereon each one of us may write<br /></span> +<span>His word or two, and then comes night.<br /></span> +<span>Greatly begin! though thou hast time<br /></span> +<span>But for a line, be that sublime.<br /></span> +<span>Not failure, but low aim is crime.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—James Russell Lowell.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>God keep us through the common days,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">The level stretches white with dust,<br /></span> +<span>When thought is tired, and hands upraise<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Their burdens feebly since they must;<br /></span> +<span>In days of slowly fretting care<br /></span> +<span>Then most we need the strength of prayer.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Margaret E. Sangster.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>Make level the path of thy feet,<br /></span> +<span>And let all thy ways be established.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Proverbs 4. 26.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>Lord God, help me to realize the influence of the individual life. And +as I would care for my own, may I seek to do for others; and may I not +criticize, but help all who are trying to make the world better. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="FEBRUARY_TWENTY_THIRD" id="FEBRUARY_TWENTY_THIRD" />FEBRUARY TWENTY-THIRD</h2> + + +<ul><li>Samuel Pepys born 1633.</li> + +<li>George F. Handel born 1685.</li> + +<li>George Frederick Watts born 1817.</li> + +<li>John Keats died 1821.</li> + +<li>Margaret Deland born 1857.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>Labor is life! 'tis the still water faileth;<br /></span> +<span>Idleness ever despaireth, bewaileth:<br /></span> +<span>Keep the watch wound, or the dark rust assaileth;<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Flowers droop and die in the stillness of noon.<br /></span> +<span>Labor is glory! the flying cloud lightens;<br /></span> +<span>Only the waving wing changes and brightens,<br /></span> +<span>Idle hearts only the dark future frightens,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Play the sweet keys, wouldst thou keep them in tune.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Frances S. Osgood.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>KEATS<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>Palled death, with kisses ghostly,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Wooed and won him while too young,<br /></span> +<span>And the world reveres him mostly,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">For the songs he might have sung.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Samuel A. Wood.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Enlarge the place of thy tent, and let them stretch forth the + curtains of thy habitations; spare not: lengthen thy cords, and + strengthen thy stakes.</p> + +<p> —Isaiah 54. 2.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>Almighty God, I pray for the will to do my finest work. Disclose to me +if I am being detained by serving selfishness in myself or in others. +Lead me to what is right for me to do; and may I diligently tarry in +it. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="FEBRUARY_TWENTY_FOURTH" id="FEBRUARY_TWENTY_FOURTH" />FEBRUARY TWENTY-FOURTH</h2> + + +<ul><li>Samuel Lover born 1797.</li> + +<li>Robert Fulton died 1815.</li> + +<li>George William Curtis born 1824.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>'Tis not to enjoy that we exist,<br /></span> +<span>For that end only; something must be done;<br /></span> +<span>I must not walk in unreproved delight<br /></span> +<span>These narrow bounds, and think of nothing more,<br /></span> +<span>No duty that looks further and no care.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—William Wordsworth.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>We weave our thoughts into heart-spun plans,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">And weave secure for a fitful day,<br /></span> +<span>But lose in the web of earthly things<br /></span> +<span class="i2">The pattern of sublimity.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>Shall days spring up as wild vines grow,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Unheeding where they climb or cling?<br /></span> +<span>Consider, child, before you sow,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">And wait not until harvesting.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—M. B. S.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>Jehovah is my strength and my shield;<br /></span> +<span>My heart hath trusted in him, and I am helped:<br /></span> +<span>Therefore my heart greatly rejoiceth;<br /></span> +<span>And with my song will I praise him.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Psalm 28. 7.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>Loving Father, command my judgment for the influences which I permit +to come into my life. Grant that I may not delay my purposes for the +lack of comforts which are so often made more than life. With thy +strength may I be steadfast in what I would achieve. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="FEBRUARY_TWENTY_FIFTH" id="FEBRUARY_TWENTY_FIFTH" />FEBRUARY TWENTY-FIFTH</h2> + + +<ul><li>William Seely died 1521.</li> + +<li>Sir Christopher Wren died 1723.</li> + +<li>Jane Goodwin Austin born 1831.</li> + +<li>Camille Flammarion born 1842.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>In general, pride is at the bottom of all great mistakes. All other + passions do occasionally good; but wherever pride puts in its word + everything goes wrong.</p> + +<p> —John Ruskin.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>He that is proud eats up himself: pride is his own glass, his own + trumpet, his own chronicle; and whatever praises itself but in the + deed, devours the deed in the praise.</p> + +<p> —William Shakespeare.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>Save me alike from foolish pride<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Or impious discontent;<br /></span> +<span>At aught Thy wisdom hath denied,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Or aught Thy wisdom lent.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Alexander Pope.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>A man's pride shall bring him low; But he that is of a lowly spirit + shall obtain honor.</p> + +<p> —Proverbs 29. 23.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>Heavenly Father, I pray that I may not let pride keep me down when it +may be mine to be carried to the heights. With tenderness take me out +of myself, that I may see how pride deceives, and destroys an humble +spirit. Help me to master both stubbornness and pride. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="FEBRUARY_TWENTY_SIXTH" id="FEBRUARY_TWENTY_SIXTH" />FEBRUARY TWENTY-SIXTH</h2> + + +<ul><li>Christopher Marlowe (baptized 1564).</li> + +<li>Victor Hugo born 1802.</li> + +<li>Lord Cromer born 1841.</li> + +<li>Thomas Moore died 1852.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>When I go down to the grave I can say, like so many others, I have + finished my work; but I cannot say I have finished my life; my day's + work will begin again the next morning. My tomb is not a blind + alley; it is a thoroughfare. It closes in the twilight to open in + the dawn.</p> + +<p> —Victor Hugo.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>There's nothing bright above, below,<br /></span> +<span>From flowers that bloom to stars that glow,<br /></span> +<span>But in the light my soul can see<br /></span> +<span>Some feature of the Deity.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>There's nothing dark below, above,<br /></span> +<span>But in its gloom I trace God's love,<br /></span> +<span>And meekly wait that moment when<br /></span> +<span>His truth shall turn all bright again.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Thomas Moore.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>Jehovah redeemeth the soul of his servants;<br /></span> +<span>And none of them that take refuge in him shall be<br /></span> +<span>condemned.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Psalm 34. 22.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>Lord God, may I not only feel the need of thee when I am burdened with +sorrow and care, but may I have need of thee in my pleasures and joys. +I thank thee for thy gracious kindness, thy mercy and thy protection. +Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="FEBRUARY_TWENTY_SEVENTH" id="FEBRUARY_TWENTY_SEVENTH" />FEBRUARY TWENTY-SEVENTH</h2> + + +<ul><li>Henry Wadsworth Longfellow born 1807.</li> + +<li>Ellen Terry born 1848.</li> + +<li>Mary F. Robinson born 1857.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>Lives of great men all remind us<br /></span> +<span class="i2">We can make our lives sublime,<br /></span> +<span>And, departing, leave behind us<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Footprints on the sands of time—<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>Footprints that perhaps another,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Sailing o'er life's wintry main,<br /></span> +<span>A forlorn and shipwrecked brother,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Seeing, shall take heart again.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Henry W. Longfellow.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>They are slaves who fear to speak<br /></span> +<span>For the fallen and the weak;<br /></span> +<span>They are slaves who will not choose<br /></span> +<span>Hatred, scoffing, and abuse,<br /></span> +<span>Rather than in silence shrink<br /></span> +<span>From the truth they needs must think;<br /></span> +<span>They are slaves who dare not be<br /></span> +<span>In the right with two or three.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—James Russell Lowell.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Even so let your light shine before men; that they may see your good + works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.</p> + +<p> —Matthew 5. 16.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>Merciful Father, help me to know that my shadow cannot fall without +me, and that my footprints cannot be found where I have never trodden. +I pray that thou wilt make me so familiar with the right path that it +may be mine to have the privilege of leading others to the right +places. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="FEBRUARY_TWENTY_EIGHTH" id="FEBRUARY_TWENTY_EIGHTH" />FEBRUARY TWENTY-EIGHTH</h2> + + +<ul><li>Montaigne born 1533.</li> + +<li>Mary Lyon born 1797.</li> + +<li>Sir John Tenniel born 1820.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>Soul, rule thyself; on passion, deed, desire,<br /></span> +<span>Lay thou the laws of thy deliberate will.<br /></span> +<span>Stand at thy chosen post, Faith's sentinel:<br /></span> +<span>Though Hell's lost legions ring thee round with fire,<br /></span> +<span>Learn to endure.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Arthur Symonds.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>The confidence in another man's virtue is no slight evidence of a + man's own, and God willingly favors such a confidence.</p> + +<p> —Montaigne.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>Though a host should encamp against me,<br /></span> +<span>My heart shall not fear:<br /></span> +<span>Though war should rise against me,<br /></span> +<span>Even then will I be confident.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Psalm 27. 3.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>My Father, may I ever be kept in remembrance of my virtue, and may I +be sensitive to its strength. As I go on my way, keep me within +control of the impetuous desires of my nature, and in call of the +duties and obligations of my daily life. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="FEBRUARY_TWENTY_NINTH" id="FEBRUARY_TWENTY_NINTH" />FEBRUARY TWENTY-NINTH</h2> + + +<ul><li>Anne Lee born 1736.</li> + +<li>G. A. Rossini born 1792.</li> + +<li>John Landseer died 1852.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>Happy is he and more than wise<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Who sees with wondrous eyes and clean<br /></span> +<span>This world through all the gray disguise<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Of sleep and custom in between.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—G. K. Chesterton.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>In the morning, when thou findest thyself unwilling to rise, + consider with thyself presently, if it is to go about a man's work + that I am stirred up. Or was I made for this, to lay me down, and + make much of myself in a warm bed.</p> + +<p> —Marcus Aurelius.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Arise and be doing, and Jehovah be with thee.</p> + +<p> —1 Chronicles 22. 16.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>Gracious Father, help me to take of the wealth of my day, while it is +in season, and accessible. May I not be ignorant of the abundance in +which I live, and be found in overwhelming regret. Forgive me for all +that I have missed in life, and make me more watchful of that which is +to come. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="MARCH" id="MARCH" />MARCH</h2> + +<table border="0" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" summary=""> +<tr><td><a href="#MARCH_FIRST"><b>01</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#MARCH_SECOND"><b>02</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#MARCH_THIRD"><b>03</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#MARCH_FOURTH"><b>04</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#MARCH_FIFTH"><b>05</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#MARCH_SIXTH"><b>06</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#MARCH_SEVENTH"><b>07</b></a></td></tr> + +<tr><td><a href="#MARCH_EIGHTH"><b>08</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#MARCH_NINTH"><b>09</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#MARCH_TENTH"><b>10</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#MARCH_ELEVENTH"><b>11</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#MARCH_TWELFTH"><b>12</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#MARCH_THIRTEENTH"><b>13</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#MARCH_FOURTEENTH"><b>14</b></a></td></tr> + +<tr><td><a href="#MARCH_FIFTEENTH"><b>15</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#MARCH_SIXTEENTH"><b>16</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#MARCH_SEVENTEENTH"><b>17</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#MARCH_EIGHTEENTH"><b>18</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#MARCH_NINETEENTH"><b>19</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#MARCH_TWENTIETH"><b>20</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#MARCH_TWENTY_FIRST"><b>21</b></a></td></tr> + +<tr><td><a href="#MARCH_TWENTY_SECOND"><b>22</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#MARCH_TWENTY_THIRD"><b>23</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#MARCH_TWENTY_FOURTH"><b>24</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#MARCH_TWENTY_FIFTH"><b>25</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#MARCH_TWENTY_SIXTH"><b>26</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#MARCH_TWENTY_SEVENTH"><b>27</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#MARCH_TWENTY_EIGHTH"><b>28</b></a></td></tr> + +<tr><td><a href="#MARCH_TWENTY_NINTH"><b>29</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#MARCH_THIRTIETH"><b>30</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#MARCH_THIRTY_FIRST"><b>31</b></a></td></tr> +</table> + + + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>Spring still makes spring in the mind,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">When sixty years are told;<br /></span> +<span>Love makes anew this throbbing heart,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">And we are never old.<br /></span> +<span>Over the winter glaciers,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">I see the summer glow,<br /></span> +<span>And through the wild-piled snowdrift<br /></span> +<span class="i2">The warm rosebuds below.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Ralph Waldo Emerson.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="MARCH_FIRST" id="MARCH_FIRST" />MARCH FIRST</h2> + + +<ul><li>Alexander Balfour born 1767.</li> + +<li>Frederick François Chopin born 1809.</li> + +<li>Augustus Saint-Gaudens born 1848.</li> + +<li>William Dean Howells born 1837.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>Thy soul shall enter on its heritage<br /></span> +<span>Of God's unuttered wisdom. Thou shalt sweep<br /></span> +<span>With hand assured the ringing lyre of life,<br /></span> +<span>Till the fierce anguish of its bitter strife,<br /></span> +<span>Its pain, death, discord, sorrow, and despair,<br /></span> +<span>Break into rhythmic music. Thou shalt share<br /></span> +<span>The prophet-joy that kept forever glad<br /></span> +<span>God's poet-souls when all a world was sad.<br /></span> +<span>Enter and live! Thou hast not lived before.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—S. Weir Mitchell.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>Return unto thy rest, O my soul;<br /></span> +<span>For Jehovah hath dealt bountifully with thee.<br /></span> +<span>For thou hast delivered my soul from death,<br /></span> +<span>Mine eyes from tears,<br /></span> +<span>And my feet from falling.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Psalm 116. 7, 8.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>Almighty God, grant that I may never be so discouraged that I feel my +life has been spent. Help me to so live, that I may not follow into +hopeless days, but look for the bright and beautiful in to-morrow. +Forgive me for all that I have asked for and accepted through willful +judgment, and make me more careful in selecting my needs. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="MARCH_SECOND" id="MARCH_SECOND" />MARCH SECOND</h2> + + +<ul><li>Juvenal born A. D. 40.</li> + +<li>John Wesley died 1791.</li> + +<li>Horace Walpole died 1797.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Nature never says one thing, Wisdom another.</p> + +<p> —Juvenal.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>By all means, use some times to be alone;<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Salute thyself—see what thy soul doth wear;<br /></span> +<span>Dare to look in thy chest, for 'tis thine own,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">And tumble up and down what thou findest there.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—William Wordsworth.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Lonesomeness is part of the cost of power. The higher you climb, the + less can you hope for companionship. The heavier and the more + immediate the responsibility, the less can a man delegate his tasks + or escape his own mistakes.</p> + +<p> —Shailer Mathews.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thine inner chamber, and + having shut thy door, pray to thy Father who is in secret, and thy + Father who seeth in secret shall recompense thee.</p> + +<p> —Matthew 6. 6.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>My Father, I pray that thou wilt take care of my thoughts when I am +alone and tired, and keep them strong and clean. Grant that while I +commune with thee I may yield to my needs and be restored with keener +energy for worthier deeds. May I ask of thy wisdom every day. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="MARCH_THIRD" id="MARCH_THIRD" />MARCH THIRD</h2> + + +<ul><li>Edmund Waller born 1605.</li> + +<li>George Herbert died 1633.</li> + +<li>Christine Nilsson born 1843.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>Pitch thy behaviour low, thy projects high,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">So shalt thou humble and magnanimous be;<br /></span> +<span>Sink not in spirit: who aimeth at the sky,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Shoots higher than he that means a tree.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—George Herbert.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>We and God have business with each other; and in opening ourselves + to his influence our deepest destiny is fulfilled.</p> + +<p> —William James.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things + which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal; but + the things which are not seen are eternal.</p> + +<p> —2 Corinthians 4. 18.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>Almighty God, help me to remember that "the power of character is the +highest point of success," and that thou hast put within reach of all +the choice ideals of life. May I have the desire to cultivate strong +purposes, and strive for high endeavors, that I may not aim for the +low. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="MARCH_FOURTH" id="MARCH_FOURTH" />MARCH FOURTH</h2> + + +<ul><li>Casimer Pulaski born 1748.</li> + +<li>Sir Henry Raeburn born 1756.</li> + +<li>E. W. Bull, originator Concord grape, born 1806.</li> + +<li>Alexander Graham Bell born 1847.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>It is perfectly obvious that men do necessarily absorb, out of the + influences in which they grow up, something which gives a complexion + to their whole after-character.</p> + +<p> —Anthony Froude.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>All common things, each day's events<br /></span> +<span class="i2">That with the hour begin and end,<br /></span> +<span>Our pleasures and our discontents<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Are rounds by which we may ascend.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Henry W. Longfellow.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Our doubts are traitors, and make us lose the good we oft might win + by fearing to attempt. I</p> + +<p> —Shakespeare.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>And David put his hand in his bag, and took thence a stone, and + slang it, and smote the Philistine in his forehead; and the stone + sank into his forehead, and he fell upon his face to the earth.</p> + +<p> —1 Samuel 17. 49.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>My Father, I would remember that my life may decline from the neglect +of small things; for as thou dost nourish the wheat from flakes of +snow, and supply the springs from drops of rain, so thou wilt +strengthen my soul from every little blessing. I pray that I may not +forget to watch my habits, and keep track of the hours that culture +and sustain my life. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="MARCH_FIFTH" id="MARCH_FIFTH" />MARCH FIFTH</h2> + + +<ul><li>Correggio died 1534.</li> + +<li>Howard Pyle born 1853.</li> + +<li>Arthur Foote born 1853.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>When I have the time so many things I'll do,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">To make life happier and more fair<br /></span> +<span class="i2">For those whose lives are crowded now with care,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">I'll help to lift them from their low despair<br /></span> +<span class="i4">When I have time.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>When I have time the friend I love so well<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Shall know no more the weary, toiling days;<br /></span> +<span class="i2">I'll lead his feet in pleasant paths always,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">And cheer his heart with words of sweetest praise,<br /></span> +<span class="i4">When I have time.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>Now is the time! Speed, friend; no longer wait<br /></span> +<span class="i2">To scatter loving smiles and words of cheer<br /></span> +<span class="i2">To those around whose lives are drear;<br /></span> +<span class="i2">They may not need you in the far-off year:<br /></span> +<span class="i4">Now is the time.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Unknown.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Behold now is the acceptable time; behold, now is the day of + salvation.</p> + +<p> —2 Corinthians 6. 2.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>Lord God, teach me this day to know that the veriest trifle often +keeps happiness alive, and that the smallest trifle often may kill it. +I pray that now thou wilt put within my heart that touch of love, +which brings consideration for others, and the care that brings the +greatest happiness. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="MARCH_SIXTH" id="MARCH_SIXTH" />MARCH SIXTH</h2> + + +<ul><li>Michael Angelo Buonarroti born 1475.</li> + +<li>Elizabeth Barrett Browning born 1806.</li> + +<li>George du Maurier born 1831.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span class="i2">Beloved, let us love so well<br /></span> +<span>Our work shall still be better for our love,<br /></span> +<span>And still our love be sweeter for our work:<br /></span> +<span>And both commended for the sake of each<br /></span> +<span class="i2">By all true workers and true lovers born.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Elizabeth B. Browning.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>Earth saddens, never shall remove,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Affections purely given;<br /></span> +<span>And e'en that mortal grief shall prove<br /></span> +<span class="i2">The immortality of love,<br /></span> +<span>And heighten it with heaven.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Elizabeth B. Browning.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>And if I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and if I give my body + to be burned, but have not love, it profiteth me nothing.</p> + +<p> —1 Corinthians 13. 3.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>Loving Father, I pray that I may not try to change the standard of +love by grafting on my own selfishness and infirmities. May I remember +that it is mostly for gratification that love is held to the base in +life; may I follow it to the summits, where it is divine. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="MARCH_SEVENTH" id="MARCH_SEVENTH" />MARCH SEVENTH</h2> + + +<ul><li>Sir Thomas Wilson died 1755.</li> + +<li>Sir Edwin Landseer born 1802.</li> + +<li>Luther Burbank born 1849.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>Earth gets its price for what it gives us;<br /></span> +<span class="i2">The beggar is taxed for a corner to die in,<br /></span> +<span>The priest has his fee who comes and shrives us,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">We bargain for the graves we lie in;<br /></span> +<span>At the devil's booth are all things sold,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Each ounce of dross costs its ounce of gold;<br /></span> +<span>For a cap and bells our lives we pay,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Bubbles we buy with a whole soul's tasking;<br /></span> +<span>'Tis heaven alone that is given away,<br /></span> +<span>'Tis only God may be had for the asking.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—James Russell Lowell.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>We are our own fates. Our own deeds<br /></span> +<span>Are our doomsmen. Man's life was made<br /></span> +<span>Not for men's creeds,<br /></span> +<span>But men's actions.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Owen Meredith.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + + +<div class="blockquot"><p>The free gift of God is eternal life.</p> + +<p> —Romans 6. 23.</p></div> + +<hr /> + + +<p>Gracious Father, may the world speak to me of thy love, and of thy +gifts of peace and power, which it freely offers. May I not pass by +its great values, and prefer to purchase at a great cost my indolence +and dissipation.</p> + +<p>—Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="MARCH_EIGHTH" id="MARCH_EIGHTH" />MARCH EIGHTH</h2> + + +<ul><li>Dr. John Fothergill born 1712.</li> + +<li>C. P. Cranch born 1813.</li> + +<li>Anna Letitia Barbauld died 1825.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>O boundless self-contentment voiced<br /></span> +<span class="i2">In flying air-born bubbles!<br /></span> +<span>O joy that mocks our sad unrest,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">And frowns our earth-born troubles!<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>The life that floods the happy fields<br /></span> +<span class="i2">With song and light and color,<br /></span> +<span>Will shape our lives to richer states<br /></span> +<span class="i2">And heap our measures fuller.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—C. P. Cranch.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>One may secure and preserve that repose in the turbulence of a great + city—as Shakespeare surely found and preserved it in the London of + the sixteenth century. For repose does not depend on external + conditions; it depends on sound adjustment to tasks, opportunities, + pleasures, and the general order of life.</p> + +<p> —Hamilton Mabie.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>That we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in godliness and gravity.</p> + +<p> —1 Timothy 2.2.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>Gracious Father, help me to understand that peace cannot abide in +misery, nor can it stay with every mood. May I be able to overcome the +depression that may keep me in sadness and isolation, and have delight +in the gladness of friends, and live in the peace of strong +resolutions. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="MARCH_NINTH" id="MARCH_NINTH" />MARCH NINTH</h2> + + +<ul><li>Americus Vespucius born 1451.</li> + +<li>Lewis Gonzaga born 1568.</li> + +<li>Comte de Mirabeau born 1749.</li> + +<li>William Cobbett born 1762.</li> + +<li>Edwin Forrest born 1806.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>Yet nerve thy spirit to the Proof, and blanch not at thy chosen lot;<br /></span> +<span>The timid good may stand aloof, the sage may frown—yet faint thou not;<br /></span> +<span>Nor heed the shaft too surely cast, the foul and hissing bolt of scorn;<br /></span> +<span>For with thy Side shall dwell, at last, the victory of endurance born.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—William C. Bryant.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>You cannot dream yourself into a character; you must hammer and + forge yourself into one.</p> + +<p> —James Anthony Froude.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Can thy heart endure, or can thy hands be strong, in the days that I + shall deal with thee?</p> + +<p> —Ezekiel 22.14.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>Loving Father, search me, and if there be any evil ways in me, correct +them, and lead me into the ways everlasting. I pray that I may not be +deformed from selfishness, but with a lowly and expectant heart run +with patience and triumph the race that is set before me. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="MARCH_TENTH" id="MARCH_TENTH" />MARCH TENTH</h2> + + +<ul><li>Bishop Duppa born 1698.</li> + +<li>Professor Playfair born 1748.</li> + +<li>Charles Loyson (Père Hyacinthe) born 1827.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>So he died by his faith. That is fine—<br /></span> +<span class="i2">More than the most of us do.<br /></span> +<span>But stay. Can you add to that line<br /></span> +<span class="i2">That he lived for it too?<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>It is easy to die. Men have died<br /></span> +<span class="i2">For a wish or a whim—<br /></span> +<span>From bravado or passion or pride.<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Was it hard for him?<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>But to live: every day to live out<br /></span> +<span class="i2">All the truth that he dreamt,<br /></span> +<span>While his friends met his conduct with doubt,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">And the world with contempt.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>Was it thus that he plodded ahead,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Never turning aside?<br /></span> +<span>Then we'll talk of the life that he led.<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Never mind how he died.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Ernest Crosby.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>For I have no pleasure in the death of him that dieth, saith the + Lord Jehovah: wherefore turn yourselves, and live.</p> + +<p> —Ezekiel 18. 32.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>Almighty God, help me to live an upright life. Give me courage to +abandon useless customs, and seeming duties that keep me from +perfecting my life. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="MARCH_ELEVENTH" id="MARCH_ELEVENTH" />MARCH ELEVENTH</h2> + + +<ul><li>Torquato Tasso born 1544.</li> + +<li>Alexander Mackenzie died 1820.</li> + +<li>Henry Drummond died 1897.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>There is nothing that is puerile in nature; and he who becomes + impassioned of a flower, a blade of grass, a butterfly's wing, a + nest, a shell, wraps around a small thing that always contains a + great truth. To succeed in modifying the appearance of a flower is + insignificant in itself, if you will; but reflect upon it for + however short a while and it becomes gigantic.</p> + +<p> —Maurice Maeterlinck.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>O world, as God has made it! All is beauty:<br /></span> +<span>And knowing this, is love, and love is duty:<br /></span> +<span>What further may be sought for or declared?<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Robert Browning.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, + neither do they spin: yet I say unto you, that even Solomon in all + his glory was not arrayed like one of these.</p> + +<p> —Matthew 6. 28, 29.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>Creator of all, I do know that if I may hold myself close enough, I +can hear restful music through the breeze, and find secrets in the +flowers and leaves. I rejoice that thou hast made the woods and rivers +that thou dost love, so I too might possess them, and not be a tenant +of them only. May I look and study deeper the things which bring me +closer to thee. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="MARCH_TWELFTH" id="MARCH_TWELFTH" />MARCH TWELFTH</h2> + + +<ul><li>Cesare Borgia killed 1507.</li> + +<li>Bishop Buckley born 1684.</li> + +<li>Simon Newcomb born 1835.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Among the happiest and proudest possessions of a man is his + character. It is a wreath, it is a bank in itself. What is the + essence and life of character? Principle, integrity, independence.</p> + +<p> —Bulwer Lytton.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>No great genius was ever without some mixture of madness, nor can + anything grand or superior to the voice of common mortals be spoken + except by the agitated soul.</p> + +<p> —Aristotle.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Handsome is that handsome does.</p> + +<p> —Oliver Goldsmith.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Since thou hast been precious in my sight, and honorable, and I have + loved thee; therefore will I give men in thy stead, and peoples + instead of thy life.</p> + +<p> —Isaiah 43. 4.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>Lord God, forbid that I should try to supplant character with manners +and worldly goods. May I remember that thou seest me, and knowest me, +and I need no shield from thee. Help me that I may be found acceptable +while thou dost search me to the depths of the soul. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="MARCH_THIRTEENTH" id="MARCH_THIRTEENTH" />MARCH THIRTEENTH</h2> + + +<ul><li>Joseph Priestley born 1733.</li> + +<li>Esther Johnson (Stella) born 1681.</li> + +<li>Regina Maria Roche died 1845.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>If stores of dry and learned lore we gain<br /></span> +<span>We keep them in the memory of the brain;<br /></span> +<span>Names, things, and facts—whate'er we knowledge call,<br /></span> +<span>There is the common ledger for them all;<br /></span> +<span>And images on this cold surface traced<br /></span> +<span>Make slight impressions and are soon effaced.<br /></span> +<span>But we've a page more glowing and more bright<br /></span> +<span>On which our friendship and our love to write;<br /></span> +<span>That these may never from the soul depart,<br /></span> +<span>We trust them to the memory of the heart.<br /></span> +<span>There is no dimming—no effacement here;<br /></span> +<span>Each pulsation keeps the record clear;<br /></span> +<span>Warm golden letters all the tablet fill,<br /></span> +<span>Nor lose their luster till the heart stands still.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Daniel Webster.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>I often wonder why it is that we are not all kinder than we are. How + much the world needs it! How easily it is done! How instantaneously + it acts! How infallibly it is remembered!</p> + +<p> —Henry Drummond.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Cast thy bread upon the waters; for thou shalt find it after many + days.</p> + +<p> —Ecclesiastes 11. 1.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>My Father, thou hast taught me through the gifts of life, that there +is no labor or price too dear to pay for love. I pray to love thee +more that I may have more love to bestow on others. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="MARCH_FOURTEENTH" id="MARCH_FOURTEENTH" />MARCH FOURTEENTH</h2> + + +<ul><li>Thomas H. Benton born 1782.</li> + +<li>Johann Strauss born 1804.</li> + +<li>Victor Emmanuel born 1820.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>Rivers to the ocean run,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Nor stay in all their course;<br /></span> +<span>Fire ascending seeks the sun;<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Both speed them to their source;<br /></span> +<span>So a soul that's born of God,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Pants to view his glorious face,<br /></span> +<span>Upward tends to his abode,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">To rest in his embrace.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Robert Seagrave.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>As the bird trims her to the gale<br /></span> +<span class="i2">I trim myself to the storm of time;<br /></span> +<span>I man the rudder, reef the sail,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Obey the voice at eve obeyed at prime;<br /></span> +<span>Lowly faithful, banish fear,<br /></span> +<span>The port well worth the cruise is near<br /></span> +<span class="i2">And every wave is charmed.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Ralph Waldo Emerson.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>As the hart panteth after the water brooks,<br /></span> +<span>So panteth my soul after thee, O God.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Psalm 42. 1.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>My Father, I pray that if I meet with difficulty, I may not go +backward, nor stand still, and fear to go forward. Unfold to me the +depth and breadth of the ideal and beautiful, that I may not be +content to succeed in the shallowness of life: but may I aspire to the +height of the soul, even if I fail to acquire great things. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="MARCH_FIFTEENTH" id="MARCH_FIFTEENTH" />MARCH FIFTEENTH</h2> + + +<ul><li>Julius Cæsar killed B. C. 44.</li> + +<li>Peasants War began 1512.</li> + +<li>Andrew Jackson, North Carolina, seventh President +United States, born 1767.</li> + +<li>John Davenport died 1670.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>I will take the responsibility!</p> + +<p> —Andrew Jackson.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>What ought to be possible for everyone is to arrive at a sort of + harmony of life, to have definite things that they want to do.... + The people whom it is hard to fit into any scheme of benevolent + creation are the vague, insignificant, drifting people, whose only + rooted tendency is to do whatever is suggested to them.</p> + +<p> —Arthur C. Benson.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>Heard are the voices,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Heard are the sages,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">The worlds, and the ages;<br /></span> +<span>Choose well! your choice is<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Brief and endless.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Goethe.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Only be strong and very courageous, to observe to do according to + all the law....</p> + +<p> —Joshua 1. 7.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>Gracious Father, I pray that thou wilt free me from evil thoughts +before they become a habit. Create in me that freedom which makes me +not ashamed to acknowledge the wrong, and which will enable me to +stand for the right. Quicken my thoughts, that they may keep my heart +inspired. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="MARCH_SIXTEENTH" id="MARCH_SIXTEENTH" />MARCH SIXTEENTH</h2> + + +<ul><li>James Madison, Virginia, fourth President United +States, born 1751.</li> + +<li>Caroline Lucretia Herschel born 1750.</li> + +<li>Alexander Watts born 1797.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>If we live truly we shall see truly. It is as easy for the strong + man to be strong as it is for the weak to be weak. When we have new + perception we shall gladly disburthen the memory of the hoarded + treasures as old rubbish. When a man lives with God his voice shall + be as sweet as the murmur of the brook and the rustle of the corn.</p> + +<p> —Ralph Waldo Emerson.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>The tissue of the life to be,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">We weave with colors all our own,<br /></span> +<span>And in the field of Destiny<br /></span> +<span class="i2">We reap as we have sown.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Raphael.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Now when they beheld the boldness of Peter and John, and had + perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marveled; + and they took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus.</p> + +<p> —Acts 4. 13.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>Lord God, quiet me if I am not calm, that my soul may be able to +contemplate and have an opportunity to grow. Help me, that I may be +able even in discouragements to have the true perception of life. +Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="MARCH_SEVENTEENTH" id="MARCH_SEVENTEENTH" />MARCH SEVENTEENTH</h2> + + +<ul><li>Saint Patrick's Day.</li> + +<li>Ebenezer Elliott born 1781.</li> + +<li>Dr. Thomas Chalmers born 1780.</li> + +<li>Moncure D. Conway born 1832.</li> + +<li>Clara Morris born 1849.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>What is really wanted is to light up the spirit +that is within a child. In some sense and in some +effectual degree there is in every child the material +of good work in the world; and in every child, not +only in those who are brilliant, not only in those +who are quick, but in those who are stolid, and even +in those who are dull.</p> + +<p>—William Gladstone.</p></div> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>If you make children happy now, you will make +them happy twenty years hence by the memory of +it.</p> + +<p>—Kate Douglas Wiggin.</p></div> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>And these words, which I command thee this day, +shall be upon thy heart; and thou shalt teach them +diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them +when thou sittest in thy house, and when thou +walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and +when thou risest up.</p> + +<p>—Deuteronomy 6. 6, 7.</p></div> + +<p>Lord God, may I be diligent for the progress of +little children. Show me how I may minister unto +them; and grant that I may be able to see the +necessity of giving, more than I do the pleasure of +receiving. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="MARCH_EIGHTEENTH" id="MARCH_EIGHTEENTH" />MARCH EIGHTEENTH</h2> + + +<ul><li>William Byrd died 1674.</li> + +<li>John C. Calhoun born 1782.</li> + +<li>Grover Cleveland, New Jersey, twenty-second President +United States, born 1837.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>My minde to me a kingdom is:<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Such perfect joy therein I finde<br /></span> +<span>As far exceeds all earthly blisse<br /></span> +<span class="i2">That God or nature hath assignede.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—William Byrd.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>Teach your proud will to make those nobler choices<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Which bring to soul and heart enduring health.<br /></span> +<span>Deafen your ears to those contending voices,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Look in your heart, learn your own being's wealth.<br /></span> +<span>Its resources vast, its undiscovered treasure<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Waiting for these same idle hands to mine.<br /></span> +<span>Learn that the grandest of Nature's creations<br /></span> +<span class="i2">May not be bounded by man's limitations.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Rose E. Cleveland.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>But he is in one mind, and who can turn him?<br /></span> +<span>And what his soul desireth, even that he doeth.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Job 23. 13.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>Almighty God, grant that I may never succumb to the controlling +influences of the body, and lose the power of my mind. May I guard the +dictates of my heart and keep my mind in command to obey thy will. +Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="MARCH_NINETEENTH" id="MARCH_NINETEENTH" />MARCH NINETEENTH</h2> + + +<ul><li>David Livingstone born 1813.</li> + +<li>Alice French (Octave Thanet) born 1850.</li> + +<li>William Jennings Bryan born 1860.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Isn't it interesting to get blamed for everything? But I must be + thankful in feeling that I would rather perish than blame another + for my misdeeds and deficiencies.</p> + +<p> —David Livingstone.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Criticism is helpful. If a man makes a mistake, criticism enables + him to correct it; if he is unjustly criticized, the criticism helps + him. I have had my share of criticism since I have been in public + life, but it has not prevented me from doing what I thought proper + to do.</p> + +<p> —William Jennings Bryan.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>For himself hath said, I will in no wise fail thee, neither will I + in any wise forsake thee. So that with good courage we say, The Lord + is my helper; I will not fear.</p> + +<p> —Hebrews 13. 5, 6.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>Loving Father, I thank thee that thou art the same yesterday, to-day, +and forever; and I am glad I cannot receive from thee the slights and +wounds that I may give or receive from my friends. May I be +considerate and more forgiving, and by my sincerity be worthy of the +purpose which I pursue. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="MARCH_TWENTIETH" id="MARCH_TWENTIETH" />MARCH TWENTIETH</h2> + + +<ul><li>Publius Ovidius (Ovid) born B. C. 43.</li> + +<li>Sir Isaac Newton died 1727.</li> + +<li>Karl August Nicander born 1799.</li> + +<li>Henrik Ibsen born 1828.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Whoever is not with me in the essential things of life, him I no + longer know—I owe him no consideration.</p> + +<p> —Henrik Ibsen.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Only he who lives in truth finds it. The deepest truth is not born + of conscious striving, but comes in the quiet hour when a noble + nature gives itself into the keeping of life, to suffer, to feel, to + think, and to act as it is moved by a wisdom not its own.</p> + +<p> —Hamilton Mabie.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Forgetting the things which are behind, and stretching forward to + the things which are before, I press on toward the goal unto the + prize of the high calling of God.</p> + +<p> —Philippians 3. 13, 14.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>Lord God, I thank thee for the silent ways of revelation which bring +hopeful communion with thee. Help me to be composed, that my life may +not create a noise and my soul miss the messages that come from the +depths of truth and love. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="MARCH_TWENTY_FIRST" id="MARCH_TWENTY_FIRST" />MARCH TWENTY-FIRST</h2> + + +<ul><li>Johann Sebastian Bach born 1685.</li> + +<li>Archbishop Cranmer burnt at Oxford 1556.</li> + +<li>Jean Paul Richter born 1763.</li> + +<li>Henry Kirke White born 1785.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Go through life with soft influences breathing around thee. Keep thy + heart high above the many-colored mist of earth and above its storm + clouds.</p> + +<p> —Jean Paul Richter.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Recollection is the only paradise from which we cannot be turned + out.</p> + +<p> —Jean Paul Richter.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>Come, Disappointment, come!<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Thou art not stern to me;<br /></span> +<span>Sad monitress! I own thy sway,<br /></span> +<span>A votary sad in every day,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">I bend my knee to thee,<br /></span> +<span class="i6">From sun to sun<br /></span> +<span class="i6">My race will run;<br /></span> +<span>I only bow, and say, My God, thy will be done!<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Henry Kirke White.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>If I say, I will forget my complaint,<br /></span> +<span>I will put off my sad countenance, and be of good cheer.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Job 9. 27.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>Gracious Father, help me to respond cheerfully when called upon to +give. May I never repent of tenderness which others fail to +appreciate, but may I be glad of all that I give and for all I +receive. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="MARCH_TWENTY_SECOND" id="MARCH_TWENTY_SECOND" />MARCH TWENTY-SECOND</h2> + + +<ul><li>Sir Anthony Vandyke born 1599.</li> + +<li>Caroline Sheridan Norton born 1808.</li> + +<li>Johann Goethe died 1832.</li> + +<li>Dr. Farrar, Dean of Canterbury, died 1903.</li> + +<li>Rosa Bonheur born 1822.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>Red Love still rules the day, white Faith enfolds the night,<br /></span> +<span>And hope, green-mantled, leads the way by the walls of the City of Light.<br /></span> +<span>Therefore I walk as one who sees the joy shine through<br /></span> +<span>Of the other Life behind our life, like the stars behind the blue.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Dean Farrar.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>There can be no greater delight than is experienced by a man who, by + his own unaided resources, frees himself from the consequences of + error: Heaven looks down with satisfaction upon such a spectacle.</p> + +<p> —Goethe.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Thine eyes shall see the king in his beauty: they shall behold a + land that reacheth afar.</p> + +<p> —Isaiah 33. 17.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>Lord God, help me to remember that I may not only be forgiven for my +transgression, but with thy help I may be led away from the wrong. May +I be content to follow where thou dost lead. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="MARCH_TWENTY_THIRD" id="MARCH_TWENTY_THIRD" />MARCH TWENTY-THIRD</h2> + + +<ul><li>Pierre Savant La Place born 1749.</li> + +<li>Schuyler Colfax born 1823.</li> + +<li>Richard A. Proctor born 1837.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Silence is the element in which great things fashion themselves + together; that at length they may emerge, full-formed and majestic, + into the daylight of life.... Nay, in thy own mean perplexities, do + thou thyself but hold thy tongue for one day; on the morrow how much + clearer are thy purposes and duties!</p> + +<p> —Thomas Carlyle.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Deliberate much before you say and do anything; for it will not be + in your power to recall what is said or done.</p> + +<p> —Epictetus.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>Set a watch, O Jehovah, before my mouth;<br /></span> +<span>Keep the door of my lips.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Psalm 141. 3.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>My Lord, make me a lover of the truth. Make me careful of my thoughts, +and the words I would speak, that I may not think selfishly and speak +cruelly, but keep myself holy unto thee. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="MARCH_TWENTY_FOURTH" id="MARCH_TWENTY_FOURTH" />MARCH TWENTY-FOURTH</h2> + + +<ul><li>Queen Elizabeth died 1603.</li> + +<li>Fanny Crosby born 1820.</li> + +<li>Henry W. Longfellow died 1882.</li> + +<li>Sir Edwin Arnold died 1904.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>Every quivering tongue of flame<br /></span> +<span>Seems to murmur some great name,<br /></span> +<span>Seems to say to me "Aspire!"<br /></span> +<span>No endeavor is in vain;<br /></span> +<span>Its reward is in the doing,<br /></span> +<span>And the rapture of pursuing<br /></span> +<span>Is the prize of vanquished gain.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Henry W. Longfellow.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>Never be sad or desponding<br /></span> +<span class="i2">If thou hast faith to believe;<br /></span> +<span>Grace for the duties before thee<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Ask of thy God and receive.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Fanny Crosby.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>I spread forth my hands unto thee:<br /></span> +<span>My soul thirsteth after thee, as a weary land.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Psalm 143. 6.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>Almighty God, make me conscious of my weaknesses, and make me ashamed +of my indulgences. Give me a victory over self; and may I consider +more what I put in my life. May I be eager for that which will inspire +me for greater aspirations. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="MARCH_TWENTY_FIFTH" id="MARCH_TWENTY_FIFTH" />MARCH TWENTY-FIFTH</h2> + + +<ul><li>Archbishop John Williams born 1582.</li> + +<li>Joachim Murat born 1771.</li> + +<li>Anna Seward died 1809.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>How awful is the thought of the wonders underground,<br /></span> +<span>Of the mystic changes wrought in the silent, dark profound!<br /></span> +<span>How each thing upward tends by necessity decreed,<br /></span> +<span>And the world's support depends on the shooting of a seed!<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>The summer's in her ark, and this sunny-pinioned day<br /></span> +<span>Is commissioned to remark whether Winter holds her sway:<br /></span> +<span>Go back, thou dove of peace, with myrtle on thy wing,<br /></span> +<span>Say that floods and tempests cease, and the world is ripe for Spring.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Horace Smith.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>I should never have made my success in life if I had not bestowed + upon the least thing I have ever undertaken the same attention and + care that I have bestowed upon the greatest.</p> + +<p> —Charles Dickens.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Gather up the broken pieces which remain over, that nothing be lost.</p> + +<p> —John 6. 12.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>Loving Father, cause me to learn from nature that to have perfection I +must be attentive at the beginning of growth. Help me to select with +care the soil wherein I plant; and to weed and cultivate my life that +it may grow to beauty and usefulness. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="MARCH_TWENTY_SIXTH" id="MARCH_TWENTY_SIXTH" />MARCH TWENTY-SIXTH</h2> + + +<ul><li>Konrad von Gesner born 1516.</li> + +<li>W. E. H. Lecky born 1838.</li> + +<li>Gustave Guillaumet born 1840.</li> + +<li>Walt Whitman died 1892.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Every man takes care that his neighbor shall not cheat him, but a + day comes when he begins to care that he do not cheat his neighbor. + Then all goes well. He has changed his market-cart into a chariot of + the sun.</p> + +<p> —Ralph Waldo Emerson.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>He that is unacquainted with the nature of the world must be at a + loss to know where he is. And he that cannot tell the ends he was + made for is ignorant both of himself and the world too.</p> + +<p> —Marcus Aurelius.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Give diligence to present thyself approved unto God, a workman that + needeth not to be ashamed, handling aright the word of truth.</p> + +<p> —2 Timothy 2. 15.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>Almighty God, may I not only approve of justice and kindness, but +practice it. Grant that I may be attentive to the call of work and +steadfast in completing it. May I be sincere to those who are dear to +me, and never falter in my support to those who are dependent upon me. +Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="MARCH_TWENTY_SEVENTH" id="MARCH_TWENTY_SEVENTH" />MARCH TWENTY-SEVENTH</h2> + + +<ul><li>Alfred Vigny born 1799.</li> + +<li>General A. W. Greely born 1847.</li> + +<li>Sir Gilbert Scott died 1878.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>It takes great strength to bring your life up square<br /></span> +<span>With your accepted thought and hold it there:<br /></span> +<span>Resisting the inertia that drags it back<br /></span> +<span>From new attempts, to the old habit's track.<br /></span> +<span>It is so easy to drift back, to sink.<br /></span> +<span>So hard to live abreast of what you think.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Charlotte Perkins Stetson.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>If a person had delivered up your body to anyone whom he met in his + way, you would certainly be angry. And do you feel no shame in + delivering up your own mind to be disconcerted and confounded by + anyone who happens to give you ill language.</p> + +<p> —Epictetus.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Wherefore, O King Agrippa, I was not disobedient unto the heavenly + vision.</p> + +<p> —Acts 26. 19.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>My Father, my soul sinks with shame when I think of the great moments +that I have given over to mean little things. Help me that I may +reckon more on the value of time, and live not to tolerate life, but +to have a great need for it, that day by day I may have a deeper +consciousness of its appropriate use. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="MARCH_TWENTY_EIGHTH" id="MARCH_TWENTY_EIGHTH" />MARCH TWENTY-EIGHTH</h2> + + +<ul><li>Santi d'Urbino Raphael born 1483.</li> + +<li>Sir Thomas Smith born 1514.</li> + +<li>Margaret (Peg) Woffington died 1760.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>They may not need me,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Yet they might;<br /></span> +<span>I'll let my heart be<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Just in sight—<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>A smile so small<br /></span> +<span class="i2">As mine might be<br /></span> +<span>Precisely their<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Necessity.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Unknown.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>You hear that boy laughing?—you think he's all fun;<br /></span> +<span>But the angels laugh too at the good he has done;<br /></span> +<span>The children laugh loud as they troop to his call,<br /></span> +<span>And the poor man that knows him laughs loudest of all.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Oliver Wendell Holmes.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamor, and railing, + be put away from you, with all malice: and be ye kind one to + another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other.</p> + +<p> —Ephesians 4. 31.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>Lord God, I pray that I may be fair, and not pass judgment on those +whom I like or those whom I dislike, and so bring unhappy regrets. May +I remember that, though hasty judgment often may be temporary, the +gain or loss of a friend may be permanent. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="MARCH_TWENTY_NINTH" id="MARCH_TWENTY_NINTH" />MARCH TWENTY-NINTH</h2> + + +<ul><li>Dr. John Lightfoot born 1602.</li> + +<li>John Tyler, Virginia, tenth President United States, +born 1790.</li> + +<li>Amelia Barr born 1831.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>The year's at the spring<br /></span> +<span>And the day's at the morn;<br /></span> +<span>The hillside's dew-pearled;<br /></span> +<span>The lark's on the wing:<br /></span> +<span>The snail's on the thorn;<br /></span> +<span>God's in his heaven:<br /></span> +<span>All's well with the world.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Robert Browning.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>Dear Lord and Father of mankinds<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Forgive our feverish ways;<br /></span> +<span>Reclothe us in our rightful mind;<br /></span> +<span>In purer lives thy service find,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">In deeper reverence praise.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—John G. Whittier.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>In quietness and in confidence shall be your strength.</p> + +<p> —Isaiah 30. 15.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>Lord God, I beseech thee to give me the strength which endures. Grant +that I may have the ceaseless content which is secured by choosing and +continuing in the right way. From the wealth of each day renew my +hope, and quiet my soul with the calm of thy peace. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="MARCH_THIRTIETH" id="MARCH_THIRTIETH" />MARCH THIRTIETH</h2> + + +<ul><li>Sir Henry Wotton born 1568.</li> + +<li>Archbishop Somner born 1606.</li> + +<li>John Fiske born 1842.</li> + +<li>John Constable died 1837.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>I said, "Let us walk in the field."<br /></span> +<span class="i2">He said, "Nay walk in the town."<br /></span> +<span>I said, "There are no flowers there."<br /></span> +<span class="i2">He said, "No flowers but a crown."<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>I said, "But the air is thick,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">And the fogs are veiling the sun."<br /></span> +<span>He answered, "Yet souls are sick<br /></span> +<span class="i2">And souls in the dark undone."<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>I cast one look at the field,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Then set my face to the town.<br /></span> +<span>He said: "My child, do you yield?<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Will ye leave the flowers for the crown?"<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>Then into his hand went mine<br /></span> +<span class="i2">And into my heart came He,<br /></span> +<span>And I walked in a light divine<br /></span> +<span class="i2">The path I had feared to see.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—George Macdonald.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Now therefore amend your ways and your doings, and obey the voice of + Jehovah your God.</p> + +<p> —Jeremiah 26. 13.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>Eternal God, teach me the way of a complete and unbroken trust. In my +disappointments, and in my devotions, may my faith and hope be as +immortal as my soul. May I listen for thy voice and answer thy call. +Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="MARCH_THIRTY_FIRST" id="MARCH_THIRTY_FIRST" />MARCH THIRTY-FIRST</h2> + + +<ul><li>Ludwig von Beethoven died 1827.</li> + +<li>Joseph Francis Haydn born 1732.</li> + +<li>Andrew Lang born 1844.</li> + +<li>Charlotte Brontë died 1855.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>The Great Being unseen, but all-present, who in his beneficence + desires only our welfare, watches the struggle between good and evil + in our hearts, and waits to see whether we obey his voice, heard in + the whispers of conscience, or lend an ear to the Spirit Evil, which + seeks to lead us astray. Rough and steep is the path indicated by + divine suggestion; mossy and declining the green way along which + temptation strews flowers. Then conscience whispers, "Do what you + feel is right, obey me, and I will plant for you firm footing."</p> + +<p> —Charlotte Brontë.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>God help us do our duty, and not shrink,<br /></span> +<span>And trust in heaven humbly for the rest.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Owen Meredith.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>I call heaven and earth to witness against you this day, that I have + set before thee life and death, the blessing and the curse: + therefore choose life.</p> + +<p> —Deuteronomy 30. 19.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>My Father, as I review my life I am impressed how accurately my deeds +have copied my thoughts. And though I have failed the so often, yet I +pray that thou wilt accept my yearnings, to think and work for the +best in every day. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="APRIL" id="APRIL" />APRIL</h2> + +<table border="0" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" summary=""> +<tr><td><a href="#APRIL_FIRST"><b>01</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#APRIL_SECOND"><b>02</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#APRIL_THIRD"><b>03</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#APRIL_FOURTH"><b>04</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#APRIL_FIFTH"><b>05</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#APRIL_SIXTH"><b>06</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#APRIL_SEVENTH"><b>07</b></a></td></tr> + +<tr><td><a href="#APRIL_EIGHTH"><b>08</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#APRIL_NINTH"><b>09</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#APRIL_TENTH"><b>10</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#APRIL_ELEVENTH"><b>11</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#APRIL_TWELFTH"><b>12</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#APRIL_THIRTEENTH"><b>13</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#APRIL_FOURTEENTH"><b>14</b></a></td></tr> + +<tr><td><a href="#APRIL_FIFTEENTH"><b>15</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#APRIL_SIXTEENTH"><b>16</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#APRIL_SEVENTEENTH"><b>17</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#APRIL_EIGHTEENTH"><b>18</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#APRIL_NINETEENTH"><b>19</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#APRIL_TWENTIETH"><b>20</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#APRIL_TWENTY_FIRST"><b>21</b></a></td></tr> + +<tr><td><a href="#APRIL_TWENTY_SECOND"><b>22</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#APRIL_TWENTY_THIRD"><b>23</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#APRIL_TWENTY_FOURTH"><b>24</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#APRIL_TWENTY_FIFTH"><b>25</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#APRIL_TWENTY_SIXTH"><b>26</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#APRIL_TWENTY_SEVENTH"><b>27</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#APRIL_TWENTY_EIGHTH"><b>28</b></a></td></tr> + +<tr><td><a href="#APRIL_TWENTY_NINTH"><b>29</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#APRIL_THIRTIETH"><b>30</b></a></td></tr> +</table> + + +<div class="blockquot"><p>God's April is coming up the hill, and the noisy winds are quieting + down, subdued by the fragrance of the wild flowers on the way. Lest + we miss the richness of life, while pursuing the world, God + continues to pour out precious fragrance from his storehouse, and + unconsciously, our souls are lulled to peace through the sweetness + of April days.</p> + +<p> —M. B. S.</p></div> + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="APRIL_FIRST" id="APRIL_FIRST" />APRIL FIRST</h2> + + +<ul><li>All Fools' Day.</li> + +<li>William Harvey born 1578.</li> + +<li>Prince von Bismarck born 1815.</li> + +<li>Edwin A. Abbey born 1852.</li> + +<li>Agnes Repplier born 1858.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>It is a peculiar quality of a fool to perceive the faults of others, + and to forget his own.</p> + +<p> —Cicero.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>A man may be as much a fool from the want of sensibility as the want + of sense.</p> + +<p> —Mrs. Jameson.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>He that knows not, and knows not that he knows not, is a fool: shun + him.</p> + +<p> —Arabian Maxim.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>Seest thou a man wise in his own conceit?<br /></span> +<span>There is more hope of a fool than of him.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Proverbs 26. 12.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>Almighty God, grant that I may be spared the allurements of deceptive +happiness which leaves weary days. I ask for wisdom that I may not +speak foolishly, think foolishly, or act foolishly; and may I not be +detained by the foolishness of others, but pursue my work, whether it +be far or near. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="APRIL_SECOND" id="APRIL_SECOND" />APRIL SECOND</h2> + + +<ul><li>Charlemagne born 742.</li> + +<li>Thomas Jefferson, Virginia, third President United +States, born 1743.</li> + +<li>Hans Andersen born 1805.</li> + +<li>Frederic A. Bartholdi born 1834.</li> + +<li>Emile Zola born 1840.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>When a man assumes a public trust he should consider himself public + property.</p> + +<p> —Thomas Jefferson.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>We hold these truths to be self-evident—that all men are created + equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain + unalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty, and the + pursuit of happiness.</p> + +<p> —Declaration of Independence.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>Breathes there the man with soul so dead<br /></span> +<span>Who never to himself hath said,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">This is my own, my native land!<br /></span> +<span>Whose heart hath ne'er within him burned<br /></span> +<span>As home his footsteps he hath turned<br /></span> +<span class="i2">From wandering on a foreign strand?<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Sir Walter Scott.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Render therefore unto Cæsar the things that are Cæsar's.</p> + +<p> —Matthew 22. 21.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>My Lord, I thank thee for the wisdom and love that is spoken through +the lives of strong men and women. Grant that I may be willing to +learn of them, and gladly serve where I am needed, remembering that +thou art Lord of all. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="APRIL_THIRD" id="APRIL_THIRD" />APRIL THIRD</h2> + + +<ul><li>George Herbert born 1593.</li> + +<li>Washington Irving born 1783.</li> + +<li>Edward Everett Hale born 1822.</li> + +<li>John Burroughs born 1837.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>Sum up at night what thou hast done by day<br /></span> +<span>And in the morning what thou hast to do:<br /></span> +<span>Dress and undress thy soul: mark the decay<br /></span> +<span>And growth of it; if with thy watch that too<br /></span> +<span>Be dowl, then wind up both; since we shall be<br /></span> +<span>Most surely judged, make thy accounts agree.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—George Herbert.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>To look up and not down,<br /></span> +<span>To look forward and not back,<br /></span> +<span>To look out and not in, and<br /></span> +<span>To lend a hand.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Edward E. Hale.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>There is a healthy hardiness about real dignity that never dreads + contact and communion with others, however humble.</p> + +<p> —Washington Irving.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>I put on righteousness, and it clothed me:<br /></span> +<span>My justice was as a robe and a diadem.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Job 29. 14.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>My Lord, I pray that I may always be found clothed in love and +kindness. Make me worthy to minister to those who may be dependent on +me, and whether they be rich or poor, high or low, may I try to help +them. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="APRIL_FOURTH" id="APRIL_FOURTH" />APRIL FOURTH</h2> + + +<ul><li>Oliver Goldsmith died 1774.</li> + +<li>Dorothea Dix born 1802.</li> + +<li>James Freeman Clarke born 1810.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>"The greatest object in the universe," said a certain philosopher, + "is a good man struggling with adversity"; yet there is still a + greater, which is the good man who comes to relieve it.</p> + +<p> —Oliver Goldsmith.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>Yet I believe that somewhere, soon or late,<br /></span> +<span class="i6">A peace will fall<br /></span> +<span>Upon the angry reaches of my mind;<br /></span> +<span class="i6">A peace initiate<br /></span> +<span>In some heroic hour when I behold<br /></span> +<span>A friend's long-quested triumph, or unbind<br /></span> +<span class="i6">The tressed gold<br /></span> +<span>From a child's laughing face. I still believe—<br /></span> +<span class="i6">So much believe.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—J. Drinkwater.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>But whoso hath the world's goods, and beholdeth his brother in need, + and shutteth up his compassion from him, how doth the love of God + abide in him?</p> + +<p> —1 John 3. 17.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>Almighty God, may I have a liberal heart. Grant that I may feel the +needs of thy children in all lands; and may I be willing to give of +thy blessings, as I am ready to receive them. May my tribute be not +only of tender thoughts and kind words, but may I give of myself, and +of what I have, as thou hast through love and wisdom done for me. +Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="APRIL_FIFTH" id="APRIL_FIFTH" />APRIL FIFTH</h2> + + +<ul><li>Elihu Yale born 1648.</li> + +<li>Sir Henry Havelock born 1795.</li> + +<li>Frank Stockton (Francis) born 1834.</li> + +<li>Algernon Charles Swinburne born 1837.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>As morning hears before it run<br /></span> +<span>The music of the mounting sun,<br /></span> +<span>And laughs to watch his trophies won<br /></span> +<span>From darkness, and her hosts undone,<br /></span> +<span>And all the night becomes a breath,<br /></span> +<span>Nor dreams that fear should hear and flee<br /></span> +<span>The summer menace of the sea,<br /></span> +<span>So hear our hope what life may be,<br /></span> +<span>And know it not for death.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Algernon Charles Swinburne.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>I came from God, and I'm going back to God, and I won't have any + gaps of death in the middle of my life.</p> + +<p> —George MacDonald.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>The hope of the righteous shall be gladness;<br /></span> +<span>But the expectation of the wicked shall perish.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Proverbs 10. 28.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>Lord God, teach me the way and show me the light of the eternal day; +and may the vision fill my soul as I take courage and follow it. May I +not be fearful of what may be provided, but remember that before the +creation of life thou didst have a purpose in death. May I be +trustful. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="APRIL_SIXTH" id="APRIL_SIXTH" />APRIL SIXTH</h2> + + +<ul><li>Albert Dürer died 1528.</li> + +<li>James Mill born 1773.</li> + +<li>Jean Baptiste Rousseau born 1669.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Even if the sacrifices which are made to duty and virtue are painful + to make, they are well repaid by the sweet recollections which they + leave at the bottom of the heart.</p> + +<p> —Jean B. Rousseau.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>I am the man of a thousand loves,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">A thousand loves have I;<br /></span> +<span>And all my loves are white-winged doves,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">That into my soul would fly.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>I am the man of a thousand friends<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Of tuneful memory;<br /></span> +<span>And each of them spends the delicate ends<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Of a brilliant day with me.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>And all my gifts are magical words<br /></span> +<span class="i2">That sing sweet songs to me;<br /></span> +<span>And the sensitive words are caroling birds<br /></span> +<span class="i2">In the garden of imagery.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Edwin Leibfreed.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee the crown of life.</p> + +<p> —Revelation 2. 10.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>Loving Father, I bless thee for thy love and ministry. May I enter +into a broader conception of sharing thy gifts. May I not seek thy +blessings to keep, but to use for renewed inspiration. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="APRIL_SEVENTH" id="APRIL_SEVENTH" />APRIL SEVENTH</h2> + + +<ul><li>Saint Francis Xavier born 1506.</li> + +<li>William Wordsworth born 1770.</li> + +<li>William Ellery Channing born 1780.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>My heart leaps up when I behold<br /></span> +<span class="i2">A rainbow in the sky:<br /></span> +<span>So was it when my life began;<br /></span> +<span>So is it now I am a man;<br /></span> +<span>So be it when I shall grow old,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Or let me die!<br /></span> +<span>The child is Father of the Man;<br /></span> +<span>And I could wish my days to be<br /></span> +<span>Bound each to each by natural piety.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—William Wordsworth.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>A self-controlled mind is a free mind, and freedom is power. I call + that mind free which jealously guards its intellectual rights and + powers. I call that mind free which resists the bondage of habit, + which does not live on its old virtues, but forgets what is behind, + and rejoices to pour itself forth in fresh and higher exertions.</p> + +<p> —William Ellery Channing.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>That ye be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and put on the new + man, that after God hath been created in righteousness and holiness + of truth.</p> + +<p> —Ephesians 4. 23, 24.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>Lord God, give me the power to control my mind and heart, that I may +not be a slave to habits that may keep me from eternal love and +blessedness. May I have sympathy and compassion for others, and +cherish thy tenderness and mercy as I hold it in my daily life. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="APRIL_EIGHTH" id="APRIL_EIGHTH" />APRIL EIGHTH</h2> + + +<ul><li>Petrarch crowned 1341.</li> + +<li>William Herbert, Earl of Pembroke, born 1580.</li> + +<li>David Rittenhouse born 1732.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>If I can stop one heart from breaking,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">I shall not live in vain;<br /></span> +<span>If I can ease one life from aching,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Or cool one pain,<br /></span> +<span>Or help one fainting robin<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Unto his nest again,<br /></span> +<span>I shall not live in vain.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Emily Dickinson.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>The most solid comfort one can fall back upon is the thought that + the business of one's life is to help in some small way to reduce + the sum of ignorance, degradation, and misery on the face of this + beautiful earth.</p> + +<p> —George Eliot.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Make full my joy, that ye be of the same mind, having the same love, + being of one accord, of one mind; doing nothing through faction or + through vainglory, but in lowliness of mind each counting other + better than himself.</p> + +<p> —Philippians 2. 2, 3.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>My Father, take away the spirit, if I may be inclined to keep the +best, and to be always seeking my portion. May I have the desire to +share with those who have less, and to give to those who may have +more, whether it be of bread or love. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="APRIL_NINTH" id="APRIL_NINTH" />APRIL NINTH</h2> + + +<ul><li>Fisher Ames born 1758.</li> + +<li>John Opie died 1807.</li> + +<li>Dante Gabriel Rossetti died 1882.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>Gather a shell from the strown beach<br /></span> +<span class="i2">And listen at its lips; they sigh<br /></span> +<span class="i2">The same desire and mystery,<br /></span> +<span>The echo of the whole sea's speech.<br /></span> +<span class="i2">And all mankind is this at heart—<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Not anything but what thou art:<br /></span> +<span>And Earth, Sea, Man are all in each.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Dante Gabriel Rossetti.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>And as, in sparkling majesty, a star<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Gilds the bright summit of some glory cloud;<br /></span> +<span>Brightening the half-veil'd face of heaven afar;<br /></span> +<span class="i2">So when dark thoughts my boding spirit shroud,<br /></span> +<span>Sweet Hope! celestial influence round me shed,<br /></span> +<span>Waving the silver pinions o'er my head.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—John Keats.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, + that ye may abound in hope, in the power of the Holy Spirit.</p> + +<p> —Romans 15. 13.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>Almighty God, may I ever know the generous glow that comes with an +overwhelming desire to cultivate the soul. With hope may I find the +way through the darkness that leads to immortality, even if I may have +to experience the weariness that may accompany it. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="APRIL_TENTH" id="APRIL_TENTH" />APRIL TENTH</h2> + + +<ul><li>Hugo Grotius born 1583.</li> + +<li>William Hazlitt born 1778.</li> + +<li>General Lew Wallace born 1827.</li> + +<li>General William Booth born 1829.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>The essence of happy living is never to find life dull, never to + feel the ugly weariness which comes of overstrain; to be fresh, + cheerful, leisurely, sociable, unhurried, well-balanced. It seems to + me impossible to be these things unless we have time to consider + life a little, to deliberate, to select, to abstain.</p> + +<p> —Arthur C. Benson.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Four things come not back—the spoken word, the sped arrow, the past + life, the neglected opportunity.</p> + +<p> —William Hazlitt.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Wherefore, brethren, give the more diligence to make your calling + and election sure.</p> + +<p> —2 Peter 1. 10.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>My Father, may I not miss my work through indifference and feel it is +thy neglect of me. May I be reminded that the enrichment of life comes +through persistency and being consistent, and may not be found on the +idle paths of extravagant ways. Help me to take up my work with a +willing spirit and give my best to it. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="APRIL_ELEVENTH" id="APRIL_ELEVENTH" />APRIL ELEVENTH</h2> + + +<ul><li>George Canning born 1770.</li> + +<li>Edward Everett born 1794.</li> + +<li>Donald G. Mitchell (Ik Marvel) born 1822.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>The safe path to excellence and success in every calling, is that of + appropriate preliminary education, diligent application to learn the + art of assiduity and practicing it.</p> + +<p> —Edward Everett.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>That nothing walks with aimless feet;<br /></span> +<span class="i2">That not one life shall be destroyed,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Or cast as rubbish to the void,<br /></span> +<span>When God hath made the pile complete.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>Behold, we know not anything:<br /></span> +<span class="i2">I can but trust that good shall fall<br /></span> +<span class="i2">At last—far off—at last, to all,<br /></span> +<span>And every winter change to spring.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Alfred Tennyson.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>And we desire that each one of you may show the same diligence unto + the fullness of hope even to the end: that ye be not sluggish, but + imitators of them who through faith and patience inherit the + promises.</p> + +<p> —Hebrews 6. 11, 12.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>Lord God, help me in all my circumstances, and be with me in my daily +work. Help me in my efforts, as I endeavor to attain, and may my will +be hid in thine. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="APRIL_TWELFTH" id="APRIL_TWELFTH" />APRIL TWELFTH</h2> + + +<ul><li>Edward Young died 1765.</li> + +<li>Edward Bird born 1772.</li> + +<li>Henry Clay born 1777.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>I would rather be right than be President.</p> + +<p> —Henry Clay.</p></div> + +<hr /> + + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>Who does the best his circumstances allow<br /></span> +<span>Does well, acts nobly; angels could no more.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Edward Young.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Pedigree haz no more to do in making a man aktually grater than he + iz than a pekok's feather in his hat haz in making him aktually + taller. When the world stands in need of an arestokrat, natur + pitches one into it, and furnishes him papers without enny flaw in + them.</p> + +<p> —Josh Billings.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Cast not away therefore your boldness, which hath great recompense + of reward. For ye have need of patience, that, having done the will + of God, ye may receive the promise.</p> + +<p> —Hebrews 10. 35, 36.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>Lord God, help me to select with care the site, the plans, and the +foundation of my life. May I use the best material; and may it be +worthy of a permanent home. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="APRIL_THIRTEENTH" id="APRIL_THIRTEENTH" />APRIL THIRTEENTH</h2> + + +<ul><li>Madame Jeanne Guyon born 1648.</li> + +<li>Dr. Thomas Beddoes born 1760.</li> + +<li>James Harper born 1795.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>If there were dreams to sell,<br /></span> +<span>Merry and sad to tell,<br /></span> +<span>And the crier rang the bell,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">What would you buy?<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>A cottage lone and still<br /></span> +<span class="i2">With bowers nigh,<br /></span> +<span>Shadowy, my woes to still,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Until I die.<br /></span> +<span>Such pearl from Life's fresh crown<br /></span> +<span>Fain would I shake me down,<br /></span> +<span>Were dreams to have at will<br /></span> +<span>This would best heal my ill,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">This would I buy.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Thomas Lovell Beddoes.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>I pray you, bear me hence From forth the noise and rumor of the + field Where I may think the remnant of my thoughts In peace, and + part this body and my soul With contemplation and devout desires.</p> + +<p> —William Shakespeare.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Come ye yourselves apart into a desert place, and rest awhile.</p> + +<p> —Mark 6. 31.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>Lord God, help me to bear in mind that to step aside and safeguard the +mind in contemplation is a safe guard to the soul. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="APRIL_FOURTEENTH" id="APRIL_FOURTEENTH" />APRIL FOURTEENTH</h2> + + +<ul><li>Dr. George Gregory born 1754.</li> + +<li>George Frederic Handel died 1759.</li> + +<li>Horace Bushnell born 1802.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>Flower in the crannied wall,<br /></span> +<span>I pluck you out of the crannies—<br /></span> +<span>Hold you here, root and all, in my hand,<br /></span> +<span>Little flower—but if I could understand<br /></span> +<span>What you are, root and all, and all in all,<br /></span> +<span>I should know what God and man is.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Alfred Tennyson.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>So much is history stranger than fiction, and so true it is Nature + has caprices which Art dares not imitate.</p> + +<p> —Thomas Macaulay.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Nature is the face of God. He appears to us through it, and we can + read his thoughts in it.</p> + +<p> —Victor Hugo.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>Many, O Jehovah my God, are the wonderful works<br /></span> +<span class="i2">which thou hast done,<br /></span> +<span>And thy thoughts which are to us-ward.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Psalm 40. 5.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>Eternal God, I thank thee for the seasons which bring abundance and +beauty. I thank thee for thy loving care, which is over all and +forever. May I behold thy works and make thee a very present help for +all my needs, and perceive the joy of thy love through the greatness +of the earth. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="APRIL_FIFTEENTH" id="APRIL_FIFTEENTH" />APRIL FIFTEENTH</h2> + + +<ul><li>Emile Souvestre born 1806.</li> + +<li>John Lothrop Motley born 1814.</li> + +<li>Henry James born 1843.</li> + +<li>Abraham Lincoln died 1865.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Two thirds of human existence are wasted in hesitation, and the last + third in repentance.</p> + +<p> —Emile Souvestre.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>And, having thus chosen our course, let us renew our trust in God + and go forward without fear and with manly hearts.</p> + +<p> —Abraham Lincoln.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>The barriers are not erected which shall say to aspiring talent, + "Thus far and no further."</p> + +<p> —Beethoven.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Be strong and of good courage.</p> + +<p> —Joshua 1. 6.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>Almighty God, I pray that I may always be alive to my opportunities, +but may I never leave others impoverished by taking advantage of them. +May my prosperity be conducted with my eyes open, guarding what I give +and receive, that my possessions may remain valuable through life. +Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="APRIL_SIXTEENTH" id="APRIL_SIXTEENTH" />APRIL SIXTEENTH</h2> + + +<ul><li>Charles Montagu, Earl of Halifax, born 1661.</li> + +<li>Charles W. Peale born 1741.</li> + +<li>Sir John Franklin born 1786.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>Weary of myself and sick of asking<br /></span> +<span class="i2">What I am, and what I ought to be,<br /></span> +<span>At the vessel's prow I stand, which bears me<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Forward, forward, o'er the starlit sea<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>O air-born voice! long since severely clear,<br /></span> +<span>A cry like thine in my own heart I hear.<br /></span> +<span>Resolve to be thyself: and know that he<br /></span> +<span>Who finds himself, loses his misery.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Matthew Arnold.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>This above all to thine own self be true,<br /></span> +<span>And it must follow, as the night the day,<br /></span> +<span>Thou can'st not then be false to any man.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—William Shakespeare.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>Let thine eyes look right on,<br /></span> +<span>And let thine eyelids look straight before thee.<br /></span> +<span>Make level the path of thy feet,<br /></span> +<span>And let all thy ways be established.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Proverbs 4. 25, 26.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>My Father, give me a sense of nearness to thee when I may be faltering +from weariness in well doing. May I hold to my determinations. Help me +to know what is useless, that I may not give unnecessary energy, and +to know what is worth while, that I may acquire strength through the +power of truth. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="APRIL_SEVENTEENTH" id="APRIL_SEVENTEENTH" />APRIL SEVENTEENTH</h2> + + +<ul><li>Bishop Benjamin Hoadley died 1761.</li> + +<li>Benjamin Franklin died 1790.</li> + +<li>William G. Simms born 1806.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>Shall I ask the brave soldier who fights at my side,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">In the cause of mankind, if our creeds agree?<br /></span> +<span>Shall I give up the friend I have valued and tried,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">If he kneel not before the same altar as me?<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Thomas Moore.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>I met a little Elf-man once,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Down where the lilies blow.<br /></span> +<span>I asked him why he was so small<br /></span> +<span class="i2">And why he didn't grow.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>He slightly frowned, and with his eye<br /></span> +<span class="i2">He looked me through and through.<br /></span> +<span>"I'm quite as big for me," said he<br /></span> +<span class="i2">"As you are big for you."<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—John Kendrick Bangs.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Woe unto them that are wise in their own eyes, and prudent in their + own sight!</p> + +<p> —Isaiah 5. 21.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>Loving Father, grant that I may not barter love with formalities, nor +sacrifice love for customs. But, may I have a fellowship that is true +and sincere, and that may be counted on, though all and for all. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="APRIL_EIGHTEENTH" id="APRIL_EIGHTEENTH" />APRIL EIGHTEENTH</h2> + + +<ul><li>Lord Jeffreys died 1689.</li> + +<li>George Henry Lewes born 1817.</li> + +<li>Sir Francis Baring born 1740.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>Nor can I count him happiest who has never<br /></span> +<span>Been forced with his own hand his chains to sever,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">And for himself find out the way divine;<br /></span> +<span>He never knew the aspirer's glorious pains,<br /></span> +<span>He never earned the struggler's priceless gains.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—James Russell Lowell.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>There is not time for hate, O wasteful friend.<br /></span> +<span>Put hate away until the ages end.<br /></span> +<span>Have you an ancient wound? Forget the wrong—<br /></span> +<span>Out in my West a forest loud with song<br /></span> +<span>Towers high and green over a field of snow,<br /></span> +<span>Over a glacier buried far below.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Edwin Markham.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Fight the good fight of the faith, lay hold on the life eternal, + whereunto thou wast called, and didst confess the good confession in + the sight of many witnesses.</p> + +<p> —1 Timothy 6. 12.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>Lord God, help me to realize the power of my life. I feel ashamed and +alarmed when I think of the grievous wrongs I may have done for greed. +May I have delight in the struggles I have made for the ways of +righteousness. Make me careful to avoid the things that debase life. +May I aspire for the highest and best. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="APRIL_NINETEENTH" id="APRIL_NINETEENTH" />APRIL NINETEENTH</h2> + + +<ul><li>Roger Sherman born 1721.</li> + +<li>Lord Byron died 1824.</li> + +<li>Lord Beaconsfield (Disraeli) died 1881.</li> + +<li>Charles Darwin died 1882.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>The secret of success in life is for a man to be ready for his + opportunity when it comes. —Disraeli.</p></div> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>One sees, and the other does not see; one enjoys<br /></span> +<span>an unspeakable pleasure, and the other loses that<br /></span> +<span>pleasure which is as free to him as the air....<br /></span> +<span>The whole outward world is the kingdom of the<br /></span> +<span>observant eye. He who enters into any part of<br /></span> +<span>that kingdom to possess it has a store of pure enjoyment<br /></span> +<span>in life which is literally inexhaustible and<br /></span> +<span>immeasurable. His eyes alone will give him a life<br /></span> +<span>worth living.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Charles W. Eliot.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Having eyes, see ye not?</p> + +<p> —Mark 8. 18.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>My Father, help me to realize that I cannot feel the joy that breathes +through the early morning unless I am with it. May I see distinctly +the glory of to-day. Help me to be watchful and keep my spirit awake, +that I may receive thy revelations. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="APRIL_TWENTIETH" id="APRIL_TWENTIETH" />APRIL TWENTIETH</h2> + + +<ul><li>Marcus Aurelius born 121.</li> + +<li>Elizabeth Barton (Maid of Kent) executed 1534</li> + +<li>Sir Francis T. Baring born 1796.</li> + +<li>Alice Cary born 1820.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Do not act as if you had ten thousand years to throw away. Death + stands at your elbow. Be good for something while you live and it is + in your power.</p> + +<p> —Marcus Aurelius.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span class="i6">And O, my heart, my heart,<br /></span> +<span>Be careful to go strewing in and out<br /></span> +<span>The way with good deeds, lest it come about<br /></span> +<span class="i6">That when thou shalt depart,<br /></span> +<span>No low lamenting tongue be found to say,<br /></span> +<span>The world is poorer since thou went'st away<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Alice Cary.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>A good man prolongs his life; to be able to enjoy one's past life is + to live twice.</p> + +<p> —Martial.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>The righteous shall be had in everlasting remembrance.</p> + +<p> —Psalm 112. 6.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>Heavenly Father, thou hast made my life dear; forgive me if I have +made dearer the things that I have put around it. Many days have been +used for costly things that have faded and are laid aside. May I +realize the meaning of days that have been lost. Make me more +concerned for what I put in the days to come. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="APRIL_TWENTY_FIRST" id="APRIL_TWENTY_FIRST" />APRIL TWENTY-FIRST</h2> + + +<ul><li>Peter F. Abelard died 1142.</li> + +<li>Friedrich Fröbel born 1782.</li> + +<li>Reginald Heber born 1783.</li> + +<li>James Martineau born 1805.</li> + +<li>Charlotte Brontë born 1816.</li> + +<li>Henry Shaw (Josh Billings) born 1818.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Education should lead and guide man to clearness concerning himself + and in himself, to peace with nature, and to unity with God.</p> + +<p> —Friedrich Fröbel.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>When spring unlocks the flowers, to paint the<br /></span> +<span class="i2">laughing soil;<br /></span> +<span>When summer's balmy showers refresh the mower's<br /></span> +<span class="i2">toil;<br /></span> +<span>When winter binds in frosty chains the fallow and<br /></span> +<span class="i2">the flood,<br /></span> +<span>In God the earth rejoiceth still, and owns its maker<br /></span> +<span class="i2">good.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Reginald Heber.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>A memory without a blot or contamination must be an inexhaustible + source of pure refreshment.</p> + +<p> —Charlotte Brontë.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>For ye are all sons of light, and sons of the day: we are not of the + night, nor of darkness.</p> + +<p> —1 Thessalonians 5. 5.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>Lord of light, thou art the light of my life. May I make thee the joy +and light of my soul. Call me to where it is clear and high, that I +may see above the mist. May I not weary in climbing to reach thee in +the high places. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="APRIL_TWENTY_SECOND" id="APRIL_TWENTY_SECOND" />APRIL TWENTY-SECOND</h2> + + +<ul><li>Henry Fielding born 1707.</li> + +<li>Immanuel Kant born 1724.</li> + +<li>Philip James Bailey born 1816.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>We live in deeds, not years: in thoughts, not breaths:<br /></span> +<span>In feelings, not in figures on a dial.<br /></span> +<span>We should count time by heart-throbs. He most lives<br /></span> +<span>Who thinks most, feels the noblest, acts the best.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Philip James Bailey.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Men cease to interest us when we find their limitations. The only + sin is limitation. As soon as you once come up with a man's + limitations it is all over with him.</p> + +<p> —Ralph Waldo Emerson.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>But he that looketh into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and so + continueth, being not a hearer that forgeteth but a doer that + worketh, this man shall be blessed in his doing.</p> + +<p> —James 1. 25.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>Lord God, help me to break away from habits that fasten me in the ruts +of life. Draw me out to thy broad way, where there are no limits to +thy wonderful works, that I may expand my life. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="APRIL_TWENTY_THIRD" id="APRIL_TWENTY_THIRD" />APRIL TWENTY-THIRD</h2> + + +<ul><li>William Shakespeare born 1564, died 1616.</li> + +<li>Cervantes died 1616.</li> + +<li>J. M. W. Turner born 1775.</li> + +<li>James Buchanan, Pennsylvania, fifteenth President +United States, born 1791.</li> + +<li>James Anthony Froude born 1818.</li> + +<li>Thomas Nelson Page born 1853.</li> + +<li>Edwin Markham born 1852.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>My crown is in my heart, not on my head:<br /></span> +<span>Not decked with diamonds and Indian Stones,<br /></span> +<span>Nor to be seen. My crown is called content.<br /></span> +<span>A crown it is that seldom kings enjoy.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—William Shakespeare.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>At the heart of the cyclone tearing the sky<br /></span> +<span>And flinging the clouds and the towers by<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Is a place of central calm:<br /></span> +<span>So here in the roar of mortal things,<br /></span> +<span>I have a place where my spirit sings,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">In the hollow of God's Palm.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Edwin Markham.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>Rest in Jehovah, and wait patiently for him:<br /></span> +<span>Fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Psalm 37. 7.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>Almighty God, my heart beats quicker and the desire for thy care grows +stronger when I remember thy promises are given for all eternity. May +I be grateful and contented with thy love and care. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="APRIL_TWENTY_FOURTH" id="APRIL_TWENTY_FOURTH" />APRIL TWENTY-FOURTH</h2> + + +<ul><li>Edmund Cartwright born 1743.</li> + +<li>Anthony Trollope born 1815.</li> + +<li>Arthur Christopher Benson born 1862.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>By religion I mean the power, whatever it be, which makes a man + choose what is hard rather than what is easy; what is lofty and + noble rather than what is mean and selfish; that puts courage into + timorous hearts and gladness into clouded spirits.</p> + +<p> —Arthur C. Benson.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>For all noble things the time is long and the way rude.... For every + start and struggle of impatience there shall be so much attendant + failure.... But the fire which Patience carries in her own hand is + that truly stolen from heaven—unquenchable incense of life.</p> + +<p> —John Ruskin.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>But they that wait for Jehovah shall renew their strength; they + shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run and not be + weary; they shall walk, and not faint.</p> + +<p> —Isaiah 40. 31.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>My Father, I pray that I may not be indifferent to the call of my +soul. May I not seek to serve the disappearing and neglect to make +life worthy. Acquaint me with the permanent values of life. Make clear +the way of strength, that I may not be misled by ease and carried to +weakness. May my life be ennobled by the power of my possessions. +Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="APRIL_TWENTY_FIFTH" id="APRIL_TWENTY_FIFTH" />APRIL TWENTY-FIFTH</h2> + + +<ul><li>Oliver Cromwell born 1599.</li> + +<li>John Keble born 1792.</li> + +<li>Alexander Duff born 1806.</li> + +<li>Guglielmo Marconi born 1874.</li> + +<li>Mrs. Burton Harrison (Constance Cary) born 1846.</li> + +<li>Samuel Wesley died 1735.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Truly God follows us with encouragements: let him not lose his + blessing upon us! They come in season, and with all the advantages + of heartening, as if God should say, "Up and be doing, and I will + stand by you and help you!" There is nothing to be feared but our + own sin and sloth.</p> + +<p> —Oliver Cromwell.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>Sun of my soul, thou Saviour dear,<br /></span> +<span>It is not night if thou be near;<br /></span> +<span>O may no earthborn cloud arise<br /></span> +<span>To hide thee from thy servants' eyes.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—John Keble.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>For Jehovah God is a sun and a shield:<br /></span> +<span>Jehovah will give grace and glory;<br /></span> +<span>No good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Psalm 84. 11.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>My Father, may I not err in choosing thy benefits, nor fail from the +neglect to use them. Make me appreciative of all thy gifts, and, +through thy wisdom and power, may I find the best use for them. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="APRIL_TWENTY_SIXTH" id="APRIL_TWENTY_SIXTH" />APRIL TWENTY-SIXTH</h2> + + +<ul><li>David Hume born 1711.</li> + +<li>Daniel Defoe died 1791.</li> + +<li>Charles F. Browne (Artemus Ward) born 1834.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>How strange a chequer-work of Providence is the life of man! and by + what secret different springs are the affections hurried about, as + different circumstances present! To-day we love what to-morrow we + hate; to-day we seek what to-morrow we shun; to-day we desire what + to-morrow we fear; nay, even tremble at the apprehension of.</p> + +<p> —Daniel Defoe.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Now don't do nothin' which isn't your Fort, for ef you do you'll + find yourself splashin' round in the Kanawl, figgeratively speakin'.</p> + +<p> —Artemus Ward.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. And there + are diversities of ministrations, and the same Lord. And there are + diversities of workings, but the same God, who worketh all things in + all.</p> + +<p> —1 Corinthians 12. 4-6.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>Lord forbid that I should fear to change for the better or be so +pleased with myself and the things which surround me that I feel no +need for a higher life. Make me dissatisfied if I am not trying to +grow in truth and to live in noble deeds. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="APRIL_TWENTY_SEVENTH" id="APRIL_TWENTY_SEVENTH" />APRIL TWENTY-SEVENTH</h2> + + +<ul><li>Samuel Morse born 1791.</li> + +<li>Lajos Kossuth born 1802.</li> + +<li>Herbert Spencer born 1820.</li> + +<li>Ulysses S. Grant, Ohio, eighteenth President United +States, born 1822.</li> + +<li>Ralph Waldo Emerson died 1882.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>People who are dishonest, or rash, or stupid will inevitably suffer + the penalties of dishonesty, or rashness, or stupidity.</p> + +<p> —Herbert Spencer.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Abide in the simple and noble regions of thy life; obey thy heart.</p> + +<p> —Ralph Waldo Emerson.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Well, then, we must cut our way out.</p> + +<p> —General Grant.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Wherefore take up the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to + withstand in the evil day, and, having done all, to stand.</p> + +<p> —Ephesians 6. 13.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>Loving Father, help me to live a simple and noble life. Grant that I +may have the blessedness that comes through peace, and escape the +misery that comes from cruelty and untruth. Through my life may what I +reap show that I have been careful in choosing and cultivating what I +have sown. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="APRIL_TWENTY_EIGHTH" id="APRIL_TWENTY_EIGHTH" />APRIL TWENTY-EIGHTH</h2> + + +<ul><li>Charles Cotton born 1630.</li> + +<li>James Monroe, Virginia, fifth President United +States, born 1758.</li> + +<li>Anthony Ashley, Earl of Shaftesbury, born 1801.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>During a long life I have proved that not one kind word ever spoken, + not one kind deed ever done, but sooner or later returns to bless + the giver, and becomes a chain, binding men with golden bands to the + throne of God.</p> + +<p> —Earl of Shaftesbury.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>There's many a time when the bitterest thing<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Is said without reason, and God knows<br /></span> +<span>The courage it takes to suffer the sting,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">By hiding the wounds that the heart shows.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>There's many a sob we bravely keep down<br /></span> +<span class="i2">For the sake of old times revered so,<br /></span> +<span>There's many a head with thorns for a crown<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Where kisses would soon make the heart glow.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Edwin Leibfreed.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>So shalt thou know wisdom to be unto thy soul;<br /></span> +<span>If thou hast found it, then shall there be a reward,<br /></span> +<span>And thy hope shall not be cut off.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Proverbs 24. 14.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>My Father, if I am to-day without happiness, may I go in search of it. +Help me to remember that the will thou hast given me to overcome evil +with good I may use to overcome misery with happiness. Make me careful +that I may not be trapped by selfishness as I look for joy. May I +delight in the sweet sensations that are felt in having consideration +for others, and may I make kindness a daily habit. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="APRIL_TWENTY_NINTH" id="APRIL_TWENTY_NINTH" />APRIL TWENTY-NINTH</h2> + + +<ul><li>Michel Ruyter died 1676.</li> + +<li>Abbe Charles de St. Pierre died 1743.</li> + +<li>Matthew Vassar born 1792.</li> + +<li>Edward Rowland Sill born 1841.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>Never yet was a springtime,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Late though lingered the snow,<br /></span> +<span>That the sap stirred not at the whisper<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Of the south wind, sweet and low;<br /></span> +<span>Never yet was a springtime<br /></span> +<span class="i2">When the buds forgot to blow.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>Ever the wings of the summer<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Are folded under the mold;<br /></span> +<span>Life that has known no dying,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Is Love's, to have and to hold,<br /></span> +<span>Till, sudden, the burgeoning Easter!<br /></span> +<span class="i2">The song! the green and the gold!<a name="FNanchor_1_1" id="FNanchor_1_1" /><a href="#Footnote_1_1" class="fnanchor">[1]</a><br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Margaret E. Sangster.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>In tracing the shade, I shall find out the sun.</p> + +<p> —Owen Meredith.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>All chastening seemeth for the present to be not joyous but + grievous; yet afterward it yieldeth peaceable fruit unto them that + have been exercised thereby, even the fruit of righteousness.</p> + +<p> —Hebrews 12. 11.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>Almighty God, grant that as the fulfillment of the green comes to the +withered grass, so thy restoring may come to me with the glory of life +that comes in the resurrection of the soul. I trust thee to bring me +out of winter's seal, that I may help make the spring. Amen.</p> + +<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_1_1" id="Footnote_1_1" /><a href="#FNanchor_1_1"><span class="label">[1]</span></a> From Easter Bells. Copyright, 1897, by Harper & +Brothers.</p></div> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="APRIL_THIRTIETH" id="APRIL_THIRTIETH" />APRIL THIRTIETH</h2> + + +<ul><li>Chevalier de Bayard killed 1524.</li> + +<li>Sir John Lubbock born 1834.</li> + +<li>James Montgomery died 1854.</li> + +<li>David Livingstone died 1873.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>We scatter seeds with careless hands,<br /></span> +<span>And dream we ne'er shall see them more;<br /></span> +<span class="i2">But for a thousand years<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Their fruit appears<br /></span> +<span>In weeds that mar the land.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—John Keble<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>And there came up a sweet perfume<br /></span> +<span class="i2">From the unseen flowers below,<br /></span> +<span>Like the savor of virtuous deeds,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Of deeds done long ago.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Mrs. Southey.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Mary therefore took a pound of ointment of pure nard, very precious, + and anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped his feet with her hair: + and the house was filled with the odor of the ointment.</p> + +<p> —John 12. 3.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>My Father, I pray that it may be mine to have the recollection of +happy deeds, and not the memory of unkept promises. Help me to +remember that one act is worth a thousand intentions, and that memory +is the storehouse that supplies old age. Make me careful of my memory, +that it may not be burdened. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="MAY" id="MAY" />MAY</h2> + +<table border="0" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" summary=""> +<tr><td><a href="#MAY_FIRST"><b>01</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#MAY_SECOND"><b>02</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#MAY_THIRD"><b>03</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#MAY_FOURTH"><b>04</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#MAY_FIFTH"><b>05</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#MAY_SIXTH"><b>06</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#MAY_SEVENTH"><b>07</b></a></td></tr> + +<tr><td><a href="#MAY_EIGHTH"><b>08</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#MAY_NINTH"><b>09</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#MAY_TENTH"><b>10</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#MAY_ELEVENTH"><b>11</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#MAY_TWELFTH"><b>12</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#MAY_THIRTEENTH"><b>13</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#MAY_FOURTEENTH"><b>14</b></a></td></tr> + +<tr><td><a href="#MAY_FIFTEENTH"><b>15</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#MAY_SIXTEENTH"><b>16</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#MAY_SEVENTEENTH"><b>17</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#MAY_EIGHTEENTH"><b>18</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#MAY_NINETEENTH"><b>19</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#MAY_TWENTIETH"><b>20</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#MAY_TWENTY_FIRST"><b>21</b></a></td></tr> + +<tr><td><a href="#MAY_TWENTY_SECOND"><b>22</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#MAY_TWENTY_THIRD"><b>23</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#MAY_TWENTY_FOURTH"><b>24</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#MAY_TWENTY_FIFTH"><b>25</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#MAY_TWENTY_SIXTH"><b>26</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#MAY_TWENTY_SEVENTH"><b>27</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#MAY_TWENTY_EIGHTH"><b>28</b></a></td></tr> + +<tr><td><a href="#MAY_TWENTY_NINTH"><b>29</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#MAY_THIRTIETH"><b>30</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#MAY_THIRTY_FIRST"><b>31</b></a></td></tr> +</table> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>I cannot see what flowers are at my feet,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Nor what soft incense hangs upon the boughs,<br /></span> +<span>But, in the embalmed darkness, guess each sweet<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Wherewith the seasonable month endows<br /></span> +<span>The grass, the thicket, and the fruit tree wild;<br /></span> +<span class="i2">White hawthorn, and the pastoral eglantine;<br /></span> +<span>Fast-fading violets covered up in leaves;<br /></span> +<span class="i4">And mid-May's wildest child,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">The coming musk-rose, full of dewy wine,<br /></span> +<span>The murmurous haunt of flies on summer eves.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—John Keats.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>Such a starved bank of moss<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Till that May morn,<br /></span> +<span>Blue ran the flash across:<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Violets were born.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Robert Browning.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="MAY_FIRST" id="MAY_FIRST" />MAY FIRST</h2> + + +<ul><li>Arbor Day.</li> + +<li>Joseph Addison born 1672.</li> + +<li>Arthur, Duke of Wellington, born 1769.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>If you wish to succeed in life, make perseverance your bosom friend, + experience your wise counselor, caution your elder brother, and hope + your guardian genius.</p> + +<p> —Joseph Addison.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>He who plants a tree, he plants love;<br /></span> +<span>Tents of coolness spreading out above<br /></span> +<span>Wayfarers, he may not live to see.<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Gifts that grow are best;<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Hands that bless are blest;<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Plant-life does the rest!<br /></span> +<span>Heaven and earth help him who plants a tree,<br /></span> +<span>And his work his own reward shall be.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Lucy Larcom.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>And he shall be like a tree planted by the streams of water,<br /></span> +<span>That bringeth forth its fruit in its season,<br /></span> +<span>Whose leaf also doth not wither;<br /></span> +<span>And whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Psalm 1. 3.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>My Creator, give me joyful eyes for joyful nature. May I be alive to +the gentle influences of a May day which bring new experiences to all +who may receive them: and may I serve thee by unfolding to others the +love of truth, the love of good, and the love of beauty. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="MAY_SECOND" id="MAY_SECOND" />MAY SECOND</h2> + + +<ul><li>Leonardo da Vinci died 1519.</li> + +<li>Robert Hall born 1764.</li> + +<li>Jerome K. Jerome born 1859.</li> + +<li>William Henry Hudson born 1862.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>Without a false humility;<br /></span> +<span>For this is love's nobility,—<br /></span> +<span>Not to scatter bread and gold,<br /></span> +<span>Goods and raiment bought and sold;<br /></span> +<span>But to hold fast his simple sense,<br /></span> +<span>And speak the speech of innocence,<br /></span> +<span>And with hand and body and blood,<br /></span> +<span>To make his bosom-counsel good.<br /></span> +<span>He that feeds man serveth few;<br /></span> +<span>He serves all who dares be true.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Ralph Waldo Emerson.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>Small service is true service while it lasts:<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Of humblest friends scorn not one:<br /></span> +<span>The daisy, by the shadow it casts,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Protects the lingering dewdrop from the sun.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—William Wordsworth.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>Surely then shalt thou lift up thy face without spot;<br /></span> +<span>Yea, thou shalt be steadfast, and shalt not fear.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Job 11. 15.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>Heavenly Father, I would be thankful for the blessings I am inclined +to forget. Give me a heart of gratitude, and forbid that I should hold +my friends for material gain or selfish ends. May I through the +truthfulness of my lips, and the honor of my acts, be a necessary +friend. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="MAY_THIRD" id="MAY_THIRD" />MAY THIRD</h2> + + +<ul><li>Niccolo Machiavelli born 1469.</li> + +<li>Thomas Hood died 1845.</li> + +<li>Jacob Riis born 1849.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>The longing for ignoble things;<br /></span> +<span class="i2">The strife for triumph more than truth;<br /></span> +<span>The hardening of the heart that brings<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Irreverence for the dreams of youth;<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>All these must first be trampled down<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Beneath our feet, if we would gain<br /></span> +<span>In the bright fields of fair renown<br /></span> +<span class="i2">The right of eminent domain.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—John Keble.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>One lesson, and only one, history may be said to repeat with + distinctness; that the world is built somehow on moral foundations; + that in the long run, it is well with the good; in the long run it + is ill with the wicked.</p> + +<p> —James Anthony Froude.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>No soldier on service entangleth himself in the affairs of this + life; that he may please him who enrolled him as a soldier. And if + also a man contend in the games, he is not crowned, except he have + contended lawfully.</p> + +<p> —2 Timothy 2. 4, 5.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>Gracious Father, may my heart be mindful of thee, that I may discover +the truth and possess it. Steady me in my affections and save me from +wandering impulses; and may I help to put wrong down and uplift +humanity. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="MAY_FOURTH" id="MAY_FOURTH" />MAY FOURTH</h2> + + +<ul><li>Frederick Edwin Church born 1826.</li> + +<li>Isaac Barrow died 1677.</li> + +<li>John James Audubon born 1780.</li> + +<li>Horace Mann born 1796.</li> + +<li>Thomas Henry Huxley born 1825.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>The chess board is the world, the pieces are the phenomena of the + universe, the rules of the game we call the laws of nature. My + metaphor will remind some of you of the famous picture in which + Retzsch has depicted Satan playing chess with man for his soul. + Substitute for the mocking fiend in that picture a calm, strong + angel, who is playing "for love," as we say, and would rather lose + than win, and I should accept it as an image of human life.</p> + +<p> —Thomas Henry Huxley.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Riches and nobility fade together. O, my God! be thou praised for + having made love for all time, and immortal as thyself.</p> + +<p> —George Sand.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>He hath given food unto them that fear him:<br /></span> +<span>He will ever be mindful of his covenant.<br /></span> +<span>The works of his hands are truth and justice;<br /></span> +<span>All his precepts are sure.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Psalm 111. 5, 7.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>Father of life, I know I cannot hold youth. I may have prosperity or +poverty. I thank thee that thou hast taught me that love may be kept +changeless through all. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="MAY_FIFTH" id="MAY_FIFTH" />MAY FIFTH</h2> + + +<ul><li>Napoleon Bonaparte died 1821.</li> + +<li>Empress Eugenie born 1826.</li> + +<li>Bret Harte died 1902.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>As I stand by the cross, on the lone mountain's crest,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Looking over the ultimate sea,<br /></span> +<span>In the gloom of the mountain a ship lies at rest,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">And one sails away from the lea;<br /></span> +<span>One spreads its white wings on the far-reaching track,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">With pennant and sheet flowing free;<br /></span> +<span>One hides in the shadow with sails laid aback—<br /></span> +<span class="i2">The ship that is waiting for me.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>But lo! in the distance the clouds break away,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">The gate's glowing portals I see,<br /></span> +<span>And I hear from the outgoing ship in the bay<br /></span> +<span class="i2">The song of the sailors in glee.<br /></span> +<span>So I think of the luminous footprints that bore<br /></span> +<span class="i2">The comfort o'er dark Galilee,<br /></span> +<span>And wait for the signal to go to the shore<br /></span> +<span class="i2">To the ship that is waiting for me.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Bret Harte.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,<br /></span> +<span>I will fear no evil; for thou art with me;<br /></span> +<span>Thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Psalm 23. 4.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>Eternal God, I praise thee, that "thy love is broader than the measure +of man's mind," and that through all my years I may hide myself in +thee, trusting thee to the end. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="MAY_SIXTH" id="MAY_SIXTH" />MAY SIXTH</h2> + + +<ul><li>Plato born B. C. 427.</li> + +<li>Robespierre born 1758.</li> + +<li>General Andrea Messena born 1758.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>Hard ye may be in the tumult,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Red to your battle hilts;<br /></span> +<span>Blow give blow in the foray,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Cunningly ride in the tilts.<br /></span> +<span>But tenderly, unbeguiled—<br /></span> +<span>Turn to a woman a woman's<br /></span> +<span>Heart, and a child's to a child.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>Test of the man if his worth be<br /></span> +<span class="i2">In accord with the ultimate plan<br /></span> +<span>That he be not, to his marring,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Always and utterly man.<br /></span> +<span>That he may bring out of the tumult,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Fetter and undefiled,<br /></span> +<span>To woman the heart of a woman—<br /></span> +<span>To children the heart of a child.<a name="FNanchor_1_2" id="FNanchor_1_2" /><a href="#Footnote_1_2" class="fnanchor">[1]</a><br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—O. Henry.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>A man's concern is only whether in doing anything he is doing right + or wrong—acting the part of a good man or a bad.</p> + +<p> —Plato.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>A faithful man shall abound with blessings.</p> + +<p> —Proverbs 28. 20.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>Almighty God, I pray that I may seek sincerely those whom I approach +with sympathy, and by my honor may they feel the same sincerity for +me. Amen.</p> + +<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_1_2" id="Footnote_1_2" /><a href="#FNanchor_1_2"><span class="label">[1]</span></a> Special permission Cosmopolitan Magazine, New York.</p></div> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="MAY_SEVENTH" id="MAY_SEVENTH" />MAY SEVENTH</h2> + + +<ul><li>Correggio born 1494.</li> + +<li>Robert Browning born 1812.</li> + +<li>Johannes Brahms born 1833.</li> + +<li>Lord Rosebery (Archibald Primrose) born 1847.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>So, take and use thy work: amend what flaws may lurk,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">What strain o' the stuff, what warpings past the aim!<br /></span> +<span>My times be in Thy hand! perfect the cup as planned!<br /></span> +<span>Let age approve of youth, and death complete the same!<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Robert Browning.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>No matter how often defeated, you are born to victory. The reward of + a thing well done is to have done it.</p> + +<p> —Ralph Waldo Emerson.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>When I hear a young man spoken of as giving promise of high genius, + the first question I ask about him is always—Does he work?</p> + +<p> —John Ruskin.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Ye therefore shall be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.</p> + +<p> —Matthew 5. 48.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>O God, I pray that thou wilt search me, and in the silent moments show +me myself without obstruction. Breathe upon me thy awakening breath, +that I may be revived to nobler activities. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="MAY_EIGHTH" id="MAY_EIGHTH" />MAY EIGHTH</h2> + + +<ul><li>Rev. William Jay born 1769.</li> + +<li>François Mignet born 1796.</li> + +<li>Louis Gottschalk born 1829.</li> + +<li>John Stuart Mill died 1873.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>A profound conviction raises a man above the feeling of ridicule.</p> + +<p> —John Stuart Mill.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>A garden is a lonesome thing, God wot!<br /></span> +<span class="i6">Rose plot,<br /></span> +<span class="i6">Fringed pool,<br /></span> +<span class="i6">Ferned grot—<br /></span> +<span class="i6">The veriest school<br /></span> +<span class="i6">Of peace; and yet the fool<br /></span> +<span>Contends that God is not—<br /></span> +<span>Not God! in the gardens! when the eve is cool?<br /></span> +<span class="i6">Nay but I have a sign;<br /></span> +<span class="i6">'Tis very sure God walks in mine.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Thomas E. Brown.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>Jehovah bless thee, and keep thee:<br /></span> +<span>Jehovah make his face to shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee:<br /></span> +<span>Jehovah lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Numbers 6. 24, 25, 26.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>My Father, may this be a day of usefulness. Make me sure of myself, +that I may not spend my days in questioning, but accept with +gratefulness thy love and tender care. Make me worthy to be called thy +child. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="MAY_NINTH" id="MAY_NINTH" />MAY NINTH</h2> + + +<ul><li>John Brown (Ossawattomie) born 1800.</li> + +<li>Johann Schiller died 1805.</li> + +<li>J. M. Barrie born 1860.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>Have love! not love alone for one,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">But man as man thy brother call:<br /></span> +<span>And scatter like the circling sun<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Thy charities on all.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Johann Schiller.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>He spoke, and words more soft than rain<br /></span> +<span>Brought the Age of Gold again:<br /></span> +<span>His action won such reverence sweet,<br /></span> +<span>As hid all measure of the feat.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Ralph Waldo Emerson.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>That their hearts might be comforted, they being knit together in + love.</p> + +<p> —Colossians 2. 2.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>Gracious Lord, I pray that I may not only be known to those who are my +own, but may I consider all mankind. May those who need me find me +through my gentleness, and may they be assured by quiet confidence and +faith. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="MAY_TENTH" id="MAY_TENTH" />MAY TENTH</h2> + + +<ul><li>Rouget de l'Isle born 1760.</li> + +<li>Jared Sparks born 1789.</li> + +<li>James Bryce born 1838.</li> + +<li>Sir Henry Stanley died 1904.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>For four months and four days I lived with David Livingstone in the + same house, or in the same boat, or in the same tent, and I never + found a fault in him. I am a man of quick temper, and often without + sufficient cause, I dare say, have broken the ties of friendship; + but with Livingstone I never had cause for resentment, but each + day's life with him added to my admiration for him.</p> + +<p> —Sir Henry Stanley.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>In speech right gentle, yet so wise: princely of mien,<br /></span> +<span>Yet softly mannered; modest, deferent,<br /></span> +<span>And tender-hearted, though of a fearless blood.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Edwin Arnold.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Ye are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hid.</p> + +<p> —Matthew 5. 14.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>Almighty God, help me to aspire, that my life may tend toward the +ideal. May I be persuaded that I cannot be that which I do not +possess, nor can I live in that which I do not know. Help me to put +the best in what I do, that I may not feel I have failed, even though +it may not seem to be a success. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="MAY_ELEVENTH" id="MAY_ELEVENTH" />MAY ELEVENTH</h2> + + +<ul><li>Baron Münchhausen born 1720.</li> + +<li>William Pitt, Earl of Chatham, died 1778.</li> + +<li>Jean Léon Gérôme born 1824.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>And methought that beauty and terror are only one, not two;<br /></span> +<span>And the world has room for love, and death, and thunder and dew;<br /></span> +<span>And all the sinews of hell slumber in the summer air;<br /></span> +<span>And the face of God is a rock, but the face of the rock is fair.<br /></span> +<span>Beneficent streams of tears flow at the finger of pain;<br /></span> +<span>And out of the cloud that smites, beneficent rivers of rain.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Robert Louis Stevenson.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>It is more shameful to be distrustful of our friends than to be + deceived by them.</p> + +<p> —La Rochefoucauld.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Thou shalt rejoice in all the good which Jehovah thy God hath given + unto thee.</p> + +<p> —Deuteronomy 26. 11.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>Lord God, may I comprehend the sacredness of friendship. I thank thee +for my friends, and for all the beautiful influences which they bring +to my life. May I never hold friendship without the sincerity to +return it. Correct my faults, and cause me to learn the secret of +cheerful endurance, that I may be steadfast. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="MAY_TWELFTH" id="MAY_TWELFTH" />MAY TWELFTH</h2> + + +<ul><li>Robert Fielding died 1712.</li> + +<li>James Sheridan Knowles born 1784.</li> + +<li>Dante Gabriel Rossetti born 1828.</li> + +<li>Jules Massenet born 1842.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>Look in my face; my name is Might-have-been;<br /></span> +<span class="i2">I am also called No-more, Too-late, Farewell;<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Unto thine ear I hold the dead sea-shell<br /></span> +<span>Cast up thy Life's foam-fretted feet between;<br /></span> +<span>Unto thine eyes the glass where that is seen<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Which had Life's form and Love's, but by my spell<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Is now a shaken shadow intolerable,<br /></span> +<span>Of ultimate things unuttered the frail screen.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Dante Gabriel Rossetti.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>Let me not pass my work at morn<br /></span> +<span class="i2">And then at eve,<br /></span> +<span>Find for what purpose I was born—<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Just as I leave.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—M. B. S.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>We must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the + night cometh, when no man can work.</p> + +<p> —John 9. 4.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>Lord God, I do earnestly pray that thou wilt give me strength to break +away, if I may be trying to free myself from habits that mar my +character. May I not lose courage and fall back in the old ways, but +by faith be led where I should go. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="MAY_THIRTEENTH" id="MAY_THIRTEENTH" />MAY THIRTEENTH</h2> + + +<ul><li>Carolus Linnæus (Karl von Linné) born 1707.</li> + +<li>Alphonse Daudet born 1840.</li> + +<li>Sir Arthur Sullivan born 1842.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>I heard a voice in the darkness singing<br /></span> +<span class="i2">(That was a valiant soul I knew),<br /></span> +<span>And the joy of his song was a wild bird winging<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Swift to his mate through a sky of blue.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>And his song was of love and all its bringing<br /></span> +<span class="i2">And of certain day when the night was through;<br /></span> +<span>I raised my eyes where the hope was springing,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">And I think in his heaven God smiled too<br /></span> +<span class="i2">(That was a valiant soul I knew).<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—J. Stalker.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>The soul aids the body, and at certain moments raises it. It is the + only bird which bears upward its own cage.</p> + +<p> —Victor Hugo.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>But desire earnestly the greater gifts.</p> + +<p> —1 Corinthians 12. 31.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>Gracious Lord, I rejoice that thou dost know the depths of my soul, +and that I may call upon thee to supply its needs. Make me worthy that +I may not be kept from the springs of joy where my soul may be +refreshed, and where I may gather hope and encouragement for the +greater loves of life. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="MAY_FOURTEENTH" id="MAY_FOURTEENTH" />MAY FOURTEENTH</h2> + + +<ul><li>John Dutton born 1659.</li> + +<li>Gabriel D. Fahrenheit born 1686.</li> + +<li>Robert Owen born 1771.</li> + +<li>Henry Grattan died 1820.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>They that wander at will where the<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Works of the Lord are revealed,<br /></span> +<span>Little guess what joy can be got<br /></span> +<span class="i2">From a cowslip out of the field.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Alfred Tennyson.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Move onward serenely, cast aside regret, cleanse and purify life, + only be undismayed and hopeful, as you turn page after page of the + revelation of God.</p> + +<p> —Arthur C. Benson.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>Thou wilt show me the path of life:<br /></span> +<span>In thy presence is fullness of joy;<br /></span> +<span>In thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Psalm 16. 11.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>My Father, I thank thee that nature reveals thy power as she unfolds +her beauty and wonder to the searching eye. Guide me that I may see in +the little flower the smile of welcome, the look of kindness, and the +beauty of hope which it renders to all; and may I learn from it thy +protection in the smallest things of life. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="MAY_FIFTEENTH" id="MAY_FIFTEENTH" />MAY FIFTEENTH</h2> + + +<ul><li>Ephraim Chambers died 1740.</li> + +<li>Florence Nightingale born 1820.</li> + +<li>Michael W. Balfe born 1808.</li> + +<li>Edmund Keane died 1833.</li> + +<li>Daniel O'Connell died 1847.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>Light human nature is too lightly lost<br /></span> +<span>And ruffled without cause, complaining on,<br /></span> +<span>Restless with rest, until being overthrown,<br /></span> +<span>It learneth to lie quiet.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Elizabeth Barrett Browning.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span class="i6">Was the trial sore?<br /></span> +<span>Temptation sharp? Thank God a second time!<br /></span> +<span>Why comes temptation but for a man to meet<br /></span> +<span>And master and make crouch beneath his foot,<br /></span> +<span>And so be pedestaled in triumph? Pray<br /></span> +<span>"Lead us into no such temptations, Lord!"<br /></span> +<span>Yea, but, O thou whose servants are the bold,<br /></span> +<span>Lead such temptations by the head and hair,<br /></span> +<span>Reluctant dragons, up to who dares fight<br /></span> +<span>That so he may do battle and have praise.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Robert Browning.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Therefore we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things that + were heard, lest haply we drift away from them.</p> + +<p> —Hebrews 2. 1.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>Almighty God, if I am overwhelmed by the tides of temptation and +discouragement, let me not drift away to sea, but anchor and take +harbor in thee. May I not be afraid to trust in thy protection, but +calmly wait and watch for thy deliverance. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="MAY_SIXTEENTH" id="MAY_SIXTEENTH" />MAY SIXTEENTH</h2> + + +<ul><li>Sir William Patty born 1623.</li> + +<li>Honore de Balzac born 1799.</li> + +<li>William H. Seward born 1801.</li> + +<li>Felicia Hemans died 1835.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>Favored of Heaven! O Genius! are they thine,<br /></span> +<span>When round thy brow the wreaths of glory shine;<br /></span> +<span>While rapture gazes on thy radiant way,<br /></span> +<span>'Midst the bright realms of clear mental day?<br /></span> +<span>No! sacred joys! 'tis yours to dwell enshrined,<br /></span> +<span>Most fondly cherished, in the purest mind.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Felicia Hemans.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Genius is intensity.</p> + +<p> —Honore Balzac.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>But what if I fail of my purpose here?<br /></span> +<span>It is but to keep the nerves at strain,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">To dry one's eyes and laugh at a fall,<br /></span> +<span>And, baffled, get up and begin again—<br /></span> +<span class="i2">So the chase takes up one's life, that's all.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Robert Browning.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Be urgent in season, out of season.</p> + +<p> —2 Timothy 4. 2.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>My Lord, my life makes me conscious of weakness, and my memory brings +regret; forgive me for the lost strength I neglected to develop. In +thy compassion encourage me to be more watchful of my power, that I +may usefully increase it, and not willfully deplete it. May I learn +the need of constancy in well-doing. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="MAY_SEVENTEENTH" id="MAY_SEVENTEENTH" />MAY SEVENTEENTH</h2> + + +<ul><li>Heloise died 1163.</li> + +<li>Matthew Parker died 1575.</li> + +<li>Edwin Jenner born 1749.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>The weakest among us has a gift, however seemingly trivial, which is + peculiar to him, and which worthily used, will be a gift to his race + forever.</p> + +<p> —John Ruskin.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span class="i2">Not in entire forgetfulness,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">And not in utter nakedness,<br /></span> +<span>But trailing clouds of glory do we come<br /></span> +<span class="i2">From God who is our home.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—William Wordsworth.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>A weak mind sinks under prosperity as well as under adversity. A + strong and deep mind has two highest tides—when the moon is at + full, and when there is no moon.</p> + +<p> —Julius Hare.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Thou hast granted me life and lovingkindness; And thy visitation + hath preserved my spirit.</p> + +<p> —Job 10. 12.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>Almighty God, I pray that I may have a true appreciation of the +quality of life. Reveal to me my responsibilities and help me to make +them my opportunities. Keep me in search of thoughts and deeds that +will increase the delight of my soul. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="MAY_EIGHTEENTH" id="MAY_EIGHTEENTH" />MAY EIGHTEENTH</h2> + + +<ul><li>Francis Mahony (Father Prout) died 1866.</li> + +<li>Mrs. Johnson (Stella) born 1735.</li> + +<li>John Wilson (Christopher North) born 1785.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>Longing is God's fresh heavenward will,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">With our poor earthly striving;<br /></span> +<span>We quench it, that we may be still<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Content with merely living.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>But would we learn that heart's full scope<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Which we are hourly wronging,<br /></span> +<span>Our lives must climb from hope to hope,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">And realize our longing.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—James Russell Lowell.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Pretexts are not wanted when one wishes a thing.</p> + +<p> —Goldoni.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Friendship is for all aid and comfort through all the relations of + life and death—for serene days and graceful gifts and country + rambles; but also for rough roads, and hard fare, shipwreck, + poverty, and persecution.</p> + +<p> —Ralph Waldo Emerson.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Strive to enter in by the narrow door.</p> + +<p> —Luke 13. 24.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>Eternal God, I pray that thou wilt graciously restore my spirits if I +may have settled into despondency over my disappointments. May I have +the will to rise above them, and patiently strive for renewed hope. +Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="MAY_NINETEENTH" id="MAY_NINETEENTH" />MAY NINETEENTH</h2> + + +<ul><li>James Boswell died 1795.</li> + +<li>Johann Gottlieb Fichte born 1762.</li> + +<li>William E. Gladstone died 1898.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>Tired! Well, what of that?<br /></span> +<span>Didst fancy life was spent on beds of ease,<br /></span> +<span>Fluttering the rose-leaves scattered by the breeze?<br /></span> +<span>Come! rouse thee, work while it is called to-day!<br /></span> +<span>Coward, arise—go forth upon the way!<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>Lonely! And what of that?<br /></span> +<span>Some one must be lonely; 'tis not given to all<br /></span> +<span>To feel a heart responsive rise and fall,<br /></span> +<span>To blend another life into its own;<br /></span> +<span>Work may be done in loneliness; work on.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>Dark! Well, what of that?<br /></span> +<span>Didst fondly dream the sun would never set?<br /></span> +<span>Dost fear to lose thy way? Take courage yet,<br /></span> +<span>Learn thou to walk by faith and not by sight,<br /></span> +<span>Thy steps will be guided, and guided right.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Unknown.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>And let us not be weary in well-doing: for in due season we shall + reap, if we faint not.</p> + +<p> —Galatians 6. 9.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>My Father, if thou wert far off I could not reach thee in time, for I +falter so much and need thee so often. I pray that thou wilt keep so +near that I can feel thy love and strength breathing within me. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="MAY_TWENTIETH" id="MAY_TWENTIETH" />MAY TWENTIETH</h2> + + +<ul><li>Elizabeth G. Fry born 1780.</li> + +<li>John Stuart Mill born 1806.</li> + +<li>Alfred Domett born 1811.</li> + +<li>Rudolf H. Lotze born 1817.</li> + +<li>Marquis de Lafayette died 1834.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Nature has written a letter of credit upon some men's faces which is + honored wherever presented. You cannot help trusting such men; their + very presence gives confidence. There is a "promise to pay" in their + faces which gives confidence, and you prefer it to another man's + indorsement. Character is credit.</p> + +<p> —William M. Thackeray.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>Henry Drummond has told us how in the heart of Africa he came across +men and women who remembered the only white man they ever saw +before—David Livingstone; and as you cross his footsteps in the dark +continent men's faces light up as they speak of the kind doctor who +passed there years ago. They could not understand him; but they felt +the love that beat in his heart.</p> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Who is wise and understanding among you? let him show by his good + life his works in meekness of wisdom.</p> + +<p> —James 3. 13.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>My Lord, inspire me with kind words and thoughtful deeds, that I may +share the yearnings and sympathy of others. May my life show that I am +dependable, and may none be left lonely to-day because of my +forgetfulness. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="MAY_TWENTY_FIRST" id="MAY_TWENTY_FIRST" />MAY TWENTY-FIRST</h2> + + +<ul><li>Albrecht Dürer born 1471.</li> + +<li>Fernando de Soto died 1542.</li> + +<li>Alexander Pope born 1688.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>Self-love but serves the virtuous mind to wake<br /></span> +<span>As the small pebble stirs the peaceful lake;<br /></span> +<span>The center moved, a circle straight succeeds,<br /></span> +<span>Another still, and still another spreads;<br /></span> +<span>Friend, parent, neighbor, first it will embrace,<br /></span> +<span>Its country next, and next, the human race.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Alexander Pope.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>A gentleman is one who understands and shows every mark of deference + to the claim of self-love in others, and exacts it in return from + them.</p> + +<p> —William Hazlitt.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>But he knoweth the way that I take;<br /></span> +<span>When he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold.<br /></span> +<span>My foot hath held fast to his steps;<br /></span> +<span>His way have I kept, and turned not aside.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Job 23. 10.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>Lord God, teach me how secret actions make or destroy my life. Show me +the deep lines made by sorrow and discontent that cannot be effaced. +May I look toward the corrections of life and not on my imperfections, +that my life may be a helpful influence. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="MAY_TWENTY_SECOND" id="MAY_TWENTY_SECOND" />MAY TWENTY-SECOND</h2> + + +<ul><li>Newman Hall born 1816.</li> + +<li>Wilhelm Richard Wagner born 1813.</li> + +<li>Maria Edgeworth died 1849.</li> + +<li>Victor Hugo died 1885.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>Who cares for the burden, the night, and the rain,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">And the long, steep, lonesome road,<br /></span> +<span>When at last through the darkness a light shines plain,<br /></span> +<span>When a voice calls "Hail," and a friend draws rein,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">With an arm for the stubborn load?<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>For life is the chance of a friend or two<br /></span> +<span class="i2">This side of the journey's goal.<br /></span> +<span>Though the world be a desert the long night through,<br /></span> +<span>Yet the gay flowers bloom and the sky shows blue<br /></span> +<span class="i2">When a soul salutes a soul.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Unknown.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>In all misfortune the greatest consolation is a sympathizing friend.</p> + +<p> —Cervantes.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>They help every one his neighbor; and every one saith to his + brother, Be of good courage.</p> + +<p> —Isaiah 41. 6.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>Loving Father, may I lay hold upon the highest standards of friendship +and so be qualified to be a friend. May those who call and lean on me +feel secure in my support. May none ever be ashamed to call me friend. +Grant that those whom I love may keep faith with me. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="MAY_TWENTY_THIRD" id="MAY_TWENTY_THIRD" />MAY TWENTY-THIRD</h2> + + +<ul><li>Thomas Hood born 1798.</li> + +<li>Margaret Fuller Ossoli born 1810.</li> + +<li>Henrik Ibsen died 1896.</li> + +<li>Dr. John Campbell died 1861.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>Chance cannot touch me! Time cannot hush me!<br /></span> +<span>Fear, Hope, and longing, at strife;<br /></span> +<span>Sink as I rise, on, on, upward forever,<br /></span> +<span>Gathering strength, gaining breath—<br /></span> +<span>Naught can sever<br /></span> +<span>Me from the Spirit of Life.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Margaret Fuller.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>But evil is wrought by want of thought, as well as want of heart.</p> + +<p> —Thomas Hood.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy + to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed to us-ward.</p> + +<p> —Romans 8. 18.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>Heavenly Father, cause the newness of life to continue to flow through +my heart, that I may not be fatigued, as I struggle with +discouragements. Release me from hopeless cares that I have made mine, +thinking they were thine. May I trust in the boundless limit of thy +mercy, and rejoice in the world of living light. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="MAY_TWENTY_FOURTH" id="MAY_TWENTY_FOURTH" />MAY TWENTY-FOURTH</h2> + + +<ul><li>Jean Paul Marat born 1744.</li> + +<li>Stephen Girard born 1750.</li> + +<li>Sir Robert Adair born 1763.</li> + +<li>Queen Victoria born 1819.</li> + +<li>Caroline Fox born 1819.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>I see my way as birds their trackless way.<br /></span> +<span>I shall arrive! what time, what circuit first,<br /></span> +<span>I ask not: but unless God send his hail<br /></span> +<span>Or blinding fireballs, sleet, or stifling snow,<br /></span> +<span>In some time, his good time, I shall arrive:<br /></span> +<span>He guides me and the bird.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Robert Browning.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>To live in the presence of great truths and eternal laws—that is + what keeps a man patient when the world ignores him, and calm and + unspoiled when the world praises him.</p> + +<p> —Honore Balzac.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>But whoso putteth his trust in Jehovah shall be safe.</p> + +<p> —Proverbs 29. 25.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>Lord Jehovah, all goodness, tenderness, and forbearance that are in my +life have come from thee. May I not lose them in self, but by them +make possible happiness and endurance for others. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="MAY_TWENTY_FIFTH" id="MAY_TWENTY_FIFTH" />MAY TWENTY-FIFTH</h2> + + +<ul><li>Ralph Waldo Emerson born 1803.</li> + +<li>Edward Bulwer-Lytton (George) born 1803.</li> + +<li>Dr. William Paley died 1805.</li> + +<li>William Henry Channing born 1810.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>Hast thou named all the birds without a gun?<br /></span> +<span>Loved the wild rose, and left it on the stalk?<br /></span> +<span>At rich men's tables eaten bread and pulse?<br /></span> +<span>Unarmed faced danger with a heart of trust?<br /></span> +<span>And loved so well a high behavior,<br /></span> +<span>In man or maid, that thou from speech refrained,<br /></span> +<span>Nobility more noble to repay?<br /></span> +<span>O, be my friend and teach me to be thine!<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Ralph Waldo Emerson.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>What the superior man seeks is in himself;<br /></span> +<span>What the small man seeks is in others.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Confucius.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>Make no friendship with a man that is given to anger;<br /></span> +<span>And with a wrathful man thou shalt not go.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Proverbs 22. 24.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>Lord God, may I live for the pure and upright, and have the +blessedness of a rejoicing heart. May I yearn for the secrets of +nature. Grant that my life may not seek destruction, but tenderly find +and protect life. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="MAY_TWENTY_SIXTH" id="MAY_TWENTY_SIXTH" />MAY TWENTY-SIXTH</h2> + + +<ul><li>The Venerable Bede died 735.</li> + +<li>Count Nicolas Ludwig Zinzendorf born 1800.</li> + +<li>Capel Lofft died 1821.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Let us disengage ourselves from care about the passing things of + time; let us soar above our worldly possessions. The bee does not + less need its wings when it has gathered an abundant store, for if + it sink in the honey, it dies.</p> + +<p> —Saint Augustine.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Perhaps if we could penetrate nature's secrets, we should find that + what we call needs are more essential to the well-being of the world + than the most precious grain or fruit.</p> + +<p> —Nathaniel Hawthorne.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>We trust the Lord in faith serene,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">A ladder he hath given;<br /></span> +<span>The lower rounds in earth are seen,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">The higher reach to heaven.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Thomas Brevior.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Is not the life more than the food, and the body than the raiment?</p> + +<p> —Matthew 6. 25.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>Almighty God, I bless thee for the privilege of a great life. May I +not be satisfied to rest with idle hands in youth and make age +regretful because I have lived a useless life: but with a clear eye +and an exalted mind may I choose the "durable satisfactions" that may +be mine. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="MAY_TWENTY_SEVENTH" id="MAY_TWENTY_SEVENTH" />MAY TWENTY-SEVENTH</h2> + + +<ul><li>Alighieri Dante born 1265.</li> + +<li>John Calvin died 1564.</li> + +<li>Julia Ward Howe born 1819.</li> + +<li>Noah Webster died 1843.</li> + +<li>John Kendrick Bangs born 1862.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>To your judgments give ye not the reins<br /></span> +<span>With too much eagerness, like him who ere<br /></span> +<span>The corn be ripe, is fain to count the grains:<br /></span> +<span>For I have seen the briar through the winter snows<br /></span> +<span>Look sharp and stiff—yet on a future day<br /></span> +<span>High on its summit bear the tender rose:<br /></span> +<span class="i2">And ship I've seen, that through the storm hath passed,<br /></span> +<span>Securely bounding o'er the watery way,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">At entrance of the harbor wrecked at last.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Dante, translated by Wright.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>In the beauty of the lilies Christ was born across the sea,<br /></span> +<span>With a glory in his bosom that transfigures you and me:<br /></span> +<span>As he died to make men holy, let us die to make them free,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">While God is marching on.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Julia Ward Howe.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>Trust in Jehovah with all thy heart,<br /></span> +<span>And lean not upon thine own understanding.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Proverbs 3. 5.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>Lord God, help me to know my ability, that I may not attempt with +weakness that which requires strength to undertake; and make me stable +that I may not relax vigilance even though victory seems assured. +Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="MAY_TWENTY_EIGHTH" id="MAY_TWENTY_EIGHTH" />MAY TWENTY-EIGHTH</h2> + + +<ul><li>William Pitt born 1759.</li> + +<li>Thomas Moore born 1779.</li> + +<li>Louis Agassiz born 1807.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>The bird let loose in eastern skies,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">When hastening fondly home,<br /></span> +<span>Ne'er stoops to earth her wing, nor flies<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Where idle warblers roam;<br /></span> +<span>But high she shoots through air and light,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Above all low delay,<br /></span> +<span>Where nothing earthly bounds her flight,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Nor shadow dims her way.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Thomas Moore.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Remember, the essence of religion is, a heart void of offense toward + God and man; not subtle speculative opinions, but an active + principle of faith.</p> + +<p> —William Pitt.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>And hope putteth not to shame; because the love of God hath been + shed abroad in our hearts.</p> + +<p> —Romans 5. 5.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>God of mercy, reveal to me the hallowed life. May I be reminded that, +while I may save and keep the dust from things that perish, my life, +though unkept and undeveloped, tells in itself the value and need of +the most watchful care. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="MAY_TWENTY_NINTH" id="MAY_TWENTY_NINTH" />MAY TWENTY-NINTH</h2> + + +<ul><li>Patrick Henry born 1736.</li> + +<li>Joseph Fouche born 1763.</li> + +<li>Josephine died 1814.</li> + +<li>Gerald Massey born 1829.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Is life so dear or peace so sweet as to be purchased at the price of + chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God. I know not what course + others may take, but as for me, give me liberty or give me death.</p> + +<p> —Patrick Henry.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>Though hearts brood o'er the past, our eyes<br /></span> +<span class="i2">With smiling features glisten;<br /></span> +<span>For lo! our day bursts up the skies,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Lean out your souls and listen!<br /></span> +<span>The world is following freedom's way,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">And ripening with her sorrow;<br /></span> +<span>Take heart! Who bears the cross to-day<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Shall wear the crown to-morrow.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Gerald Massey.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>For God gave us not a spirit of fearfulness; but of power and love + and discipline.</p> + +<p> —2 Timothy 1. 7.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>Lord God, may I never feel that I have a right to sell thy joys, nor +the privilege of giving away my burdens. Grant that I may not forsake +my principles, but may I keep the way clear that memory may find an +unruffled rest. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="MAY_THIRTIETH" id="MAY_THIRTIETH" />MAY THIRTIETH</h2> + + +<ul><li>Decoration Day.</li> + +<li>Joan d'Arc burned at Rouen 1431.</li> + +<li>Alexander Pope died 1744.</li> + +<li>Voltaire died 1778.</li> + +<li>Alfred Austin born 1835.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Here is the nation God has builded by our hands. What shall we do + with it? Who stands ready to act again and always in the spirit of + this day of reunion and hope and patriotic fervor? The day of our + country's life has but broadened into morning. Do not put uniforms + by. Put the harness of the present on. Lift your eyes to the great + tracts of life yet to be conquered in the interest of righteous + peace, of that prosperity which lies in a people's hearts and + outlasts all wars and errors of men.</p> + +<p> —Woodrow Wilson.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>Cover them over with beautiful flowers:<br /></span> +<span>Deck them with garlands these brothers of ours;<br /></span> +<span>Lying so silent, by night and by day,<br /></span> +<span>Sleeping the years of their manhood away;<br /></span> +<span> * * * * *<br /></span> +<span>Give them the laurels they lost with their life.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Will Carleton.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for + his friends.</p> + +<p> —John 15. 13.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>My Father, as I pause this day to think of the brave men and women who +have given their lives for the sake of others, may I be thankful for +them. May I remember that noble deeds and kind words are never lost, +but that self may block the way to justice. O Father, make war to +cease! and lead us to victories that are won through peace. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="MAY_THIRTY_FIRST" id="MAY_THIRTY_FIRST" />MAY THIRTY-FIRST</h2> + + +<ul><li>Ludwig Tieck born 1773.</li> + +<li>Joseph Haydn died 1809.</li> + +<li>Walt Whitman born 1819.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>Passage, immediate passage! the blood burns in my veins!<br /></span> +<span>Away, O soul! hoist instantly the anchor!<br /></span> +<span>Out the hawser—haul out—shake out every sail!<br /></span> +<span>Have we not stood here like trees in the ground long enough?<br /></span> +<span>Have we not groveled here long enough eating and drinking like mere brutes?<br /></span> +<span>Have we not darkened and dazed ourselves with books long enough?<br /></span> +<span>Sail forth—steer for the deep waters only,<br /></span> +<span>Reckless, O soul, exploring, I with thee, and thou with me,<br /></span> +<span>For we are bound where mariner has not dared to go,<br /></span> +<span>And we will risk the ship, ourselves and all.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Walt Whitman.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Be strong and of good courage, fear not, nor be affrighted at them: + for Jehovah thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not + fail thee, nor forsake thee.</p> + +<p> —Deuteronomy 31. 6.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>My Father, give me joyful courage to squarely face my life. Help me to +know that I cannot vanquish life by evading duties, nor encircling +myself with indulgences. If I may be blind to my situation, restore my +sight that I may make ready a worthy passage with thee. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="JUNE" id="JUNE" />JUNE</h2> + +<table border="0" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" summary=""> +<tr><td><a href="#JUNE_FIRST"><b>01</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#JUNE_SECOND"><b>02</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#JUNE_THIRD"><b>03</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#JUNE_FOURTH"><b>04</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#JUNE_FIFTH"><b>05</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#JUNE_SIXTH"><b>06</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#JUNE_SEVENTH"><b>07</b></a></td></tr> + +<tr><td><a href="#JUNE_EIGHTH"><b>08</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#JUNE_NINTH"><b>09</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#JUNE_TENTH"><b>10</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#JUNE_ELEVENTH"><b>11</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#JUNE_TWELFTH"><b>12</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#JUNE_THIRTEENTH"><b>13</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#JUNE_FOURTEENTH"><b>14</b></a></td></tr> + +<tr><td><a href="#JUNE_FIFTEENTH"><b>15</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#JUNE_SIXTEENTH"><b>16</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#JUNE_SEVENTEENTH"><b>17</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#JUNE_EIGHTEENTH"><b>18</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#JUNE_NINETEENTH"><b>19</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#JUNE_TWENTIETH"><b>20</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#JUNE_TWENTY_FIRST"><b>21</b></a></td></tr> + +<tr><td><a href="#JUNE_TWENTY_SECOND"><b>22</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#JUNE_TWENTY_THIRD"><b>23</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#JUNE_TWENTY_FOURTH"><b>24</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#JUNE_TWENTY_FIFTH"><b>25</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#JUNE_TWENTY_SIXTH"><b>26</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#JUNE_TWENTY_SEVENTH"><b>27</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#JUNE_TWENTY_EIGHTH"><b>28</b></a></td></tr> + +<tr><td><a href="#JUNE_TWENTY_NINTH"><b>29</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#JUNE_THIRTIETH"><b>30</b></a></td></tr> +</table> + + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>There lives a glory in these sweet June days<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Such as I found not in the days gone by,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">A kindlier meaning in the unclouded sky,<br /></span> +<span>A tenderer whisper in the woodland ways;<br /></span> +<span>And I have understanding of the lays,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">The birds are singing, forasmuch as I<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Have learned how love avails to satisfy<br /></span> +<span>A man's whole heart, and fills his lips with praise.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Percy C. Ainsworth<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="JUNE_FIRST" id="JUNE_FIRST" />JUNE FIRST</h2> + + +<ul><li>Nicolas Poussin born 1594.</li> + +<li>Sir Christopher Marlowe died 1593.</li> + +<li>Sir David Wilkie died 1841.</li> + +<li>Hugo Münsterberg born 1863.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>In every act of ours, in every feeling and every volition and every + thought, we are conscious of a self which expresses its aims and + meanings. Every idea of ours points beyond itself, every volition + binds us in decision, and every experience gets meaning by our + attitudes. The most immediate task which life demands from us in the + understanding of ourselves and of others is, therefore, to interpret + our ideas, to draw the consequences of our will, to appreciate the + attitudes, to measure them by higher standards.</p> + +<p> —Hugo Münsterberg.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness.</p> + +<p> —Genesis 1. 26.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>My Creator, I pray that I may not only have the desire to know life, +but the assurance to live it. Help me to understand that my earthly +possessions are not the measure of my life, nor my body the boundary +of my living. May I reach for the high standards that are free, +without limit, to all. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="JUNE_SECOND" id="JUNE_SECOND" />JUNE SECOND</h2> + + +<ul><li>Ethelbert baptized 597.</li> + +<li>John Randolph born 1773.</li> + +<li>Thomas Hardy born 1840.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>In battle or business, whatever the game,<br /></span> +<span>In law or in love, it is ever the same:<br /></span> +<span>In the struggle for power, or scramble for pelf,<br /></span> +<span>Let this be your motto: "Rely on yourself."<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—John G. Saxe.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Labor is necessary to excellence. This is an eternal truth, although + vanity cannot be taught to believe or indolence to heed it.</p> + +<p> —John Randolph.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>But let each man prove his own work, and then shall he have his + glorying in regard of himself alone, and not of his neighbor.</p> + +<p> —Galatians 6. 4.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>Almighty God, I regret the hours of indiscretion and waste; through +thy forgiveness may I have thy help over past wrongs. May I have a +deeper conception of a profitable life, that I may hereafter live by +it. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="JUNE_THIRD" id="JUNE_THIRD" />JUNE THIRD</h2> + + +<ul><li>Sydney Smith born 1771.</li> + +<li>Dr. John Gregory born 1724.</li> + +<li>Richard Cobden born 1804.</li> + +<li>Jefferson Davis born 1808.</li> + +<li>Norman Macleod born 1812.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Certainly, let the board be spread and let the bed be dressed for + the traveler; but let not the emphasis of hospitality lie in these + things. Honor to the house where they are simple to the verge of + hardship, so that there the intellect is awake and reads the law of + the universe, the soul worships truth and love, honor and courtesy + flow into all deeds.</p> + +<p> —Ralph Waldo Emerson.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>Kind actions, and good wishes, and pure thoughts<br /></span> +<span>No mystery is here: Here is no boon<br /></span> +<span>For high—yet not for low: The smoke ascends<br /></span> +<span>To heaven as lightly from the cottage hearth<br /></span> +<span>As from the haughtiest palace.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—William Wordsworth.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Given to hospitality.</p> + +<p> —Romans 12. 13.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>Gracious Father, I beseech thee to give me wisdom for kind thoughts +and deeds. Teach me true hospitality, that I may be gracious in my own +home and appreciative in the home of others. May I not temper my +hospitality for certain reasons, but have a genuine welcome for all. +Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="JUNE_FOURTH" id="JUNE_FOURTH" />JUNE FOURTH</h2> + + +<ul><li>George III born 1738.</li> + +<li>Lord Edward Fitzgerald died 1798.</li> + +<li>General Garnet Wolseley born 1833.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>This is the gospel of labor—ring it,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Ye bells of the kirk—<br /></span> +<span>The Lord of Love came down from above<br /></span> +<span class="i2">To live with the men who work.<br /></span> +<span>This is the rose he planted, here<br /></span> +<span class="i2">In the thorn-cursed soil;<br /></span> +<span>Heaven is blest with perfect rest, but<br /></span> +<span class="i2">The blessing of earth is toil.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Henry van Dyke<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>No man is born into the world whose work<br /></span> +<span>Is not born with him. There is always work<br /></span> +<span>And tools to work withal, for those who will;<br /></span> +<span>And blessed are the horny hands of toil.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—James Russell Lowell.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Six days thou shalt do thy work, and on the seventh day thou shalt + rest.</p> + +<p> —Exodus 23. 12.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>My Father, I pray for the love of work, and the desire to cultivate +life. Stir me, that I may be ambitious. May I not stare at life in an +everyday way and forget that others are watching for the surprises. +Help me to be considerate and kind in all that I do. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="JUNE_FIFTH" id="JUNE_FIFTH" />JUNE FIFTH</h2> + + +<ul><li>Socrates born B. C. 469.</li> + +<li>Dr. Adam Smith born 1723.</li> + +<li>Karl Maria von Weber died 1826.</li> + +<li>O. Henry died 1910.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>You think that upon the score of foreknowledge and divining I am + infinitely inferior to the swans. When they perceive approaching + death they sing more merrily than before, because of the joy they + have in going to the God they serve.</p> + +<p> —Socrates.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>O yet we trust that somehow good<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Will be the final goal of ill,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">To pangs of nature, sins of will,<br /></span> +<span>Defects of doubt, and taints of blood;<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>That nothing walks with aimless feet;<br /></span> +<span class="i2">That not one life shall be destroyed,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Or cast as rubbish to the void,<br /></span> +<span>When God hath made the pile complete.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Alfred Tennyson.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>How precious is thy lovingkindness, O God! And the children of men + take refuge under the shadow of thy wings.</p> + +<p> —Psalm 36. 7.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>Eternal God, forbid that I should try to set up thy judgment-seat in +so small a place as self, and attempt to render decisions for thee. My +soul lives anew as I think of thy love, and that there is no place +where thy mercy can be withheld from me. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="JUNE_SIXTH" id="JUNE_SIXTH" />JUNE SIXTH</h2> + + +<ul><li>Diego R. Velasquez born 1599.</li> + +<li>Pierre Corneille born 1606.</li> + +<li>Nathan Hale born 1755.</li> + +<li>Sir John Stainer born 1840.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>These stones that make the meadow brooklet murmur<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Are the keys on which it plays.<br /></span> +<span>O'er every shelving rock its touch grows firmer,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Resounding notes to raise.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>If every path o'er which footsteps wander,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Were smooth as ocean strand,<br /></span> +<span>There were no theme for gratitude and wonder<br /></span> +<span class="i2">At God's delivering hand.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—W. E. Winks.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>We also rejoice in our tribulations: knowing that tribulation + worketh steadfastness; and steadfastness, approvedness; and + approvedness, hope.</p> + +<p> —Romans 5. 3, 4.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>My Father, if rain may come to-day, may I realize its help, with the +power of the sun, to increase life; and may its influence be sweet and +wholesome to me, as I learn that sadness is temporary and will +disappear with the coming of gladness. May I go search for the joy +that may be mine to-day. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="JUNE_SEVENTH" id="JUNE_SEVENTH" />JUNE SEVENTH</h2> + + +<ul><li>Robert Bruce died 1329.</li> + +<li>George Bryan (Beau Brummel) born 1778.</li> + +<li>Rev. W. D. Conybeare born 1787.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>When the lamp is shattered<br /></span> +<span class="i2">The light in the dust lies dead—<br /></span> +<span>When the cloud is scattered<br /></span> +<span class="i2">The rainbow's glory is shed.<br /></span> +<span>When the lute is broken<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Sweet tones are remembered not;<br /></span> +<span>When the lips have spoken<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Loved accents are soon forgot.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Percy Bysshe Shelley.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>A slip of the rose may take root, and bring forth a bloom to give + peace to the soul. A slip of the tongue may take root, and bring + forth a thorn that will torture the soul.</p> + +<p> —M. B. S.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of + itself, except it abide in the vine; so neither can ye, except ye + abide in me.</p> + +<p> —John 15. 4.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>Many of us, O Father, overlook the fragrance of the rose while we are +being pierced by its thorn. Increase my faith in life and in thee, +that I may not be dismayed over mysteries, but sincerely wait for +deliverance. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="JUNE_EIGHTH" id="JUNE_EIGHTH" />JUNE EIGHTH</h2> + + +<ul><li>Mohammed died 632.</li> + +<li>Thomas Rickman born 1776.</li> + +<li>Charles Reade born 1814.</li> + +<li>John Everett Millais born 1829.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>If one touch of nature makes the whole world kin, methinks that + sweet and wonderful thing sympathy is not less powerful. What golden + barriers, what ice of centuries, it can melt in a moment!</p> + +<p> —Charles Reade.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>If I had two loaves of bread, I would sell one to buy white + hyacinths to feed my soul.</p> + +<p> —Mohammed.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>What do you live for if it is not to make life less difficult for + each other?</p> + +<p> —George Eliot.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Pure religion and undefiled before our God and Father is this, to + visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep + oneself unspotted from the world.</p> + +<p> —James 1. 27.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>My Father, help me to understand that kind hearts and willing hands +are made possible by the depth and greatness of thy love. May I +possess the spirit of forgiveness and consideration, that I may not +hold prejudice and revenge, but help with sympathy and tenderness. +Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="JUNE_NINTH" id="JUNE_NINTH" />JUNE NINTH</h2> + + +<ul><li>George Stephenson born 1781.</li> + +<li>John Howard Payne born 1791.</li> + +<li>Richard D. Blackmore born 1825.</li> + +<li>Charles Dickens died 1870.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Reflect upon your present blessings of which every man has many; not + upon your past misfortunes, of which all have some.</p> + +<p> —Charles Dickens.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>'Mid pleasures and palaces though we may roam,<br /></span> +<span>Be it ever so humble, there's no place like home!<br /></span> +<span>A charm from the skies seems to hallow us there,<br /></span> +<span>Which, sought through the world, is ne'er met with elsewhere.<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Home! home! sweet, sweet home!<br /></span> +<span class="i2">There's no place like home!<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—John Howard Payne.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>For thou shalt forget thy misery;<br /></span> +<span>Thou shalt remember it as waters that are passed away.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Job 11. 16.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>Lord God, my soul fills with gratitude for the blessings which I have +received and enjoyed. Help me to conform to thy will concerning my +duties. May I not try to resist thy providence. I pray that thou wilt +bless my daily life, and make my home a place to dispense kindness and +cheerfulness. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="JUNE_TENTH" id="JUNE_TENTH" />JUNE TENTH</h2> + + +<ul><li>Sir Edwin Arnold born 1832.</li> + +<li>Henry M. Stanley born 1840.</li> + +<li>Edward Everett Hale died 1809.</li> + +<li>Robert Schumann born 1810.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>What have you done with your soul, my friend?<br /></span> +<span>Where is the ray you were wont to send,<br /></span> +<span>Glancing bright through the outer night,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Touching with hope what was dark before,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Glimmering on to the further shore?<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Arthur C. Benson.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>God suffers the light to know eclipse,<br /></span> +<span>Dashes the cup from the eager lips;<br /></span> +<span>You perchance would have drunk too deep.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Arthur C. Benson.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Lift where you stand.</p> + +<p> —Edward Everett Hale.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>A friend is the first person who comes in when the whole world has + gone out.</p> + +<p> —Unknown.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Who comforteth us in all our affliction, that we may be able to + comfort them that are in any affliction, through the comfort + wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God.</p> + +<p> —2 Corinthians 1.4.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>Almighty God, help me to correct my mistakes, and to be more careful +of what I take in my life. May I always stretch out a hand of love to +inspire others with confidence to care more for themselves and more +for thee. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="JUNE_ELEVENTH" id="JUNE_ELEVENTH" />JUNE ELEVENTH</h2> + + +<ul><li>Roger Bacon died 1292.</li> + +<li>George Wither born 1588.</li> + +<li>John Constable born 1776.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Exceeding gifts from God are not blessings, they are duties. They do + not always increase a man's happiness; they always increase his + responsibilities.</p> + +<p> —Charles Kingsley.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Make a rule and pray for help to keep it. Once a day spare room for + a thought that will pursue a strong purpose. Help in some way the + progress of a weary soul who cannot repay you.</p> + +<p> —M. B. S.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>There is no true potency, remember, but that of help; nor true + ambition, but ambition to save.</p> + +<p> —John Ruskin.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>And if thou draw out thy soul to the hungry, and satisfy the + afflicted soul: then shall thy light rise in darkness, and thine + obscurity be as the noon day.</p> + +<p> —Isaiah 58. 10.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>Heavenly Father, when I think of how little I have given away my heart +burns with shame, as I recall what thou hast given to me. May I from +this day be more thoughtful of thy tender compassion by being less +selfish with what I have. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="JUNE_TWELFTH" id="JUNE_TWELFTH" />JUNE TWELFTH</h2> + + +<ul><li>Harriet Martineau born 1802.</li> + +<li>Charles Kingsley born 1819.</li> + +<li>Dr. Thomas Arnold (Arnold of Rugby) died 1842.</li> + +<li>Sir Oliver Lodge born 1851.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Do to-day's duty, fight to-day's temptation, and do not weaken and + distract yourself by looking-forward to things which you cannot see, + and could not understand if you saw them.</p> + +<p> —Charles Kingsley.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Genuine religion has its roots deep down in the heart of + humanity.... The actions of the Deity make no appeal to any special + sense. We are deaf and blind, therefore, to the imminent grandeur + around us unless we have insight enough to appreciate the whole and + to recognize the woven fabric of existence flowing steadily from the + loom of an infinite progress toward perfection.</p> + +<p> —Sir Oliver Lodge.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down + from the Father of lights, with whom can be no variation, neither + shadow that is cast by turning.</p> + +<p> —James 1. 17.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>Gracious Father, forbid that I should make thee regret thy gifts to +me; and if I have failed to appreciate them, look upon me with pity, +for I have cheated myself more than I have thee. Give me a deeper +appreciation, that I may be strengthened day by day in the veriest +duties of life. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="JUNE_THIRTEENTH" id="JUNE_THIRTEENTH" />JUNE THIRTEENTH</h2> + + +<ul><li>Dr. Thomas Young born 1773.</li> + +<li>General Winfield Scott born 1786.</li> + +<li>Dr. Thomas Arnold (Arnold of Rugby) born 1795.</li> + +<li>William Butler Yeats born 1865.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Beyond all wealth, honor, or even health, is the attachment we form + to noble souls, because to become one with the good, generous, and + true is to become, in a measure, good, generous, and true ourselves.</p> + +<p> —Thomas Arnold.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Open thy bosom, set thy wishes wide, and let in manhood—let in + happiness; admit the boundless theater of thought from nothing up to + God ... which makes a man.</p> + +<p> —Thomas Young.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their + labor. For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow; but woe to + him that is alone when he falleth, and hath not another to lift him + up.</p> + +<p> —Ecclesiastes 4. 9, 10.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>Heavenly Father, I thank thee for good friends, and for the delight +that dwells in fellowship. Give me the power to apprehend love, and +guard me against the ways to lose it. May I look to my friends to help +me to be pure, and to help me live my truest life. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="JUNE_FOURTEENTH" id="JUNE_FOURTEENTH" />JUNE FOURTEENTH</h2> + + +<ul><li>Carlo Guidi born 1650.</li> + +<li>Harriet Beecher Stowe born 1812.</li> + +<li>Mary Carpenter died 1877.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>When you get into a tight place, and everything goes against you + till it seems as if you couldn't hold on a minute longer, never give + up then, for that's just the time and place that the tide will turn.</p> + +<p> —Harriet Beecher Stowe.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>I cannot do it alone,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">The waves run fast and high,<br /></span> +<span>And the fogs close chill around,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">And the light goes out in the sky;<br /></span> +<span>But I know that we two<br /></span> +<span>Shall win in the end—<br /></span> +<span class="i2">God and I.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Unknown.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Let us hold fast the confession of our hope that it waver not.</p> + +<p> —Hebrews 10. 23.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>Almighty God, I pray that thou wilt sustain me when I may be enduring +for a purpose, and to accomplish it seems beyond my strength. Renew me +with courage, and give me unceasing hope, and faith that is able to +hold out to the end. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="JUNE_FIFTEENTH" id="JUNE_FIFTEENTH" />JUNE FIFTEENTH</h2> + + +<ul><li>Thomas Randolph born 1605.</li> + +<li>Edward Grieg born 1843.</li> + +<li>Thomas Campbell died 1844.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>What is rightly done stays with us, to support another right beyond, + or higher up; whatever is wrongly done vanishes; and by the blank, + betrays what we would have built above.</p> + +<p> —John Ruskin.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>The seed ye sow another reaps,<br /></span> +<span>The wealth ye find another keeps,<br /></span> +<span>The robe ye weave another wears,<br /></span> +<span>The arms ye forge another bears.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Percy Bysshe Shelley.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>Thou drewest near in the day that I called upon<br /></span> +<span class="i2">thee; thou saidst, Fear not.<br /></span> +<span>O Lord, thou hast pleaded the causes of my soul;<br /></span> +<span class="i2">thou hast redeemed my life.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Lamentations 3. 57, 58.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>Lord God, reveal to me my selfishness if I am receiving much and +giving little to satisfy life. May I be grateful and considerate of +all those who labor to give me comfort and happiness. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="JUNE_SIXTEENTH" id="JUNE_SIXTEENTH" />JUNE SIXTEENTH</h2> + + +<ul><li>Hugh Capet succeeds to throne of father 956.</li> + +<li>Sir Richard Fanshawe died 1666.</li> + +<li>Sir John Cheke born 1514.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>When to the sessions of sweet, solemn thought<br /></span> +<span class="i2">I summon up remembrance of things past,<br /></span> +<span>I sigh the lack of many a thing I sought.<br /></span> +<span class="i2">But if the while I think on thee, dear friend,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">All losses are restored and sorrows end.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—William Shakespeare.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>Seldom can the heart be lonely<br /></span> +<span class="i2">If it seek a lonelier still—<br /></span> +<span>Self-forgetting, seeking only<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Emptier cups of love to fill.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—F. R. Havergal.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>The Lord Jehovah hath given me the tongue of them that are taught, + that I may know how to sustain with words him that is weary.</p> + +<p> —Isaiah 50. 4.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>Gracious Father, keep within me that cheer and courage which never has +a place for weary murmurings; and with peace make the hours of +solitude profitable as they pass. Help me to seek those who are in +need of sympathy and encouragement, that I may help them to have a +tranquil life. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="JUNE_SEVENTEENTH" id="JUNE_SEVENTEENTH" />JUNE SEVENTEENTH</h2> + + +<ul><li>Joseph Addison died 1719.</li> + +<li>Charles François Gounod born 1818.</li> + +<li>Sir E. C. Burne-Jones died 1898.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span class="i2">He who plants a tree<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Plants a hope.<br /></span> +<span>Rootlets up through fibers blindly grope,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Leaves unfold unto horizons free.<br /></span> +<span class="i2">So man's life must climb<br /></span> +<span class="i2">From the clods of time<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Unto heavens sublime.<br /></span> +<span>Canst thou prophesy, thou little tree,<br /></span> +<span>What the glory of the boughs shall be?<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Lucy Larcom.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Very early, I perceived that the object of life is to grow.</p> + +<p> —Margaret Fuller.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Many a genius has been slow of growth. Oaks that flourish for a + thousand years do not spring up into beauty like a reed.</p> + +<p> —George Henry Lewes.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>And Jesus advanced in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and + men.</p> + +<p> —Luke 2. 52.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>Almighty God, thy power is so great I cannot express it; help me to +comprehend the meaning of it, that I may feel more profoundly thy +expectations of my life. May I remember that to forget that life is +eternal may make me to lose all it has grown. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="JUNE_EIGHTEENTH" id="JUNE_EIGHTEENTH" />JUNE EIGHTEENTH</h2> + + +<ul><li>Robert Stewart born 1769.</li> + +<li>Battle of Waterloo 1815.</li> + +<li>William Cobbett died 1835.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>Not he the threatening texts who deals<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Is highest 'mong the preachers,<br /></span> +<span>But he who feels the woes and weals<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Of all God's wandering creatures.<br /></span> +<span>He doth good work whose heart can find<br /></span> +<span class="i2">The spirit 'neath the letter;<br /></span> +<span>Who makes his kind of happier mind,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Leaves wiser men and better.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>Dear Bard and Brother! let who may<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Against thy faults be railing,<br /></span> +<span>(Though far, I pray, from us be they<br /></span> +<span class="i2">That never had a failing!)<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—James Russell Lowell.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Avenge not yourselves, beloved, but give place unto the wrath of + God: for it is written, Vengeance belongeth unto me; I will + recompense, saith the Lord.</p> + +<p> —Romans 12. 19.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>Heavenly Father, I pray that I may not be so occupied in expressing my +judgment of others, that I will forget to live in thy judgment myself. +May I have the compassion for others that I hope to receive from thee. +Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="JUNE_NINETEENTH" id="JUNE_NINETEENTH" />JUNE NINETEENTH</h2> + + +<ul><li>Magna Charta signed, Runnymede, 1215.</li> + +<li>Blaise Pascal born 1623.</li> + +<li>Charles H. Spurgeon born 1834.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Find your niche and fill it. If it is ever so little, if it is only + a hewer of wood or a drawer of water, do something in the great + battle for God and truth.</p> + +<p> —Charles Spurgeon.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>If I do what I may in earnest, I need not mourn if I work no great + work on earth. To help the growth of a thought that struggles toward + the light; to brush with gentle hand the stain from the white of one + snowdrop—such be my ambition.</p> + +<p> —George Macdonald.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Jehovah thy God will bless thee in all thy work, and in all that + thou puttest thy hand unto.</p> + +<p> —Deuteronomy 15. 10.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>Lord God, I pray that I may not through conceit be betrayed into +slacking my work, or through visions of greatness lose it. Teach me +how to obtain the secret wealth in the smallest thing; and may I +recognize thy treasures, and fill my life with the finest that may be +given me. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="JUNE_TWENTIETH" id="JUNE_TWENTIETH" />JUNE TWENTIETH</h2> + + +<ul><li>John of Lancaster born 1389.</li> + +<li>Dr. Adam Ferguson born 1723.</li> + +<li>Anna Letitia Aiken (Mrs. Barbauld) born 1743.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>If the soft hand of winning Pleasure leads<br /></span> +<span>By living waters, and through flowery meads,<br /></span> +<span>Where all is smiling, tranquil, and serene,<br /></span> +<span>Oh! teach me to elude each latent snare,<br /></span> +<span>And whisper to my sliding heart, "Beware!"<br /></span> +<span>With caution let me hear the Syren's voice,<br /></span> +<span>And doubtful, with a trembling heart rejoice.<br /></span> +<span>If friendless in a vale of tears I stray,<br /></span> +<span>Where briars wound, and thorns perplex my way,<br /></span> +<span>Still let my steady soul thy goodness see,<br /></span> +<span>And, with a strong confidence, lay hold on Thee.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Anna Letitia Barbauld.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>For thou, O God, hast proved us:<br /></span> +<span>Thou hast tried us, as silver is tried.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Psalm 66. 10.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>O Lord, teach me to select my pleasures with care, that I may not +plunge into joyful moments that are irretrievable. May I indulge in +the pleasures that bring happiness and not weariness. Grant that I may +have the honor to protect others from harm and loss, as I engage in my +pleasures and in my work. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="JUNE_TWENTY_FIRST" id="JUNE_TWENTY_FIRST" />JUNE TWENTY-FIRST</h2> + + +<ul><li>Captain John Smith died 1631.</li> + +<li>Anthony Collins born 1676.</li> + +<li>Jacques Offenbach born 1819.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>In our eagerness to solve life we start out to trace its mysteries + and trample God's truths as we search. As we return we discover the + shattered treasures, and gladly stoop to gather up the fragments, + and with them translate the revelations of the soul.</p> + +<p> —M. B. S.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>I stretch my hands out in the empty air;<br /></span> +<span class="i2">I strain my eyes into the heavy night;<br /></span> +<span>Blackness of darkness!—Father, hear my prayer;<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Grant me to see the light!<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—George Arnold.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>But when he came to himself he said, How many hired servants of my + father's have bread enough and to spare, and I perish here with + hunger! I will arise and go to my father.</p> + +<p> —Luke 15. 17, 18.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>Heavenly Father, I pray that as I search for the truth I will not be +so eager to seek thy mysteries as I am to extend thy ministries. Grant +that by thy love I will be guided in comprehending and exalting thy +kingdom. May my service bring me wisdom as I obey thy laws. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="JUNE_TWENTY_SECOND" id="JUNE_TWENTY_SECOND" />JUNE TWENTY-SECOND</h2> + + +<ul><li>Matthew Henry died 1714.</li> + +<li>Karl Wilhelm von Humboldt born 1767.</li> + +<li>H. Rider Haggard born 1856.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>The safe and general antidote against sorrow is employment. Sorrow + is a kind of rust in the soul, which every new idea contributes in + its passage to scour away.</p> + +<p> —Dr. Johnson.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>We may be sure that one principle will hold throughout the whole + pursuit of thoughtful happiness—the principle that the best way to + secure future happiness is to be as happy as is rightfully possible + to-day. To secure any desirable capacity for the future, near or + remote, cultivate it to-day. What would be the use of immortality + for a person who cannot use well half an hour? asks Emerson.</p> + +<p> —Charles W. Eliot.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Strengthen ye the weak hands, and confirm the feeble knees. Say to + them that are of a fearful heart, Be strong, fear not.</p> + +<p> —Isaiah 35. 3, 4.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>Loving Father, help me that I may realize the depth of thy love. If I +may be discouraged over my failures, speak to me hopefully and lead me +out where I may find the right way to succeed. May I not be kept in +sorrow, but find each day the happiness that brings a thankful heart. +Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="JUNE_TWENTY_THIRD" id="JUNE_TWENTY_THIRD" />JUNE TWENTY-THIRD</h2> + + +<ul><li>Mark Akenside died 1770.</li> + +<li>John Fill born 1625.</li> + +<li>Josephine born 1763</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span class="i10">Could we by a wish<br /></span> +<span>Have what we will and get the future now,<br /></span> +<span>Would we wish aught done undone in the past?<br /></span> +<span>So, let him wait God's instant men call years;<br /></span> +<span>Meantime hold hard by truth and his great soul,<br /></span> +<span>Do out the duty! Through such souls alone<br /></span> +<span>God stooping shows sufficient of his light<br /></span> +<span>For us i' the dark to rise by. And I rise.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Robert Browning.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>Press not thy purpose on thy Lord,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Urge not thy erring will,<br /></span> +<span>Nor dictate to the Eternal mind<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Nor doubt thy Maker's skill.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Lydia H. Sigourney.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>Cause me to hear thy loving-kindness in the morning;<br /></span> +<span>For in thee do I trust:<br /></span> +<span>Cause me to know the way wherein I should walk;<br /></span> +<span>For I lift up my soul unto thee.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Psalm 143. 8.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>My Father, help me to see that in my portion of work thou hast +entrusted me to help further thy kingdom. Correct me if I am wrong in +interpreting thy way. May I concentrate my mind and make my heart and +hands do the work which thou hast given for me to do. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="JUNE_TWENTY_FOURTH" id="JUNE_TWENTY_FOURTH" />JUNE TWENTY-FOURTH</h2> + + +<ul><li>Jean Baptiste Massillon born 1663.</li> + +<li>Alexandre Dumas born 1803.</li> + +<li>Henry Ward Beecher born 1813.</li> + +<li>General Lord Kitchener born 1850.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>All the world cries, "Where is the man who will save us?" Don't look + so far for this man, you have him at hand. This man—it is you, it + is I, it is each one of us! How to constitute oneself a man? Nothing + harder if one knows not how to will it; nothing easier if one wills + it.</p> + +<p> —Alexandre Dumas.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Many of our troubles are God dragging us, and they would end if we + would stand upon our feet and go whither he would have us.</p> + +<p> —Henry Ward Beecher.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Ye shall therefore keep my statutes, and mine ordinances; which if a + man do, he shall live in them.</p> + +<p> —Leviticus 18. 5.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>Gracious Lord, I pray that I may have reverence for that which is pure +and holy, and that my soul may delight in the presence of the good. +Help me to so live that I may have the memory of precious deeds, and +that I may not have to depend on the service of others to supply +contentment for my closing days. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="JUNE_TWENTY_FIFTH" id="JUNE_TWENTY_FIFTH" />JUNE TWENTY-FIFTH</h2> + + +<ul><li>William Smellie died 1795.</li> + +<li>Antoine Jean Gros died 1835.</li> + +<li>Lucy Webb Hayes died 1889.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>In every feast remember there are two guests to be entertained—the + body and the soul; and what you give the body you presently lose, + but what you give the soul remains forever.</p> + +<p> —Epictetus.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>We take pains and weary to faultlessly clothe the body. We + persevere, and often struggle, to adorn the mind. As we pass through + the rays of truth, sometimes we find, after all we have put on, we + have left bare the soul.</p> + +<p> —M. B. S.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>For what shall a man be profited, if he shall gain the whole world, + and forfeit his life?</p> + +<p> —Matthew 16. 26.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>Lord God, help me to understand that thou hast made the principle of +truth so that I cannot add to it, nor take from it, lest in altering +it I might destroy it. May I never try to make my purpose cover the +truth, but without fear, face the light where truth shines the +brightest. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="JUNE_TWENTY_SIXTH" id="JUNE_TWENTY_SIXTH" />JUNE TWENTY-SIXTH</h2> + + +<ul><li>Archbishop Robert Leighton died 1684.</li> + +<li>Dr. Philip Doddridge born 1702.</li> + +<li>George Morland born 1763.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Why are we so glad to talk and take our turns to prattle, when so + rarely we get back to the stronghold of our silence with an + unwounded conscience?</p> + +<p> —Thomas a Kempis.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>I have read that those who listened to Lord Chatham felt that there + was something finer in the man than anything which he said.</p> + +<p> —Ralph Waldo Emerson.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Speech is like the cloth of Arras opened and put abroad, whereby the + imagery doth appear in figure; whereas in thoughts they lie but as + in packs.</p> + +<p> —Plutarch.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>Keep thy tongue from evil,<br /></span> +<span>And thy lips from speaking guile.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Psalm 34. 13.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>Tender Father, make me more watchful of the time that I give to +useless thoughts and words, and save me from cutting words, which make +deeper impressions than can be cut with sharp tools. Forgive me for +the hours that have not been profitable; I would I had them back, for +my heart and mind have need of them. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="JUNE_TWENTY_SEVENTH" id="JUNE_TWENTY_SEVENTH" />JUNE TWENTY-SEVENTH</h2> + + +<ul><li>Paul Laurence Dunbar born 1872.</li> + +<li>Lafcadio Hearne born 1850.</li> + +<li>Helen Keller born 1880.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Of course, it was not easy at first to fly. The speech wings were + weak and broken; nothing was left save the impulse to fly, but that + was something. One can never consent to creep when one has an + impulse to soar. There are so many difficulties in the way, so many + discouragements; but I kept on trying, knowing that perseverance and + patience win in the end.</p> + +<p> —Helen Keller.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>De da'kest hour, dey allus say,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Is des' befo' de dawn,<br /></span> +<span>But it's moughty ha'd a-waitin'<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Were de night goes frownin' on;<br /></span> +<span>An' it's moughty ha'd a-hopin'<br /></span> +<span class="i2">When de clouds is big and black,<br /></span> +<span>An' all de t'ings you's waited fu'<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Has failed, er gone to wrack—<br /></span> +<span>But des' keep on a joggin' ind a little bit o song.<br /></span> +<span>De moon is allus brightah w'en de night's been long.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Paul Laurence Dunbar.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>Weeping may tarry for the night,<br /></span> +<span>But joy cometh in the morning.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Psalm 30. 5.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>My Father, I thank thee for life and its faculties. May I not be +deceived by gratification and miss the permanent satisfactions. Make +me brave that I may be courageous in affliction, and not be dismayed +over humiliations and disappointments. May I be kept in harmony with +thy will. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="JUNE_TWENTY_EIGHTH" id="JUNE_TWENTY_EIGHTH" />JUNE TWENTY-EIGHTH</h2> + + +<ul><li>Henry VIII born 1491.</li> + +<li>Jean Jacques Rousseau born 1712.</li> + +<li>John Wesley born 1703.</li> + +<li>Frederick William Faber born 1814.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>Workman of God! O lose not heart,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">But learn what God is like;<br /></span> +<span>And in the darkest battlefield<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Thou shalt know where to strike.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>For right is right, since God is God;<br /></span> +<span class="i2">And right the day must win;<br /></span> +<span>To doubt would be disloyalty,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">To falter would be sin.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—F. W. Faber.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>Leisure and I have parted company.<br /></span> +<span>I look upon the world as my parish.<br /></span> +<span>The best of all is, God is with us.<br /></span> +<span>To overdo is to undo.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—John Wesley.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only.</p> + +<p> —James 1. 22.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>Lord God, I pray for a desire to work. May I not be deceived in my +convictions, and work for that of which I may afterward be ashamed. +Lead me into a clear conception of right and wrong. Help me to see as +thou dost see, that I may walk with confidence in thy steps. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="JUNE_TWENTY_NINTH" id="JUNE_TWENTY_NINTH" />JUNE TWENTY-NINTH</h2> + + +<ul><li>Paul Rubens born 1577.</li> + +<li>Baron John De Kalb born 1721.</li> + +<li>Elizabeth Barrett Browning died 1861.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>Do ye hear the children weeping, O my brothers,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Ere the sorrow comes with years?<br /></span> +<span>They are leaning their young heads against their mothers,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">And they cannot stop their tears.<br /></span> +<span>The young lambs are bleating in the meadows;<br /></span> +<span class="i2">The young birds are chirping in the nests;<br /></span> +<span>The young fawns are playing with the shadows;<br /></span> +<span class="i2">The young flowers are blowing toward the west:<br /></span> +<span>But the young, young children, O my brothers!<br /></span> +<span class="i2">They are weeping bitterly.<br /></span> +<span>They are weeping in the playtime of the others,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">In the country of the free.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Elizabeth B. Browning.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Moreover thou hast taken thy sons and thy daughters, whom thou hast + borne unto me, and these hast thou sacrificed unto them to be + devoured.</p> + +<p> —Ezekiel 16. 20.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>Father of all, I pray that I may always love children. May I never +forget that I wanted things and needed things when I was a child, and +that the help and neglect which I received then told in my life. Make +me interested in the purposes that will help the progress of the child +to-day, and may I realize that the child does not need my casual +charity as much as it needs my permanent justice. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="JUNE_THIRTIETH" id="JUNE_THIRTIETH" />JUNE THIRTIETH</h2> + + +<ul><li>Alexander Brome died 1666.</li> + +<li>Archibald Campbell beheaded 1685.</li> + +<li>Sir Thomas Pope Blount died 1697.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>Be useful where thou livest, that they may<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Both want and wish thy pleasing presence still;<br /></span> +<span>Kindness, good parts, great places are the way<br /></span> +<span class="i2">To compass this. Find out men's wants and will,<br /></span> +<span>And meet them there. All worldly joys go less<br /></span> +<span>To the one joy of doing kindnesses.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—George Herbert.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>Thrice happy he, who by some shady grove,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Far from the clamorous world, doth live his own;<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Though solitary, who is not alone,<br /></span> +<span>But doth converse with that eternal love<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—William Drummond.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Seek, and ye shall find.</p> + +<p> —Matthew 7. 7.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>My Father, help me to draw from the wisdom of life, that my soul may +grow in knowledge and power. May I have the quiet confidence that +comes in trusting thee. May I help others to think on the uplifting +things of life. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="JULY" id="JULY" />JULY</h2> + +<table border="0" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" summary=""> +<tr><td><a href="#JULY_FIRST"><b>01</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#JULY_SECOND"><b>02</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#JULY_THIRD"><b>03</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#JULY_FOURTH"><b>04</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#JULY_FIFTH"><b>05</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#JULY_SIXTH"><b>06</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#JULY_SEVENTH"><b>07</b></a></td></tr> + +<tr><td><a href="#JULY_EIGHTH"><b>08</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#JULY_NINTH"><b>09</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#JULY_TENTH"><b>10</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#JULY_ELEVENTH"><b>11</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#JULY_TWELFTH"><b>12</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#JULY_THIRTEENTH"><b>13</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#JULY_FOURTEENTH"><b>14</b></a></td></tr> + +<tr><td><a href="#JULY_FIFTEENTH"><b>15</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#JULY_SIXTEENTH"><b>16</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#JULY_SEVENTEENTH"><b>17</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#JULY_EIGHTEENTH"><b>18</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#JULY_NINETEENTH"><b>19</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#JULY_TWENTIETH"><b>20</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#JULY_TWENTY_FIRST"><b>21</b></a></td></tr> + +<tr><td><a href="#JULY_TWENTY_SECOND"><b>22</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#JULY_TWENTY_THIRD"><b>23</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#JULY_TWENTY_FOURTH"><b>24</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#JULY_TWENTY_FIFTH"><b>25</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#JULY_TWENTY_SIXTH"><b>26</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#JULY_TWENTY_SEVENTH"><b>27</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#JULY_TWENTY_EIGHTH"><b>28</b></a></td></tr> + +<tr><td><a href="#JULY_TWENTY_NINTH"><b>29</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#JULY_THIRTIETH"><b>30</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#JULY_THIRTY_FIRST"><b>31</b></a></td></tr> +</table> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>Then came hot July, boiling like to fire,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">That all his garments he had cast away;<br /></span> +<span>Upon a lion raging yet with ire<br /></span> +<span class="i2">He boldly rode, and made him to obey.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Edmund Spenser.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>A pleasing land of drowsyhead it was,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Of dreams that wave before the half-shut eye;<br /></span> +<span>And of gay castles in the clouds that pass,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">For ever flushing round a summer sky.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—James Thomson.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="JULY_FIRST" id="JULY_FIRST" />JULY FIRST</h2> + + +<ul><li>Comte de Rochambeau born 1725.</li> + +<li>Gideon Welles born 1802.</li> + +<li>George Frederick Watts died 1904.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span class="i6">There is no unbelief!<br /></span> +<span>Whoever plants a seed beneath a sod,<br /></span> +<span>And waits to see it push away the clod,<br /></span> +<span class="i6">He trusts in God.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span class="i6">There is no unbelief!<br /></span> +<span>And day by day, and night, unconsciously,<br /></span> +<span>The heart lives by that faith the lips deny—<br /></span> +<span class="i6">God knoweth why.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Bulwer Lytton.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>More and more I see that nothing is so necessary for the religious + condition of the mind as absolute simplicity. We know what we have + got to do, and the only thing is to ask ourselves whether we are + doing it as well as we can.</p> + +<p> —George Frederick Watts.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Being therefore justified by faith, we have peace with God.</p> + +<p> —Romans 5. 1.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>My Creator, I praise thee for the knowledge of life, and the hope of +immortality. Help me to express my belief, and to give my utmost for +the divinest, that I may be worthy of life eternal. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="JULY_SECOND" id="JULY_SECOND" />JULY SECOND</h2> + + +<ul><li>Archbishop Cranmer born 1489.</li> + +<li>Christopher W. Gluck born 1714.</li> + +<li>Richard Henry Stoddard born 1825.</li> + +<li>Sir Robert Peel died 1850.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>One step more, and the race is ended;<br /></span> +<span>One word more, and the lesson's done;<br /></span> +<span>One toil more, and a long rest follows<br /></span> +<span class="i4">At set of sun.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>Who would fail, for one step withholden?<br /></span> +<span>Who would fail, for one word unsaid?<br /></span> +<span>Who would fail, for a pause too early?<br /></span> +<span class="i4">Sound sleep the dead.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Christina G. Rossetti.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>One who never turned his back, but marched breast forward,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Never doubted clouds would break,<br /></span> +<span>Never dreamed, though right were worsted, wrong would triumph,<br /></span> +<span>Held we fall to rise, are baffled to fight better, Sleep to wake.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Robert Browning.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>He that endureth to the end, the same shall be saved.</p> + +<p> —Matthew 10. 22.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>My Father, thou hast proven the strength of thy promises by thy tender +love and mercy through the darkest hours. Help me always to cling to +the hope that thou hast provided for my soul. May I be trustful, and +be thankful to "see so much as one side of a celestial idea, one side +of the rainbow, and the sunset sky." Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="JULY_THIRD" id="JULY_THIRD" />JULY THIRD</h2> + + +<ul><li>John S. Copley born 1737.</li> + +<li>Henry Grattan born 1746.</li> + +<li>Eugene Sue died 1857.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>Not from the dangers that beset our path<br /></span> +<span>From storm or sudden death, or pain or wrath,<br /></span> +<span class="i6">We pray deliverance;<br /></span> +<span>But from the envious eye, the narrowed mind<br /></span> +<span>Of those that are the vultures of mankind<br /></span> +<span class="i6">Thy aid advance.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>Not at the strong man's righteous rage or hate,<br /></span> +<span>But at the ambushed malice laid in wait<br /></span> +<span class="i6">Thy strength arise;<br /></span> +<span>At those who ever seek to spot the fair<br /></span> +<span>White garments of a neighbor's character<br /></span> +<span class="i6">With mud of lies.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Theodosia P. Garrison.<a name="FNanchor_1_3" id="FNanchor_1_3" /><a href="#Footnote_1_3" class="fnanchor">[1]</a><br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Putting away therefore all wickedness, and all guile, and + hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil speakings.</p> + +<p> —1 Peter 2. 1.</p></div> + +<hr /> + + +<p>My Lord, may I remember that to protect the character of others is to +add virtue to my own. Grant that I may see the good and not be looking +for the evil. Cause me to know that peace will not abide in deceit or +revenge, but may be found in a happy and charitable spirit. Help me to +earn thy peace. Amen.</p> + +<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_1_3" id="Footnote_1_3" /><a href="#FNanchor_1_3"><span class="label">[1]</span></a> Special permission by Mitchell Kennerly, New York.</p></div> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="JULY_FOURTH" id="JULY_FOURTH" />JULY FOURTH</h2> + + +<ul><li>Independence Day.</li> + +<li>Colonel William Byrd died 1704.</li> + +<li>Nathaniel Hawthorne born 1804.</li> + +<li>Thomas Jefferson died 1826.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>By the rude bridge that arched the flood,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Their flag to April's breeze unfurled,<br /></span> +<span>Here once the embattled farmers stood,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">And fired the shot heard round the world.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Ralph Waldo Emerson.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>Then conquer we must, when our cause it is just,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">And this be our motto, "In God is our trust";<br /></span> +<span>And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave<br /></span> +<span class="i2">O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave!<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Francis Scott Key.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Seek not to keep your soul perpetually in the unwholesome region of + remorse. It was needful to pass through that dark valley, but it is + infinitely dangerous to linger there too long.</p> + +<p> —Nathaniel Hawthorne.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>And this city shall be to me for a name of joy, for a praise and for + a glory, before all the nations of the earth, which shall hear all + the good that I do unto them.</p> + +<p> —Jeremiah 33. 9.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>Lord of justice and peace, may I not pause at the marked stones of the +brave to learn of liberty, but may I look for the opportunities that I +may measure up to because of them, and do my part to keep the peace +and spread the blessings of our land. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="JULY_FIFTH" id="JULY_FIFTH" />JULY FIFTH</h2> + + +<ul><li>Mrs. Sarah Siddons born 1755.</li> + +<li>David G. Farragut born 1801.</li> + +<li>George Sand born 1804.</li> + +<li>Cecil Rhodes born 1853.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Nature alone can speak to our intelligence an imperishable language, + never changing, because it remains within the bounds of eternal + truth and of what is absolutely noble and beautiful.</p> + +<p> —George Sand.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>Say, dost thou understand the whispered token,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">The promise breathed from every leaf and flower?<br /></span> +<span>And dost thou hear the word ere it be spoken,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">And apprehend love's presence by its power?<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Unknown.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>But ask now the beasts, and they shall teach thee; And the birds of + the heavens, and they shall tell thee: Or speak to the earth, and it + shall teach thee; And the fishes of the sea shall declare unto thee. + Who knoweth not in all these, That the hand of Jehovah hath wrought + this?</p> + +<p> —Job 12. 7-9.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>Lord God, direct me away from self, that I may learn of thy wisdom, +and help further thy kingdom. Give me patience to search for thy +truths, that I may obtain the noblest to use for thy service. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="JULY_SIXTH" id="JULY_SIXTH" />JULY SIXTH</h2> + + +<ul><li>John Huss burned at Constance, Baden, 1369.</li> + +<li>Baron Wilhelm Leibnitz born 1646.</li> + +<li>John Paul Jones born 1747.</li> + +<li>John Flaxman born 1755.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>No man likes to acknowledge that he has made a mistake in the choice + of his profession, and every man worthy of the name will row long + against wind and tide before he allows himself to cry out, "I'm + baffled!" and submit to be floated passively back to land.</p> + +<p> —Charlotte Brontë.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>There is nothing so small but that we honor God by asking his + guidance of it, or insult him by taking it into our hands.</p> + +<p> —John Ruskin.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>If I take the wings of the morning,<br /></span> +<span>And dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea;<br /></span> +<span>Even there shall thy hand lead me,<br /></span> +<span>And thy right hand shall hold me.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Psalm 139. 9, 10.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>My Father, I pray that I may have wise judgment and use discretion in +the choice of my work. May I remember that only that is genuine which +is received and used for thee. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="JULY_SEVENTH" id="JULY_SEVENTH" />JULY SEVENTH</h2> + + +<ul><li>Alexis, son of Peter the Great, died in prison 1718.</li> + +<li>Thomas Blacklock died 1791.</li> + +<li>Richard Brinsley Sheridan died 1816.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>The surest way not to fail is to determine to succeed.</p> + +<p> —Richard B. Sheridan.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>I felt my hot blood a-tingling flow;<br /></span> +<span>With thrill of the fight my soul did glow;<br /></span> +<span class="i2">And when, braced and pure,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">I emerged secure<br /></span> +<span>From the strife that had tried my courage so,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">I said, "Let heaven send me sun or rain,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">I'll never know flinching fear again."<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Thomas Crawford.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>For the Lord Jehovah will help me; therefore have I not been + confounded: therefore have I set my face like a flint, and I know + that I shall not be put to shame.</p> + +<p> —Isaiah 50. 7.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>Lord Jehovah, help me to learn how to be strong and brave, that I may +not remain in fear and weakness. Help me to conquer unworthiness, and +to overcome discouragements, that I may be spared the needless battles +that are brought on through impatience and selfishness. Keep my soul +in repose, that I may add to my conquering strength. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="JULY_EIGHTH" id="JULY_EIGHTH" />JULY EIGHTH</h2> + + +<ul><li>Jean de La Fontaine born 1621.</li> + +<li>Dr. Samuel D. Gross born 1805.</li> + +<li>Joseph Chamberlain born 1836.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Neither gold nor grandeur can render us happy.</p> + +<p> —La Fontaine.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>Spirit of God! descend upon my heart;<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Wean it from earth; through all its pulses move;<br /></span> +<span>Stoop to my weakness, mighty as thou art,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">And make me love thee as I ought to love.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>I ask no dream, no prophet ecstasies,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">No sudden rending of the veil of clay:<br /></span> +<span>No angel visitant, no opening skies—<br /></span> +<span>But take the dimness of my soul away.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—George Croly.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>For a man's life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which + he possesseth.</p> + +<p> —Luke 12. 15.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>Eternal God, help me to honor my life; and may I realize, whether I +select good or bad, much or little, the harvesting is for eternity. +Grant that I may not make my life accumulate gold and grandeur, and +laden it with much spending; but may I strive and love what thou dost +love, and make my life worthy of my labor. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="JULY_NINTH" id="JULY_NINTH" />JULY NINTH</h2> + + +<ul><li>Henry Hallam born 1777.</li> + +<li>Edmund Burke died 1797.</li> + +<li>Elias Howe born 1819.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Discretion of speech is more than eloquence; and to speak agreeably + to him with whom we deal is more than to speak in good words or in + good order.</p> + +<p> —Francis Bacon.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>When anyone provokes you, be assured it is your opinion which + provokes you. Try therefore, in the first place, not to be hurried + away with appearance. For if you once gain time and respite, you + will more easily command yourself.</p> + +<p> —Epictetus.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye + may know how ye ought to answer each one.</p> + +<p> —Colossians 4. 6.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>My Father, help me to learn through kindness and tenderness the value +of self-control. Help me in the moods of jealousy and impatience, that +I may not cause others unhappiness by words or deeds. Teach me how to +overcome the ways that keep me discontented, that I may have a +brighter speech. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="JULY_TENTH" id="JULY_TENTH" />JULY TENTH</h2> + + +<ul><li>John Calvin born 1509.</li> + +<li>Sir William Blackstone born 1723.</li> + +<li>Frederick Marryat born 1792.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>The quality of mercy is not strained;<br /></span> +<span>It droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven<br /></span> +<span>Upon the place beneath. It is twice blessed;<br /></span> +<span>It blesseth him that gives, and him that takes.<br /></span> +<span>'Tis mightiest in the mightiest; it becomes<br /></span> +<span>The throned monarch better than his crown;<br /></span> +</div> +<span> * * * * *<br /></span> +<div class="stanza"> +<span>It is enthroned in the hearts of kings;<br /></span> +<span>It is an attribute to God himself.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—William Shakespeare.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>His gain is loss; for he that wrongs his friend<br /></span> +<span>Wrongs himself more, and ever has about<br /></span> +<span>A silent court and jury, and himself<br /></span> +<span>The prisoner at the bar, ever condemned.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Alfred Tennyson.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Brethren, even if a man be overtaken in any trespass, ye who are + spiritual, restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness; looking to + thyself, lest thou also be tempted.</p> + +<p> —Galatians 6. 1.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>My Father, help me to avoid the critical spirit that leans toward +injustice. Grant that none may be made despondent waiting for my +mercy; but through forgiveness may I inspire confidence in those who +have made mistakes, and influence them to a better life. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="JULY_ELEVENTH" id="JULY_ELEVENTH" />JULY ELEVENTH</h2> + + +<ul><li>Robert de Bruce born 1274.</li> + +<li>Jean Marmontel born 1723.</li> + +<li>John Quincy Adams, Massachusetts, sixth President +United States, born 1767.</li> + +<li>Susan Warner (E. Wetherell) born 1819.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>A friend to chide me when I'm wrong,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">My inmost soul to see:<br /></span> +<span>And that my friendship prove as strong<br /></span> +<span class="i2">For him as his for me.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—John Quincy Adams.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Our chief want in life is somebody who shall make us do what we can: + this is the service of a friend.</p> + +<p> —Ralph Waldo Emerson.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>It is better to hear the rebuke of the wise, than for a man to hear + the song of fools. For as the crackling of thorns under a pot, so is + the laughter of the fool.</p> + +<p> —Ecclesiastes 7. 5, 6.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>My Father and Friend, who calleth me to check the progress of the +wrong, make me submissive and eager for what is right, that I may +learn and uphold to others thy purposes and desires. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="JULY_TWELFTH" id="JULY_TWELFTH" />JULY TWELFTH</h2> + + +<ul><li>Caius Julius Cæsar born B. C. 100.</li> + +<li>Josiah Wedgwood born 1730.</li> + +<li>Alexander Hamilton killed 1804.</li> + +<li>Henry David Thoreau born 1817.</li> + +<li>Clara Louise Kellogg born 1842.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Each reaching and aspiration is an instinct with which all nature + consists and cooperates, and therefore it is not in vain. If a man + believes and expects great things of himself it makes no odds where + you put him, he will be surrounded by grandeur.</p> + +<p> —Henry David Thoreau.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>If you have built castles in the air, your work need not be + lost—that is where they should be: now put foundations under them.</p> + +<p> —Henry David Thoreau.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>He is like a man building a house, who digged and went deep, and + laid a foundation upon the rock: and when a flood arose, the stream + brake against that house, and could not shake it: because it had + been well builded.</p> + +<p> —Luke 6. 48.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>Lord of strength, I pray that while I may lay a strong foundation for +my life, I may remember that I should not delay the building by +neglecting to complete the plans. May I look to-day and see if I am +making my words stronger than my life. With thy wisdom help me to +realize that the test of life is made with the soul. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="JULY_THIRTEENTH" id="JULY_THIRTEENTH" />JULY THIRTEENTH</h2> + + +<ul><li>Richard Cromwell died 1712.</li> + +<li>Elijah Fenton died 1730.</li> + +<li>Jean Paul Marat killed by Charlotte Corday 1793.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Let each day take thought for what concerns it, liquidate its own + affairs, and respect the day which is to follow, and then it shall + be ready.</p> + +<p> —Amiel.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>What does your anxiety do? It does not empty to-morrow, brother, of + its sorrow; but ah! it empties to-day of its strength. It does not + make you escape the evil; it makes you unfit to cope with it if it + comes.</p> + +<p> —Ian Maclaren.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Be not anxious for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall + drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on.</p> + +<p> —Matthew 6. 25.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>My Father, save me from the habit of borrowing. So often I borrow +trouble and cannot use it, when the peace that I possess is all that I +need. Help me, that I may not miss the glory of to-day, by +anticipating the uncertainty of to-morrow; but may I discern my place +and have delight in every day. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="JULY_FOURTEENTH" id="JULY_FOURTEENTH" />JULY FOURTEENTH</h2> + + +<ul><li>Bastille destroyed 1789.</li> + +<li>Jane Baillie Welch Carlyle born 1801.</li> + +<li>Owen Wister born 1860.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>Sail fast, sail fast,<br /></span> +<span>Ark of my hopes, Ark of my dreams;<br /></span> +<span>Sweep lordly o'er the drowned Past,<br /></span> +<span>Fly glittering through the sun's strange beams;<br /></span> +<span>Sail fast, sail fast.<br /></span> +<span>Breath of new buds from off some drying lea,<br /></span> +<span>With news about the Future scent the sea;<br /></span> +<span>My brain is beating like the heart of Haste.<br /></span> +<span>I'll loose me a bird upon this Present waste;<br /></span> +<span class="i6">Go, trembling song,<br /></span> +<span>And stay not long; O, stay not long;<br /></span> +<span>Thou art only a gray and sober dove,<br /></span> +<span>But thine eye is faith and thy wing is love.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Sidney Lanier.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>God speed thee, pretty bird; may thy small nest,<br /></span> +<span>With little ones all in good time be blest.<br /></span> +<span class="i6">I love thee much;<br /></span> +<span>For well thou managest that life of thine,<br /></span> +<span>Well I!—O ask not what I do with mine!<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Would I were such!<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Jane Welch Carlyle.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Behold the birds of the heaven, that they sow not, neither do they + reap, nor gather into barns; and your heavenly Father feedeth them. + Are not ye of much more value than they?</p> + +<p> —Matthew 6. 26.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>My Father, may I start this day with more faith in myself and greater +love for thy world. May my soul be awakened to the highest and be +ready for the joys of to-day. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="JULY_FIFTEENTH" id="JULY_FIFTEENTH" />JULY FIFTEENTH</h2> + + +<ul><li>Inigo Jones born 1573.</li> + +<li>Rembrandt born 1607.</li> + +<li>Henry Edward Manning born 1808.</li> + +<li>William Winter born 1836.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>His was the heart that overmuch<br /></span> +<span class="i2">In human goodness puts its trust,<br /></span> +<span>And his the keen, satiric touch<br /></span> +<span class="i2">That shrivels falsehood into dust.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>Fierce for the right, he bore his part<br /></span> +<span class="i2">In strife with many a valiant foe;<br /></span> +<span>But laughter winged his polished dart,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">And kindness tempered every blow.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—William Winter.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>A wise man will so act that whatever he does may rather seem + voluntary and of his own free will than done by compulsion, however + much he may be compelled by necessity.</p> + +<p> —Machiavelli.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Wherefore I saw that there is nothing better, than that a man should + rejoice in his works; for that is his portion: for who shall bring + him back to see what shall be after him?</p> + +<p> —Ecclesiastes 3. 22.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>Lord God, may I not forget that it is in the light, and not the +darkness, that my work is revealed. I beseech thee to pour in thy +light as I plan my life, and open my heart and mind for the reception +of thy truth. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="JULY_SIXTEENTH" id="JULY_SIXTEENTH" />JULY SIXTEENTH</h2> + + +<ul><li>Andrea del Sarto born 1486.</li> + +<li>Sir Joshua Reynolds born 1723.</li> + +<li>Margaret Fuller Ossoli perished at sea 1850.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Reverence the highest, have patience with the lowest. Let this day's + performance of the meanest duty be thy religion. Are the stars too + distant? Pick up the pebble that lies at thy feet and from it learn + all.</p> + +<p> —Margaret Fuller.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>The situation that has not its Duty, its Ideal, was never yet + occupied by man. Yet, here is this miserable, despicable Actual, + wherein thou standest—here or nowhere is thy Ideal! Work it out + therefrom!</p> + +<p> —Thomas Carlyle.</p></div> + +<hr /> + + +<div class="blockquot"><p>And whosoever shall give to drink unto one of these little ones a + cup of cold water only, in the name of a disciple, verily I say unto + you he shall in no wise lose his reward.</p> + +<p> —Matthew 10. 42.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>Great God, may I begin this day bearing in mind that the things which +I think and do are my life. I pray that thou wilt keep me from making +great efforts for that which is valueless, and thus waste my life. May +I watch my pride and indolence that they may not cause me to lose the +best. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="JULY_SEVENTEENTH" id="JULY_SEVENTEENTH" />JULY SEVENTEENTH</h2> + + +<ul><li>Dr. Isaac Watts born 1674.</li> + +<li>Charlotte Corday guillotined 1793.</li> + +<li>Paul Delaroche born 1797.</li> + +<li>J. A. McNeil Whistler died 1903.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>So frail is the youth and beauty of men,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Though they bloom and look gay like the rose;<br /></span> +<span>But all our fond cares to preserve them is vain,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Time kills them as fast as he goes.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>Then I'll not be proud of my youth nor my beauty,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Since both of them wither and fade;<br /></span> +<span>But gain a good name by well doing my duty;<br /></span> +<span class="i2">For this will scent like the rose when I'm dead.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Isaac Watts.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>Onward, onward may we press<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Through the path of duty;<br /></span> +<span>Virtue is true happiness,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Excellence true beauty;<br /></span> +<span>Minds are of supernal birth,<br /></span> +<span>Let us make a heaven of earth.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—James Montgomery.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>All things therefore whatsoever ye would that men should do unto + you, even so do ye also unto them.</p> + +<p> —Matthew 7. 12.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>My Lord and my strength, I pray that I may possess that expectancy +which comes in joyous hope and have the endurance that is controlled +by courage and energy. Grant in the future that I may be less +concerned about my living and more anxious for what I make of my life. +Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="JULY_EIGHTEENTH" id="JULY_EIGHTEENTH" />JULY EIGHTEENTH</h2> + + +<ul><li>William Makepeace Thackeray born 1811.</li> + +<li>Jane Austen died 1817.</li> + +<li>Jean Antoine Watteau died 1721.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Learn to admire rightly: the great pleasure of life is that. Note + what great men admired; they admired great things; narrow spirits + admire basely and worship meanly.</p> + +<p> —W. M. Thackeray.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Our thoughts are often more than we are, just as they are often + better than we are. And God sees us as we are altogether, and not in + separate feelings or actions, as our fellow men see us. We are + always doing each other injustice, and thinking better or worse of + each other than we deserve, because we only hear separate feelings + or actions. We don't see each other's whole nature.</p> + +<p> —George Eliot.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>The wilderness and the dry land shall be glad; and the desert shall + rejoice, and blossom as the rose.</p> + +<p> —Isaiah 35. 1.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>Eternal God, may I become more like thee. Give me the desire to +associate myself with people and places where the divine spirit is +supreme. May my soul breathe in the influence of all that is good and +true; and may I use my life for thy honor and praise. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="JULY_NINETEENTH" id="JULY_NINETEENTH" />JULY NINETEENTH</h2> + + +<ul><li>John Martin born 1789.</li> + +<li>Samuel Colt born 1814.</li> + +<li>Charles Victor Cherbuliez born 1829.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>In love, if love be love, if love be ours,<br /></span> +<span>Faith and unfaith can ne'er be equal powers:<br /></span> +<span>Unfaith in aught is want of faith in all.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>It is the little rift within the lute<br /></span> +<span>That by and by will make the music mute,<br /></span> +<span>And ever widening slowly silence all.<br /></span> +<span>The little rift within the lover's lute,<br /></span> +<span>Or little pitted speck in garner'd fruit,<br /></span> +<span>That rotting inward slowly molders all.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>It is not worth the keeping: let it go:<br /></span> +<span>But shall it? Answer, darling, answer no.<br /></span> +<span>And trust me not at all or all in all.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Alfred Tennyson.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>Take us the foxes, the little foxes,<br /></span> +<span>That spoil the vineyards;<br /></span> +<span>For our vineyards are in blossom.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Song of Solomon 2. 15.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>Loving Father, help me to put away the distractions and cares that +make me discontented. Grant that I may not set myself in "gilded +pride" and keep out the precious things of life. Help me to abandon +doubt and suspicion, and keep the faith that is happy to believe and +willing to forgive. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="JULY_TWENTIETH" id="JULY_TWENTIETH" />JULY TWENTIETH</h2> + + +<ul><li>Petrarch born 1304.</li> + +<li>Thomas Lovell Beddoes born 1803.</li> + +<li>John Sterling born 1806.</li> + +<li>Jean Ingelow died 1897.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span class="i2">Let thy day be to the night<br /></span> +<span>A letter of good tidings! Let thy praise<br /></span> +<span>Go up as birds go up—that when they awake,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Shake off the dew and soar.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Jean Ingelow.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>I, and the bird,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">And the wind together,<br /></span> +<span>Sang a supplication<br /></span> +<span class="i2">In the winter weather.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>The bird sang for sunshine,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">And the trees for winter fruit,<br /></span> +<span>And for love in the spring time<br /></span> +<span class="i2">When the thickets shoot.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>And I sang for patience<br /></span> +<span class="i2">When the teardrops start;<br /></span> +<span>Clean hands and clear eyes,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">And a faithful heart.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Arthur C. Benson.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Unto thee, O Jehovah, do I lift up my soul.</p> + +<p> —Psalm 25. 1.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>Lord God, if I am discouraged this morning, may I pause for thine +encouragement. Grant that the fear of the night may make no decline in +my morn, but that "into the future I may fuse the past," and use what +is clearest for to-day. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="JULY_TWENTY_FIRST" id="JULY_TWENTY_FIRST" />JULY TWENTY-FIRST</h2> + + +<ul><li>Matthew Pryor born 1664.</li> + +<li>William Lord Russell beheaded 1683.</li> + +<li>Robert Burns died 1796.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>Our heaven must be within ourselves,<br /></span> +<span>Our home and heaven the work of faith<br /></span> +<span>And thro' this race of life which shelves<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Downward to death.<br /></span> +<span>While over all a dome must spread,<br /></span> +<span>And love shall be that dome above;<br /></span> +<span>And deep foundations must be laid,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">And these are love.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Christina Rossetti.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>If happiness has not her seat<br /></span> +<span class="i2">And center in the breast,<br /></span> +<span>We may be wise or rich or great,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">But never can be blest.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Robert Burns.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Keep thy heart with all diligence; For out of it are the issues of + life.</p> + +<p> —Proverbs 4.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>My Father, if I choose to be unhappy and miserable, may I not be to +myself and friends as "a harp with one string." Help me to free myself +from thinking and anticipating things that keep me from the pleasure +that I might receive and give. May I have more trust in my friends and +in thee. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="JULY_TWENTY_SECOND" id="JULY_TWENTY_SECOND" />JULY TWENTY-SECOND</h2> + + +<ul><li>Sir John Graham killed 1298.</li> + +<li>Pilgrims started for America 1620.</li> + +<li>Earl of Shaftesbury (Anthony Ashley Cooper) born 1621.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>How comes it to pass, then, that we appear such cowards in + reasoning, and are so afraid to stand the test of ridicule?</p> + +<p> —Earl of Shaftesbury.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>He that of such a height hath built his mind,<br /></span> +<span>And reared the dwelling of his thoughts so strong,<br /></span> +<span>As neither fear nor hope can shake the frame<br /></span> +<span>Of his resolved powers; nor all the wind<br /></span> +<span>Of vanity or malice pierce to wrong<br /></span> +<span>His settled peace, or to disturb the same:<br /></span> +<span>What a fair seat hath he, from whence he may<br /></span> +<span>The boundless wastes and wilds of man survey?<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Samuel Daniel.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee; + because he trusteth in thee.</p> + +<p> —Isaiah 26. 3.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>O Lord, it is not that I am ashamed to ask thee for the truth that I +do not more diligently seek it, but it is because I fear the sacrifice +that may follow in obtaining it. I would that I could understand that +thy strength is given in the sacrifice. Make me braver as I seek to +live in the truth. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="JULY_TWENTY_THIRD" id="JULY_TWENTY_THIRD" />JULY TWENTY-THIRD</h2> + + +<ul><li>Richard Gibson died 1690.</li> + +<li>Charlotte Cushman born 1816.</li> + +<li>Coventry Patmore born 1823.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>I do not ask, O Lord, that life may be<br /></span> +<span class="i2">A pleasant road;<br /></span> +<span>I do not ask that thou would'st take from me<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Aught of its load.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>For one thing only, Lord, dear Lord, I plead:<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Lead me aright—<br /></span> +<span>Though strength should falter, and though heart should bleed—<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Through peace to light.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Adelaide A. Procter.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>O, why and whither?—God knows all,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">I only know that he is good,<br /></span> +<span>And that whatever may befall<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Or here or there, must be the best that could.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—John G. Whittier.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>Lead me, O Jehovah, in thy righteousness because of mine enemies;<br /></span> +<span>Make thy way straight before my face.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Psalm 5. 8.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>Loving Father, may I never fail to ask for thy guidance, for thou hast +promised to lead me to the cool springs while I pass through the +desert places. Help me to put myself in thy keeping and say, "Thy will +be done." Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="JULY_TWENTY_FOURTH" id="JULY_TWENTY_FOURTH" />JULY TWENTY-FOURTH</h2> + + +<ul><li>Rev. John Newton born 1725.</li> + +<li>John P. Curran born 1750.</li> + +<li>J. G. Holland born 1819.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>As the winged arrow flies<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Speedily the mark to find;<br /></span> +<span>As the lightning from the skies<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Darts and leaves no trace behind;<br /></span> +<span>Swiftly thus our fleeting days<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Bear us down life's rapid stream;<br /></span> +<span>Upward, Lord, our spirits raise;<br /></span> +<span class="i2">All below is but a dream.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—John Newton.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>O gentlemen! the time is short;<br /></span> +<span>To spend that shortness basely were too long,<br /></span> +<span>If life did ride upon a dial's point,<br /></span> +<span>Still ending at the arrival of an hour.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—William Shakespeare.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>Jehovah, make me to know mine end,<br /></span> +<span>And the measure of my days, what it is;<br /></span> +<span>Let me know how frail I am.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Psalm 39. 4.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>Lord, forbid that I should overcast my life with intentions, and +neglect to put in the deeds. May I not be satisfied to spend my days +in being merely occupied, but live to learn and work. May I not be +dismayed over what I might have been, but with all my might do what I +can now. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="JULY_TWENTY_FIFTH" id="JULY_TWENTY_FIFTH" />JULY TWENTY-FIFTH</h2> + + +<ul><li>Thomas à Kempis died 1471.</li> + +<li>Simon Bolivar born 1783.</li> + +<li>Arthur James Balfour born 1848.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Blessed indeed are those ears which listen not after the voice which + is sounding without, but after the truth teaching within.</p> + +<p> —Thomas à Kempis.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>How joyed my heart in the rich melodies<br /></span> +<span>That overhead and round me did arise!<br /></span> +<span>The moving leaves—the water's gentle flow—<br /></span> +<span>Delicious music hung on every bough.<br /></span> +<span>Then said I in my heart, "If that the Lord<br /></span> +<span>Such lively music on the earth accord;<br /></span> +<span>If to weak, sinful man such sounds are given,<br /></span> +<span>O! what must be the melody of heaven!"<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Izaak Walton.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>But thou, O Jehovah, knowest me; thou seest me, and triest my heart + toward thee.</p> + +<p> —Jeremiah 12. 3.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>Loving Father, thou hast made it needful for me to know that the songs +which are sung by divine love are rarely heard by cruel hearts. Grant +that my soul may chord with the sweetest music that vibrates in the +beauty and harmony of life. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="JULY_TWENTY_SIXTH" id="JULY_TWENTY_SIXTH" />JULY TWENTY-SIXTH</h2> + + +<ul><li>Charles Emmanuel died 1630.</li> + +<li>John Wilmot died 1680.</li> + +<li>George Clinton born 1739.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Quiet minds cannot be perplexed or frightened, but go on in fortune + or misfortune at their own private pace, like a clock during a + thunderstorm.</p> + +<p> —Robert L. Stevenson.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>I have learned, as days have passed me,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Fretting never lifts the load;<br /></span> +<span>And worry, much or little,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Never smooths an irksome road;<br /></span> +<span>For do you know that somehow, always,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Doors are opened, ways are made;<br /></span> +<span>When we work and live in patience<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Under all the cross that's laid.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Unknown.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>But whoso hearkeneth unto me shall dwell securely, And shall be + quiet without fear of evil.</p> + +<p> —Proverbs 1. 33.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>Merciful and just God, I pray that I may regulate my life by thy +standards and conform my life to thy laws, that thy goodness and mercy +may not be wasted on me. Help me to bear in mind, that willingness is +the power that starts the hands to work. May I have thy presence while +I wait in quietness, that I may be helped through the anxious moments. +Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="JULY_TWENTY_SEVENTH" id="JULY_TWENTY_SEVENTH" />JULY TWENTY-SEVENTH</h2> + + +<ul><li>Thomas Campbell born 1777.</li> + +<li>Alexandre Dumas-fils born 1824.</li> + +<li>Dr. John Dalton died 1844.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>What's hallowed ground? 'Tis what gives birth<br /></span> +<span class="i2">To sacred thoughts in souls of worth!—<br /></span> +<span>Peace! Independence! Truth! go forth<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Earth's compass round;<br /></span> +<span>And your high-priesthood shall make earth<br /></span> +<span class="i2">All hallowed ground.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Thomas Campbell.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Remember the week day to keep it holy.</p> + +<p> —Elbert Hubbard.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>The meaning of life comes to us mostly in great revealing flashes + and intense emotions.</p> + +<p> —Dean Farrar.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>To the pure all things are pure.</p> + +<p> —Titus 1. 15.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>Gracious Father, may I not feel that it is necessary to wait for +certain days and ceremonies to prepare to worship thee, while at every +moment thy love is pleading for me. May I through the busiest hours +and the most perplexing moments serve thee in reverence and obedience, +and ever give praise to thy holy name. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="JULY_TWENTY_EIGHTH" id="JULY_TWENTY_EIGHTH" />JULY TWENTY-EIGHTH</h2> + + +<ul><li>John Sebastian Bach died 1750.</li> + +<li>Robespierre executed 1794.</li> + +<li>Jean Baptiste Corot born 1796.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>O Light that followest all my way,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">I yield my flickering torch to thee;<br /></span> +<span>My heart restores its borrowed ray,<br /></span> +<span>That in thy sunshine's blaze its day<br /></span> +<span class="i2">May brighter, fairer be.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—George Matheson.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>Follow your Star that lights a desert pathway, yours or mine,<br /></span> +<span>Forward, till you learn the highest Human Nature is divine.<br /></span> +<span>Follow Light and do the Right—for man can half control his doom—<br /></span> +<span>Till you see the deathless Angel seated in the vacant Tomb.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Alfred Tennyson.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>My soul waiteth for the Lord,<br /></span> +<span>More than watchmen wait for the morning;<br /></span> +<span>Yea, more than watchmen for the morning.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Psalm 130. 6.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>Almighty God, help me to kindle my life by the shining light of thy +power and love, that I may be an ambassador for thee. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="JULY_TWENTY_NINTH" id="JULY_TWENTY_NINTH" />JULY TWENTY-NINTH</h2> + + +<ul><li>Andrew Marvell died 1678.</li> + +<li>William Wilberforce died 1833.</li> + +<li>Dr. Thomas Dick died 1857.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>I wrestle not with rage<br /></span> +<span class="i2">While fury's flame doth burn;<br /></span> +<span>It is vain to stop the stream<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Until the tide doth turn.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>But when the flame is out<br /></span> +<span class="i2">And ebbing wrath doth end<br /></span> +<span>I turn a late enraged foe<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Into a quiet friend.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Robert Southwell.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span class="i2">If I can lend<br /></span> +<span>A strong hand to the fallen, or defend<br /></span> +<span>The right against a single envious strain,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">My life though bare<br /></span> +<span>Perhaps of much that seemeth dear and fair<br /></span> +<span>To us on earth, will not have been in vain.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Unknown.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>A friend loveth at all times;<br /></span> +<span>And a brother is born for adversity.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Proverbs 17. 17.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>Gracious Father of us all, if I may have cause to be provoked to-day, +help me to rise above my angry passions, and not from weakness plunge +into that for which I may be sorry. Make me self-forgetful, that I may +be willing to make peace with those whom I may have displeased. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="JULY_THIRTIETH" id="JULY_THIRTIETH" />JULY THIRTIETH</h2> + + +<ul><li>Samuel Rogers born 1763.</li> + +<li>Thomas Gray died 1771.</li> + +<li>W. T. Adams (Oliver Optic) born 1822.</li> + +<li>Prince Bismarck died 1898.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>Sit down, sad soul, and count<br /></span> +<span class="i2">The moments flying;<br /></span> +<span>Come, tell the sweet amount<br /></span> +<span class="i2">That's lost by sighing!<br /></span> +<span>How many smiles?—a score?<br /></span> +<span>Then laugh, and count no more;<br /></span> +<span class="i2">For day is dying.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>Lie down sad soul, and sleep,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">And no more measure<br /></span> +<span>The flight of time, nor weep<br /></span> +<span class="i2">The loss of leisure;<br /></span> +<span>But here by this lone stream,<br /></span> +<span>Lie down with us, and dream<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Of starry treasure.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>Bryan Waller Procter.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>The only thing grief has taught me is to know how shallow it is. + Grief will not carry you one step into real nature; grief can teach + me nothing.</p> + +<p> —Ralph Waldo Emerson.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>Leave off, ye simple ones, and live;<br /></span> +<span>And walk in the way of understanding.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Proverbs 9. 6.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>God of love, may I come quickly to thee, when I am in need of +protection and sympathy. Guard me against sorrow that is drawn from +the imagination. May I not allow grief to drag me into misery, but +with strength and courage may I find happiness in thy daily will. +Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="JULY_THIRTY_FIRST" id="JULY_THIRTY_FIRST" />JULY THIRTY-FIRST</h2> + + +<ul><li>John Conybeare died 1775.</li> + +<li>John Ericsson born 1803.</li> + +<li>Paul B. Du Chaillu born 1835.</li> + +<li>Phoebe Cary died 1871.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>Be wise to-day; 'tis madness to defer;<br /></span> +<span>Next day the fatal precedent will plead;<br /></span> +<span>Thus on, till wisdom is pushed out of life.<br /></span> +<span>Procrastination is the thief of time;<br /></span> +<span>Year after year it steals, till all are fled,<br /></span> +<span>And to the mercies of a moment leaves<br /></span> +<span>The vast concerns of an eternal scene.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Dr. Edward Young.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>O, my friend, rise up and follow<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Where the hand of God shall lead;<br /></span> +<span>He has brought thee through affliction,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">But to fit thee for his need.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Mary Howitt.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>For he is our God,<br /></span> +<span>And we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand.<br /></span> +<span>To-day, O that ye would hear his voice!<br /></span> +<span>Harden not your heart.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Psalm 95. 7, 8.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>Lord God, I come to thee for help, that I may make more of my life. +Steady me, that I may know its value without wavering, and the loss it +sustains from wasted days. I pray that I may live more in thy +commandments, and with my work accept the joy of thy love. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="AUGUST" id="AUGUST" />AUGUST</h2> + +<table border="0" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" summary=""> +<tr><td><a href="#AUGUST_FIRST"><b>01</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#AUGUST_SECOND"><b>02</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#AUGUST_THIRD"><b>03</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#AUGUST_FOURTH"><b>04</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#AUGUST_FIFTH"><b>05</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#AUGUST_SIXTH"><b>06</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#AUGUST_SEVENTH"><b>07</b></a></td></tr> + +<tr><td><a href="#AUGUST_EIGHTH"><b>08</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#AUGUST_NINTH"><b>09</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#AUGUST_TENTH"><b>10</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#AUGUST_ELEVENTH"><b>11</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#AUGUST_TWELFTH"><b>12</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#AUGUST_THIRTEENTH"><b>13</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#AUGUST_FOURTEENTH"><b>14</b></a></td></tr> + +<tr><td><a href="#AUGUST_FIFTEENTH"><b>15</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#AUGUST_SIXTEENTH"><b>16</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#AUGUST_SEVENTEENTH"><b>17</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#AUGUST_EIGHTEENTH"><b>18</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#AUGUST_NINETEENTH"><b>19</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#AUGUST_TWENTIETH"><b>20</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#AUGUST_TWENTY_FIRST"><b>21</b></a></td></tr> + +<tr><td><a href="#AUGUST_TWENTY_SECOND"><b>22</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#AUGUST_TWENTY_THIRD"><b>23</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#AUGUST_TWENTY_FOURTH"><b>24</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#AUGUST_TWENTY_FIFTH"><b>25</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#AUGUST_TWENTY_SIXTH"><b>26</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#AUGUST_TWENTY_SEVENTH"><b>27</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#AUGUST_TWENTY_EIGHTH"><b>28</b></a></td></tr> + +<tr><td><a href="#AUGUST_TWENTY_NINTH"><b>29</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#AUGUST_THIRTIETH"><b>30</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#AUGUST_THIRTY_FIRST"><b>31</b></a></td></tr> +</table> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span class="i2">Flame-like, the long midday,<br /></span> +<span>With not so much of sweet air as hath stirred<br /></span> +<span class="i2">The down upon the spray,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Where nests the panting bird,<br /></span> +<span>Dozing away the hot and tedious noon,<br /></span> +<span>With fitful twitter, sadly out of tune.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span class="i2">Pleasantly comest thou,<br /></span> +<span>Dew of the evening, to the crisped-up grass;<br /></span> +<span class="i2">And the curled corn-blades bow,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">As the light breezes pass,<br /></span> +<span>That their parched lips may feel thee, and expand,<br /></span> +<span>Thou sweet reviver of the fevered land.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span class="i2">So, to the thirsting soul,<br /></span> +<span>Cometh the dew of the Almighty's love;<br /></span> +<span class="i2">And the scathed heart, made whole,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Turneth in joy above,<br /></span> +<span>To where the spirit freely may expand,<br /></span> +<span>And rove, untrammeled, in that "better land."<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—William D. Gallagher.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="AUGUST_FIRST" id="AUGUST_FIRST" />AUGUST FIRST</h2> + + +<ul><li>Andrew Melville born 1545.</li> + +<li>Richard Henry Dana, Jr., born 1815.</li> + +<li>Maria Mitchell born 1818.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>Am I wrong to be always so happy? This world is full of grief;<br /></span> +<span>Yet there is laughter of sunshine, to see the crisp green on the leaf,<br /></span> +<span>Daylight is ringing with song-birds, and brooklets are crooning at night;<br /></span> +<span>And why should I make a shadow when God makes all so bright?<br /></span> +<span>Earth may be wicked and weary, yet cannot I help being glad!<br /></span> +<span>There is sunshine without and within me, and how should I mope or be sad?<br /></span> +<span>God would not flood me with blessings, meaning me only to pine<br /></span> +<span>Amid all the bounties and beauties he pours upon me and mine;<br /></span> +<span>Therefore I will be grateful, and therefore will I rejoice;<br /></span> +<span>My heart is singing within me; sing on, O heart and voice.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Walter C. Smith.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Rejoice always.</p> + +<p> —1 Thessalonians 5. 16.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>Gracious Father, my soul floods with joy for the blessings of life. +May it be my privilege to be happy in them. Help me not to ask thee +for anything which will cause loss to another; may I not delight in a +lonely view, but as I see thy glory bring others to the vision also. +Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="AUGUST_SECOND" id="AUGUST_SECOND" />AUGUST SECOND</h2> + + +<ul><li>Thomas Gainsborough died 1788.</li> + +<li>Elisha Gray born 1835.</li> + +<li>Marion Crawford born 1854.</li> + +<li>William Watson born 1859.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>The Holy Supper is kept, indeed,<br /></span> +<span>In whatso we share with another's need;<br /></span> +<span>Not what we give, but what we share,<br /></span> +<span>For the gift without the giver is bare;<br /></span> +<span>Who gives himself with his alms feeds three,<br /></span> +<span>Himself, his hungering neighbor, and me.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—James Russell Lowell.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>And when o'er storm and jar I climb,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Beyond life's atmosphere,<br /></span> +<span>I shall behold the lord of time<br /></span> +<span class="i2">And space—of world and year.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>O vain, far quest! not thus my heart<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Shall ever find its goal!<br /></span> +<span>I turn me home—and there thou art,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">My Father, in my soul.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—George Macdonald.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>That they should seek God, if haply they might feel after him and + find him, though he is not far from each one of us; for in him we + live, and move, and have our being.</p> + +<p> —Acts 17. 27, 28.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>O Lord, my gracious Father, may I not be so eager for more, that I +feel I have nothing to spare. Help me to realize that if I may be on +the mountain-top, or at the level of the sea, thy spirit may dwell in +my soul. May I rejoice that I can always receive and share thy grace +and love. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="AUGUST_THIRD" id="AUGUST_THIRD" />AUGUST THIRD</h2> + + +<ul><li>John Henley born 1692.</li> + +<li>Henry Cuyler Bunner born 1855.</li> + +<li>Eugene Sue died 1857.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Set out in the very morning of your lives with a frank and manly + determination to look simply for what is right and true in all + things.... This is the only way to know God's will and do it. You + may not find it at once, but you have set your face in the true + direction to find it.</p> + +<p> —Jeremy Taylor.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>The important thing in life is to have a great aim, and to possess + the aptitude and perseverance to attain it.</p> + +<p> —Goethe.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>Blessed are they that keep his testimonies,<br /></span> +<span>That seek him with the whole heart.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Psalm 119. 2.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>Lord God, forbid that I should lose the opportunities of making my +life by waiting for sudden developments. Cause me to notice that the +tree that bears fruit must first grow the blossom before it may be +perfected by the sun: whether thou hast made me greater or less, may I +be ashamed to live in untruth and wait in idleness. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="AUGUST_FOURTH" id="AUGUST_FOURTH" />AUGUST FOURTH</h2> + + +<ul><li>Percy Bysshe Shelley born 1792.</li> + +<li>Edward Irving born 1792.</li> + +<li>Walter H. Pater born 1839.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span class="i2">We look before and after,<br /></span> +<span class="i4">And pine for what is not;<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Our sincerest laughter<br /></span> +<span class="i4">With some pain is fraught;<br /></span> +<span>Our sweetest songs are those that tell of saddest thought.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span class="i2">Yet if we could scorn<br /></span> +<span class="i4">Hate and pride and fear,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">If we were things born<br /></span> +<span class="i4">Not to shed a tear,<br /></span> +<span>I know not how thy joy we ever could come near.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Percy Bysshe Shelley.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>It becomes no man to nurse despair,<br /></span> +<span>But in the teeth of clenched antagonisms<br /></span> +<span>To follow up the worthiest till he die.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Alfred Tennyson.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>He suffered no man to do them wrong;<br /></span> +<span>Yea, he reproved kings for their sakes.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—1 Chronicles 16. 21.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>My Father, I bless thee for thy patience and forbearance. I pray that +thou wilt forgive me for all the sorrow that I have made from +rebellion and despair, and with thy forgiveness may I receive patience +and cheerful courage. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="AUGUST_FIFTH" id="AUGUST_FIFTH" />AUGUST FIFTH</h2> + + +<ul><li>John Eliot born 1604.</li> + +<li>John, Lord Wrottesley, born 1798.</li> + +<li>Richard Lord Howe died 1799.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>To live within a cave—it is most good;<br /></span> +<span class="i2">But if God made a day,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">And some one come, and say,<br /></span> +<span>"Lo! I have gathered faggots in the wood!"<br /></span> +<span class="i2">E'en let him stay,<br /></span> +<span>And light a fire, and fan a temporal mood!<br /></span> +<span>So sit till morning! when the light is grown<br /></span> +<span class="i2">That he the path can read,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Then bid the man Godspeed!<br /></span> +<span>His morning is not thine: yet must thou own<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Those ashes on the stone.<br /></span> +<span class="i2">They have a cheerful warmth.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Thomas Edward Brown.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>It is given to us sometimes, even in our everyday life, to witness + the saving influence of a noble nature, the divine efficacy of + rescue that may lie in a self-subduing act of fellowship.</p> + +<p> —George Eliot.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, + Inasmuch as ye did it unto one of these my brethren, even these + least, ye did it unto me.</p> + +<p> —Matthew 25. 40.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>Father of mankind, may I not be a barrier to the discouraged, but help +them in the ways of encouragement. May I not allow pride and prejudice +to keep me from acts of love and deeds of kindness, but may I be +worthy of thy trust. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="AUGUST_SIXTH" id="AUGUST_SIXTH" />AUGUST SIXTH</h2> + + +<ul><li>Ben Jonson died 1637.</li> + +<li>François Fénelon born 1651.</li> + +<li>Daniel O'Connell born 1775.</li> + +<li>Alfred, Lord Tennyson, born 1809.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>O well for him whose will is strong!<br /></span> +<span class="i2">He suffers, but he will not suffer long;<br /></span> +<span>He suffers, but he cannot suffer wrong;<br /></span> +<span class="i2">For him nor moves the loud world's random mock,<br /></span> +<span>Not all Calamity's hugest waves confound,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Who seems a promontory rock,<br /></span> +<span>That compassed round with turbulent sound,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">In middle ocean meets the surging shock,<br /></span> +<span>Tempest-buffeted, citadel-crowned.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Alfred Tennyson.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Grandeur of character lies in force of soul—that is, in the force + of thought, moral principle, and love; and this may be found in the + humblest condition of life.</p> + +<p> —William Ellery Channing.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>So then, brethren, stand fast.</p> + +<p> —2 Thessalonians 2. 15.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>Eternal God, help me that I may not be deceived by my surroundings as +I seek to have life abundantly. Instruct me that it is by the way of +character that I must attain the laws of growth, and learn reverence +for the spirit of divine life. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="AUGUST_SEVENTH" id="AUGUST_SEVENTH" />AUGUST SEVENTH</h2> + + +<ul><li>Battle of Thermopylae B. C. 480.</li> + +<li>Frederick William (Dean) Farrar born 1831.</li> + +<li>Alexander M. Bell died 1905.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Although a friend may remain faithful in misfortune, yet none but + the very best and loftiest will remain faithful to us after our + errors and our sins.</p> + +<p> —Dean Farrar.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Friendship is like a debt of honor: the moment it is talked of it + loses its real name, and assumes the more ungrateful form of + obligation. From hence we find that those who regularly undertake to + cultivate friendship find ingratitude generally repays their + endeavors.</p> + +<p> —Oliver Goldsmith.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>For even in their wickedness shall my prayer continue.</p> + +<p> —Psalm 141. 5.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>Lord God, may I ever continue to be thankful for the times thou hast +helped me, when I have asked for thy compassion; may I recall the joy +in which I received it, when it may be mine to have compassion and +extend a helping hand to others. I pray that I may place my life where +it will be stronger than adversity and controlled by sincerity and +love. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="AUGUST_EIGHTH" id="AUGUST_EIGHTH" />AUGUST EIGHTH</h2> + + +<ul><li>Charles A. Dana born 1819.</li> + +<li>Laurence Hutton born 1843.</li> + +<li>Cecile Chaminade born 1861.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span class="i2">Lo! all the glory gone!<br /></span> +<span class="i2">God's masterpiece undone!<br /></span> +<span>The last created and the first to fall;<br /></span> +<span>The noblest, frailest, godliest of all.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span class="i2">Child of the humble sod,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Wed with the breath of God,<br /></span> +<span>Descend! for with the lowest thou must lie—<br /></span> +<span>Arise! thou hast inherited the sky.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—John B. Tabb.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Far away there in the sunshine are my highest aspirations; I cannot + reach them, but I can look up and see their beauty, believe in them, + and try to follow where they lead.</p> + +<p> —Louisa M. Alcott.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>I will lift up mine eyes unto the mountains:<br /></span> +<span>From whence shall my help come?<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Psalm 121. 1.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>Heavenly Father, may I see as I raise my eyes to the mountains that +without the deep shadows there would be no vision of the high-light, +and still higher may I see that without the sun there would be no +color to encircle the rainbow. And beyond, O Father, may I believe +that without the shadow of the cross we could not have the glory of +the resurrection. May I keep the vision clear. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="AUGUST_NINTH" id="AUGUST_NINTH" />AUGUST NINTH</h2> + + +<ul><li>Izaak Walton born 1593.</li> + +<li>John Dryden born 1631.</li> + +<li>Francis Scott Key born 1780.</li> + +<li>Joseph Jacques Tissot died 1902.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>All habits gather, by unseen degrees,<br /></span> +<span>Brooks make rivers, rivers run to seas.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—John Dryden.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>Now it catches the gleam of the morning's first beam,<br /></span> +<span>In full glory reflected now shines on the stream;<br /></span> +<span>'Tis the star-spangled banner; O yet may it wave<br /></span> +<span>O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave!<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Francis Scott Key.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Do not be troubled because you have not great virtues. God made a + million spears of grass where he made one tree.... Only have enough + of little virtues and common fidelities, and you need not mourn + because you are neither a hero nor a saint.</p> + +<p> —Henry Ward Beecher.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>The reward of humility and the fear of Jehovah<br /></span> +<span>Is riches, and honor, and life.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Proverbs 22. 4.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>Lord God, who keepest truth to generations, and who through love and +wisdom hath gathered us into nations, forgive me for what I have done +that is wrong, and for what I have neglected that was right. May I +give greater loyalty to my country and to thee. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="AUGUST_TENTH" id="AUGUST_TENTH" />AUGUST TENTH</h2> + + +<ul><li>Founding of Greenwich Observatory 1675.</li> + +<li>Sir Charles Napier born 1782.</li> + +<li>George Park Fisher born 1827.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>No one can ask honestly or hopefully to be delivered from temptation + unless he has himself honestly and firmly determined to do the best + he can to keep out of it.</p> + +<p> —John Ruskin.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>Men at some time are masters of their fates:<br /></span> +<span>The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars,<br /></span> +<span>But in ourselves, that we are underlings.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—William Shakespeare.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>The greatest punishment one can have is to discover, not how hard, + but how low he has fallen.</p> + +<p> —M. B. S.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>O Timothy, guard that which is committed unto thee, turning away + from the profane babblings and oppositions of the knowledge which is + falsely so-called.</p> + +<p> —1 Timothy 6. 20.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>Almighty God, through thy mercies may I recognize my faults, and +correct any evil that is in me. Make me strong, that I may not yield +to temptation. May I have regard for thy will and be prepared to take +thy messages as they are flashed to the soul. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="AUGUST_ELEVENTH" id="AUGUST_ELEVENTH" />AUGUST ELEVENTH</h2> + + +<ul><li>Jean Victor Moreau born 1761.</li> + +<li>Octave Feuillet born 1821.</li> + +<li>Signer Crispi died 1901.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>Heaven overreaches you and me,<br /></span> +<span>And all earth's gardens and her graves.<br /></span> +<span>Look up with me, until we see<br /></span> +<span>The day break and the shadows flee.<br /></span> +<span>What though to-night wrecks you and me<br /></span> +<span>If so to-morrow saves?<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Christina G. Rossetti.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>The essence of joy lies in the doing rather than in the result of + the doing. There is a lifelong and solid satisfaction in any + productive labor, manual or mental, which is not pushed beyond the + limit of strength.</p> + +<p> —Charles W. Eliot.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>Show me thy ways, O Jehovah;<br /></span> +<span>Teach me thy paths.<br /></span> +<span>Guide me in thy truths, and teach me.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Psalm 25. 4, 5.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>My Father, keep me where my eyes may look expectantly toward the dawn, +through the darkness. Take away everything that comes between me and +the brightness of the morning. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="AUGUST_TWELFTH" id="AUGUST_TWELFTH" />AUGUST TWELFTH</h2> + + +<ul><li>Robert Southey born 1774.</li> + +<li>Francis Horner born 1778.</li> + +<li>Edith Thomas born 1854.</li> + +<li>Katherine Lee Bates born 1859.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Our restlessness in this world seems to indicate that we are + intended for a better. We have all of us a longing after happiness; + and surely the Creator will gratify all the natural desires he has + implanted in us.</p> + +<p> —Robert Southey.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>Whenso my quick, light-sandaled feet<br /></span> +<span>Bring me where Joys and Pleasures meet,<br /></span> +<span>I mingle with their throng at will;<br /></span> +<span>They know me not an alien still,<br /></span> +<span>Since neither words nor ways unsweet<br /></span> +<span>Of stored bitterness I spill;<br /></span> +<span>Youth shuns me not nor gladness fears,<br /></span> +<span>For I go softly all my years.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Edith Thomas.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>He hath swallowed up death forever; and the Lord Jehovah will wipe + away tears from off all faces.</p> + +<p> —Isaiah 25. 8.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>Loving Father, help me to guard my inclinations. May I be able to +appreciate that though I may be restless from ambition, I also may be +restless through discontent. Correct my life, that my desires may meet +the true demands of my soul. Strengthen me with the power of calmness, +that "I may go softly all my years," even though I walk through the +bitterness of sorrow. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="AUGUST_THIRTEENTH" id="AUGUST_THIRTEENTH" />AUGUST THIRTEENTH</h2> + + +<ul><li>Jeremy Taylor died 1667.</li> + +<li>Dr. William Wotton born 1669.</li> + +<li>Elizabeth Stuart Phelps Ward born 1844.</li> + +<li>Elizabeth Prentiss died 1878.</li> + +<li>Sir John Millais died 1896.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>Feeling the way—and all the way up hill;<br /></span> +<span>But on the open summit, calm and still,<br /></span> +<span>The feet of Christ are planted; and they stand<br /></span> +<span>In view of all the quiet land.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>Feeling the way—and if the way is cold,<br /></span> +<span>What matter? since upon the fields of gold<br /></span> +<span>His breath is melting; and the warm winds sing<br /></span> +<span>While rocking summer days for him.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Elizabeth S. Phelps.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>All the performances of human art, at which we look with praise and + wonder, are instances of the resistless force of perseverance.</p> + +<p> —Samuel Johnson.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>But abide thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been + assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them.</p> + +<p> —-2 Timothy 3. 14.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>My Lord, I would remember to ask thee this morning for that of which I +seem to have most need. May I have the will to keep my patience and +realize the untold power of my words and actions. Give me thy peace, +not only to rest in, but that I may have it to give to others. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="AUGUST_FOURTEENTH" id="AUGUST_FOURTEENTH" />AUGUST FOURTEENTH</h2> + + +<ul><li>Dr. Meric Casaubon born 1599.</li> + +<li>Dr. Charles Button born 1737.</li> + +<li>Walter Besant born 1836.</li> + +<li>Ernest Thompson Seton born 1860.</li> + +<li>Florence Nightingale died 1910.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>I count this thing to be grandly true,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">That a noble deed is a step toward God;<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Lifting the soul from the common clod<br /></span> +<span>To a purer air and a broader view.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>We rise by the things that are under our feet,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">By what we have mastered of good or gain,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">By the pride deposed and the passion slain,<br /></span> +<span>And the vanquished ills that we hourly meet.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Richard Watson Gilder.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>No Apostle of Liberty much to my heart ever found I;<br /></span> +<span>License each for himself, this was at bottom their want.<br /></span> +<span>Liberator of many! first dare to be Servant of many;<br /></span> +<span>What a business is that, would'st thou know it, go try!<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Goethe.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Prove all things; hold fast that which is good.</p> + +<p> —1 Thessalonians 5. 21.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>Gracious Father, if I may be beginning this day with an unclean +purpose in my heart, help me to clear it away; if I may be trying to +avoid some urgent duty, make me ashamed to resist it. Keep away the +desires that harm my life, and that withhold the enjoyment of my +common work. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="AUGUST_FIFTEENTH" id="AUGUST_FIFTEENTH" />AUGUST FIFTEENTH</h2> + + +<ul><li>Jeremy Taylor baptized 1613.</li> + +<li>Napoleon Bonaparte born 1769.</li> + +<li>Sir Walter Scott born 1771.</li> + +<li>Thomas de Quincey born 1785.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>And do our loves all perish with our frames?<br /></span> +<span>Do those that took their root and put forth buds,<br /></span> +<span>And their soft leaves unfolded in the warmth<br /></span> +<span>Of mutual hearts, grow up and live in beauty,<br /></span> +<span>Then fade and fall, like fair, unconscious flowers?<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span class="i2">O, listen, man!<br /></span> +<span>A voice within us speaks the startling word,<br /></span> +<span>"Man, thou shalt never die!"<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Richard Henry Dana.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>I am drawing near to the close of my career; I am fast shuffling off + the stage. I have been perhaps the most voluminous author of the + day; and it is a comfort to me to think I have tried to unsettle no + man's faith, to corrupt no man's principle, and that I have written + nothing which on my deathbed I should wish blotted.</p> + +<p> —Sir Walter Scott.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>But concerning love of the brethren ye have no need that one write + unto you: for ye yourselves are taught of God to love one another.</p> + +<p> —1 Thessalonians 4. 9.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>Almighty God, may I have that faith in eternal life which will make me +careful of what I choose for my own and more careful of what I put in +the lives of others. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="AUGUST_SIXTEENTH" id="AUGUST_SIXTEENTH" />AUGUST SIXTEENTH</h2> + + +<ul><li>Ralph Thoresby born 1658.</li> + +<li>Dr. Thomas Fuller died 1661.</li> + +<li>Dr. Matthew Tindal died 1733.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>The secret of goodness and greatness is in choosing whom you will + approach and live with, in memory or imagination, through the + crowding obvious people who seem to live with you.</p> + +<p> —Robert Browning.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>Fair Nature's book together read,<br /></span> +<span>The old wood-paths that knew our tread,<br /></span> +<span>The maple shadows overhead—<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>Where'er I look, where'er I stray,<br /></span> +<span>Thy thought goes with me on my way,<br /></span> +<span>And hence the prayer I breathe to-day.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—John Greenleaf Whittier.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Shall two walk together, except they have agreed?</p> + +<p> —Amos 3. 3.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>Lord God, I thank thee for the delight of congenial companions and the +memory of friendship. May I not be quick to lose my friends through +misunderstanding and selfishness. May I be considerate and constant +and be able to climb to the highest steeps of friendship. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="AUGUST_SEVENTEENTH" id="AUGUST_SEVENTEENTH" />AUGUST SEVENTEENTH</h2> + + +<ul><li>Dr. William Carey born 1761.</li> + +<li>David Crockett born 1786.</li> + +<li>Mary Abigail Dodge (Gail Hamilton) died 1896.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>The destiny of nations lies far more in the hands of women—the + mothers—than in the hands of those who possess power. We must + cultivate women, who are educators of the human race, else a new + generation cannot accomplish its task.</p> + +<p> —Froebel.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>In an old continental town they will show you a prison in a tower, + and on all the stones of that prison within reach one word is + carved—it is, "Resist!" Years ago a godly woman was for forty years + immured in that dungeon, and she spent her time in cutting with a + piece of iron on every stone that one word, for the strengthening of + her own heart and for the benefit of all who might come after her, + "Resist!" "Resist!" "Resist!"</p> + +<p> —J. G. Mantle.</p></div> + +<hr /> + + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Then Mordecai bade them return answer unto Esther, Think not with + thyself that thou shalt escape in the king's house, more than all + the Jews ... and who knoweth whether thou art not come to the + kingdom for such a time as this?</p> + +<p> —Esther 4. 13, 14.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>Lord God, give me wisdom to help relieve the ignorant and suffering. +May I strive in every way to free thy people, that they may be +uplifted in the progress of life. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="AUGUST_EIGHTEENTH" id="AUGUST_EIGHTEENTH" />AUGUST EIGHTEENTH</h2> + + +<ul><li>Virginia Dare, first English child born in America, 1587.</li> + +<li>Dr. Henry Hammond born 1605.</li> + +<li>Robert Williams Buchanan born 1841.</li> + +<li>John Russell born 1792.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>Pour out thy love like the rush of a river,<br /></span> +<span>Wasting its waters for ever and ever,<br /></span> +<span>Through the burnt sands that reward not the giver;<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Silent or songful thou nearest the sea.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>Scatter thy life as the summer showers pouring.<br /></span> +<span>What if no bird through the pearl rain is soaring?<br /></span> +<span>What if no blossom looks upward adoring?<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Look to the life that was lavished for thee.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Unknown.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Who is the happiest person? He whose nature asks for nothing that + the world does not wish and use.</p> + +<p> —Goethe.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Freely ye received, freely give.</p> + +<p> —Matthew 10. 8.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>My Father, I pray that I may have the sympathy that responds with +consideration and devotion. May it be a joy for me to give comfort and +render service where I may help. Grant that I may not linger too long +in happiness and miss thy blessings, but remember that to "travel +hopefully is a better thing than to arrive." Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="AUGUST_NINETEENTH" id="AUGUST_NINETEENTH" />AUGUST NINETEENTH</h2> + + +<ul><li>Augustus Cæsar died A. D. 14.</li> + +<li>James Watt died 1819.</li> + +<li>Robert Bloomfield died 1823.</li> + +<li>Honore Balzac died 1850.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>It is written not, "Blessed is he that feedeth the poor," but + "Blessed is he that considereth the poor." And you know a little + thought and a little kindness are often worth more than a great deal + of money.</p> + +<p> —John Ruskin.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>So pity never leaves the gentle breast<br /></span> +<span>Where love has been received a welcome guest;<br /></span> +<span>As wandering saints poor huts have sacred made,<br /></span> +<span>He hallows every heart he once has swayed,<br /></span> +<span>And, when his presence we no longer share,<br /></span> +<span>Still leaves compassion as a relic there.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Thomas Sheridan.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>If a brother or sister be naked and in lack of daily food, and one + of you say unto them, Go in peace, be ye warmed and filled; and yet + ye give them not the things needful to the body; what doth it + profit?</p> + +<p> —James 2. 16.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>Tender Father, help me to consider those who receive the crust of +bread at my door; for if it be needed it is asked for by sad and +desperate lives. Make me conscious of thy mercy and help, that I may +be considerate for the one with the outstretched hand. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="AUGUST_TWENTIETH" id="AUGUST_TWENTIETH" />AUGUST TWENTIETH</h2> + + +<ul><li>Saint Bernard died 1153.</li> + +<li>Robert Herrick born 1591.</li> + +<li>John and Cornelius De Witt killed 1672.</li> + +<li>Francis Asbury born 1745.</li> + +<li>Henry P. Liddon born 1829.</li> + +<li>Benjamin Harrison, Ohio, twenty-third President +United States, born 1833.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>The busy world shoves angrily aside<br /></span> +<span>The man who stands with arms akimbo set<br /></span> +<span>Until occasion tells him what to do;<br /></span> +<span>And he who waits to have his task marked out<br /></span> +<span>Shall die and leave his errand unfulfilled.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—James Russell Lowell.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>Awake, arise! the hour is late!<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Angels are knocking at thy door!<br /></span> +<span>They are in haste and cannot wait,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">And once departed come no more.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Henry W. Longfellow.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>Boast not thyself of to-morrow;<br /></span> +<span>For thou knowest not what a day may bring forth.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Proverbs 27. 1.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>Gracious Father, grant that I may not tarry so long, that when I +arrive I will hear, "Too late, too late, ye cannot enter now"; but may +I be so persistent with every day that when I arrive I may be ready as +well as on time. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="AUGUST_TWENTY_FIRST" id="AUGUST_TWENTY_FIRST" />AUGUST TWENTY-FIRST</h2> + + +<ul><li>Lady Mary Montagu died 1762.</li> + +<li>Jules Michelet born 1798.</li> + +<li>John Tyndall born 1820.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Let us never be afraid of innocent joy; God is good and what he does + is well done; resign yourself to everything, even happiness; ask for + the spirit of sacrifice, of detachment, of renunciation, and above + all, for the spirit of joy and gratitude.</p> + +<p> —Amiel.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span class="i10">That's the wise thrush;<br /></span> +<span>He sings each song twice over,<br /></span> +<span>Lest you should think he never could recapture<br /></span> +<span>The first fine careless rapture!<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Robert Browning.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>And these things we write, that our joy may be made full.</p> + +<p> —1 John 1. 4.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>Lord God, help me to keep the things under my feet that are inclined +to destroy happiness. Show me clearly the line which divides right and +wrong, that I may not fear the censure of the world. Help me to act +with good judgment and be calm in obeying thy laws. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="AUGUST_TWENTY_SECOND" id="AUGUST_TWENTY_SECOND" />AUGUST TWENTY-SECOND</h2> + + +<ul><li>John B. Gough born 1817.</li> + +<li>Warren Hastings died 1818.</li> + +<li>G. W. De Long born 1844.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>I never saw a moor,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">I never saw the sea;<br /></span> +<span>Yet know I how a heather looks<br /></span> +<span class="i2">And what a wave must be.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>I never spoke with God,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Nor visited in heaven;<br /></span> +<span>Yet certain am I of the spot<br /></span> +<span class="i2">As if the chart were given.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Emily Dickinson.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>I don't want to possess a faith; I want a faith which will possess + me.</p> + +<p> —Charles Kingsley.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, saith Jehovah of + hosts.</p> + +<p> —Zechariah 4. 6.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>My Father, may there be no room in my soul for doubt. Help me to be +cautious and careful that my own neglect and carelessness may not +cause the loss of my faith. May I be trustful as I look for the great +light that guides me over the uncertain way. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="AUGUST_TWENTY_THIRD" id="AUGUST_TWENTY_THIRD" />AUGUST TWENTY-THIRD</h2> + + +<ul><li>Rowland Hill born 1744.</li> + +<li>Louis XVI born 1754.</li> + +<li>William E. Henley born 1849.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>Out of the night that covers me,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Black as the Pit from pole to pole,<br /></span> +<span>I thank whatever gods may be<br /></span> +<span class="i2">For my unconquerable soul.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>It matters not how strait the gate,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">How charged with punishments the scroll,<br /></span> +<span>I am master of my fate,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">I am the captain of my soul.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—W. E. Henley.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>A man who has borne himself honorably through a whole life makes an + action honorable which might appear ambiguous in others.</p> + +<p> —Goethe.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Wherefore, my beloved brethren, be ye steadfast, unmovable.</p> + +<p> —1 Corinthians 15. 58.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>Father of mercy, I beseech thee to protect me in my endeavors as I try +to live my ideals. May I not choose unnecessary burdens, and when I +most need to be strong find that I have lived in that which has +weakened my life. I ask for a clear mind and a strong heart that I may +be "Captain of my soul." Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="AUGUST_TWENTY_FOURTH" id="AUGUST_TWENTY_FOURTH" />AUGUST TWENTY-FOURTH</h2> + + +<ul><li>William Wilberforce born 1759.</li> + +<li>William Thomas Moncrieff born 1794.</li> + +<li>Theodore Parker born 1810.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>Give me, Lord, eyes to behold the truth;<br /></span> +<span class="i2">A seeing sense that knows the eternal right;<br /></span> +<span>A heart with pity filled, and gentlest ruth;<br /></span> +<span class="i2">A manly faith that makes all darkness light:<br /></span> +<span>Give me the power to labor for mankind;<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Make me the mouth of such as cannot speak;<br /></span> +<span>Eyes let me be to groping men and blind.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Theodore Parker.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>Love's hearts are faithful, but not fond,<br /></span> +<span>Bound for the just, but not beyond;<br /></span> +<span>Not glad, as the low-loving herd,<br /></span> +<span>Of self in other still preferred,<br /></span> +<span>But they have heartily designed<br /></span> +<span>The benefit of broad mankind.<br /></span> +<span>And they serve men austerely,<br /></span> +<span>After their own genius, clearly,<br /></span> +<span>Without a false humility.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Ralph Waldo Emerson.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Herein I also exercise myself to have a conscience void of offense + toward God and men always.</p> + +<p> —Acts 24. 16.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>Heavenly Father, help me to-day to look into my heart and see the +truth of my life, and show me thy heart that I may see the truth of +life. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="AUGUST_TWENTY_FIFTH" id="AUGUST_TWENTY_FIFTH" />AUGUST TWENTY-FIFTH</h2> + + +<ul><li>Thomas Chatterton died 1770.</li> + +<li>Sir William Herschel died 1822.</li> + +<li>Francis Bret Harte died 1902.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>O teach me in the trying hour,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">When anguish swells the dewy tear,<br /></span> +<span>To still my sorrows, own thy power,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Thy goodness love, thy justice fear.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>Then why, my soul, dost thou complain?<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Why drooping seek the dark recess?<br /></span> +<span>Shake off the melancholy chain,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">For God created all to bless.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Thomas Chatterton.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>Each substance of a grief hath twenty shadows<br /></span> +<span class="i2">which show like grief itself, but are not so:<br /></span> +<span>For sorrow's eye, glazed with blinding tears,<br /></span> +<span>Divides one thing entire to many shadows.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—William Shakespeare.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>Why art thou cast down, O my soul?<br /></span> +<span>And why art thou disquieted within me?<br /></span> +<span>Hope thou in God.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Psalm 42. 5.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>Loving Father, forbid that I should be lonesome, and forget thou art +my friend: and may I not pass over thy mercies while waiting for thy +compassion. Help me to find contentment in the inheritances of the +earth, where I may always draw from thee. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="AUGUST_TWENTY_SIXTH" id="AUGUST_TWENTY_SIXTH" />AUGUST TWENTY-SIXTH</h2> + + +<ul><li>Sir Robert Walpole born 1676.</li> + +<li>Adam Clarke died 1832.</li> + +<li>Henry Fawcett born 1833.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>Lord, for to-morrow and its needs<br /></span> +<span class="i6">I do not pray;<br /></span> +<span>Keep me, my God, from stain of sin<br /></span> +<span class="i6">Just for to-day.<br /></span> +<span>Help me to labor earnestly,<br /></span> +<span class="i6">And duly pray;<br /></span> +<span>Let me be kind in word and deed,<br /></span> +<span class="i6">Father, to-day.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>Let me no wrong or idle word<br /></span> +<span class="i6">Unthinking say;<br /></span> +<span>Set thou a seal upon my lips<br /></span> +<span class="i6">Through all to-day.<br /></span> +<span>Let me in season, Lord, be grave,<br /></span> +<span class="i6">In season gay;<br /></span> +<span>Let me be faithful to thy grace,<br /></span> +<span class="i6">Dear Lord, to-day.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Ernest Wilberforce.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>And which of you by being anxious can add one cubit unto the measure + of his life?</p> + +<p> —Matthew 6. 27.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>My Lord, I pray that thou wilt control my life, and bless the going +out of my work, be it ever so great or small. Help me to realize the +necessity of earnestness, that I may "work while it is to-day," and I +have the light, and not wait for the night, when it is too dark for +work to be done. May I be faithful in my work until it is completed. +Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="AUGUST_TWENTY_SEVENTH" id="AUGUST_TWENTY_SEVENTH" />AUGUST TWENTY-SEVENTH</h2> + + +<ul><li>William Woollett born 1735.</li> + +<li>James Thomson died 1748.</li> + +<li>George W. F. Hegel born 1770.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>Who are thy playmates, boy?<br /></span> +<span>"My favorite is joy,<br /></span> +<span>Who brings with him his sister Peace, to stay<br /></span> +<span>The livelong day.<br /></span> +<span>I love them both; but he<br /></span> +<span>Is most to me!"<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>And where are thy playmates now,<br /></span> +<span>O man of sober brow?<br /></span> +<span>"Alas! dear joy, the merriest is dead,<br /></span> +<span>But I have wed<br /></span> +<span>Peace; and our babe, a boy<br /></span> +<span>Newborn, is joy."<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—John B. Tabb.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>Depart from evil, and do good;<br /></span> +<span>Seek peace, and pursue it.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Psalm 34. 14.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>Lord God, may I realize more my dependence on thee for the joys of +life. I pray that as I accept thy gifts I will not neglect to take the +peace and happiness which thou dost give with them. Grant that I may +have the bright hope and cheerful courage that is the experience of +power and truth. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="AUGUST_TWENTY_EIGHTH" id="AUGUST_TWENTY_EIGHTH" />AUGUST TWENTY-EIGHTH</h2> + + +<ul><li>Johann W. von Goethe born 1749.</li> + +<li>Ormsby MacKnight Mitchel born 1809.</li> + +<li>Jones Very born 1813.</li> + +<li>Count Lyoff (Leo) Tolstoy born 1828.</li> + +<li>Sir Edward Burne-Jones born 1833.</li> + +<li>Leigh Hunt died 1859.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>All truly wise thoughts have been already thought a thousand times; + but to make them truly ours we must think them over again honestly, + till they take firm root in our personal experience.</p> + +<p> —Goethe.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>The light that fills thy house at morn<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Thou canst not for thyself retain;<br /></span> +<span>But all who with thee here are born<br /></span> +<span class="i2">It bids to share an equal gain.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>The wave, the blue encircling wave,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">No chain can bind, no fetter hold;<br /></span> +<span>Its thunders tell of Him who gave<br /></span> +<span class="i2">What none can ever buy for gold.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Jones Very.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>And the glory which thou hast given me I have given unto them</p> + +<p> —John 17. 22.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>Father of love, I thank thee for thy daily love and for thy daily +bread. May I feel that thy gifts are for all, and not mine to keep and +store from those who are in need. Help me as I say, "Thy will be done +to me," to so will it to others. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="AUGUST_TWENTY_NINTH" id="AUGUST_TWENTY_NINTH" />AUGUST TWENTY-NINTH</h2> + + +<ul><li>John Locke born 1632.</li> + +<li>John Fawcett born 1768.</li> + +<li>Frederick D. Maurice born 1805.</li> + +<li>Oliver Wendell Holmes born 1809.</li> + +<li>Maurice Maeterlinck born 1862.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>Build thee more stately mansions, O my soul,<br /></span> +<span class="i6">As the swift seasons roll!<br /></span> +<span class="i6">Leave thy low-vaulted past!<br /></span> +<span>Let each new temple, nobler than the last,<br /></span> +<span>Shut thee from heaven with a dome more vast,<br /></span> +<span class="i6">Till thou at length art free,<br /></span> +<span>Leaving thine outgrown shell by life's unresting sea!<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Oliver Wendell Holmes.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>We all live in the sublime. Where else can we live? That is the only + place of life. Though you have but a little room, do you fancy that + God is not there, too, and it is impossible to live therein a life + that shall be somewhat lofty? Do you imagine that you can possibly + be alone, that love can be a thing one knows, a thing one sees; that + events can be weighed like the gold and silver of ransom?</p> + +<p> —Maurice Maeterlinck.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>My soul waiteth in silence for God only:<br /></span> +<span>From him cometh my salvation.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Psalm 62. 1.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>Loving Father, help me to live, that my spirit may always dwell in thy +protecting love. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="AUGUST_THIRTIETH" id="AUGUST_THIRTIETH" />AUGUST THIRTIETH</h2> + + +<ul><li>Cleopatra died B. C. 30.</li> + +<li>William Paley born 1743.</li> + +<li>Julian A. Weir born 1852.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span class="i6">Thyself and thy belongings<br /></span> +<span>Are not thine own so proper as to waste<br /></span> +<span>Thyself upon thy virtues, they on thee.<br /></span> +<span>Heaven doth with us as we with torches do,<br /></span> +<span>Not light them for themselves; for if our virtues<br /></span> +<span>Did not go forth of us, 'twere all alike<br /></span> +<span>As if we had them not. Spirits are not finely touched<br /></span> +<span>But to fine issues, nor Nature never lends<br /></span> +<span>The smallest scruple of her excellence,<br /></span> +<span>But, like a thrifty goddess, she determines<br /></span> +<span>Herself the glory of a creditor,<br /></span> +<span>Both thanks and use.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—William Shakespeare.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Brethren, be ye imitators together of me, and mark them that so walk + even as ye have us for an ensample.</p> + +<p> —Philippians 3. 17.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>My Father, I pray that I may not let my life become commonplace +through habit. May I not be content to rest in my virtues and let the +days pass neglected. Awaken my dull satisfactions to a desire to live +for the greatest, that I may have the greatest to live for. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="AUGUST_THIRTY_FIRST" id="AUGUST_THIRTY_FIRST" />AUGUST THIRTY-FIRST</h2> + + +<ul><li>John Bunyan died 1686.</li> + +<li>Charles James Lever born 1806.</li> + +<li>Theophile Gautier born 1811.</li> + +<li>Queen Wilhelmina of Holland born 1880.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Let us be patient, and endure a while; the time may come that God + may give us a happy release; but let us not be our own murderers.</p> + +<p> —John Bunyan.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>He that is down need fear no fall;<br /></span> +<span class="i2">He that is low no pride;<br /></span> +<span>He that is humble ever shall<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Have God to be his guide.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—John Bunyan.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Time delivers fools from grief and reason wise men.</p> + +<p> —Epictetus.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>For our light affliction, which is for the moment, worketh for us + more and more exceedingly an eternal weight of glory.</p> + +<p> —2 Corinthians 4. 17.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>My Lord, if I may be walking through fields that are rough with grief +and care, may I have the courage to continue on to the smooth +pastures, where I may walk with comfort and peace. May I not let the +weariness and sorrow that may come to my heart to-day dwarf my hope +and enjoyment of the future. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="SEPTEMBER" id="SEPTEMBER" />SEPTEMBER</h2> + +<table border="0" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" summary=""> +<tr><td><a href="#SEPTEMBER_FIRST"><b>01</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#SEPTEMBER_SECOND"><b>02</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#SEPTEMBER_THIRD"><b>03</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#SEPTEMBER_FOURTH"><b>04</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#SEPTEMBER_FIFTH"><b>05</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#SEPTEMBER_SIXTH"><b>06</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#SEPTEMBER_SEVENTH"><b>07</b></a></td></tr> + +<tr><td><a href="#SEPTEMBER_EIGHTH"><b>08</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#SEPTEMBER_NINTH"><b>09</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#SEPTEMBER_TENTH"><b>10</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#SEPTEMBER_ELEVENTH"><b>11</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#SEPTEMBER_TWELFTH"><b>12</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#SEPTEMBER_THIRTEENTH"><b>13</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#SEPTEMBER_FOURTEENTH"><b>14</b></a></td></tr> + +<tr><td><a href="#SEPTEMBER_FIFTEENTH"><b>15</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#SEPTEMBER_SIXTEENTH"><b>16</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#SEPTEMBER_SEVENTEENTH"><b>17</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#SEPTEMBER_EIGHTEENTH"><b>18</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#SEPTEMBER_NINETEENTH"><b>19</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#SEPTEMBER_TWENTIETH"><b>20</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#SEPTEMBER_TWENTY_FIRST"><b>21</b></a></td></tr> + +<tr><td><a href="#SEPTEMBER_TWENTY_SECOND"><b>22</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#SEPTEMBER_TWENTY_THIRD"><b>23</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#SEPTEMBER_TWENTY_FOURTH"><b>24</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#SEPTEMBER_TWENTY_FIFTH"><b>25</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#SEPTEMBER_TWENTY_SIXTH"><b>26</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#SEPTEMBER_TWENTY_SEVENTH"><b>27</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#SEPTEMBER_TWENTY_EIGHTH"><b>28</b></a></td></tr> + +<tr><td><a href="#SEPTEMBER_TWENTY_NINTH"><b>29</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#SEPTEMBER_THIRTIETH"><b>30</b></a></td></tr> +</table> + + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span class="i6">Go forth at eventide,<br /></span> +<span>The eventide of summer, when the trees<br /></span> +<span>Yield their frail honors to the passing breeze,<br /></span> +<span>And woodland paths with autumn tints are dyed;<br /></span> +<span>When the mild sun his paling luster shrouds<br /></span> +<span>In gorgeous draperies of golden clouds,<br /></span> +<span>Then wander forth, mid beauty and decay,<br /></span> +<span>To meditate alone—alone to watch and pray.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Emma C. Embury.<br /></span> +</div></div> + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="SEPTEMBER_FIRST" id="SEPTEMBER_FIRST" />SEPTEMBER FIRST</h2> + + +<ul><li>Edward Alleyn born 1566.</li> + +<li>Lydia Sigourney born 1791.</li> + +<li>James Gordon Bennett, Sr., born 1795.</li> + +<li>William Stanley Jevons born 1835.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span class="i10">O ye, who proudly boast,<br /></span> +<span>In your veins, the blood of sires like these,<br /></span> +<span>Look to their lineaments. Dread lest ye lose<br /></span> +<span>Their likeness in your sons. Should mammon cling<br /></span> +<span>Too close around your heart, or wealth beget<br /></span> +<span>That bloated luxury which eats the core<br /></span> +<span>From manly virtue, or the tempting world<br /></span> +<span>Make faint the Christian purpose in your soul,<br /></span> +<span>Turn ye to Plymouth Rock, and where they knelt<br /></span> +<span>Kneel, and renew the vow they breathed to God.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Lydia Sigourney.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Educate children without religion, and you make a race of clever + devils.</p> + +<p> —Duke of Wellington.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>Remember his covenant for ever,<br /></span> +<span>The word which he commanded to a thousand generations.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—1 Chronicles 16. 15.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>O Lord of wisdom, kindle me with a love for true knowledge, that I may +strive, in the moments I have now, to culture my life. Not by might, +not by power, but by thy spirit, O Lord, may I learn and teach thy +children. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="SEPTEMBER_SECOND" id="SEPTEMBER_SECOND" />SEPTEMBER SECOND</h2> + + +<ul><li>John Howard born 1726.</li> + +<li>Henry George born 1839.</li> + +<li>George R. Sims born 1842.</li> + +<li>Eugene Field born 1850.</li> + +<li>Newell Dwight Hillis born 1858.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>And thus we sat in darkness,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Each one busy in his prayer;<br /></span> +<span>"We are lost!" the captain shouted,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">As he staggered down the stair.<br /></span> +<span>But the little daughter whispered,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">As she took his icy hand,<br /></span> +<span>"Isn't God upon the ocean,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Just the same as on the land?"<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Eugene Field.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Happiness is through helpfulness. Every morning let us build a booth + to shelter some one from life's fierce heat. Every noon let us dig + some life-spring for thirsty lips.</p> + +<p> —Newell Dwight Hillis.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>Jehovah is nigh unto all them that call upon him,<br /></span> +<span>To all that call upon, him in truth.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Psalm 145. 18.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>Heavenly Father, may I live that my spirit may never feel lost from +thee; and when I am in great need of thee, even unto death, may I know +that thou art very near. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="SEPTEMBER_THIRD" id="SEPTEMBER_THIRD" />SEPTEMBER THIRD</h2> + + +<ul><li>Oliver Cromwell died 1658.</li> + +<li>George Lillo died 1739.</li> + +<li>Bishop James Harrington born 1847.</li> + +<li>Sarah Orne Jewett born 1849.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>Love thyself last: cherish those hearts that hate thee:<br /></span> +<span>Corruption wins not more than honesty.<br /></span> +<span>Still in thy right hand carry peace,<br /></span> +<span>To silence envious tongues. Be just and fear not:<br /></span> +<span>Let all the ends thou aim'st at be thy country's,<br /></span> +<span>Thy God's and truth's; then if thou fallest, O Cromwell,<br /></span> +<span>Thou fallest a blessed martyr.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—William Shakespeare.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Surely, the only true knowledge of our fellow man is that which + enables us to feel with him, which gives us a fine ear for the + heart-pulses that are beating under the mere clothes of circumstance + and opinion.</p> + +<p> —George Eliot.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>With all lowliness and meekness, with long-suffering, forbearing one + another in love.</p> + +<p> —Ephesians 4. 2.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Lord, give thy people consistency of judgment, one heart, and mutual + love; and go on to deliver them, and with the work of the + reformation; and make the name of Christ glorious in the world. + Teach those who look too much on thy instruments to depend more upon + thyself. Pardon the folly of this short prayer: Even for Christ's + sake. And give us a good night, if it be thy pleasure. Amen.</p> + +<p> —Prayer by Oliver Cromwell, just before death.</p></div> + +<hr /> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="SEPTEMBER_FOURTH" id="SEPTEMBER_FOURTH" />SEPTEMBER FOURTH</h2> + + +<ul><li>Pindar, poet, born B. C. 522.</li> + +<li>William E. Dodge born 1805.</li> + +<li>Phoebe Cary born 1824.</li> + +<li>Sir Wilfred Lawson born 1829.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>I ask not wealth, but power to take<br /></span> +<span class="i2">And use the things I have, aright;<br /></span> +<span>Not years, but wisdom that shall make<br /></span> +<span class="i2">My life a profit and delight.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Phcebe Gary.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>Another day may bring another mind,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">A mind to learn when there is none to teach;<br /></span> +<span>To follow when no leader we can find;<br /></span> +<span class="i2">To enjoy when good is now beyond our reach.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>A better mind, but not a better time,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">A mind to will, but not a time to do<br /></span> +<span>What had been done, if we in life's bright prime,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">When God was ready, had been ready too.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Thomas T. Lynch.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Give diligence to present thyself approved unto God, a workman that + needeth not to be ashamed.</p> + +<p> —2 Timothy 2. 15.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>My Father, help me to have lofty thoughts, and may I not be content +until they are carried into purpose. Help me to conquer that which +will keep me from an act of happiness, and grant that by thinking of +that which is pure, and doing that which is good, I may be made +helpful and true. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="SEPTEMBER_FIFTH" id="SEPTEMBER_FIFTH" />SEPTEMBER FIFTH</h2> + + +<ul><li>Catherine Parr died 1548.</li> + +<li>Cardinal Richelieu born 1585.</li> + +<li>Robert Fergusson born 1750.</li> + +<li>Giacomo Meyerbeer born 1791.</li> + +<li>Richard C. Trench born 1807.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>Be patient! O, be patient! Put your ear against the earth;<br /></span> +<span>Listen there how noiselessly the germ o' the seed has birth—<br /></span> +<span>How noiselessly and gently it upheaves its little way,<br /></span> +<span>Till it parts the scarcely broken ground, and the blade stands up in day.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>Be patient! O, be patient!—though yet our hopes are green,<br /></span> +<span>The harvest fields of freedom shall be crowned with sunny sheen.<br /></span> +<span>Be ripening! be ripening—mature your silent way,<br /></span> +<span>Till the whole broad land is tongued with fire on freedom's harvest day.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Richard C. Trench.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>And let patience have its perfect work, that ye may be perfect and + entire, lacking in nothing.</p> + +<p> —James 1. 4.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>Gracious Father, help me to see the truth as thou hast made it, and +may I not be indifferent to the beauty and patience of the earth's +revelations. May I not mistake indolence for patient ambition, which I +would have for anxious hours, and which I need for my heart's desires. +Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="SEPTEMBER_SIXTH" id="SEPTEMBER_SIXTH" />SEPTEMBER SIXTH</h2> + + +<ul><li>Moses Mendelssohn born 1729.</li> + +<li>Marquis de Lafayette born 1757.</li> + +<li>Jane Addams born 1860.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>God will not seek thy race,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Nor will he ask thy birth;<br /></span> +<span>Alone he will demand of thee,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">What hast thou done on earth?<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Persian.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>One dreams of the time when the interest and capacity of each person + shall be studied with reference to the industry about to be + undertaken.</p> + +<p> —Jane Addams.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Honor is purchased by deeds we do, honor is not won, until some + honorable deed is done.</p> + +<p> —Sir Christopher Marlowe.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>In diligence not slothful; fervent in spirit; serving the Lord.</p> + +<p> —Romans 12. 11.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>Gracious Father, wilt thou bring to my mind and heart the important +things which are needed in preparing life. Help me to use the strength +that is given to me for to-day, that I may not have to give to-morrow +to learning what I should have known. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="SEPTEMBER_SEVENTH" id="SEPTEMBER_SEVENTH" />SEPTEMBER SEVENTH</h2> + + +<ul><li>Queen Elizabeth born 1533.</li> + +<li>Comte de Buffon born 1707.</li> + +<li>Victorien Sardou born 1831.</li> + +<li>Hannah More died 1833.</li> + +<li>John G. Whittier died 1892.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span class="i6">Side by side<br /></span> +<span>In the low sunshine by the turban stone<br /></span> +<span>They knelt; each made his brother's woe his own,<br /></span> +<span>Forgetting, in the agony and stress<br /></span> +<span>Of pitying love, his claim of selfishness;<br /></span> +<span>Peace, for his friend besought, his own became;<br /></span> +<span>His prayers were answered in another's name;<br /></span> +<span>And when at last they rose up to embrace,<br /></span> +<span>Each saw God's pardon in his brother's face.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—John G. Whittier.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>My care is like my shadow in the sun,<br /></span> +<span>Follows me flying, flies when I pursue it;<br /></span> +<span>Stands and lies by me, does what I have done,<br /></span> +<span>This too familiar care does make me rue it.<br /></span> +<span class="i2">No means I find to rid him from my breast,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Till by the end of things it be suppressed.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Queen Elizabeth.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.</p> + +<p> —Galatians 6. 2.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>Lord God, help me to look for those who are in need of help. Forgive +me for my failures, and may I gather up my broken promises and try to +redeem them. I ask for thy forgiveness, as I ask that thou wilt help +me to forgive them who may have trespassed against me. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="SEPTEMBER_EIGHTH" id="SEPTEMBER_EIGHTH" />SEPTEMBER EIGHTH</h2> + + +<ul><li>Richard Coeur de Lion born 1157.</li> + +<li>A. W. Schlegel born 1767.</li> + +<li>Antonin Dvorak born 1841.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>All service ranks the same with God,—<br /></span> +<span>With God, whose puppets, best and worst,<br /></span> +<span>Are we: there is no last nor first.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> + +<span>—Robert Browning.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>Thou needest not man's little life of years,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Save that he gather wisdom from them all;<br /></span> +<span>That in thy fear he lose all other fears,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">And in thy calling heed no other call.<br /></span> +<span>Then shall he be thy child to know thy care,<br /></span> +<span>And in thy Self the eternal Sabbath share.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> + +<span>—Jones Very.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>He that keepeth the commandment keepeth his soul;<br /></span> +<span>But he that is careless of his ways shall die.<br /></span> +<span>—Proverbs 191. 6.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>My Lord, forbid that I should want to live to be known only for power +and pride. Help me to strive for that which is helpful and lovely. May +I never be restrained from thee, but delight to follow in thy way. +Help me to be obedient to thy laws, that I may learn thy truths. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="SEPTEMBER_NINTH" id="SEPTEMBER_NINTH" />SEPTEMBER NINTH</h2> + + +<ul><li>Battle of Flodden.</li> + +<li>James the Fourth of Scotland killed 1513.</li> + +<li>Luigi Galvani born 1737.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>Then welcome each rebuff<br /></span> +<span>That turns earth's smoothness rough,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Each sting that bids nor sit, nor stand but go!<br /></span> +<span>Be our joys three-parts pain!<br /></span> +<span>Strive and hold cheap the strain;<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Learn, nor account the pang; dare, never grudge the throe.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Robert Browning.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Life without industry is guilt; and industry without art is + brutality.</p> + +<p> —John Ruskin.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Blessed is the man that endureth temptation; for when he hath been + approved, he shall receive the crown of life.</p> + +<p> —James 1. 12.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>Almighty God, help me as I start this day to remember how easy it is +to drive the peace from it. May I do my best to keep it, and defy any +indolence or disposition, that may make me spoil it. May I lay me down +at night in peace and sleep because of the contentment that has filled +the hours. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="SEPTEMBER_TENTH" id="SEPTEMBER_TENTH" />SEPTEMBER TENTH</h2> + + +<ul><li>William the Conqueror died 1087.</li> + +<li>Dr. Thomas Sheridan died 1788.</li> + +<li>Mungo Park born 1771.</li> + +<li>Mrs. Godwin (Mary Wollstonecraft) died 1797.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Let the wind blow east, west, north, or south, the immortal soul + will take its flight to the destined point.</p> + +<p> —Thomas Sheridan.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>He is void of true taste who strives to have his house admired by + decorating it with showish outside; but to adorn our character by + gentleness of a communicative temper is a proof of good taste and + good nature</p> + +<p> —Epictetus.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>Let fortune empty her whole quiver on me.<br /></span> +<span>I have a soul that, like an empty shield,<br /></span> +<span>Can take it all, and verge enough for more.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Thomas Dryden.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>The Lord will deliver me from every evil work, and will save me unto + his heavenly kingdom.</p> + +<p> —2 Timothy 4. 18.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>Almighty God, I bless thee that it is thou who brought me to live on +earth; and I rejoice that it is thou who wilt judge my life when thou +takest me away. May I be saving thy rich gifts that I may not be found +poor; and may I be worthy to receive thine inheritance and hear thee +say, "Well done." Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="SEPTEMBER_ELEVENTH" id="SEPTEMBER_ELEVENTH" />SEPTEMBER ELEVENTH</h2> + + +<ul><li>Battle of Marathon B. C. 490.</li> + +<li>William Lowth born 1661.</li> + +<li>James Thomson born 1700.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>But what is virtue but repose of mind,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">A pure ethereal calm, that knows no storm;<br /></span> +<span>Above the reach of wild ambitious wind,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Above the passions that this world deform.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—James Thomson.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>And if I pray, the only prayer<br /></span> +<span class="i2">That moves my lips for me<br /></span> +<span>Is, "Leave the heart that now I bear,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">And give me liberty!"<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>Yes, as my swift days near their goal,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">'Tis all that I implore;<br /></span> +<span>In life and death, a chainless soul<br /></span> +<span class="i2">With courage to endure.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Emily Brontë.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Cast not away therefore your boldness, which hath great recompense + of reward.</p> + +<p> —Hebrews 10. 35.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>Tender Father, may I pause this morning to look at that which I keep +uppermost in my life; and if it may not be worthy of thy esteem, may I +be bold enough to revise my ideals. With thy compassion may I free my +heart and mind of all unworthiness, and be given endurance to restore +the empty places. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="SEPTEMBER_TWELFTH" id="SEPTEMBER_TWELFTH" />SEPTEMBER TWELFTH</h2> + + +<ul><li>Jean-Philippe Rameau born 1693.</li> + +<li>Griffith Jones died 1786.</li> + +<li>Charles Dudley Warner born 1829.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Our duty is to be useful, not according to our desires, but + according to our powers.</p> + +<p> —Amiel.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>How good is man's life, the mere living! how fit to employ<br /></span> +<span>All the heart and the soul and the senses for ever in joy!<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Robert Browning.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Do something! No man is born with a mortgage on his soul; but every + man is born a debtor to Time. Meet this obligation before you find + too late that your life is impoverished and you cannot redeem it.</p> + +<p> —M. B. S.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Let him labor, working with his hands the thing that is good, that + he may have whereof to give to him that hath need.</p> + +<p> —Ephesians 4. 28.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>My Father, what I have left out of my life I know I cannot recover +now. I pray that I may give the best to what is left. Make me +deliberate, that I may prove my earnestness. Make me industrious, that +I may use my best resources to develop my life and further thy +kingdom. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="SEPTEMBER_THIRTEENTH" id="SEPTEMBER_THIRTEENTH" />SEPTEMBER THIRTEENTH</h2> + + +<ul><li>William Cecil born 1520.</li> + +<li>Michael de Montaigne died 1592.</li> + +<li>General Wolfe died 1759.</li> + +<li>Charles James Fox died 1806.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>And thou, O river of to-morrow, flowing<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Between thy narrow adamantine walls,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">But beautiful, and white with waterfalls<br /></span> +<span>And wreaths of mist, like hands the pathway showing;<br /></span> +<span>I hear the trumpets of the morning blowing.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>It is the mystery of the unknown<br /></span> +<span class="i2">That fascinates us; we are children still,<br /></span> +<span>Wayward and wistful; with one hand we cling<br /></span> +<span>To the familiar things we call our own,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">And with the other, resolute of will,<br /></span> +<span>Grope in the dark for what the day will bring.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Henry W. Longfellow.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Behold, happy is the man whom God correcteth.</p> + +<p> —Job 5. 17.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>Almighty God, I pray that thou wilt help me to correct my life to-day +that I may know a better way to-morrow; and may I be mindful and try +to do right. Grant that I may be patient and kind if I may be sick or +in need, and always keep uppermost the faith of deliverance and +eternal care. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="SEPTEMBER_FOURTEENTH" id="SEPTEMBER_FOURTEENTH" />SEPTEMBER FOURTEENTH</h2> + + +<ul><li>Alighieri Dante died 1321.</li> + +<li>Alexander Baron von Humboldt born 1769.</li> + +<li>Julia Magruder born 1854.</li> + +<li>Charles Dana Gibson born 1867.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Since it is Providence that determines the fates of men, their inner + nature is thus brought into unison. There is such harmony, as in all + things of nature, that one might explain the whole without referring + to a higher Providence. But this only proves the more clearly and + certainly this higher Providence, which has given existence to this + harmony.</p> + +<p> —Wilhelm von Humboldt.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>The good mariner, when he draws near the port, furls his sails and + enters it softly; so ought we to lower the sails of our worldly + operations, and turn to God with all heart and understanding.</p> + +<p> —Dante.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>Thy righteousness is like the mountains of God;<br /></span> +<span>Thy judgments are a great deep:<br /></span> +<span>O Jehovah, thou preservest man and beast.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Psalm 36. 6.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>My Father in heaven, may I hear thy voice to-day! May I be quiet as I +listen to thee. Above the clamor of the crowd may I hear thee calling +me. May I hear thee in my joys and in my sorrows; in my work and in my +leisure. May I listen to thee oftener, that I may be familiar with thy +ways. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="SEPTEMBER_FIFTEENTH" id="SEPTEMBER_FIFTEENTH" />SEPTEMBER FIFTEENTH</h2> + + +<ul><li>James Fenimore Cooper born 1789.</li> + +<li>Louis Joseph Martel born 1813.</li> + +<li>Porfirio Diaz born 1830.</li> + +<li>William Howard Taft, Ohio, twenty-sixth President United States, born 1857.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Friendship is one of the cheapest and most accessible of pleasures; + it requires no outlay and no very serious expenditure of time or + trouble. It is quite easy to make friends, if one wants to... There + is surely no greater pleasure in the world than to feel one is + needed, welcomed, missed, and loved.</p> + +<p> —Arthur C. Benson.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>"Friendship is love without his wings."</p> + +<p> —William H. Taft (from Byron).</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Without sympathy, in the highest sense of intellectual penetration, + kindness may be a folly, and intended aid, oppression.</p> + +<p> —John Ruskin.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>He that maketh many friends doeth it to his own destruction; but + there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother.</p> + +<p> —Proverbs 18. 24.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>My Father, may I know the delight of true friendship which is +responsive and sincere. May I never feel so secure in myself that I +will cease to want friends, or be so dependent on others that I will +be continually seeking them. May I understand the value of having a +stanch friend and of being one. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="SEPTEMBER_SIXTEENTH" id="SEPTEMBER_SIXTEENTH" />SEPTEMBER SIXTEENTH</h2> + + +<ul><li>Gabriel D. Fahrenheit died 1736.</li> + +<li>W. Augustus Muhlenberg born 1796.</li> + +<li>Francis Parkman born 1823.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>Yes, to this thought I hold with firm persistence—<br /></span> +<span class="i2">The last result of wisdom stamps it true:<br /></span> +<span>He only earns his freedom and existence<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Who daily conquers them anew.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Goethe.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>For thee hath been dawning<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Another blue day;<br /></span> +<span>Look how thou let it<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Slip empty away.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Goethe.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>Happy the man, and happy he alone,<br /></span> +<span>Who can call to-day his own:<br /></span> +<span>He who, secure within, can say,<br /></span> +<span>"To-morrow, do thy worst, for I have lived to-day."<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—John Dryden.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of Jehovah is + risen upon thee.</p> + +<p> —Isaiah 60. 1.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>Gracious Father, help me to be alert this morning and select the +noblest that is in to-day. May I be diligent and not find in the +evening that I have been unworthy of the day. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="SEPTEMBER_SEVENTEENTH" id="SEPTEMBER_SEVENTEENTH" />SEPTEMBER SEVENTEENTH</h2> + + +<ul><li>Samuel Prout born 1783.</li> + +<li>Dr. John Kidd died 1851.</li> + +<li>Walter Savage Landor died 1864.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>In the hour of distress and misery the eye of every mortal turns to + friendship; in the hour of gladness and conviviality, what is your + want? It is friendship. When the heart overflows with gratitude or + with other sweet and sacred sentiment, what is the word to which it + would give utterance? A friend.</p> + +<p> —Walter Savage Landor.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>The hurried quest of some people to get hold of new friends is so + perpetual that they never have time to get acquainted with anyone.</p> + +<p> —M. B. S.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>Thine own friend, and thy father's friend, forsake not;<br /></span> +<span>And go not to thy brother's house in the day of thy calamity:<br /></span> +<span>Better is a neighbor that is near than a brother far off.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Proverbs 27. 10.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>My Lord and my Friend, I pray that my sympathy may be sincere and +comforting, and with a glad heart I may bring rejoicing to my friends. +May I learn from thee how I may be a permanent friend. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="SEPTEMBER_EIGHTEENTH" id="SEPTEMBER_EIGHTEENTH" />SEPTEMBER EIGHTEENTH</h2> + + +<ul><li>Trajan, Roman emperor, born 1584.</li> + +<li>James Shirley born 1596.</li> + +<li>Samuel Johnson born 1709.</li> + +<li>Joseph Story born 1779.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>There is no greater happiness than to be able to look on a life + usefully and virtuously employed: to trace our own purposes in + existence by such tokens that excite neither shame nor sorrow.</p> + +<p> —Dr. Johnson.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>The perfect poise that comes-from self-control,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">The poetry of action, rhythmic, sweet—<br /></span> +<span>The unvexed music of the body and soul<br /></span> +<span class="i2">That the Greeks dreamed of, made at last complete.<br /></span> +<span>Our stumbling lives attain not such a bliss;<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Too often, while the air we vainly beat,<br /></span> +<span>Love's perfect law of liberty we miss.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Annie Matheson.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Brethren, I have lived before God in all good conscience until this + day.</p> + +<p> —Acts 23. 1.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>Heavenly Father, may I not confuse my life with rebellion, but through +thy guidance find peace. Help me through the perplexities that may +keep me from the quietness of to-day. Keep me in sight of the great +plan of life, that I may grow steadfastly toward thee. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="SEPTEMBER_NINETEENTH" id="SEPTEMBER_NINETEENTH" />SEPTEMBER NINETEENTH</h2> + + +<ul><li>Battle of Poitiers 1356.</li> + +<li>Hartley Coleridge born 1796.</li> + +<li>President Garfield died 1881.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>Be not afraid to pray—to pray is right.<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Pray if thou canst, with hope; but ever pray<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Though hope be weak, or sick with long delay;<br /></span> +<span>Pray in the darkness, if there be no light.<br /></span> +<span>Far is the time, remote from human sight,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">When war and discord on earth shall cease:<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Yet every prayer for universal peace<br /></span> +<span>Avails the time to expedite.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Hartley Coleridge.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>More things are wrought by prayer<br /></span> +<span>Than the world dreams of. Wherefore let thy voice<br /></span> +<span>Rise like a fountain for me night and day.<br /></span> +<span>For what are men better than sheep or goats<br /></span> +<span>That nourish a blind life within the brain,<br /></span> +<span>If, knowing God, they lift not hands of prayer<br /></span> +<span>Both for themselves and those who call them friend?<br /></span> +<span>For so the whole world is every way<br /></span> +<span>Bound by gold chains about the feet of God.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Alfred Tennyson.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Continue stedfastly in prayer, watching therein with thanksgiving.</p> + +<p> —Colossians 4. 2.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>O Lord, give me the desire to pray, and teach me to pray as thou +wouldst have my needs. Sustain me, that I may overcome my weaknesses, +and strengthen me, that I may have thine approval. May I be reverent +and unselfish as I come to thee in prayer. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="SEPTEMBER_TWENTIETH" id="SEPTEMBER_TWENTIETH" />SEPTEMBER TWENTIETH</h2> + + +<ul><li>Battle of Salamis B. C. 480.</li> + +<li>Alexander the Great born B. C. 356.</li> + +<li>Robert Emmet died 1803.</li> + +<li>David Ross Locke (Petroleum V. Nasby) born 1833.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>'Tis weary watching wave by wave,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">And yet the tide heaves onward;<br /></span> +<span>We climb, like corals, grave by grave,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">That pave a pathway sunward.<br /></span> +<span>We're driven back, for our next fray<br /></span> +<span class="i2">A newer strength to borrow;<br /></span> +<span>And where the vanguard camps to-day,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">The rear shall rest to-morrow.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Gerald Massey.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>Be like the bird, that, pausing in her flight<br /></span> +<span>A while on boughs too slight,<br /></span> +<span>Feels them give way beneath her, and yet sings,<br /></span> +<span>Knowing that she hath wings.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Victor Hugo.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>Trust in Jehovah, and do good;<br /></span> +<span>Dwell in the land, and feed on his faithfulness.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Psalm 37. 3.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>Eternal God, help me to realize that life is not only endless but, +whether I live in love and obedience, or wait in neglect and +indifference, that I can never separate myself from thee. May I be +diligent in worthy endeavors to do my best for thee. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="SEPTEMBER_TWENTY_FIRST" id="SEPTEMBER_TWENTY_FIRST" />SEPTEMBER TWENTY-FIRST</h2> + + +<ul><li>Girolamo Savonarola born 1452.</li> + +<li>Emperor Charles V died 1558.</li> + +<li>Sir Walter Scott died 1832.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>It is the secret sympathy,<br /></span> +<span>The silver link, the silken tie,<br /></span> +<span>Which heart to heart and mind to mind<br /></span> +<span>In body and in soul can bind.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Sir Walter Scott.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>No action, whether foul or fair,<br /></span> +<span>Is ever done, but it carves somewhere<br /></span> +<span>A record, written by fingers ghostly,<br /></span> +<span>As a blessing or a curse, and mostly<br /></span> +<span>In the greater weakness or greater strength<br /></span> +<span>Of the acts which follow it.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Henry W. Longfellow.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>And he said unto them, Look on me, and do likewise: and, behold, + when I come to the outermost part of the camp, it shall be that, as + I do, so shall ye do.</p> + +<p> —Judges 7. 17.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>Loving Father, may I remember that from the beginning, all things were +created beautiful and were given for love. I pray that I may be +willing to be guided to the beautiful things of life and receive from +them the delight of thy love. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="SEPTEMBER_TWENTY_SECOND" id="SEPTEMBER_TWENTY_SECOND" />SEPTEMBER TWENTY-SECOND</h2> + + +<ul><li>Peter Simon Pallas born 1741.</li> + +<li>Michael Faraday born 1791.</li> + +<li>Theodore Edward Hook born 1788.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Man learns to swim by being tossed into life's maelstrom and left to + make his way ashore. No youth can learn to sail his life-craft in a + lake sequestered and sheltered from all the storms, where other + vessels never come. Skill comes through sailing one's craft amidst + rocks and bars and opposing fleets, amidst storms and whirls and + counter currents.</p> + +<p> —Newell Dwight Hillis.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>O, a trouble's a ton or a trouble's an ounce,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Or a trouble is what you make it!<br /></span> +<span>And it isn't the fact that you're hurt that counts,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">But only—how did you take it?<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Edmund C. Vance.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>And thus, having patiently endured, he obtained the promise.</p> + +<p> —Hebrews 6. 15.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>Tender Father, may I not encourage the disposition to enlarge and make +much of the troubles and disappointments of life, and make light of +the joys and privileges. I pray that I may keep a large place for +happiness. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="SEPTEMBER_TWENTY_THIRD" id="SEPTEMBER_TWENTY_THIRD" />SEPTEMBER TWENTY-THIRD</h2> + + +<ul><li>Karl Theodore Körner born 1791.</li> + +<li>Hjalmar Hjorth Boyesen born 1848.</li> + +<li>Wilkie Collins died 1889.</li> + +<li>M. F. H. De Haas died 1895.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>When over the fair fame of friend or foe<br /></span> +<span class="i2">The shadow of disgrace shall fall; instead<br /></span> +<span>Of words to blame, or reproof of thus and so,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Let something good be said.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>Forget not that no fellow-being yet<br /></span> +<span class="i2">May fall so low but love may lift his head;<br /></span> +<span>Even the cheek of shame with tears is wet<br /></span> +<span class="i2">If something good be said.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Author unknown.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>The right Christian mind will ... find its own image wherever it + exists; it will seek for what it loves, and draw out of all dens and + caves, and it will believe in its being, often when it cannot see + it; and so it will lie lovingly over the faults and rough places of + the human heart, as the snow from heaven does over the hard, and + black, and broken mountain rocks.</p> + +<p> —John Ruskin.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>To him that is ready to faint kindness should be showed from his + friend.</p> + +<p> —Job 6. 14.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>Lord God, grant that after years of climbing I may not find the mist +in my soul has dulled the vision of thy glory. Keep me from the habit +of looking for faults, and missing the virtues in others. Forbid that +I should be so occupied in taking measure of other lives that I +neglect to measure my own. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="SEPTEMBER_TWENTY_FOURTH" id="SEPTEMBER_TWENTY_FOURTH" />SEPTEMBER TWENTY-FOURTH</h2> + + +<ul><li>John Marshall born 1755.</li> + +<li>Zachary Taylor, Virginia, twelfth President United +States, born 1784.</li> + +<li>S. R. Crockett born 1860.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>Get the truth once uttered, and 'tis like<br /></span> +<span>A star newborn that drops into its place,<br /></span> +<span>And which, once circling in its placid round,<br /></span> +<span>Not all the tumult of the earth can shake.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—James Russell Lowell.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>If you would be well spoken of, learn to speak well of others. And + when you have learned to speak well of them, endeavor likewise to do + well to them; and reap the fruit of being well spoken of by them.</p> + +<p> —Epictetus.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>He that slandereth not with his tongue,<br /></span> +<span>Nor doeth evil to his friend,<br /></span> +<span>Nor taketh up a reproach against his neighbor;<br /></span> +<span>He that doeth these things shall never be moved.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Psalm 15. 3, 5.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>Lord God, I bless thee for the lives of men and women who are willing +to be led by the truth, and who are worthy to follow thee. I pray that +thou wilt make me truthful, and keep me steadfast, that none may go +astray by the uncertainty of my way. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="SEPTEMBER_TWENTY_FIFTH" id="SEPTEMBER_TWENTY_FIFTH" />SEPTEMBER TWENTY-FIFTH</h2> + + +<ul><li>William Romaine born 1714.</li> + +<li>Felicia D. Hemans born 1793.</li> + +<li>W. M. Rossetti born 1829.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>Not as the conqueror comes,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">They, the true-hearted, came;<br /></span> +<span>Not with the roll of the stirring drums,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">And the trumpet songs of fame:<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>Amidst the storm they sang,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">And the stars heard and the sea;<br /></span> +<span>And the sounding aisles of the dim woods rang<br /></span> +<span class="i2">To the anthem of the free.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>Ay, call it holy ground,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">The soil where first they trod;<br /></span> +<span>They have left unstained what there they found—<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Freedom to worship God.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Felicia D. Hemans.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>But they shall sit every man under his vine and under his fig-tree; + and none shall make them afraid.</p> + +<p> —Micah 4. 4.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>Eternal God, may I look to the Pilgrims and learn that to pray by +faith with the heart is not to pray by faith of the imagination. Help +me to pray, and have faith to struggle for that which I would +rightfully have. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="SEPTEMBER_TWENTY_SIXTH" id="SEPTEMBER_TWENTY_SIXTH" />SEPTEMBER TWENTY-SIXTH</h2> + + +<ul><li>Admiral Cuthbert Collingwood born 1750.</li> + +<li>Dr. Mary Walker born 1832.</li> + +<li>Irving Bacheller born 1859.</li> + +<li>Frederic William Faber died 1863.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>God is never so far off as even to be near—<br /></span> +<span>He is within: Our spirit is the home he holds most dear.<br /></span> +<span>To think of him as by our side is almost as untrue<br /></span> +<span>As to remove his throne beyond the starry blue.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—F. W. Faber.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>Nearer, my God, to thee,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Nearer to thee!<br /></span> +<span>E'en though it be a cross<br /></span> +<span class="i2">That raiseth me;<br /></span> +<span>Still all my song shall be—<br /></span> +<span>Nearer, my God, to thee,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Nearer to thee!<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Sarah F. Adams.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>My righteousness I hold fast, and will not let it go: My heart shall + not reproach me so long as I live.</p> + +<p> —Job 27. 6.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>My Father, may I consider the place in which I stand: and may I not be +deceived in thinking I am near thee while I am living far away. Teach +me the way to draw nearer to thee each day, until my spirit may +continually dwell with thee. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="SEPTEMBER_TWENTY_SEVENTH" id="SEPTEMBER_TWENTY_SEVENTH" />SEPTEMBER TWENTY-SEVENTH</h2> + + +<ul><li>George Cruikshank born 1792.</li> + +<li>Samuel Francis Dupont born 1803.</li> + +<li>Aimé Millet born 1819.</li> + +<li>Henri Frédéric Arniel born 1821.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>The man who has no refuge in himself, who lives, so to speak, in his + front rooms, in the outer whirlwind of things and opinions, is not + properly a personality at all; ... he is one of a crowd.</p> + +<p> —Amiel.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>Happy the heart that keeps its twilight hour,<br /></span> +<span>And in the depths of heavenly peace reclined,<br /></span> +<span>Loves to commune with thoughts of tender power—<br /></span> +<span>Thoughts that ascend, like angels beautiful.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Paul Hamilton Hayne.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>The art of meditation may be exercised at all hours and in all + places; and men of genius in their walks, at table, and amidst + assemblies, turning the eye of the mind inward, can form an + artificial solitude; retired amidst a crowd, calm amidst + distractions, and wise amidst folly.</p> + +<p> —Disraeli.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Commune with your own heart upon your bed, and be still.</p> + +<p> —Psalm 4. 4.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>Heavenly Father, save me from being so poor in spirit, that I will +have to be sustained by the bright spirits of others. May I be +continually refreshed by the spirit of life that may be found at all +times. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="SEPTEMBER_TWENTY_EIGHTH" id="SEPTEMBER_TWENTY_EIGHTH" />SEPTEMBER TWENTY-EIGHTH</h2> + + +<ul><li>Francis Turner Palgrave born 1824.</li> + +<li>Frances E. Willard born 1839.</li> + +<li>General John D. French born 1852.</li> + +<li>Mary Anderson born 1859.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Unless there is a predominating and overmastering purpose to which + all the accessories and incidents of life contribute, the character + will be weak, irresolute, uncertain.</p> + +<p> —Frances E. Willard.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>Life is not an idle ore,<br /></span> +<span>But iron dug from central gloom,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">And heated hot with burning fears,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">And dipt in baths of hissing tears,<br /></span> +<span>And battered with the shocks of doom<br /></span> +<span>To shape and use.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Alfred Tennyson.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>He that doubteth is like the surge of the sea driven by the wind and + tossed.... A double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.</p> + +<p> —James 1. 6, 8.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>O God, help me to be positive. May I not want to be in so many places, +and in so many things, that I can never be found in anything. Help me +to know that a purpose secured is worth many attempts, and that to +have a character I must build it. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="SEPTEMBER_TWENTY_NINTH" id="SEPTEMBER_TWENTY_NINTH" />SEPTEMBER TWENTY-NINTH</h2> + + +<ul><li>Pompey killed B. C. 48.</li> + +<li>Robert Lord Clive born 1725.</li> + +<li>Horatio Nelson born 1758.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>O strange and wild is the world of men<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Which the eyes of the Lord must see—<br /></span> +<span>With continents, inlands, tribes, and tongues,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">With multitudes bond and free!<br /></span> +<span>All kings of the earth bow down to him,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">And yet—he can think of me.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>For none can measure the mind of God<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Or the bounds of eternity,<br /></span> +<span>He knows each life that has come from him,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">To the tiniest bird and bee,<br /></span> +<span>For the love of his heart is so deep and wide<br /></span> +<span class="i2">That it takes in even me.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Mary E. Allbright.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? and not one of them shall + fall on the ground without your Father: but the very hairs of your + head are all numbered.</p> + +<p> —Matthew 10. 29, 30.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>Almighty God, cause me to look out this morning, and open wide my +eyes, that I may see what great preparation thou hast made that I +might live. May I be ashamed to start wrong and be unworthy of the +glory of this day. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="SEPTEMBER_THIRTIETH" id="SEPTEMBER_THIRTIETH" />SEPTEMBER THIRTIETH</h2> + + +<ul><li>George Whitefield died 1770.</li> + +<li>William Hutton born 1723.</li> + +<li>John Dollond died 1761.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>Up, up, my soul, the long-spent time redeeming;<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Sow thou the seeds of better deeds and thought;<br /></span> +<span>Light other lamps while yet thy lamp is beaming—<br /></span> +<span class="i2">The time is short.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>Think of the good thou might'st have done when brightly<br /></span> +<span class="i2">The suns to thee life's choicest season brought;<br /></span> +<span>Hours lost to God in pleasure passing lightly—<br /></span> +<span class="i2">The time is short.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>If thou hast friends, give them thy best endeavor,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Thy warmest impulse, and thy purest thought,<br /></span> +<span>Keeping in mind and words and action ever—<br /></span> +<span class="i2">The time is short.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Elizabeth Prentiss.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>What is your life? For ye are a vapor that appeareth for a little + time, and then vanisheth away.</p> + +<p> —James 4. 14.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>Loving Father, help me to realize that I am not living in the right +way nor the right place if I am discontented, or happy in trifles and +untruth. Help me to find my place, and with thy help may I stand firm +and confident. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="OCTOBER" id="OCTOBER" />OCTOBER</h2> + +<table border="0" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" summary=""> +<tr><td><a href="#OCTOBER_FIRST"><b>01</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#OCTOBER_SECOND"><b>02</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#OCTOBER_THIRD"><b>03</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#OCTOBER_FOURTH"><b>04</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#OCTOBER_FIFTH"><b>05</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#OCTOBER_SIXTH"><b>06</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#OCTOBER_SEVENTH"><b>07</b></a></td></tr> + +<tr><td><a href="#OCTOBER_EIGHTH"><b>08</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#OCTOBER_NINTH"><b>09</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#OCTOBER_TENTH"><b>10</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#OCTOBER_ELEVENTH"><b>11</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#OCTOBER_TWELFTH"><b>12</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#OCTOBER_THIRTEENTH"><b>13</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#OCTOBER_FOURTEENTH"><b>14</b></a></td></tr> + +<tr><td><a href="#OCTOBER_FIFTEENTH"><b>15</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#OCTOBER_SIXTEENTH"><b>16</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#OCTOBER_SEVENTEENTH"><b>17</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#OCTOBER_EIGHTEENTH"><b>18</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#OCTOBER_NINETEENTH"><b>19</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#OCTOBER_TWENTIETH"><b>20</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#OCTOBER_TWENTY_FIRST"><b>21</b></a></td></tr> + +<tr><td><a href="#OCTOBER_TWENTY_SECOND"><b>22</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#OCTOBER_TWENTY_THIRD"><b>23</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#OCTOBER_TWENTY_FOURTH"><b>24</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#OCTOBER_TWENTY_FIFTH"><b>25</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#OCTOBER_TWENTY_SIXTH"><b>26</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#OCTOBER_TWENTY_SEVENTH"><b>27</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#OCTOBER_TWENTY_EIGHTH"><b>28</b></a></td></tr> + +<tr><td><a href="#OCTOBER_TWENTY_NINTH"><b>29</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#OCTOBER_THIRTIETH"><b>30</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#OCTOBER_THIRTY_FIRST"><b>31</b></a></td></tr> +</table> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>The morns are meeker than they were,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">The nuts are getting brown;<br /></span> +<span>The berry's cheek is plumper,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">The rose is out of town.<br /></span> +<span>The maple wears a gayer scarf,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">The field a scarlet gown;<br /></span> +<span>Lest I should be old-fashioned,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">I'll put a trinket on.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Emily Dickinson.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="OCTOBER_FIRST" id="OCTOBER_FIRST" />OCTOBER FIRST</h2> + + +<ul><li>Saint John Viscount Bolingbroke born 1678.</li> + +<li>Pierre Corneille died 1684.</li> + +<li>Rufus Choate born 1799.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>He speaks not well who doth his time deplore,<br /></span> +<span>Naming it new and a little obscure,<br /></span> +<span>Ignoble and unfit for lofty deeds.<br /></span> +<span>All times were modern in the time of them,<br /></span> +<span>And this no more than others. Do thy part<br /></span> +<span>Here in the living day, as did the great<br /></span> +<span>Who made old days immortal.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Richard Watson Gilder.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>He who is false to present duty breaks a thread in the loom, and + will find the flaw when he may have forgotten the cause.</p> + +<p> —Henry Ward Beecher.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>For use almost can change the stamp of nature,<br /></span> +<span>And master the devil, or throw him out<br /></span> +<span>With wondrous potency.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—William Shakespeare.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>And when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went into his + house (now his windows were open in his chamber toward Jerusalem;) + and he kneeled upon his knees three times a day, and prayed, and + gave thanks before his God, as he did aforetime.</p> + +<p> —Daniel 6. 10.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>Heavenly Father, help me to get away from doubt that leads to despair. +Give me a vision of hope that is stayed on faith. May I be conscious +and appreciative of my privileges while they come to me and make them +immortal. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="OCTOBER_SECOND" id="OCTOBER_SECOND" />OCTOBER SECOND</h2> + + +<ul><li>Aristotle died B. C. 322.</li> + +<li>Major John Andre hanged 1780.</li> + +<li>William Ellery Channing died 1842.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>I am not earth-born, though I here delay;<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Hope's child, I summon infiniter powers,<br /></span> +<span>And laugh to see the mild sunny day<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Smile on the shrunk and thin autumnal hours;<br /></span> +<span>I laugh, for hope hath a happy place for me—<br /></span> +<span>If my bark sinks, 'tis to another sea.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—William E. Channing.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>The stars shall fade away, the sun himself<br /></span> +<span>Grow dim with age, and Nature sink in years;<br /></span> +<span>But thou shall flourish in immortal youth,<br /></span> +<span>Unhurt amidst the war of elements,<br /></span> +<span>The wreck of matter and the crush of worlds.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Thomas Addison.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>For with thee is the fountain of life:<br /></span> +<span>In thy light shall we see light.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Psalm 36. 9.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>My Father, I would pray that my sense of gloom may not be more than +thy grace. May the glorious light of thy love break through my +disheartened soul, and reveal the sincerity of thy promises, that I +may be happy in thy care. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="OCTOBER_THIRD" id="OCTOBER_THIRD" />OCTOBER THIRD</h2> + + +<ul><li>Robert Barclay died 1690.</li> + +<li>George Bancroft born 1800.</li> + +<li>William Morris died 1896.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>Come hither, lads, and harken,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">For a tale there is to tell<br /></span> +<span>Of the wonderful days a-coming,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">When all shall be better than well.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>Come, then, let us cast off fooling,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">And put by ease and rest,<br /></span> +<span>For the cause alone is worthy<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Till the good days bring the best.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—William Morris.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>Man's life is but a working day<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Whose tasks are set aright;<br /></span> +<span>A time to work, a time to pray,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">And then a quiet night.<br /></span> +<span>And then, please God, a quiet night<br /></span> +<span>Where palms are green and robes are white;<br /></span> +<span>A long-drawn breath, a balm for sorrow,<br /></span> +<span>And all things lovely on the morrow.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Christina G. Rossetti.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>And the ransomed of Jehovah shall return, and come with singing unto + Zion; and everlasting joy shall be upon their heads.</p> + +<p> —Isaiah 61. 11.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>Heavenly Father, help me to see that before the night thou hadst +planned the morning, and that thou hast never sent the night without +the hope of the morning. Before I rest in the night may I be ready for +the morning. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="OCTOBER_FOURTH" id="OCTOBER_FOURTH" />OCTOBER FOURTH</h2> + + +<ul><li>Francis of Assisi died 1226.</li> + +<li>Edmund Malone born 1741.</li> + +<li>François Guizot born 1787.</li> + +<li>Jean François Millet born 1814.</li> + +<li>Rutherford B. Hayes, Ohio, nineteenth President +United States, born 1822.</li> + +<li>M. E. Braddon born 1837.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>We ought to rise day by day with a certain zest, a clear intention, + a design to make the most of every hour; not to let the busy hours + shoulder each other or tread on each other's heels, but to force + every action to give up its strength and sweetness. There is work to + be done, and there are empty hours to be filled as well.... But, + most of all, there must be something to quicken, enliven, practice + the soul.</p> + +<p> —Arthur C. Benson.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Men's souls ought to be left to see clearly; not jaundiced, blinded, + twisted all awry, by revenge, moral abhorrence, and the like.</p> + +<p> —Thomas Carlyle.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>But there is a spirit in man,<br /></span> +<span>And the breath of the Almighty giveth them understanding.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Job 32. 8.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>Spirit of life, I pray that thou wilt continually live within me. May +my days be spent neither in waste nor idleness, but planned to use, +with the best that is given me. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="OCTOBER_FIFTH" id="OCTOBER_FIFTH" />OCTOBER FIFTH</h2> + + +<ul><li>Jonathan Edwards born 1703.</li> + +<li>Denis Diderot born 1713.</li> + +<li>Horace Walpole born 1717.</li> + +<li>Nancy Hanks died 1818.</li> + +<li>Chester A. Arthur, Vermont, twenty-first President +United States, born 1830.</li> + +<li>H. R. Guy de Maupassant born 1850.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>Earth gets its price for what earth gives us;<br /></span> +<span class="i2">The beggar is taxed for a corner to die in,<br /></span> +<span>The priest has his fee who comes and shrives us,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">We bargain for the graves we lie in;<br /></span> +<span>At the devil's booth are all things sold,<br /></span> +<span>Each ounce of dross costs its ounce of gold;<br /></span> +<span>For a cap and bells our lives we pay,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Bubbles we buy with a whole soul's tasking;<br /></span> +<span>'Tis heaven alone that is given away,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">'Tis only God may be had for the asking.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—James Russell Lowell.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + + +<div class="blockquot"><p>The free gift of God is eternal life.</p> + +<p> —Romans 6. 23.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>Gracious Father, may the world speak to me of thy gifts, and of the +peace and power which it freely offers. May I not pass by thy great +appeals, and prefer to purchase at a great cost my indolence and +dissipation. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="OCTOBER_SIXTH" id="OCTOBER_SIXTH" />OCTOBER SIXTH</h2> + + +<ul><li>Jenny Lind Goldschmidt born 1820.</li> + +<li>Harriet G. Hosmer born 1830.</li> + +<li>Charles Stewart Parnell died 1891.</li> + +<li>Alfred Tennyson died 1892.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>The heart which boldly faces death<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Upon the battlefield, and dares<br /></span> +<span>Cannon and bayonet, faints beneath<br /></span> +<span class="i2">The needle-points of frets and cares.<br /></span> +<span>The stoutest spirits they dismay—<br /></span> +<span>The tiny stings of every day.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>Ah! more than martyr's aureole<br /></span> +<span class="i2">And more than hero's heart of fire,<br /></span> +<span>We need the humble strength of soul<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Which daily toils and ills require.<br /></span> +<span>Sweet patience, grant us, if you may<br /></span> +<span>An added grace for every day.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Adelaide A. Procter.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>Sunset and evening star,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">And one clear call for me!<br /></span> +<span>And may there be no moaning of the bar,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">When I put out to sea.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Alfred Tennyson.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Fret not thyself.</p> + +<p> —Proverbs 24. 19.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>My Father, I pray that I may not be dismayed over life, and its +trifles. Help me to master difficulties great and small, and give me +patience through all until I reach the untroubled way. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="OCTOBER_SEVENTH" id="OCTOBER_SEVENTH" />OCTOBER SEVENTH</h2> + + +<ul><li>Sir Philip Sidney died 1586.</li> + +<li>Edgar Allan Poe died 1849.</li> + +<li>Oliver Wendell Holmes died 1894.</li> + +<li>Mary J. Holmes died 1907.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>Yet in opinions look not always back;<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Your wake is nothing, mind the coming track;<br /></span> +<span>Leave what you've done for what you have to do;<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Don't be "consistent," but be simply true.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Oliver Wendell Holmes.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds, adored by + little statesmen and philosophers and divines. With consistency a + great soul has nothing to do.</p> + +<p> —Ralph Waldo Emerson.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Speak unto the children of Israel, that they go forward.</p> + +<p> —Exodus 14. 15.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>Heavenly Father, I pray that I may not be so consistent in the small +things of life that I will lose the great inspirations that come to +the soul. Broaden my life, that I may have the freedom of heart and +mind to pass over the failures and interruptions, and with vigorous +energy continue in the progress of life. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="OCTOBER_EIGHTH" id="OCTOBER_EIGHTH" />OCTOBER EIGHTH</h2> + + +<ul><li>Caroline Howard Gilman born 1794.</li> + +<li>Edmund Clarence Stedman born 1833.</li> + +<li>John Hay born 1838.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>He weren't no saint; them engineers<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Is pretty much alike—<br /></span> +<span>One wife in Natchez-under-the-Hill,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Another one here in Pike;<br /></span> +<span>A keerless man in his talk was Jim,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">And an awkward hand in a row,<br /></span> +<span>But he never flunked, and he never lied—<br /></span> +<span class="i2">I reckon he never knowed how.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—John Hay.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>He is brave whose tongue is silent<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Of the trophies of his word.<br /></span> +<span>He is great whose quiet bearing<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Marks his greatness well assured.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Edwin Arnold.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, + that I am not as the rest of men.</p> + +<p> —Luke 18. 11.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>Lord God, thou knowest what I am and where I belong. Have mercy upon +me and strengthen me, that I may not through weakness stay in the +darkness. Lead me out into the light; and may I find my way and be +contented with it. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="OCTOBER_NINTH" id="OCTOBER_NINTH" />OCTOBER NINTH</h2> + + +<ul><li>Michael Cervantes born 1547.</li> + +<li>Jacques Auguste de Thuanus (De Thou) born 1553.</li> + +<li>Charles Camilla Saint-Saëns born 1835.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>I will not doubt, though all my ships at sea<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Come drifting home with broken masts and sails;<br /></span> +<span class="i2">I shall believe the Hand which never fails<br /></span> +<span>From seeming evil worketh good for me;<br /></span> +<span>And though I weep because those sails are battered,<br /></span> +<span>Still will I cry, while my best hopes lie shattered,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">"I trust in Thee."<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Ella Wheeler Wilcox.<a name="FNanchor_1_4" id="FNanchor_1_4" /><a href="#Footnote_1_4" class="fnanchor">[1]</a><br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>Cease every joy to glimmer on my mind.<br /></span> +<span>But leave, O leave the light of hope behind.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Thomas Campbell.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Hope deferred maketh the heart sick; But when the desire cometh, it + is a tree of life.</p> + +<p> —Proverbs 13. 12.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>Loving Father, help me to pass by my discouragements of yesterday and +look into the hope of to-day. Make me more careful of my strength, and +less forgetful of thy promises and of my trust. Amen.</p> + +<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_1_4" id="Footnote_1_4" /><a href="#FNanchor_1_4"><span class="label">[1]</span></a> Special permission W. B. Conkey, Hammond, Indiana. +Copyright 1912.</p></div> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="OCTOBER_TENTH" id="OCTOBER_TENTH" />OCTOBER TENTH</h2> + + +<ul><li>Henry Cavendish born 1731.</li> + +<li>Benjamin West born 1738.</li> + +<li>Hugh Miller born 1802.</li> + +<li>Giuseppe Verdi born 1813.</li> + +<li>Fridtjof Nansen born 1861.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>We cannot make bargains for blisses,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Nor catch them like fishes in nets;<br /></span> +<span>And sometimes the thing our life misses<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Helps more than the thing which it gets.<br /></span> +<span>For good lieth not in pursuing,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Nor gaining of great nor small,<br /></span> +<span>But just in the doing and doing<br /></span> +<span class="i2">As we would be done by is all.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Alice Gary.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>True, it is most painful not to meet the kindness and affection you + feel you have deserved, and have a right to expect from others; but + it is a mistake to complain, for it is no use; you cannot extort + friendship with a cocked pistol.</p> + +<p> —Sydney Smith.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.</p> + +<p> —Matthew 22. 39.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>Lord God, help me to understand that true affection is not that which +as it gives feels it merits return. May I avoid being selfish and +stubborn; and with my affections give peace and joy. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="OCTOBER_ELEVENTH" id="OCTOBER_ELEVENTH" />OCTOBER ELEVENTH</h2> + + +<ul><li>Sir Thomas Wyatt died 1542.</li> + +<li>Dr. Samuel Clarke born 1675.</li> + +<li>James Barry born 1741.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>Ask God to give thee skill<br /></span> +<span class="i2">In comfort's art,<br /></span> +<span>That thou may'st consecrated be<br /></span> +<span class="i2">And set apart,<br /></span> +<span>Unto a life of sympathy;<br /></span> +<span>For heavy is the weight of ill<br /></span> +<span class="i2">In every heart;<br /></span> +<span>And comforters are needed much<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Of Christlike touch.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Alexander Hamilton.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>The man who melts<br /></span> +<span>With social sympathy though not allied,<br /></span> +<span>Is than a thousand kinsmen of more worth.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Euripides.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Who comforteth us in all our affliction, that we may be able to + comfort them that are in any affliction, through the comfort + wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God.</p> + +<p> —2 Corinthians 1. 4.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>Heavenly Father, thou hast made sympathy divine. May I never make it +commonplace. Grant that as thou dost bless and comfort me I may be +willing to comfort others, and do whatsoever thou wouldst have me do. +Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="OCTOBER_TWELFTH" id="OCTOBER_TWELFTH" />OCTOBER TWELFTH</h2> + + +<ul><li>Columbus discovered America 1492.</li> + +<li>Lyman Beecher born 1775.</li> + +<li>George W. Cable born 1844.</li> + +<li>Helena Modjeska born 1844.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>One poor day!<br /></span> +<span>Remember whose and how short it is!<br /></span> +<span>It is God's day, it is Columbus's.<br /></span> +<span>One day with life and heart is more than time enough to found a world.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—James Russell Lowell.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>An illusion haunts us, that a long duration, as a year, a decade, a + century, is valuable. But an old French sentence says, "God works in + moments." We ask for long life, but 'tis deep life or grand moments + that signify. Let the measure of Time be spiritual, not mechanical. + Life is unnecessarily long. Moments of insight, of fine personal + relation, a smile, a glance—what ample borrowers of eternity they + are!</p> + +<p> —Ralph Waldo Emerson.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>One day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years + as one day.</p> + +<p> —2 Peter 3. 8.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>My Father, I pray that when the "sun sets to-day my hope may not set +with it." Be with me earlier than the dawn, that I may plan with thee +a new day. I pray that thou wilt release me from anything that keeps +me from reaching the highest. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="OCTOBER_THIRTEENTH" id="OCTOBER_THIRTEENTH" />OCTOBER THIRTEENTH</h2> + + +<ul><li>Theodore Beza died 1605.</li> + +<li>Murat, King of Naples, shot 1815.</li> + +<li>Elizabeth Fry died 1845.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>What stronger breast-plate than a heart untainted! Thrice is he + armed that hath his quarrel just, And he but naked, though locked up + in steel, Whose conscience with injustice is corrupted.</p> + +<p> —William Shakespeare.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>A man's accusations of himself are always believed, his praises + never.</p> + +<p> —Montaigne.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Justice needs that two be heard.</p> + +<p> —From Goethe's Autobiography.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>That which is altogether just shalt thou follow, that thou mayest + live.</p> + +<p> —Deuteronomy 16. 20.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>Lord of justice, if I may be influenced this morning by doubt and am +inclined to be resentful, wilt thou cause me to have a generous spirit +and keep my faith. May I never descend to anything base or deceitful, +but may I remember that if I lay down my life, I may have the power to +take it up again. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="OCTOBER_FOURTEENTH" id="OCTOBER_FOURTEENTH" />OCTOBER FOURTEENTH</h2> + + +<ul><li>William Penn born 1644.</li> + +<li>James Fenimore Cooper died 1851.</li> + +<li>Duke of Wellington died 1852.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Do good with what thou hast, or it will do thee no good. If thou + wouldst be happy, bring thy mind to thy condition, and have an + indifferency for more than what is sufficient.</p> + +<p> —William Penn.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>The finest fruit earth holds up to its Maker is a finished man.</p> + +<p> —Humboldt.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>I considered Napoleon's presence in the field equal to forty men in + the balance.</p> + +<p> —Duke of Wellington.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>What is man, that thou art mindful of him? And the son of man, that + thou visitest him? For thou hast made him but little lower than God, + And crownest him with glory and honor.</p> + +<p> —Psalm 8. 4, 5.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>Eternal God, may I know the value of the gift of life. May I think +seriously of it, and not through abuse or neglect cripple it, +remembering that it is mine to sow, to grow, and to reap. I pray that +I may care more for the food and raiment of my soul than I care for +the food and raiment of my body. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="OCTOBER_FIFTEENTH" id="OCTOBER_FIFTEENTH" />OCTOBER FIFTEENTH</h2> + + +<ul><li>Virgil born B. C. 70.</li> + +<li>Evangelista Torricelli born 1608.</li> + +<li>Edward Fitzgerald born 1763.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Being not unacquainted with woe, I learned to help the unfortunate.</p> + +<p> —Virgil.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>There are some hearts like wells green-mossed and deep<br /></span> +<span class="i2">As ever summer saw,<br /></span> +<span>And cool their water is, yea, cool and sweet;<br /></span> +<span class="i2">But you must come to draw.<br /></span> +<span>They hoard not, yet they rest in calm content,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">And not unsought will give;<br /></span> +<span>They can be quiet with their wealth unspent,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">So self-contained they live.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Author unknown.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>For out of much affliction and anguish of heart I wrote unto you + with many tears; not that ye should be made sorry, but that ye might + know the love which I have more abundantly unto you.</p> + +<p> —2 Corinthians 2. 4.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>Gracious Father, help me to understand that while I may be content to +rest with what I have gathered, I cannot preserve the strength of my +soul unless I share my possessions. Give me a passion for humanity +that will advance gifts through love, and offer service without the +need of an appeal. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="OCTOBER_SIXTEENTH" id="OCTOBER_SIXTEENTH" />OCTOBER SIXTEENTH</h2> + + +<ul><li>Bishop Hugh Latimer burned at Oxford 1555.</li> + +<li>Albrecht von Haller born 1708.</li> + +<li>Noah Webster born 1758.</li> + +<li>Robert Stephenson born 1803.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>As ships meet at sea—a moment together, when words of greeting must + be spoken, and then away upon the deep—so men meet in this world; + and I think we should cross no man's path without hailing him, and + if he needs, giving him supplies.</p> + +<p> —Henry Ward Beecher.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Nothing is more unaccountable than the spell that often lurks in a + spoken word. A thought may be present to the mind, and two minds + conscious of the same thought, but as long as it remains unspoken + their familiar talk flows quietly over the hidden idea.</p> + +<p> —Nathaniel Hawthorne.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others?</p> + +<p> —Matthew 5. 47.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>Heavenly Father, I pray that thou wilt give me a generous heart. May I +not lose sight of the truth, that thou hast made others to have the +same needs and wants that I may have. May I not through pride or +egoism fail to help, and neglecting to speak, miss an opportunity to +assist. May I be self-forgetful in friendly service. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="OCTOBER_SEVENTEENTH" id="OCTOBER_SEVENTEENTH" />OCTOBER SEVENTEENTH</h2> + + +<ul><li>Andreas Osiander died 1552.</li> + +<li>Frederic Chopin died 1849.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Good name, in man or woman, dear my Lord, Is the immediate jewel of + their souls; Who steals my purse, steals trash; 'tis something, + nothing; 'Twas mine, 'tis his, and has been slave to thousands; But + he that filches from me my good name Robs me of that which not + enriches him, And makes me poor indeed.</p> + +<p> —William Shakespeare.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>Keep back your tears when a soul is untrue;<br /></span> +<span>"Sorrow is shallow"; and one can wade through<br /></span> +<span>The mud and the marshes, and still endure<br /></span> +<span>If he finds he has kept his spirit pure.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>The rose near died when it fell to its lot<br /></span> +<span>To break its heart for forget-me-not;<br /></span> +<span>But after its heart was healed by the dew,<br /></span> +<span>Right by its side a sweet violet grew!<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—M. B. S.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches, And loving + favor rather than silver and gold.</p> + +<p> —Proverbs 22. 1.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>My Father, teach me the value of the possessions that can neither be +handled nor seen; and may I not take them away from others. Help me to +keep thy commandment "Thou shalt not steal," and interpret it in all +its relations to life. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="OCTOBER_EIGHTEENTH" id="OCTOBER_EIGHTEENTH" />OCTOBER EIGHTEENTH</h2> + + +<ul><li>Matthew Henry born 1662.</li> + +<li>Margaret (Peg) Woffington born 1720.</li> + +<li>Helen Hunt Jackson born 1831.</li> + +<li>Frederick Harrison born 1831.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Yet I argue not against heaven's hand or will, nor bate a jot of + heart of hope;, but still bear up and steer right onward.</p> + +<p> —John Milton.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Write it on your heart that every day is the best day in the year. + No man has learned anything rightly until he knows that every day is + doomsday.</p> + +<p> —Ralph Waldo Emerson.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>He mourns that day so soon has glided by:<br /></span> +<span>E'en like the passage of an angel's tear<br /></span> +<span>That falls through the clear ether silently.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—John Keats.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: + I will counsel thee with mine eye upon thee.</p> + +<p> —Psalm 32. 8.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>My Father, if I may be living in bad habits, help me to get out of +them. If I may be neglectful of good deeds, help me to get at them. +May I reach for the highest purposes as I search for the realities, +and may I not delay, but start to-day. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="OCTOBER_NINETEENTH" id="OCTOBER_NINETEENTH" />OCTOBER NINETEENTH</h2> + + +<ul><li>Dean (Jonathan) Swift died 1745.</li> + +<li>Leigh Hunt born 1784.</li> + +<li>Henry Kirke White died 1806.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Don't look too hard except for something agreeable; we can find all + the disagreeable things we want, between our own hats and boots.</p> + +<p> —Leigh Hunt.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Instead of a gem or a flower, cast the gift of a lovely thought into + the heart of a friend.</p> + +<p> —George Macdonald.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>For the want of common discretion the very end of good breeding is + wholly perverted; and civility, intended to make us easy, is + employed in laying chains and fetters upon us, in debarring our + wishes, and in crossing our most reasonable desires and + inclinations.</p> + +<p> —Jonathan Swift.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>If it be possible, as much as in you lieth, be at peace with all + men.</p> + +<p> —Romans 12. 18.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>My Lord, help me to adjust my life to what I ought to be, rather than +be content in what I am. May I not spend my time in dreaming of +obstacles, or searching for things that hurt, but may I be gentle and +kind, and as I see the truth speak for it and follow it. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="OCTOBER_TWENTIETH" id="OCTOBER_TWENTIETH" />OCTOBER TWENTIETH</h2> + + +<ul><li>Sir Christopher Wren born 1632.</li> + +<li>Thomas Hughes born 1823.</li> + +<li>Charles Dudley Warner died 1900.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>There has always seemed to me something impious in the neglect of + health. I could not do half the good I do if it were not for the + strength and activity some consider coarse and degrading.</p> + +<p> —Charles Kingsley.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>To keep well drink often, but water;<br /></span> +<span>Eat not that which makes life shorter;<br /></span> +<span>But first, with all your might and skill,<br /></span> +<span>Just chain your habits to your will.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—M. B. S.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>I will be lord over myself. No one who cannot master himself is + worthy to rule, and only he can rule.</p> + +<p> —Goethe.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Know ye not that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit which is + in you, which ye have from God?</p> + +<p> —1 Corinthians 6. 19.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>Lord God, may I not wait until I am afflicted and cannot use them to +thank thee for my blessings. Guard me against infirmities that are +brought on through indulgences, and help me to control my life. May I +never forget that regret will not retrieve the life that is spent, +even if it brings forgiveness and hope for the days to come. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="OCTOBER_TWENTY_FIRST" id="OCTOBER_TWENTY_FIRST" />OCTOBER TWENTY-FIRST</h2> + + +<ul><li>Samuel Taylor Coleridge born 1772.</li> + +<li>Alphonse Lamartine born 1790.</li> + +<li>Samuel F. Smith born 1808.</li> + +<li>Will Carleton born 1845.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>He prayeth best who loveth best<br /></span> +<span class="i2">All things both great and small;<br /></span> +<span>For the dear God who loveth us,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">He made and loveth all.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Samuel Taylor Coleridge.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>We thank thee, O Father, for all that is bright—<br /></span> +<span>The gleam of the day and the stars of the night,<br /></span> +<span>The flowers of our youth and the fruits of our prime,<br /></span> +<span>And the blessings that march down the pathway of time.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Will Carleton.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Thanklessness is a parching wind, drying up the fountain of pity, + the dew of mercy, the streams of grace. For doth not that rightly + seem to be lost which is given to one ungrateful?</p> + +<p> —Saint Bernard.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>O give thanks unto Jehovah; for he is good; For his lovingkindness + endureth for ever.</p> + +<p> —Psalm 136. 1.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>My Father, help me to understand that I cannot have self-development +unless the spirit of truth drills my character. Cleanse my heart from +all impurity, and strengthen me for all usefulness: help me to daily +live this prayer. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="OCTOBER_TWENTY_SECOND" id="OCTOBER_TWENTY_SECOND" />OCTOBER TWENTY-SECOND</h2> + + +<ul><li>Charles Martel died 741.</li> + +<li>Franz Liszt born 1811.</li> + +<li>George Eliot born 1819.</li> + +<li>Sarah Bernhardt born 1844.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>O may I join the choir invisible<br /></span> +<span>Of those immortal dead who live again<br /></span> +<span>In minds made better by their presence: live<br /></span> +<span>In pulses stirred to generosity,<br /></span> +<span>In deeds of daring rectitude, in scorn<br /></span> +<span>For miserable aims that end with self,<br /></span> +<span>In thoughts sublime that pierce the night like stars,<br /></span> +<span>And with their mild persistence urge man's search<br /></span> +<span>To vaster issues.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span class="i10">This is life to come,<br /></span> +<span>Which martyred men have made more glorious<br /></span> +<span>For us to strive to follow. May I reach<br /></span> +<span>That purest heaven, be to other souls<br /></span> +<span>The cup of strength in some great agony,<br /></span> +<span>Enkindle generous ardor, feed pure love,<br /></span> +<span>Beget the smiles that have no cruelty,<br /></span> +<span>Be the sweet presence of a good diffused,<br /></span> +<span>And in diffusion ever more intense!<br /></span> +<span>So shall I join the choir invisible<br /></span> +<span>Whose music is the gladness of the world.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—George Eliot.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish.</p> + +<p> —John 10. 28.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>My Father, I pray that I may be more generous with my smiles and +gladness, and more saving with my tears and sadness. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="OCTOBER_TWENTY_THIRD" id="OCTOBER_TWENTY_THIRD" />OCTOBER TWENTY-THIRD</h2> + + +<ul><li>Anne Oldfield died 1730.</li> + +<li>Robert Bridges born 1844.</li> + +<li>Mollie Elliot Seawell born 1860.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>O youth whose hope is high,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Who doth to truth aspire,<br /></span> +<span>Whether thou live or die,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">O look not back nor tire.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>Thou that art bold to fly<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Through tempest, flood and fire,<br /></span> +<span>Nor dost not shrink to try<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Thy heart in torments dire—<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>If thou canst Death defy,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">If thy faith is entire,<br /></span> +<span>Press onward, for thine eye<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Shall see thy heart's desire.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Robert Bridges.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Doubt indulged becomes doubt realized. To determine to do anything + is half the battle. Courage is victory, timidity is defeat.</p> + +<p> —Nelson.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>And thou, son of man, be not afraid of them, neither be afraid of + their words, though briers and thorns are with thee, and thou dost + dwell among scorpions.</p> + +<p> —Ezekiel 2. 6.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>Gracious Father, try me again by the courage I have to-day, if thou +art judging me by the fear I held yesterday. Help me to see that +wavering is misleading and temperament is deceptive. May I learn +self-control. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="OCTOBER_TWENTY_FOURTH" id="OCTOBER_TWENTY_FOURTH" />OCTOBER TWENTY-FOURTH</h2> + + +<ul><li>Hugh Capet died 996.</li> + +<li>Sir Moses Montefiore born 1784.</li> + +<li>Daniel Webster died 1852.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>Exceeding peace made Ben Adhem bold,<br /></span> +<span>And to the presence in the room he said,<br /></span> +<span>"What writest thou?" The vision raised its head,<br /></span> +<span>And, with a look made of all sweet accord,<br /></span> +<span>Answered, "The names of those who love the Lord."<br /></span> +<span>"And is mine one?" said Abou. "Nay, not so,"<br /></span> +<span>Replied the angel. Abou spoke more low,<br /></span> +<span>But cheerily still; and said, "I pray thee, then,<br /></span> +<span>Write me as one that loves his fellow men."<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>The angel wrote, and vanished. The next night<br /></span> +<span>It came again, with a great awakening light,<br /></span> +<span>And showed the names whom love of God had blessed—<br /></span> +<span>And, lo! Ben Adhem's name led all the rest!<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Leigh Hunt.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and will show thee great + things.</p> + +<p> —Jeremiah 33. 3.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>Lord God, may I keep within my heart that secret sympathy that adds to +the power of life. Help me to seek the things that are real, and not +be deceived by the things which only appear to be. May all with whom I +have to do feel the better for my companionship. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="OCTOBER_TWENTY_FIFTH" id="OCTOBER_TWENTY_FIFTH" />OCTOBER TWENTY-FIFTH</h2> + + +<ul><li>Geoffrey Chaucer died 1400.</li> + +<li>William Hogarth died 1764.</li> + +<li>George W. Faber born 1773.</li> + +<li>Thomas B. Macaulay born 1800.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>Wav'ring as winds the breath of fortune blows,<br /></span> +<span>No power can turn it, and no prayers compose.<br /></span> +<span>Deep in some hermit's solitary cell,<br /></span> +<span>Repose, and ease, and contemplation dwell.<br /></span> +<span>Let conscience guide thee in the days of need,<br /></span> +<span>Judge well thy own, and then thy neighbor's deed.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Geoffrey Chaucer.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>To every man upon this earth<br /></span> +<span>Death cometh soon or late;<br /></span> +<span>And how can man die better<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Than facing fearful odds,<br /></span> +<span>For the ashes of his fathers<br /></span> +<span class="i2">And the temples of his gods.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Thomas B. Macaulay.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to + minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.</p> + +<p> —Matthew 20. 28.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>Heavenly Father, help me to remember that I am to cover life's +journey, even though I may go the way carelessly and aimlessly. May I +make an estimate of what I am losing, by waiting so long at the +resting places, "For the road winds up hill all the way to the end, +and the journey takes the whole day long, from morn to night." Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="OCTOBER_TWENTY_SIXTH" id="OCTOBER_TWENTY_SIXTH" />OCTOBER TWENTY-SIXTH</h2> + + +<ul><li>Dr. Philip Doddridge died 1751.</li> + +<li>Count Von Moltke born 1800.</li> + +<li>Elizabeth Cady Stanton died 1902.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>One of the notable eddies of the present-day world currents is what + has been loosely called the "Woman Movement." The sensitive and + vicarious spirit of womanhood has been enlisted for service in + behalf of those who have been denied a fair chance, or who are the + victims of oppression, greed, and ignorance.</p> + +<p> —William T. Ellis.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>And whether consciously or not, you must be in many a heart + enthroned: queens you must always be: queens to your lovers; queens + to your husbands and sons; queens of higher mystery to the world + beyond, which bows itself, and will forever bow, before the myrtle + crown, and the stainless scepter of womanhood.</p> + +<p> —John Ruskin.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>O woman, great is thy faith: be it done unto thee even as thou wilt.</p> + +<p> —Matthew 15. 28.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>Lord and Master of all, I pray that thou wilt make me see through my +prejudices and beyond my desires to the very "top of my condition." +May I not wait for places or circumstances that are dimly in the +distance or that are near at hand, but accomplish the work I should do +to-day. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="OCTOBER_TWENTY_SEVENTH" id="OCTOBER_TWENTY_SEVENTH" />OCTOBER TWENTY-SEVENTH</h2> + + +<ul><li>James Cook born 1728.</li> + +<li>Nicolo Paganini born 1782.</li> + +<li>Theodore Roosevelt, New York, twenty-fifth President +United States, born 1858.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>The vice of envy is not only a dangerous, but a mean vice; for it is + always a confession of inferiority. It may promote conduct which + will be fruitful of wrong to others, and it must cause misery to the + man who feels it.</p> + +<p> —Theodore Roosevelt.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Of all the passions, jealousy is that which exacts the hardest + service, and pays the bitterest wages. Its service is to watch the + success of one's enemy; its wages to be sure of it.</p> + +<p> —C. C. Colton.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Dear to me is the friend, yet I can also make use of an enemy. The + friend shows me what I can do, the foe teaches me what I should.</p> + +<p> —Schiller.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Let us not become vainglorious, provoking one another.</p> + +<p> —Galatians 5. 26.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>Almighty God, I would ask thee that my days be filled with aspiration, +and that my heart may know no envy. Help me to love humanity. May I be +so glad of the success of others that I may never know what it is to +be envious. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="OCTOBER_TWENTY_EIGHTH" id="OCTOBER_TWENTY_EIGHTH" />OCTOBER TWENTY-EIGHTH</h2> + + +<ul><li>Desiderius Erasmus born 1465.</li> + +<li>John Locke died 1704.</li> + +<li>Georges Jacques Danton born 1759.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>Not so in haste, my heart!<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Have faith in God and wait;<br /></span> +<span>Although he linger long,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">He never comes too late.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>Until he cometh, rest,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Nor grudge the hours that roll;<br /></span> +<span>The feet that wait for God<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Are soonest at the goal;<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>Are soonest at the goal<br /></span> +<span class="i2">That is not gained by speed;<br /></span> +<span>Then hold thee still, my heart,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">For I shall wait his lead.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Bayard Taylor.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>It is good that a man should hope and quietly wait for the salvation + of Jehovah.</p> + +<p> —Lamentations 3. 26.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>Lord of life, may I pause to remember that rest may not be obtained +with wretched thoughts, nor can it be enjoyed in discontent. In my +moments of rest wilt thou show me how to relax, and with tranquillity +may I gather hope for renewed ambition. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="OCTOBER_TWENTY_NINTH" id="OCTOBER_TWENTY_NINTH" />OCTOBER TWENTY-NINTH</h2> + + +<ul><li>Sir Walter Raleigh beheaded 1618.</li> + +<li>James Boswell born 1740.</li> + +<li>John Keats born 1795.</li> + +<li>Thomas Bayard born 1828.</li> + +<li>Thomas Edward Brown died 1897.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>Rise, O my soul, with thy desires to heaven,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">And with divinest contemplation use<br /></span> +<span>Thy time where time's eternity is given,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">And let vain thoughts no more thy thoughts abuse;<br /></span> +<span>But down in darkness let them lie:<br /></span> +<span>So live thy better, let thy worse thoughts die!<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Sir Walter Raleigh.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>The great elements we know of are no mean comforters; the open sky + sits upon our senses like a sapphire crown—the air is our robe of + state, the Earth is our throne, and the Sea a mighty minstrel + playing before it.</p> + +<p> —John Keats.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Ah Lord Jehovah! behold, thou hast made the heavens and the earth by + thy great power and by thine outstretched arm; there is nothing too + hard for thee.</p> + +<p> —Jeremiah 32. 17.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>Almighty God, I thank thee for the power that gives me the breath of +life. May I be willing to be controlled by its guiding care. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="OCTOBER_THIRTIETH" id="OCTOBER_THIRTIETH" />OCTOBER THIRTIETH</h2> + + +<ul><li>Rev. John Whitaker died 1808.</li> + +<li>John Adams, Massachusetts, second President +United States, born 1735.</li> + +<li>Adelaide Anne Procter born 1825.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span class="i4">And yet thou canst know,<br /></span> +<span class="i6">And yet thou canst not see;<br /></span> +<span class="i4">Wisdom and sight are slow<br /></span> +<span class="i6">In poor humanity.<br /></span> +<span class="i4">If thou couldst trust, poor soul,<br /></span> +<span class="i4">In Him who rules the whole,<br /></span> +<span class="i4">Thou wouldst find peace and rest;<br /></span> +<span>Wisdom and right are well, but trust is best.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Adelaide Anne Procter.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>The heart to speak in vain essayed,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Nor could his purpose reach—<br /></span> +<span>His will nor voice nor tongue obeyed,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">His silence was his speech.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—John Quincy Adams.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>But still believe that story wrong<br /></span> +<span>Which ought not to be true.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Richard Brinsley Sheridan.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Blessed is the man that maketh Jehovah his trust.</p> + +<p> —Psalm 40. 4.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>My Father, may I not be given to unkindly speech. Deliver me from a +critical spirit; and may I not encourage mistrust, but cultivate the +kindly considerations in which life abounds. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="OCTOBER_THIRTY_FIRST" id="OCTOBER_THIRTY_FIRST" />OCTOBER THIRTY-FIRST</h2> + + +<ul><li>All Hallow's Eve.</li> + +<li>John Evelyn born 1620.</li> + +<li>Christopher Anstey born 1724.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>Ere, in the northern gale<br /></span> +<span class="i2">The summer tresses of the trees are gone,<br /></span> +<span>The woods of autumn, all around our vale,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Have put their glory on.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>The mountains that unfold,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">In their wide sweep, the colored landscape round,<br /></span> +<span>Seem groups of giant kings, in purple and gold,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">That guard the enchanted ground.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>Ah! 'twere a lot too blessed<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Forever in thy colored shades to stray;<br /></span> +<span>Amid the kisses of the soft southwest<br /></span> +<span class="i2">To rove and dream for aye;<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>And leave the vain low strife<br /></span> +<span class="i2">That makes men mad; the tug for wealth and power,<br /></span> +<span>The passions and the cares that wither life,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">And waste its little hour.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—William Cullen Bryant.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Let the field exult, and all that is therein; Then shall all the + trees of the wood sing for joy.</p> + +<p> —Psalm 96. 12.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>My Father, may I have an appreciation of the wonderful creations of +the earth. Give me a discriminating eye, that I may know the precious +things that thou art growing; and throughout my life may I love the +beautiful, and choose that which will make my life worthy of growth. +Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="NOVEMBER" id="NOVEMBER" />NOVEMBER</h2> + +<table border="0" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" summary=""> +<tr><td><a href="#NOVEMBER_FIRST"><b>01</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#NOVEMBER_SECOND"><b>02</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#NOVEMBER_THIRD"><b>03</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#NOVEMBER_FOURTH"><b>04</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#NOVEMBER_FIFTH"><b>05</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#NOVEMBER_SIXTH"><b>06</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#NOVEMBER_SEVENTH"><b>07</b></a></td></tr> + +<tr><td><a href="#NOVEMBER_EIGHTH"><b>08</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#NOVEMBER_NINTH"><b>09</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#NOVEMBER_TENTH"><b>10</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#NOVEMBER_ELEVENTH"><b>11</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#NOVEMBER_TWELFTH"><b>12</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#NOVEMBER_THIRTEENTH"><b>13</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#NOVEMBER_FOURTEENTH"><b>14</b></a></td></tr> + +<tr><td><a href="#NOVEMBER_FIFTEENTH"><b>15</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#NOVEMBER_SIXTEENTH"><b>16</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#NOVEMBER_SEVENTEENTH"><b>17</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#NOVEMBER_EIGHTEENTH"><b>18</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#NOVEMBER_NINETEENTH"><b>19</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#NOVEMBER_TWENTIETH"><b>20</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#NOVEMBER_TWENTY_FIRST"><b>21</b></a></td></tr> + +<tr><td><a href="#NOVEMBER_TWENTY_SECOND"><b>22</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#NOVEMBER_TWENTY_THIRD"><b>23</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#NOVEMBER_TWENTY_FOURTH"><b>24</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#NOVEMBER_TWENTY_FIFTH"><b>25</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#NOVEMBER_TWENTY_SIXTH"><b>26</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#NOVEMBER_TWENTY_SEVENTH"><b>27</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#NOVEMBER_TWENTY_EIGHTH"><b>28</b></a></td></tr> + +<tr><td><a href="#NOVEMBER_TWENTY_NINTH"><b>29</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#NOVEMBER_THIRTIETH"><b>30</b></a></td></tr> +</table> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>Who said November's face was grim?<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Who said her voice was harsh and sad?<br /></span> +<span>I heard her sing in wood paths dim,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">I met her on the shore so glad,<br /></span> +<span>So smiling, I could kiss her feet!<br /></span> +<span>There never was a month so sweet.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Lucy Larcom.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="NOVEMBER_FIRST" id="NOVEMBER_FIRST" />NOVEMBER FIRST</h2> + +<ul><li>Sir Matthew Hale born 1609.</li> + +<li>William M. Chase born 1849.</li> + +<li>Sir Robert Grant died 1892.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>O worship the King, all glorious above,<br /></span> +<span>O gratefully sing his power and his love;<br /></span> +<span>Our Shield and Defender, the ancient of days,<br /></span> +<span>Pavilioned in splendor, and girded with praise.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>Thy bountiful care what tongue can recite?<br /></span> +<span>It breathes in the air, it shines in the light;<br /></span> +<span>It streams from the hills, it descends to the plain,<br /></span> +<span>And sweetly distills in the dew and the rain.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Robert Grant.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Ye shall walk in all the way which Jehovah your God hath commanded + you, that ye may live, and that it may be well with you, and that ye + may prolong your days in the land which ye shall possess.</p> + +<p> —Deuteronomy 5. 33.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>Almighty God, help me to make my life refulgent while I have the +abundance of summer, that I may not find the November of life bleak +and barren. Help me to live in the realities of life, that I may gain +energy and repose, to use for the lonesome and anxious hours. May I be +watchful for the conditions that thwart life, and with patience wait +for the awakening of truth. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="NOVEMBER_SECOND" id="NOVEMBER_SECOND" />NOVEMBER SECOND</h2> + + +<ul><li>Marie Antoinette born 1755.</li> + +<li>Field-Marshal Radetzky born 1766.</li> + +<li>James Knox Polk, North Carolina, eleventh President +United States, born 1795.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Overmastering pain—the most deadly and tragical element in + life—alas! pain has its own way with all of us; it breaks in, a + rude visitant, upon the fairy garden where the child wanders in a + dream, no less surely than it rules upon the field of battle, or + sends the immortal war-god whimpering to his father; and innocence, + no more than philosophy, can protect us from this sting.</p> + +<p> —Robert Louis Stevenson.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>My hopes retire; my wishes as before<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Struggle to find their resting place in vain;<br /></span> +<span>The ebbing sea thus beats against the shore;<br /></span> +<span class="i2">The shore repels it; it returns again.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—W. S. Landor.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Yet Jehovah will command his loving-kindness in the day-time, And in + the night his song shall be with me.</p> + +<p> —Psalm 42. 8.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>Loving Father, I bless thee for thy goodness and tender mercy which is +over all. May I trust thy provision and love through all +circumstances, and as I trust myself to thee may I have faith to +believe that thou wilt give me strength for what I may have to endure, +and believe that thou wilt care for me, as thou dost care for all. +Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="NOVEMBER_THIRD" id="NOVEMBER_THIRD" />NOVEMBER THIRD</h2> + + +<ul><li>Lucan born A. D. 39.</li> + +<li>William Cullen Bryant born 1794.</li> + +<li>Francis D. Millet born 1846.</li> + +<li>John Watson (Ian Maclaren) born 1850.</li> + +<li>Pearl Mary Teresa Craigie (John Oliver Hobbes) +born 1867.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>Whither, midst falling dew,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">While glow the heavens with the last steps of day,<br /></span> +<span>Far, through their rosy depths, dost thou pursue<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Thy solitary way!<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>Vainly the fowler's eye<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Might mark thy distant flight to do thee wrong,<br /></span> +<span>As, darkly painted on the crimson sky,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Thy figure floats along.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>He who, from zone to zone,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Guides through the boundless sky thy certain flight,<br /></span> +<span>In the long way that I must tread alone,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Will lead my steps aright.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—William Cullen Bryant.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>For Jehovah your God dried up the waters of the Jordan from before + you, until ye were passed over.</p> + +<p> —Joshua 4. 23.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>Almighty God, help me to guard against gratification that leads to +disappointment, that I may not miss the true way. I pray that thou +wilt lift me in my weakness, and carry me over the rough and +discouraging places, that I may be made strong in thy loving care, and +be able to continue alone. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="NOVEMBER_FOURTH" id="NOVEMBER_FOURTH" />NOVEMBER FOURTH</h2> + + +<ul><li>Guido Reni born 1575.</li> + +<li>James Montgomery born 1771.</li> + +<li>Edmund Keane born 1787.</li> + +<li>Ernest Howard Crosby born 1856.</li> + +<li>Eugene Field died 1895.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>Keep me, I pray, in wisdom's way,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">That I may truths eternal seek;<br /></span> +<span>I need protecting care to-day—<br /></span> +<span class="i2">My purse is light, my flesh is weak.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Eugene Field.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>No one could tell me where my Soul might be,<br /></span> +<span>I searched for God, but God eluded me.<br /></span> +<span>I sought my brother out, and found all three.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Ernest H. Crosby.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>In all thy ways acknowledge him, And he will direct thy paths.</p> + +<p> —Proverbs 3. 6.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>My Father, may I not face the going down of the sun to-day, looking at +life, in a mirror that reflects my own privileges and prejudices, but +may I see it as it is, known to those who are living to make it +better. May the days to come prove my sincerity in wanting the truth +that I might live by it, and help to do good with it. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="NOVEMBER_FIFTH" id="NOVEMBER_FIFTH" />NOVEMBER FIFTH</h2> + + +<ul><li>Hans Sachs born 1494.</li> + +<li>Dr. John Brown born 1715.</li> + +<li>Benjamin Butler born 1818.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>The thing that goes the farthest<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Toward making life worth while,<br /></span> +<span>That costs the least, and does the most,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Is just a pleasant smile.<br /></span> +<span>That smile that bubbles from a heart<br /></span> +<span class="i2">That loves its fellow men<br /></span> +<span>Will drive away the cloud of gloom<br /></span> +<span class="i2">And coax the sun again.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Anonymous.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>One whom I knew intimately, and whose memory I revere, once in my + hearing remarked that, "Unless we love people we cannot understand + them." This was a new light to me.</p> + +<p> —Christina G. Rossetti.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Oil and perfume rejoice the heart; So doth the sweetness of a man's + friend that cometh of hearty counsel.</p> + +<p> —Proverbs 27. 9.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>Lord God, I pray that I may be worthy of my friends. May I not fear to +go where I am called, and may I go cheerfully, even though the way be +dark and lonesome. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="NOVEMBER_SIXTH" id="NOVEMBER_SIXTH" />NOVEMBER SIXTH</h2> + + +<ul><li>James Gregory born 1638.</li> + +<li>John Bright born 1811.</li> + +<li>Sir George Williams died 1905.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>Look full into thy spirit's self,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">The world of mystery scan;<br /></span> +<span>What if thy way to faith in God<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Should lie through faith in man?<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—John Bright.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Blessed are they who have the gift of making friends, for it is one + of God's best gifts. It involves many things, but above all, the + power of going out of oneself and seeing and appreciating whatever + is noble and loving in another.</p> + +<p> —Thomas Hughes.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Be perfected; be comforted; be of the same mind; live in peace: and + the God of love and peace shall be with you.</p> + +<p> —2 Corinthians 13. 11.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>Lord God, I earnestly entreat thee to show me if I may be cramping the +happiness in another's life by forcing in my selfishness and demands. +May I understand that perfect gifts are those that come through loving +sacrifice. Make me ashamed to ask for what I refuse or prefer not to +give. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="NOVEMBER_SEVENTH" id="NOVEMBER_SEVENTH" />NOVEMBER SEVENTH</h2> + + +<ul><li>Sir Martin Frobisher died 1594.</li> + +<li>William Stukeley born 1687.</li> + +<li>Friedrich Leopold, Count von Stolberg, born 1750.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>Once to every man and nation comes the moment to decide,<br /></span> +<span>In the strife of Truth with Falsehood, for the good or evil side;<br /></span> +<span>Some great cause, God's new Messiah offering each the bloom or blight,<br /></span> +<span>Parts the goats upon the left hand, and the sheep upon the right;<br /></span> +<span>And the choice goes by forever 'twixt that darkness and that light.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—James Russell Lowell.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>We cannot command veracity at will; the power of seeing and + reporting truly is a form of health that has to be delicately + guarded, and as an ancient rabbi has solemnly said, "The penalty of + untruth is untruth."</p> + +<p> —George Eliot.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Behold, this only have I found: that God made man upright; but they + have sought out many inventions.</p> + +<p> —Ecclesiastes 7. 29.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>My Father, help me to speak the truth and guard the truth, that +righteousness may be an abiding influence in my life. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="NOVEMBER_EIGHTH" id="NOVEMBER_EIGHTH" />NOVEMBER EIGHTH</h2> + + +<ul><li>Edmund Halley born 1656.</li> + +<li>John Milton died 1674.</li> + +<li>Owen Meredith (Bulwer Edward Lytton) born 1831.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>The morning drum-call on my eager ear<br /></span> +<span>Thrills unforgotten yet! the morning dew<br /></span> +<span>Lies yet undried along my field of noon.<br /></span> +<span>But now I pause a while in what I do,<br /></span> +<span>And count the bell, and tremble lest I hear<br /></span> +<span>(My work untrimmed) the sunset gun too soon.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Robert Louis Stevenson.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span class="i2">I fear<br /></span> +<span>Life's many changes, not Death's changelessness.<br /></span> +<span>So perfect is this moment's passing cheer,<br /></span> +<span>I needs must tremble lest it pass to less.<br /></span> +<span>Thus in fickle love of life I live,<br /></span> +<span>Lest fickle life me of my love deprive.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Owen Meredith.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>And Jehovah said unto Joshua, Get thee up; wherefore art thou thus + fallen upon thy face?</p> + +<p> Up, sanctify the people, and say, Sanctify yourselves against + to-morrow.</p> + +<p> —Joshua 7. 10, 13.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>Almighty God, help me in these fleeting days that I may not use my +time to consider and hesitate, but be positive in my desires and +pursue them. Grant that I may have the strength to hold each day +precious, and live it more than consistently. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="NOVEMBER_NINTH" id="NOVEMBER_NINTH" />NOVEMBER NINTH</h2> + + +<ul><li>Mark Akenside born 1721.</li> + +<li>William Sotheby born 1757.</li> + +<li>Charles F. Thwing born 1853.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>The victor's road is the easy way.<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Straight it stretches and climbs to where<br /></span> +<span>Fame is waiting with garlands gay<br /></span> +<span class="i2">To wreathe the fighter who clambers there.<br /></span> +<span>There's applause in plenty and gold's red gleam<br /></span> +<span>For the man who plays on the winning team.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>The loser travels a longer lane;<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Level it leads to a lonely land.<br /></span> +<span>There's little glory for him to gain<br /></span> +<span class="i2">The voices mock him on either hand;<br /></span> +<span>But the man who wins in the greater game<br /></span> +<span>Is the man who, beaten, fights on the same.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—G. Rice.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>The hero is not fed on sweets,<br /></span> +<span>Daily his own heart he eats;<br /></span> +<span>Chambers of the great are jails,<br /></span> +<span>And head-winds right for royal sails.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Ralph Waldo Emerson.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>He thanked God, and took courage.</p> + +<p> —Acts 28. 15.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>O Lord, I pray that whether I may be successful in the sight of the +world, or whether I may be successful in my own sacrifices, I may have +the freedom of courage, and be master of my life. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="NOVEMBER_TENTH" id="NOVEMBER_TENTH" />NOVEMBER TENTH</h2> + + +<ul><li>Martin Luther born 1483.</li> + +<li>William Hogarth born 1697.</li> + +<li>Oliver Goldsmith born 1728.</li> + +<li>Johann von Schiller born 1759.</li> + +<li>Joaquin Miller born 1841.</li> + +<li>Henry van Dyke born 1852.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>As faith, so is God.</p> + +<p> —Martin Luther.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Learn the luxury of doing good.</p> + +<p> —Oliver Goldsmith.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Love is the ladder by which we climb up to the likeness of God.</p> + +<p> —Johann von Schiller.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>And who will walk a mile with me<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Along life's weary way?<br /></span> +<span>A friend whose heart has eyes to see<br /></span> +<span>The stars shine out o'er the darkening lea,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">And the quiet rest at the end of the day—<br /></span> +<span class="i2">A friend who knows and dares to say,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">The brave sweet words that cheer the way<br /></span> +<span>Where he walks a mile with me.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Henry van Dyke.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>And whosoever shall compel thee to go one mile, go with him two.</p> + +<p> —Matthew 5. 41.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>My Father, may I not dwell in the appearances of life, where I may +grow selfish; but live in the realities of simplicity. May I not only +seek those who may return me pleasure, but may I find delight in +brightening the walk of a weary friend. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="NOVEMBER_ELEVENTH" id="NOVEMBER_ELEVENTH" />NOVEMBER ELEVENTH</h2> + + +<ul><li>Alfred de Musset born 1810.</li> + +<li>Thomas Bailey Aldrich born 1836.</li> + +<li>Rev. Joshua Brookes died 1821.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>I'll not confer with Sorrow<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Till to-morrow,<br /></span> +<span>But joy shall have her way<br /></span> +<span class="i2">This very day.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Thomas Bailey Aldrich.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Shall we have ears on the stretch for the footfalls of sorrow that + never come, but be deaf to the whirr of the wings of happiness that + fill all space?</p> + +<p> —Maurice Maeterlinck.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>This day is a day of good tidings, and we hold our peace: if we + tarry till the morning light, punishment will overtake, us; now + therefore come, let us go and tell the king's household.</p> + +<p> —2 Kings 7. 9.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>Loving Father, I pray that thou wilt help me to overcome unhappiness. +May I not let depression overpower me, but claim the promises of joy +that are open to every life. May I be blest by my own cheerfulness and +encourage others to possess it. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="NOVEMBER_TWELFTH" id="NOVEMBER_TWELFTH" />NOVEMBER TWELFTH</h2> + + +<ul><li>Saint Augustine died A. D. 354.</li> + +<li>Richard Baxter born 1615.</li> + +<li>Amelia Opie born 1769.</li> + +<li>Elizabeth Cady Stanton born 1815.</li> + +<li>Thomas Lord Fairfax died 1671.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>In life it is difficult to say who do you the most mischief—enemies + with the worst intentions or friends with the best.</p> + +<p> —Edward Bulwer.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>The friends thou hast, and their adoption tried, Grapple them to thy + soul with hooks of steel.</p> + +<p> —William Shakespeare.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Where persons who ought to esteem and love each other are kept + asunder, as often happens, by some cause which three words of frank + explanation would remove, they are fortunate if they possess an + indiscreet friend who blurts out the whole truth.</p> + +<p> —Thomas B. Macaulay.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>Yea, mine own familiar friend, in whom I trusted,<br /></span> +<span>Who did eat of my bread,<br /></span> +<span>Hath lifted up his heel against me.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Psalm 41. 9.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>Lord God, help me to consider more carefully what I offer to my +friends; and may I not be critical of what I receive from my friends. +May I not be a hindrance instead of a help to those who would have my +companionship. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="NOVEMBER_THIRTEENTH" id="NOVEMBER_THIRTEENTH" />NOVEMBER THIRTEENTH</h2> + + +<ul><li>Sir John Moore born 1761.</li> + +<li>Robert Louis Stevenson born 1850.</li> + +<li>Sir John Forbes died 1861.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Little do we know our own blessedness; for to travel hopefully is a + better thing than to arrive, and the True Success is to labor.</p> + +<p> —Robert Louis Stevenson.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Whether thy work be fine or coarse, planting corn or writing epics, + so only it be honest work, done to thine own approbation, it shall + earn a reward to sense as well as to the thought.</p> + +<p> —Ralph Waldo Emerson.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Nature gives to labor; and to labor alone. In a very garden of Eden + a man would starve but for human exertion.</p> + +<p> —Henry George.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>But let each man prove his own work, and then shall he have his + glorying in regard of himself alone, and not of his neighbor.</p> + +<p> —Galatians 6. 4.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>My Father, make pure living clear to me, that I may not be deceived in +my work; and may I not use my working hours searching for more +suitable work, but may I be sure in what I am that I may feel secure +in what I undertake to do. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="NOVEMBER_FOURTEENTH" id="NOVEMBER_FOURTEENTH" />NOVEMBER FOURTEENTH</h2> + + +<ul><li>Bishop Hoadley born 1676.</li> + +<li>Fanny Mendelssohn-Hensel born 1805.</li> + +<li>Robert Smythe Hichens born 1864.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Give us, O give us, the man who sings at his work! Be his occupation + what it may, he is better than any of those who follow the same + pursuit in silent sullenness.</p> + +<p> —Thomas Carlyle.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>What doctor possesses such curative resources as those latent in a + single ray of hope? The mainspring of life is in the heart. Joy is + the vital air of the soul, and grief is a kind of asthma complicated + by atony.</p> + +<p> —Amiel.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>I will sing unto Jehovah as long as I live:<br /></span> +<span>I will sing praise to my God while I have any being.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Psalm 104. 33.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>Loving Father, restore the spirit of gentleness and meekness if it may +be withered within me, that I may be contented. May I make it a habit +to be happy over my work and cheerful about my duties. May I never +lose the view of the glory of thy kingdom. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="NOVEMBER_FIFTEENTH" id="NOVEMBER_FIFTEENTH" />NOVEMBER FIFTEENTH</h2> + + +<ul><li>William Pitt, Earl of Chatham, born 1708.</li> + +<li>William Cowper born 1731.</li> + +<li>Sir William Herschel born 1738.</li> + +<li>Johann Lavater born 1741.</li> + +<li>Richard Henry Dana born 1787.</li> + +<li>Ida Tarbell born 1857.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>The parting sun sends out a glow<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Across the placid bay,<br /></span> +<span>Touching with glory all the show—<br /></span> +<span class="i2">A breeze! Up helm! Away!<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>Careening to the wind, they reach,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">With laugh and call, the shore.<br /></span> +<span>They've left their footprints on the beach,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">But them I hear no more.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Richard Henry Dana.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>Art little? Do thy little well:<br /></span> +<span class="i2">And for thy comfort know<br /></span> +<span>The great can do their greatest work<br /></span> +<span class="i2">No better than just so.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Goethe.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>But be thou an ensample to them that believe, in word, in manner of + life, in love, in faith, in purity.</p> + +<p> —1 Timothy 4. 12.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>Lord God, grant that if I may be complaining of what Providence has +not sent me, I may not be neglecting what Providence has given me. May +I not pause too long over what I have done, or over what I might have +done, but may I be appreciative of what thou dost expect of me and +endeavor to accomplish it. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="NOVEMBER_SIXTEENTH" id="NOVEMBER_SIXTEENTH" />NOVEMBER SIXTEENTH</h2> + + +<ul><li>Tiberius born B. C. 42.</li> + +<li>Gustavus Adolphus killed 1632.</li> + +<li>Francis Danby born 1793.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>Judge not the workings of his brain<br /></span> +<span class="i2">And of his heart thou canst not see;<br /></span> +<span>What looks to thy dim eyes a stain<br /></span> +<span class="i2">In God's pure light may only be<br /></span> +<span>A scar, brought from some well-won field,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Where thou would'st only faint and yield.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>And judge none lost; but wait and see,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">With hopeful pity, not disdain;<br /></span> +<span>The depth of the abyss may be<br /></span> +<span class="i2">The measure of the height of pain<br /></span> +<span>And love and glory that may raise<br /></span> +<span class="i2">The soul to God in after days!<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Adelaide A. Procter.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>I am more afraid of deserving criticism, than of receiving it.</p> + +<p> —William Gladstone.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Judge not, that ye be not judged.</p> + +<p> —Matthew 7.1.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>Lord Jehovah, judge of all mankind, forbid that I should set myself as +a judge of another's life, and neglect to live for the higher judgment +of my own. May I not be absorbed in that which thrives in darkness, +but live in the light of honesty and gentleness. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="NOVEMBER_SEVENTEENTH" id="NOVEMBER_SEVENTEENTH" />NOVEMBER SEVENTEENTH</h2> + + +<ul><li>Queen Mary of England died 1558.</li> + +<li>Joost van den Vondel born 1587.</li> + +<li>George Grote born 1794.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>There are evergreen men and women in the world, praise be to + God!—not many of them, but a few. They are not the showy folk. + (Nature is an old-fashioned shopkeeper; she never puts her best + goods in the window.) They are only the quiet, strong folk; they are + stronger than Fate. The storms of life sweep over them, and the + biting frosts creep round them; but the winds and the frosts pass + away, and they are still standing, green and straight.</p> + +<p> —Jerome K. Jerome.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>And he shall be like a tree planted by the streams of water,<br /></span> +<span>That bringeth forth its fruit in its season,<br /></span> +<span>Whose leaf also doth not wither;<br /></span> +<span>And whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Psalm 1.3.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>Gracious Lord, may I not spend most in equipment and forget the tides, +which may desert me on the sands, or the rocks in the channels, which +may crush the finest vessel. May I be prepared for the hard knocks if +they come, but may I know how to keep clear of them. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="NOVEMBER_EIGHTEENTH" id="NOVEMBER_EIGHTEENTH" />NOVEMBER EIGHTEENTH</h2> + + +<ul><li>Sir David Wilkie born 1785.</li> + +<li>Louis J. M. Daguerre born 1789.</li> + +<li>Cyrus Field born 1819.</li> + +<li>William S. Gilbert born 1836.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>If e'er when man had fallen asleep,<br /></span> +<span>I heard a voice, "Believe no more,"<br /></span> +<span>A warmth within the breast would melt<br /></span> +<span class="i2">The freezing reason's colder part,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">And like a man in wrath, the heart<br /></span> +<span>Stood up and answered, "I have felt."<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Alfred Tennyson.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Faith is the deep want of the soul. We have faculties for the + spiritual, as truly as for the outward world. God, the foundation of + all existence, may become to the mind the most real of all beings. + The believer feels himself resting on an everlasting foundation.</p> + +<p> —William Henry Channing.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>And they said one to another, Was not our heart burning within us, + while he spake to us in the way, while he opened to us the + scriptures?</p> + +<p> —Luke 24. 32.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>Lord God, save me from a hard and doubting heart. May I be trustful +and come to thee in faith. All the days of my life may my lips sing +thy praise as I unfold thy love and purposes. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="NOVEMBER_NINETEENTH" id="NOVEMBER_NINETEENTH" />NOVEMBER NINETEENTH</h2> + + +<ul><li>Nicolas Poussin died 1665.</li> + +<li>Albert Thorwaldsen born 1770.</li> + +<li>James A. Garfield, Ohio, twentieth President United +States, born 1831.</li> + +<li>Mary Hallock Foote born 1847.</li> + +<li>Count Lyoff (Leo) Tolstoy died 1910.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span class="i2">And son I live, you see,<br /></span> +<span>Go through the world, try, prove, reject,<br /></span> +<span>Prefer, still struggling to effect<br /></span> +<span>My warfare; happy that I can<br /></span> +<span>Be crossed and thwarted as a man,<br /></span> +<span>Not left in God's contempt apart,<br /></span> +<span>With ghastly smooth life, dead at heart,<br /></span> +<span>Tame in earth's paddock, as her prize.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Robert Browning.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Be good at the depths of you, and you will discover that those who + surround you will be good even to the same depths. Therein lies a + force that has no name; a spiritual rivalry that has no resistance.</p> + +<p> —Maurice Maeterlinck.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>First of all, I must make myself a man; if I do not succeed in that, + I can succeed in nothing.</p> + +<p> —James A. Garfield.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>That we may be no longer children, tossed to and fro and carried + about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, in + craftiness, after the wiles of error.</p> + +<p> —Ephesians 4. 14.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>Eternal God, I thank thee for all the sterling elements that greaten +the individual life. I pray that I may not desire to be kept a small +creature, but seek to grow in wisdom and love, and qualify for mighty +purposes and achievements. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="NOVEMBER_TWENTIETH" id="NOVEMBER_TWENTIETH" />NOVEMBER TWENTIETH</h2> + + +<ul><li>Paul Potter born 1625.</li> + +<li>Thomas Chatterton born 1752.</li> + +<li>William Ellery Channing born 1818.</li> + +<li>Sir Wilfred Laurier born 1841.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>Then why, my soul, dost thou complain?<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Why drooping seek the dark recess?<br /></span> +<span>Shake off the melancholy chain,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">For God created all to bless.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>The gloomy mantle of the night,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Which on my sinking spirits steals,<br /></span> +<span>Will vanish at the morning light,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Which God, my East, my Sun, reveals.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Thomas Chatterton.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>Lady, there is a hope that all men have—<br /></span> +<span>Some mercy for their faults, a grassy place<br /></span> +<span>To rest in, and a flower-strewn, gentle grave:<br /></span> +<span>Another hope which purifies our race,<br /></span> +<span>That when that fearful bourne forever past,<br /></span> +<span>They may find rest—and rest so long to last.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>I seek it not, I ask no rest forever,<br /></span> +<span>My path is onward to the farthest shores.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—William Ellery Channing.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>He brought me up also out of a horrible pit, out of the miry clay;<br /></span> +<span>And he set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings.<br /></span> +<span>And he put a new song in my mouth.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Psalm 40. 2, 3.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>My Father, I pray that I may have patience to live through the +difficulties of life. May I correct my faults, that they may not +destroy my peace and take from me my strength; help me to center my +life in brightness and hope. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="NOVEMBER_TWENTY_FIRST" id="NOVEMBER_TWENTY_FIRST" />NOVEMBER TWENTY-FIRST</h2> + + +<ul><li>Claude Lorraine died 1682.</li> + +<li>Bryan Waller Procter (Barry Cornwall) born 1787.</li> + +<li>Mary Johnston born 1870.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>There is not a creature from England's king<br /></span> +<span class="i2">To the peasant that delves the soil,<br /></span> +<span>Who knows half the pleasures the seasons bring<br /></span> +<span class="i2">If he had not his share of toil.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Barry Cornwall.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>It may be proved, with much certainty, that God intends no man to + live in this world without working; but it seems to me no less + evident that he intends every man to be happy in his work. Now, in + order that people may be happy in their work, these three things are + needed: they must be fit for it; and they must not do too much of + it; and they must have a sense of success in it.</p> + +<p> —John Ruskin.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Let him labor, working with his hands the thing that is good, that + he may have whereof to give to him that hath need.</p> + +<p> —Ephesians 4. 28.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>My Father, if my work seems hard to-day, may I not cease working if I +grow weary, but may my strength be renewed to continue my work. May +the aim of my work be to please thee, and to help in the progress of +humanity. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="NOVEMBER_TWENTY_SECOND" id="NOVEMBER_TWENTY_SECOND" />NOVEMBER TWENTY-SECOND</h2> + + +<ul><li>Saint Cecilia martyred A. D. 230.</li> + +<li>Sir Henry Havelock died 1857.</li> + +<li>Justin M'Carthy born 1830.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>Sometimes the sun, unkindly hot,<br /></span> +<span>My garden makes a desert spot,<br /></span> +<span>Sometimes a blight upon the tree<br /></span> +<span>Takes all my fruit away from me;<br /></span> +<span>And then with throes of bitter pain<br /></span> +<span>Rebellious passions rise and swell;<br /></span> +<span>And so I sing and all is well.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Paul Laurence Dunbar.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>Such songs have power to quiet<br /></span> +<span class="i2">The restless pulse of care,<br /></span> +<span>And come like benediction<br /></span> +<span class="i2">That follows after prayer.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Henry W. Longfellow.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Songs consecrate to truth and liberty.</p> + +<p> —Percy Bysshe Shelley.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>David took the harp, and played with his hand: so Saul was + refreshed, and was well, and the evil spirit departed from him.</p> + +<p> —1 Samuel 16. 23.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>Almighty God, I thank thee that thou wilt come to me as my heart cries +for need. I bless thee that thou dost come to me as my lips sing thy +praise. I pray that I may be saved from a cruel and cheerless heart, +and be a sharer of the songs that are sung to the soul. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="NOVEMBER_TWENTY_THIRD" id="NOVEMBER_TWENTY_THIRD" />NOVEMBER TWENTY-THIRD</h2> + + +<ul><li>Thomas Tallis died 1585.</li> + +<li>Franklin Pierce, New Hampshire, fourteenth President +United States, born 1804.</li> + +<li>Marie Bashkirtseff born 1860.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>Asleep, awake, by night or day,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">The friends I seek are seeking me;<br /></span> +<span>No word can drive my bark astray,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Nor change the tide of destiny.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>The stars come nightly to the sky,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">The tidal wave unto the sea;<br /></span> +<span>Nor time, nor space, nor deep, nor high,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Can keep my own away from me.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—John Burroughs.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>If a man could make a single rose we would give him an empire; yet + flowers no less beautiful are scattered in profusion over the world, + and no one regards them.</p> + +<p> —Martin Luther.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Let patience have its perfect work.</p> + +<p> —James 1. 4.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>My Creator, may I remember that after thou didst create the earth thou +didst say it was good. May I love the fragrance and beauty of the +flowers which were made to nourish the soul, and the fruits and herbs +which were made to nourish the body. May my song of thanksgiving be +new every morning, as I awake in the abundance of what thou hast +prepared. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="NOVEMBER_TWENTY_FOURTH" id="NOVEMBER_TWENTY_FOURTH" />NOVEMBER TWENTY-FOURTH</h2> + + +<ul><li>John Knox died 1572.</li> + +<li>Baron Spinoza born 1632.</li> + +<li>Grace Darling born 1815.</li> + +<li>Frances Hodgson Burnett born 1849.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>I waited long until the sky<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Should give me of its blue<br /></span> +<span>To weave and wear, and share, and weave<br /></span> +<span class="i2">The very stars into.<br /></span> +<span>The days they went, the years they went,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">And left my hands instead<br /></span> +<span>Another thing for wonderment,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">The mending and the bread.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>Ah me, and one must set a hand<br /></span> +<span class="i2">To burnish up the task,<br /></span> +<span>And hush and hush the old demand<br /></span> +<span class="i2">A wakeful heart will ask.<br /></span> +<span>But with a star's clear eye on me,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">O, I can hear it said,<br /></span> +<span>"What souls there be that only see<br /></span> +<span class="i2">The mending and the bread!"<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Josephine P. Peabody.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>The riches of a commonwealth<br /></span> +<span>Are free, strong minds and hearts of health.<br /></span> +<span>And more to her than gold or grain,<br /></span> +<span>The cunning hand and cultured brain.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—John G. Whittier.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>For the life is more than the food, and the body than the raiment.</p> + +<p> —Luke 12. 23.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>My Father, I pray that thou wilt help me, that I may not consume my +life in preparing clothes and food for my body. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="NOVEMBER_TWENTY_FIFTH" id="NOVEMBER_TWENTY_FIFTH" />NOVEMBER TWENTY-FIFTH</h2> + + +<ul><li>Charles Kemble born 1775.</li> + +<li>John Bigelow born 1817.</li> + +<li>Paul Haupt born 1858.</li> + +<li>John Kitto died 1854.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>I will not kill or hurt any living creature needlessly, nor destroy + any beautiful thing, but will strive to save and comfort all gentle + life and guard and perfect all natural beauty on earth. I will + strive to raise my own body and soul daily into all the higher + powers of duty and-happiness, not in rivalship or contention with + others, but for help, delight, and honor of others and for the joy + and peace of my own life.</p> + +<p> —John Ruskin.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain; for the + earth shall be full of the knowledge of Jehovah, as the waters cover + the sea.</p> + +<p> —Isaiah 11. 9.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>Lord God, I rejoice in the blessedness of peace. May I not try to +force peace where cruelty has entered, but keep a watch for what may +come into my life. I pray that if I may be in turbulence to-day, thou +wilt quiet me with thy peace which knows no fear or wrong. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="NOVEMBER_TWENTY_SIXTH" id="NOVEMBER_TWENTY_SIXTH" />NOVEMBER TWENTY-SIXTH</h2> + + +<ul><li>Sir William Ware born 1594.</li> + +<li>John Elwes died 1789.</li> + +<li>John Loudoun Macadam died 1836.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span class="i2">I'd like a way<br /></span> +<span>To change the clouds that bring us sorrow,<br /></span> +<span>And build to-day a bright to-morrow;<br /></span> +<span>To banish cares that tarry long,<br /></span> +<span>And have the days like the blue-bird's song—<br /></span> +<span class="i2">I'd like a way.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span class="i2">I'll find a way—<br /></span> +<span>I'll set sail when the breeze is high,<br /></span> +<span>And calmly drift when pleasure's nigh;<br /></span> +<span>I'll steer a course afar from tears,<br /></span> +<span>And take in joy the coming years—<br /></span> +<span class="i2">I'll find a way.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span class="i2">I've lost the way!<br /></span> +<span>Out through the gloom a beam of light<br /></span> +<span>Looks like a purpose looming bright!<br /></span> +<span>Up with the sail! I'll out to sea<br /></span> +<span>And bring that purpose back with me,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Or go its way.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—M. B. S.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Unto the upright there ariseth light in the darkness: He is + gracious, and merciful, and righteous.</p> + +<p> —Psalm 112. 4.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>My Father, I pray that I may not through indifference wander without a +purpose, or through discouragement stumble through the darkness. May I +be drawn to the light by the vision of hopeful and useful days. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="NOVEMBER_TWENTY_SEVENTH" id="NOVEMBER_TWENTY_SEVENTH" />NOVEMBER TWENTY-SEVENTH</h2> + + +<ul><li>Horace died B. C. 8.</li> + +<li>Marquise d'Aubigné Maintenon born 16324.</li> + +<li>General Artemus Ward born 1727.</li> + +<li>Fanny Kemble born 1809.</li> + +<li>Alexandra Dumas died 1895.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Be this thy brazen bulwark of defense, to preserve a conscience void + of offense, and never turn pale with guilt.</p> + +<p> —Horace.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>Is life a noxious weed which whirlwinds sow?<br /></span> +<span>A useless flint o'er which the waters flow?<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Not so!<br /></span> +<span>A life well spent has not its weight in gold;<br /></span> +<span>It is the clearest crystal earth doth hold,<br /></span> +<span>A gem beside which suns seem dull and cold.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Robert Louis Stevenson.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>That they may lay hold on the life which is life indeed.</p> + +<p> —1 Timothy 6. 19.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>Lord God, I pray that my life may not be impoverished by neglect, nor +burdened with indulgences, but that it may be kept in condition for +high endeavors. Grant that I may never be content to rest in +satisfaction and ease when I could struggle and accomplish a good +work. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="NOVEMBER_TWENTY_EIGHTH" id="NOVEMBER_TWENTY_EIGHTH" />NOVEMBER TWENTY-EIGHTH</h2> + + +<ul><li>William Blake born 1757.</li> + +<li>Anton G. Rubinstein born 1829</li> + +<li>Washington Irving died 1859.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>The sorrow for the dead is the only sorrow from which we refuse to + be divorced. Every other wound we seek to heal, every other + affliction to forget. Take warning by the bitterness of this thy + contrite affliction over the dead, and henceforth be more faithful + and affectionate in the discharge of thy duties to the living.</p> + +<p> —Washington Irving.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>Joy and woe are woven fine,<br /></span> +<span>A clothing for the soul divine;<br /></span> +<span>Every grief and pine<br /></span> +<span>Runs a joy with a silken twine.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—William Blake.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Ye shall be sorrowful, but your sorrow shall be turned into joy.</p> + +<p> —John 16. 20.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>Heavenly Father, grant that I may not lose the kindness that I may +give and receive to-day. I thank thee for the memories of yesterday, +the hope of to-morrow, and the wisdom of to-day. May I have a vision +of immortality that will keep me through the closest sorrow. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="NOVEMBER_TWENTY_NINTH" id="NOVEMBER_TWENTY_NINTH" />NOVEMBER TWENTY-NINTH</h2> + + +<ul><li>Sir Philip Sidney born 1554.</li> + +<li>A. Bronson Alcott born 1799.</li> + +<li>Wendell Phillips born 1811.</li> + +<li>Louisa M. Alcott born 1832.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Truth is sensitive and jealous of the least encroachment of its + sacredness.</p> + +<p> —A. Bronson Alcott.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>Faith that withstood the shocks of toil and time,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Hope that defied despair,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Patience that conquered care,<br /></span> +<span>And loyalty whose courage was sublime;<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>Teaching us how to seek the highest goal,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">To earn the true success;<br /></span> +<span class="i2">To live to love, to bless,<br /></span> +<span>And make death proud to take a royal soul.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Louisa M. Alcott.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span class="i2">Nor is it<br /></span> +<span>Wiser to weep a true occasion lost,<br /></span> +<span>But trim our sails, and let old bygones be.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Alfred Tennyson.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>In hope of eternal life, which God, who cannot lie, promised before + times eternal.</p> + +<p> —Titus 1. 2.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>Heavenly Father, I pray that I may live in truth; and without fear of +life or death live content in the faith of eternal life. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="NOVEMBER_THIRTIETH" id="NOVEMBER_THIRTIETH" />NOVEMBER THIRTIETH</h2> + + +<ul><li>Peregrine White born New England 1620.</li> + +<li>Jonathan Swift born 1687.</li> + +<li>Samuel L. Clemens (Mark Twain) born 1835.</li> + +<li>Winston Churchill born 1874.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>He gave it for his opinion that whoever could make two ears of corn, + or two blades of grass, to grow upon a spot of ground where only one + grew before, would deserve better of mankind, and do more essential + service to his country, than the whole race of politicians put + together.</p> + +<p> —Jonathan Swift.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>That man may last, but never lives,<br /></span> +<span>Who much receives, but nothing gives;<br /></span> +<span>Whom none can love, whom none can thank,—<br /></span> +<span>Creation's blot, creation's blank.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Thomas Gibbons.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, + shaken together, running over, shall they give into your bosom. For + with what measure ye mete it shall be measured to you again.</p> + +<p> —Luke 6. 38.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>My Father, preserve my soul from all selfishness. May I delight in thy +teaching as I trust in thy word. I pray that I may not only speak +truthfully, but that I may leave the door of my spirit open, that +truth may always enter and abide continually. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="DECEMBER" id="DECEMBER" />DECEMBER</h2> + +<table border="0" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" summary=""> +<tr><td><a href="#DECEMBER_FIRST"><b>01</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#DECEMBER_SECOND"><b>02</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#DECEMBER_THIRD"><b>03</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#DECEMBER_FOURTH"><b>04</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#DECEMBER_FIFTH"><b>05</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#DECEMBER_SIXTH"><b>06</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#DECEMBER_SEVENTH"><b>07</b></a></td></tr> + +<tr><td><a href="#DECEMBER_EIGHTH"><b>08</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#DECEMBER_NINTH"><b>09</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#DECEMBER_TENTH"><b>10</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#DECEMBER_ELEVENTH"><b>11</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#DECEMBER_TWELFTH"><b>12</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#DECEMBER_THIRTEENTH"><b>13</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#DECEMBER_FOURTEENTH"><b>14</b></a></td></tr> + +<tr><td><a href="#DECEMBER_FIFTEENTH"><b>15</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#DECEMBER_SIXTEENTH"><b>16</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#DECEMBER_SEVENTEENTH"><b>17</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#DECEMBER_EIGHTEENTH"><b>18</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#DECEMBER_NINETEENTH"><b>19</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#DECEMBER_TWENTIETH"><b>20</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#DECEMBER_TWENTY_FIRST"><b>21</b></a></td></tr> + +<tr><td><a href="#DECEMBER_TWENTY_SECOND"><b>22</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#DECEMBER_TWENTY_THIRD"><b>23</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#DECEMBER_TWENTY_FOURTH"><b>24</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#DECEMBER_TWENTY_FIFTH"><b>25</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#DECEMBER_TWENTY_SIXTH"><b>26</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#DECEMBER_TWENTY_SEVENTH"><b>27</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#DECEMBER_TWENTY_EIGHTH"><b>28</b></a></td></tr> + +<tr><td><a href="#DECEMBER_TWENTY_NINTH"><b>29</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#DECEMBER_THIRTIETH"><b>30</b></a></td> +<td><a href="#DECEMBER_THIRTY_FIRST"><b>31</b></a></td></tr> +</table> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>He comes—he comes—the Frost Spirit comes:<br /></span> +<span class="i2">You may trace his footsteps now<br /></span> +<span>On the naked woods and the blasted fields,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">And the brown hill's withered brow.<br /></span> +<span>He has smitten the leaves of the gray old trees,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Where their green came forth,<br /></span> +<span>And the winds, which follow wherever he goes,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Have shaken them down to earth.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>He comes—he comes—the Frost Spirit comes!<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Let us meet him as we may,<br /></span> +<span>And turn with the light of the parlor fire<br /></span> +<span class="i2">His evil power away;<br /></span> +<span>And gather closer the circle round,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Where the firelight dances high,<br /></span> +<span>And laugh at the shriek of the baffled fiend,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">As his sounding wing goes by.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—John G. Whittier.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="DECEMBER_FIRST" id="DECEMBER_FIRST" />DECEMBER FIRST</h2> + + +<ul><li>Dr. George Birkbeck died 1841.</li> + +<li>Queen Alexandra born 1844.</li> + +<li>R. W. Dale born 1829.</li> + +<li>Ebenezer Elliott died 1849.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>We would fill the hours with the sweetest things,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">If we had but a day:<br /></span> +<span>We should drink alone at the purest springs,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">In our upward way:<br /></span> +<span>We should guide our wayward or wearied will,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">By the clearest light:<br /></span> +<span>We should keep our eyes on the heavenly hills,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">If they lay in sight:<br /></span> +<span>We should be from our clamorous selves set free,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">To work and pray:<br /></span> +<span>And be what the Father would have us to be,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">If we had but a day.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Margaret E. Sangster.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honorable, + whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever + things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be + any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.</p> + +<p> —Philippians 4. 8.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>Gracious Father, help me to understand that my life grows out of what +I put into my days. Forgive me for the unspoken words and the kind +deeds which I kept for rare days, and had so few occasions to use. May +I be as useful in kindness as I am in work, remembering that to thee +every day is a golden day. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="DECEMBER_SECOND" id="DECEMBER_SECOND" />DECEMBER SECOND</h2> + + +<ul><li>David Masson born 1822.</li> + +<li>John Brown hanged, Charlestown, West Virginia +1859.</li> + +<li>Hugh Miller died 1856.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>The solitude of life is known to us all; for the most part we are + alone, and the voices of friends come only faint and broken across + the impassable gulfs which surround every human soul.</p> + +<p> —Hamilton Mabie.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>To have an ideal or to have none, to have this ideal or that—this + is what digs gulfs between men, even between those who live in the + same family circle, under the same roof, or in the same room. You + must love with the same love, think with the same thoughts as some + one else if you are to escape solitude.</p> + +<p> —Amiel.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>The plans of the heart belong to man;<br /></span> +<span>But the answer of the tongue is from Jehovah.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Proverbs 16. 1.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>Lord God, help me to take in the glory of life, that my spirit may +never be lonely, even though I may have to be much alone. I pray that +thou wilt spare me the loneliness and the solitude that may be brought +on by selfishness. Make me considerate of others. May I soar above the +disappointments and losses that may come to me, and stay where I may +have thy companionship. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="DECEMBER_THIRD" id="DECEMBER_THIRD" />DECEMBER THIRD</h2> + + +<ul><li>Samuel Crompton born 1753.</li> + +<li>Sir Frederick Leighton born 1830.</li> + +<li>Robert Louis Stevenson died 1894.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>To know what you prefer, instead of humbly saying "Amen" to what the + world tells you you ought to prefer, is to have kept your soul + alive.</p> + +<p> —Robert Louis Stevenson.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>There is precious instruction to be got by finding we were wrong. + Let a man try faithfully, manfully to be right. He will grow daily + more and more right.</p> + +<p> —Thomas Carlyle.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>The hero is the man who is immovably centered.</p> + +<p> —Ralph Waldo Emerson.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Let us draw near with a true heart in fulness of faith, having our + hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience: and having our body washed + with pure water.</p> + +<p> —Hebrews 10. 22.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>Gracious Father, grant that I may not be content to follow through +ignorance and indolence and be led to the lowly paths of life. Make my +Hie positive; and from my surroundings may I look out and struggle to +mount to the highest ideals, that I may be qualified to select the +best in life. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="DECEMBER_FOURTH" id="DECEMBER_FOURTH" />DECEMBER FOURTH</h2> + + +<ul><li>Cardinal Richelieu died 1642.</li> + +<li>William Drummond died 1649.</li> + +<li>Madame Recamier born 1777.</li> + +<li>Thomas Carlyle born 1795.</li> + +<li>John Kitto born 1804.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>It is with a man's soul as it is with nature: the beginning of + Creation is—Light. Till the eye have visions the whole members are + in bonds. Divine moment, when over the tempest-tost Soul, as once + over the wild-weltering Chaos, it is spoken: Let there be Light!</p> + +<p> —Thomas Carlyle.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span class="i2">What in me is dark<br /></span> +<span>Illumine, what is low raise and support;<br /></span> +<span>That to the light of this great argument<br /></span> +<span>I may assert eternal Providence<br /></span> +<span>And justify the ways of God to men.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—John Milton.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>For thou art my lamp, O Jehovah; And Jehovah will lighten my + darkness.</p> + +<p> —2 Samuel 22. 29.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>My Lord, forgive me if I have allowed bitterness and misery to darken +my life, for my soul yearns continually for the light. In thy +compassion lead me to the "sunny side of the road where the beautiful +flowers grow," that my path may be made bright and cheerful all the +rest of the way. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="DECEMBER_FIFTH" id="DECEMBER_FIFTH" />DECEMBER FIFTH</h2> + + +<ul><li>Martin Van Buren, New York, eighth President +United States, born 1782.</li> + +<li>Christina G. Rossetti born 1830.</li> + +<li>Alice Brown born 1857.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>A cold wind stirs the blackthorn<br /></span> +<span class="i2">To burgeon and to blow,<br /></span> +<span>Besprinkling half-green hedges<br /></span> +<span class="i2">With flakes and sprays of snow.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>Through coldness and through keenness,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Dear hearts take comfort so:<br /></span> +<span>Somewhere or other doubtless<br /></span> +<span class="i2">These make the blackthorn blow.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Christina G. Rossetti.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>There are some men and women in whose company we are always at our + best. All the best stops in our nature are drawn out by their + intercourse, and we find a music in our souls never there before.</p> + +<p> —Henry Drummond.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and good works.</p> + +<p> —Hebrews 10. 24.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>My Father, I thank thee for life. Make me sensitive to the unseen +influences that bring thy messages. May I be led where great riches +may be found through small kindnesses, and where I may learn from the +meek the beauty of earth. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="DECEMBER_SIXTH" id="DECEMBER_SIXTH" />DECEMBER SIXTH</h2> + + +<ul><li>General George Monk born 1608.</li> + +<li>Warren Hastings born 1732.</li> + +<li>Dr. Richard Barham born 1786.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>That low man seeks a little thing to do,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Sees it and does it:<br /></span> +<span>This high man, with a great thing to pursue,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Dies ere he knows it.<br /></span> +<span>That low man goes on adding one to one,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">His hundred's soon hit:<br /></span> +<span>This high man, aiming at a million,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Misses an unit.<br /></span> +<span>That, has the world here—should he need the next,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Let the world mind him!<br /></span> +<span>This, throws himself on God, and unperplexed<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Seeking shall find him.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Robert Browning.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Hitch your wagon to a star.</p> + +<p> —Ralph Waldo Emerson.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>When thou saidst, Seek ye my face; my heart said unto thee, Thy + face, Jehovah, will I seek.</p> + +<p> —Psalm 27. 8.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>Almighty God, show me what thou hast given for me to do, that I may +not leave undone that which is mine. Forgive me for useless planning +and blind asking for the things which cannot be mine. I pray that my +work may be honest work, well done, and acceptable for thy service. +Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="DECEMBER_SEVENTH" id="DECEMBER_SEVENTH" />DECEMBER SEVENTH</h2> + + +<ul><li>Cicero assassinated B. C. 43.</li> + +<li>John Dalton born 1766.</li> + +<li>Mary Stuart, Queen of Scotland, born 1542.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>It is virtue—yes, let me repeat it again—it is virtue alone that + can give birth, strength, and permanency to friendship. For virtue + is a uniform and steady principle ever acting consistently with + itself.</p> + +<p> —Cicero.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>A common friendship—who talks of a common friendship? There is no + such thing in the world. On earth no word is more sublime.</p> + +<p> —Henry Drummond.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>But thou shalt surely open thy hand unto him, and shalt surely lend + him sufficient for his need.</p> + +<p> —Deuteronomy 15. 8.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>Lord God, wilt thou reveal to me my weakness if I may be insincere; +and give me the strength that I lack to keep me true. May I not take +advantage of the ignorant, or thoughtlessly lead the innocent into +temptation. Grant that I may be a trustful and kind friend. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="DECEMBER_EIGHTH" id="DECEMBER_EIGHTH" />DECEMBER EIGHTH</h2> + + +<ul><li>John Pym died 1643.</li> + +<li>Richard Baxter died 1691.</li> + +<li>Thomas De Quincey died 1859.</li> + +<li>Elihu Burritt born 1810.</li> + +<li>Robert Collyer born 1823.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>Into the dusk of the East,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Gray with the coming of night,<br /></span> +<span>This may we know at least—<br /></span> +<span class="i2">After the night comes light!<br /></span> +<span>Over the mariners' graves,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Grim in the depths below,<br /></span> +<span>Buoyantly breasting the waves,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Into the East we go.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>On to a distant strand,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Wonderful, far, unseen,<br /></span> +<span>On to a stranger land,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Skimming the seas between;<br /></span> +<span>On through the days and nights,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Hope in each sailor's breast,<br /></span> +<span>On till the harbor lights<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Flash on the shores of rest!<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—J. H. Jowett.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>So he bringeth them unto their desired haven.</p> + +<p> —Psalm 107. 30.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>Lord God, I pray that thou wilt provide me with thy indwelling peace. +May it keep me reconciled to the decline of years, and enable me to +bear the earthly separation from those whom I love. May I always have +hope and trust in thee. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="DECEMBER_NINTH" id="DECEMBER_NINTH" />DECEMBER NINTH</h2> + + +<ul><li>John Milton born 1608.</li> + +<li>Sir Anthony Van Dyck died 1641.</li> + +<li>Joel Chandler Harris born 1848.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>Doth God exact day labor, light denied?<br /></span> +<span>I fondly ask: but Patience, to prevent<br /></span> +<span>That murmur, soon replies, "God doth not need<br /></span> +<span>Either man's work, or his own gifts; who best<br /></span> +<span>Bear his mild yoke, they serve him best; his state<br /></span> +<span>Is kingly; thousands at his bidding speed,<br /></span> +<span>And post o'er land and ocean without rest;<br /></span> +<span>They also serve who only stand and wait."<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—John Milton.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>"'Tain't on'y chilluns w'at got de consate er doin' eve'ything dey + see yuther folks do. Hit's grown folks w'at oughter know better," + said Uncle Remus.</p> + +<p> —Joel Chandler Harris.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Wherefore, receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us have + grace, whereby we may offer service well-pleasing to God with + reverence and awe.</p> + +<p> —Hebrews 12. 28.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>My Father, teach me to select my work from that which is noble and +true. May I not mold my life in affectation or feel that I must +imitate the lives of others, but grant that I may perfect my life +through experiences which are worthy of increasing endeavors. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="DECEMBER_TENTH" id="DECEMBER_TENTH" />DECEMBER TENTH</h2> + + +<ul><li>Thomas Holcroft born 1745.</li> + +<li>Dr. Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet born 1787.</li> + +<li>Eugene Sue born 1804.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Be of good cheer. Do not think of to-day's failures, but of success + that may come to-morrow. You have set yourselves a difficult task, + but you will succeed if you persevere; and you will have a joy in + overcoming obstacles—a delight in climbing rugged paths which you + would perhaps never know if you did not sometimes slip backward, if + the road were always smooth and pleasant. Remember, no effort that + we make to attain something beautiful is ever lost.</p> + +<p> —Helen Keller.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>We rise by things that are beneath our feet,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">By what we have mastered by good and gain,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">By the pride deposed and passion slain,<br /></span> +<span>And the vanquished ills that we hourly meet.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—J. G. Holland.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>He that overcometh, I will give to him to sit down with, me in my + throne, as I also overcame, and sat down with my Father in his + throne.</p> + +<p> —Revelation 3. 21.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>My Father, I pray that I may not be given to contradicting and +doubting, nor take for granted that which needs to be considered. +Grant that I may have the faith and strength of heart to fulfill the +longings of my soul. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="DECEMBER_ELEVENTH" id="DECEMBER_ELEVENTH" />DECEMBER ELEVENTH</h2> + + +<ul><li>Sir Roger L'Estrange died 1704.</li> + +<li>Dr. William Cullen born 1712.</li> + +<li>Colley Cibber died 1757.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>Lord, subdue our selfish will;<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Each to each our tempers suit,<br /></span> +<span>By thy modulating skill,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Heart to heart, as lute to lute.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Charles Wesley.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>One of the last, slowly murmured sayings of Whittier, was this: + "Give—my—love—to—the—world." And this is the world's supreme + need to-day; more than our eloquence, or our knowledge, or our + wealth, or all else besides, it needs our love. True, even love may + sometimes err; but the cure for love's mistakes is just more love; + we often blunder because we do not love enough. God help us all + that, like Whittier, we may live and die, giving our love to the + world.</p> + +<p> —George Jackson.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Love never faileth.</p> + +<p> —1 Corinthians 13. 8.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>Lord God, help me to see the beauty of the world, and through my duty +may I find the love in the world. May I not spend my life in +discontent, but may I remember that thou hast said, "The meek shall +inherit the earth." Fill my heart with compassion, that I may love my +fellow man as I love myself. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="DECEMBER_TWELFTH" id="DECEMBER_TWELFTH" />DECEMBER TWELFTH</h2> + + +<ul><li>Chief Justice John Jay born 1745.</li> + +<li>Gustav Flaubert born 1821.</li> + +<li>Robert Browning died 1889.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>A people is but the attempt of many<br /></span> +<span>To rise to the completer life of one.<br /></span> +<span>And those who live for models for the mass<br /></span> +<span>Are singly of more value than they all.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Robert Browning.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>Give me the power to labor for mankind;<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Make me the mouth of such as cannot speak;<br /></span> +<span>Eyes let me be to groping men and blind;<br /></span> +<span class="i2">A conscience to the base; and to the weak<br /></span> +<span>Let me be hands and feet, and to the foolish, mind;<br /></span> +<span class="i2">And lead still further on such as thy kingdom seek.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Theodore Parker.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>I was eyes to the blind,<br /></span> +<span>And feet was I to the lame.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Job 29. 15.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>Almighty God, wilt thou guide me in the direction where I may choose a +useful life; open wide my heart as well as my eyes, that I may early +see my work and be diligent in its prosecution. Reveal to me, when I +may have failed, that I may do better to-morrow. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="DECEMBER_THIRTEENTH" id="DECEMBER_THIRTEENTH" />DECEMBER THIRTEENTH</h2> + + +<ul><li>William Drummond born 1585.</li> + +<li>Dr. Samuel Johnson died 1784.</li> + +<li>Joseph Noel Paton born 1821.</li> + +<li>Phillips Brooks born 1835.</li> + +<li>Hamilton Mabie born 1846.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>When the clouds of sorrow gather over us, we see nothing beyond + them, nor can imagine how they can be dispelled; yet a new day + succeeded to the night, and sorrow is never long without a dawn of + ease.</p> + +<p> —Dr. Samuel Johnson.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>The fountains of joy and sorrow are for the most part locked up in + ourselves.... There come to great, solitary, and sorely smitten + souls moments of clear insight, of assurance of victory, of + unspeakable fellowship with truth and life and God, which outweigh + years of sorrow and bitterness.</p> + +<p> —Hamilton Mabie.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>And ye therefore now have sorrow: but I will see you again, and your + heart shall rejoice, and your joy no one taketh away from you.</p> + +<p> —John 16. 22.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>My Father, may I remember that the days of my life that I give over to +grief can never be reclaimed. Help me that I may not want to keep +sorrow in my life, but with faith may I believe that "weeping may +endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning." Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="DECEMBER_FOURTEENTH" id="DECEMBER_FOURTEENTH" />DECEMBER FOURTEENTH</h2> + + +<ul><li>Daniel Neal born 1678.</li> + +<li>Rev. Charles Wolfe born 1791.</li> + +<li>George Washington died 1799.</li> + +<li>Frances Ridley Havergal born 1836.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>Seldom can the heart be lonely,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">If it seek a lonelier still;<br /></span> +<span>Self-forgetting, seeking only<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Emptier cups of love to fill.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Frances R. Havergal.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>When to the sessions of sweet silent thought<br /></span> +<span class="i2">I summon up remembrance of things past,<br /></span> +<span>I sigh the lack of many a thing I sought.<br /></span> +<span class="i2">And with old woes new wail my dear time's waste<br /></span> +</div> +<span> * * * * *<br /></span> +<div class="stanza"> +<span>But if the while I think on thee, dear friend,<br /></span> +<span>All losses are restored, and sorrows end.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—William Shakespeare.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>The Lord Jehovah hath given me the tongue of them that are taught, + that I may know how to sustain with words him that is weary.</p> + +<p> —Isaiah 50. 4.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>Gracious Father, keep me cheerful and courageous, that I may not be +given to weary murmurings. May my hours of solitude be spent +profitably as they pass. Grant that I may be a help to those who are +in need of sympathy and encouragement, and through the peace that is +given to me help them to a tranquil life. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="DECEMBER_FIFTEENTH" id="DECEMBER_FIFTEENTH" />DECEMBER FIFTEENTH</h2> + + +<ul><li>Catherine of Aragon born 1485.</li> + +<li>George Romney born 1734.</li> + +<li>Franklin B. Sanborn born 1831.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>Yet frequent visitors shall kiss the shrine,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">And ever keep its vestal lamp alight;<br /></span> +<span>All noble thoughts, all dreams divinely bright,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">That waken or delight this soul of mine.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—F. B. Sanborn.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>One small cloud can hide the sunlight;<br /></span> +<span>Loose one string, the pearls are scattered;<br /></span> +<span>Think one thought, a soul may perish;<br /></span> +<span>Say one word, a heart may break.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—A. A. Procter.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Self-scrutiny is often the most unpleasant, and always the most + difficult, of moral actions. But it is also the most important and + salutary; for, as the wisest of the Greeks said, "An unexamined life + is not worth living."</p> + +<p> —J. Strachan.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Try your own selves, whether ye are in the faith; prove your own + selves.</p> + +<p> —2 Corinthians 13. 5.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>Gracious Father, help me that I may not be thoughtless and unkind. May +I be gentle and sympathetic. Forgive me for any unhappiness which I +may have made, and may it be mine to know the rejoicing that comes hi +lifting a discouraged life in time. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="DECEMBER_SIXTEENTH" id="DECEMBER_SIXTEENTH" />DECEMBER SIXTEENTH</h2> + + +<ul><li>John Selden born 1584.</li> + +<li>François La Rochefoucauld born 1610.</li> + +<li>George Whitefield born 1714.</li> + +<li>Jane Austen born 1775.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>So live that when thy summons comes to join<br /></span> +<span>The innumerable caravan that moves<br /></span> +<span>To that mysterious realm where each shall take<br /></span> +<span>His chamber in the silent halls of death,<br /></span> +<span>Thou go not, like the quarry slave at night,<br /></span> +<span>Scourged to his dungeon, but, sustained and soothed<br /></span> +<span>By an unfaltering trust, approach thy grave<br /></span> +<span>Like one who wraps the drapery of his couch<br /></span> +<span>About him and lies down to pleasant dreams.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—William Cullen Bryant.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>As the wind extinguishes a taper but kindles the fire, so absence is + the death of an ordinary passion, but lends strength to the greater.</p> + +<p> —La Rochefoucauld.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>If a man die, shall he live again?</p> + +<p> —Job 14. 14.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>Heavenly Father, with thy help may I enter into the hope that +overcomes the fear of death. May my days be full of aspiration, and +through faith may my life move toward the eternal and the sublime. +Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="DECEMBER_SEVENTEENTH" id="DECEMBER_SEVENTEENTH" />DECEMBER SEVENTEENTH</h2> + + +<ul><li>Sir Roger L'Estrange born 1616.</li> + +<li>Ludwig van Beethoven born 1770.</li> + +<li>Sir Humphry Davy born 1779.</li> + +<li>John Greenleaf Whittier born 1807.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>The night is mother of the day,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">The winter of the spring;<br /></span> +<span>And ever upon old decay<br /></span> +<span class="i2">The greenest mosses cling.<br /></span> +<span>Behind the cloud the starlight lurks,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Through showers the sunbeams fall;<br /></span> +<span>For God, who loveth all his works,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Has left his hope with all.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—John Greenleaf Whittier.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>The sun set; but not his hope:<br /></span> +<span>Stars rose; his faith was earlier up.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Ralph Waldo Emerson.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>What I am I have made myself.</p> + +<p> —Sir Humphry Davy.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoiceth:<br /></span> +<span>My flesh also shall dwell in safety.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Psalm 16. 9.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>My Father, may I never be content to pass by thy beautiful offerings +and keep on in wretched despair. Save me if I may 'be inclining toward +misery. Give me the spirit of repose, and help me to confide in thee +as I daily seek the strength of thy love. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="DECEMBER_EIGHTEENTH" id="DECEMBER_EIGHTEENTH" />DECEMBER EIGHTEENTH</h2> + + +<ul><li>Charles Wesley born 1708.</li> + +<li>Lyman Abbott born 1835.</li> + +<li>Samuel Rogers died 1855.</li> + +<li>Sir Joseph John Thomson born 1845.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>And let this feeble body fail,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">And let it faint or die;<br /></span> +<span>My soul shall quit this mournful vale,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">And soar to worlds on high.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Charles Wesley.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>It were better to live an immortal life and be robbed of immortality + hereafter by some supernal power, than to live the mortal, fleshly + animal life, and live it endlessly. Who would not rather have a + right to immortality than to be immortal without a right to be?</p> + +<p> —Lyman Abbott.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>So when a great man dies,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">For years beyond our ken,<br /></span> +<span>The light he leaves behind him lies<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Upon the paths of men.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Henry W. Longfellow.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>But he that soweth unto the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap eternal + life.</p> + +<p> —Galatians 6. 8.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>My Father, I pray that I may be spared the deprivations that may come +from years spent in selfishness. Help me to realize before it is too +late how little self can hold and how much remorse may accumulate. +Help me to aspire to ideals that compel me to live an immortal life. +Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="DECEMBER_NINETEENTH" id="DECEMBER_NINETEENTH" />DECEMBER NINETEENTH</h2> + + +<ul><li>Gustavus Adolphus born 1594.</li> + +<li>Horatio Bonar born 1808.</li> + +<li>F. Delsarte born 1811.</li> + +<li>Mary A. Livermore born 1820.</li> + +<li>J. M. W. Turner died 1851.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>If a man is to be a pillar in the temple of his God by and by, he + must be some kind of a prop in God's house to-day. We are here to + support, not to be supported. No one can be a living stone on the + foundations of the Spiritual House which is God's habitation without + being a foundation to the stones above him.</p> + +<p> —Maltbie Babcock.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>Since trifles make the sum of human things,<br /></span> +<span>And half our misery from our foibles springs;<br /></span> +<span>Since life's best joys consist in peace and ease,<br /></span> +<span>O let th' ungentle spirit learn from hence,<br /></span> +<span>A small unkindness is a great offense.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Hannah More.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>He that overcometh I will make a pillar in the temple of my God, and + he shall go out thence no more.</p> + +<p> —Revelation 3. 12.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>My Father, grant that I may not deceive myself and expect big results +from little efforts; nor be willing to receive assistance and refuse +my support. May I not only be anxious to give others all that I can, +and share their burdens, but may I be glad to help make fewer burdens +for others to bear. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="DECEMBER_TWENTIETH" id="DECEMBER_TWENTIETH" />DECEMBER TWENTIETH</h2> + + +<ul><li>Louis the Dauphin died 1765.</li> + +<li>John Wilson Croker born 1780.</li> + +<li>Cyrus Townsend Brady born 1861.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span class="i2">Love is not love<br /></span> +<span>Which alters when it alteration finds,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Or bends with the remover to remove.<br /></span> +<span>O no! it is an ever-fixed mark<br /></span> +<span class="i2">That looks on tempests and is never shaken.<br /></span> +<span>It is the star to every wandering bark,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Whose worth's unknown, although his height be taken.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—William Shakespeare.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>I will not doubt the love untold<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Which not my worth nor want hath bought,<br /></span> +<span>Which wooed me young and wooes me old,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">And to this evening hath me brought.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Henry David Thoreau.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with + lovingkindness have I drawn thee.</p> + +<p> —Jeremiah 81. 3.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>Loving Father, teach me the secret of constancy, that none may ever be +disappointed in me. May I not reckon what I give on recompense, but +have the spirit of giving which has no measure for what it may receive +in return. May I not be forgetful of thy love which will hold me to +deeper reverence and devotion. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="DECEMBER_TWENTY_FIRST" id="DECEMBER_TWENTY_FIRST" />DECEMBER TWENTY-FIRST</h2> + + +<ul><li>Jean Baptiste Racine born 1639.</li> + +<li>Robert Moffat born 1795.</li> + +<li>Laura Bridgman born 1829.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>To think and to feel constitute the two grand divisions of men and + genius—the men of reasoning and the men of imagination.</p> + +<p> —Disraeli.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>Grow old along with me! the best is yet to be,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">The last of life, for which the first was made:<br /></span> +<span>Our times are in his hand who saith, a whole I planned,<br /></span> +<span>Youth shows but half; trust God: see all, nor be afraid!<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Robert Browning.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>But the path of the righteous is as the dawning light, That shineth + more and more unto the perfect day.</p> + +<p> —Proverbs 4. 18.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>Almighty God, I pray that I may have the grace to penetrate the deep +things of life and test their truth and greatness. May I have faith in +thy power and train for the best which thou hast made possible for me +to live. Help me to think and feel aright, that I may be thine to-day, +and in the days of to-morrow may I still be thine, ever keeping bright +memories of past days. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="DECEMBER_TWENTY_SECOND" id="DECEMBER_TWENTY_SECOND" />DECEMBER TWENTY-SECOND</h2> + + +<ul><li>Franz Abt born 1819.</li> + +<li>Thomas W. Higginson born 1823.</li> + +<li>George Eliot died 1880.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span class="i2">Love and Pain<br /></span> +<span>Make their own measure of all things that be.<br /></span> +<span>No clock's slow ticking marks their deathless strain;<br /></span> +<span>The life they own is not the life we see;<br /></span> +<span>Love's single moment is eternity.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Thomas W. Higginson.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>Life is made stronger<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Giving, receiving;<br /></span> +<span>Love is made longer<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Hoping, believing.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>Life is made sweeter,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Truly worth living;<br /></span> +<span>Love is completer,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Trusting, forgiving.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—M. B. S.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>In love of the brethren be tenderly affectioned one to another; in + honor preferring one another.</p> + +<p> —Romans 12. 10.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>Loving Father, I thank thee that every morn breaks in a new day +without the sadness of yesterday or the gladness of to-morrow. I pray +that I may not lose the love and joy that it brings to-day. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="DECEMBER_TWENTY_THIRD" id="DECEMBER_TWENTY_THIRD" />DECEMBER TWENTY-THIRD</h2> + + +<ul><li>Michael Drayton died 1631.</li> + +<li>Robert Barclay born 1648.</li> + +<li>James Sargent Storer died 1854.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>When heaven endows you with all gifts, you are an incomplete being + if you stay still in your corner instead of taking advantage of your + real value.</p> + +<p> —Marie Bashkirtseff.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Life, which ought to be a thing complete in itself, and ought to be + spent partly in gathering materials, and partly in drawing + inferences, is apt to be a hurried accumulation lasting to the edge + of the tomb. We are put into the world, I cannot help feeling, to be + rather than do.</p> + +<p> —Arthur C. Benson.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Jehovah is the strength of my life.</p> + +<p> —Psalm 27. 1.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>Heavenly Father, I pray that thou wilt reverse my standards of life if +I may be striving only for selfish gain. May I care for all that I +could be, and may I care for where I should be found, but, most of +all, may I care for what I really am. Help me to keep my mind on thee +that I may find delight in doing thy will. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="DECEMBER_TWENTY_FOURTH" id="DECEMBER_TWENTY_FOURTH" />DECEMBER TWENTY-FOURTH</h2> + + +<ul><li>George Crabbe born 1754.</li> + +<li>Kit Carson born 1809.</li> + +<li>Matthew Arnold born 1822.</li> + +<li>John Morley born 1838.</li> + +<li>William Makepeace Thackeray died 1863.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>Ah, friend, let us be true<br /></span> +<span class="i2">To one another! For the world, which seems<br /></span> +<span class="i2">To lie before us like a land of dreams,<br /></span> +<span>So various, so beautiful, so new,<br /></span> +<span>Hath really neither joy, nor love, nor light,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Nor certitude, nor peace, nor help for pain,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">And we are here as on a darkling plain<br /></span> +<span>Swept with confused alarms of struggle and flight,<br /></span> +<span>Where ignorant armies clash by night.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Matthew Arnold.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>We take care of our health, we lay up money, we make our roof tight + and our clothing sufficient, but who provides wisely that we shall + not be wanting in the best property of all—friends?</p> + +<p> —Ralph Waldo Emerson.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Faithful are the wounds of a friend.</p> + +<p> —Proverbs 27. 6.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>Gracious Lord, fill my life with the spirit of love and sacrifice. I +bless thee for the deep fellowships and tender intimacies; and on the +eve of this Christmas ask thy blessing for all, as my heart rings with +joy for those whom I love. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="DECEMBER_TWENTY_FIFTH" id="DECEMBER_TWENTY_FIFTH" />DECEMBER TWENTY-FIFTH</h2> + + +<ul><li>Christmas Day.</li> + +<li>Sir Isaac Newton born 1642.</li> + +<li>William Collins born 1721.</li> + +<li>Father Taylor born 1794.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>This is the month, and this is the happy morn,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Wherein the Son of heaven's eternal King,<br /></span> +<span>Of wedded maid, and virgin mother born,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Our great redemption from above did bring.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—John Milton.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>Christmas is here;<br /></span> +<span>Winds whistle shrill,<br /></span> +<span>Icy and chill,<br /></span> +<span>Little care we;<br /></span> +<span>Little we fear<br /></span> +<span>Weather without,<br /></span> +<span>Shelter'd about<br /></span> +<span>The Mahogany tree.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—William M. Thackeray.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>And the angel said unto them, Be not afraid; for behold, I bring you + good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all the people: for + there is born to you this day in the city of David a Saviour, who is + Christ the Lord.</p> + +<p> —Luke 2. 10, 11.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>Almighty God, I give honor and praise to express my joy for thy great +love in the gift of thy Son, Jesus Christ. With a glad heart I wish +all mankind "A merry Christmas," and may I ever remember, where the +angels sang, "Peace on earth, good will toward men." Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="DECEMBER_TWENTY_SIXTH" id="DECEMBER_TWENTY_SIXTH" />DECEMBER TWENTY-SIXTH</h2> + + +<ul><li>Thomas Gray born 1716.</li> + +<li>Mrs. Southworth born 1818.</li> + +<li>Stephen Girard died 1831.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>Let not ambition mock their useful toil,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Their homely joys, and destiny obscure;<br /></span> +<span>Nor grandeur hear with a disdainful smile<br /></span> +<span class="i2">The short and simple annals of the poor.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>Nor you, ye proud, impute to those the fault,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">If memory o'er their tomb no trophies raise,<br /></span> +<span>Where, through the long-drawn aisle and fretted vault,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">The pealing anthem swells the note of praise.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>Full many a gem of purest ray serene<br /></span> +<span class="i2">The dark, unfathomed caves of ocean bear;<br /></span> +<span>Full many a flower is born to blush unseen,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">And waste its sweetness on the desert air.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Thomas Gray.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>Jehovah, my heart is not haughty, nor mine eyes lofty;<br /></span> +<span>Neither do I exercise myself in great matters,<br /></span> +<span>Or in things too wonderful for me.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Psalm 131. 1.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>Gracious Father, give me the courage to live my life, and the +endurance to overcome the disappointments that may come to me. May I +not be neglectful of the great opportunities of which I am privileged +to take advantage. May I not be pretentious of what I have not done, +or boastful of what I am, but with my best ability live in truth. +Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="DECEMBER_TWENTY_SEVENTH" id="DECEMBER_TWENTY_SEVENTH" />DECEMBER TWENTY-SEVENTH</h2> + + +<ul><li>Jacques Bernoulli born 1654.</li> + +<li>Johann Kepler born 1571.</li> + +<li>Charles Lamb died 1834.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>There is a time in every man's education when he arrives at the + conviction that envy is ignorance; that imitation is suicide; that + he must take himself for better or worse, as his portion; that, + though the wide universe is full of good, no kernel of nourishing + corn can come to him but through his toil bestowed on that plot of + ground which is given him to till.</p> + +<p> —Ralph Waldo Emerson.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>Knowing ourselves, our world, our task so great,<br /></span> +<span>Our time so brief, 'tis clear if we refuse<br /></span> +<span>The means so limited, the tools so rude<br /></span> +<span>To execute our purpose, life will fleet,<br /></span> +<span>And we shall fade, and leave our task undone.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Robert Browning.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Study to be quiet, and to do your own business, and to work with + your hands.</p> + +<p> —1 Thessalonians 4. 11.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>Lord God of life, give me the desire to learn, and the wisdom to live +in my best. May I not fail to culture my mind and heart and make life +productive and worthy. Help me to see the mistakes that I have made in +the past, and in the year that is approaching not only try to avoid +them, but try to make amends for them. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="DECEMBER_TWENTY_EIGHTH" id="DECEMBER_TWENTY_EIGHTH" />DECEMBER TWENTY-EIGHTH</h2> + + +<ul><li>Catherine M. Sedgwick born 1789.</li> + +<li>Woodrow Wilson, Virginia, twenty-seventh President +United States, born 1856.</li> + +<li>Thomas B. Macaulay died 1859.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>The government might be serviceable for many things. It might assist + in a hundred ways to safeguard the lives and the health and promote + the comfort and happiness of the people; but it can do these things + only if they respond to public opinion, only if those who lead + government see the country as a whole, feel a deep thrill of + intimate sympathy with every class and every interest in it.</p> + +<p> —Woodrow Wilson.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>The hearts of men are their books; events are their tutors; great + actions are their eloquence.</p> + +<p> —Thomas B. Macaulay.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Be of good courage, and let us play the man for our people, and for + the cities of our God: and Jehovah do that which seemeth him good.</p> + +<p> —2 Samuel 10. 12.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>Lord God, I pray that my estimate of life may not be as I take it, but +as thou hast given it for peace and prosperity. Teach me my duty to my +country, and make me useful in uplifting and serving humanity. Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="DECEMBER_TWENTY_NINTH" id="DECEMBER_TWENTY_NINTH" />DECEMBER TWENTY-NINTH</h2> + + +<ul><li>Thomas a Becket died 1170.</li> + +<li>Andrew Johnson, Tennessee, seventeenth President +United States, born 1808.</li> + +<li>William E. Gladstone born 1809.</li> + +<li>Margaret Bottome born 1827.</li> + +<li>Pauline O. Louise, Queen of Roumania (Carmen +Sylva), born 1843.</li> + +<li>Christina G. Rossetti died 1894.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>One example is worth a thousand arguments.</p> + +<p> —William E. Gladstone.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>One day at a time! That's all it can be<br /></span> +<span class="i2">No faster than that is the hardest of fate,<br /></span> +<span>And days have their limit, however we<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Begin them too early or stretch them late.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—J. R. Miller.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>He lives happy and master of himself<br /></span> +<span>Who can say, as each day passes on,<br /></span> +<span>I have lived! no matter whether to-morrow<br /></span> +<span>The great Father shall give us a clouded sky or a clear day.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Horace.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Give us this day our daily bread.</p> + +<p> —Matthew 6. 11.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>Eternal God, guard me against the love of praise, that I may not lose +the sense of duty. Start me for the right places and give me strength +with my days, that I may press toward their possession. Deliver me +from drifting when it is mine to pull against the tide, that I may not +be carried out of my course. Shield me from the storms that may gather +about me, and bring us all to the desired haven safe in thy keeping. +Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="DECEMBER_THIRTIETH" id="DECEMBER_THIRTIETH" />DECEMBER THIRTIETH</h2> + + +<ul><li>Titus born A. D. 40.</li> + +<li>William R. Alger born 1822.</li> + +<li>Rudyard Kipling born 1865.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>God of our fathers, known of old,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Lord of our far-flung battle line,<br /></span> +<span>Beneath whose awful hand we hold<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Dominion over palm and pine:<br /></span> +<span>Lord God of Hosts, be with us yet,<br /></span> +<span>Lest we forget—lest we forget!<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>For heathen heart that puts her trust<br /></span> +<span class="i2">In reeking tube and iron shard;<br /></span> +<span>All valiant dust that builds on dust,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">And guarding calls not thee to guard:<br /></span> +<span>For frantic boast and foolish word,<br /></span> +<span>Thy mercy on thy people, Lord! Amen.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Rudyard Kipling.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>But thou shalt remember Jehovah thy God, for it is he that giveth + thee power to get wealth.</p> + +<p> —Deuteronomy 8. 18.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>Almighty God, as I come to thee wilt thou forgive me for the errors I +have made, and for the promises that I have broken. Help me to be as +true as the holly that keeps itself red through the snow. Remind me of +my opportunities as I breathe in thy blessings, "Lest I forget!" Amen.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 100%;" /> +<h2><a name="DECEMBER_THIRTY_FIRST" id="DECEMBER_THIRTY_FIRST" />DECEMBER THIRTY-FIRST</h2> + + +<ul><li>New Year's Eve.</li> + +<li>John Wycliffe died 1384.</li> + +<li>Battle of Wakefield 1460.</li> + +<li>Charles Marquis Cornwallis born 1738.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span>Ring out, wild bells, to the wild sky,<br /></span> +<span class="i2">The flying cloud, the frosty light:<br /></span> +<span class="i2">The year is dying in the night;<br /></span> +<span class="i4">Ring out, wild bells, and let him die.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span class="i2">Ring out old shapes of foul disease,<br /></span> +<span class="i4">Ring out the narrow lust of gold:<br /></span> +<span class="i2">Ring out the thousand wars of old,<br /></span> +<span class="i4">Ring in the thousand years of peace.<br /></span> +</div><div class="stanza"> +<span>—Alfred Tennyson.<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>Let every dawn of morning be to you as the beginning of life, and + every setting sun be to you as its close.</p> + +<p> —John Ruskin.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>The night is far spent, and the day is at hand: let us therefore + cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of + light.</p> + +<p> —Romans 13. 12.</p></div> + +<hr /> + +<p>My Father, as I look to the past days, I feel much of my happiness and +much of my misery has come from my own choice. May I be more watchful +of my standards and less wasteful of my time, and keep a poise in life +that will leave a memory of well-spent days. For the year that has +passed and for its blessings I thank thee. Amen.</p> + +</td></tr> +</table> + + + + + + + + +<pre> + + + + + +End of Project Gutenberg's Leaves of Life, by Margaret Bird Steinmetz + +*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK LEAVES OF LIFE *** + +***** This file should be named 14849-h.htm or 14849-h.zip ***** +This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: + https://www.gutenberg.org/1/4/8/4/14849/ + +Produced by Stephen Schulze and the Online Distributed Proofreaders Team + +Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions +will be renamed. + +Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no +one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation +(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without +permission and without paying copyright royalties. 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You may copy it, give it away or +re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included +with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org + + +Title: Leaves of Life + For Daily Inspiration + +Author: Margaret Bird Steinmetz + +Release Date: January 31, 2005 [EBook #14849] + +Language: English + +Character set encoding: ASCII + +*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK LEAVES OF LIFE *** + + + + +Produced by Stephen Schulze and the Online Distributed Proofreaders Team + + + + + + + +LEAVES OF LIFE + +FOR DAILY INSPIRATION + +BY + +MARGARET BIRD STEINMETZ + + +1914 + + +The Bible text used in this book is taken from the American Standard +Edition of the Revised Bible, copyright, 1901, by Thomas Nelson & +Sons, and is used by permission. + + +DEDICATED + +TO THOSE WHO HAVE HELPED IN GATHERING THESE LEAVES--AND TO THOSE WHO +MAY GATHER SOMETHING FROM THEM. + + +ACKNOWLEDGMENTS + +The Macmillan Company, New York, N.Y. + Shailer Mathews, Jane Addams, Newell Dwight Hillis, + Marion Crawford. + +The Century Company, New York, N.Y. + S. Weir Mitchell, Theodore Roosevelt, John Kendrick + Bangs, Richard Watson Gilder, Edith Thomas. + +Oxford University Press, London, E.C. + Annie Matheson. + +The Saalfield Publishing Company, Akron, Ohio. + Joseph Jefferson. + +Mitchell Kennerley, New York. + Theodosia Garrison: My Litany. + +Thomas Y. Crowell Company, New York, N.Y. + Charles W. Eliot: The Durable Satisfactions of Life. + J.R. Miller. + +The Pilgrim Press, Boston, Mass. + Henry Ward Beecher. + +Harper & Brothers, New York, N.Y. + Will Carleton: Farm Legends. + Margaret E. Sangster: Easter Bells. + +Elbert Hubbard, Roycroft Shop, East Aurora, N.Y. + Printed by special permission of the publishers. + +W.B. Conkey, Hammond, Ind. + Ella Wheeler Wilcox, copyrighted 1912. + +National W.C.T.U., Evanston, Ill. + Frances E. Willard. + +American Baptist Publication Society, Philadelphia, Pa. + W.E. Winks. + +Rand, McNally & Company, Chicago, Ill. + Marie Bashkirtseff. + +Tennesseean and American, Nashville, Tenn. + G. Rice. + +Cosmopolitan Magazine, New York, N.Y. + O. Henry. + +The H.M. Rowe Company, Baltimore, Md. + Edwin Leibfreed: Poems. + +Permission from President Wilson for the excerpts from his speeches. + +Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston, Mass. + Kate Douglas Wiggin, Richard Watson Gilder, Josephine + Peabody, John Hay, Hugo Muensterberg, Edith Thomas, + Lyman Abbott, John Burroughs, Elizabeth Stuart Phelps, + Thomas Bailey Aldrich, Julia Ward Howe, Harriet + Beecher Stowe, Joel Chandler Harris, Lucy Larcom, + Bret Harte, Bayard Taylor, Alice Freeman Palmer, + Thomas W. Higginson. + +Charles Scribner's Sons, New York, N.Y. + Henry van Dyke: Music and Other Poems. + Maltbie D. Babcock: Thoughts for Every Day Living. + Sidney Lanier: Poems of Sidney Lanier. + Robert Bridges: Robert Bridges' Poems. + George Meredith: Last Poems. + James Anthony Froude: Short Studies on Great Subjects. + Robert Louis Stevenson: Poems and Works. + W.E. Henley: Poems. + Eugene Field: Western Verse. + +G.P. Putnam's Sons, New York and London. + Arthur Christopher Benson: Along the Road, Silent Isle, + From a College Window, Joyous Gard, Lord Vyet and Other Poems. + +Little, Brown & Company, Boston, Mass. + Emily Dickinson, Laura E. Richards, Edward Everett Hale. + + +George H. Doran Company, New York, N.Y. + Sir Oliver Lodge, Arnold Bennett, J. Stalker, A.H. Begbie. + +Fleming H. Revell Company, New York, N.Y. + Percy C. Ainsworth, E.H. Divall, Margaret E. Sangster, + J.H. Jowett, George Matheson. + +Longmans, Green & Company, New York and London. + William James. + +Dodd, Mead & Company, New York, N.Y. + Maurice Maeterlinck, Hamilton Mabie, Ian Maclaren, + Jerome K. Jerome, G.K. Chesterton, Paul Laurence Dunbar. + +Small, Maynard & Company, Boston, Mass. + Mrs. Charlotte Perkins Gilman, John B. Tabb, Ernest Crosby. + +Lothrop, Lee & Shepard Company, Boston, Mass. + Paul Hamilton Hayne. + +Doubleday, Page & Company, Garden City, New York + Charles Wagner, Edwin Markham, Helen Keller. + +E.P. Dutton Company, New York. + George Macdonald. + + + + +JANUARY + + Janus am I; oldest of potentates; + Forward I look, and backward, and below + I count, as god of avenues and gates, + The years that through my portals come and go. + + I block the roads, and drift the fields with snow; + I chase the wild fowl from the frozen fen; + My frosts congeal the rivers in their flow, + My fires light up the hearths and hearts of men. + + --Henry W. Longfellow. + + + + +JANUARY FIRST + +Bartolome Esteban Murillo, baptized 1618. + +Paul Revere born 1735. + +Betsy Ross born 1752. + +Maria Edgeworth born 1767. + +Arthur Hugh Clough born 1819. + + Old things need not be therefore true, + O brother men, nor yet the new; + Ah! still awhile the old thought retain, + And yet consider it again! + + We! what do we see? each a space + Of some few yards before his face; + Does that the whole wide plan explain? + Ah, yet consider it again! + + Alas! the great world goes its way, + And takes its truth from each new day; + They do not quit, nor can retain, + Far less consider it again. + + --Arthur Hugh Clough. + + There are two sorts of content; one is connected with exertion, the + other habits of indolence. The first is a virtue; the other a vice. + + --Maria Edgeworth. + + Oh send out thy light and thy truth; let them lead me: + Let them bring me unto thy holy hill, + And to thy tabernacles. + + --Psalm 43. 3. + +Almighty God, lead me in the search for life. Teach me what is +important and what is unimportant; what is false, and what is true. +Remove the hindrances that keep me from the worthiest deeds, and grant +that I may have the peace that comes with surrender of self to thy +will. Amen. + + + + +JANUARY SECOND + +General James Wolfe born 1727. + +Colonial flag first raised 1776. + +Mary Carey Thomas born 1857. + + To what profit we could use the time for our present task that we + spend in impatient waiting and wondering over the future! So often + the future is just one step up from the present, but some of us miss + it by preferring to wait for an elevator. + + --M. B. S. + + Prepare to live by all means, but for heaven's sake do not forget to + live. You will never have a better chance than you have at present. + You may think you will have, but you are mistaken. + + --Arnold Bennett. + + He that riseth late must trot all day, and shall scarce overtake his + business at night; while laziness travels so slowly that poverty + soon overtakes him. He that lives on hope will die fasting. + + --Benjamin Franklin. + + Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might, for there + is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in Sheol, whither + thou goest. + + --Ecclesiastes 9. 10. + +Gracious Father, my heart burns with shame when I think how much I +claim, and how little I am. I pray that my body may not cast a shadow +to-day, and cloud the light of my life to-morrow. Cleanse the windows +of my soul that I may take in thy glory. Amen. + + + + +JANUARY THIRD + +Marcus Tullius Cicero born B.C. 106. + +Martin Luther excommunicated 1521. + +Douglas Jerrold born 1803. + +Charles Wagner (France) born 1852. + + To be continually advancing in the paths of knowledge is one of the + most pleasing satisfactions of the human mind. These are pleasures + perfect consistent with every degree of advanced years. + + --Cicero. + + Fidelity in small things is at the base of every great achievement. + We too often forget this and yet no truth needs more to be kept in + mind particularly in the troubled eras of history and in the crises + of individual life. In shipwreck a splintered beam, an oar, any + scrap of wreckage saves us. To despise the remnants is + demoralization. + + --Charles Wagner. + + He that is faithful in a very little is faithful also in much and he + that is unrighteous in a very little is unrighteous also in much. + + --Luke 16. 10 + +Almighty God, may I understand that thou art in everything and that I +cannot hide from thee, for thou boldest me though I know it not. Give +me the desire, and help me to learn of thy laws, that I may know that +even in the least of things, I have the liberty to obtain happiness by +obeying them. Amen. + + + + +JANUARY FOURTH + +Archbishop Usher born 1580. + +Jacob L. Carl Grimm born 1785. + +Elizabeth Peabody died 1894. + + Years rush by us like the wind, we see not whence the eddy comes, + nor whitherward it is tending, and we seem ourselves to witness + their flight without a sense that we are changed: and yet time is + beguiling man of his strength, as the winds rob the trees of their + foliage. + + --Sir Walter Scott. + + The bell strikes one. We take no note of Time + But from its loss. To give it, then a tongue + Is wise in man; as if an angel spoke + I feel the solemn sound. If heard aright + It is the knell of my departed hours: + Where are they? + + --Edward Young. + + Days should speak, And multitude of years should teach wisdom. And + the breath of the Almighty giveth them understanding. It is not the + great that are wise, Nor the aged that understand justice. + + --Job 32. 7, 9. + +Lord God, help me to see my mistakes, and bring me to the realization +of my life. Grant that I may no longer use the time that thou gavest +me to learn in, heedlessly, but to give it my best thought and care. +Amen. + + + + +JANUARY FIFTH + +Stephen Decatur born 1779. + +Robert Morrison born 1782. + +Thomas Pringle born 1789. + + Let me go where'er I will, + I hear a sky-born music still: + It sounds from all things old, + It sounds from all things young, + From all that's fair, from all that's foul, + Peals out a cheerful song. + + It is not only in the rose, + It is not only in the bird, + Not only where the rainbow glows, + Nor in the song of woman heard, + But in the darkest, meanest things + There alway, alway something sings. + + 'Tis not in the high stars alone, + Nor in the cup of budding flowers, + Nor in the redbreast's mellow tone, + Nor in the bow that smiles in showers, + But in the mud and scum of things + There alway, alway something sings. + + --Ralph Waldo Emerson. + + The heavens declare the glory of God; And the firmament showeth his + handiwork. + + --Psalm 19. 1. + +Almighty God, grant that my life may no longer be a noise, but be kept +in tune with the sublimest melodies, that wherever I am, there may be +no discords in the songs of my soul. Through thy loving-kindness may +my songs resound. Amen. + + + + +JANUARY SIXTH + +Epiphany, or Twelfth-Day. + +Joan d'Arc born 1412. + +David Dale born 1739. + + 'Twas even so! and thou the shepherd's child, + Joanne, the lowly dreamer of the wild! + Never before and never since that hour + Hath woman, mantled with victorious power, + Stood forth as thou beside the shrine didst stand, + Holy amidst the knighthood of the land. + + --Mrs. Felicia Hemans. + + Every one must recognize the splendid work which has been done by + women in social and educational fields. And it will, I believe, come + more and more to be recognized that in some respects women are + specially fitted for government and for official-municipal life. + + --Sir Oliver Lodge. + + Now Deborah, a prophetess, the wife of Lappidoth, she judged Israel + at that time. And she dwelt under the palm tree of Deborah between + Ramah and Bethel in the hill-country of Ephraim: and the children of + Israel came up to her for judgment. + + --Judges 4. 4, 5. + +My Father, help me to be thoughtful and just. May I consider the great +truths and broader visions that may not be seen from where I stand. +May I be willing to accept a better view. Grant that I may realize +that the battle of life is not a sham battle, but a struggle for the +advancement of life. Amen. + + + + +JANUARY SEVENTH + +General Putnam born 1718. + +Robert Nicholl born 1814. + +T. DeWitt Talmage born 1832. + + Opportunities fly in a straight line, touch us but once and never + return, but the wrongs we do others fly in a circle; they come back + from the place they started. + + --T. DeWitt Talmage. + + Our share of night to bear, + Our share of morning, + Our blank is bliss to fill, + Our blank is scorning. + + Here a star, and there a star, + Some lose their way, + Here a mist, and there a mist, + Afterwards--day! + + --Emily Dickinson. + + Arise ye, and depart; for this is not your resting-place. + + --Micah 2. 10. + +Lord God, give me the desire to be persistent in service, while I have +health and strength. May I experience the sweetness that comes in +doing the thing that I ought to have done, as well as that in which I +took the most pleasure. Help me to so live that my days may be useful, +and be recalled with bright and happy recollections. Amen. + + + + +JANUARY EIGHTH + +John Earl of Stair died 1707. + +Sir William Draper died 1787. + +Alfred Russel Wallace born 1823. + +William Wilkie Collins born 1824. + +Sir Laurence Alma-Tadema born 1836. + + A blue bird built his nest + Here in my breast. + "O bird of Light! Whence comest thou?" + Said he, "From God above: + My name is Love." + + A mate he brought one day, + Of plumage gray. + "O bird of Night! Why comest thou?" + Said she: "Seek no relief! + My name is Grief." + + --Laurence Alma-Tadema. + + It is not so much resolution as renunciation, not so much courage as + resignation, that we need. He that has once yielded thoroughly to + God will yield to nothing but God. + + --John Ruskin. + + Behold, God will not cast away a perfect man, Neither will he uphold + the evildoers. He will yet fill thy mouth with laughter, And thy + lips with shouting. + + --Job 8. 20, 21. + +Almighty God, help me to understand that peace does not come in +rebellion or grieving, but is obtained through the calm of the soul. +Grant that if I may be perplexed or worried to-day, I may have the +power to control myself and wait in thy strength. Amen. + + + + +JANUARY NINTH + +Dr. Thomas Brown born 1778. + +Elizabeth O. Benger died 1822. + +Caroline Lucretia Herschel died 1848, aged ninety-seven. + + Wondrous is the strength of cheerfulness altogether past calculation + its powers of endurance. Efforts to be permanently useful must be + uniformly joyous--a spirit of all sunshine. + + --Thomas Carlyle. + + Honest good humor is the oil and wine of a merry meeting. + + --Washington Irving. + + A laugh is worth a hundred groans in any market. + + --Charles Lamb. + + A glad heart maketh a cheerful countenance; But by sorrow of heart + the spirit is broken. + + Better is a dinner of herbs, where love is, Than a stalled ox and + hatred therewith. + + --Proverbs 15. 13, 17. + +Gracious Father, if I am sorrowing over disappointment and am +forgetful, grant that I may see the things thou hast made, for which I +should be thankful. Help me to so live that I may have a right to +claim a cheerful heart. Amen. + + + + +JANUARY TENTH + +Dr. George Birkbeck born 1776. + +Michel or Marshal Ney born 1769. + +Karl von Linne, Linnaeus, died 1778. + +Ethan Allen born 1737. + + Shall I hold on with both hands to every paltry possession? All I + have teaches me to trust the Creator for all I have not seen. + + --Ralph Waldo Emerson. + + The practical weakness of the vast mass of modern pity for the poor + and the oppressed is precisely that it is merely pity; the pity is + pitiful but not respectful. Men feel that the cruelty to the poor is + a kind of cruelty to animals. They never feel that it is injustice + to equals; nay, it is treachery to comrades. + + --G.K. Chesterton. + + Be ye all like-minded, compassionate, loving as brethren, + tender-hearted, humble-minded: not rendering evil for evil, or + reviling for reviling; but contrariwise blessing. + + --1 Peter 3. 8, 9. + +God of justice, may I pause to remember that while I may do a mean act +and keep it hidden from others, I cannot keep it hidden from myself, +nor from thee. Help me to have a nobler sense of the quality of life, +and less anxiety for the quantity, that I may avoid harshness and +selfishness, and be given to tenderness and justice. Amen. + + + + +JANUARY ELEVENTH + +Alexander Hamilton born 1757. + +Bayard Taylor born 1825. + +William James born 1842. + +Alice Caldwell Regan Rice born 1870. + + The paternal relation to man was the basis of that religion which + appealed directly to the heart; so the fraternity of each man with + his fellow was its practical application. + + --Bayard Taylor. + + It is indeed a remarkable fact that sufferings and hardships do not, + as a rule, abate the love of life; they seem on the contrary, + usually to give it a keener zest; and the sovereign source of + melancholy is repletion. Need and struggle are what excite and + inspire. Our hour of triumph is what brings the void. + + --William James. + + Blessed is the man that endureth temptation; for when he hath been + approved, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord + promised to them that love him. + + --James 1. 12. + +Lord God, I come to thee for help that the small things may not force +themselves into my life, and keep me from pursuing the larger things +which are continually open to me. May I not be blind to what I may +have and be, through inspiration and work. Grant that I may not be +satisfied to remain in that in which I have triumphed, but climb to +greater endeavors. Amen. + + + + +JANUARY TWELFTH + +Edmund Burke born 1729. + +Johann Heinrich Pestalozzi born 1746. + +Francois Coppee born 1842. + +John S. Sargent born 1856. + + Show the thing you contend for to be reason; show it to be common + sense; show it to be the means of attaining some useful end. The + question with me is not whether you have a right to render your + people miserable, but whether it is your interest to make them + happy. + + --Edmund Burke. + + Like the star + That shines afar, + Without haste + And without rest, + Let each man wheel with steady sway + Round the task that rules the day, + And do his best. + + --Goethe. + + Love suffereth long, and is kind; love envieth not; love vaunteth + not itself, is not puffed up. + + --1 Corinthians 13. 4. + +Gracious Father, cause me to be critical of my life, that I may not be +deceived in myself. Help me to look into my soul and see what thou +dost find there; and with humility may I acknowledge what I am to +thee, and seek thy wisdom and love. Amen. + + + + +JANUARY THIRTEENTH + +George Fox, founder Society of Friends, died 1691. + +Samuel Woodworth (Old Oaken Bucket) born 1785. + +Order of King's Daughters founded 1886. + + Have thy soul feel the universal breath + With which all nature's quick, and learn to be + Sharer in all that thou dost touch or see; + Break from thy body's grasp thy spirit's trance; + Give thy soul air, thy faculties expanse; + Love, joy, even sorrow,--yield thyself to all! + They make thy freedom, groveling, not thy thrall. + Knock off the shackles which thy spirit bind + To dust and sense, and set at large the mind! + Then move in sympathy with God's great whole, + And be like man at first, a _Living Soul_. + + --Richard Henry Dana. + + I was deeply impressed by what a gardener once said to me concerning + his work. "I feel, sir," he said, "when I am growing the flowers or + rearing the vegetables, that I am having a share in creation." I + thought it a very noble way of regarding his work. + + --J.H. Jowett. + + For we are God's fellow workers: ye are God's husbandry, God's + building. + + --1 Corinthians 3. 9. + +Creator of all, help me to see what there is for me to do; and help me +to know that I cannot be productive if I am hovering in the choice of +my work. May I learn from thy great works of heaven and earth the ways +of selection and steadfastness. Give me the desire to work and the +confidence that is needed to carry on my work. Amen. + + + + +JANUARY FOURTEENTH + +Madame de Sevigne died 1696. + +Edmund Halley died 1742. + +Pierre Loti born 1850. + + Are you in earnest? Seize this very minute + What you can do, or dream you can; begin it; + Boldness has genius, power magic in it. + Only engage, and then the mind grows heated; + Begin and then the work will be completed. + + --Goethe. + + Were half the power that fills the world with terror, + Were half the wealth bestowed on camps and courts, + Given to redeem the human mind from error, + There were no need of arsenals or forts. + + --Henry W. Longfellow. + + Choose you this day whom ye will serve;... but as for me and my + house, we will serve Jehovah. + + --Joshua 24. 15. + +Almighty God, help me to appreciate the sacredness of work while I +have it to do. Grant that I may be spared the wretchedness that comes +from working with fragments from idleness. May I do my part, even if +it be in obscurity and the night overtakes me before it is done. Amen. + + + + +JANUARY FIFTEENTH + +Moliere born 1622. + +Dr. Samuel Parr born 1747. + +Edward Everett died 1865. + + The sun withholds his generous beam; + Athwart my soul the shadows stream; + The weird winds boisterously blow, + And drift the melancholy snow. + + When I, in sorrow and despair, + Expect the storm, with tender care + He rends the clouds and through the blue + The glorious sun breaks forth anew. + + --M.B.S. + + So with the wan waste grasses on my spear, + I ride forever seeking after God. + My hair grows whiter than my thistle plume + And all my limbs are loose; but in my eyes + The star of an unconquerable praise; + For in my soul one hope forever sings, + That at the next white corner of the road + My eyes may look on Him. + + --G.K. Chesterton. + + He brought me forth also into a large place; + He delivered me, because he delighted in me. + + --Psalm 18. 19. + +Loving Father, if I may be discouraged to-day, strengthen my faith. +May I not weary of waiting for thee, but trust in thy promises. Amen. + + + + +JANUARY SIXTEENTH + +Edmund Spenser died 1599. + +Johann August Neander born 1789. + +Edward Gibbon died 1794. + +Sir John Moore died 1809. + + But lovely concord, and most sacred peace, + Doth nourish vertue, and fast friendship breeds; + Weake she makes strong, and strong thing does increase, + Till it the pitch of highest praise exceeds. + + --Edmund Spenser. + + Perfect good-breeding is the result of nature and not of education; + for it may be found in a cottage, and may be missed in a palace. + 'Tis the genial regard for the feeling of others that springs from + an absence of selfishness. + + --Disraeli. + + Can a fig tree, my brethren, yield olives, or a vine figs? neither + can salt water yield sweet. + + --James 3. 12. + +Heavenly Father, help me to value my thoughts, words, and deeds. If at +the close of the day, there may be one who has been wounded by my +injustice, may I be willing to make quick atonement. May I avoid the +ways and words that hurt; and not only wish rightly and work rightly, +but speak to enrich others with tenderness. Amen. + + + + +JANUARY SEVENTEENTH + +John Ray died 1705. + +Benjamin Franklin born 1706. + +George Bancroft died 1891. + + Employ thy time well if thou meanest to gain leisure; and since thou + art not sure of a minute, throw not away an hour! Leisure is time + for doing something useful; this leisure the diligent man will + obtain, but the lazy man never; a life of leisure and a life of + laziness are two things. + + --Benjamin Franklin. + + There is nothing to gain and everything to lose by despising the + example of nature, and making arbitrary rules for oneself. Our + liberty wisely understood is but a voluntary obedience to the + universal laws of life. + + --Amiel. + + I will meditate on thy precepts, + And have respect unto thy ways. + + --Psalm 119. 15. + +My Father, help me to understand the power of nature, that I may be +willing to obey her laws. I pray that I may so live that my life will +proclaim itself without need of boasting or deception. Forbid that I +should spend my life in perfecting trifles, and have no leisure to +enjoy thy great gifts. Amen. + + + + +JANUARY EIGHTEENTH + +Charles de Montesquieu born 1689. + +John Gillies born 1747. + +Daniel Webster born 1782. + + We would leave for the consideration of those who shall occupy our + places some proof that we hold the blessings transmitted from our + fathers in just estimation; some proof of our attachment to the + cause of good government and of civil and religious liberty; some + proof of a sincere and ardent desire to promote every thing which + may enlarge the understanding and improve the hearts of men. + + --Daniel Webster. + + Brother and friend, the world is wide, + But I care not whether there be + The soothing song of a summer tide + Or the thrash of a wintry sea, + If but through shimmer and storm you bide, + Brother and friend, with me. + + --Percy C. Ainsworth. + + Honor all men. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the King. + + --1 Peter 2. 17. + +Almighty God, I thank thee for all the tender influences of life; for +all the gentleness and strength that may be given and received through +friendship. Help me to be careful of what I do, for my sake, and for +the sake of those who may follow me. Amen. + + + + +JANUARY NINETEENTH + +Hans Sachs died 1576. + +William Congreve died 1729. + +James Watt born 1736. + +Robert E. Lee born 1807. + +Edgar Allan Poe born 1809. + + I stand amid the roar + Of a surf-tormented shore, + And I hold within my hand + Grains of the golden sand-- + How few! Yet how they creep + Through my fingers to the deep, + While I weep--while I weep! + O God, can I not save + One from the pitiless wave? + Is all that we see or seem + But a dream within a dream? + + --Edgar Allan Poe. + + Do not train up your children in hostility to the government of the + United States. Remember that we are one country now. Dismiss from + your mind all sectional feeling, and bring them up to be Americans. + + --Robert E. Lee. + + Wait for Jehovah: Be strong, and let thy heart take courage; Yea, + wait thou for Jehovah. + + --Psalm 27. 14. + +Lord God, I pray that if I have struggled for the wrong, and have +worked with weak hands, thou wilt forgive me for my lost strength. +Give me more light to shine upon my work, upon thy promises, and upon +my duties; and with thy wisdom may I search for the truth that is +behind every wrong, and for the purpose that is beyond all +journeyings. Amen. + + + + +JANUARY TWENTIETH + +Eve of Saint Agnes. + +David Garrick died 1779. + +John Howard died 1790. + +John Ruskin died 1900. + +Nathaniel P. Willis born 1806. + + How like a mounting devil in the heart + Rules the unreigned ambition! Let it once + But play the monarch, and its haughty brow + Glows with a beauty that bewilders thought + And unthrones peace forever. Putting on + The very pomp of Lucifer, it turns + The heart to ashes. + + --Nathaniel P. Willis. + + Temperance, in the nobler sense, does not mean a subdued and + imperfect energy; it does not mean a stopping short in any good + thing, as love or in faith; but it means the power which governs the + most intense energy, and prevents its acting in any way but as it + ought. + + --John Ruskin. + + And thy gentleness hath made me great. + + --Psalm 18. 35. + + +Gracious Father, I pray that I may be willing to profit by the +experience of great teachers, and appreciate the value of strong +principles. May I too live for the higher ideals of life, and through +a sympathetic response add power and virtue to other lives, while +gaining strength for my own. Amen. + + + + +JANUARY TWENTY-FIRST + +Miles Coverdale died 1568. + +John Fitch born 1743. + +John C. Fremont born 1813. + +Thomas Erskine born 1750. + +Thomas Jonathan (Stonewall) Jackson born 1824. + + So long as we love we serve; so long as we are loved by others I + would almost say that we are indispensable; and no man is useless + while he has a friend. + + --Robert L. Stevenson. + + So to the calmly gathered thought + The innermost of life is taught, + The mystery dimly understood, + That love of God is love of good: + That to be saved is only this-- + Salvation from our selfishness. + + --John Greenleaf Whittier. + + Love worketh no ill to his neighbor: love therefore is the + fulfillment of the law. And this, knowing the season, that already + it is time for you to awake out of sleep: for now is salvation + nearer to us than when we first believed. + + --Romans 13. 10, 11. + + +Tender Father, may I not attempt to serve life for my own +gratification. May I not interpret love through vanity, but from +reality. Make me worth while, that I may be relied upon for my +pledges, and needed for my services. Amen. + + + + +JANUARY TWENTY-SECOND + +Andrea del Sarto died 1531. + +Francis Bacon born 1561. + +Lord George Byron born 1788. + +Queen Victoria died 1901. + + Father of light! to thee I call, + My soul is dark within: + Thou who canst mark the sparrow's fall, + Avert the death of sin, + Thou who canst guide the wandering star, + Who calm'st the elemental war, + Whose mantle is yon boundless sky, + My thoughts, my words, my crimes forgive; + And since I soon must cease to live, + Instruct me how to die. + + --Lord Byron. + + Knowledge, whether it descend from divine inspiration or spring from + human sense, would soon perish and vanish to oblivion if it were not + preserved in books, traditions, conferences, and places appointed. + + --Francis Bacon. + + Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of the + prophecy, and keep the things that are written therein. + + --Revelation 1. 3. + +Almighty God, I would have thy counsel as I read the words and follow +the deeds of helpful lives, that I may be inspired to nobler +activities. Give me the desire to know more of thy holy word, that I +may have a better knowledge of life. Amen. + + + + +JANUARY TWENTY-THIRD + +John Hancock born 1737. + +William Pitt died 1806. + +Charles Kingsley died 1875. + +Paul Gustave Dore died 1883. + + Never lose an opportunity of seeing anything beautiful. Welcome it + in every fair face, every fair sky, every fair flower, and thank Him + for it, who is the fountain of all loveliness. + + --Charles Kingsley. + + Nature never did betray + The heart that loved her; 'tis her privilege + Through all the years of this life, to lead, + From joy to joy; for she can so impress + With quietness and beauty, and so feed + With lofty thoughts, that neither evil tongues, + * * * * * + Nor all the dreary intercourse of daily life, + Shall e'er prevail against us or disturb + Our cheerful faith, that all which we behold + Is full of blessings. + + --William Wordsworth. + + Is not God in the height of heaven? + And behold the height of the stars, how high they are! + And thou sayest, What doth God know? + Can he judge through the thick darkness? + + --Job 22. 12, 13. + +Lord God, I pray that I may not overlook thy blessings of beauty while +endeavoring to perform my duties. Guide me that I may not struggle to +be where thou wouldst not have me go. Amen. + + + + +JANUARY TWENTY-FOURTH + +Charles Earl of Dorset born 1637. + +Frederick the Great born 1712. + +Charles James Fox born 1749. + + The great Gods pass through the great Time-hall, + Stately and high; + The little men climb the low clay wall + To gape and spy; + "We wait for the Gods," the little men cry, + "But these are our brothers passing by." + + The great Gods pass through the great Time-hall; + Who can see? + The little men nod by the low clay wall, + So tired they be; + '"Tis weary waiting for Gods," they yawn, + "There's a world o' men, but the Gods are gone." + + --A.H. Begbie. + + But their eyes were holden that they should not know him. + + --Luke 24. 16. + +My Father, may I be careful of getting weary and missing the best +through the need of rest. Intensify my desire for the songs and +glorious ways, that I may not settle into dullness and slumber, while +others pass on in the light. I pray for a keener sense of the +possessions made possible by the deeds and cares of noble men and +women. Amen. + + + + +JANUARY TWENTY-FIFTH + +Robert Burns born 1759. + +Lord Frederick Leighton died 1896. + +Daniel Maclise born 1811. + + When ranting round in pleasure's ring + Religion may be blinded: + Or if she gie a random sting, + It may be little minded: + But when on life we're Tempest-driv'n-- + A conscience but a canker, + A correspondence fixed wi' Heav'n, + Is sure a noble anchor. + + --Robert Burns. + + Be good, sweet maid, and let who will be clever; + Do noble things, not dream them, all day long: + And so make life, death, and that vast forever + One grand sweet song. + + --Charles Kingsley. + + O Lord, by these things men live; + And wholly therein is the life of my spirit: + Wherefore recover thou me, and make me to live. + + --Isaiah 38. 16. + +Gracious Father, grant that I may not be willing to spend my life for +trivial needs, for thou dost measure me for what I am, and boldest me +for what I lose in waste. Be with me in my judgment of what is best, +that I may make the most of my life. Amen. + + + + +JANUARY TWENTY-SIXTH + +Lord George Sackville born 1716. + +Benjamin Robert Haydon born 1786. + +Mary Mapes Dodge born 1838. + +General Gordon (Chinese Gordon) killed 1885. + + Ave Maria! blessed be the hour, + That time, the clime, the spot, where I so oft + Have felt that moment in its fullest power + Sink o'er the earth so beautiful and soft, + While swung the deep bell in the distant tower + Or the faint dying day-hymn stole aloft, + And not a breath crept through the rosy air, + And yet the forest leaves seemed stirred with + prayer. + + --Lord Byron. + + I am quite happy, thank God, and like Lawrence, I have tried to do + my duty. + + --General Gordon (just before death). + + For in the day of trouble he will keep me secretly + in his pavilion: + In the covert of his tabernacle will he hide me; + He will lift me up upon a rock. + + --Psalm 27. 5. + +Heavenly Father, teach me how to breathe in the sweetness of life. +Reveal to me the life that will bring peace to the soul. May I not be +dismayed, but find the "Peace that passeth all understanding," the +perfect peace that comes from thee. Amen. + + + + +JANUARY TWENTY-SEVENTH + +Johannes Wolfgang Mozart born 1756. + +A.W. von Schlegel born 1767. + +David Friedrich Strauss born 1808. + + To keep young, every day read a poem, hear a choice piece of music, + view a fine painting, and, if possible, do a good action. Man's + highest merit always is, as much as possible, to rule external + circumstances, and as little as possible to let himself be ruled by + them. + + --Goethe. + + Let us not always say, + "Spite of this flesh to-day + I strove, made head, gained ground upon the whole!" + As the bird wings and sings, + Let us cry, "All good things + Are ours, nor soul helps flesh more now than flesh helps soul!" + + --Robert Browning. + + Surely goodness and loving-kindness shall follow me all the days of + my life. + + --Psalm 23. 6. + +Loving Father, help me to foresee that it is what I care for to-day +that determines how I will find old age. May I not bring my closing +years to weariness and lonesomeness, but may I have the restfulness +that comes with communing with thee. Amen. + + + + +JANUARY TWENTY-EIGHTH + +Charlemagne died 814. + +Sir Francis Drake died 1596. + +Peter the Great died 1725. + +Charles George Gordon (Chinese Gordon) born 1833. + + He only is advancing in life whose heart is getting softer, whose + blood warmer, whose brain quicker, and whose spirit is entering into + living peace. And the men who have this life in them are the true + lords and kings of the earth--they, and they only. + + --John Ruskin. + + Just where you stand in the conflict, + There is your place! + Just where you think you are useless, + Hide not your face! + God placed you there for a purpose, + What e'er it be; + Think you he has chosen you for it: + Work loyally. + + --Anonymous. + + O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and the knowledge of + God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past tracing + out! + + --Romans 11. 33. + +My Father, I thank thee that thou hast endowed me with a will; help me +to use it aright. May I have the knowledge of what thou dost demand of +my soul, that I may do my best with what thou hast given me. Help me +that I may reach out for the highest ideals of life. Amen. + + + + +JANUARY TWENTY-NINTH + +Emanuel Swedenborg born 1688. + +Thomas Paine born 1737. + +Adelaide Ristori born 1822. + +William McKinley, Ohio, twenty-fourth President +United States, born 1843. + + God will keep no nation in supreme place that will not do supreme + duty. + + --William McKinley. + + Reputation is what men and women think of us; character is what God + and the angels know of us. + + --Thomas Paine. + + The reward of one duty is the power to fulfill another. + + --George Eliot. + + Let thy hand be upon the man of thy right hand, + Upon the son of man whom thou madest strong for thyself. + So shall we not go back from thee: + Quicken thou us, and we will call upon thy name. + + --Psalm 80. 17, 18. + +My Father, I pray that I may be just and be given to kindness. May I +be conscious of my virtues, and use them to overcome my faults. May I +hear clearly thy call that I may be sure of the way as I lead others +to duty and happiness. Amen. + + + + +JANUARY THIRTIETH + +Archbishop Butler born 1774. + +Walter Savage Landor born 1775. + +Henri Rochefort born 1830. + + Why, why repine, my pensive friend, + At pleasures slipped away? + Some the stern fates will never lend, + And all refuse to stay. + I see the rainbow in the sky, + The dew upon the grass; + I see them and I ask not why + They glimmer or they pass. + With folded arms I linger not + To call them back; 'twere vain; + In this, or in some other spot, + I know they'll shine again. + + --Walter Savage Landor. + + When disappointment comes meet it, but do not carry it along with + you; nor fetter your spirit by changeless haste. "Memory will always + pursue some precious instance of itself," which will bring either + renewed confidence or resignation. + + --M. B. S. + + For thou shalt forget thy misery; + Thou shalt remember it as waters that are passed away. + + --Job 11. 16. + +Gracious Father, help me to "Lift mine eyes unto the hills" that +glorify the discouraging ways. May I appreciate thy great love, and +from my limitations find the possibilities that are limitless. Amen. + + + + +JANUARY THIRTY-FIRST + +Cromwell dissolved Parliament 1655. + +Charles Edward (Young Pretender) died 1788. + +Franz Schubert born 1797. + +James G. Elaine born 1830. + + Nature demands that man be ever at the top of his condition. He who + violates her laws must pay the penalty, though he sit on a throne. + + --James G. Elaine. + + Dig channels for the streams of love, + Where they may broadly run; + And love has overflowing streams + To fill them every one. + + For we must share if we must keep + The good things from above; + Ceasing to give, we cease to have-- + Such is the law of love. + + --R. C. Trench. + + And thy life shall be clearer than the noonday; + Though there be darkness, it shall be as the morning. + + --Job 11. 17. + +My Father, I would remember that it is mostly from my inspirations +that I conceive life. Take away hatred and vanity that keep me in +faults, and awake in me the thoughts that are responsible for visions +that lead to high ideals. Amen. + + + + +FEBRUARY + + + Then came old February, sitting + In an old wagon, for he could not ride, + Drawn of two fishes for the season fitting, + Which through the flood before did softly slide + And swim away; yet he had by his side + His plow and harness fit to till the ground, + And tools to prune the trees, before the pride + Of hasting prime did make them bourgeon wide. + + --Edmund Spenser. + + + + +FEBRUARY FIRST + +Ben Jonson born 1574. + +John Philip Kemble born 1757. + +Arthur Henry Hallam born 1811. + +George Cruikshank died 1878. + + It is not growing like a tree + In bulk, doth make man better be; + Or standing long an oak, three hundred year, + To fall a log at last, dry, bald, and sere: + A lily of a day + Is fairer far in May, + Although it fall and die that night-- + It was the plant and flower of Light. + In small proportions we just beauties see; + And in short measure life may perfect be. + + --Ben Jonson. + + There are four things which are little upon the earth, + But they are exceeding wise: + The ants are a people not strong, + Yet they provide their food in the summer; + The conies are but a feeble folk, + Yet make they their houses in the rocks; + The locusts have no king, + Yet go they forth all of them by bands; + The lizard taketh hold with her hands, + Yet is she in king's palaces. + + --Proverbs 30. 24-28. + +Creator of all, lead me to see the light, and instruct me that I may +be able to reason. Guard me against spectacular endeavors, that I may +be genuine. Amen. + + + + +FEBRUARY SECOND + +Candlemas Day. + +Nell Gwynn born 1650. + +Hannah More born 1745. + +William Henry Burleigh born 1812. + + 'Twas doing nothing was his curse-- + Is there a vice can plague us worse? + The wretch who digs the mine for bread, + Or plows, that others may be fed, + Feels less fatigue than that decreed + To him who cannot think, or read. + Not all the peril of temptations, + Not all the conflict of the passions, + Can quench the spark of Glory's flame, + Or quite extinguish Virtue's name. + + --Hannah More. + + Sound, sound the clarion, fill the fife! + To all the sensual world proclaim, + One crowded hour of glorious life + Is worth an age without a name. + + --Sir Walter Scott. + + He went out, and found others standing; and he saith unto them, Why + stand ye here all the day idle? They say unto him, Because no man + hath hired us. He saith unto them, Go ye also into the vineyard. + + --Matthew 20. 6, 7. + +Eternal God, who hath weighed the mountains and measured the seas, I +pray that I may not be satisfied to wait in idleness, and let thy +wisdom pass away from me as the days. Steady me in my weakness, and +reveal to me my strength as I draw near and ask of thee. Amen. + + + + +FEBRUARY THIRD + +Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy born 1809. + +Horace Greeley born 1811. + +Frederick William Robertson born 1816. + +Sidney Lanier born 1842. + + My soul is sailing through the sea, + But the past is heavy and hindereth me. + The past hath crusted cumbrous shells + That hold the flesh of cold sea-mells + About my soul. + The huge waves wash, the high waves roll, + Each barnacle clingeth and worketh dole + And hindereth me from sailing. + + --Sidney Lanier. + + To stand with a smile upon your face, against a stake from which you + cannot get away--that no doubt is heroic. True glory is resignation + to the inevitable. But to stand unchained, with perfect liberty to + go away held only by the higher chains of duty, and let the fire + creep up to the heart--that is heroism. + + --F.W. Robertson. + + We are pressed on every side, yet not straitened; perplexed, yet not + unto despair; pursued, yet not forsaken; smitten down, yet not + destroyed. + + --2 Corinthians 4. 8, 9. + +Gracious Father, thou knowest what I am and the condition of my life. +May I seek thy will for me. Grant that I may never struggle for +consolation through indulgence and indolence, but in my sorrow and +failure may I reach out for thy enduring comfort. Amen. + + + + +FEBRUARY FOURTH + +Mark Hopkins born 1802. + +W. Harrison Ainsworth born 1805. + +Jean Richepin born 1849. + +Thomas Carlyle died 1881. + + Life is not a May-game, but a battle and a march, a warfare with + principalities and powers. No idle promenade through fragrant orange + groves and green flowery spaces, waited on by coral muses, and the + rosy hours; it is a stern pilgrimage through the rough, burning, + sandy solitudes, through regions of thick-ribbed ice. + + --Thomas Carlyle. + + For all sweet and pleasant passages in the great story of life men + may well thank God; for leisure and ease and health and friendship + may God make us truly and humbly grateful; but our chief song of + thanksgiving must be always for our kinship with him, with all that + such divinity of greatness brings of peril, hardship, toil, and + sacrifice. + + --Hamilton Mabie. + + Thy bars shall be iron and brass; + And as thy days, so shall thy strength be. + + --Deuteronomy 33. 25. + +My Father, help me to choose the road that leads to my work, and may I +not fail to reach it, by wandering away from it. Keep me in touch with +the human side of life, holding in mind that "Truth and honesty are +the noblest works of God." Amen. + + + + +FEBRUARY FIFTH + +Sir Robert Peel born 1788. + +Ole Boreman Bull born 1810. + +John Muir born 1810. + +Dwight L. Moody born 1837. + + When a great man dies, then has the time come for putting us in mind + that he was alive! + + --Thomas Carlyle. + + If I practice one day, I can see the result. If I practice two days, + my friends can see it. If I practice three days, the great public + can see it. + + --Ole Bull. + + Those who say they will forgive but can't forget an injury simply + bury the hatchet while they leave the handle out, ready for + immediate use. + + --Dwight L. Moody. + + But I hold not my life of any account as dear unto myself, so that I + may accomplish my course. + + --Acts 20. 24. + +Almighty God, if I am uncertain, and tremble at the crossroads in +doubt of the right way, may I wait and be led by thee, and follow on, +even if the way be dark and rough. May I be faithful and have thy +presence as thou promised at the end. Amen. + + + + +FEBRUARY SIXTH + +Queen Anne of England born 1665. + +Aaron Burr born 1756. + +Sir Henry Irving born 1838. + + Nothing earthly will make me give up my work in despair. I encourage + myself in the Lord my God and go forward. + + --David Livingstone. + + To expect defeat is nine tenths of defeat itself. + + --Marion Crawford. + + I do not see how any man can afford, for the sake of his nerves and + his nap, to spare any action in which he can partake. + + --Ralph Waldo Emerson. + + Art is a jealous mistress, she requires the whole man. + + --Michael Angelo. + + Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit you like men, be strong. + + --1 Corinthians 16. 13. + +Almighty God, help me to have true conceptions, that my life may not +be secured to needless purposes. May my soul be influenced by high +ideals, and my work be the production of truth and not of selfishness. +Protect me from evil that I may be kept pure and strong for my work. +Amen. + + + + +FEBRUARY SEVENTH + +Millard Fillmore, New York, thirteenth President United States born 1800. + +Sir Thomas More born 1478. + +Charles Dickens born 1812. + +Anne Radcliffe died 1823. + +Sidney Cooper died 1902. + + Let no man turn aside ever so slightly, from the broad path of + honor, on the plausible pretense that he is justified by the + goodness of his end. All good ends can be worked out by good means. + + --Charles Dickens. + + If evils come not, then our fears are vain; + And if they do, fear but augments the pain. + + --Sir Thomas More. + + A human heart knows aught of littleness, + Suspects no man, compares with no one's ways, + Hath in one hour most glorious length of days, + A recompense, a joy, a loveliness; + + Like eaglet keen, shoots into azure far, + And always dwelling nigh is the remotest star. + + --William Ellery Channing. + + Teach me thy way, O Jehovah; + I will walk in thy truth: + Unite my heart to fear thy name. + + --Psalm 86. 11. + +Gracious Father, I pray that thou wilt control my impulses, and +protect me from false interpretations. May I have wisdom, and search +for the high and holy ways. Help me to be patient for thy purposes, +and may my relations to life be triumphant in thy standards. Amen. + + + + +FEBRUARY EIGHTH + +Samuel Butler born 1612. + +John Ruskin born 1819. + +General Sherman born 1820. + +Jules Verne born 1828. + +Richard Watson Gilder born 1844. + + If you want knowledge, you must toil for it; and if pleasure, you + must toil for it. Toil is the law. Pleasure comes through toil, and + not by self-indulgence and indolence. When one gets to love work his + life is a happy one. + + --John Ruskin. + + Whatever sceptic could inquire for, + For every why he had a wherefore. + + --Samuel Butler. + + Through love to light! O wonderful the way, + That leads from darkness to the perfect day! + From darkness and from sorrow of the night + To morning that comes singing o'er the sea. + Through love to light! through light O God to Thee! + Who art the love, the eternal light of light! + + --Richard Watson Gilder. + + We must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the + night cometh, when no man can work. + + --John 9. 4. + +My Father, I pray that I may not weight my life with worthless +efforts. May I be guided to the right work, and through the love of it +find strength for my soul. Amen. + + + + +FEBRUARY NINTH + +C.F. Volney born 1757. + +William Henry Harrison, Virginia, ninth President United States, born 1773. + +Anthony Hope (Hawkins) born 1863. + +George Ade born 1866. + + A man's own observation, what he finds good of, and what he finds + hurt of, is the best physic to preserve health. But it is a safer + conclusion to say, "This agreeth not well with me, therefore I will + not continue it"; than to say, "I find no offense of this, therefore + I may use it." For strength of nature in youth passeth over many + excesses, which are owing a man till his age. + + --Francis Bacon. + + Though man a thinking being is defined, + Few use the grand prerogative of mind. + How few think justly of the thinking few! + How many never think, who think they do! + + --Jane Taylor. + + Blessed is the man that endureth temptation; for when he hath been + approved, he shall receive the crown of life. + + --James 1. 12. + +Almighty God, I would learn that while thou art a forgiving Lord, +nature has no mercy on them that break her laws. Forgive me for all my +neglect, and help me to see the way in which thou hast through mercy +led me. Give me the power to endure and the strength to resist +temptation. May I seek to understand thy laws, that I may not fail +through ignorance. Amen. + + + + +FEBRUARY TENTH + +Rev. Henry Hart Milman born 1791. + +Charles Lamb born 1775. + +Sir William Napier died 1860. + + Never let the most well-intended falsehood escape your lips; for + Heaven, which is entirely Truth, will make the seed which you have + sown of untruth to yield miseries a thousandfold. + + --Charles Lamb. + + We cannot command veracity at will; the power of seeing and + reporting truly is a form of health that has to be distinctly + guarded, and as an ancient rabbi has solemnly said, "The penalty of + untruth is untruth." + + --George Eliot. + + The bat hangs upside down and laughs at a topsy-turvy world. + + --Unknown. + + The lip of truth shall be established for ever; + But a lying tongue is but for a moment. + + --Proverbs 12. 19. + +Lord God, give me the will to hold to the truth and the strength to +help keep the world true; and may I help others to look up and catch +the truth from the purest light. Amen. + + + + +FEBRUARY ELEVENTH + +Mary, Queen of England, born 1516. + +Daniel Boone born 1735. + +Lydia M. Child born 1802. + +Washington Gladden born 1836. + +Thomas A. Edison born 1847. + + Few, in the days of early youth, + Trusted like me in love and truth. + I've learned sad lessons from the years; + But slowly and with many tears; + For God made me to kindly view + The world that I was passing through. + + And all who tempt a trusting heart + From faith and hope to drift apart, + May they themselves be spared the pain + Of losing power to trust again! + God help us all to kindly view + The world that we are passing through! + + --Lydia M. Child. + + For ye shall go out with joy, and be led forth with peace: the + mountains and the hills shall break forth before you into singing; + and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands. + + --Isaiah 55. 12. + +Lord God, I pray that I may not rest my hope in self alone, but know +that the greatest joy is in the hope of the world. Help me to have +faith in mankind; and with a loyal heart and a brave spirit be as kind +to the world as I can. Amen. + + + + +FEBRUARY TWELFTH + +Dr. Cotton Mather born 1663. + +Peter Cooper born 1791. + +Abraham Lincoln, Kentucky, sixteenth President United States, born 1809. + +Robert Charles Darwin born 1809. + +George Meredith born 1828. + + With malice towards none, with charity for all, with firmness in the + right as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish + the work we are in; to bind up the nation's wounds, ... to do all + which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace among + ourselves and with all nations. + + --Abraham Lincoln. + + The great moral combat between human life and each human soul must + be single.... When a soul arms for battle she goes forth alone. + + --Owen Meredith. + + According to the grace of God which was given unto me, as a wise + master builder I laid a foundation; and another buildeth thereon. + + --1 Corinthians 3. 10. + +Almighty God, I thank thee for the courage that comes with a great +life. Help me to be brave, even if it is only that others may be +blest. May I lay a careful foundation and plan to build the best that +I can afford. Amen. + + + + +FEBRUARY THIRTEENTH + +David Allan born 1744. + +Maurice de Talleyrand-Perigord born 1754. + +Richard Wagner died 1883. + + A man is not his hope, nor yet his despair, nor yet his past deed. + We know not yet what we have done; still less what we are doing. + Wait till evening, and other parts of our work will shine than we + had thought at noon, and we shall discover the real purport of our + toil. + + --Henry D. Thoreau. + + When you make a mistake don't look back at it long. Take the reason + of the thing into your mind, and look forward. Mistakes are lessons + of wisdom.... The past cannot be changed. The future is yet in your + power. + + --Hugh White. + + He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing seed for sowing, + Shall doubtless come again with joy, bringing his sheaves with him. + + --Psalm 126. 6. + +My Father, help me to survey my life. Make me compassionate and +considerate, that I may be qualified to promote that which is helpful. +May I appreciate that what is worth keeping I can obtain from thee. +Amen. + + + + +FEBRUARY FOURTEENTH + +Saint Valentine's Day. + +Captain James Cook killed 1779. + +Jean Ernest Reynaud born 1808. + + Oh! little loveliest lady mine, + What shall I send for your valentine? + Summer and flowers are far away; + Gloomy old Winter is king to-day; + Buds will not blow, and sun will not shine: + What shall I do for a valentine? + + I've searched the gardens all through and through + For a bud to tell of my love so true; + But buds are asleep and blossoms are dead, + And the snow beats down on my poor little head: + So, little loveliest lady mine, + Here is my heart for your valentine. + + --Laura E. Richards. + + Oh rank is gold, and gold is fair, + And high and low mate ill; + But love has never known a law + Beyond its own sweet will! + + --John G. Whittier. + + Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God. + + --1 John 4. 7. + +Loving Father, may I not fall to nodding in the balmy air of luxury +and miss the messages of love. Arouse me, that I may give and take in +the treasures of love as they come my way, and that they may not pass +unnoticed. Amen. + + + + +FEBRUARY FIFTEENTH + +Galileo Galilei born 1564. + +Louis XV born 1710. + +S. Weir Mitchell born 1829. + +Sir Frederick Treves born 1853. + + The night I know is nigh at hand, + The mists lie low on hill and bay, + The autumn sheaves are brown and dry, + But I have had the day. + + Yes, I have had, dear Lord, the day. + When at thy call I have the night + Brief be the twilight as I pass + From light to dark, from dark to light. + + --S. Weir Mitchell. + + + If thou faint in the day of adversity, thy strength is small--too + small to be worth talking about, for the day of adversity is its + first real opportunity. + + --Maltbie Babcock. + + Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him + that loved us. + + --Romans 8. 37. + +My Father, may my daily work not be the means of separating me from +thee, but may I have thee for my companion through my work. Forbid +that I should ever submit to despair from weakness of body, but that I +may be blest and grow strong as my spirit lives in thee. Amen. + + + + +FEBRUARY SIXTEENTH + +Philip Melanchthon born 1497. + +Gasper de Coligny born 1517. + +Thomas Robert Malthus born 1766. + +Ernst Heinrich Haeckel born 1834. + + Thy love shall chant its own beatitudes + After its own life working. A child's kiss + Set on thy sighing lips shall make thee glad. + A poor man served by thee shall make thee rich; + A sick man helped by thee shall make thee strong; + Thou shalt be served thyself by every sense + Of service which thou renderest. + + --Elizabeth B. Browning. + + Ask nothing more of me, sweet; + All I can give you I give. + Heart of my heart, were it more, + More would be laid at your feet: + Love that should help you to live, + Song that should help you to soar. + + --Algernon Charles Swinburne. + + All things therefore whatsoever ye would that men should do unto + you, even so do ye also unto them. + + --Matthew 7. 12. + +Lord God, I pray that I may not neglect the help and happiness that I +may give with compassion and love. Make me strong in all the senses +that answer to the call of humanity. Help me to guide and protect +little children, and to care for the comforts of the old. Amen. + + + + +FEBRUARY SEVENTEENTH + +Kate Greenaway born 1846. + +Michael Angelo Buonarroti died 1563. + +Giordano Bruno burned at Rome 1600. + +Moliere died 1673. + +Rose Terry Cooke born 1827. + +Frances E. Willard died 1898. + + It is not much + To give a gentle word or kindly touch + To one gone down + Beneath the world's cold frown, + + And yet who knows + How great a thing from such a little grows? + O, oftentimes, + Some brother upward climbs + And hope again + Uplifts its head, that in the dust had lain, + Gives place to morning's light. + + --E. H. Divall. + + I will seek that which was lost, and will bring back that which was + driven away, and will bind up that which was broken, and will + strengthen that which was sick. + + --Ezekiel 34. 16. + +My Father, may I not sorrow so that I fail to comfort the sorrowing, +and may I not be so happy that I fail to see that others need to be +glad. I thank thee for thy providences. May I serve thee in helping +others to brighter lives. Amen. + + + + +FEBRUARY EIGHTEENTH + +Martin Luther died 1546. + +George Peabody born 1795. + +Wilson Barrett born 1846. + + A mighty fortress is our God, + A bulwark never failing: + Our helper he amid the flood + Of mortal ills prevailing. + For still our ancient foe + Doth seek to work us woe; + His craft and power are great: + And, armed with cruel hate, + On earth is not his equal. + + --Martin Luther. + + Let us stand by our duty fearlessly and effectively. I am not bound + to win, but I am bound to be true. I am not bound to succeed, but I + am bound to live up to the light that I have. + + --Abraham Lincoln. + + Jehovah is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; + My God, my rock, in whom I will take refuge. + + --Psalm 18. 2. + +Lord God, help me to lay my life in the rocks of thy foundation, and +not in moving sands which are tossed from shore to shore. May I cling +to the rock that was cleft for me and trust for thy care. Amen. + + + + +FEBRUARY NINETEENTH + +Copernicus born 1473. + +Leonard Bacon born 1802. + +W.W. Story born 1819. + +Adelina Patti born 1843. + + So mine are these new fruitings rich, + The simple to the common brings; + I keep the youth of souls who pitch + Their joy in this old heart of things; + + Full lasting is the song, though he + The singer passes; lasting too, + For souls not lent in usury, + The rapture of the forward view. + + --George Meredith. + + All deep things are Song. It seems, somehow, the very central + essence of us, Song; as if all the rest were wrappages and hulls! + the primal element of us; of us, and all things. + + --Thomas Carlyle. + + Ye shall have a song as in the night when a holy feast is kept; and + gladness of heart, as when one goeth with a pipe to come unto the + mountain of Jehovah. + + --Isaiah 30. 29. + +Lord God, help me to feel the power of praise. "As words without +thoughts never to heaven go," so the highest praises are never sung +alone, but rendered with service and love. May I have the heart to +sing thy praises far and near, and rejoice in him from whom all +blessings flow. Amen. + + + + +FEBRUARY TWENTIETH + +J.H. Voss born 1828. + +Joseph Jefferson born 1829. + +Mihaly Munkacsy (Michael Lieb) born 1844. + + Who serves his country well has no need of ancestors. + + --Voltaire. + + Lo, Spring comes forth with all her warmth and + love, + She brings sweet justice from the realms above; + She breaks the chrysalis, she resurrects the dead; + Two butterflies ascend encircling her head. + And so this emblem shall forever be + A sign of immortality. + + --Joseph Jefferson. + + Thou wilt guide me with thy counsel, + And afterward receive me to glory. + + --Psalm 73. 24. + +Lord God, I pray that I may not neglect my soul in trying to fathom +immortal life. If I may be hesitating between comfort and work, remind +me of the greatness of the place which I started to reach. May I not +grow weary of climbing and falter on the stair. Breathe upon me thy +inspiration and love, that I may continue in faith all the way. Amen. + + + + +FEBRUARY TWENTY-FIRST + +Edmund William Gosse born 1849. + +Karl Czerny born 1791. + +Cardinal John H. Newman born 1801. + +Jean L.E. Meissonier born 1815. + +Alice Freeman Palmer born 1855. + + Prune thou thy words, the thoughts control + That o'er thee swell and throng; + They will condense within thy soul, + And change to purpose strong. + + --John H. Newman. + + Think truly, and thy thoughts + Shall the world's famine feed; + Speak truly, and each word of thine + Shall be a fruitful seed; + Live truly, and thy life shall be + A great and noble creed. + + --Horatio Bonar. + + We ought to love everybody and make everybody love us. Then + everything else is easy. + + --Alice Freeman Palmer. + + Then shall thy light break forth as the morning, and thy healing + shall spring forth speedily; and thy righteousness shall go before + thee; the glory of Jehovah shall be thy rearward. + + --Isaiah 58. 8. + +Almighty God, look upon me with pity; so often I have obeyed the +thoughts that have been misleading and profitless. Make me more +careful of what I think and say, and may I learn from my mistakes the +forbidden paths. Help me to keep my mind in unity with thy will. Amen. + + + + +FEBRUARY TWENTY-SECOND + +George Washington, Virginia, first President United +States, born 1732. + +James Russell Lowell born 1819. + +Margaret E. Sangster born 1838. + + Labor to keep alive in your breast that little spark of celestial + fire called conscience. + + --George Washington. + + Life is a sheet of paper white + Whereon each one of us may write + His word or two, and then comes night. + Greatly begin! though thou hast time + But for a line, be that sublime. + Not failure, but low aim is crime. + + --James Russell Lowell. + + God keep us through the common days, + The level stretches white with dust, + When thought is tired, and hands upraise + Their burdens feebly since they must; + In days of slowly fretting care + Then most we need the strength of prayer. + + --Margaret E. Sangster. + + Make level the path of thy feet, + And let all thy ways be established. + + --Proverbs 4. 26. + +Lord God, help me to realize the influence of the individual life. And +as I would care for my own, may I seek to do for others; and may I not +criticize, but help all who are trying to make the world better. Amen. + + + + +FEBRUARY TWENTY-THIRD + +Samuel Pepys born 1633. + +George F. Handel born 1685. + +George Frederick Watts born 1817. + +John Keats died 1821. + +Margaret Deland born 1857. + + Labor is life! 'tis the still water faileth; + Idleness ever despaireth, bewaileth: + Keep the watch wound, or the dark rust assaileth; + Flowers droop and die in the stillness of noon. + Labor is glory! the flying cloud lightens; + Only the waving wing changes and brightens, + Idle hearts only the dark future frightens, + Play the sweet keys, wouldst thou keep them in tune. + + --Frances S. Osgood. + + KEATS + + Palled death, with kisses ghostly, + Wooed and won him while too young, + And the world reveres him mostly, + For the songs he might have sung. + + --Samuel A. Wood. + + Enlarge the place of thy tent, and let them stretch forth the + curtains of thy habitations; spare not: lengthen thy cords, and + strengthen thy stakes. + + --Isaiah 54. 2. + +Almighty God, I pray for the will to do my finest work. Disclose to me +if I am being detained by serving selfishness in myself or in others. +Lead me to what is right for me to do; and may I diligently tarry in +it. Amen. + + + + +FEBRUARY TWENTY-FOURTH + +Samuel Lover born 1797. + +Robert Fulton died 1815. + +George William Curtis born 1824. + + 'Tis not to enjoy that we exist, + For that end only; something must be done; + I must not walk in unreproved delight + These narrow bounds, and think of nothing more, + No duty that looks further and no care. + + --William Wordsworth. + + We weave our thoughts into heart-spun plans, + And weave secure for a fitful day, + But lose in the web of earthly things + The pattern of sublimity. + + Shall days spring up as wild vines grow, + Unheeding where they climb or cling? + Consider, child, before you sow, + And wait not until harvesting. + + --M.B.S. + + Jehovah is my strength and my shield; + My heart hath trusted in him, and I am helped: + Therefore my heart greatly rejoiceth; + And with my song will I praise him. + + --Psalm 28. 7. + +Loving Father, command my judgment for the influences which I permit +to come into my life. Grant that I may not delay my purposes for the +lack of comforts which are so often made more than life. With thy +strength may I be steadfast in what I would achieve. Amen. + + + + +FEBRUARY TWENTY-FIFTH + +William Seely died 1521. + +Sir Christopher Wren died 1723. + +Jane Goodwin Austin born 1831. + +Camille Flammarion born 1842. + + In general, pride is at the bottom of all great mistakes. All other + passions do occasionally good; but wherever pride puts in its word + everything goes wrong. + + --John Ruskin. + + He that is proud eats up himself: pride is his own glass, his own + trumpet, his own chronicle; and whatever praises itself but in the + deed, devours the deed in the praise. + + --William Shakespeare. + + Save me alike from foolish pride + Or impious discontent; + At aught Thy wisdom hath denied, + Or aught Thy wisdom lent. + + --Alexander Pope. + + A man's pride shall bring him low; But he that is of a lowly spirit + shall obtain honor. + + --Proverbs 29. 23. + +Heavenly Father, I pray that I may not let pride keep me down when it +may be mine to be carried to the heights. With tenderness take me out +of myself, that I may see how pride deceives, and destroys an humble +spirit. Help me to master both stubbornness and pride. Amen. + + + + +FEBRUARY TWENTY-SIXTH + +Christopher Marlowe (baptized 1564). + +Victor Hugo born 1802. + +Lord Cromer born 1841. + +Thomas Moore died 1852. + + When I go down to the grave I can say, like so many others, I have + finished my work; but I cannot say I have finished my life; my day's + work will begin again the next morning. My tomb is not a blind + alley; it is a thoroughfare. It closes in the twilight to open in + the dawn. + + --Victor Hugo. + + There's nothing bright above, below, + From flowers that bloom to stars that glow, + But in the light my soul can see + Some feature of the Deity. + + There's nothing dark below, above, + But in its gloom I trace God's love, + And meekly wait that moment when + His truth shall turn all bright again. + + --Thomas Moore. + + Jehovah redeemeth the soul of his servants; + And none of them that take refuge in him shall be + condemned. + + --Psalm 34. 22. + +Lord God, may I not only feel the need of thee when I am burdened with +sorrow and care, but may I have need of thee in my pleasures and joys. +I thank thee for thy gracious kindness, thy mercy and thy protection. +Amen. + + + + +FEBRUARY TWENTY-SEVENTH + +Henry Wadsworth Longfellow born 1807. + +Ellen Terry born 1848. + +Mary F. Robinson born 1857. + + Lives of great men all remind us + We can make our lives sublime, + And, departing, leave behind us + Footprints on the sands of time-- + + Footprints that perhaps another, + Sailing o'er life's wintry main, + A forlorn and shipwrecked brother, + Seeing, shall take heart again. + + --Henry W. Longfellow. + + They are slaves who fear to speak + For the fallen and the weak; + They are slaves who will not choose + Hatred, scoffing, and abuse, + Rather than in silence shrink + From the truth they needs must think; + They are slaves who dare not be + In the right with two or three. + + --James Russell Lowell. + + Even so let your light shine before men; that they may see your good + works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven. + + --Matthew 5. 16. + +Merciful Father, help me to know that my shadow cannot fall without +me, and that my footprints cannot be found where I have never trodden. +I pray that thou wilt make me so familiar with the right path that it +may be mine to have the privilege of leading others to the right +places. Amen. + + + + +FEBRUARY TWENTY-EIGHTH + +Montaigne born 1533. + +Mary Lyon born 1797. + +Sir John Tenniel born 1820. + + Soul, rule thyself; on passion, deed, desire, + Lay thou the laws of thy deliberate will. + Stand at thy chosen post, Faith's sentinel: + Though Hell's lost legions ring thee round with fire, + Learn to endure. + + --Arthur Symonds. + + The confidence in another man's virtue is no slight evidence of a + man's own, and God willingly favors such a confidence. + + --Montaigne. + + Though a host should encamp against me, + My heart shall not fear: + Though war should rise against me, + Even then will I be confident. + + --Psalm 27. 3. + +My Father, may I ever be kept in remembrance of my virtue, and may I +be sensitive to its strength. As I go on my way, keep me within +control of the impetuous desires of my nature, and in call of the +duties and obligations of my daily life. Amen. + + + + +FEBRUARY TWENTY-NINTH + +Anne Lee born 1736. + +G.A. Rossini born 1792. + +John Landseer died 1852. + + Happy is he and more than wise + Who sees with wondrous eyes and clean + This world through all the gray disguise + Of sleep and custom in between. + + --G.K. Chesterton. + + In the morning, when thou findest thyself unwilling to rise, + consider with thyself presently, if it is to go about a man's work + that I am stirred up. Or was I made for this, to lay me down, and + make much of myself in a warm bed. + + --Marcus Aurelius. + + Arise and be doing, and Jehovah be with thee. + + --1 Chronicles 22. 16. + +Gracious Father, help me to take of the wealth of my day, while it is +in season, and accessible. May I not be ignorant of the abundance in +which I live, and be found in overwhelming regret. Forgive me for all +that I have missed in life, and make me more watchful of that which is +to come. Amen. + + + + +MARCH + + + Spring still makes spring in the mind, + When sixty years are told; + Love makes anew this throbbing heart, + And we are never old. + Over the winter glaciers, + I see the summer glow, + And through the wild-piled snowdrift + The warm rosebuds below. + + --Ralph Waldo Emerson. + + + + +MARCH FIRST + +Alexander Balfour born 1767. + +Frederick Francois Chopin born 1809. + +Augustus Saint-Gaudens born 1848. + +William Dean Howells born 1837. + + Thy soul shall enter on its heritage + Of God's unuttered wisdom. Thou shalt sweep + With hand assured the ringing lyre of life, + Till the fierce anguish of its bitter strife, + Its pain, death, discord, sorrow, and despair, + Break into rhythmic music. Thou shalt share + The prophet-joy that kept forever glad + God's poet-souls when all a world was sad. + Enter and live! Thou hast not lived before. + + --S. Weir Mitchell. + + Return unto thy rest, O my soul; + For Jehovah hath dealt bountifully with thee. + For thou hast delivered my soul from death, + Mine eyes from tears, + And my feet from falling. + + --Psalm 116. 7, 8. + +Almighty God, grant that I may never be so discouraged that I feel my +life has been spent. Help me to so live, that I may not follow into +hopeless days, but look for the bright and beautiful in to-morrow. +Forgive me for all that I have asked for and accepted through willful +judgment, and make me more careful in selecting my needs. Amen. + + + + +MARCH SECOND + +Juvenal born A.D. 40. + +John Wesley died 1791. + +Horace Walpole died 1797. + + Nature never says one thing, Wisdom another. + + --Juvenal. + + By all means, use some times to be alone; + Salute thyself--see what thy soul doth wear; + Dare to look in thy chest, for 'tis thine own, + And tumble up and down what thou findest there. + + --William Wordsworth. + + Lonesomeness is part of the cost of power. The higher you climb, the + less can you hope for companionship. The heavier and the more + immediate the responsibility, the less can a man delegate his tasks + or escape his own mistakes. + + --Shailer Mathews. + + But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thine inner chamber, and + having shut thy door, pray to thy Father who is in secret, and thy + Father who seeth in secret shall recompense thee. + + --Matthew 6. 6. + +My Father, I pray that thou wilt take care of my thoughts when I am +alone and tired, and keep them strong and clean. Grant that while I +commune with thee I may yield to my needs and be restored with keener +energy for worthier deeds. May I ask of thy wisdom every day. Amen. + + + + +MARCH THIRD + +Edmund Waller born 1605. + +George Herbert died 1633. + +Christine Nilsson born 1843. + + Pitch thy behaviour low, thy projects high, + So shalt thou humble and magnanimous be; + Sink not in spirit: who aimeth at the sky, + Shoots higher than he that means a tree. + + --George Herbert. + + We and God have business with each other; and in opening ourselves + to his influence our deepest destiny is fulfilled. + + --William James. + + While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things + which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal; but + the things which are not seen are eternal. + + --2 Corinthians 4. 18. + +Almighty God, help me to remember that "the power of character is the +highest point of success," and that thou hast put within reach of all +the choice ideals of life. May I have the desire to cultivate strong +purposes, and strive for high endeavors, that I may not aim for the +low. Amen. + + + + +MARCH FOURTH + +Casimer Pulaski born 1748. + +Sir Henry Raeburn born 1756. + +E.W. Bull, originator Concord grape, born 1806. + +Alexander Graham Bell born 1847. + + It is perfectly obvious that men do necessarily absorb, out of the + influences in which they grow up, something which gives a complexion + to their whole after-character. + + --Anthony Froude. + + All common things, each day's events + That with the hour begin and end, + Our pleasures and our discontents + Are rounds by which we may ascend. + + --Henry W. Longfellow. + + Our doubts are traitors, and make us lose the good we oft might win + by fearing to attempt. I + + --Shakespeare. + + And David put his hand in his bag, and took thence a stone, and + slang it, and smote the Philistine in his forehead; and the stone + sank into his forehead, and he fell upon his face to the earth. + + --1 Samuel 17. 49. + +My Father, I would remember that my life may decline from the neglect +of small things; for as thou dost nourish the wheat from flakes of +snow, and supply the springs from drops of rain, so thou wilt +strengthen my soul from every little blessing. I pray that I may not +forget to watch my habits, and keep track of the hours that culture +and sustain my life. Amen. + + + + +MARCH FIFTH + +Correggio died 1534. + +Howard Pyle born 1853. + +Arthur Foote born 1853. + + When I have the time so many things I'll do, + To make life happier and more fair + For those whose lives are crowded now with care, + I'll help to lift them from their low despair + When I have time. + + When I have time the friend I love so well + Shall know no more the weary, toiling days; + I'll lead his feet in pleasant paths always, + And cheer his heart with words of sweetest praise, + When I have time. + + Now is the time! Speed, friend; no longer wait + To scatter loving smiles and words of cheer + To those around whose lives are drear; + They may not need you in the far-off year: + Now is the time. + + --Unknown. + + Behold now is the acceptable time; behold, now is the day of + salvation. + + --2 Corinthians 6. 2. + +Lord God, teach me this day to know that the veriest trifle often +keeps happiness alive, and that the smallest trifle often may kill it. +I pray that now thou wilt put within my heart that touch of love, +which brings consideration for others, and the care that brings the +greatest happiness. Amen. + + + + +MARCH SIXTH + +Michael Angelo Buonarroti born 1475. + +Elizabeth Barrett Browning born 1806. + +George du Maurier born 1831. + + Beloved, let us love so well + Our work shall still be better for our love, + And still our love be sweeter for our work: + And both commended for the sake of each + By all true workers and true lovers born. + + --Elizabeth B. Browning. + + Earth saddens, never shall remove, + Affections purely given; + And e'en that mortal grief shall prove + The immortality of love, + And heighten it with heaven. + + --Elizabeth B. Browning. + + And if I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and if I give my body + to be burned, but have not love, it profiteth me nothing. + + --1 Corinthians 13. 3. + +Loving Father, I pray that I may not try to change the standard of +love by grafting on my own selfishness and infirmities. May I remember +that it is mostly for gratification that love is held to the base in +life; may I follow it to the summits, where it is divine. Amen. + + + + +MARCH SEVENTH + +Sir Thomas Wilson died 1755. + +Sir Edwin Landseer born 1802. + +Luther Burbank born 1849. + + Earth gets its price for what it gives us; + The beggar is taxed for a corner to die in, + The priest has his fee who comes and shrives us, + We bargain for the graves we lie in; + At the devil's booth are all things sold, + Each ounce of dross costs its ounce of gold; + For a cap and bells our lives we pay, + Bubbles we buy with a whole soul's tasking; + 'Tis heaven alone that is given away, + 'Tis only God may be had for the asking. + + --James Russell Lowell. + + We are our own fates. Our own deeds + Are our doomsmen. Man's life was made + Not for men's creeds, + But men's actions. + + --Owen Meredith. + + + The free gift of God is eternal life. + + --Romans 6. 23. + + +Gracious Father, may the world speak to me of thy love, and of thy +gifts of peace and power, which it freely offers. May I not pass by +its great values, and prefer to purchase at a great cost my indolence +and dissipation. + +--Amen. + + + + +MARCH EIGHTH + +Dr. John Fothergill born 1712. + +C.P. Cranch born 1813. + +Anna Letitia Barbauld died 1825. + + O boundless self-contentment voiced + In flying air-born bubbles! + O joy that mocks our sad unrest, + And frowns our earth-born troubles! + + The life that floods the happy fields + With song and light and color, + Will shape our lives to richer states + And heap our measures fuller. + + --C.P. Cranch. + + One may secure and preserve that repose in the turbulence of a great + city--as Shakespeare surely found and preserved it in the London of + the sixteenth century. For repose does not depend on external + conditions; it depends on sound adjustment to tasks, opportunities, + pleasures, and the general order of life. + + --Hamilton Mabie. + + That we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in godliness and gravity. + + --1 Timothy 2.2. + +Gracious Father, help me to understand that peace cannot abide in +misery, nor can it stay with every mood. May I be able to overcome the +depression that may keep me in sadness and isolation, and have delight +in the gladness of friends, and live in the peace of strong +resolutions. Amen. + + + + +MARCH NINTH + +Americus Vespucius born 1451. + +Lewis Gonzaga born 1568. + +Comte de Mirabeau born 1749. + +William Cobbett born 1762. + +Edwin Forrest born 1806. + + Yet nerve thy spirit to the Proof, and blanch not at thy chosen lot; + The timid good may stand aloof, the sage may frown--yet faint thou not; + Nor heed the shaft too surely cast, the foul and hissing bolt of scorn; + For with thy Side shall dwell, at last, the victory of endurance born. + + --William C. Bryant. + + You cannot dream yourself into a character; you must hammer and + forge yourself into one. + + --James Anthony Froude. + + Can thy heart endure, or can thy hands be strong, in the days that I + shall deal with thee? + + --Ezekiel 22.14. + +Loving Father, search me, and if there be any evil ways in me, correct +them, and lead me into the ways everlasting. I pray that I may not be +deformed from selfishness, but with a lowly and expectant heart run +with patience and triumph the race that is set before me. Amen. + + + + +MARCH TENTH + +Bishop Duppa born 1698. + +Professor Playfair born 1748. + +Charles Loyson (Pere Hyacinthe) born 1827. + + So he died by his faith. That is fine-- + More than the most of us do. + But stay. Can you add to that line + That he lived for it too? + + It is easy to die. Men have died + For a wish or a whim-- + From bravado or passion or pride. + Was it hard for him? + + But to live: every day to live out + All the truth that he dreamt, + While his friends met his conduct with doubt, + And the world with contempt. + + Was it thus that he plodded ahead, + Never turning aside? + Then we'll talk of the life that he led. + Never mind how he died. + + --Ernest Crosby. + + For I have no pleasure in the death of him that dieth, saith the + Lord Jehovah: wherefore turn yourselves, and live. + + --Ezekiel 18. 32. + +Almighty God, help me to live an upright life. Give me courage to +abandon useless customs, and seeming duties that keep me from +perfecting my life. Amen. + + + + +MARCH ELEVENTH + +Torquato Tasso born 1544. + +Alexander Mackenzie died 1820. + +Henry Drummond died 1897. + + There is nothing that is puerile in nature; and he who becomes + impassioned of a flower, a blade of grass, a butterfly's wing, a + nest, a shell, wraps around a small thing that always contains a + great truth. To succeed in modifying the appearance of a flower is + insignificant in itself, if you will; but reflect upon it for + however short a while and it becomes gigantic. + + --Maurice Maeterlinck. + + O world, as God has made it! All is beauty: + And knowing this, is love, and love is duty: + What further may be sought for or declared? + + --Robert Browning. + + Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, + neither do they spin: yet I say unto you, that even Solomon in all + his glory was not arrayed like one of these. + + --Matthew 6. 28, 29. + +Creator of all, I do know that if I may hold myself close enough, I +can hear restful music through the breeze, and find secrets in the +flowers and leaves. I rejoice that thou hast made the woods and rivers +that thou dost love, so I too might possess them, and not be a tenant +of them only. May I look and study deeper the things which bring me +closer to thee. Amen. + + + + +MARCH TWELFTH + +Cesare Borgia killed 1507. + +Bishop Buckley born 1684. + +Simon Newcomb born 1835. + + Among the happiest and proudest possessions of a man is his + character. It is a wreath, it is a bank in itself. What is the + essence and life of character? Principle, integrity, independence. + + --Bulwer Lytton. + + No great genius was ever without some mixture of madness, nor can + anything grand or superior to the voice of common mortals be spoken + except by the agitated soul. + + --Aristotle. + + Handsome is that handsome does. + + --Oliver Goldsmith. + + Since thou hast been precious in my sight, and honorable, and I have + loved thee; therefore will I give men in thy stead, and peoples + instead of thy life. + + --Isaiah 43. 4. + +Lord God, forbid that I should try to supplant character with manners +and worldly goods. May I remember that thou seest me, and knowest me, +and I need no shield from thee. Help me that I may be found acceptable +while thou dost search me to the depths of the soul. Amen. + + + + +MARCH THIRTEENTH + +Joseph Priestley born 1733. + +Esther Johnson (Stella) born 1681. + +Regina Maria Roche died 1845. + + If stores of dry and learned lore we gain + We keep them in the memory of the brain; + Names, things, and facts--whate'er we knowledge call, + There is the common ledger for them all; + And images on this cold surface traced + Make slight impressions and are soon effaced. + But we've a page more glowing and more bright + On which our friendship and our love to write; + That these may never from the soul depart, + We trust them to the memory of the heart. + There is no dimming--no effacement here; + Each pulsation keeps the record clear; + Warm golden letters all the tablet fill, + Nor lose their luster till the heart stands still. + + --Daniel Webster. + + I often wonder why it is that we are not all kinder than we are. How + much the world needs it! How easily it is done! How instantaneously + it acts! How infallibly it is remembered! + + --Henry Drummond. + + Cast thy bread upon the waters; for thou shalt find it after many + days. + + --Ecclesiastes 11. 1. + +My Father, thou hast taught me through the gifts of life, that there +is no labor or price too dear to pay for love. I pray to love thee +more that I may have more love to bestow on others. Amen. + + + + +MARCH FOURTEENTH + +Thomas H. Benton born 1782. + +Johann Strauss born 1804. + +Victor Emmanuel born 1820. + + Rivers to the ocean run, + Nor stay in all their course; + Fire ascending seeks the sun; + Both speed them to their source; + So a soul that's born of God, + Pants to view his glorious face, + Upward tends to his abode, + To rest in his embrace. + + --Robert Seagrave. + + As the bird trims her to the gale + I trim myself to the storm of time; + I man the rudder, reef the sail, + Obey the voice at eve obeyed at prime; + Lowly faithful, banish fear, + The port well worth the cruise is near + And every wave is charmed. + + --Ralph Waldo Emerson. + + As the hart panteth after the water brooks, + So panteth my soul after thee, O God. + + --Psalm 42. 1. + +My Father, I pray that if I meet with difficulty, I may not go +backward, nor stand still, and fear to go forward. Unfold to me the +depth and breadth of the ideal and beautiful, that I may not be +content to succeed in the shallowness of life: but may I aspire to the +height of the soul, even if I fail to acquire great things. Amen. + + + + +MARCH FIFTEENTH + +Julius Caesar killed B.C. 44. + +Peasants War began 1512. + +Andrew Jackson, North Carolina, seventh President +United States, born 1767. + +John Davenport died 1670. + + I will take the responsibility! + + --Andrew Jackson. + + What ought to be possible for everyone is to arrive at a sort of + harmony of life, to have definite things that they want to do.... + The people whom it is hard to fit into any scheme of benevolent + creation are the vague, insignificant, drifting people, whose only + rooted tendency is to do whatever is suggested to them. + + --Arthur C. Benson. + + Heard are the voices, + Heard are the sages, + The worlds, and the ages; + Choose well! your choice is + Brief and endless. + + --Goethe. + + Only be strong and very courageous, to observe to do according to + all the law.... + + --Joshua 1. 7. + +Gracious Father, I pray that thou wilt free me from evil thoughts +before they become a habit. Create in me that freedom which makes me +not ashamed to acknowledge the wrong, and which will enable me to +stand for the right. Quicken my thoughts, that they may keep my heart +inspired. Amen. + + + + +MARCH SIXTEENTH + +James Madison, Virginia, fourth President United +States, born 1751. + +Caroline Lucretia Herschel born 1750. + +Alexander Watts born 1797. + + If we live truly we shall see truly. It is as easy for the strong + man to be strong as it is for the weak to be weak. When we have new + perception we shall gladly disburthen the memory of the hoarded + treasures as old rubbish. When a man lives with God his voice shall + be as sweet as the murmur of the brook and the rustle of the corn. + + --Ralph Waldo Emerson. + + The tissue of the life to be, + We weave with colors all our own, + And in the field of Destiny + We reap as we have sown. + + --Raphael. + + Now when they beheld the boldness of Peter and John, and had + perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marveled; + and they took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus. + + --Acts 4. 13. + +Lord God, quiet me if I am not calm, that my soul may be able to +contemplate and have an opportunity to grow. Help me, that I may be +able even in discouragements to have the true perception of life. +Amen. + + + + +MARCH SEVENTEENTH + +Saint Patrick's Day. + +Ebenezer Elliott born 1781. + +Dr. Thomas Chalmers born 1780. + +Moncure D. Conway born 1832. + +Clara Morris born 1849. + +What is really wanted is to light up the spirit +that is within a child. In some sense and in some +effectual degree there is in every child the material +of good work in the world; and in every child, not +only in those who are brilliant, not only in those +who are quick, but in those who are stolid, and even +in those who are dull. + +--William Gladstone. + +If you make children happy now, you will make +them happy twenty years hence by the memory of +it. + +--Kate Douglas Wiggin. + +And these words, which I command thee this day, +shall be upon thy heart; and thou shalt teach them +diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them +when thou sittest in thy house, and when thou +walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and +when thou risest up. + +--Deuteronomy 6. 6, 7. + +Lord God, may I be diligent for the progress of +little children. Show me how I may minister unto +them; and grant that I may be able to see the +necessity of giving, more than I do the pleasure of +receiving. Amen. + + + + +MARCH EIGHTEENTH + +William Byrd died 1674. + +John C. Calhoun born 1782. + +Grover Cleveland, New Jersey, twenty-second President +United States, born 1837. + + My minde to me a kingdom is: + Such perfect joy therein I finde + As far exceeds all earthly blisse + That God or nature hath assignede. + + --William Byrd. + + Teach your proud will to make those nobler choices + Which bring to soul and heart enduring health. + Deafen your ears to those contending voices, + Look in your heart, learn your own being's wealth. + Its resources vast, its undiscovered treasure + Waiting for these same idle hands to mine. + Learn that the grandest of Nature's creations + May not be bounded by man's limitations. + + --Rose E. Cleveland. + + But he is in one mind, and who can turn him? + And what his soul desireth, even that he doeth. + + --Job 23. 13. + +Almighty God, grant that I may never succumb to the controlling +influences of the body, and lose the power of my mind. May I guard the +dictates of my heart and keep my mind in command to obey thy will. +Amen. + + + + +MARCH NINETEENTH + +David Livingstone born 1813. + +Alice French (Octave Thanet) born 1850. + +William Jennings Bryan born 1860. + + Isn't it interesting to get blamed for everything? But I must be + thankful in feeling that I would rather perish than blame another + for my misdeeds and deficiencies. + + --David Livingstone. + + Criticism is helpful. If a man makes a mistake, criticism enables + him to correct it; if he is unjustly criticized, the criticism helps + him. I have had my share of criticism since I have been in public + life, but it has not prevented me from doing what I thought proper + to do. + + --William Jennings Bryan. + + For himself hath said, I will in no wise fail thee, neither will I + in any wise forsake thee. So that with good courage we say, The Lord + is my helper; I will not fear. + + --Hebrews 13. 5, 6. + +Loving Father, I thank thee that thou art the same yesterday, to-day, +and forever; and I am glad I cannot receive from thee the slights and +wounds that I may give or receive from my friends. May I be +considerate and more forgiving, and by my sincerity be worthy of the +purpose which I pursue. Amen. + + + + +MARCH TWENTIETH + +Publius Ovidius (Ovid) born B.C. 43. + +Sir Isaac Newton died 1727. + +Karl August Nicander born 1799. + +Henrik Ibsen born 1828. + + Whoever is not with me in the essential things of life, him I no + longer know--I owe him no consideration. + + --Henrik Ibsen. + + Only he who lives in truth finds it. The deepest truth is not born + of conscious striving, but comes in the quiet hour when a noble + nature gives itself into the keeping of life, to suffer, to feel, to + think, and to act as it is moved by a wisdom not its own. + + --Hamilton Mabie. + + Forgetting the things which are behind, and stretching forward to + the things which are before, I press on toward the goal unto the + prize of the high calling of God. + + --Philippians 3. 13, 14. + +Lord God, I thank thee for the silent ways of revelation which bring +hopeful communion with thee. Help me to be composed, that my life may +not create a noise and my soul miss the messages that come from the +depths of truth and love. Amen. + + + + +MARCH TWENTY-FIRST + +Johann Sebastian Bach born 1685. + +Archbishop Cranmer burnt at Oxford 1556. + +Jean Paul Richter born 1763. + +Henry Kirke White born 1785. + + Go through life with soft influences breathing around thee. Keep thy + heart high above the many-colored mist of earth and above its storm + clouds. + + --Jean Paul Richter. + + Recollection is the only paradise from which we cannot be turned + out. + + --Jean Paul Richter. + + Come, Disappointment, come! + Thou art not stern to me; + Sad monitress! I own thy sway, + A votary sad in every day, + I bend my knee to thee, + From sun to sun + My race will run; + I only bow, and say, My God, thy will be done! + + --Henry Kirke White. + + If I say, I will forget my complaint, + I will put off my sad countenance, and be of good cheer. + + --Job 9. 27. + +Gracious Father, help me to respond cheerfully when called upon to +give. May I never repent of tenderness which others fail to +appreciate, but may I be glad of all that I give and for all I +receive. Amen. + + + + +MARCH TWENTY-SECOND + +Sir Anthony Vandyke born 1599. + +Caroline Sheridan Norton born 1808. + +Johann Goethe died 1832. + +Dr. Farrar, Dean of Canterbury, died 1903. + +Rosa Bonheur born 1822. + + Red Love still rules the day, white Faith enfolds the night, + And hope, green-mantled, leads the way by the walls of the City of Light. + Therefore I walk as one who sees the joy shine through + Of the other Life behind our life, like the stars behind the blue. + + --Dean Farrar. + + There can be no greater delight than is experienced by a man who, by + his own unaided resources, frees himself from the consequences of + error: Heaven looks down with satisfaction upon such a spectacle. + + --Goethe. + + Thine eyes shall see the king in his beauty: they shall behold a + land that reacheth afar. + + --Isaiah 33. 17. + +Lord God, help me to remember that I may not only be forgiven for my +transgression, but with thy help I may be led away from the wrong. May +I be content to follow where thou dost lead. Amen. + + + + +MARCH TWENTY-THIRD + +Pierre Savant La Place born 1749. + +Schuyler Colfax born 1823. + +Richard A. Proctor born 1837. + + Silence is the element in which great things fashion themselves + together; that at length they may emerge, full-formed and majestic, + into the daylight of life.... Nay, in thy own mean perplexities, do + thou thyself but hold thy tongue for one day; on the morrow how much + clearer are thy purposes and duties! + + --Thomas Carlyle. + + Deliberate much before you say and do anything; for it will not be + in your power to recall what is said or done. + + --Epictetus. + + Set a watch, O Jehovah, before my mouth; + Keep the door of my lips. + + --Psalm 141. 3. + +My Lord, make me a lover of the truth. Make me careful of my thoughts, +and the words I would speak, that I may not think selfishly and speak +cruelly, but keep myself holy unto thee. Amen. + + + + +MARCH TWENTY-FOURTH + +Queen Elizabeth died 1603. + +Fanny Crosby born 1820. + +Henry W. Longfellow died 1882. + +Sir Edwin Arnold died 1904. + +Every quivering tongue of flame +Seems to murmur some great name, + Seems to say to me "Aspire!" +No endeavor is in vain; +Its reward is in the doing, +And the rapture of pursuing + Is the prize of vanquished gain. + +--Henry W. Longfellow. + + Never be sad or desponding + If thou hast faith to believe; + Grace for the duties before thee + Ask of thy God and receive. + + --Fanny Crosby. + + I spread forth my hands unto thee: + My soul thirsteth after thee, as a weary land. + + --Psalm 143. 6. + +Almighty God, make me conscious of my weaknesses, and make me ashamed +of my indulgences. Give me a victory over self; and may I consider +more what I put in my life. May I be eager for that which will inspire +me for greater aspirations. Amen. + + + + +MARCH TWENTY-FIFTH + +Archbishop John Williams born 1582. + +Joachim Murat born 1771. + +Anna Seward died 1809. + + How awful is the thought of the wonders underground, + Of the mystic changes wrought in the silent, dark profound! + How each thing upward tends by necessity decreed, + And the world's support depends on the shooting of a seed! + + The summer's in her ark, and this sunny-pinioned day + Is commissioned to remark whether Winter holds her sway: + Go back, thou dove of peace, with myrtle on thy wing, + Say that floods and tempests cease, and the world is ripe for Spring. + + --Horace Smith. + + I should never have made my success in life if I had not bestowed + upon the least thing I have ever undertaken the same attention and + care that I have bestowed upon the greatest. + + --Charles Dickens. + + Gather up the broken pieces which remain over, that nothing be lost. + + --John 6. 12. + +Loving Father, cause me to learn from nature that to have perfection I +must be attentive at the beginning of growth. Help me to select with +care the soil wherein I plant; and to weed and cultivate my life that +it may grow to beauty and usefulness. Amen. + + + + +MARCH TWENTY-SIXTH + +Konrad von Gesner born 1516. + +W. E. H. Lecky born 1838. + +Gustave Guillaumet born 1840. + +Walt Whitman died 1892. + + Every man takes care that his neighbor shall not cheat him, but a + day comes when he begins to care that he do not cheat his neighbor. + Then all goes well. He has changed his market-cart into a chariot of + the sun. + + --Ralph Waldo Emerson. + + He that is unacquainted with the nature of the world must be at a + loss to know where he is. And he that cannot tell the ends he was + made for is ignorant both of himself and the world too. + + --Marcus Aurelius. + + Give diligence to present thyself approved unto God, a workman that + needeth not to be ashamed, handling aright the word of truth. + + --2 Timothy 2. 15. + +Almighty God, may I not only approve of justice and kindness, but +practice it. Grant that I may be attentive to the call of work and +steadfast in completing it. May I be sincere to those who are dear to +me, and never falter in my support to those who are dependent upon me. +Amen. + + + + +MARCH TWENTY-SEVENTH + +Alfred Vigny born 1799. + +General A. W. Greely born 1847. + +Sir Gilbert Scott died 1878. + + It takes great strength to bring your life up square + With your accepted thought and hold it there: + Resisting the inertia that drags it back + From new attempts, to the old habit's track. + It is so easy to drift back, to sink. + So hard to live abreast of what you think. + + --Charlotte Perkins Stetson. + + If a person had delivered up your body to anyone whom he met in his + way, you would certainly be angry. And do you feel no shame in + delivering up your own mind to be disconcerted and confounded by + anyone who happens to give you ill language. + + --Epictetus. + + Wherefore, O King Agrippa, I was not disobedient unto the heavenly + vision. + + --Acts 26. 19. + +My Father, my soul sinks with shame when I think of the great moments +that I have given over to mean little things. Help me that I may +reckon more on the value of time, and live not to tolerate life, but +to have a great need for it, that day by day I may have a deeper +consciousness of its appropriate use. Amen. + + + + +MARCH TWENTY-EIGHTH + +Santi d'Urbino Raphael born 1483. + +Sir Thomas Smith born 1514. + +Margaret (Peg) Woffington died 1760. + + They may not need me, + Yet they might; + I'll let my heart be + Just in sight-- + + A smile so small + As mine might be + Precisely their + Necessity. + + --Unknown. + + You hear that boy laughing?--you think he's all fun; + But the angels laugh too at the good he has done; + The children laugh loud as they troop to his call, + And the poor man that knows him laughs loudest of all. + + --Oliver Wendell Holmes. + + Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamor, and railing, + be put away from you, with all malice: and be ye kind one to + another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other. + + --Ephesians 4. 31. + +Lord God, I pray that I may be fair, and not pass judgment on those +whom I like or those whom I dislike, and so bring unhappy regrets. May +I remember that, though hasty judgment often may be temporary, the +gain or loss of a friend may be permanent. Amen. + + + + +MARCH TWENTY-NINTH + +Dr. John Lightfoot born 1602. + +John Tyler, Virginia, tenth President United States, +born 1790. + +Amelia Barr born 1831. + + The year's at the spring + And the day's at the morn; + The hillside's dew-pearled; + The lark's on the wing: + The snail's on the thorn; + God's in his heaven: + All's well with the world. + + --Robert Browning. + + Dear Lord and Father of mankinds + Forgive our feverish ways; + Reclothe us in our rightful mind; + In purer lives thy service find, + In deeper reverence praise. + + --John G. Whittier. + + In quietness and in confidence shall be your strength. + + --Isaiah 30. 15. + +Lord God, I beseech thee to give me the strength which endures. Grant +that I may have the ceaseless content which is secured by choosing and +continuing in the right way. From the wealth of each day renew my +hope, and quiet my soul with the calm of thy peace. Amen. + + + + +MARCH THIRTIETH + +Sir Henry Wotton born 1568. + +Archbishop Somner born 1606. + +John Fiske born 1842. + +John Constable died 1837. + + I said, "Let us walk in the field." + He said, "Nay walk in the town." + I said, "There are no flowers there." + He said, "No flowers but a crown." + + I said, "But the air is thick, + And the fogs are veiling the sun." + He answered, "Yet souls are sick + And souls in the dark undone." + + I cast one look at the field, + Then set my face to the town. + He said: "My child, do you yield? + Will ye leave the flowers for the crown?" + + Then into his hand went mine + And into my heart came He, + And I walked in a light divine + The path I had feared to see. + + --George Macdonald. + + Now therefore amend your ways and your doings, and obey the voice of + Jehovah your God. + + --Jeremiah 26. 13. + +Eternal God, teach me the way of a complete and unbroken trust. In my +disappointments, and in my devotions, may my faith and hope be as +immortal as my soul. May I listen for thy voice and answer thy call. +Amen. + + + + +MARCH THIRTY-FIRST + +Ludwig von Beethoven died 1827. + +Joseph Francis Haydn born 1732. + +Andrew Lang born 1844. + +Charlotte Bronte died 1855. + + The Great Being unseen, but all-present, who in his beneficence + desires only our welfare, watches the struggle between good and evil + in our hearts, and waits to see whether we obey his voice, heard in + the whispers of conscience, or lend an ear to the Spirit Evil, which + seeks to lead us astray. Rough and steep is the path indicated by + divine suggestion; mossy and declining the green way along which + temptation strews flowers. Then conscience whispers, "Do what you + feel is right, obey me, and I will plant for you firm footing." + + --Charlotte Bronte. + + God help us do our duty, and not shrink, + And trust in heaven humbly for the rest. + + --Owen Meredith. + + I call heaven and earth to witness against you this day, that I have + set before thee life and death, the blessing and the curse: + therefore choose life. + + --Deuteronomy 30. 19. + +My Father, as I review my life I am impressed how accurately my deeds +have copied my thoughts. And though I have failed the so often, yet I +pray that thou wilt accept my yearnings, to think and work for the +best in every day. Amen. + + + + +APRIL + + God's April is coming up the hill, and the noisy winds are quieting + down, subdued by the fragrance of the wild flowers on the way. Lest + we miss the richness of life, while pursuing the world, God + continues to pour out precious fragrance from his storehouse, and + unconsciously, our souls are lulled to peace through the sweetness + of April days. + + --M.B.S. + + + + +APRIL FIRST + +All Fools' Day. + +William Harvey born 1578. + +Prince von Bismarck born 1815. + +Edwin A. Abbey born 1852. + +Agnes Repplier born 1858. + + It is a peculiar quality of a fool to perceive the faults of others, + and to forget his own. + + --Cicero. + + A man may be as much a fool from the want of sensibility as the want + of sense. + + --Mrs. Jameson. + + He that knows not, and knows not that he knows not, is a fool: shun + him. + + --Arabian Maxim. + + Seest thou a man wise in his own conceit? + There is more hope of a fool than of him. + + --Proverbs 26. 12. + +Almighty God, grant that I may be spared the allurements of deceptive +happiness which leaves weary days. I ask for wisdom that I may not +speak foolishly, think foolishly, or act foolishly; and may I not be +detained by the foolishness of others, but pursue my work, whether it +be far or near. Amen. + + + + +APRIL SECOND + +Charlemagne born 742. + +Thomas Jefferson, Virginia, third President United +States, born 1743. + +Hans Andersen born 1805. + +Frederic A. Bartholdi born 1834. + +Emile Zola born 1840. + + When a man assumes a public trust he should consider himself public + property. + + --Thomas Jefferson. + + We hold these truths to be self-evident--that all men are created + equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain + unalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty, and the + pursuit of happiness. + + --Declaration of Independence. + + Breathes there the man with soul so dead + Who never to himself hath said, + This is my own, my native land! + Whose heart hath ne'er within him burned + As home his footsteps he hath turned + From wandering on a foreign strand? + + --Sir Walter Scott. + + Render therefore unto Caesar the things that are Caesar's. + + --Matthew 22. 21. + +My Lord, I thank thee for the wisdom and love that is spoken through +the lives of strong men and women. Grant that I may be willing to +learn of them, and gladly serve where I am needed, remembering that +thou art Lord of all. Amen. + + + + +APRIL THIRD + +George Herbert born 1593. + +Washington Irving born 1783. + +Edward Everett Hale born 1822. + +John Burroughs born 1837. + + Sum up at night what thou hast done by day + And in the morning what thou hast to do: + Dress and undress thy soul: mark the decay + And growth of it; if with thy watch that too + Be dowl, then wind up both; since we shall be + Most surely judged, make thy accounts agree. + + --George Herbert. + + To look up and not down, + To look forward and not back, + To look out and not in, and + To lend a hand. + + --Edward E. Hale. + + There is a healthy hardiness about real dignity that never dreads + contact and communion with others, however humble. + + --Washington Irving. + + I put on righteousness, and it clothed me: + My justice was as a robe and a diadem. + + --Job 29. 14. + +My Lord, I pray that I may always be found clothed in love and +kindness. Make me worthy to minister to those who may be dependent on +me, and whether they be rich or poor, high or low, may I try to help +them. Amen. + + + + +APRIL FOURTH + +Oliver Goldsmith died 1774. + +Dorothea Dix born 1802. + +James Freeman Clarke born 1810. + + "The greatest object in the universe," said a certain philosopher, + "is a good man struggling with adversity"; yet there is still a + greater, which is the good man who comes to relieve it. + + --Oliver Goldsmith. + + Yet I believe that somewhere, soon or late, + A peace will fall + Upon the angry reaches of my mind; + A peace initiate + In some heroic hour when I behold + A friend's long-quested triumph, or unbind + The tressed gold + From a child's laughing face. I still believe-- + So much believe. + + --J. Drinkwater. + + But whoso hath the world's goods, and beholdeth his brother in need, + and shutteth up his compassion from him, how doth the love of God + abide in him? + + --1 John 3. 17. + +Almighty God, may I have a liberal heart. Grant that I may feel the +needs of thy children in all lands; and may I be willing to give of +thy blessings, as I am ready to receive them. May my tribute be not +only of tender thoughts and kind words, but may I give of myself, and +of what I have, as thou hast through love and wisdom done for me. +Amen. + + + + +APRIL FIFTH + +Elihu Yale born 1648. + +Sir Henry Havelock born 1795. + +Frank Stockton (Francis) born 1834. + +Algernon Charles Swinburne born 1837. + + As morning hears before it run + The music of the mounting sun, + And laughs to watch his trophies won + From darkness, and her hosts undone, + And all the night becomes a breath, + Nor dreams that fear should hear and flee + The summer menace of the sea, + So hear our hope what life may be, + And know it not for death. + + --Algernon Charles Swinburne. + + I came from God, and I'm going back to God, and I won't have any + gaps of death in the middle of my life. + + --George MacDonald. + + The hope of the righteous shall be gladness; + But the expectation of the wicked shall perish. + + --Proverbs 10. 28. + +Lord God, teach me the way and show me the light of the eternal day; +and may the vision fill my soul as I take courage and follow it. May I +not be fearful of what may be provided, but remember that before the +creation of life thou didst have a purpose in death. May I be +trustful. Amen. + + + + +APRIL SIXTH + +Albert Duerer died 1528. + +James Mill born 1773. + +Jean Baptiste Rousseau born 1669. + + Even if the sacrifices which are made to duty and virtue are painful + to make, they are well repaid by the sweet recollections which they + leave at the bottom of the heart. + + --Jean B. Rousseau. + + I am the man of a thousand loves, + A thousand loves have I; + And all my loves are white-winged doves, + That into my soul would fly. + + I am the man of a thousand friends + Of tuneful memory; + And each of them spends the delicate ends + Of a brilliant day with me. + + And all my gifts are magical words + That sing sweet songs to me; + And the sensitive words are caroling birds + In the garden of imagery. + + --Edwin Leibfreed. + + Be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee the crown of life. + + --Revelation 2. 10. + +Loving Father, I bless thee for thy love and ministry. May I enter +into a broader conception of sharing thy gifts. May I not seek thy +blessings to keep, but to use for renewed inspiration. Amen. + + + + +APRIL SEVENTH + +Saint Francis Xavier born 1506. + +William Wordsworth born 1770. + +William Ellery Channing born 1780. + + My heart leaps up when I behold + A rainbow in the sky: + So was it when my life began; + So is it now I am a man; + So be it when I shall grow old, + Or let me die! + The child is Father of the Man; + And I could wish my days to be + Bound each to each by natural piety. + + --William Wordsworth. + + A self-controlled mind is a free mind, and freedom is power. I call + that mind free which jealously guards its intellectual rights and + powers. I call that mind free which resists the bondage of habit, + which does not live on its old virtues, but forgets what is behind, + and rejoices to pour itself forth in fresh and higher exertions. + + --William Ellery Channing. + + That ye be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and put on the new + man, that after God hath been created in righteousness and holiness + of truth. + + --Ephesians 4. 23, 24. + +Lord God, give me the power to control my mind and heart, that I may +not be a slave to habits that may keep me from eternal love and +blessedness. May I have sympathy and compassion for others, and +cherish thy tenderness and mercy as I hold it in my daily life. Amen. + + + + +APRIL EIGHTH + +Petrarch crowned 1341. + +William Herbert, Earl of Pembroke, born 1580. + +David Rittenhouse born 1732. + + If I can stop one heart from breaking, + I shall not live in vain; + If I can ease one life from aching, + Or cool one pain, + Or help one fainting robin + Unto his nest again, + I shall not live in vain. + + --Emily Dickinson. + + The most solid comfort one can fall back upon is the thought that + the business of one's life is to help in some small way to reduce + the sum of ignorance, degradation, and misery on the face of this + beautiful earth. + + --George Eliot. + + Make full my joy, that ye be of the same mind, having the same love, + being of one accord, of one mind; doing nothing through faction or + through vainglory, but in lowliness of mind each counting other + better than himself. + + --Philippians 2. 2, 3. + +My Father, take away the spirit, if I may be inclined to keep the +best, and to be always seeking my portion. May I have the desire to +share with those who have less, and to give to those who may have +more, whether it be of bread or love. Amen. + + + + +APRIL NINTH + +Fisher Ames born 1758. + +John Opie died 1807. + +Dante Gabriel Rossetti died 1882. + + Gather a shell from the strown beach + And listen at its lips; they sigh + The same desire and mystery, + The echo of the whole sea's speech. + And all mankind is this at heart-- + Not anything but what thou art: + And Earth, Sea, Man are all in each. + + --Dante Gabriel Rossetti. + + And as, in sparkling majesty, a star + Gilds the bright summit of some glory cloud; + Brightening the half-veil'd face of heaven afar; + So when dark thoughts my boding spirit shroud, + Sweet Hope! celestial influence round me shed, + Waving the silver pinions o'er my head. + + --John Keats. + + Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, + that ye may abound in hope, in the power of the Holy Spirit. + + --Romans 15. 13. + +Almighty God, may I ever know the generous glow that comes with an +overwhelming desire to cultivate the soul. With hope may I find the +way through the darkness that leads to immortality, even if I may have +to experience the weariness that may accompany it. Amen. + + + + +APRIL TENTH + +Hugo Grotius born 1583. + +William Hazlitt born 1778. + +General Lew Wallace born 1827. + +General William Booth born 1829. + + The essence of happy living is never to find life dull, never to + feel the ugly weariness which comes of overstrain; to be fresh, + cheerful, leisurely, sociable, unhurried, well-balanced. It seems to + me impossible to be these things unless we have time to consider + life a little, to deliberate, to select, to abstain. + + --Arthur C. Benson. + + Four things come not back--the spoken word, the sped arrow, the past + life, the neglected opportunity. + + --William Hazlitt. + + Wherefore, brethren, give the more diligence to make your calling + and election sure. + + --2 Peter 1. 10. + +My Father, may I not miss my work through indifference and feel it is +thy neglect of me. May I be reminded that the enrichment of life comes +through persistency and being consistent, and may not be found on the +idle paths of extravagant ways. Help me to take up my work with a +willing spirit and give my best to it. Amen. + + + + +APRIL ELEVENTH + +George Canning born 1770. + +Edward Everett born 1794. + +Donald G. Mitchell (Ik Marvel) born 1822. + + The safe path to excellence and success in every calling, is that of + appropriate preliminary education, diligent application to learn the + art of assiduity and practicing it. + + --Edward Everett. + + That nothing walks with aimless feet; + That not one life shall be destroyed, + Or cast as rubbish to the void, + When God hath made the pile complete. + + Behold, we know not anything: + I can but trust that good shall fall + At last--far off--at last, to all, + And every winter change to spring. + + --Alfred Tennyson. + + And we desire that each one of you may show the same diligence unto + the fullness of hope even to the end: that ye be not sluggish, but + imitators of them who through faith and patience inherit the + promises. + + --Hebrews 6. 11, 12. + +Lord God, help me in all my circumstances, and be with me in my daily +work. Help me in my efforts, as I endeavor to attain, and may my will +be hid in thine. Amen. + + + + +APRIL TWELFTH + +Edward Young died 1765. + +Edward Bird born 1772. + +Henry Clay born 1777. + + I would rather be right than be President. + + --Henry Clay. + + + Who does the best his circumstances allow + Does well, acts nobly; angels could no more. + + --Edward Young. + + Pedigree haz no more to do in making a man aktually grater than he + iz than a pekok's feather in his hat haz in making him aktually + taller. When the world stands in need of an arestokrat, natur + pitches one into it, and furnishes him papers without enny flaw in + them. + + --Josh Billings. + + Cast not away therefore your boldness, which hath great recompense + of reward. For ye have need of patience, that, having done the will + of God, ye may receive the promise. + + --Hebrews 10. 35, 36. + +Lord God, help me to select with care the site, the plans, and the +foundation of my life. May I use the best material; and may it be +worthy of a permanent home. Amen. + + + + +APRIL THIRTEENTH + +Madame Jeanne Guyon born 1648. + +Dr. Thomas Beddoes born 1760. + +James Harper born 1795. + + If there were dreams to sell, + Merry and sad to tell, + And the crier rang the bell, + What would you buy? + + A cottage lone and still + With bowers nigh, + Shadowy, my woes to still, + Until I die. + Such pearl from Life's fresh crown + Fain would I shake me down, + Were dreams to have at will + This would best heal my ill, + This would I buy. + + --Thomas Lovell Beddoes. + + I pray you, bear me hence From forth the noise and rumor of the + field Where I may think the remnant of my thoughts In peace, and + part this body and my soul With contemplation and devout desires. + + --William Shakespeare. + + Come ye yourselves apart into a desert place, and rest awhile. + + --Mark 6. 31. + +Lord God, help me to bear in mind that to step aside and safeguard the +mind in contemplation is a safe guard to the soul. Amen. + + + + +APRIL FOURTEENTH + +Dr. George Gregory born 1754. + +George Frederic Handel died 1759. + +Horace Bushnell born 1802. + + Flower in the crannied wall, + I pluck you out of the crannies-- + Hold you here, root and all, in my hand, + Little flower--but if I could understand + What you are, root and all, and all in all, + I should know what God and man is. + + --Alfred Tennyson. + + So much is history stranger than fiction, and so true it is Nature + has caprices which Art dares not imitate. + + --Thomas Macaulay. + + Nature is the face of God. He appears to us through it, and we can + read his thoughts in it. + + --Victor Hugo. + + Many, O Jehovah my God, are the wonderful works + which thou hast done, + And thy thoughts which are to us-ward. + + --Psalm 40. 5. + +Eternal God, I thank thee for the seasons which bring abundance and +beauty. I thank thee for thy loving care, which is over all and +forever. May I behold thy works and make thee a very present help for +all my needs, and perceive the joy of thy love through the greatness +of the earth. Amen. + + + + +APRIL FIFTEENTH + +Emile Souvestre born 1806. + +John Lothrop Motley born 1814. + +Henry James born 1843. + +Abraham Lincoln died 1865. + + Two thirds of human existence are wasted in hesitation, and the last + third in repentance. + + --Emile Souvestre. + + And, having thus chosen our course, let us renew our trust in God + and go forward without fear and with manly hearts. + + --Abraham Lincoln. + + The barriers are not erected which shall say to aspiring talent, + "Thus far and no further." + + --Beethoven. + + Be strong and of good courage. + + --Joshua 1. 6. + +Almighty God, I pray that I may always be alive to my opportunities, +but may I never leave others impoverished by taking advantage of them. +May my prosperity be conducted with my eyes open, guarding what I give +and receive, that my possessions may remain valuable through life. +Amen. + + + + +APRIL SIXTEENTH + +Charles Montagu, Earl of Halifax, born 1661. + +Charles W. Peale born 1741. + +Sir John Franklin born 1786. + + Weary of myself and sick of asking + What I am, and what I ought to be, + At the vessel's prow I stand, which bears me + Forward, forward, o'er the starlit sea + + O air-born voice! long since severely clear, + A cry like thine in my own heart I hear. + Resolve to be thyself: and know that he + Who finds himself, loses his misery. + + --Matthew Arnold. + + This above all to thine own self be true, + And it must follow, as the night the day, + Thou can'st not then be false to any man. + + --William Shakespeare. + + Let thine eyes look right on, + And let thine eyelids look straight before thee. + Make level the path of thy feet, + And let all thy ways be established. + + --Proverbs 4. 25, 26. + +My Father, give me a sense of nearness to thee when I may be faltering +from weariness in well doing. May I hold to my determinations. Help me +to know what is useless, that I may not give unnecessary energy, and +to know what is worth while, that I may acquire strength through the +power of truth. Amen. + + + + +APRIL SEVENTEENTH + +Bishop Benjamin Hoadley died 1761. + +Benjamin Franklin died 1790. + +William G. Simms born 1806. + + Shall I ask the brave soldier who fights at my side, + In the cause of mankind, if our creeds agree? + Shall I give up the friend I have valued and tried, + If he kneel not before the same altar as me? + + --Thomas Moore. + + I met a little Elf-man once, + Down where the lilies blow. + I asked him why he was so small + And why he didn't grow. + + He slightly frowned, and with his eye + He looked me through and through. + "I'm quite as big for me," said he + "As you are big for you." + + --John Kendrick Bangs. + + Woe unto them that are wise in their own eyes, and prudent in their + own sight! + + --Isaiah 5. 21. + +Loving Father, grant that I may not barter love with formalities, nor +sacrifice love for customs. But, may I have a fellowship that is true +and sincere, and that may be counted on, though all and for all. Amen. + + + + +APRIL EIGHTEENTH + +Lord Jeffreys died 1689. + +George Henry Lewes born 1817. + +Sir Francis Baring born 1740. + + Nor can I count him happiest who has never + Been forced with his own hand his chains to sever, + And for himself find out the way divine; + He never knew the aspirer's glorious pains, + He never earned the struggler's priceless gains. + + --James Russell Lowell. + + There is not time for hate, O wasteful friend. + Put hate away until the ages end. + Have you an ancient wound? Forget the wrong-- + Out in my West a forest loud with song + Towers high and green over a field of snow, + Over a glacier buried far below. + + --Edwin Markham. + + Fight the good fight of the faith, lay hold on the life eternal, + whereunto thou wast called, and didst confess the good confession in + the sight of many witnesses. + + --1 Timothy 6. 12. + +Lord God, help me to realize the power of my life. I feel ashamed and +alarmed when I think of the grievous wrongs I may have done for greed. +May I have delight in the struggles I have made for the ways of +righteousness. Make me careful to avoid the things that debase life. +May I aspire for the highest and best. Amen. + + + + +APRIL NINETEENTH + +Roger Sherman born 1721. + +Lord Byron died 1824. + +Lord Beaconsfield (Disraeli) died 1881. + +Charles Darwin died 1882. + + The secret of success in life is for a man to be ready for his + opportunity when it comes. --Disraeli. + + One sees, and the other does not see; one enjoys + an unspeakable pleasure, and the other loses that + pleasure which is as free to him as the air.... + The whole outward world is the kingdom of the + observant eye. He who enters into any part of + that kingdom to possess it has a store of pure enjoyment + in life which is literally inexhaustible and + immeasurable. His eyes alone will give him a life + worth living. + + --Charles W. Eliot. + + Having eyes, see ye not? + + --Mark 8. 18. + +My Father, help me to realize that I cannot feel the joy that breathes +through the early morning unless I am with it. May I see distinctly +the glory of to-day. Help me to be watchful and keep my spirit awake, +that I may receive thy revelations. Amen. + + + + +APRIL TWENTIETH + +Marcus Aurelius born 121. + +Elizabeth Barton (Maid of Kent) executed 1534 + +Sir Francis T. Baring born 1796. + +Alice Cary born 1820. + + Do not act as if you had ten thousand years to throw away. Death + stands at your elbow. Be good for something while you live and it is + in your power. + + --Marcus Aurelius. + + And O, my heart, my heart, + Be careful to go strewing in and out + The way with good deeds, lest it come about + That when thou shalt depart, + No low lamenting tongue be found to say, + The world is poorer since thou went'st away + + --Alice Cary. + + A good man prolongs his life; to be able to enjoy one's past life is + to live twice. + + --Martial. + + The righteous shall be had in everlasting remembrance. + + --Psalm 112. 6. + +Heavenly Father, thou hast made my life dear; forgive me if I have +made dearer the things that I have put around it. Many days have been +used for costly things that have faded and are laid aside. May I +realize the meaning of days that have been lost. Make me more +concerned for what I put in the days to come. Amen. + + + + +APRIL TWENTY-FIRST + +Peter F. Abelard died 1142. + +Friedrich Froebel born 1782. + +Reginald Heber born 1783. + +James Martineau born 1805. + +Charlotte Bronte born 1816. + +Henry Shaw (Josh Billings) born 1818. + + Education should lead and guide man to clearness concerning himself + and in himself, to peace with nature, and to unity with God. + + --Friedrich Froebel. + + When spring unlocks the flowers, to paint the + laughing soil; + When summer's balmy showers refresh the mower's + toil; + When winter binds in frosty chains the fallow and + the flood, + In God the earth rejoiceth still, and owns its maker + good. + + --Reginald Heber. + + A memory without a blot or contamination must be an inexhaustible + source of pure refreshment. + + --Charlotte Bronte. + + For ye are all sons of light, and sons of the day: we are not of the + night, nor of darkness. + + --1 Thessalonians 5. 5. + +Lord of light, thou art the light of my life. May I make thee the joy +and light of my soul. Call me to where it is clear and high, that I +may see above the mist. May I not weary in climbing to reach thee in +the high places. Amen. + + + + +APRIL TWENTY-SECOND + +Henry Fielding born 1707. + +Immanuel Kant born 1724. + +Philip James Bailey born 1816. + + We live in deeds, not years: in thoughts, not breaths: + In feelings, not in figures on a dial. + We should count time by heart-throbs. He most lives + Who thinks most, feels the noblest, acts the best. + + --Philip James Bailey. + + Men cease to interest us when we find their limitations. The only + sin is limitation. As soon as you once come up with a man's + limitations it is all over with him. + + --Ralph Waldo Emerson. + + But he that looketh into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and so + continueth, being not a hearer that forgeteth but a doer that + worketh, this man shall be blessed in his doing. + + --James 1. 25. + +Lord God, help me to break away from habits that fasten me in the ruts +of life. Draw me out to thy broad way, where there are no limits to +thy wonderful works, that I may expand my life. Amen. + + + + +APRIL TWENTY-THIRD + +William Shakespeare born 1564, died 1616. + +Cervantes died 1616. + +J.M.W. Turner born 1775. + +James Buchanan, Pennsylvania, fifteenth President +United States, born 1791. + +James Anthony Froude born 1818. + +Thomas Nelson Page born 1853. + +Edwin Markham born 1852. + + My crown is in my heart, not on my head: + Not decked with diamonds and Indian Stones, + Nor to be seen. My crown is called content. + A crown it is that seldom kings enjoy. + + --William Shakespeare. + + At the heart of the cyclone tearing the sky + And flinging the clouds and the towers by + Is a place of central calm: + So here in the roar of mortal things, + I have a place where my spirit sings, + In the hollow of God's Palm. + + --Edwin Markham. + + Rest in Jehovah, and wait patiently for him: + Fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way. + + --Psalm 37. 7. + +Almighty God, my heart beats quicker and the desire for thy care grows +stronger when I remember thy promises are given for all eternity. May +I be grateful and contented with thy love and care. Amen. + + + + +APRIL TWENTY-FOURTH + +Edmund Cartwright born 1743. + +Anthony Trollope born 1815. + +Arthur Christopher Benson born 1862. + + By religion I mean the power, whatever it be, which makes a man + choose what is hard rather than what is easy; what is lofty and + noble rather than what is mean and selfish; that puts courage into + timorous hearts and gladness into clouded spirits. + + --Arthur C. Benson. + + For all noble things the time is long and the way rude.... For every + start and struggle of impatience there shall be so much attendant + failure.... But the fire which Patience carries in her own hand is + that truly stolen from heaven--unquenchable incense of life. + + --John Ruskin. + + But they that wait for Jehovah shall renew their strength; they + shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run and not be + weary; they shall walk, and not faint. + + --Isaiah 40. 31. + +My Father, I pray that I may not be indifferent to the call of my +soul. May I not seek to serve the disappearing and neglect to make +life worthy. Acquaint me with the permanent values of life. Make clear +the way of strength, that I may not be misled by ease and carried to +weakness. May my life be ennobled by the power of my possessions. +Amen. + + + + +APRIL TWENTY-FIFTH + +Oliver Cromwell born 1599. + +John Keble born 1792. + +Alexander Duff born 1806. + +Guglielmo Marconi born 1874. + +Mrs. Burton Harrison (Constance Cary) born 1846. + +Samuel Wesley died 1735. + + Truly God follows us with encouragements: let him not lose his + blessing upon us! They come in season, and with all the advantages + of heartening, as if God should say, "Up and be doing, and I will + stand by you and help you!" There is nothing to be feared but our + own sin and sloth. + + --Oliver Cromwell. + + Sun of my soul, thou Saviour dear, + It is not night if thou be near; + O may no earthborn cloud arise + To hide thee from thy servants' eyes. + + --John Keble. + + For Jehovah God is a sun and a shield: + Jehovah will give grace and glory; + No good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly. + + --Psalm 84. 11. + +My Father, may I not err in choosing thy benefits, nor fail from the +neglect to use them. Make me appreciative of all thy gifts, and, +through thy wisdom and power, may I find the best use for them. Amen. + + + + +APRIL TWENTY-SIXTH + +David Hume born 1711. + +Daniel Defoe died 1791. + +Charles F. Browne (Artemus Ward) born 1834. + + How strange a chequer-work of Providence is the life of man! and by + what secret different springs are the affections hurried about, as + different circumstances present! To-day we love what to-morrow we + hate; to-day we seek what to-morrow we shun; to-day we desire what + to-morrow we fear; nay, even tremble at the apprehension of. + + --Daniel Defoe. + + Now don't do nothin' which isn't your Fort, for ef you do you'll + find yourself splashin' round in the Kanawl, figgeratively speakin'. + + --Artemus Ward. + + Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. And there + are diversities of ministrations, and the same Lord. And there are + diversities of workings, but the same God, who worketh all things in + all. + + --1 Corinthians 12. 4-6. + +Lord forbid that I should fear to change for the better or be so +pleased with myself and the things which surround me that I feel no +need for a higher life. Make me dissatisfied if I am not trying to +grow in truth and to live in noble deeds. Amen. + + + + +APRIL TWENTY-SEVENTH + +Samuel Morse born 1791. + +Lajos Kossuth born 1802. + +Herbert Spencer born 1820. + +Ulysses S. Grant, Ohio, eighteenth President United +States, born 1822. + +Ralph Waldo Emerson died 1882. + + People who are dishonest, or rash, or stupid will inevitably suffer + the penalties of dishonesty, or rashness, or stupidity. + + --Herbert Spencer. + + Abide in the simple and noble regions of thy life; obey thy heart. + + --Ralph Waldo Emerson. + + Well, then, we must cut our way out. + + --General Grant. + + Wherefore take up the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to + withstand in the evil day, and, having done all, to stand. + + --Ephesians 6. 13. + +Loving Father, help me to live a simple and noble life. Grant that I +may have the blessedness that comes through peace, and escape the +misery that comes from cruelty and untruth. Through my life may what I +reap show that I have been careful in choosing and cultivating what I +have sown. Amen. + + + + +APRIL TWENTY-EIGHTH + +Charles Cotton born 1630. + +James Monroe, Virginia, fifth President United +States, born 1758. + +Anthony Ashley, Earl of Shaftesbury, born 1801. + + During a long life I have proved that not one kind word ever spoken, + not one kind deed ever done, but sooner or later returns to bless + the giver, and becomes a chain, binding men with golden bands to the + throne of God. + + --Earl of Shaftesbury. + + There's many a time when the bitterest thing + Is said without reason, and God knows + The courage it takes to suffer the sting, + By hiding the wounds that the heart shows. + + There's many a sob we bravely keep down + For the sake of old times revered so, + There's many a head with thorns for a crown + Where kisses would soon make the heart glow. + + --Edwin Leibfreed. + + So shalt thou know wisdom to be unto thy soul; + If thou hast found it, then shall there be a reward, + And thy hope shall not be cut off. + + --Proverbs 24. 14. + +My Father, if I am to-day without happiness, may I go in search of it. +Help me to remember that the will thou hast given me to overcome evil +with good I may use to overcome misery with happiness. Make me careful +that I may not be trapped by selfishness as I look for joy. May I +delight in the sweet sensations that are felt in having consideration +for others, and may I make kindness a daily habit. Amen. + + + + +APRIL TWENTY-NINTH + +Michel Ruyter died 1676. + +Abbe Charles de St. Pierre died 1743. + +Matthew Vassar born 1792. + +Edward Rowland Sill born 1841. + + Never yet was a springtime, + Late though lingered the snow, + That the sap stirred not at the whisper + Of the south wind, sweet and low; + Never yet was a springtime + When the buds forgot to blow. + + Ever the wings of the summer + Are folded under the mold; + Life that has known no dying, + Is Love's, to have and to hold, + Till, sudden, the burgeoning Easter! + The song! the green and the gold![1] + + --Margaret E. Sangster. + + In tracing the shade, I shall find out the sun. + + --Owen Meredith. + + All chastening seemeth for the present to be not joyous but + grievous; yet afterward it yieldeth peaceable fruit unto them that + have been exercised thereby, even the fruit of righteousness. + + --Hebrews 12. 11. + +Almighty God, grant that as the fulfillment of the green comes to the +withered grass, so thy restoring may come to me with the glory of life +that comes in the resurrection of the soul. I trust thee to bring me +out of winter's seal, that I may help make the spring. Amen. + +[Footnote 1: From Easter Bells. Copyright, 1897, by Harper & +Brothers.] + + + + +APRIL THIRTIETH + +Chevalier de Bayard killed 1524. + +Sir John Lubbock born 1834. + +James Montgomery died 1854. + +David Livingstone died 1873. + + We scatter seeds with careless hands, + And dream we ne'er shall see them more; + But for a thousand years + Their fruit appears + In weeds that mar the land. + + --John Keble + + And there came up a sweet perfume + From the unseen flowers below, + Like the savor of virtuous deeds, + Of deeds done long ago. + + --Mrs. Southey. + + Mary therefore took a pound of ointment of pure nard, very precious, + and anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped his feet with her hair: + and the house was filled with the odor of the ointment. + + --John 12. 3. + +My Father, I pray that it may be mine to have the recollection of +happy deeds, and not the memory of unkept promises. Help me to +remember that one act is worth a thousand intentions, and that memory +is the storehouse that supplies old age. Make me careful of my memory, +that it may not be burdened. Amen. + + + + +MAY + + + I cannot see what flowers are at my feet, + Nor what soft incense hangs upon the boughs, + But, in the embalmed darkness, guess each sweet + Wherewith the seasonable month endows + The grass, the thicket, and the fruit tree wild; + White hawthorn, and the pastoral eglantine; + Fast-fading violets covered up in leaves; + And mid-May's wildest child, + The coming musk-rose, full of dewy wine, + The murmurous haunt of flies on summer eves. + + --John Keats. + + Such a starved bank of moss + Till that May morn, + Blue ran the flash across: + Violets were born. + + --Robert Browning. + + + + +MAY FIRST + +Arbor Day. + +Joseph Addison born 1672. + +Arthur, Duke of Wellington, born 1769. + + If you wish to succeed in life, make perseverance your bosom friend, + experience your wise counselor, caution your elder brother, and hope + your guardian genius. + + --Joseph Addison. + + He who plants a tree, he plants love; + Tents of coolness spreading out above + Wayfarers, he may not live to see. + Gifts that grow are best; + Hands that bless are blest; + Plant-life does the rest! + Heaven and earth help him who plants a tree, + And his work his own reward shall be. + + --Lucy Larcom. + + And he shall be like a tree planted by the streams of water, + That bringeth forth its fruit in its season, + Whose leaf also doth not wither; + And whatsoever he doeth shall prosper. + + --Psalm 1. 3. + +My Creator, give me joyful eyes for joyful nature. May I be alive to +the gentle influences of a May day which bring new experiences to all +who may receive them: and may I serve thee by unfolding to others the +love of truth, the love of good, and the love of beauty. Amen. + + + + +MAY SECOND + +Leonardo da Vinci died 1519. + +Robert Hall born 1764. + +Jerome K. Jerome born 1859. + +William Henry Hudson born 1862. + + Without a false humility; + For this is love's nobility,-- + Not to scatter bread and gold, + Goods and raiment bought and sold; + But to hold fast his simple sense, + And speak the speech of innocence, + And with hand and body and blood, + To make his bosom-counsel good. + He that feeds man serveth few; + He serves all who dares be true. + + --Ralph Waldo Emerson. + + Small service is true service while it lasts: + Of humblest friends scorn not one: + The daisy, by the shadow it casts, + Protects the lingering dewdrop from the sun. + + --William Wordsworth. + + Surely then shalt thou lift up thy face without spot; + Yea, thou shalt be steadfast, and shalt not fear. + + --Job 11. 15. + +Heavenly Father, I would be thankful for the blessings I am inclined +to forget. Give me a heart of gratitude, and forbid that I should hold +my friends for material gain or selfish ends. May I through the +truthfulness of my lips, and the honor of my acts, be a necessary +friend. Amen. + + + + +MAY THIRD + +Niccolo Machiavelli born 1469. + +Thomas Hood died 1845. + +Jacob Riis born 1849. + + The longing for ignoble things; + The strife for triumph more than truth; + The hardening of the heart that brings + Irreverence for the dreams of youth; + + All these must first be trampled down + Beneath our feet, if we would gain + In the bright fields of fair renown + The right of eminent domain. + + --John Keble. + + One lesson, and only one, history may be said to repeat with + distinctness; that the world is built somehow on moral foundations; + that in the long run, it is well with the good; in the long run it + is ill with the wicked. + + --James Anthony Froude. + + No soldier on service entangleth himself in the affairs of this + life; that he may please him who enrolled him as a soldier. And if + also a man contend in the games, he is not crowned, except he have + contended lawfully. + + --2 Timothy 2. 4, 5. + +Gracious Father, may my heart be mindful of thee, that I may discover +the truth and possess it. Steady me in my affections and save me from +wandering impulses; and may I help to put wrong down and uplift +humanity. Amen. + + + + +MAY FOURTH + +Frederick Edwin Church born 1826. + +Isaac Barrow died 1677. + +John James Audubon born 1780. + +Horace Mann born 1796. + +Thomas Henry Huxley born 1825. + + The chess board is the world, the pieces are the phenomena of the + universe, the rules of the game we call the laws of nature. My + metaphor will remind some of you of the famous picture in which + Retzsch has depicted Satan playing chess with man for his soul. + Substitute for the mocking fiend in that picture a calm, strong + angel, who is playing "for love," as we say, and would rather lose + than win, and I should accept it as an image of human life. + + --Thomas Henry Huxley. + + Riches and nobility fade together. O, my God! be thou praised for + having made love for all time, and immortal as thyself. + + --George Sand. + + He hath given food unto them that fear him: + He will ever be mindful of his covenant. + The works of his hands are truth and justice; + All his precepts are sure. + + --Psalm 111. 5, 7. + +Father of life, I know I cannot hold youth. I may have prosperity or +poverty. I thank thee that thou hast taught me that love may be kept +changeless through all. Amen. + + + + +MAY FIFTH + +Napoleon Bonaparte died 1821. + +Empress Eugenie born 1826. + +Bret Harte died 1902. + + As I stand by the cross, on the lone mountain's crest, + Looking over the ultimate sea, + In the gloom of the mountain a ship lies at rest, + And one sails away from the lea; + One spreads its white wings on the far-reaching track, + With pennant and sheet flowing free; + One hides in the shadow with sails laid aback-- + The ship that is waiting for me. + + But lo! in the distance the clouds break away, + The gate's glowing portals I see, + And I hear from the outgoing ship in the bay + The song of the sailors in glee. + So I think of the luminous footprints that bore + The comfort o'er dark Galilee, + And wait for the signal to go to the shore + To the ship that is waiting for me. + + --Bret Harte. + + Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, + I will fear no evil; for thou art with me; + Thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me. + + --Psalm 23. 4. + +Eternal God, I praise thee, that "thy love is broader than the measure +of man's mind," and that through all my years I may hide myself in +thee, trusting thee to the end. Amen. + + + + +MAY SIXTH + +Plato born B.C. 427. + +Robespierre born 1758. + +General Andrea Messena born 1758. + + Hard ye may be in the tumult, + Red to your battle hilts; + Blow give blow in the foray, + Cunningly ride in the tilts. + But tenderly, unbeguiled-- + Turn to a woman a woman's + Heart, and a child's to a child. + + Test of the man if his worth be + In accord with the ultimate plan + That he be not, to his marring, + Always and utterly man. + That he may bring out of the tumult, + Fetter and undefiled, + To woman the heart of a woman-- + To children the heart of a child.[1] + + --O. Henry. + + A man's concern is only whether in doing anything he is doing right + or wrong--acting the part of a good man or a bad. + + --Plato. + + A faithful man shall abound with blessings. + + --Proverbs 28. 20. + +Almighty God, I pray that I may seek sincerely those whom I approach +with sympathy, and by my honor may they feel the same sincerity for +me. Amen. + +[Footnote 1: Special permission Cosmopolitan Magazine, New York.] + + + + +MAY SEVENTH + +Correggio born 1494. + +Robert Browning born 1812. + +Johannes Brahms born 1833. + +Lord Rosebery (Archibald Primrose) born 1847. + + So, take and use thy work: amend what flaws may lurk, + What strain o' the stuff, what warpings past the aim! + My times be in Thy hand! perfect the cup as planned! + Let age approve of youth, and death complete the same! + + --Robert Browning. + + No matter how often defeated, you are born to victory. The reward of + a thing well done is to have done it. + + --Ralph Waldo Emerson. + + When I hear a young man spoken of as giving promise of high genius, + the first question I ask about him is always--Does he work? + + --John Ruskin. + + Ye therefore shall be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect. + + --Matthew 5. 48. + +O God, I pray that thou wilt search me, and in the silent moments show +me myself without obstruction. Breathe upon me thy awakening breath, +that I may be revived to nobler activities. Amen. + + + + +MAY EIGHTH + +Rev. William Jay born 1769. + +Francois Mignet born 1796. + +Louis Gottschalk born 1829. + +John Stuart Mill died 1873. + + A profound conviction raises a man above the feeling of ridicule. + + --John Stuart Mill. + + A garden is a lonesome thing, God wot! + Rose plot, + Fringed pool, + Ferned grot-- + The veriest school + Of peace; and yet the fool + Contends that God is not-- + Not God! in the gardens! when the eve is cool? + Nay but I have a sign; + 'Tis very sure God walks in mine. + + --Thomas E. Brown. + + Jehovah bless thee, and keep thee: + Jehovah make his face to shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee: + Jehovah lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace. + + --Numbers 6. 24, 25, 26. + +My Father, may this be a day of usefulness. Make me sure of myself, +that I may not spend my days in questioning, but accept with +gratefulness thy love and tender care. Make me worthy to be called thy +child. Amen. + + + + +MAY NINTH + +John Brown (Ossawattomie) born 1800. + +Johann Schiller died 1805. + +J.M. Barrie born 1860. + + Have love! not love alone for one, + But man as man thy brother call: + And scatter like the circling sun + Thy charities on all. + + --Johann Schiller. + + He spoke, and words more soft than rain + Brought the Age of Gold again: + His action won such reverence sweet, + As hid all measure of the feat. + + --Ralph Waldo Emerson. + + That their hearts might be comforted, they being knit together in + love. + + --Colossians 2. 2. + +Gracious Lord, I pray that I may not only be known to those who are my +own, but may I consider all mankind. May those who need me find me +through my gentleness, and may they be assured by quiet confidence and +faith. Amen. + + + + +MAY TENTH + +Rouget de l'Isle born 1760. + +Jared Sparks born 1789. + +James Bryce born 1838. + +Sir Henry Stanley died 1904. + + For four months and four days I lived with David Livingstone in the + same house, or in the same boat, or in the same tent, and I never + found a fault in him. I am a man of quick temper, and often without + sufficient cause, I dare say, have broken the ties of friendship; + but with Livingstone I never had cause for resentment, but each + day's life with him added to my admiration for him. + + --Sir Henry Stanley. + + In speech right gentle, yet so wise: princely of mien, + Yet softly mannered; modest, deferent, + And tender-hearted, though of a fearless blood. + + --Edwin Arnold. + + Ye are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hid. + + --Matthew 5. 14. + +Almighty God, help me to aspire, that my life may tend toward the +ideal. May I be persuaded that I cannot be that which I do not +possess, nor can I live in that which I do not know. Help me to put +the best in what I do, that I may not feel I have failed, even though +it may not seem to be a success. Amen. + + + + +MAY ELEVENTH + +Baron Muenchhausen born 1720. + +William Pitt, Earl of Chatham, died 1778. + +Jean Leon Gerome born 1824. + + And methought that beauty and terror are only one, not two; + And the world has room for love, and death, and thunder and dew; + And all the sinews of hell slumber in the summer air; + And the face of God is a rock, but the face of the rock is fair. + Beneficent streams of tears flow at the finger of pain; + And out of the cloud that smites, beneficent rivers of rain. + + --Robert Louis Stevenson. + + It is more shameful to be distrustful of our friends than to be + deceived by them. + + --La Rochefoucauld. + + Thou shalt rejoice in all the good which Jehovah thy God hath given + unto thee. + + --Deuteronomy 26. 11. + +Lord God, may I comprehend the sacredness of friendship. I thank thee +for my friends, and for all the beautiful influences which they bring +to my life. May I never hold friendship without the sincerity to +return it. Correct my faults, and cause me to learn the secret of +cheerful endurance, that I may be steadfast. Amen. + + + + +MAY TWELFTH + +Robert Fielding died 1712. + +James Sheridan Knowles born 1784. + +Dante Gabriel Rossetti born 1828. + +Jules Massenet born 1842. + + Look in my face; my name is Might-have-been; + I am also called No-more, Too-late, Farewell; + Unto thine ear I hold the dead sea-shell + Cast up thy Life's foam-fretted feet between; + Unto thine eyes the glass where that is seen + Which had Life's form and Love's, but by my spell + Is now a shaken shadow intolerable, + Of ultimate things unuttered the frail screen. + + --Dante Gabriel Rossetti. + + Let me not pass my work at morn + And then at eve, + Find for what purpose I was born-- + Just as I leave. + + --M.B.S. + + We must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the + night cometh, when no man can work. + + --John 9. 4. + +Lord God, I do earnestly pray that thou wilt give me strength to break +away, if I may be trying to free myself from habits that mar my +character. May I not lose courage and fall back in the old ways, but +by faith be led where I should go. Amen. + + + + +MAY THIRTEENTH + +Carolus Linnaeus (Karl von Linne) born 1707. + +Alphonse Daudet born 1840. + +Sir Arthur Sullivan born 1842. + + I heard a voice in the darkness singing + (That was a valiant soul I knew), + And the joy of his song was a wild bird winging + Swift to his mate through a sky of blue. + + And his song was of love and all its bringing + And of certain day when the night was through; + I raised my eyes where the hope was springing, + And I think in his heaven God smiled too + (That was a valiant soul I knew). + + --J. Stalker. + + The soul aids the body, and at certain moments raises it. It is the + only bird which bears upward its own cage. + + --Victor Hugo. + + But desire earnestly the greater gifts. + + --1 Corinthians 12. 31. + +Gracious Lord, I rejoice that thou dost know the depths of my soul, +and that I may call upon thee to supply its needs. Make me worthy that +I may not be kept from the springs of joy where my soul may be +refreshed, and where I may gather hope and encouragement for the +greater loves of life. Amen. + + + + +MAY FOURTEENTH + +John Dutton born 1659. + +Gabriel D. Fahrenheit born 1686. + +Robert Owen born 1771. + +Henry Grattan died 1820. + + They that wander at will where the + Works of the Lord are revealed, + Little guess what joy can be got + From a cowslip out of the field. + + --Alfred Tennyson. + + Move onward serenely, cast aside regret, cleanse and purify life, + only be undismayed and hopeful, as you turn page after page of the + revelation of God. + + --Arthur C. Benson. + + Thou wilt show me the path of life: + In thy presence is fullness of joy; + In thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore. + + --Psalm 16. 11. + +My Father, I thank thee that nature reveals thy power as she unfolds +her beauty and wonder to the searching eye. Guide me that I may see in +the little flower the smile of welcome, the look of kindness, and the +beauty of hope which it renders to all; and may I learn from it thy +protection in the smallest things of life. Amen. + + + + +MAY FIFTEENTH + +Ephraim Chambers died 1740. + +Florence Nightingale born 1820. + +Michael W. Balfe born 1808. + +Edmund Keane died 1833. + +Daniel O'Connell died 1847. + + Light human nature is too lightly lost + And ruffled without cause, complaining on, + Restless with rest, until being overthrown, + It learneth to lie quiet. + + --Elizabeth Barrett Browning. + + Was the trial sore? + Temptation sharp? Thank God a second time! + Why comes temptation but for a man to meet + And master and make crouch beneath his foot, + And so be pedestaled in triumph? Pray + "Lead us into no such temptations, Lord!" + Yea, but, O thou whose servants are the bold, + Lead such temptations by the head and hair, + Reluctant dragons, up to who dares fight + That so he may do battle and have praise. + + --Robert Browning. + + Therefore we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things that + were heard, lest haply we drift away from them. + + --Hebrews 2. 1. + +Almighty God, if I am overwhelmed by the tides of temptation and +discouragement, let me not drift away to sea, but anchor and take +harbor in thee. May I not be afraid to trust in thy protection, but +calmly wait and watch for thy deliverance. Amen. + + + + +MAY SIXTEENTH + +Sir William Patty born 1623. + +Honore de Balzac born 1799. + +William H. Seward born 1801. + +Felicia Hemans died 1835. + + Favored of Heaven! O Genius! are they thine, + When round thy brow the wreaths of glory shine; + While rapture gazes on thy radiant way, + 'Midst the bright realms of clear mental day? + No! sacred joys! 'tis yours to dwell enshrined, + Most fondly cherished, in the purest mind. + + --Felicia Hemans. + + Genius is intensity. + + --Honore Balzac. + + But what if I fail of my purpose here? + It is but to keep the nerves at strain, + To dry one's eyes and laugh at a fall, + And, baffled, get up and begin again-- + So the chase takes up one's life, that's all. + + --Robert Browning. + + Be urgent in season, out of season. + + --2 Timothy 4. 2. + +My Lord, my life makes me conscious of weakness, and my memory brings +regret; forgive me for the lost strength I neglected to develop. In +thy compassion encourage me to be more watchful of my power, that I +may usefully increase it, and not willfully deplete it. May I learn +the need of constancy in well-doing. Amen. + + + + +MAY SEVENTEENTH + +Heloise died 1163. + +Matthew Parker died 1575. + +Edwin Jenner born 1749. + + The weakest among us has a gift, however seemingly trivial, which is + peculiar to him, and which worthily used, will be a gift to his race + forever. + + --John Ruskin. + + Not in entire forgetfulness, + And not in utter nakedness, + But trailing clouds of glory do we come + From God who is our home. + + --William Wordsworth. + + A weak mind sinks under prosperity as well as under adversity. A + strong and deep mind has two highest tides--when the moon is at + full, and when there is no moon. + + --Julius Hare. + + Thou hast granted me life and lovingkindness; And thy visitation + hath preserved my spirit. + + --Job 10. 12. + +Almighty God, I pray that I may have a true appreciation of the +quality of life. Reveal to me my responsibilities and help me to make +them my opportunities. Keep me in search of thoughts and deeds that +will increase the delight of my soul. Amen. + + + + +MAY EIGHTEENTH + +Francis Mahony (Father Prout) died 1866. + +Mrs. Johnson (Stella) born 1735. + +John Wilson (Christopher North) born 1785. + + Longing is God's fresh heavenward will, + With our poor earthly striving; + We quench it, that we may be still + Content with merely living. + + But would we learn that heart's full scope + Which we are hourly wronging, + Our lives must climb from hope to hope, + And realize our longing. + + --James Russell Lowell. + + Pretexts are not wanted when one wishes a thing. + + --Goldoni. + + Friendship is for all aid and comfort through all the relations of + life and death--for serene days and graceful gifts and country + rambles; but also for rough roads, and hard fare, shipwreck, + poverty, and persecution. + + --Ralph Waldo Emerson. + + Strive to enter in by the narrow door. + + --Luke 13. 24. + +Eternal God, I pray that thou wilt graciously restore my spirits if I +may have settled into despondency over my disappointments. May I have +the will to rise above them, and patiently strive for renewed hope. +Amen. + + + + +MAY NINETEENTH + +James Boswell died 1795. + +Johann Gottlieb Fichte born 1762. + +William E. Gladstone died 1898. + + Tired! Well, what of that? + Didst fancy life was spent on beds of ease, + Fluttering the rose-leaves scattered by the breeze? + Come! rouse thee, work while it is called to-day! + Coward, arise--go forth upon the way! + + Lonely! And what of that? + Some one must be lonely; 'tis not given to all + To feel a heart responsive rise and fall, + To blend another life into its own; + Work may be done in loneliness; work on. + + Dark! Well, what of that? + Didst fondly dream the sun would never set? + Dost fear to lose thy way? Take courage yet, + Learn thou to walk by faith and not by sight, + Thy steps will be guided, and guided right. + + --Unknown. + + And let us not be weary in well-doing: for in due season we shall + reap, if we faint not. + + --Galatians 6. 9. + +My Father, if thou wert far off I could not reach thee in time, for I +falter so much and need thee so often. I pray that thou wilt keep so +near that I can feel thy love and strength breathing within me. Amen. + + + + +MAY TWENTIETH + +Elizabeth G. Fry born 1780. + +John Stuart Mill born 1806. + +Alfred Domett born 1811. + +Rudolf H. Lotze born 1817. + +Marquis de Lafayette died 1834. + + Nature has written a letter of credit upon some men's faces which is + honored wherever presented. You cannot help trusting such men; their + very presence gives confidence. There is a "promise to pay" in their + faces which gives confidence, and you prefer it to another man's + indorsement. Character is credit. + + --William M. Thackeray. + +Henry Drummond has told us how in the heart of Africa he came across +men and women who remembered the only white man they ever saw +before--David Livingstone; and as you cross his footsteps in the dark +continent men's faces light up as they speak of the kind doctor who +passed there years ago. They could not understand him; but they felt +the love that beat in his heart. + + Who is wise and understanding among you? let him show by his good + life his works in meekness of wisdom. + + --James 3. 13. + +My Lord, inspire me with kind words and thoughtful deeds, that I may +share the yearnings and sympathy of others. May my life show that I am +dependable, and may none be left lonely to-day because of my +forgetfulness. Amen. + + + + +MAY TWENTY-FIRST + +Albrecht Duerer born 1471. + +Fernando de Soto died 1542. + +Alexander Pope born 1688. + + Self-love but serves the virtuous mind to wake + As the small pebble stirs the peaceful lake; + The center moved, a circle straight succeeds, + Another still, and still another spreads; + Friend, parent, neighbor, first it will embrace, + Its country next, and next, the human race. + + --Alexander Pope. + + A gentleman is one who understands and shows every mark of deference + to the claim of self-love in others, and exacts it in return from + them. + + --William Hazlitt. + + But he knoweth the way that I take; + When he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold. + My foot hath held fast to his steps; + His way have I kept, and turned not aside. + + --Job 23. 10. + +Lord God, teach me how secret actions make or destroy my life. Show me +the deep lines made by sorrow and discontent that cannot be effaced. +May I look toward the corrections of life and not on my imperfections, +that my life may be a helpful influence. Amen. + + + + +MAY TWENTY-SECOND + +Newman Hall born 1816. + +Wilhelm Richard Wagner born 1813. + +Maria Edgeworth died 1849. + +Victor Hugo died 1885. + + Who cares for the burden, the night, and the rain, + And the long, steep, lonesome road, + When at last through the darkness a light shines plain, + When a voice calls "Hail," and a friend draws rein, + With an arm for the stubborn load? + + For life is the chance of a friend or two + This side of the journey's goal. + Though the world be a desert the long night through, + Yet the gay flowers bloom and the sky shows blue + When a soul salutes a soul. + + --Unknown. + + In all misfortune the greatest consolation is a sympathizing friend. + + --Cervantes. + + They help every one his neighbor; and every one saith to his + brother, Be of good courage. + + --Isaiah 41. 6. + +Loving Father, may I lay hold upon the highest standards of friendship +and so be qualified to be a friend. May those who call and lean on me +feel secure in my support. May none ever be ashamed to call me friend. +Grant that those whom I love may keep faith with me. Amen. + + + + +MAY TWENTY-THIRD + +Thomas Hood born 1798. + +Margaret Fuller Ossoli born 1810. + +Henrik Ibsen died 1896. + +Dr. John Campbell died 1861. + + Chance cannot touch me! Time cannot hush me! + Fear, Hope, and longing, at strife; + Sink as I rise, on, on, upward forever, + Gathering strength, gaining breath-- + Naught can sever + Me from the Spirit of Life. + + --Margaret Fuller. + + But evil is wrought by want of thought, as well as want of heart. + + --Thomas Hood. + + For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy + to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed to us-ward. + + --Romans 8. 18. + +Heavenly Father, cause the newness of life to continue to flow through +my heart, that I may not be fatigued, as I struggle with +discouragements. Release me from hopeless cares that I have made mine, +thinking they were thine. May I trust in the boundless limit of thy +mercy, and rejoice in the world of living light. Amen. + + + + +MAY TWENTY-FOURTH + +Jean Paul Marat born 1744. + +Stephen Girard born 1750. + +Sir Robert Adair born 1763. + +Queen Victoria born 1819. + +Caroline Fox born 1819. + + I see my way as birds their trackless way. + I shall arrive! what time, what circuit first, + I ask not: but unless God send his hail + Or blinding fireballs, sleet, or stifling snow, + In some time, his good time, I shall arrive: + He guides me and the bird. + + --Robert Browning. + + To live in the presence of great truths and eternal laws--that is + what keeps a man patient when the world ignores him, and calm and + unspoiled when the world praises him. + + --Honore Balzac. + + But whoso putteth his trust in Jehovah shall be safe. + + --Proverbs 29. 25. + +Lord Jehovah, all goodness, tenderness, and forbearance that are in my +life have come from thee. May I not lose them in self, but by them +make possible happiness and endurance for others. Amen. + + + + +MAY TWENTY-FIFTH + +Ralph Waldo Emerson born 1803. + +Edward Bulwer-Lytton (George) born 1803. + +Dr. William Paley died 1805. + +William Henry Channing born 1810. + + Hast thou named all the birds without a gun? + Loved the wild rose, and left it on the stalk? + At rich men's tables eaten bread and pulse? + Unarmed faced danger with a heart of trust? + And loved so well a high behavior, + In man or maid, that thou from speech refrained, + Nobility more noble to repay? + O, be my friend and teach me to be thine! + + --Ralph Waldo Emerson. + + What the superior man seeks is in himself; + What the small man seeks is in others. + + --Confucius. + + Make no friendship with a man that is given to anger; + And with a wrathful man thou shalt not go. + + --Proverbs 22. 24. + +Lord God, may I live for the pure and upright, and have the +blessedness of a rejoicing heart. May I yearn for the secrets of +nature. Grant that my life may not seek destruction, but tenderly find +and protect life. Amen. + + + + +MAY TWENTY-SIXTH + +The Venerable Bede died 735. + +Count Nicolas Ludwig Zinzendorf born 1800. + +Capel Lofft died 1821. + + Let us disengage ourselves from care about the passing things of + time; let us soar above our worldly possessions. The bee does not + less need its wings when it has gathered an abundant store, for if + it sink in the honey, it dies. + + --Saint Augustine. + + Perhaps if we could penetrate nature's secrets, we should find that + what we call needs are more essential to the well-being of the world + than the most precious grain or fruit. + + --Nathaniel Hawthorne. + + We trust the Lord in faith serene, + A ladder he hath given; + The lower rounds in earth are seen, + The higher reach to heaven. + + --Thomas Brevior. + + Is not the life more than the food, and the body than the raiment? + + --Matthew 6. 25. + +Almighty God, I bless thee for the privilege of a great life. May I +not be satisfied to rest with idle hands in youth and make age +regretful because I have lived a useless life: but with a clear eye +and an exalted mind may I choose the "durable satisfactions" that may +be mine. Amen. + + + + +MAY TWENTY-SEVENTH + +Alighieri Dante born 1265. + +John Calvin died 1564. + +Julia Ward Howe born 1819. + +Noah Webster died 1843. + +John Kendrick Bangs born 1862. + + To your judgments give ye not the reins + With too much eagerness, like him who ere + The corn be ripe, is fain to count the grains: + For I have seen the briar through the winter snows + Look sharp and stiff--yet on a future day + High on its summit bear the tender rose: + And ship I've seen, that through the storm hath passed, + Securely bounding o'er the watery way, + At entrance of the harbor wrecked at last. + + --Dante, translated by Wright. + + In the beauty of the lilies Christ was born across the sea, + With a glory in his bosom that transfigures you and me: + As he died to make men holy, let us die to make them free, + While God is marching on. + + --Julia Ward Howe. + + Trust in Jehovah with all thy heart, + And lean not upon thine own understanding. + + --Proverbs 3. 5. + +Lord God, help me to know my ability, that I may not attempt with +weakness that which requires strength to undertake; and make me stable +that I may not relax vigilance even though victory seems assured. +Amen. + + + + +MAY TWENTY-EIGHTH + +William Pitt born 1759. + +Thomas Moore born 1779. + +Louis Agassiz born 1807. + + The bird let loose in eastern skies, + When hastening fondly home, + Ne'er stoops to earth her wing, nor flies + Where idle warblers roam; + But high she shoots through air and light, + Above all low delay, + Where nothing earthly bounds her flight, + Nor shadow dims her way. + + --Thomas Moore. + + Remember, the essence of religion is, a heart void of offense toward + God and man; not subtle speculative opinions, but an active + principle of faith. + + --William Pitt. + + And hope putteth not to shame; because the love of God hath been + shed abroad in our hearts. + + --Romans 5. 5. + +God of mercy, reveal to me the hallowed life. May I be reminded that, +while I may save and keep the dust from things that perish, my life, +though unkept and undeveloped, tells in itself the value and need of +the most watchful care. Amen. + + + + +MAY TWENTY-NINTH + +Patrick Henry born 1736. + +Joseph Fouche born 1763. + +Josephine died 1814. + +Gerald Massey born 1829. + + Is life so dear or peace so sweet as to be purchased at the price of + chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God. I know not what course + others may take, but as for me, give me liberty or give me death. + + --Patrick Henry. + + Though hearts brood o'er the past, our eyes + With smiling features glisten; + For lo! our day bursts up the skies, + Lean out your souls and listen! + The world is following freedom's way, + And ripening with her sorrow; + Take heart! Who bears the cross to-day + Shall wear the crown to-morrow. + + --Gerald Massey. + + For God gave us not a spirit of fearfulness; but of power and love + and discipline. + + --2 Timothy 1. 7. + +Lord God, may I never feel that I have a right to sell thy joys, nor +the privilege of giving away my burdens. Grant that I may not forsake +my principles, but may I keep the way clear that memory may find an +unruffled rest. Amen. + + + + +MAY THIRTIETH + +Decoration Day. + +Joan d'Arc burned at Rouen 1431. + +Alexander Pope died 1744. + +Voltaire died 1778. + +Alfred Austin born 1835. + + Here is the nation God has builded by our hands. What shall we do + with it? Who stands ready to act again and always in the spirit of + this day of reunion and hope and patriotic fervor? The day of our + country's life has but broadened into morning. Do not put uniforms + by. Put the harness of the present on. Lift your eyes to the great + tracts of life yet to be conquered in the interest of righteous + peace, of that prosperity which lies in a people's hearts and + outlasts all wars and errors of men. + + --Woodrow Wilson. + + Cover them over with beautiful flowers: + Deck them with garlands these brothers of ours; + Lying so silent, by night and by day, + Sleeping the years of their manhood away; + + * * * * * + + Give them the laurels they lost with their life. + + --Will Carleton. + + Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for + his friends. + + --John 15. 13. + +My Father, as I pause this day to think of the brave men and women who +have given their lives for the sake of others, may I be thankful for +them. May I remember that noble deeds and kind words are never lost, +but that self may block the way to justice. O Father, make war to +cease! and lead us to victories that are won through peace. Amen. + + + + +MAY THIRTY-FIRST + +Ludwig Tieck born 1773. + +Joseph Haydn died 1809. + +Walt Whitman born 1819. + + Passage, immediate passage! the blood burns in my veins! + Away, O soul! hoist instantly the anchor! + Out the hawser--haul out--shake out every sail! + Have we not stood here like trees in the ground long enough? + Have we not groveled here long enough eating and drinking like mere brutes? + Have we not darkened and dazed ourselves with books long enough? + Sail forth--steer for the deep waters only, + Reckless, O soul, exploring, I with thee, and thou with me, + For we are bound where mariner has not dared to go, + And we will risk the ship, ourselves and all. + + --Walt Whitman. + + Be strong and of good courage, fear not, nor be affrighted at them: + for Jehovah thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not + fail thee, nor forsake thee. + + --Deuteronomy 31. 6. + +My Father, give me joyful courage to squarely face my life. Help me to +know that I cannot vanquish life by evading duties, nor encircling +myself with indulgences. If I may be blind to my situation, restore my +sight that I may make ready a worthy passage with thee. Amen. + + + + +JUNE + + + There lives a glory in these sweet June days + Such as I found not in the days gone by, + A kindlier meaning in the unclouded sky, + A tenderer whisper in the woodland ways; + And I have understanding of the lays, + The birds are singing, forasmuch as I + Have learned how love avails to satisfy + A man's whole heart, and fills his lips with praise. + + --Percy C. Ainsworth + + + + +JUNE FIRST + +Nicolas Poussin born 1594. + +Sir Christopher Marlowe died 1593. + +Sir David Wilkie died 1841. + +Hugo Muensterberg born 1863. + + In every act of ours, in every feeling and every volition and every + thought, we are conscious of a self which expresses its aims and + meanings. Every idea of ours points beyond itself, every volition + binds us in decision, and every experience gets meaning by our + attitudes. The most immediate task which life demands from us in the + understanding of ourselves and of others is, therefore, to interpret + our ideas, to draw the consequences of our will, to appreciate the + attitudes, to measure them by higher standards. + + --Hugo Muensterberg. + + And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. + + --Genesis 1. 26. + +My Creator, I pray that I may not only have the desire to know life, +but the assurance to live it. Help me to understand that my earthly +possessions are not the measure of my life, nor my body the boundary +of my living. May I reach for the high standards that are free, +without limit, to all. Amen. + + + + +JUNE SECOND + +Ethelbert baptized 597. + +John Randolph born 1773. + +Thomas Hardy born 1840. + + In battle or business, whatever the game, + In law or in love, it is ever the same: + In the struggle for power, or scramble for pelf, + Let this be your motto: "Rely on yourself." + + --John G. Saxe. + + Labor is necessary to excellence. This is an eternal truth, although + vanity cannot be taught to believe or indolence to heed it. + + --John Randolph. + + But let each man prove his own work, and then shall he have his + glorying in regard of himself alone, and not of his neighbor. + + --Galatians 6. 4. + +Almighty God, I regret the hours of indiscretion and waste; through +thy forgiveness may I have thy help over past wrongs. May I have a +deeper conception of a profitable life, that I may hereafter live by +it. Amen. + + + + +JUNE THIRD + +Sydney Smith born 1771. + +Dr. John Gregory born 1724. + +Richard Cobden born 1804. + +Jefferson Davis born 1808. + +Norman Macleod born 1812. + + Certainly, let the board be spread and let the bed be dressed for + the traveler; but let not the emphasis of hospitality lie in these + things. Honor to the house where they are simple to the verge of + hardship, so that there the intellect is awake and reads the law of + the universe, the soul worships truth and love, honor and courtesy + flow into all deeds. + + --Ralph Waldo Emerson. + + Kind actions, and good wishes, and pure thoughts + No mystery is here: Here is no boon + For high--yet not for low: The smoke ascends + To heaven as lightly from the cottage hearth + As from the haughtiest palace. + + --William Wordsworth. + + Given to hospitality. + + --Romans 12. 13. + +Gracious Father, I beseech thee to give me wisdom for kind thoughts +and deeds. Teach me true hospitality, that I may be gracious in my own +home and appreciative in the home of others. May I not temper my +hospitality for certain reasons, but have a genuine welcome for all. +Amen. + + + + +JUNE FOURTH + +George III born 1738. + +Lord Edward Fitzgerald died 1798. + +General Garnet Wolseley born 1833. + + This is the gospel of labor--ring it, + Ye bells of the kirk-- + The Lord of Love came down from above + To live with the men who work. + This is the rose he planted, here + In the thorn-cursed soil; + Heaven is blest with perfect rest, but + The blessing of earth is toil. + + --Henry van Dyke + + No man is born into the world whose work + Is not born with him. There is always work + And tools to work withal, for those who will; + And blessed are the horny hands of toil. + + --James Russell Lowell. + + Six days thou shalt do thy work, and on the seventh day thou shalt + rest. + + --Exodus 23. 12. + +My Father, I pray for the love of work, and the desire to cultivate +life. Stir me, that I may be ambitious. May I not stare at life in an +everyday way and forget that others are watching for the surprises. +Help me to be considerate and kind in all that I do. Amen. + + + + +JUNE FIFTH + +Socrates born B.C. 469. + +Dr. Adam Smith born 1723. + +Karl Maria von Weber died 1826. + +O. Henry died 1910. + + You think that upon the score of foreknowledge and divining I am + infinitely inferior to the swans. When they perceive approaching + death they sing more merrily than before, because of the joy they + have in going to the God they serve. + + --Socrates. + + O yet we trust that somehow good + Will be the final goal of ill, + To pangs of nature, sins of will, + Defects of doubt, and taints of blood; + + That nothing walks with aimless feet; + That not one life shall be destroyed, + Or cast as rubbish to the void, + When God hath made the pile complete. + + --Alfred Tennyson. + + How precious is thy lovingkindness, O God! And the children of men + take refuge under the shadow of thy wings. + + --Psalm 36. 7. + +Eternal God, forbid that I should try to set up thy judgment-seat in +so small a place as self, and attempt to render decisions for thee. My +soul lives anew as I think of thy love, and that there is no place +where thy mercy can be withheld from me. Amen. + + + + +JUNE SIXTH + +Diego R. Velasquez born 1599. + +Pierre Corneille born 1606. + +Nathan Hale born 1755. + +Sir John Stainer born 1840. + + These stones that make the meadow brooklet murmur + Are the keys on which it plays. + O'er every shelving rock its touch grows firmer, + Resounding notes to raise. + + If every path o'er which footsteps wander, + Were smooth as ocean strand, + There were no theme for gratitude and wonder + At God's delivering hand. + + --W. E. Winks. + + We also rejoice in our tribulations: knowing that tribulation + worketh steadfastness; and steadfastness, approvedness; and + approvedness, hope. + + --Romans 5. 3, 4. + +My Father, if rain may come to-day, may I realize its help, with the +power of the sun, to increase life; and may its influence be sweet and +wholesome to me, as I learn that sadness is temporary and will +disappear with the coming of gladness. May I go search for the joy +that may be mine to-day. Amen. + + + + +JUNE SEVENTH + +Robert Bruce died 1329. + +George Bryan (Beau Brummel) born 1778. + +Rev. W.D. Conybeare born 1787. + + When the lamp is shattered + The light in the dust lies dead-- + When the cloud is scattered + The rainbow's glory is shed. + When the lute is broken + Sweet tones are remembered not; + When the lips have spoken + Loved accents are soon forgot. + + --Percy Bysshe Shelley. + + A slip of the rose may take root, and bring forth a bloom to give + peace to the soul. A slip of the tongue may take root, and bring + forth a thorn that will torture the soul. + + --M.B.S. + + Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of + itself, except it abide in the vine; so neither can ye, except ye + abide in me. + + --John 15. 4. + +Many of us, O Father, overlook the fragrance of the rose while we are +being pierced by its thorn. Increase my faith in life and in thee, +that I may not be dismayed over mysteries, but sincerely wait for +deliverance. Amen. + + + + +JUNE EIGHTH + +Mohammed died 632. + +Thomas Rickman born 1776. + +Charles Reade born 1814. + +John Everett Millais born 1829. + + If one touch of nature makes the whole world kin, methinks that + sweet and wonderful thing sympathy is not less powerful. What golden + barriers, what ice of centuries, it can melt in a moment! + + --Charles Reade. + + If I had two loaves of bread, I would sell one to buy white + hyacinths to feed my soul. + + --Mohammed. + + What do you live for if it is not to make life less difficult for + each other? + + --George Eliot. + + Pure religion and undefiled before our God and Father is this, to + visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep + oneself unspotted from the world. + + --James 1. 27. + +My Father, help me to understand that kind hearts and willing hands +are made possible by the depth and greatness of thy love. May I +possess the spirit of forgiveness and consideration, that I may not +hold prejudice and revenge, but help with sympathy and tenderness. +Amen. + + + + +JUNE NINTH + +George Stephenson born 1781. + +John Howard Payne born 1791. + +Richard D. Blackmore born 1825. + +Charles Dickens died 1870. + + Reflect upon your present blessings of which every man has many; not + upon your past misfortunes, of which all have some. + + --Charles Dickens. + + 'Mid pleasures and palaces though we may roam, + Be it ever so humble, there's no place like home! + A charm from the skies seems to hallow us there, + Which, sought through the world, is ne'er met with elsewhere. + Home! home! sweet, sweet home! + There's no place like home! + + --John Howard Payne. + + For thou shalt forget thy misery; + Thou shalt remember it as waters that are passed away. + + --Job 11. 16. + +Lord God, my soul fills with gratitude for the blessings which I have +received and enjoyed. Help me to conform to thy will concerning my +duties. May I not try to resist thy providence. I pray that thou wilt +bless my daily life, and make my home a place to dispense kindness and +cheerfulness. Amen. + + + + +JUNE TENTH + +Sir Edwin Arnold born 1832. + +Henry M. Stanley born 1840. + +Edward Everett Hale died 1809. + +Robert Schumann born 1810. + + What have you done with your soul, my friend? + Where is the ray you were wont to send, + Glancing bright through the outer night, + Touching with hope what was dark before, + Glimmering on to the further shore? + + --Arthur C. Benson. + + God suffers the light to know eclipse, + Dashes the cup from the eager lips; + You perchance would have drunk too deep. + + --Arthur C. Benson. + + Lift where you stand. + + --Edward Everett Hale. + + A friend is the first person who comes in when the whole world has + gone out. + + --Unknown. + + Who comforteth us in all our affliction, that we may be able to + comfort them that are in any affliction, through the comfort + wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God. + + --2 Corinthians 1.4. + +Almighty God, help me to correct my mistakes, and to be more careful +of what I take in my life. May I always stretch out a hand of love to +inspire others with confidence to care more for themselves and more +for thee. Amen. + + + + +JUNE ELEVENTH + +Roger Bacon died 1292. + +George Wither born 1588. + +John Constable born 1776. + + Exceeding gifts from God are not blessings, they are duties. They do + not always increase a man's happiness; they always increase his + responsibilities. + + --Charles Kingsley. + + Make a rule and pray for help to keep it. Once a day spare room for + a thought that will pursue a strong purpose. Help in some way the + progress of a weary soul who cannot repay you. + + --M. B. S. + + There is no true potency, remember, but that of help; nor true + ambition, but ambition to save. + + --John Ruskin. + + And if thou draw out thy soul to the hungry, and satisfy the + afflicted soul: then shall thy light rise in darkness, and thine + obscurity be as the noon day. + + --Isaiah 58. 10. + +Heavenly Father, when I think of how little I have given away my heart +burns with shame, as I recall what thou hast given to me. May I from +this day be more thoughtful of thy tender compassion by being less +selfish with what I have. Amen. + + + + +JUNE TWELFTH + +Harriet Martineau born 1802. + +Charles Kingsley born 1819. + +Dr. Thomas Arnold (Arnold of Rugby) died 1842. + +Sir Oliver Lodge born 1851. + + Do to-day's duty, fight to-day's temptation, and do not weaken and + distract yourself by looking-forward to things which you cannot see, + and could not understand if you saw them. + + --Charles Kingsley. + + Genuine religion has its roots deep down in the heart of + humanity.... The actions of the Deity make no appeal to any special + sense. We are deaf and blind, therefore, to the imminent grandeur + around us unless we have insight enough to appreciate the whole and + to recognize the woven fabric of existence flowing steadily from the + loom of an infinite progress toward perfection. + + --Sir Oliver Lodge. + + Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down + from the Father of lights, with whom can be no variation, neither + shadow that is cast by turning. + + --James 1. 17. + +Gracious Father, forbid that I should make thee regret thy gifts to +me; and if I have failed to appreciate them, look upon me with pity, +for I have cheated myself more than I have thee. Give me a deeper +appreciation, that I may be strengthened day by day in the veriest +duties of life. Amen. + + + + +JUNE THIRTEENTH + +Dr. Thomas Young born 1773. + +General Winfield Scott born 1786. + +Dr. Thomas Arnold (Arnold of Rugby) born 1795. + +William Butler Yeats born 1865. + + Beyond all wealth, honor, or even health, is the attachment we form + to noble souls, because to become one with the good, generous, and + true is to become, in a measure, good, generous, and true ourselves. + + --Thomas Arnold. + + Open thy bosom, set thy wishes wide, and let in manhood--let in + happiness; admit the boundless theater of thought from nothing up to + God ... which makes a man. + + --Thomas Young. + + Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their + labor. For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow; but woe to + him that is alone when he falleth, and hath not another to lift him + up. + + --Ecclesiastes 4. 9, 10. + +Heavenly Father, I thank thee for good friends, and for the delight +that dwells in fellowship. Give me the power to apprehend love, and +guard me against the ways to lose it. May I look to my friends to help +me to be pure, and to help me live my truest life. Amen. + + + + +JUNE FOURTEENTH + +Carlo Guidi born 1650. + +Harriet Beecher Stowe born 1812. + +Mary Carpenter died 1877. + + When you get into a tight place, and everything goes against you + till it seems as if you couldn't hold on a minute longer, never give + up then, for that's just the time and place that the tide will turn. + + --Harriet Beecher Stowe. + + I cannot do it alone, + The waves run fast and high, + And the fogs close chill around, + And the light goes out in the sky; + But I know that we two + Shall win in the end-- + God and I. + + --Unknown. + + Let us hold fast the confession of our hope that it waver not. + + --Hebrews 10. 23. + +Almighty God, I pray that thou wilt sustain me when I may be enduring +for a purpose, and to accomplish it seems beyond my strength. Renew me +with courage, and give me unceasing hope, and faith that is able to +hold out to the end. Amen. + + + + +JUNE FIFTEENTH + +Thomas Randolph born 1605. + +Edward Grieg born 1843. + +Thomas Campbell died 1844. + + What is rightly done stays with us, to support another right beyond, + or higher up; whatever is wrongly done vanishes; and by the blank, + betrays what we would have built above. + + --John Ruskin. + + The seed ye sow another reaps, + The wealth ye find another keeps, + The robe ye weave another wears, + The arms ye forge another bears. + + --Percy Bysshe Shelley. + + Thou drewest near in the day that I called upon + thee; thou saidst, Fear not. + O Lord, thou hast pleaded the causes of my soul; + thou hast redeemed my life. + + --Lamentations 3. 57, 58. + +Lord God, reveal to me my selfishness if I am receiving much and +giving little to satisfy life. May I be grateful and considerate of +all those who labor to give me comfort and happiness. Amen. + + + + +JUNE SIXTEENTH + +Hugh Capet succeeds to throne of father 956. + +Sir Richard Fanshawe died 1666. + +Sir John Cheke born 1514. + + When to the sessions of sweet, solemn thought + I summon up remembrance of things past, + I sigh the lack of many a thing I sought. + But if the while I think on thee, dear friend, + All losses are restored and sorrows end. + + --William Shakespeare. + + Seldom can the heart be lonely + If it seek a lonelier still-- + Self-forgetting, seeking only + Emptier cups of love to fill. + + --F. R. Havergal. + + The Lord Jehovah hath given me the tongue of them that are taught, + that I may know how to sustain with words him that is weary. + + --Isaiah 50. 4. + +Gracious Father, keep within me that cheer and courage which never has +a place for weary murmurings; and with peace make the hours of +solitude profitable as they pass. Help me to seek those who are in +need of sympathy and encouragement, that I may help them to have a +tranquil life. Amen. + + + + +JUNE SEVENTEENTH + +Joseph Addison died 1719. + +Charles Francois Gounod born 1818. + +Sir E. C. Burne-Jones died 1898. + + He who plants a tree + Plants a hope. + Rootlets up through fibers blindly grope, + Leaves unfold unto horizons free. + So man's life must climb + From the clods of time + Unto heavens sublime. + Canst thou prophesy, thou little tree, + What the glory of the boughs shall be? + + --Lucy Larcom. + + Very early, I perceived that the object of life is to grow. + + --Margaret Fuller. + + Many a genius has been slow of growth. Oaks that flourish for a + thousand years do not spring up into beauty like a reed. + + --George Henry Lewes. + + And Jesus advanced in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and + men. + + --Luke 2. 52. + +Almighty God, thy power is so great I cannot express it; help me to +comprehend the meaning of it, that I may feel more profoundly thy +expectations of my life. May I remember that to forget that life is +eternal may make me to lose all it has grown. Amen. + + + + +JUNE EIGHTEENTH + +Robert Stewart born 1769. + +Battle of Waterloo 1815. + +William Cobbett died 1835. + + Not he the threatening texts who deals + Is highest 'mong the preachers, + But he who feels the woes and weals + Of all God's wandering creatures. + He doth good work whose heart can find + The spirit 'neath the letter; + Who makes his kind of happier mind, + Leaves wiser men and better. + + Dear Bard and Brother! let who may + Against thy faults be railing, + (Though far, I pray, from us be they + That never had a failing!) + + --James Russell Lowell. + + Avenge not yourselves, beloved, but give place unto the wrath of + God: for it is written, Vengeance belongeth unto me; I will + recompense, saith the Lord. + + --Romans 12. 19. + +Heavenly Father, I pray that I may not be so occupied in expressing my +judgment of others, that I will forget to live in thy judgment myself. +May I have the compassion for others that I hope to receive from thee. +Amen. + + + + +JUNE NINETEENTH + +Magna Charta signed, Runnymede, 1215. + +Blaise Pascal born 1623. + +Charles H. Spurgeon born 1834. + + Find your niche and fill it. If it is ever so little, if it is only + a hewer of wood or a drawer of water, do something in the great + battle for God and truth. + + --Charles Spurgeon. + + If I do what I may in earnest, I need not mourn if I work no great + work on earth. To help the growth of a thought that struggles toward + the light; to brush with gentle hand the stain from the white of one + snowdrop--such be my ambition. + + --George Macdonald. + + Jehovah thy God will bless thee in all thy work, and in all that + thou puttest thy hand unto. + + --Deuteronomy 15. 10. + +Lord God, I pray that I may not through conceit be betrayed into +slacking my work, or through visions of greatness lose it. Teach me +how to obtain the secret wealth in the smallest thing; and may I +recognize thy treasures, and fill my life with the finest that may be +given me. Amen. + + + + +JUNE TWENTIETH + +John of Lancaster born 1389. + +Dr. Adam Ferguson born 1723. + +Anna Letitia Aiken (Mrs. Barbauld) born 1743. + + If the soft hand of winning Pleasure leads + By living waters, and through flowery meads, + Where all is smiling, tranquil, and serene, + Oh! teach me to elude each latent snare, + And whisper to my sliding heart, "Beware!" + With caution let me hear the Syren's voice, + And doubtful, with a trembling heart rejoice. + If friendless in a vale of tears I stray, + Where briars wound, and thorns perplex my way, + Still let my steady soul thy goodness see, + And, with a strong confidence, lay hold on Thee. + + --Anna Letitia Barbauld. + + For thou, O God, hast proved us: + Thou hast tried us, as silver is tried. + + --Psalm 66. 10. + +O Lord, teach me to select my pleasures with care, that I may not +plunge into joyful moments that are irretrievable. May I indulge in +the pleasures that bring happiness and not weariness. Grant that I may +have the honor to protect others from harm and loss, as I engage in my +pleasures and in my work. Amen. + + + + +JUNE TWENTY-FIRST + +Captain John Smith died 1631. + +Anthony Collins born 1676. + +Jacques Offenbach born 1819. + + In our eagerness to solve life we start out to trace its mysteries + and trample God's truths as we search. As we return we discover the + shattered treasures, and gladly stoop to gather up the fragments, + and with them translate the revelations of the soul. + + --M.B.S. + + I stretch my hands out in the empty air; + I strain my eyes into the heavy night; + Blackness of darkness!--Father, hear my prayer; + Grant me to see the light! + + --George Arnold. + + But when he came to himself he said, How many hired servants of my + father's have bread enough and to spare, and I perish here with + hunger! I will arise and go to my father. + + --Luke 15. 17, 18. + +Heavenly Father, I pray that as I search for the truth I will not be +so eager to seek thy mysteries as I am to extend thy ministries. Grant +that by thy love I will be guided in comprehending and exalting thy +kingdom. May my service bring me wisdom as I obey thy laws. Amen. + + + + +JUNE TWENTY-SECOND + +Matthew Henry died 1714. + +Karl Wilhelm von Humboldt born 1767. + +H. Rider Haggard born 1856. + + The safe and general antidote against sorrow is employment. Sorrow + is a kind of rust in the soul, which every new idea contributes in + its passage to scour away. + + --Dr. Johnson. + + We may be sure that one principle will hold throughout the whole + pursuit of thoughtful happiness--the principle that the best way to + secure future happiness is to be as happy as is rightfully possible + to-day. To secure any desirable capacity for the future, near or + remote, cultivate it to-day. What would be the use of immortality + for a person who cannot use well half an hour? asks Emerson. + + --Charles W. Eliot. + + Strengthen ye the weak hands, and confirm the feeble knees. Say to + them that are of a fearful heart, Be strong, fear not. + + --Isaiah 35. 3, 4. + +Loving Father, help me that I may realize the depth of thy love. If I +may be discouraged over my failures, speak to me hopefully and lead me +out where I may find the right way to succeed. May I not be kept in +sorrow, but find each day the happiness that brings a thankful heart. +Amen. + + + + +JUNE TWENTY-THIRD + +Mark Akenside died 1770. + +John Fill born 1625. + +Josephine born 1763 + + Could we by a wish + Have what we will and get the future now, + Would we wish aught done undone in the past? + So, let him wait God's instant men call years; + Meantime hold hard by truth and his great soul, + Do out the duty! Through such souls alone + God stooping shows sufficient of his light + For us i' the dark to rise by. And I rise. + + --Robert Browning. + + Press not thy purpose on thy Lord, + Urge not thy erring will, + Nor dictate to the Eternal mind + Nor doubt thy Maker's skill. + + --Lydia H. Sigourney. + + Cause me to hear thy loving-kindness in the morning; + For in thee do I trust: + Cause me to know the way wherein I should walk; + For I lift up my soul unto thee. + + --Psalm 143. 8. + +My Father, help me to see that in my portion of work thou hast +entrusted me to help further thy kingdom. Correct me if I am wrong in +interpreting thy way. May I concentrate my mind and make my heart and +hands do the work which thou hast given for me to do. Amen. + + + + +JUNE TWENTY-FOURTH + +Jean Baptiste Massillon born 1663. + +Alexandre Dumas born 1803. + +Henry Ward Beecher born 1813. + +General Lord Kitchener born 1850. + + All the world cries, "Where is the man who will save us?" Don't look + so far for this man, you have him at hand. This man--it is you, it + is I, it is each one of us! How to constitute oneself a man? Nothing + harder if one knows not how to will it; nothing easier if one wills + it. + + --Alexandre Dumas. + + Many of our troubles are God dragging us, and they would end if we + would stand upon our feet and go whither he would have us. + + --Henry Ward Beecher. + + Ye shall therefore keep my statutes, and mine ordinances; which if a + man do, he shall live in them. + + --Leviticus 18. 5. + +Gracious Lord, I pray that I may have reverence for that which is pure +and holy, and that my soul may delight in the presence of the good. +Help me to so live that I may have the memory of precious deeds, and +that I may not have to depend on the service of others to supply +contentment for my closing days. Amen. + + + + +JUNE TWENTY-FIFTH + +William Smellie died 1795. + +Antoine Jean Gros died 1835. + +Lucy Webb Hayes died 1889. + + In every feast remember there are two guests to be entertained--the + body and the soul; and what you give the body you presently lose, + but what you give the soul remains forever. + + --Epictetus. + + We take pains and weary to faultlessly clothe the body. We + persevere, and often struggle, to adorn the mind. As we pass through + the rays of truth, sometimes we find, after all we have put on, we + have left bare the soul. + + --M.B.S. + + For what shall a man be profited, if he shall gain the whole world, + and forfeit his life? + + --Matthew 16. 26. + +Lord God, help me to understand that thou hast made the principle of +truth so that I cannot add to it, nor take from it, lest in altering +it I might destroy it. May I never try to make my purpose cover the +truth, but without fear, face the light where truth shines the +brightest. Amen. + + + + +JUNE TWENTY-SIXTH + +Archbishop Robert Leighton died 1684. + +Dr. Philip Doddridge born 1702. + +George Morland born 1763. + + Why are we so glad to talk and take our turns to prattle, when so + rarely we get back to the stronghold of our silence with an + unwounded conscience? + + --Thomas a Kempis. + + I have read that those who listened to Lord Chatham felt that there + was something finer in the man than anything which he said. + + --Ralph Waldo Emerson. + + Speech is like the cloth of Arras opened and put abroad, whereby the + imagery doth appear in figure; whereas in thoughts they lie but as + in packs. + + --Plutarch. + + Keep thy tongue from evil, + And thy lips from speaking guile. + + --Psalm 34. 13. + +Tender Father, make me more watchful of the time that I give to +useless thoughts and words, and save me from cutting words, which make +deeper impressions than can be cut with sharp tools. Forgive me for +the hours that have not been profitable; I would I had them back, for +my heart and mind have need of them. Amen. + + + + +JUNE TWENTY-SEVENTH + +Paul Laurence Dunbar born 1872. + +Lafcadio Hearne born 1850. + +Helen Keller born 1880. + + Of course, it was not easy at first to fly. The speech wings were + weak and broken; nothing was left save the impulse to fly, but that + was something. One can never consent to creep when one has an + impulse to soar. There are so many difficulties in the way, so many + discouragements; but I kept on trying, knowing that perseverance and + patience win in the end. + + --Helen Keller. + + De da'kest hour, dey allus say, + Is des' befo' de dawn, + But it's moughty ha'd a-waitin' + Were de night goes frownin' on; + An' it's moughty ha'd a-hopin' + When de clouds is big and black, + An' all de t'ings you's waited fu' + Has failed, er gone to wrack-- + But des' keep on a joggin' ind a little bit o song. + De moon is allus brightah w'en de night's been long. + + --Paul Laurence Dunbar. + + Weeping may tarry for the night, + But joy cometh in the morning. + + --Psalm 30. 5. + +My Father, I thank thee for life and its faculties. May I not be +deceived by gratification and miss the permanent satisfactions. Make +me brave that I may be courageous in affliction, and not be dismayed +over humiliations and disappointments. May I be kept in harmony with +thy will. Amen. + + + + +JUNE TWENTY-EIGHTH + +Henry VIII born 1491. + +Jean Jacques Rousseau born 1712. + +John Wesley born 1703. + +Frederick William Faber born 1814. + + Workman of God! O lose not heart, + But learn what God is like; + And in the darkest battlefield + Thou shalt know where to strike. + + For right is right, since God is God; + And right the day must win; + To doubt would be disloyalty, + To falter would be sin. + + --F. W. Faber. + + Leisure and I have parted company. + I look upon the world as my parish. + The best of all is, God is with us. + To overdo is to undo. + + --John Wesley. + + But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only. + + --James 1. 22. + +Lord God, I pray for a desire to work. May I not be deceived in my +convictions, and work for that of which I may afterward be ashamed. +Lead me into a clear conception of right and wrong. Help me to see as +thou dost see, that I may walk with confidence in thy steps. Amen. + + + + +JUNE TWENTY-NINTH + +Paul Rubens born 1577. + +Baron John De Kalb born 1721. + +Elizabeth Barrett Browning died 1861. + + Do ye hear the children weeping, O my brothers, + Ere the sorrow comes with years? + They are leaning their young heads against their mothers, + And they cannot stop their tears. + The young lambs are bleating in the meadows; + The young birds are chirping in the nests; + The young fawns are playing with the shadows; + The young flowers are blowing toward the west: + But the young, young children, O my brothers! + They are weeping bitterly. + They are weeping in the playtime of the others, + In the country of the free. + + --Elizabeth B. Browning. + + Moreover thou hast taken thy sons and thy daughters, whom thou hast + borne unto me, and these hast thou sacrificed unto them to be + devoured. + + --Ezekiel 16. 20. + +Father of all, I pray that I may always love children. May I never +forget that I wanted things and needed things when I was a child, and +that the help and neglect which I received then told in my life. Make +me interested in the purposes that will help the progress of the child +to-day, and may I realize that the child does not need my casual +charity as much as it needs my permanent justice. Amen. + + + + +JUNE THIRTIETH + +Alexander Brome died 1666. + +Archibald Campbell beheaded 1685. + +Sir Thomas Pope Blount died 1697. + + Be useful where thou livest, that they may + Both want and wish thy pleasing presence still; + Kindness, good parts, great places are the way + To compass this. Find out men's wants and will, + And meet them there. All worldly joys go less + To the one joy of doing kindnesses. + + --George Herbert. + + Thrice happy he, who by some shady grove, + Far from the clamorous world, doth live his own; + Though solitary, who is not alone, + But doth converse with that eternal love + + --William Drummond. + + Seek, and ye shall find. + + --Matthew 7. 7. + +My Father, help me to draw from the wisdom of life, that my soul may +grow in knowledge and power. May I have the quiet confidence that +comes in trusting thee. May I help others to think on the uplifting +things of life. Amen. + + + + +JULY + + + Then came hot July, boiling like to fire, + That all his garments he had cast away; + Upon a lion raging yet with ire + He boldly rode, and made him to obey. + + --Edmund Spenser. + + A pleasing land of drowsyhead it was, + Of dreams that wave before the half-shut eye; + And of gay castles in the clouds that pass, + For ever flushing round a summer sky. + + --James Thomson. + + + + +JULY FIRST + +Comte de Rochambeau born 1725. + +Gideon Welles born 1802. + +George Frederick Watts died 1904. + + There is no unbelief! + Whoever plants a seed beneath a sod, + And waits to see it push away the clod, + He trusts in God. + + There is no unbelief! + And day by day, and night, unconsciously, + The heart lives by that faith the lips deny-- + God knoweth why. + + --Bulwer Lytton. + + More and more I see that nothing is so necessary for the religious + condition of the mind as absolute simplicity. We know what we have + got to do, and the only thing is to ask ourselves whether we are + doing it as well as we can. + + --George Frederick Watts. + + Being therefore justified by faith, we have peace with God. + + --Romans 5. 1. + +My Creator, I praise thee for the knowledge of life, and the hope of +immortality. Help me to express my belief, and to give my utmost for +the divinest, that I may be worthy of life eternal. Amen. + + + + +JULY SECOND + +Archbishop Cranmer born 1489. + +Christopher W. Gluck born 1714. + +Richard Henry Stoddard born 1825. + +Sir Robert Peel died 1850. + + One step more, and the race is ended; + One word more, and the lesson's done; + One toil more, and a long rest follows + At set of sun. + + Who would fail, for one step withholden? + Who would fail, for one word unsaid? + Who would fail, for a pause too early? + Sound sleep the dead. + + --Christina G. Rossetti. + + One who never turned his back, but marched breast forward, + Never doubted clouds would break, + Never dreamed, though right were worsted, wrong would triumph, + Held we fall to rise, are baffled to fight better, Sleep to wake. + + --Robert Browning. + + He that endureth to the end, the same shall be saved. + + --Matthew 10. 22. + +My Father, thou hast proven the strength of thy promises by thy tender +love and mercy through the darkest hours. Help me always to cling to +the hope that thou hast provided for my soul. May I be trustful, and +be thankful to "see so much as one side of a celestial idea, one side +of the rainbow, and the sunset sky." Amen. + + + + +JULY THIRD + +John S. Copley born 1737. + +Henry Grattan born 1746. + +Eugene Sue died 1857. + + Not from the dangers that beset our path + From storm or sudden death, or pain or wrath, + We pray deliverance; + But from the envious eye, the narrowed mind + Of those that are the vultures of mankind + Thy aid advance. + + Not at the strong man's righteous rage or hate, + But at the ambushed malice laid in wait + Thy strength arise; + At those who ever seek to spot the fair + White garments of a neighbor's character + With mud of lies. + + --Theodosia P. Garrison.[1] + + Putting away therefore all wickedness, and all guile, and + hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil speakings. + + --1 Peter 2. 1. + + +My Lord, may I remember that to protect the character of others is to +add virtue to my own. Grant that I may see the good and not be looking +for the evil. Cause me to know that peace will not abide in deceit or +revenge, but may be found in a happy and charitable spirit. Help me to +earn thy peace. Amen. + +[Footnote 1: Special permission by Mitchell Kennerly, New York.] + + + + +JULY FOURTH + +Independence Day. + +Colonel William Byrd died 1704. + +Nathaniel Hawthorne born 1804. + +Thomas Jefferson died 1826. + + By the rude bridge that arched the flood, + Their flag to April's breeze unfurled, + Here once the embattled farmers stood, + And fired the shot heard round the world. + + --Ralph Waldo Emerson. + + Then conquer we must, when our cause it is just, + And this be our motto, "In God is our trust"; + And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave + O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave! + + --Francis Scott Key. + + Seek not to keep your soul perpetually in the unwholesome region of + remorse. It was needful to pass through that dark valley, but it is + infinitely dangerous to linger there too long. + + --Nathaniel Hawthorne. + + And this city shall be to me for a name of joy, for a praise and for + a glory, before all the nations of the earth, which shall hear all + the good that I do unto them. + + --Jeremiah 33. 9. + +Lord of justice and peace, may I not pause at the marked stones of the +brave to learn of liberty, but may I look for the opportunities that I +may measure up to because of them, and do my part to keep the peace +and spread the blessings of our land. Amen. + + + + +JULY FIFTH + +Mrs. Sarah Siddons born 1755. + +David G. Farragut born 1801. + +George Sand born 1804. + +Cecil Rhodes born 1853. + + Nature alone can speak to our intelligence an imperishable language, + never changing, because it remains within the bounds of eternal + truth and of what is absolutely noble and beautiful. + + --George Sand. + + Say, dost thou understand the whispered token, + The promise breathed from every leaf and flower? + And dost thou hear the word ere it be spoken, + And apprehend love's presence by its power? + + --Unknown. + + But ask now the beasts, and they shall teach thee; And the birds of + the heavens, and they shall tell thee: Or speak to the earth, and it + shall teach thee; And the fishes of the sea shall declare unto thee. + Who knoweth not in all these, That the hand of Jehovah hath wrought + this? + + --Job 12. 7-9. + +Lord God, direct me away from self, that I may learn of thy wisdom, +and help further thy kingdom. Give me patience to search for thy +truths, that I may obtain the noblest to use for thy service. Amen. + + + + +JULY SIXTH + +John Huss burned at Constance, Baden, 1369. + +Baron Wilhelm Leibnitz born 1646. + +John Paul Jones born 1747. + +John Flaxman born 1755. + + No man likes to acknowledge that he has made a mistake in the choice + of his profession, and every man worthy of the name will row long + against wind and tide before he allows himself to cry out, "I'm + baffled!" and submit to be floated passively back to land. + + --Charlotte Bronte. + + There is nothing so small but that we honor God by asking his + guidance of it, or insult him by taking it into our hands. + + --John Ruskin. + + If I take the wings of the morning, + And dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea; + Even there shall thy hand lead me, + And thy right hand shall hold me. + + --Psalm 139. 9, 10. + +My Father, I pray that I may have wise judgment and use discretion in +the choice of my work. May I remember that only that is genuine which +is received and used for thee. Amen. + + + + +JULY SEVENTH + +Alexis, son of Peter the Great, died in prison 1718. + +Thomas Blacklock died 1791. + +Richard Brinsley Sheridan died 1816. + + The surest way not to fail is to determine to succeed. + + --Richard B. Sheridan. + + I felt my hot blood a-tingling flow; + With thrill of the fight my soul did glow; + And when, braced and pure, + I emerged secure + From the strife that had tried my courage so, + I said, "Let heaven send me sun or rain, + I'll never know flinching fear again." + + --Thomas Crawford. + + For the Lord Jehovah will help me; therefore have I not been + confounded: therefore have I set my face like a flint, and I know + that I shall not be put to shame. + + --Isaiah 50. 7. + +Lord Jehovah, help me to learn how to be strong and brave, that I may +not remain in fear and weakness. Help me to conquer unworthiness, and +to overcome discouragements, that I may be spared the needless battles +that are brought on through impatience and selfishness. Keep my soul +in repose, that I may add to my conquering strength. Amen. + + + + +JULY EIGHTH + +Jean de La Fontaine born 1621. + +Dr. Samuel D. Gross born 1805. + +Joseph Chamberlain born 1836. + + Neither gold nor grandeur can render us happy. + + --La Fontaine. + + Spirit of God! descend upon my heart; + Wean it from earth; through all its pulses move; + Stoop to my weakness, mighty as thou art, + And make me love thee as I ought to love. + + I ask no dream, no prophet ecstasies, + No sudden rending of the veil of clay: + No angel visitant, no opening skies-- + But take the dimness of my soul away. + + --George Croly. + + For a man's life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which + he possesseth. + + --Luke 12. 15. + +Eternal God, help me to honor my life; and may I realize, whether I +select good or bad, much or little, the harvesting is for eternity. +Grant that I may not make my life accumulate gold and grandeur, and +laden it with much spending; but may I strive and love what thou dost +love, and make my life worthy of my labor. Amen. + + + + +JULY NINTH + +Henry Hallam born 1777. + +Edmund Burke died 1797. + +Elias Howe born 1819. + + Discretion of speech is more than eloquence; and to speak agreeably + to him with whom we deal is more than to speak in good words or in + good order. + + --Francis Bacon. + + When anyone provokes you, be assured it is your opinion which + provokes you. Try therefore, in the first place, not to be hurried + away with appearance. For if you once gain time and respite, you + will more easily command yourself. + + --Epictetus. + + Let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye + may know how ye ought to answer each one. + + --Colossians 4. 6. + +My Father, help me to learn through kindness and tenderness the value +of self-control. Help me in the moods of jealousy and impatience, that +I may not cause others unhappiness by words or deeds. Teach me how to +overcome the ways that keep me discontented, that I may have a +brighter speech. Amen. + + + + +JULY TENTH + +John Calvin born 1509. + +Sir William Blackstone born 1723. + +Frederick Marryat born 1792. + + The quality of mercy is not strained; + It droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven + Upon the place beneath. It is twice blessed; + It blesseth him that gives, and him that takes. + 'Tis mightiest in the mightiest; it becomes + The throned monarch better than his crown; + + * * * * * + + It is enthroned in the hearts of kings; + It is an attribute to God himself. + + --William Shakespeare. + + His gain is loss; for he that wrongs his friend + Wrongs himself more, and ever has about + A silent court and jury, and himself + The prisoner at the bar, ever condemned. + + --Alfred Tennyson. + + Brethren, even if a man be overtaken in any trespass, ye who are + spiritual, restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness; looking to + thyself, lest thou also be tempted. + + --Galatians 6. 1. + +My Father, help me to avoid the critical spirit that leans toward +injustice. Grant that none may be made despondent waiting for my +mercy; but through forgiveness may I inspire confidence in those who +have made mistakes, and influence them to a better life. Amen. + + + + +JULY ELEVENTH + +Robert de Bruce born 1274. + +Jean Marmontel born 1723. + +John Quincy Adams, Massachusetts, sixth President +United States, born 1767. + +Susan Warner (E. Wetherell) born 1819. + + A friend to chide me when I'm wrong, + My inmost soul to see: + And that my friendship prove as strong + For him as his for me. + + --John Quincy Adams. + + Our chief want in life is somebody who shall make us do what we can: + this is the service of a friend. + + --Ralph Waldo Emerson. + + It is better to hear the rebuke of the wise, than for a man to hear + the song of fools. For as the crackling of thorns under a pot, so is + the laughter of the fool. + + --Ecclesiastes 7. 5, 6. + +My Father and Friend, who calleth me to check the progress of the +wrong, make me submissive and eager for what is right, that I may +learn and uphold to others thy purposes and desires. Amen. + + + + +JULY TWELFTH + +Caius Julius Caesar born B.C. 100. + +Josiah Wedgwood born 1730. + +Alexander Hamilton killed 1804. + +Henry David Thoreau born 1817. + +Clara Louise Kellogg born 1842. + + Each reaching and aspiration is an instinct with which all nature + consists and cooperates, and therefore it is not in vain. If a man + believes and expects great things of himself it makes no odds where + you put him, he will be surrounded by grandeur. + + --Henry David Thoreau. + + If you have built castles in the air, your work need not be + lost--that is where they should be: now put foundations under them. + + --Henry David Thoreau. + + He is like a man building a house, who digged and went deep, and + laid a foundation upon the rock: and when a flood arose, the stream + brake against that house, and could not shake it: because it had + been well builded. + + --Luke 6. 48. + +Lord of strength, I pray that while I may lay a strong foundation for +my life, I may remember that I should not delay the building by +neglecting to complete the plans. May I look to-day and see if I am +making my words stronger than my life. With thy wisdom help me to +realize that the test of life is made with the soul. Amen. + + + + +JULY THIRTEENTH + +Richard Cromwell died 1712. + +Elijah Fenton died 1730. + +Jean Paul Marat killed by Charlotte Corday 1793. + + Let each day take thought for what concerns it, liquidate its own + affairs, and respect the day which is to follow, and then it shall + be ready. + + --Amiel. + + What does your anxiety do? It does not empty to-morrow, brother, of + its sorrow; but ah! it empties to-day of its strength. It does not + make you escape the evil; it makes you unfit to cope with it if it + comes. + + --Ian Maclaren. + + Be not anxious for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall + drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. + + --Matthew 6. 25. + +My Father, save me from the habit of borrowing. So often I borrow +trouble and cannot use it, when the peace that I possess is all that I +need. Help me, that I may not miss the glory of to-day, by +anticipating the uncertainty of to-morrow; but may I discern my place +and have delight in every day. Amen. + + + + +JULY FOURTEENTH + +Bastille destroyed 1789. + +Jane Baillie Welch Carlyle born 1801. + +Owen Wister born 1860. + + Sail fast, sail fast, + Ark of my hopes, Ark of my dreams; + Sweep lordly o'er the drowned Past, + Fly glittering through the sun's strange beams; + Sail fast, sail fast. + Breath of new buds from off some drying lea, + With news about the Future scent the sea; + My brain is beating like the heart of Haste. + I'll loose me a bird upon this Present waste; + Go, trembling song, + And stay not long; O, stay not long; + Thou art only a gray and sober dove, + But thine eye is faith and thy wing is love. + + --Sidney Lanier. + + God speed thee, pretty bird; may thy small nest, + With little ones all in good time be blest. + I love thee much; + For well thou managest that life of thine, + Well I!--O ask not what I do with mine! + Would I were such! + + --Jane Welch Carlyle. + + Behold the birds of the heaven, that they sow not, neither do they + reap, nor gather into barns; and your heavenly Father feedeth them. + Are not ye of much more value than they? + + --Matthew 6. 26. + +My Father, may I start this day with more faith in myself and greater +love for thy world. May my soul be awakened to the highest and be +ready for the joys of to-day. Amen. + + + + +JULY FIFTEENTH + +Inigo Jones born 1573. + +Rembrandt born 1607. + +Henry Edward Manning born 1808. + +William Winter born 1836. + + His was the heart that overmuch + In human goodness puts its trust, + And his the keen, satiric touch + That shrivels falsehood into dust. + + Fierce for the right, he bore his part + In strife with many a valiant foe; + But laughter winged his polished dart, + And kindness tempered every blow. + + --William Winter. + + A wise man will so act that whatever he does may rather seem + voluntary and of his own free will than done by compulsion, however + much he may be compelled by necessity. + + --Machiavelli. + + Wherefore I saw that there is nothing better, than that a man should + rejoice in his works; for that is his portion: for who shall bring + him back to see what shall be after him? + + --Ecclesiastes 3. 22. + +Lord God, may I not forget that it is in the light, and not the +darkness, that my work is revealed. I beseech thee to pour in thy +light as I plan my life, and open my heart and mind for the reception +of thy truth. Amen. + + + + +JULY SIXTEENTH + +Andrea del Sarto born 1486. + +Sir Joshua Reynolds born 1723. + +Margaret Fuller Ossoli perished at sea 1850. + + Reverence the highest, have patience with the lowest. Let this day's + performance of the meanest duty be thy religion. Are the stars too + distant? Pick up the pebble that lies at thy feet and from it learn + all. + + --Margaret Fuller. + + The situation that has not its Duty, its Ideal, was never yet + occupied by man. Yet, here is this miserable, despicable Actual, + wherein thou standest--here or nowhere is thy Ideal! Work it out + therefrom! + + --Thomas Carlyle. + + + And whosoever shall give to drink unto one of these little ones a + cup of cold water only, in the name of a disciple, verily I say unto + you he shall in no wise lose his reward. + + --Matthew 10. 42. + +Great God, may I begin this day bearing in mind that the things which +I think and do are my life. I pray that thou wilt keep me from making +great efforts for that which is valueless, and thus waste my life. May +I watch my pride and indolence that they may not cause me to lose the +best. Amen. + + + + +JULY SEVENTEENTH + +Dr. Isaac Watts born 1674. + +Charlotte Corday guillotined 1793. + +Paul Delaroche born 1797. + +J.A. McNeil Whistler died 1903. + + So frail is the youth and beauty of men, + Though they bloom and look gay like the rose; + But all our fond cares to preserve them is vain, + Time kills them as fast as he goes. + + Then I'll not be proud of my youth nor my beauty, + Since both of them wither and fade; + But gain a good name by well doing my duty; + For this will scent like the rose when I'm dead. + + --Isaac Watts. + + Onward, onward may we press + Through the path of duty; + Virtue is true happiness, + Excellence true beauty; + Minds are of supernal birth, + Let us make a heaven of earth. + + --James Montgomery. + + All things therefore whatsoever ye would that men should do unto + you, even so do ye also unto them. + + --Matthew 7. 12. + +My Lord and my strength, I pray that I may possess that expectancy +which comes in joyous hope and have the endurance that is controlled +by courage and energy. Grant in the future that I may be less +concerned about my living and more anxious for what I make of my life. +Amen. + + + + +JULY EIGHTEENTH + +William Makepeace Thackeray born 1811. + +Jane Austen died 1817. + +Jean Antoine Watteau died 1721. + + Learn to admire rightly: the great pleasure of life is that. Note + what great men admired; they admired great things; narrow spirits + admire basely and worship meanly. + + --W.M. Thackeray. + + Our thoughts are often more than we are, just as they are often + better than we are. And God sees us as we are altogether, and not in + separate feelings or actions, as our fellow men see us. We are + always doing each other injustice, and thinking better or worse of + each other than we deserve, because we only hear separate feelings + or actions. We don't see each other's whole nature. + + --George Eliot. + + The wilderness and the dry land shall be glad; and the desert shall + rejoice, and blossom as the rose. + + --Isaiah 35. 1. + +Eternal God, may I become more like thee. Give me the desire to +associate myself with people and places where the divine spirit is +supreme. May my soul breathe in the influence of all that is good and +true; and may I use my life for thy honor and praise. Amen. + + + + +JULY NINETEENTH + +John Martin born 1789. + +Samuel Colt born 1814. + +Charles Victor Cherbuliez born 1829. + + In love, if love be love, if love be ours, + Faith and unfaith can ne'er be equal powers: + Unfaith in aught is want of faith in all. + + It is the little rift within the lute + That by and by will make the music mute, + And ever widening slowly silence all. + The little rift within the lover's lute, + Or little pitted speck in garner'd fruit, + That rotting inward slowly molders all. + + It is not worth the keeping: let it go: + But shall it? Answer, darling, answer no. + And trust me not at all or all in all. + + --Alfred Tennyson. + + Take us the foxes, the little foxes, + That spoil the vineyards; + For our vineyards are in blossom. + + --Song of Solomon 2. 15. + +Loving Father, help me to put away the distractions and cares that +make me discontented. Grant that I may not set myself in "gilded +pride" and keep out the precious things of life. Help me to abandon +doubt and suspicion, and keep the faith that is happy to believe and +willing to forgive. Amen. + + + + +JULY TWENTIETH + +Petrarch born 1304. + +Thomas Lovell Beddoes born 1803. + +John Sterling born 1806. + +Jean Ingelow died 1897. + + Let thy day be to the night + A letter of good tidings! Let thy praise + Go up as birds go up--that when they awake, + Shake off the dew and soar. + + --Jean Ingelow. + + I, and the bird, + And the wind together, + Sang a supplication + In the winter weather. + + The bird sang for sunshine, + And the trees for winter fruit, + And for love in the spring time + When the thickets shoot. + + And I sang for patience + When the teardrops start; + Clean hands and clear eyes, + And a faithful heart. + + --Arthur C. Benson. + + Unto thee, O Jehovah, do I lift up my soul. + + --Psalm 25. 1. + +Lord God, if I am discouraged this morning, may I pause for thine +encouragement. Grant that the fear of the night may make no decline in +my morn, but that "into the future I may fuse the past," and use what +is clearest for to-day. Amen. + + + + +JULY TWENTY-FIRST + +Matthew Pryor born 1664. + +William Lord Russell beheaded 1683. + +Robert Burns died 1796. + + Our heaven must be within ourselves, + Our home and heaven the work of faith + And thro' this race of life which shelves + Downward to death. + While over all a dome must spread, + And love shall be that dome above; + And deep foundations must be laid, + And these are love. + + --Christina Rossetti. + + If happiness has not her seat + And center in the breast, + We may be wise or rich or great, + But never can be blest. + + --Robert Burns. + + Keep thy heart with all diligence; For out of it are the issues of + life. + + --Proverbs 4. + +My Father, if I choose to be unhappy and miserable, may I not be to +myself and friends as "a harp with one string." Help me to free myself +from thinking and anticipating things that keep me from the pleasure +that I might receive and give. May I have more trust in my friends and +in thee. Amen. + + + + +JULY TWENTY-SECOND + +Sir John Graham killed 1298. + +Pilgrims started for America 1620. + +Earl of Shaftesbury (Anthony Ashley Cooper) born 1621. + + How comes it to pass, then, that we appear such cowards in + reasoning, and are so afraid to stand the test of ridicule? + + --Earl of Shaftesbury. + + He that of such a height hath built his mind, + And reared the dwelling of his thoughts so strong, + As neither fear nor hope can shake the frame + Of his resolved powers; nor all the wind + Of vanity or malice pierce to wrong + His settled peace, or to disturb the same: + What a fair seat hath he, from whence he may + The boundless wastes and wilds of man survey? + + --Samuel Daniel. + + Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee; + because he trusteth in thee. + + --Isaiah 26. 3. + +O Lord, it is not that I am ashamed to ask thee for the truth that I +do not more diligently seek it, but it is because I fear the sacrifice +that may follow in obtaining it. I would that I could understand that +thy strength is given in the sacrifice. Make me braver as I seek to +live in the truth. Amen. + + + + +JULY TWENTY-THIRD + +Richard Gibson died 1690. + +Charlotte Cushman born 1816. + +Coventry Patmore born 1823. + + I do not ask, O Lord, that life may be + A pleasant road; + I do not ask that thou would'st take from me + Aught of its load. + + For one thing only, Lord, dear Lord, I plead: + Lead me aright-- + Though strength should falter, and though heart should bleed-- + Through peace to light. + + --Adelaide A. Procter. + + O, why and whither?--God knows all, + I only know that he is good, + And that whatever may befall + Or here or there, must be the best that could. + + --John G. Whittier. + + Lead me, O Jehovah, in thy righteousness because of mine enemies; + Make thy way straight before my face. + + --Psalm 5. 8. + +Loving Father, may I never fail to ask for thy guidance, for thou hast +promised to lead me to the cool springs while I pass through the +desert places. Help me to put myself in thy keeping and say, "Thy will +be done." Amen. + + + + +JULY TWENTY-FOURTH + +Rev. John Newton born 1725. + +John P. Curran born 1750. + +J.G. Holland born 1819. + + As the winged arrow flies + Speedily the mark to find; + As the lightning from the skies + Darts and leaves no trace behind; + Swiftly thus our fleeting days + Bear us down life's rapid stream; + Upward, Lord, our spirits raise; + All below is but a dream. + + --John Newton. + + O gentlemen! the time is short; + To spend that shortness basely were too long, + If life did ride upon a dial's point, + Still ending at the arrival of an hour. + + --William Shakespeare. + + Jehovah, make me to know mine end, + And the measure of my days, what it is; + Let me know how frail I am. + + --Psalm 39. 4. + +Lord, forbid that I should overcast my life with intentions, and +neglect to put in the deeds. May I not be satisfied to spend my days +in being merely occupied, but live to learn and work. May I not be +dismayed over what I might have been, but with all my might do what I +can now. Amen. + + + + +JULY TWENTY-FIFTH + +Thomas a Kempis died 1471. + +Simon Bolivar born 1783. + +Arthur James Balfour born 1848. + + Blessed indeed are those ears which listen not after the voice which + is sounding without, but after the truth teaching within. + + --Thomas a Kempis. + + How joyed my heart in the rich melodies + That overhead and round me did arise! + The moving leaves--the water's gentle flow-- + Delicious music hung on every bough. + Then said I in my heart, "If that the Lord + Such lively music on the earth accord; + If to weak, sinful man such sounds are given, + O! what must be the melody of heaven!" + + --Izaak Walton. + + But thou, O Jehovah, knowest me; thou seest me, and triest my heart + toward thee. + + --Jeremiah 12. 3. + +Loving Father, thou hast made it needful for me to know that the songs +which are sung by divine love are rarely heard by cruel hearts. Grant +that my soul may chord with the sweetest music that vibrates in the +beauty and harmony of life. Amen. + + + + +JULY TWENTY-SIXTH + +Charles Emmanuel died 1630. + +John Wilmot died 1680. + +George Clinton born 1739. + + Quiet minds cannot be perplexed or frightened, but go on in fortune + or misfortune at their own private pace, like a clock during a + thunderstorm. + + --Robert L. Stevenson. + + I have learned, as days have passed me, + Fretting never lifts the load; + And worry, much or little, + Never smooths an irksome road; + For do you know that somehow, always, + Doors are opened, ways are made; + When we work and live in patience + Under all the cross that's laid. + + --Unknown. + + But whoso hearkeneth unto me shall dwell securely, And shall be + quiet without fear of evil. + + --Proverbs 1. 33. + +Merciful and just God, I pray that I may regulate my life by thy +standards and conform my life to thy laws, that thy goodness and mercy +may not be wasted on me. Help me to bear in mind, that willingness is +the power that starts the hands to work. May I have thy presence while +I wait in quietness, that I may be helped through the anxious moments. +Amen. + + + + +JULY TWENTY-SEVENTH + +Thomas Campbell born 1777. + +Alexandre Dumas-fils born 1824. + +Dr. John Dalton died 1844. + + What's hallowed ground? 'Tis what gives birth + To sacred thoughts in souls of worth!-- + Peace! Independence! Truth! go forth + Earth's compass round; + And your high-priesthood shall make earth + All hallowed ground. + + --Thomas Campbell. + + Remember the week day to keep it holy. + + --Elbert Hubbard. + + The meaning of life comes to us mostly in great revealing flashes + and intense emotions. + + --Dean Farrar. + + To the pure all things are pure. + + --Titus 1. 15. + +Gracious Father, may I not feel that it is necessary to wait for +certain days and ceremonies to prepare to worship thee, while at every +moment thy love is pleading for me. May I through the busiest hours +and the most perplexing moments serve thee in reverence and obedience, +and ever give praise to thy holy name. Amen. + + + + +JULY TWENTY-EIGHTH + +John Sebastian Bach died 1750. + +Robespierre executed 1794. + +Jean Baptiste Corot born 1796. + + O Light that followest all my way, + I yield my flickering torch to thee; + My heart restores its borrowed ray, + That in thy sunshine's blaze its day + May brighter, fairer be. + + --George Matheson. + + Follow your Star that lights a desert pathway, yours or mine, + Forward, till you learn the highest Human Nature is divine. + Follow Light and do the Right--for man can half control his doom-- + Till you see the deathless Angel seated in the vacant Tomb. + + --Alfred Tennyson. + + My soul waiteth for the Lord, + More than watchmen wait for the morning; + Yea, more than watchmen for the morning. + + --Psalm 130. 6. + +Almighty God, help me to kindle my life by the shining light of thy +power and love, that I may be an ambassador for thee. Amen. + + + + +JULY TWENTY-NINTH + +Andrew Marvell died 1678. + +William Wilberforce died 1833. + +Dr. Thomas Dick died 1857. + + I wrestle not with rage + While fury's flame doth burn; + It is vain to stop the stream + Until the tide doth turn. + + But when the flame is out + And ebbing wrath doth end + I turn a late enraged foe + Into a quiet friend. + + --Robert Southwell. + + If I can lend + A strong hand to the fallen, or defend + The right against a single envious strain, + My life though bare + Perhaps of much that seemeth dear and fair + To us on earth, will not have been in vain. + + --Unknown. + + A friend loveth at all times; + And a brother is born for adversity. + + --Proverbs 17. 17. + +Gracious Father of us all, if I may have cause to be provoked to-day, +help me to rise above my angry passions, and not from weakness plunge +into that for which I may be sorry. Make me self-forgetful, that I may +be willing to make peace with those whom I may have displeased. Amen. + + + + +JULY THIRTIETH + +Samuel Rogers born 1763. + +Thomas Gray died 1771. + +W.T. Adams (Oliver Optic) born 1822. + +Prince Bismarck died 1898. + + Sit down, sad soul, and count + The moments flying; + Come, tell the sweet amount + That's lost by sighing! + How many smiles?--a score? + Then laugh, and count no more; + For day is dying. + + Lie down sad soul, and sleep, + And no more measure + The flight of time, nor weep + The loss of leisure; + But here by this lone stream, + Lie down with us, and dream + Of starry treasure. + + Bryan Waller Procter. + + The only thing grief has taught me is to know how shallow it is. + Grief will not carry you one step into real nature; grief can teach + me nothing. + + --Ralph Waldo Emerson. + + Leave off, ye simple ones, and live; + And walk in the way of understanding. + + --Proverbs 9. 6. + +God of love, may I come quickly to thee, when I am in need of +protection and sympathy. Guard me against sorrow that is drawn from +the imagination. May I not allow grief to drag me into misery, but +with strength and courage may I find happiness in thy daily will. +Amen. + + + + +JULY THIRTY-FIRST + +John Conybeare died 1775. + +John Ericsson born 1803. + +Paul B. Du Chaillu born 1835. + +Phoebe Cary died 1871. + + Be wise to-day; 'tis madness to defer; + Next day the fatal precedent will plead; + Thus on, till wisdom is pushed out of life. + Procrastination is the thief of time; + Year after year it steals, till all are fled, + And to the mercies of a moment leaves + The vast concerns of an eternal scene. + + --Dr. Edward Young. + + O, my friend, rise up and follow + Where the hand of God shall lead; + He has brought thee through affliction, + But to fit thee for his need. + + --Mary Howitt. + + For he is our God, + And we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand. + To-day, O that ye would hear his voice! + Harden not your heart. + + --Psalm 95. 7, 8. + +Lord God, I come to thee for help, that I may make more of my life. +Steady me, that I may know its value without wavering, and the loss it +sustains from wasted days. I pray that I may live more in thy +commandments, and with my work accept the joy of thy love. Amen. + + + + +AUGUST + + + Flame-like, the long midday, + With not so much of sweet air as hath stirred + The down upon the spray, + Where nests the panting bird, + Dozing away the hot and tedious noon, + With fitful twitter, sadly out of tune. + + Pleasantly comest thou, + Dew of the evening, to the crisped-up grass; + And the curled corn-blades bow, + As the light breezes pass, + That their parched lips may feel thee, and expand, + Thou sweet reviver of the fevered land. + + So, to the thirsting soul, + Cometh the dew of the Almighty's love; + And the scathed heart, made whole, + Turneth in joy above, + To where the spirit freely may expand, + And rove, untrammeled, in that "better land." + + --William D. Gallagher. + + + + +AUGUST FIRST + +Andrew Melville born 1545. + +Richard Henry Dana, Jr., born 1815. + +Maria Mitchell born 1818. + + Am I wrong to be always so happy? This world is full of grief; + Yet there is laughter of sunshine, to see the crisp green on the leaf, + Daylight is ringing with song-birds, and brooklets are crooning at night; + And why should I make a shadow when God makes all so bright? + Earth may be wicked and weary, yet cannot I help being glad! + There is sunshine without and within me, and how should I mope or be sad? + God would not flood me with blessings, meaning me only to pine + Amid all the bounties and beauties he pours upon me and mine; + Therefore I will be grateful, and therefore will I rejoice; + My heart is singing within me; sing on, O heart and voice. + + --Walter C. Smith. + + Rejoice always. + + --1 Thessalonians 5. 16. + +Gracious Father, my soul floods with joy for the blessings of life. +May it be my privilege to be happy in them. Help me not to ask thee +for anything which will cause loss to another; may I not delight in a +lonely view, but as I see thy glory bring others to the vision also. +Amen. + + + + +AUGUST SECOND + +Thomas Gainsborough died 1788. + +Elisha Gray born 1835. + +Marion Crawford born 1854. + +William Watson born 1859. + + The Holy Supper is kept, indeed, + In whatso we share with another's need; + Not what we give, but what we share, + For the gift without the giver is bare; + Who gives himself with his alms feeds three, + Himself, his hungering neighbor, and me. + + --James Russell Lowell. + + And when o'er storm and jar I climb, + Beyond life's atmosphere, + I shall behold the lord of time + And space--of world and year. + + O vain, far quest! not thus my heart + Shall ever find its goal! + I turn me home--and there thou art, + My Father, in my soul. + + --George Macdonald. + + That they should seek God, if haply they might feel after him and + find him, though he is not far from each one of us; for in him we + live, and move, and have our being. + + --Acts 17. 27, 28. + +O Lord, my gracious Father, may I not be so eager for more, that I +feel I have nothing to spare. Help me to realize that if I may be on +the mountain-top, or at the level of the sea, thy spirit may dwell in +my soul. May I rejoice that I can always receive and share thy grace +and love. Amen. + + + + +AUGUST THIRD + +John Henley born 1692. + +Henry Cuyler Bunner born 1855. + +Eugene Sue died 1857. + + Set out in the very morning of your lives with a frank and manly + determination to look simply for what is right and true in all + things.... This is the only way to know God's will and do it. You + may not find it at once, but you have set your face in the true + direction to find it. + + --Jeremy Taylor. + + The important thing in life is to have a great aim, and to possess + the aptitude and perseverance to attain it. + + --Goethe. + + Blessed are they that keep his testimonies, + That seek him with the whole heart. + + --Psalm 119. 2. + +Lord God, forbid that I should lose the opportunities of making my +life by waiting for sudden developments. Cause me to notice that the +tree that bears fruit must first grow the blossom before it may be +perfected by the sun: whether thou hast made me greater or less, may I +be ashamed to live in untruth and wait in idleness. Amen. + + + + +AUGUST FOURTH + +Percy Bysshe Shelley born 1792. + +Edward Irving born 1792. + +Walter H. Pater born 1839. + + We look before and after, + And pine for what is not; + Our sincerest laughter + With some pain is fraught; + Our sweetest songs are those that tell of saddest thought. + + Yet if we could scorn + Hate and pride and fear, + If we were things born + Not to shed a tear, + I know not how thy joy we ever could come near. + + --Percy Bysshe Shelley. + + It becomes no man to nurse despair, + But in the teeth of clenched antagonisms + To follow up the worthiest till he die. + + --Alfred Tennyson. + + He suffered no man to do them wrong; + Yea, he reproved kings for their sakes. + + --1 Chronicles 16. 21. + +My Father, I bless thee for thy patience and forbearance. I pray that +thou wilt forgive me for all the sorrow that I have made from +rebellion and despair, and with thy forgiveness may I receive patience +and cheerful courage. Amen. + + + + +AUGUST FIFTH + +John Eliot born 1604. + +John, Lord Wrottesley, born 1798. + +Richard Lord Howe died 1799. + + To live within a cave--it is most good; + But if God made a day, + And some one come, and say, + "Lo! I have gathered faggots in the wood!" + E'en let him stay, + And light a fire, and fan a temporal mood! + So sit till morning! when the light is grown + That he the path can read, + Then bid the man Godspeed! + His morning is not thine: yet must thou own + Those ashes on the stone. + They have a cheerful warmth. + + --Thomas Edward Brown. + + It is given to us sometimes, even in our everyday life, to witness + the saving influence of a noble nature, the divine efficacy of + rescue that may lie in a self-subduing act of fellowship. + + --George Eliot. + + And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, + Inasmuch as ye did it unto one of these my brethren, even these + least, ye did it unto me. + + --Matthew 25. 40. + +Father of mankind, may I not be a barrier to the discouraged, but help +them in the ways of encouragement. May I not allow pride and prejudice +to keep me from acts of love and deeds of kindness, but may I be +worthy of thy trust. Amen. + + + + +AUGUST SIXTH + +Ben Jonson died 1637. + +Francois Fenelon born 1651. + +Daniel O'Connell born 1775. + +Alfred, Lord Tennyson, born 1809. + + O well for him whose will is strong! + He suffers, but he will not suffer long; + He suffers, but he cannot suffer wrong; + For him nor moves the loud world's random mock, + Not all Calamity's hugest waves confound, + Who seems a promontory rock, + That compassed round with turbulent sound, + In middle ocean meets the surging shock, + Tempest-buffeted, citadel-crowned. + + --Alfred Tennyson. + + Grandeur of character lies in force of soul--that is, in the force + of thought, moral principle, and love; and this may be found in the + humblest condition of life. + + --William Ellery Channing. + + So then, brethren, stand fast. + + --2 Thessalonians 2. 15. + +Eternal God, help me that I may not be deceived by my surroundings as +I seek to have life abundantly. Instruct me that it is by the way of +character that I must attain the laws of growth, and learn reverence +for the spirit of divine life. Amen. + + + + +AUGUST SEVENTH + +Battle of Thermopylae B.C. 480. + +Frederick William (Dean) Farrar born 1831. + +Alexander M. Bell died 1905. + + Although a friend may remain faithful in misfortune, yet none but + the very best and loftiest will remain faithful to us after our + errors and our sins. + + --Dean Farrar. + + Friendship is like a debt of honor: the moment it is talked of it + loses its real name, and assumes the more ungrateful form of + obligation. From hence we find that those who regularly undertake to + cultivate friendship find ingratitude generally repays their + endeavors. + + --Oliver Goldsmith. + + For even in their wickedness shall my prayer continue. + + --Psalm 141. 5. + +Lord God, may I ever continue to be thankful for the times thou hast +helped me, when I have asked for thy compassion; may I recall the joy +in which I received it, when it may be mine to have compassion and +extend a helping hand to others. I pray that I may place my life where +it will be stronger than adversity and controlled by sincerity and +love. Amen. + + + + +AUGUST EIGHTH + +Charles A. Dana born 1819. + +Laurence Hutton born 1843. + +Cecile Chaminade born 1861. + + Lo! all the glory gone! + God's masterpiece undone! + The last created and the first to fall; + The noblest, frailest, godliest of all. + + Child of the humble sod, + Wed with the breath of God, + Descend! for with the lowest thou must lie-- + Arise! thou hast inherited the sky. + + --John B. Tabb. + + Far away there in the sunshine are my highest aspirations; I cannot + reach them, but I can look up and see their beauty, believe in them, + and try to follow where they lead. + + --Louisa M. Alcott. + + I will lift up mine eyes unto the mountains: + From whence shall my help come? + + --Psalm 121. 1. + +Heavenly Father, may I see as I raise my eyes to the mountains that +without the deep shadows there would be no vision of the high-light, +and still higher may I see that without the sun there would be no +color to encircle the rainbow. And beyond, O Father, may I believe +that without the shadow of the cross we could not have the glory of +the resurrection. May I keep the vision clear. Amen. + + + + +AUGUST NINTH + +Izaak Walton born 1593. + +John Dryden born 1631. + +Francis Scott Key born 1780. + +Joseph Jacques Tissot died 1902. + + All habits gather, by unseen degrees, + Brooks make rivers, rivers run to seas. + + --John Dryden. + + Now it catches the gleam of the morning's first beam, + In full glory reflected now shines on the stream; + 'Tis the star-spangled banner; O yet may it wave + O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave! + + --Francis Scott Key. + + Do not be troubled because you have not great virtues. God made a + million spears of grass where he made one tree.... Only have enough + of little virtues and common fidelities, and you need not mourn + because you are neither a hero nor a saint. + + --Henry Ward Beecher. + + The reward of humility and the fear of Jehovah + Is riches, and honor, and life. + + --Proverbs 22. 4. + +Lord God, who keepest truth to generations, and who through love and +wisdom hath gathered us into nations, forgive me for what I have done +that is wrong, and for what I have neglected that was right. May I +give greater loyalty to my country and to thee. Amen. + + + + +AUGUST TENTH + +Founding of Greenwich Observatory 1675. + +Sir Charles Napier born 1782. + +George Park Fisher born 1827. + + No one can ask honestly or hopefully to be delivered from temptation + unless he has himself honestly and firmly determined to do the best + he can to keep out of it. + + --John Ruskin. + + Men at some time are masters of their fates: + The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, + But in ourselves, that we are underlings. + + --William Shakespeare. + + The greatest punishment one can have is to discover, not how hard, + but how low he has fallen. + + --M.B.S. + + O Timothy, guard that which is committed unto thee, turning away + from the profane babblings and oppositions of the knowledge which is + falsely so-called. + + --1 Timothy 6. 20. + +Almighty God, through thy mercies may I recognize my faults, and +correct any evil that is in me. Make me strong, that I may not yield +to temptation. May I have regard for thy will and be prepared to take +thy messages as they are flashed to the soul. Amen. + + + + +AUGUST ELEVENTH + +Jean Victor Moreau born 1761. + +Octave Feuillet born 1821. + +Signer Crispi died 1901. + + Heaven overreaches you and me, + And all earth's gardens and her graves. + Look up with me, until we see + The day break and the shadows flee. + What though to-night wrecks you and me + If so to-morrow saves? + + --Christina G. Rossetti. + + The essence of joy lies in the doing rather than in the result of + the doing. There is a lifelong and solid satisfaction in any + productive labor, manual or mental, which is not pushed beyond the + limit of strength. + + --Charles W. Eliot. + + Show me thy ways, O Jehovah; + Teach me thy paths. + Guide me in thy truths, and teach me. + + --Psalm 25. 4, 5. + +My Father, keep me where my eyes may look expectantly toward the dawn, +through the darkness. Take away everything that comes between me and +the brightness of the morning. Amen. + + + + +AUGUST TWELFTH + +Robert Southey born 1774. + +Francis Horner born 1778. + +Edith Thomas born 1854. + +Katherine Lee Bates born 1859. + + Our restlessness in this world seems to indicate that we are + intended for a better. We have all of us a longing after happiness; + and surely the Creator will gratify all the natural desires he has + implanted in us. + + --Robert Southey. + + Whenso my quick, light-sandaled feet + Bring me where Joys and Pleasures meet, + I mingle with their throng at will; + They know me not an alien still, + Since neither words nor ways unsweet + Of stored bitterness I spill; + Youth shuns me not nor gladness fears, + For I go softly all my years. + + --Edith Thomas. + + He hath swallowed up death forever; and the Lord Jehovah will wipe + away tears from off all faces. + + --Isaiah 25. 8. + +Loving Father, help me to guard my inclinations. May I be able to +appreciate that though I may be restless from ambition, I also may be +restless through discontent. Correct my life, that my desires may meet +the true demands of my soul. Strengthen me with the power of calmness, +that "I may go softly all my years," even though I walk through the +bitterness of sorrow. Amen. + + + + +AUGUST THIRTEENTH + +Jeremy Taylor died 1667. + +Dr. William Wotton born 1669. + +Elizabeth Stuart Phelps Ward born 1844. + +Elizabeth Prentiss died 1878. + +Sir John Millais died 1896. + + Feeling the way--and all the way up hill; + But on the open summit, calm and still, + The feet of Christ are planted; and they stand + In view of all the quiet land. + + Feeling the way--and if the way is cold, + What matter? since upon the fields of gold + His breath is melting; and the warm winds sing + While rocking summer days for him. + + --Elizabeth S. Phelps. + + All the performances of human art, at which we look with praise and + wonder, are instances of the resistless force of perseverance. + + --Samuel Johnson. + + But abide thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been + assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them. + + ---2 Timothy 3. 14. + +My Lord, I would remember to ask thee this morning for that of which I +seem to have most need. May I have the will to keep my patience and +realize the untold power of my words and actions. Give me thy peace, +not only to rest in, but that I may have it to give to others. Amen. + + + + +AUGUST FOURTEENTH + +Dr. Meric Casaubon born 1599. + +Dr. Charles Button born 1737. + +Walter Besant born 1836. + +Ernest Thompson Seton born 1860. + +Florence Nightingale died 1910. + + I count this thing to be grandly true, + That a noble deed is a step toward God; + Lifting the soul from the common clod + To a purer air and a broader view. + + We rise by the things that are under our feet, + By what we have mastered of good or gain, + By the pride deposed and the passion slain, + And the vanquished ills that we hourly meet. + + --Richard Watson Gilder. + + No Apostle of Liberty much to my heart ever found I; + License each for himself, this was at bottom their want. + Liberator of many! first dare to be Servant of many; + What a business is that, would'st thou know it, go try! + + --Goethe. + + Prove all things; hold fast that which is good. + + --1 Thessalonians 5. 21. + +Gracious Father, if I may be beginning this day with an unclean +purpose in my heart, help me to clear it away; if I may be trying to +avoid some urgent duty, make me ashamed to resist it. Keep away the +desires that harm my life, and that withhold the enjoyment of my +common work. Amen. + + + + +AUGUST FIFTEENTH + +Jeremy Taylor baptized 1613. + +Napoleon Bonaparte born 1769. + +Sir Walter Scott born 1771. + +Thomas de Quincey born 1785. + + And do our loves all perish with our frames? + Do those that took their root and put forth buds, + And their soft leaves unfolded in the warmth + Of mutual hearts, grow up and live in beauty, + Then fade and fall, like fair, unconscious flowers? + + O, listen, man! + A voice within us speaks the startling word, + "Man, thou shalt never die!" + + --Richard Henry Dana. + + I am drawing near to the close of my career; I am fast shuffling off + the stage. I have been perhaps the most voluminous author of the + day; and it is a comfort to me to think I have tried to unsettle no + man's faith, to corrupt no man's principle, and that I have written + nothing which on my deathbed I should wish blotted. + + --Sir Walter Scott. + + But concerning love of the brethren ye have no need that one write + unto you: for ye yourselves are taught of God to love one another. + + --1 Thessalonians 4. 9. + +Almighty God, may I have that faith in eternal life which will make me +careful of what I choose for my own and more careful of what I put in +the lives of others. Amen. + + + + +AUGUST SIXTEENTH + +Ralph Thoresby born 1658. + +Dr. Thomas Fuller died 1661. + +Dr. Matthew Tindal died 1733. + + The secret of goodness and greatness is in choosing whom you will + approach and live with, in memory or imagination, through the + crowding obvious people who seem to live with you. + + --Robert Browning. + + Fair Nature's book together read, + The old wood-paths that knew our tread, + The maple shadows overhead-- + + Where'er I look, where'er I stray, + Thy thought goes with me on my way, + And hence the prayer I breathe to-day. + + --John Greenleaf Whittier. + + Shall two walk together, except they have agreed? + + --Amos 3. 3. + +Lord God, I thank thee for the delight of congenial companions and the +memory of friendship. May I not be quick to lose my friends through +misunderstanding and selfishness. May I be considerate and constant +and be able to climb to the highest steeps of friendship. Amen. + + + + +AUGUST SEVENTEENTH + +Dr. William Carey born 1761. + +David Crockett born 1786. + +Mary Abigail Dodge (Gail Hamilton) died 1896. + + The destiny of nations lies far more in the hands of women--the + mothers--than in the hands of those who possess power. We must + cultivate women, who are educators of the human race, else a new + generation cannot accomplish its task. + + --Froebel. + + In an old continental town they will show you a prison in a tower, + and on all the stones of that prison within reach one word is + carved--it is, "Resist!" Years ago a godly woman was for forty years + immured in that dungeon, and she spent her time in cutting with a + piece of iron on every stone that one word, for the strengthening of + her own heart and for the benefit of all who might come after her, + "Resist!" "Resist!" "Resist!" + + --J.G. Mantle. + + + Then Mordecai bade them return answer unto Esther, Think not with + thyself that thou shalt escape in the king's house, more than all + the Jews ... and who knoweth whether thou art not come to the + kingdom for such a time as this? + + --Esther 4. 13, 14. + +Lord God, give me wisdom to help relieve the ignorant and suffering. +May I strive in every way to free thy people, that they may be +uplifted in the progress of life. Amen. + + + + +AUGUST EIGHTEENTH + +Virginia Dare, first English child born in America, 1587. + +Dr. Henry Hammond born 1605. + +Robert Williams Buchanan born 1841. + +John Russell born 1792. + + Pour out thy love like the rush of a river, + Wasting its waters for ever and ever, + Through the burnt sands that reward not the giver; + Silent or songful thou nearest the sea. + + Scatter thy life as the summer showers pouring. + What if no bird through the pearl rain is soaring? + What if no blossom looks upward adoring? + Look to the life that was lavished for thee. + + --Unknown. + + Who is the happiest person? He whose nature asks for nothing that + the world does not wish and use. + + --Goethe. + + Freely ye received, freely give. + + --Matthew 10. 8. + +My Father, I pray that I may have the sympathy that responds with +consideration and devotion. May it be a joy for me to give comfort and +render service where I may help. Grant that I may not linger too long +in happiness and miss thy blessings, but remember that to "travel +hopefully is a better thing than to arrive." Amen. + + + + +AUGUST NINETEENTH + +Augustus Caesar died A.D. 14. + +James Watt died 1819. + +Robert Bloomfield died 1823. + +Honore Balzac died 1850. + + It is written not, "Blessed is he that feedeth the poor," but + "Blessed is he that considereth the poor." And you know a little + thought and a little kindness are often worth more than a great deal + of money. + + --John Ruskin. + + So pity never leaves the gentle breast + Where love has been received a welcome guest; + As wandering saints poor huts have sacred made, + He hallows every heart he once has swayed, + And, when his presence we no longer share, + Still leaves compassion as a relic there. + + --Thomas Sheridan. + + If a brother or sister be naked and in lack of daily food, and one + of you say unto them, Go in peace, be ye warmed and filled; and yet + ye give them not the things needful to the body; what doth it + profit? + + --James 2. 16. + +Tender Father, help me to consider those who receive the crust of +bread at my door; for if it be needed it is asked for by sad and +desperate lives. Make me conscious of thy mercy and help, that I may +be considerate for the one with the outstretched hand. Amen. + + + + +AUGUST TWENTIETH + +Saint Bernard died 1153. + +Robert Herrick born 1591. + +John and Cornelius De Witt killed 1672. + +Francis Asbury born 1745. + +Henry P. Liddon born 1829. + +Benjamin Harrison, Ohio, twenty-third President +United States, born 1833. + + The busy world shoves angrily aside + The man who stands with arms akimbo set + Until occasion tells him what to do; + And he who waits to have his task marked out + Shall die and leave his errand unfulfilled. + + --James Russell Lowell. + + Awake, arise! the hour is late! + Angels are knocking at thy door! + They are in haste and cannot wait, + And once departed come no more. + + --Henry W. Longfellow. + + Boast not thyself of to-morrow; + For thou knowest not what a day may bring forth. + + --Proverbs 27. 1. + +Gracious Father, grant that I may not tarry so long, that when I +arrive I will hear, "Too late, too late, ye cannot enter now"; but may +I be so persistent with every day that when I arrive I may be ready as +well as on time. Amen. + + + + +AUGUST TWENTY-FIRST + +Lady Mary Montagu died 1762. + +Jules Michelet born 1798. + +John Tyndall born 1820. + + Let us never be afraid of innocent joy; God is good and what he does + is well done; resign yourself to everything, even happiness; ask for + the spirit of sacrifice, of detachment, of renunciation, and above + all, for the spirit of joy and gratitude. + + --Amiel. + + That's the wise thrush; + He sings each song twice over, + Lest you should think he never could recapture + The first fine careless rapture! + + --Robert Browning. + + And these things we write, that our joy may be made full. + + --1 John 1. 4. + +Lord God, help me to keep the things under my feet that are inclined +to destroy happiness. Show me clearly the line which divides right and +wrong, that I may not fear the censure of the world. Help me to act +with good judgment and be calm in obeying thy laws. Amen. + + + + +AUGUST TWENTY-SECOND + +John B. Gough born 1817. + +Warren Hastings died 1818. + +G. W. De Long born 1844. + + I never saw a moor, + I never saw the sea; + Yet know I how a heather looks + And what a wave must be. + + I never spoke with God, + Nor visited in heaven; + Yet certain am I of the spot + As if the chart were given. + + --Emily Dickinson. + + I don't want to possess a faith; I want a faith which will possess + me. + + --Charles Kingsley. + + Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, saith Jehovah of + hosts. + + --Zechariah 4. 6. + +My Father, may there be no room in my soul for doubt. Help me to be +cautious and careful that my own neglect and carelessness may not +cause the loss of my faith. May I be trustful as I look for the great +light that guides me over the uncertain way. Amen. + + + + +AUGUST TWENTY-THIRD + +Rowland Hill born 1744. + +Louis XVI born 1754. + +William E. Henley born 1849. + + Out of the night that covers me, + Black as the Pit from pole to pole, + I thank whatever gods may be + For my unconquerable soul. + + It matters not how strait the gate, + How charged with punishments the scroll, + I am master of my fate, + I am the captain of my soul. + + --W. E. Henley. + + A man who has borne himself honorably through a whole life makes an + action honorable which might appear ambiguous in others. + + --Goethe. + + Wherefore, my beloved brethren, be ye steadfast, unmovable. + + --1 Corinthians 15. 58. + +Father of mercy, I beseech thee to protect me in my endeavors as I try +to live my ideals. May I not choose unnecessary burdens, and when I +most need to be strong find that I have lived in that which has +weakened my life. I ask for a clear mind and a strong heart that I may +be "Captain of my soul." Amen. + + + + +AUGUST TWENTY-FOURTH + +William Wilberforce born 1759. + +William Thomas Moncrieff born 1794. + +Theodore Parker born 1810. + + Give me, Lord, eyes to behold the truth; + A seeing sense that knows the eternal right; + A heart with pity filled, and gentlest ruth; + A manly faith that makes all darkness light: + Give me the power to labor for mankind; + Make me the mouth of such as cannot speak; + Eyes let me be to groping men and blind. + + --Theodore Parker. + + Love's hearts are faithful, but not fond, + Bound for the just, but not beyond; + Not glad, as the low-loving herd, + Of self in other still preferred, + But they have heartily designed + The benefit of broad mankind. + And they serve men austerely, + After their own genius, clearly, + Without a false humility. + + --Ralph Waldo Emerson. + + Herein I also exercise myself to have a conscience void of offense + toward God and men always. + + --Acts 24. 16. + +Heavenly Father, help me to-day to look into my heart and see the +truth of my life, and show me thy heart that I may see the truth of +life. Amen. + + + + +AUGUST TWENTY-FIFTH + +Thomas Chatterton died 1770. + +Sir William Herschel died 1822. + +Francis Bret Harte died 1902. + + O teach me in the trying hour, + When anguish swells the dewy tear, + To still my sorrows, own thy power, + Thy goodness love, thy justice fear. + + Then why, my soul, dost thou complain? + Why drooping seek the dark recess? + Shake off the melancholy chain, + For God created all to bless. + + --Thomas Chatterton. + + Each substance of a grief hath twenty shadows + which show like grief itself, but are not so: + For sorrow's eye, glazed with blinding tears, + Divides one thing entire to many shadows. + + --William Shakespeare. + + Why art thou cast down, O my soul? + And why art thou disquieted within me? + Hope thou in God. + + --Psalm 42. 5. + +Loving Father, forbid that I should be lonesome, and forget thou art +my friend: and may I not pass over thy mercies while waiting for thy +compassion. Help me to find contentment in the inheritances of the +earth, where I may always draw from thee. Amen. + + + + +AUGUST TWENTY-SIXTH + +Sir Robert Walpole born 1676. + +Adam Clarke died 1832. + +Henry Fawcett born 1833. + + Lord, for to-morrow and its needs + I do not pray; + Keep me, my God, from stain of sin + Just for to-day. + Help me to labor earnestly, + And duly pray; + Let me be kind in word and deed, + Father, to-day. + + Let me no wrong or idle word + Unthinking say; + Set thou a seal upon my lips + Through all to-day. + Let me in season, Lord, be grave, + In season gay; + Let me be faithful to thy grace, + Dear Lord, to-day. + + --Ernest Wilberforce. + + And which of you by being anxious can add one cubit unto the measure + of his life? + + --Matthew 6. 27. + +My Lord, I pray that thou wilt control my life, and bless the going +out of my work, be it ever so great or small. Help me to realize the +necessity of earnestness, that I may "work while it is to-day," and I +have the light, and not wait for the night, when it is too dark for +work to be done. May I be faithful in my work until it is completed. +Amen. + + + + +AUGUST TWENTY-SEVENTH + +William Woollett born 1735. + +James Thomson died 1748. + +George W. F. Hegel born 1770. + + Who are thy playmates, boy? + "My favorite is joy, + Who brings with him his sister Peace, to stay + The livelong day. + I love them both; but he + Is most to me!" + + And where are thy playmates now, + O man of sober brow? + "Alas! dear joy, the merriest is dead, + But I have wed + Peace; and our babe, a boy + Newborn, is joy." + + --John B. Tabb. + + Depart from evil, and do good; + Seek peace, and pursue it. + + --Psalm 34. 14. + +Lord God, may I realize more my dependence on thee for the joys of +life. I pray that as I accept thy gifts I will not neglect to take the +peace and happiness which thou dost give with them. Grant that I may +have the bright hope and cheerful courage that is the experience of +power and truth. Amen. + + + + +AUGUST TWENTY-EIGHTH + +Johann W. von Goethe born 1749. + +Ormsby MacKnight Mitchel born 1809. + +Jones Very born 1813. + +Count Lyoff (Leo) Tolstoy born 1828. + +Sir Edward Burne-Jones born 1833. + +Leigh Hunt died 1859. + + All truly wise thoughts have been already thought a thousand times; + but to make them truly ours we must think them over again honestly, + till they take firm root in our personal experience. + + --Goethe. + + The light that fills thy house at morn + Thou canst not for thyself retain; + But all who with thee here are born + It bids to share an equal gain. + + The wave, the blue encircling wave, + No chain can bind, no fetter hold; + Its thunders tell of Him who gave + What none can ever buy for gold. + + --Jones Very. + + And the glory which thou hast given me I have given unto them + + --John 17. 22. + +Father of love, I thank thee for thy daily love and for thy daily +bread. May I feel that thy gifts are for all, and not mine to keep and +store from those who are in need. Help me as I say, "Thy will be done +to me," to so will it to others. Amen. + + + + +AUGUST TWENTY-NINTH + +John Locke born 1632. + +John Fawcett born 1768. + +Frederick D. Maurice born 1805. + +Oliver Wendell Holmes born 1809. + +Maurice Maeterlinck born 1862. + + Build thee more stately mansions, O my soul, + As the swift seasons roll! + Leave thy low-vaulted past! + Let each new temple, nobler than the last, + Shut thee from heaven with a dome more vast, + Till thou at length art free, + Leaving thine outgrown shell by life's unresting sea! + + --Oliver Wendell Holmes. + + We all live in the sublime. Where else can we live? That is the only + place of life. Though you have but a little room, do you fancy that + God is not there, too, and it is impossible to live therein a life + that shall be somewhat lofty? Do you imagine that you can possibly + be alone, that love can be a thing one knows, a thing one sees; that + events can be weighed like the gold and silver of ransom? + + --Maurice Maeterlinck. + + My soul waiteth in silence for God only: + From him cometh my salvation. + + --Psalm 62. 1. + +Loving Father, help me to live, that my spirit may always dwell in thy +protecting love. Amen. + + + + +AUGUST THIRTIETH + +Cleopatra died B. C. 30. + +William Paley born 1743. + +Julian A. Weir born 1852. + + Thyself and thy belongings + Are not thine own so proper as to waste + Thyself upon thy virtues, they on thee. + Heaven doth with us as we with torches do, + Not light them for themselves; for if our virtues + Did not go forth of us, 'twere all alike + As if we had them not. Spirits are not finely touched + But to fine issues, nor Nature never lends + The smallest scruple of her excellence, + But, like a thrifty goddess, she determines + Herself the glory of a creditor, + Both thanks and use. + + --William Shakespeare. + + Brethren, be ye imitators together of me, and mark them that so walk + even as ye have us for an ensample. + + --Philippians 3. 17. + +My Father, I pray that I may not let my life become commonplace +through habit. May I not be content to rest in my virtues and let the +days pass neglected. Awaken my dull satisfactions to a desire to live +for the greatest, that I may have the greatest to live for. Amen. + + + + +AUGUST THIRTY-FIRST + +John Bunyan died 1686. + +Charles James Lever born 1806. + +Theophile Gautier born 1811. + +Queen Wilhelmina of Holland born 1880. + + Let us be patient, and endure a while; the time may come that God + may give us a happy release; but let us not be our own murderers. + + --John Bunyan. + + He that is down need fear no fall; + He that is low no pride; + He that is humble ever shall + Have God to be his guide. + + --John Bunyan. + + Time delivers fools from grief and reason wise men. + + --Epictetus. + + For our light affliction, which is for the moment, worketh for us + more and more exceedingly an eternal weight of glory. + + --2 Corinthians 4. 17. + +My Lord, if I may be walking through fields that are rough with grief +and care, may I have the courage to continue on to the smooth +pastures, where I may walk with comfort and peace. May I not let the +weariness and sorrow that may come to my heart to-day dwarf my hope +and enjoyment of the future. Amen. + + + + +SEPTEMBER + + + Go forth at eventide, + The eventide of summer, when the trees + Yield their frail honors to the passing breeze, + And woodland paths with autumn tints are dyed; + When the mild sun his paling luster shrouds + In gorgeous draperies of golden clouds, + Then wander forth, mid beauty and decay, + To meditate alone--alone to watch and pray. + + --Emma C. Embury. + + + + +SEPTEMBER FIRST + +Edward Alleyn born 1566. + +Lydia Sigourney born 1791. + +James Gordon Bennett, Sr., born 1795. + +William Stanley Jevons born 1835. + + O ye, who proudly boast, + In your veins, the blood of sires like these, + Look to their lineaments. Dread lest ye lose + Their likeness in your sons. Should mammon cling + Too close around your heart, or wealth beget + That bloated luxury which eats the core + From manly virtue, or the tempting world + Make faint the Christian purpose in your soul, + Turn ye to Plymouth Rock, and where they knelt + Kneel, and renew the vow they breathed to God. + + --Lydia Sigourney. + + Educate children without religion, and you make a race of clever + devils. + + --Duke of Wellington. + + Remember his covenant for ever, + The word which he commanded to a thousand generations. + + --1 Chronicles 16. 15. + +O Lord of wisdom, kindle me with a love for true knowledge, that I may +strive, in the moments I have now, to culture my life. Not by might, +not by power, but by thy spirit, O Lord, may I learn and teach thy +children. Amen. + + + + +SEPTEMBER SECOND + +John Howard born 1726. + +Henry George born 1839. + +George R. Sims born 1842. + +Eugene Field born 1850. + +Newell Dwight Hillis born 1858. + + And thus we sat in darkness, + Each one busy in his prayer; + "We are lost!" the captain shouted, + As he staggered down the stair. + But the little daughter whispered, + As she took his icy hand, + "Isn't God upon the ocean, + Just the same as on the land?" + + --Eugene Field. + + Happiness is through helpfulness. Every morning let us build a booth + to shelter some one from life's fierce heat. Every noon let us dig + some life-spring for thirsty lips. + + --Newell Dwight Hillis. + + Jehovah is nigh unto all them that call upon him, + To all that call upon, him in truth. + + --Psalm 145. 18. + +Heavenly Father, may I live that my spirit may never feel lost from +thee; and when I am in great need of thee, even unto death, may I know +that thou art very near. Amen. + + + + +SEPTEMBER THIRD + +Oliver Cromwell died 1658. + +George Lillo died 1739. + +Bishop James Harrington born 1847. + +Sarah Orne Jewett born 1849. + + Love thyself last: cherish those hearts that hate thee: + Corruption wins not more than honesty. + Still in thy right hand carry peace, + To silence envious tongues. Be just and fear not: + Let all the ends thou aim'st at be thy country's, + Thy God's and truth's; then if thou fallest, O Cromwell, + Thou fallest a blessed martyr. + + --William Shakespeare. + + Surely, the only true knowledge of our fellow man is that which + enables us to feel with him, which gives us a fine ear for the + heart-pulses that are beating under the mere clothes of circumstance + and opinion. + + --George Eliot. + + With all lowliness and meekness, with long-suffering, forbearing one + another in love. + + --Ephesians 4. 2. + + Lord, give thy people consistency of judgment, one heart, and mutual + love; and go on to deliver them, and with the work of the + reformation; and make the name of Christ glorious in the world. + Teach those who look too much on thy instruments to depend more upon + thyself. Pardon the folly of this short prayer: Even for Christ's + sake. And give us a good night, if it be thy pleasure. Amen. + + --Prayer by Oliver Cromwell, just before death. + + + + +SEPTEMBER FOURTH + +Pindar, poet, born B. C. 522. + +William E. Dodge born 1805. + +Phoebe Cary born 1824. + +Sir Wilfred Lawson born 1829. + + I ask not wealth, but power to take + And use the things I have, aright; + Not years, but wisdom that shall make + My life a profit and delight. + + --Phcebe Gary. + + Another day may bring another mind, + A mind to learn when there is none to teach; + To follow when no leader we can find; + To enjoy when good is now beyond our reach. + + A better mind, but not a better time, + A mind to will, but not a time to do + What had been done, if we in life's bright prime, + When God was ready, had been ready too. + + --Thomas T. Lynch. + + Give diligence to present thyself approved unto God, a workman that + needeth not to be ashamed. + + --2 Timothy 2. 15. + +My Father, help me to have lofty thoughts, and may I not be content +until they are carried into purpose. Help me to conquer that which +will keep me from an act of happiness, and grant that by thinking of +that which is pure, and doing that which is good, I may be made +helpful and true. Amen. + + + + +SEPTEMBER FIFTH + +Catherine Parr died 1548. + +Cardinal Richelieu born 1585. + +Robert Fergusson born 1750. + +Giacomo Meyerbeer born 1791. + +Richard C. Trench born 1807. + + Be patient! O, be patient! Put your ear against the earth; + Listen there how noiselessly the germ o' the seed has birth-- + How noiselessly and gently it upheaves its little way, + Till it parts the scarcely broken ground, and the blade stands up in day. + + Be patient! O, be patient!--though yet our hopes are green, + The harvest fields of freedom shall be crowned with sunny sheen. + Be ripening! be ripening--mature your silent way, + Till the whole broad land is tongued with fire on freedom's harvest day. + + --Richard C. Trench. + + And let patience have its perfect work, that ye may be perfect and + entire, lacking in nothing. + + --James 1. 4. + +Gracious Father, help me to see the truth as thou hast made it, and +may I not be indifferent to the beauty and patience of the earth's +revelations. May I not mistake indolence for patient ambition, which I +would have for anxious hours, and which I need for my heart's desires. +Amen. + + + + +SEPTEMBER SIXTH + +Moses Mendelssohn born 1729. + +Marquis de Lafayette born 1757. + +Jane Addams born 1860. + + God will not seek thy race, + Nor will he ask thy birth; + Alone he will demand of thee, + What hast thou done on earth? + + --Persian. + + One dreams of the time when the interest and capacity of each person + shall be studied with reference to the industry about to be + undertaken. + + --Jane Addams. + + Honor is purchased by deeds we do, honor is not won, until some + honorable deed is done. + + --Sir Christopher Marlowe. + + In diligence not slothful; fervent in spirit; serving the Lord. + + --Romans 12. 11. + +Gracious Father, wilt thou bring to my mind and heart the important +things which are needed in preparing life. Help me to use the strength +that is given to me for to-day, that I may not have to give to-morrow +to learning what I should have known. Amen. + + + + +SEPTEMBER SEVENTH + +Queen Elizabeth born 1533. + +Comte de Buffon born 1707. + +Victorien Sardou born 1831. + +Hannah More died 1833. + +John G. Whittier died 1892. + + Side by side + In the low sunshine by the turban stone + They knelt; each made his brother's woe his own, + Forgetting, in the agony and stress + Of pitying love, his claim of selfishness; + Peace, for his friend besought, his own became; + His prayers were answered in another's name; + And when at last they rose up to embrace, + Each saw God's pardon in his brother's face. + + --John G. Whittier. + + My care is like my shadow in the sun, + Follows me flying, flies when I pursue it; + Stands and lies by me, does what I have done, + This too familiar care does make me rue it. + No means I find to rid him from my breast, + Till by the end of things it be suppressed. + + --Queen Elizabeth. + + Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. + + --Galatians 6. 2. + +Lord God, help me to look for those who are in need of help. Forgive +me for my failures, and may I gather up my broken promises and try to +redeem them. I ask for thy forgiveness, as I ask that thou wilt help +me to forgive them who may have trespassed against me. Amen. + + + + +SEPTEMBER EIGHTH + +Richard Coeur de Lion born 1157. + +A.W. Schlegel born 1767. + +Antonin Dvorak born 1841. + + All service ranks the same with God,-- + With God, whose puppets, best and worst, + Are we: there is no last nor first. + + + --Robert Browning. + + Thou needest not man's little life of years, + Save that he gather wisdom from them all; + That in thy fear he lose all other fears, + And in thy calling heed no other call. + Then shall he be thy child to know thy care, + And in thy Self the eternal Sabbath share. + + + --Jones Very. + + He that keepeth the commandment keepeth his soul; + But he that is careless of his ways shall die. + --Proverbs 191. 6. + +My Lord, forbid that I should want to live to be known only for power +and pride. Help me to strive for that which is helpful and lovely. May +I never be restrained from thee, but delight to follow in thy way. +Help me to be obedient to thy laws, that I may learn thy truths. Amen. + + + + +SEPTEMBER NINTH + +Battle of Flodden. + +James the Fourth of Scotland killed 1513. + +Luigi Galvani born 1737. + + Then welcome each rebuff + That turns earth's smoothness rough, + Each sting that bids nor sit, nor stand but go! + Be our joys three-parts pain! + Strive and hold cheap the strain; + Learn, nor account the pang; dare, never grudge the throe. + + --Robert Browning. + + Life without industry is guilt; and industry without art is + brutality. + + --John Ruskin. + + Blessed is the man that endureth temptation; for when he hath been + approved, he shall receive the crown of life. + + --James 1. 12. + +Almighty God, help me as I start this day to remember how easy it is +to drive the peace from it. May I do my best to keep it, and defy any +indolence or disposition, that may make me spoil it. May I lay me down +at night in peace and sleep because of the contentment that has filled +the hours. Amen. + + + + +SEPTEMBER TENTH + +William the Conqueror died 1087. + +Dr. Thomas Sheridan died 1788. + +Mungo Park born 1771. + +Mrs. Godwin (Mary Wollstonecraft) died 1797. + + Let the wind blow east, west, north, or south, the immortal soul + will take its flight to the destined point. + + --Thomas Sheridan. + + He is void of true taste who strives to have his house admired by + decorating it with showish outside; but to adorn our character by + gentleness of a communicative temper is a proof of good taste and + good nature + + --Epictetus. + + Let fortune empty her whole quiver on me. + I have a soul that, like an empty shield, + Can take it all, and verge enough for more. + + --Thomas Dryden. + + The Lord will deliver me from every evil work, and will save me unto + his heavenly kingdom. + + --2 Timothy 4. 18. + +Almighty God, I bless thee that it is thou who brought me to live on +earth; and I rejoice that it is thou who wilt judge my life when thou +takest me away. May I be saving thy rich gifts that I may not be found +poor; and may I be worthy to receive thine inheritance and hear thee +say, "Well done." Amen. + + + + +SEPTEMBER ELEVENTH + +Battle of Marathon B. C. 490. + +William Lowth born 1661. + +James Thomson born 1700. + + But what is virtue but repose of mind, + A pure ethereal calm, that knows no storm; + Above the reach of wild ambitious wind, + Above the passions that this world deform. + + --James Thomson. + + And if I pray, the only prayer + That moves my lips for me + Is, "Leave the heart that now I bear, + And give me liberty!" + + Yes, as my swift days near their goal, + 'Tis all that I implore; + In life and death, a chainless soul + With courage to endure. + + --Emily Bronte. + + Cast not away therefore your boldness, which hath great recompense + of reward. + + --Hebrews 10. 35. + +Tender Father, may I pause this morning to look at that which I keep +uppermost in my life; and if it may not be worthy of thy esteem, may I +be bold enough to revise my ideals. With thy compassion may I free my +heart and mind of all unworthiness, and be given endurance to restore +the empty places. Amen. + + + + +SEPTEMBER TWELFTH + +Jean-Philippe Rameau born 1693. + +Griffith Jones died 1786. + +Charles Dudley Warner born 1829. + + Our duty is to be useful, not according to our desires, but + according to our powers. + + --Amiel. + + How good is man's life, the mere living! how fit to employ + All the heart and the soul and the senses for ever in joy! + + --Robert Browning. + + Do something! No man is born with a mortgage on his soul; but every + man is born a debtor to Time. Meet this obligation before you find + too late that your life is impoverished and you cannot redeem it. + + --M.B.S. + + Let him labor, working with his hands the thing that is good, that + he may have whereof to give to him that hath need. + + --Ephesians 4. 28. + +My Father, what I have left out of my life I know I cannot recover +now. I pray that I may give the best to what is left. Make me +deliberate, that I may prove my earnestness. Make me industrious, that +I may use my best resources to develop my life and further thy +kingdom. Amen. + + + + +SEPTEMBER THIRTEENTH + +William Cecil born 1520. + +Michael de Montaigne died 1592. + +General Wolfe died 1759. + +Charles James Fox died 1806. + + And thou, O river of to-morrow, flowing + Between thy narrow adamantine walls, + But beautiful, and white with waterfalls + And wreaths of mist, like hands the pathway showing; + I hear the trumpets of the morning blowing. + + It is the mystery of the unknown + That fascinates us; we are children still, + Wayward and wistful; with one hand we cling + To the familiar things we call our own, + And with the other, resolute of will, + Grope in the dark for what the day will bring. + + --Henry W. Longfellow. + + Behold, happy is the man whom God correcteth. + + --Job 5. 17. + +Almighty God, I pray that thou wilt help me to correct my life to-day +that I may know a better way to-morrow; and may I be mindful and try +to do right. Grant that I may be patient and kind if I may be sick or +in need, and always keep uppermost the faith of deliverance and +eternal care. Amen. + + + + +SEPTEMBER FOURTEENTH + +Alighieri Dante died 1321. + +Alexander Baron von Humboldt born 1769. + +Julia Magruder born 1854. + +Charles Dana Gibson born 1867. + + Since it is Providence that determines the fates of men, their inner + nature is thus brought into unison. There is such harmony, as in all + things of nature, that one might explain the whole without referring + to a higher Providence. But this only proves the more clearly and + certainly this higher Providence, which has given existence to this + harmony. + + --Wilhelm von Humboldt. + + The good mariner, when he draws near the port, furls his sails and + enters it softly; so ought we to lower the sails of our worldly + operations, and turn to God with all heart and understanding. + + --Dante. + + Thy righteousness is like the mountains of God; + Thy judgments are a great deep: + O Jehovah, thou preservest man and beast. + + --Psalm 36. 6. + +My Father in heaven, may I hear thy voice to-day! May I be quiet as I +listen to thee. Above the clamor of the crowd may I hear thee calling +me. May I hear thee in my joys and in my sorrows; in my work and in my +leisure. May I listen to thee oftener, that I may be familiar with thy +ways. Amen. + + + + +SEPTEMBER FIFTEENTH + +James Fenimore Cooper born 1789. + +Louis Joseph Martel born 1813. + +Porfirio Diaz born 1830. + +William Howard Taft, Ohio, twenty-sixth President United States, born 1857. + + Friendship is one of the cheapest and most accessible of pleasures; + it requires no outlay and no very serious expenditure of time or + trouble. It is quite easy to make friends, if one wants to... There + is surely no greater pleasure in the world than to feel one is + needed, welcomed, missed, and loved. + + --Arthur C. Benson. + + "Friendship is love without his wings." + + --William H. Taft (from Byron). + + Without sympathy, in the highest sense of intellectual penetration, + kindness may be a folly, and intended aid, oppression. + + --John Ruskin. + + He that maketh many friends doeth it to his own destruction; but + there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother. + + --Proverbs 18. 24. + +My Father, may I know the delight of true friendship which is +responsive and sincere. May I never feel so secure in myself that I +will cease to want friends, or be so dependent on others that I will +be continually seeking them. May I understand the value of having a +stanch friend and of being one. Amen. + + + + +SEPTEMBER SIXTEENTH + +Gabriel D. Fahrenheit died 1736. + +W. Augustus Muhlenberg born 1796. + +Francis Parkman born 1823. + + Yes, to this thought I hold with firm persistence-- + The last result of wisdom stamps it true: + He only earns his freedom and existence + Who daily conquers them anew. + + --Goethe. + + For thee hath been dawning + Another blue day; + Look how thou let it + Slip empty away. + + --Goethe. + + Happy the man, and happy he alone, + Who can call to-day his own: + He who, secure within, can say, + "To-morrow, do thy worst, for I have lived to-day." + + --John Dryden. + + Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of Jehovah is + risen upon thee. + + --Isaiah 60. 1. + +Gracious Father, help me to be alert this morning and select the +noblest that is in to-day. May I be diligent and not find in the +evening that I have been unworthy of the day. Amen. + + + + +SEPTEMBER SEVENTEENTH + +Samuel Prout born 1783. + +Dr. John Kidd died 1851. + +Walter Savage Landor died 1864. + + In the hour of distress and misery the eye of every mortal turns to + friendship; in the hour of gladness and conviviality, what is your + want? It is friendship. When the heart overflows with gratitude or + with other sweet and sacred sentiment, what is the word to which it + would give utterance? A friend. + + --Walter Savage Landor. + + The hurried quest of some people to get hold of new friends is so + perpetual that they never have time to get acquainted with anyone. + + --M.B.S. + + Thine own friend, and thy father's friend, forsake not; + And go not to thy brother's house in the day of thy calamity: + Better is a neighbor that is near than a brother far off. + + --Proverbs 27. 10. + +My Lord and my Friend, I pray that my sympathy may be sincere and +comforting, and with a glad heart I may bring rejoicing to my friends. +May I learn from thee how I may be a permanent friend. Amen. + + + + +SEPTEMBER EIGHTEENTH + +Trajan, Roman emperor, born 1584. + +James Shirley born 1596. + +Samuel Johnson born 1709. + +Joseph Story born 1779. + + There is no greater happiness than to be able to look on a life + usefully and virtuously employed: to trace our own purposes in + existence by such tokens that excite neither shame nor sorrow. + + --Dr. Johnson. + + The perfect poise that comes-from self-control, + The poetry of action, rhythmic, sweet-- + The unvexed music of the body and soul + That the Greeks dreamed of, made at last complete. + Our stumbling lives attain not such a bliss; + Too often, while the air we vainly beat, + Love's perfect law of liberty we miss. + + --Annie Matheson. + + Brethren, I have lived before God in all good conscience until this + day. + + --Acts 23. 1. + +Heavenly Father, may I not confuse my life with rebellion, but through +thy guidance find peace. Help me through the perplexities that may +keep me from the quietness of to-day. Keep me in sight of the great +plan of life, that I may grow steadfastly toward thee. Amen. + + + + +SEPTEMBER NINETEENTH + +Battle of Poitiers 1356. + +Hartley Coleridge born 1796. + +President Garfield died 1881. + + Be not afraid to pray--to pray is right. + Pray if thou canst, with hope; but ever pray + Though hope be weak, or sick with long delay; + Pray in the darkness, if there be no light. + Far is the time, remote from human sight, + When war and discord on earth shall cease: + Yet every prayer for universal peace + Avails the time to expedite. + + --Hartley Coleridge. + + More things are wrought by prayer + Than the world dreams of. Wherefore let thy voice + Rise like a fountain for me night and day. + For what are men better than sheep or goats + That nourish a blind life within the brain, + If, knowing God, they lift not hands of prayer + Both for themselves and those who call them friend? + For so the whole world is every way + Bound by gold chains about the feet of God. + + --Alfred Tennyson. + + Continue stedfastly in prayer, watching therein with thanksgiving. + + --Colossians 4. 2. + +O Lord, give me the desire to pray, and teach me to pray as thou +wouldst have my needs. Sustain me, that I may overcome my weaknesses, +and strengthen me, that I may have thine approval. May I be reverent +and unselfish as I come to thee in prayer. Amen. + + + + +SEPTEMBER TWENTIETH + +Battle of Salamis B. C. 480. + +Alexander the Great born B. C. 356. + +Robert Emmet died 1803. + +David Ross Locke (Petroleum V. Nasby) born 1833. + + 'Tis weary watching wave by wave, + And yet the tide heaves onward; + We climb, like corals, grave by grave, + That pave a pathway sunward. + We're driven back, for our next fray + A newer strength to borrow; + And where the vanguard camps to-day, + The rear shall rest to-morrow. + + --Gerald Massey. + + Be like the bird, that, pausing in her flight + A while on boughs too slight, + Feels them give way beneath her, and yet sings, + Knowing that she hath wings. + + --Victor Hugo. + + Trust in Jehovah, and do good; + Dwell in the land, and feed on his faithfulness. + + --Psalm 37. 3. + +Eternal God, help me to realize that life is not only endless but, +whether I live in love and obedience, or wait in neglect and +indifference, that I can never separate myself from thee. May I be +diligent in worthy endeavors to do my best for thee. Amen. + + + + +SEPTEMBER TWENTY-FIRST + +Girolamo Savonarola born 1452. + +Emperor Charles V died 1558. + +Sir Walter Scott died 1832. + + It is the secret sympathy, + The silver link, the silken tie, + Which heart to heart and mind to mind + In body and in soul can bind. + + --Sir Walter Scott. + + No action, whether foul or fair, + Is ever done, but it carves somewhere + A record, written by fingers ghostly, + As a blessing or a curse, and mostly + In the greater weakness or greater strength + Of the acts which follow it. + + --Henry W. Longfellow. + + And he said unto them, Look on me, and do likewise: and, behold, + when I come to the outermost part of the camp, it shall be that, as + I do, so shall ye do. + + --Judges 7. 17. + +Loving Father, may I remember that from the beginning, all things were +created beautiful and were given for love. I pray that I may be +willing to be guided to the beautiful things of life and receive from +them the delight of thy love. Amen. + + + + +SEPTEMBER TWENTY-SECOND + +Peter Simon Pallas born 1741. + +Michael Faraday born 1791. + +Theodore Edward Hook born 1788. + + Man learns to swim by being tossed into life's maelstrom and left to + make his way ashore. No youth can learn to sail his life-craft in a + lake sequestered and sheltered from all the storms, where other + vessels never come. Skill comes through sailing one's craft amidst + rocks and bars and opposing fleets, amidst storms and whirls and + counter currents. + + --Newell Dwight Hillis. + + O, a trouble's a ton or a trouble's an ounce, + Or a trouble is what you make it! + And it isn't the fact that you're hurt that counts, + But only--how did you take it? + + --Edmund C. Vance. + + And thus, having patiently endured, he obtained the promise. + + --Hebrews 6. 15. + +Tender Father, may I not encourage the disposition to enlarge and make +much of the troubles and disappointments of life, and make light of +the joys and privileges. I pray that I may keep a large place for +happiness. Amen. + + + + +SEPTEMBER TWENTY-THIRD + +Karl Theodore Koerner born 1791. + +Hjalmar Hjorth Boyesen born 1848. + +Wilkie Collins died 1889. + +M.F.H. De Haas died 1895. + + When over the fair fame of friend or foe + The shadow of disgrace shall fall; instead + Of words to blame, or reproof of thus and so, + Let something good be said. + + Forget not that no fellow-being yet + May fall so low but love may lift his head; + Even the cheek of shame with tears is wet + If something good be said. + + --Author unknown. + + The right Christian mind will ... find its own image wherever it + exists; it will seek for what it loves, and draw out of all dens and + caves, and it will believe in its being, often when it cannot see + it; and so it will lie lovingly over the faults and rough places of + the human heart, as the snow from heaven does over the hard, and + black, and broken mountain rocks. + + --John Ruskin. + + To him that is ready to faint kindness should be showed from his + friend. + + --Job 6. 14. + +Lord God, grant that after years of climbing I may not find the mist +in my soul has dulled the vision of thy glory. Keep me from the habit +of looking for faults, and missing the virtues in others. Forbid that +I should be so occupied in taking measure of other lives that I +neglect to measure my own. Amen. + + + + +SEPTEMBER TWENTY-FOURTH + +John Marshall born 1755. + +Zachary Taylor, Virginia, twelfth President United +States, born 1784. + +S.R. Crockett born 1860. + + Get the truth once uttered, and 'tis like + A star newborn that drops into its place, + And which, once circling in its placid round, + Not all the tumult of the earth can shake. + + --James Russell Lowell. + + If you would be well spoken of, learn to speak well of others. And + when you have learned to speak well of them, endeavor likewise to do + well to them; and reap the fruit of being well spoken of by them. + + --Epictetus. + + He that slandereth not with his tongue, + Nor doeth evil to his friend, + Nor taketh up a reproach against his neighbor; + He that doeth these things shall never be moved. + + --Psalm 15. 3, 5. + +Lord God, I bless thee for the lives of men and women who are willing +to be led by the truth, and who are worthy to follow thee. I pray that +thou wilt make me truthful, and keep me steadfast, that none may go +astray by the uncertainty of my way. Amen. + + + + +SEPTEMBER TWENTY-FIFTH + +William Romaine born 1714. + +Felicia D. Hemans born 1793. + +W.M. Rossetti born 1829. + + Not as the conqueror comes, + They, the true-hearted, came; + Not with the roll of the stirring drums, + And the trumpet songs of fame: + + Amidst the storm they sang, + And the stars heard and the sea; + And the sounding aisles of the dim woods rang + To the anthem of the free. + + Ay, call it holy ground, + The soil where first they trod; + They have left unstained what there they found-- + Freedom to worship God. + + --Felicia D. Hemans. + + But they shall sit every man under his vine and under his fig-tree; + and none shall make them afraid. + + --Micah 4. 4. + +Eternal God, may I look to the Pilgrims and learn that to pray by +faith with the heart is not to pray by faith of the imagination. Help +me to pray, and have faith to struggle for that which I would +rightfully have. Amen. + + + + +SEPTEMBER TWENTY-SIXTH + +Admiral Cuthbert Collingwood born 1750. + +Dr. Mary Walker born 1832. + +Irving Bacheller born 1859. + +Frederic William Faber died 1863. + + God is never so far off as even to be near-- + He is within: Our spirit is the home he holds most dear. + To think of him as by our side is almost as untrue + As to remove his throne beyond the starry blue. + + --F.W. Faber. + + Nearer, my God, to thee, + Nearer to thee! + E'en though it be a cross + That raiseth me; + Still all my song shall be-- + Nearer, my God, to thee, + Nearer to thee! + + --Sarah F. Adams. + + My righteousness I hold fast, and will not let it go: My heart shall + not reproach me so long as I live. + + --Job 27. 6. + +My Father, may I consider the place in which I stand: and may I not be +deceived in thinking I am near thee while I am living far away. Teach +me the way to draw nearer to thee each day, until my spirit may +continually dwell with thee. Amen. + + + + +SEPTEMBER TWENTY-SEVENTH + +George Cruikshank born 1792. + +Samuel Francis Dupont born 1803. + +Aime Millet born 1819. + +Henri Frederic Arniel born 1821. + + The man who has no refuge in himself, who lives, so to speak, in his + front rooms, in the outer whirlwind of things and opinions, is not + properly a personality at all; ... he is one of a crowd. + + --Amiel. + + Happy the heart that keeps its twilight hour, + And in the depths of heavenly peace reclined, + Loves to commune with thoughts of tender power-- + Thoughts that ascend, like angels beautiful. + + --Paul Hamilton Hayne. + + The art of meditation may be exercised at all hours and in all + places; and men of genius in their walks, at table, and amidst + assemblies, turning the eye of the mind inward, can form an + artificial solitude; retired amidst a crowd, calm amidst + distractions, and wise amidst folly. + + --Disraeli. + + Commune with your own heart upon your bed, and be still. + + --Psalm 4. 4. + +Heavenly Father, save me from being so poor in spirit, that I will +have to be sustained by the bright spirits of others. May I be +continually refreshed by the spirit of life that may be found at all +times. Amen. + + + + +SEPTEMBER TWENTY-EIGHTH + +Francis Turner Palgrave born 1824. + +Frances E. Willard born 1839. + +General John D. French born 1852. + +Mary Anderson born 1859. + + Unless there is a predominating and overmastering purpose to which + all the accessories and incidents of life contribute, the character + will be weak, irresolute, uncertain. + + --Frances E. Willard. + + Life is not an idle ore, + But iron dug from central gloom, + And heated hot with burning fears, + And dipt in baths of hissing tears, + And battered with the shocks of doom + To shape and use. + + --Alfred Tennyson. + + He that doubteth is like the surge of the sea driven by the wind and + tossed.... A double-minded man, unstable in all his ways. + + --James 1. 6, 8. + +O God, help me to be positive. May I not want to be in so many places, +and in so many things, that I can never be found in anything. Help me +to know that a purpose secured is worth many attempts, and that to +have a character I must build it. Amen. + + + + +SEPTEMBER TWENTY-NINTH + +Pompey killed B.C. 48. + +Robert Lord Clive born 1725. + +Horatio Nelson born 1758. + + O strange and wild is the world of men + Which the eyes of the Lord must see-- + With continents, inlands, tribes, and tongues, + With multitudes bond and free! + All kings of the earth bow down to him, + And yet--he can think of me. + + For none can measure the mind of God + Or the bounds of eternity, + He knows each life that has come from him, + To the tiniest bird and bee, + For the love of his heart is so deep and wide + That it takes in even me. + + --Mary E. Allbright. + + Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? and not one of them shall + fall on the ground without your Father: but the very hairs of your + head are all numbered. + + --Matthew 10. 29, 30. + +Almighty God, cause me to look out this morning, and open wide my +eyes, that I may see what great preparation thou hast made that I +might live. May I be ashamed to start wrong and be unworthy of the +glory of this day. Amen. + + + + +SEPTEMBER THIRTIETH + +George Whitefield died 1770. + +William Hutton born 1723. + +John Dollond died 1761. + + Up, up, my soul, the long-spent time redeeming; + Sow thou the seeds of better deeds and thought; + Light other lamps while yet thy lamp is beaming-- + The time is short. + + Think of the good thou might'st have done when brightly + The suns to thee life's choicest season brought; + Hours lost to God in pleasure passing lightly-- + The time is short. + + If thou hast friends, give them thy best endeavor, + Thy warmest impulse, and thy purest thought, + Keeping in mind and words and action ever-- + The time is short. + + --Elizabeth Prentiss. + + What is your life? For ye are a vapor that appeareth for a little + time, and then vanisheth away. + + --James 4. 14. + +Loving Father, help me to realize that I am not living in the right +way nor the right place if I am discontented, or happy in trifles and +untruth. Help me to find my place, and with thy help may I stand firm +and confident. Amen. + + + + +OCTOBER + + + The morns are meeker than they were, + The nuts are getting brown; + The berry's cheek is plumper, + The rose is out of town. + The maple wears a gayer scarf, + The field a scarlet gown; + Lest I should be old-fashioned, + I'll put a trinket on. + + --Emily Dickinson. + + + + +OCTOBER FIRST + +Saint John Viscount Bolingbroke born 1678. + +Pierre Corneille died 1684. + +Rufus Choate born 1799. + + He speaks not well who doth his time deplore, + Naming it new and a little obscure, + Ignoble and unfit for lofty deeds. + All times were modern in the time of them, + And this no more than others. Do thy part + Here in the living day, as did the great + Who made old days immortal. + + --Richard Watson Gilder. + + He who is false to present duty breaks a thread in the loom, and + will find the flaw when he may have forgotten the cause. + + --Henry Ward Beecher. + + For use almost can change the stamp of nature, + And master the devil, or throw him out + With wondrous potency. + + --William Shakespeare. + + And when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went into his + house (now his windows were open in his chamber toward Jerusalem;) + and he kneeled upon his knees three times a day, and prayed, and + gave thanks before his God, as he did aforetime. + + --Daniel 6. 10. + +Heavenly Father, help me to get away from doubt that leads to despair. +Give me a vision of hope that is stayed on faith. May I be conscious +and appreciative of my privileges while they come to me and make them +immortal. Amen. + + + + +OCTOBER SECOND + +Aristotle died B.C. 322. + +Major John Andre hanged 1780. + +William Ellery Channing died 1842. + + I am not earth-born, though I here delay; + Hope's child, I summon infiniter powers, + And laugh to see the mild sunny day + Smile on the shrunk and thin autumnal hours; + I laugh, for hope hath a happy place for me-- + If my bark sinks, 'tis to another sea. + + --William E. Channing. + + The stars shall fade away, the sun himself + Grow dim with age, and Nature sink in years; + But thou shall flourish in immortal youth, + Unhurt amidst the war of elements, + The wreck of matter and the crush of worlds. + + --Thomas Addison. + + For with thee is the fountain of life: + In thy light shall we see light. + + --Psalm 36. 9. + +My Father, I would pray that my sense of gloom may not be more than +thy grace. May the glorious light of thy love break through my +disheartened soul, and reveal the sincerity of thy promises, that I +may be happy in thy care. Amen. + + + + +OCTOBER THIRD + +Robert Barclay died 1690. + +George Bancroft born 1800. + +William Morris died 1896. + + Come hither, lads, and harken, + For a tale there is to tell + Of the wonderful days a-coming, + When all shall be better than well. + + Come, then, let us cast off fooling, + And put by ease and rest, + For the cause alone is worthy + Till the good days bring the best. + + --William Morris. + + Man's life is but a working day + Whose tasks are set aright; + A time to work, a time to pray, + And then a quiet night. + And then, please God, a quiet night + Where palms are green and robes are white; + A long-drawn breath, a balm for sorrow, + And all things lovely on the morrow. + + --Christina G. Rossetti. + + And the ransomed of Jehovah shall return, and come with singing unto + Zion; and everlasting joy shall be upon their heads. + + --Isaiah 61. 11. + +Heavenly Father, help me to see that before the night thou hadst +planned the morning, and that thou hast never sent the night without +the hope of the morning. Before I rest in the night may I be ready for +the morning. Amen. + + + + +OCTOBER FOURTH + +Francis of Assisi died 1226. + +Edmund Malone born 1741. + +Francois Guizot born 1787. + +Jean Francois Millet born 1814. + +Rutherford B. Hayes, Ohio, nineteenth President +United States, born 1822. + +M.E. Braddon born 1837. + + We ought to rise day by day with a certain zest, a clear intention, + a design to make the most of every hour; not to let the busy hours + shoulder each other or tread on each other's heels, but to force + every action to give up its strength and sweetness. There is work to + be done, and there are empty hours to be filled as well.... But, + most of all, there must be something to quicken, enliven, practice + the soul. + + --Arthur C. Benson. + + Men's souls ought to be left to see clearly; not jaundiced, blinded, + twisted all awry, by revenge, moral abhorrence, and the like. + + --Thomas Carlyle. + + But there is a spirit in man, + And the breath of the Almighty giveth them understanding. + + --Job 32. 8. + +Spirit of life, I pray that thou wilt continually live within me. May +my days be spent neither in waste nor idleness, but planned to use, +with the best that is given me. Amen. + + + + +OCTOBER FIFTH + +Jonathan Edwards born 1703. + +Denis Diderot born 1713. + +Horace Walpole born 1717. + +Nancy Hanks died 1818. + +Chester A. Arthur, Vermont, twenty-first President +United States, born 1830. + +H.R. Guy de Maupassant born 1850. + + Earth gets its price for what earth gives us; + The beggar is taxed for a corner to die in, + The priest has his fee who comes and shrives us, + We bargain for the graves we lie in; + At the devil's booth are all things sold, + Each ounce of dross costs its ounce of gold; + For a cap and bells our lives we pay, + Bubbles we buy with a whole soul's tasking; + 'Tis heaven alone that is given away, + 'Tis only God may be had for the asking. + + --James Russell Lowell. + + + The free gift of God is eternal life. + + --Romans 6. 23. + +Gracious Father, may the world speak to me of thy gifts, and of the +peace and power which it freely offers. May I not pass by thy great +appeals, and prefer to purchase at a great cost my indolence and +dissipation. Amen. + + + + +OCTOBER SIXTH + +Jenny Lind Goldschmidt born 1820. + +Harriet G. Hosmer born 1830. + +Charles Stewart Parnell died 1891. + +Alfred Tennyson died 1892. + + The heart which boldly faces death + Upon the battlefield, and dares + Cannon and bayonet, faints beneath + The needle-points of frets and cares. + The stoutest spirits they dismay-- + The tiny stings of every day. + + Ah! more than martyr's aureole + And more than hero's heart of fire, + We need the humble strength of soul + Which daily toils and ills require. + Sweet patience, grant us, if you may + An added grace for every day. + + --Adelaide A. Procter. + + Sunset and evening star, + And one clear call for me! + And may there be no moaning of the bar, + When I put out to sea. + + --Alfred Tennyson. + + Fret not thyself. + + --Proverbs 24. 19. + +My Father, I pray that I may not be dismayed over life, and its +trifles. Help me to master difficulties great and small, and give me +patience through all until I reach the untroubled way. Amen. + + + + +OCTOBER SEVENTH + +Sir Philip Sidney died 1586. + +Edgar Allan Poe died 1849. + +Oliver Wendell Holmes died 1894. + +Mary J. Holmes died 1907. + + Yet in opinions look not always back; + Your wake is nothing, mind the coming track; + Leave what you've done for what you have to do; + Don't be "consistent," but be simply true. + + --Oliver Wendell Holmes. + + A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds, adored by + little statesmen and philosophers and divines. With consistency a + great soul has nothing to do. + + --Ralph Waldo Emerson. + + Speak unto the children of Israel, that they go forward. + + --Exodus 14. 15. + +Heavenly Father, I pray that I may not be so consistent in the small +things of life that I will lose the great inspirations that come to +the soul. Broaden my life, that I may have the freedom of heart and +mind to pass over the failures and interruptions, and with vigorous +energy continue in the progress of life. Amen. + + + + +OCTOBER EIGHTH + +Caroline Howard Gilman born 1794. + +Edmund Clarence Stedman born 1833. + +John Hay born 1838. + + He weren't no saint; them engineers + Is pretty much alike-- + One wife in Natchez-under-the-Hill, + Another one here in Pike; + A keerless man in his talk was Jim, + And an awkward hand in a row, + But he never flunked, and he never lied-- + I reckon he never knowed how. + + --John Hay. + + He is brave whose tongue is silent + Of the trophies of his word. + He is great whose quiet bearing + Marks his greatness well assured. + + --Edwin Arnold. + + The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, + that I am not as the rest of men. + + --Luke 18. 11. + +Lord God, thou knowest what I am and where I belong. Have mercy upon +me and strengthen me, that I may not through weakness stay in the +darkness. Lead me out into the light; and may I find my way and be +contented with it. Amen. + + + + +OCTOBER NINTH + +Michael Cervantes born 1547. + +Jacques Auguste de Thuanus (De Thou) born 1553. + +Charles Camilla Saint-Saens born 1835. + + I will not doubt, though all my ships at sea + Come drifting home with broken masts and sails; + I shall believe the Hand which never fails + From seeming evil worketh good for me; + And though I weep because those sails are battered, + Still will I cry, while my best hopes lie shattered, + "I trust in Thee." + + --Ella Wheeler Wilcox.[1] + + Cease every joy to glimmer on my mind. + But leave, O leave the light of hope behind. + + --Thomas Campbell. + + Hope deferred maketh the heart sick; But when the desire cometh, it + is a tree of life. + + --Proverbs 13. 12. + +Loving Father, help me to pass by my discouragements of yesterday and +look into the hope of to-day. Make me more careful of my strength, and +less forgetful of thy promises and of my trust. Amen. + +[Footnote 1: Special permission W.B. Conkey, Hammond, Indiana. +Copyright 1912.] + + + + +OCTOBER TENTH + +Henry Cavendish born 1731. + +Benjamin West born 1738. + +Hugh Miller born 1802. + +Giuseppe Verdi born 1813. + +Fridtjof Nansen born 1861. + + We cannot make bargains for blisses, + Nor catch them like fishes in nets; + And sometimes the thing our life misses + Helps more than the thing which it gets. + For good lieth not in pursuing, + Nor gaining of great nor small, + But just in the doing and doing + As we would be done by is all. + + --Alice Gary. + + True, it is most painful not to meet the kindness and affection you + feel you have deserved, and have a right to expect from others; but + it is a mistake to complain, for it is no use; you cannot extort + friendship with a cocked pistol. + + --Sydney Smith. + + Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. + + --Matthew 22. 39. + +Lord God, help me to understand that true affection is not that which +as it gives feels it merits return. May I avoid being selfish and +stubborn; and with my affections give peace and joy. Amen. + + + + +OCTOBER ELEVENTH + +Sir Thomas Wyatt died 1542. + +Dr. Samuel Clarke born 1675. + +James Barry born 1741. + + Ask God to give thee skill + In comfort's art, + That thou may'st consecrated be + And set apart, + Unto a life of sympathy; + For heavy is the weight of ill + In every heart; + And comforters are needed much + Of Christlike touch. + + --Alexander Hamilton. + + The man who melts + With social sympathy though not allied, + Is than a thousand kinsmen of more worth. + + --Euripides. + + Who comforteth us in all our affliction, that we may be able to + comfort them that are in any affliction, through the comfort + wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God. + + --2 Corinthians 1. 4. + +Heavenly Father, thou hast made sympathy divine. May I never make it +commonplace. Grant that as thou dost bless and comfort me I may be +willing to comfort others, and do whatsoever thou wouldst have me do. +Amen. + + + + +OCTOBER TWELFTH + +Columbus discovered America 1492. + +Lyman Beecher born 1775. + +George W. Cable born 1844. + +Helena Modjeska born 1844. + + One poor day! + Remember whose and how short it is! + It is God's day, it is Columbus's. + One day with life and heart is more than time enough to found a world. + + --James Russell Lowell. + + An illusion haunts us, that a long duration, as a year, a decade, a + century, is valuable. But an old French sentence says, "God works in + moments." We ask for long life, but 'tis deep life or grand moments + that signify. Let the measure of Time be spiritual, not mechanical. + Life is unnecessarily long. Moments of insight, of fine personal + relation, a smile, a glance--what ample borrowers of eternity they + are! + + --Ralph Waldo Emerson. + + One day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years + as one day. + + --2 Peter 3. 8. + +My Father, I pray that when the "sun sets to-day my hope may not set +with it." Be with me earlier than the dawn, that I may plan with thee +a new day. I pray that thou wilt release me from anything that keeps +me from reaching the highest. Amen. + + + + +OCTOBER THIRTEENTH + +Theodore Beza died 1605. + +Murat, King of Naples, shot 1815. + +Elizabeth Fry died 1845. + + What stronger breast-plate than a heart untainted! Thrice is he + armed that hath his quarrel just, And he but naked, though locked up + in steel, Whose conscience with injustice is corrupted. + + --William Shakespeare. + + A man's accusations of himself are always believed, his praises + never. + + --Montaigne. + + Justice needs that two be heard. + + --From Goethe's Autobiography. + + That which is altogether just shalt thou follow, that thou mayest + live. + + --Deuteronomy 16. 20. + +Lord of justice, if I may be influenced this morning by doubt and am +inclined to be resentful, wilt thou cause me to have a generous spirit +and keep my faith. May I never descend to anything base or deceitful, +but may I remember that if I lay down my life, I may have the power to +take it up again. Amen. + + + + +OCTOBER FOURTEENTH + +William Penn born 1644. + +James Fenimore Cooper died 1851. + +Duke of Wellington died 1852. + + Do good with what thou hast, or it will do thee no good. If thou + wouldst be happy, bring thy mind to thy condition, and have an + indifferency for more than what is sufficient. + + --William Penn. + + The finest fruit earth holds up to its Maker is a finished man. + + --Humboldt. + + I considered Napoleon's presence in the field equal to forty men in + the balance. + + --Duke of Wellington. + + What is man, that thou art mindful of him? And the son of man, that + thou visitest him? For thou hast made him but little lower than God, + And crownest him with glory and honor. + + --Psalm 8. 4, 5. + +Eternal God, may I know the value of the gift of life. May I think +seriously of it, and not through abuse or neglect cripple it, +remembering that it is mine to sow, to grow, and to reap. I pray that +I may care more for the food and raiment of my soul than I care for +the food and raiment of my body. Amen. + + + + +OCTOBER FIFTEENTH + +Virgil born B.C. 70. + +Evangelista Torricelli born 1608. + +Edward Fitzgerald born 1763. + + Being not unacquainted with woe, I learned to help the unfortunate. + + --Virgil. + + There are some hearts like wells green-mossed and deep + As ever summer saw, + And cool their water is, yea, cool and sweet; + But you must come to draw. + They hoard not, yet they rest in calm content, + And not unsought will give; + They can be quiet with their wealth unspent, + So self-contained they live. + + --Author unknown. + + For out of much affliction and anguish of heart I wrote unto you + with many tears; not that ye should be made sorry, but that ye might + know the love which I have more abundantly unto you. + + --2 Corinthians 2. 4. + +Gracious Father, help me to understand that while I may be content to +rest with what I have gathered, I cannot preserve the strength of my +soul unless I share my possessions. Give me a passion for humanity +that will advance gifts through love, and offer service without the +need of an appeal. Amen. + + + + +OCTOBER SIXTEENTH + +Bishop Hugh Latimer burned at Oxford 1555. + +Albrecht von Haller born 1708. + +Noah Webster born 1758. + +Robert Stephenson born 1803. + + As ships meet at sea--a moment together, when words of greeting must + be spoken, and then away upon the deep--so men meet in this world; + and I think we should cross no man's path without hailing him, and + if he needs, giving him supplies. + + --Henry Ward Beecher. + + Nothing is more unaccountable than the spell that often lurks in a + spoken word. A thought may be present to the mind, and two minds + conscious of the same thought, but as long as it remains unspoken + their familiar talk flows quietly over the hidden idea. + + --Nathaniel Hawthorne. + + And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? + + --Matthew 5. 47. + +Heavenly Father, I pray that thou wilt give me a generous heart. May I +not lose sight of the truth, that thou hast made others to have the +same needs and wants that I may have. May I not through pride or +egoism fail to help, and neglecting to speak, miss an opportunity to +assist. May I be self-forgetful in friendly service. Amen. + + + + +OCTOBER SEVENTEENTH + +Andreas Osiander died 1552. + +Frederic Chopin died 1849. + + Good name, in man or woman, dear my Lord, Is the immediate jewel of + their souls; Who steals my purse, steals trash; 'tis something, + nothing; 'Twas mine, 'tis his, and has been slave to thousands; But + he that filches from me my good name Robs me of that which not + enriches him, And makes me poor indeed. + + --William Shakespeare. + + Keep back your tears when a soul is untrue; + "Sorrow is shallow"; and one can wade through + The mud and the marshes, and still endure + If he finds he has kept his spirit pure. + + The rose near died when it fell to its lot + To break its heart for forget-me-not; + But after its heart was healed by the dew, + Right by its side a sweet violet grew! + + --M.B.S. + + A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches, And loving + favor rather than silver and gold. + + --Proverbs 22. 1. + +My Father, teach me the value of the possessions that can neither be +handled nor seen; and may I not take them away from others. Help me to +keep thy commandment "Thou shalt not steal," and interpret it in all +its relations to life. Amen. + + + + +OCTOBER EIGHTEENTH + +Matthew Henry born 1662. + +Margaret (Peg) Woffington born 1720. + +Helen Hunt Jackson born 1831. + +Frederick Harrison born 1831. + + Yet I argue not against heaven's hand or will, nor bate a jot of + heart of hope;, but still bear up and steer right onward. + + --John Milton. + + Write it on your heart that every day is the best day in the year. + No man has learned anything rightly until he knows that every day is + doomsday. + + --Ralph Waldo Emerson. + + He mourns that day so soon has glided by: + E'en like the passage of an angel's tear + That falls through the clear ether silently. + + --John Keats. + + I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: + I will counsel thee with mine eye upon thee. + + --Psalm 32. 8. + +My Father, if I may be living in bad habits, help me to get out of +them. If I may be neglectful of good deeds, help me to get at them. +May I reach for the highest purposes as I search for the realities, +and may I not delay, but start to-day. Amen. + + + + +OCTOBER NINETEENTH + +Dean (Jonathan) Swift died 1745. + +Leigh Hunt born 1784. + +Henry Kirke White died 1806. + + Don't look too hard except for something agreeable; we can find all + the disagreeable things we want, between our own hats and boots. + + --Leigh Hunt. + + Instead of a gem or a flower, cast the gift of a lovely thought into + the heart of a friend. + + --George Macdonald. + + For the want of common discretion the very end of good breeding is + wholly perverted; and civility, intended to make us easy, is + employed in laying chains and fetters upon us, in debarring our + wishes, and in crossing our most reasonable desires and + inclinations. + + --Jonathan Swift. + + If it be possible, as much as in you lieth, be at peace with all + men. + + --Romans 12. 18. + +My Lord, help me to adjust my life to what I ought to be, rather than +be content in what I am. May I not spend my time in dreaming of +obstacles, or searching for things that hurt, but may I be gentle and +kind, and as I see the truth speak for it and follow it. Amen. + + + + +OCTOBER TWENTIETH + +Sir Christopher Wren born 1632. + +Thomas Hughes born 1823. + +Charles Dudley Warner died 1900. + + There has always seemed to me something impious in the neglect of + health. I could not do half the good I do if it were not for the + strength and activity some consider coarse and degrading. + + --Charles Kingsley. + + To keep well drink often, but water; + Eat not that which makes life shorter; + But first, with all your might and skill, + Just chain your habits to your will. + + --M.B.S. + + I will be lord over myself. No one who cannot master himself is + worthy to rule, and only he can rule. + + --Goethe. + + Know ye not that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit which is + in you, which ye have from God? + + --1 Corinthians 6. 19. + +Lord God, may I not wait until I am afflicted and cannot use them to +thank thee for my blessings. Guard me against infirmities that are +brought on through indulgences, and help me to control my life. May I +never forget that regret will not retrieve the life that is spent, +even if it brings forgiveness and hope for the days to come. Amen. + + + + +OCTOBER TWENTY-FIRST + +Samuel Taylor Coleridge born 1772. + +Alphonse Lamartine born 1790. + +Samuel F. Smith born 1808. + +Will Carleton born 1845. + + He prayeth best who loveth best + All things both great and small; + For the dear God who loveth us, + He made and loveth all. + + --Samuel Taylor Coleridge. + + We thank thee, O Father, for all that is bright-- + The gleam of the day and the stars of the night, + The flowers of our youth and the fruits of our prime, + And the blessings that march down the pathway of time. + + --Will Carleton. + + Thanklessness is a parching wind, drying up the fountain of pity, + the dew of mercy, the streams of grace. For doth not that rightly + seem to be lost which is given to one ungrateful? + + --Saint Bernard. + + O give thanks unto Jehovah; for he is good; For his lovingkindness + endureth for ever. + + --Psalm 136. 1. + +My Father, help me to understand that I cannot have self-development +unless the spirit of truth drills my character. Cleanse my heart from +all impurity, and strengthen me for all usefulness: help me to daily +live this prayer. Amen. + + + + +OCTOBER TWENTY-SECOND + +Charles Martel died 741. + +Franz Liszt born 1811. + +George Eliot born 1819. + +Sarah Bernhardt born 1844. + + O may I join the choir invisible + Of those immortal dead who live again + In minds made better by their presence: live + In pulses stirred to generosity, + In deeds of daring rectitude, in scorn + For miserable aims that end with self, + In thoughts sublime that pierce the night like stars, + And with their mild persistence urge man's search + To vaster issues. + + This is life to come, + Which martyred men have made more glorious + For us to strive to follow. May I reach + That purest heaven, be to other souls + The cup of strength in some great agony, + Enkindle generous ardor, feed pure love, + Beget the smiles that have no cruelty, + Be the sweet presence of a good diffused, + And in diffusion ever more intense! + So shall I join the choir invisible + Whose music is the gladness of the world. + + --George Eliot. + + And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish. + + --John 10. 28. + +My Father, I pray that I may be more generous with my smiles and +gladness, and more saving with my tears and sadness. Amen. + + + + +OCTOBER TWENTY-THIRD + +Anne Oldfield died 1730. + +Robert Bridges born 1844. + +Mollie Elliot Seawell born 1860. + + O youth whose hope is high, + Who doth to truth aspire, + Whether thou live or die, + O look not back nor tire. + + Thou that art bold to fly + Through tempest, flood and fire, + Nor dost not shrink to try + Thy heart in torments dire-- + + If thou canst Death defy, + If thy faith is entire, + Press onward, for thine eye + Shall see thy heart's desire. + + --Robert Bridges. + + Doubt indulged becomes doubt realized. To determine to do anything + is half the battle. Courage is victory, timidity is defeat. + + --Nelson. + + And thou, son of man, be not afraid of them, neither be afraid of + their words, though briers and thorns are with thee, and thou dost + dwell among scorpions. + + --Ezekiel 2. 6. + +Gracious Father, try me again by the courage I have to-day, if thou +art judging me by the fear I held yesterday. Help me to see that +wavering is misleading and temperament is deceptive. May I learn +self-control. Amen. + + + + +OCTOBER TWENTY-FOURTH + +Hugh Capet died 996. + +Sir Moses Montefiore born 1784. + +Daniel Webster died 1852. + + Exceeding peace made Ben Adhem bold, + And to the presence in the room he said, + "What writest thou?" The vision raised its head, + And, with a look made of all sweet accord, + Answered, "The names of those who love the Lord." + "And is mine one?" said Abou. "Nay, not so," + Replied the angel. Abou spoke more low, + But cheerily still; and said, "I pray thee, then, + Write me as one that loves his fellow men." + + The angel wrote, and vanished. The next night + It came again, with a great awakening light, + And showed the names whom love of God had blessed-- + And, lo! Ben Adhem's name led all the rest! + + --Leigh Hunt. + + Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and will show thee great + things. + + --Jeremiah 33. 3. + +Lord God, may I keep within my heart that secret sympathy that adds to +the power of life. Help me to seek the things that are real, and not +be deceived by the things which only appear to be. May all with whom I +have to do feel the better for my companionship. Amen. + + + + +OCTOBER TWENTY-FIFTH + +Geoffrey Chaucer died 1400. + +William Hogarth died 1764. + +George W. Faber born 1773. + +Thomas B. Macaulay born 1800. + + Wav'ring as winds the breath of fortune blows, + No power can turn it, and no prayers compose. + Deep in some hermit's solitary cell, + Repose, and ease, and contemplation dwell. + Let conscience guide thee in the days of need, + Judge well thy own, and then thy neighbor's deed. + + --Geoffrey Chaucer. + + To every man upon this earth + Death cometh soon or late; + And how can man die better + Than facing fearful odds, + For the ashes of his fathers + And the temples of his gods. + + --Thomas B. Macaulay. + + Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to + minister, and to give his life a ransom for many. + + --Matthew 20. 28. + +Heavenly Father, help me to remember that I am to cover life's +journey, even though I may go the way carelessly and aimlessly. May I +make an estimate of what I am losing, by waiting so long at the +resting places, "For the road winds up hill all the way to the end, +and the journey takes the whole day long, from morn to night." Amen. + + + + +OCTOBER TWENTY-SIXTH + +Dr. Philip Doddridge died 1751. + +Count Von Moltke born 1800. + +Elizabeth Cady Stanton died 1902. + + One of the notable eddies of the present-day world currents is what + has been loosely called the "Woman Movement." The sensitive and + vicarious spirit of womanhood has been enlisted for service in + behalf of those who have been denied a fair chance, or who are the + victims of oppression, greed, and ignorance. + + --William T. Ellis. + + And whether consciously or not, you must be in many a heart + enthroned: queens you must always be: queens to your lovers; queens + to your husbands and sons; queens of higher mystery to the world + beyond, which bows itself, and will forever bow, before the myrtle + crown, and the stainless scepter of womanhood. + + --John Ruskin. + + O woman, great is thy faith: be it done unto thee even as thou wilt. + + --Matthew 15. 28. + +Lord and Master of all, I pray that thou wilt make me see through my +prejudices and beyond my desires to the very "top of my condition." +May I not wait for places or circumstances that are dimly in the +distance or that are near at hand, but accomplish the work I should do +to-day. Amen. + + + + +OCTOBER TWENTY-SEVENTH + +James Cook born 1728. + +Nicolo Paganini born 1782. + +Theodore Roosevelt, New York, twenty-fifth President +United States, born 1858. + + The vice of envy is not only a dangerous, but a mean vice; for it is + always a confession of inferiority. It may promote conduct which + will be fruitful of wrong to others, and it must cause misery to the + man who feels it. + + --Theodore Roosevelt. + + Of all the passions, jealousy is that which exacts the hardest + service, and pays the bitterest wages. Its service is to watch the + success of one's enemy; its wages to be sure of it. + + --C.C. Colton. + + Dear to me is the friend, yet I can also make use of an enemy. The + friend shows me what I can do, the foe teaches me what I should. + + --Schiller. + + Let us not become vainglorious, provoking one another. + + --Galatians 5. 26. + +Almighty God, I would ask thee that my days be filled with aspiration, +and that my heart may know no envy. Help me to love humanity. May I be +so glad of the success of others that I may never know what it is to +be envious. Amen. + + + + +OCTOBER TWENTY-EIGHTH + +Desiderius Erasmus born 1465. + +John Locke died 1704. + +Georges Jacques Danton born 1759. + + Not so in haste, my heart! + Have faith in God and wait; + Although he linger long, + He never comes too late. + + Until he cometh, rest, + Nor grudge the hours that roll; + The feet that wait for God + Are soonest at the goal; + + Are soonest at the goal + That is not gained by speed; + Then hold thee still, my heart, + For I shall wait his lead. + + --Bayard Taylor. + + It is good that a man should hope and quietly wait for the salvation + of Jehovah. + + --Lamentations 3. 26. + +Lord of life, may I pause to remember that rest may not be obtained +with wretched thoughts, nor can it be enjoyed in discontent. In my +moments of rest wilt thou show me how to relax, and with tranquillity +may I gather hope for renewed ambition. Amen. + + + + +OCTOBER TWENTY-NINTH + +Sir Walter Raleigh beheaded 1618. + +James Boswell born 1740. + +John Keats born 1795. + +Thomas Bayard born 1828. + +Thomas Edward Brown died 1897. + + Rise, O my soul, with thy desires to heaven, + And with divinest contemplation use + Thy time where time's eternity is given, + And let vain thoughts no more thy thoughts abuse; + But down in darkness let them lie: + So live thy better, let thy worse thoughts die! + + --Sir Walter Raleigh. + + The great elements we know of are no mean comforters; the open sky + sits upon our senses like a sapphire crown--the air is our robe of + state, the Earth is our throne, and the Sea a mighty minstrel + playing before it. + + --John Keats. + + Ah Lord Jehovah! behold, thou hast made the heavens and the earth by + thy great power and by thine outstretched arm; there is nothing too + hard for thee. + + --Jeremiah 32. 17. + +Almighty God, I thank thee for the power that gives me the breath of +life. May I be willing to be controlled by its guiding care. Amen. + + + + +OCTOBER THIRTIETH + +Rev. John Whitaker died 1808. + +John Adams, Massachusetts, second President +United States, born 1735. + +Adelaide Anne Procter born 1825. + + And yet thou canst know, + And yet thou canst not see; + Wisdom and sight are slow + In poor humanity. + If thou couldst trust, poor soul, + In Him who rules the whole, + Thou wouldst find peace and rest; + Wisdom and right are well, but trust is best. + + --Adelaide Anne Procter. + + The heart to speak in vain essayed, + Nor could his purpose reach-- + His will nor voice nor tongue obeyed, + His silence was his speech. + + --John Quincy Adams. + + But still believe that story wrong + Which ought not to be true. + + --Richard Brinsley Sheridan. + + Blessed is the man that maketh Jehovah his trust. + + --Psalm 40. 4. + +My Father, may I not be given to unkindly speech. Deliver me from a +critical spirit; and may I not encourage mistrust, but cultivate the +kindly considerations in which life abounds. Amen. + + + + +OCTOBER THIRTY-FIRST + +All Hallow's Eve. + +John Evelyn born 1620. + +Christopher Anstey born 1724. + + Ere, in the northern gale + The summer tresses of the trees are gone, + The woods of autumn, all around our vale, + Have put their glory on. + + The mountains that unfold, + In their wide sweep, the colored landscape round, + Seem groups of giant kings, in purple and gold, + That guard the enchanted ground. + + Ah! 'twere a lot too blessed + Forever in thy colored shades to stray; + Amid the kisses of the soft southwest + To rove and dream for aye; + + And leave the vain low strife + That makes men mad; the tug for wealth and power, + The passions and the cares that wither life, + And waste its little hour. + + --William Cullen Bryant. + + Let the field exult, and all that is therein; Then shall all the + trees of the wood sing for joy. + + --Psalm 96. 12. + +My Father, may I have an appreciation of the wonderful creations of +the earth. Give me a discriminating eye, that I may know the precious +things that thou art growing; and throughout my life may I love the +beautiful, and choose that which will make my life worthy of growth. +Amen. + + + + +NOVEMBER + + + Who said November's face was grim? + Who said her voice was harsh and sad? + I heard her sing in wood paths dim, + I met her on the shore so glad, + So smiling, I could kiss her feet! + There never was a month so sweet. + + --Lucy Larcom. + + + + +NOVEMBER FIRST + +Sir Matthew Hale born 1609. + +William M. Chase born 1849. + +Sir Robert Grant died 1892. + + O worship the King, all glorious above, + O gratefully sing his power and his love; + Our Shield and Defender, the ancient of days, + Pavilioned in splendor, and girded with praise. + + Thy bountiful care what tongue can recite? + It breathes in the air, it shines in the light; + It streams from the hills, it descends to the plain, + And sweetly distills in the dew and the rain. + + --Robert Grant. + + Ye shall walk in all the way which Jehovah your God hath commanded + you, that ye may live, and that it may be well with you, and that ye + may prolong your days in the land which ye shall possess. + + --Deuteronomy 5. 33. + +Almighty God, help me to make my life refulgent while I have the +abundance of summer, that I may not find the November of life bleak +and barren. Help me to live in the realities of life, that I may gain +energy and repose, to use for the lonesome and anxious hours. May I be +watchful for the conditions that thwart life, and with patience wait +for the awakening of truth. Amen. + + + + +NOVEMBER SECOND + +Marie Antoinette born 1755. + +Field-Marshal Radetzky born 1766. + +James Knox Polk, North Carolina, eleventh President +United States, born 1795. + + Overmastering pain--the most deadly and tragical element in + life--alas! pain has its own way with all of us; it breaks in, a + rude visitant, upon the fairy garden where the child wanders in a + dream, no less surely than it rules upon the field of battle, or + sends the immortal war-god whimpering to his father; and innocence, + no more than philosophy, can protect us from this sting. + + --Robert Louis Stevenson. + + My hopes retire; my wishes as before + Struggle to find their resting place in vain; + The ebbing sea thus beats against the shore; + The shore repels it; it returns again. + + --W.S. Landor. + + Yet Jehovah will command his loving-kindness in the day-time, And in + the night his song shall be with me. + + --Psalm 42. 8. + +Loving Father, I bless thee for thy goodness and tender mercy which is +over all. May I trust thy provision and love through all +circumstances, and as I trust myself to thee may I have faith to +believe that thou wilt give me strength for what I may have to endure, +and believe that thou wilt care for me, as thou dost care for all. +Amen. + + + + +NOVEMBER THIRD + +Lucan born A.D. 39. + +William Cullen Bryant born 1794. + +Francis D. Millet born 1846. + +John Watson (Ian Maclaren) born 1850. + +Pearl Mary Teresa Craigie (John Oliver Hobbes) +born 1867. + + Whither, midst falling dew, + While glow the heavens with the last steps of day, + Far, through their rosy depths, dost thou pursue + Thy solitary way! + + Vainly the fowler's eye + Might mark thy distant flight to do thee wrong, + As, darkly painted on the crimson sky, + Thy figure floats along. + + He who, from zone to zone, + Guides through the boundless sky thy certain flight, + In the long way that I must tread alone, + Will lead my steps aright. + + --William Cullen Bryant. + + For Jehovah your God dried up the waters of the Jordan from before + you, until ye were passed over. + + --Joshua 4. 23. + +Almighty God, help me to guard against gratification that leads to +disappointment, that I may not miss the true way. I pray that thou +wilt lift me in my weakness, and carry me over the rough and +discouraging places, that I may be made strong in thy loving care, and +be able to continue alone. Amen. + + + + +NOVEMBER FOURTH + +Guido Reni born 1575. + +James Montgomery born 1771. + +Edmund Keane born 1787. + +Ernest Howard Crosby born 1856. + +Eugene Field died 1895. + + Keep me, I pray, in wisdom's way, + That I may truths eternal seek; + I need protecting care to-day-- + My purse is light, my flesh is weak. + + --Eugene Field. + + No one could tell me where my Soul might be, + I searched for God, but God eluded me. + I sought my brother out, and found all three. + + --Ernest H. Crosby. + + In all thy ways acknowledge him, And he will direct thy paths. + + --Proverbs 3. 6. + +My Father, may I not face the going down of the sun to-day, looking at +life, in a mirror that reflects my own privileges and prejudices, but +may I see it as it is, known to those who are living to make it +better. May the days to come prove my sincerity in wanting the truth +that I might live by it, and help to do good with it. Amen. + + + + +NOVEMBER FIFTH + +Hans Sachs born 1494. + +Dr. John Brown born 1715. + +Benjamin Butler born 1818. + + The thing that goes the farthest + Toward making life worth while, + That costs the least, and does the most, + Is just a pleasant smile. + That smile that bubbles from a heart + That loves its fellow men + Will drive away the cloud of gloom + And coax the sun again. + + --Anonymous. + + One whom I knew intimately, and whose memory I revere, once in my + hearing remarked that, "Unless we love people we cannot understand + them." This was a new light to me. + + --Christina G. Rossetti. + + Oil and perfume rejoice the heart; So doth the sweetness of a man's + friend that cometh of hearty counsel. + + --Proverbs 27. 9. + +Lord God, I pray that I may be worthy of my friends. May I not fear to +go where I am called, and may I go cheerfully, even though the way be +dark and lonesome. Amen. + + + + +NOVEMBER SIXTH + +James Gregory born 1638. + +John Bright born 1811. + +Sir George Williams died 1905. + + Look full into thy spirit's self, + The world of mystery scan; + What if thy way to faith in God + Should lie through faith in man? + + --John Bright. + + Blessed are they who have the gift of making friends, for it is one + of God's best gifts. It involves many things, but above all, the + power of going out of oneself and seeing and appreciating whatever + is noble and loving in another. + + --Thomas Hughes. + + Be perfected; be comforted; be of the same mind; live in peace: and + the God of love and peace shall be with you. + + --2 Corinthians 13. 11. + +Lord God, I earnestly entreat thee to show me if I may be cramping the +happiness in another's life by forcing in my selfishness and demands. +May I understand that perfect gifts are those that come through loving +sacrifice. Make me ashamed to ask for what I refuse or prefer not to +give. Amen. + + + + +NOVEMBER SEVENTH + +Sir Martin Frobisher died 1594. + +William Stukeley born 1687. + +Friedrich Leopold, Count von Stolberg, born 1750. + + Once to every man and nation comes the moment to decide, + In the strife of Truth with Falsehood, for the good or evil side; + Some great cause, God's new Messiah offering each the bloom or blight, + Parts the goats upon the left hand, and the sheep upon the right; + And the choice goes by forever 'twixt that darkness and that light. + + --James Russell Lowell. + + We cannot command veracity at will; the power of seeing and + reporting truly is a form of health that has to be delicately + guarded, and as an ancient rabbi has solemnly said, "The penalty of + untruth is untruth." + + --George Eliot. + + Behold, this only have I found: that God made man upright; but they + have sought out many inventions. + + --Ecclesiastes 7. 29. + +My Father, help me to speak the truth and guard the truth, that +righteousness may be an abiding influence in my life. Amen. + + + + +NOVEMBER EIGHTH + +Edmund Halley born 1656. + +John Milton died 1674. + +Owen Meredith (Bulwer Edward Lytton) born 1831. + + The morning drum-call on my eager ear + Thrills unforgotten yet! the morning dew + Lies yet undried along my field of noon. + But now I pause a while in what I do, + And count the bell, and tremble lest I hear + (My work untrimmed) the sunset gun too soon. + + --Robert Louis Stevenson. + + I fear + Life's many changes, not Death's changelessness. + So perfect is this moment's passing cheer, + I needs must tremble lest it pass to less. + Thus in fickle love of life I live, + Lest fickle life me of my love deprive. + + --Owen Meredith. + + And Jehovah said unto Joshua, Get thee up; wherefore art thou thus + fallen upon thy face? + + Up, sanctify the people, and say, Sanctify yourselves against + to-morrow. + + --Joshua 7. 10, 13. + +Almighty God, help me in these fleeting days that I may not use my +time to consider and hesitate, but be positive in my desires and +pursue them. Grant that I may have the strength to hold each day +precious, and live it more than consistently. Amen. + + + + +NOVEMBER NINTH + +Mark Akenside born 1721. + +William Sotheby born 1757. + +Charles F. Thwing born 1853. + + The victor's road is the easy way. + Straight it stretches and climbs to where + Fame is waiting with garlands gay + To wreathe the fighter who clambers there. + There's applause in plenty and gold's red gleam + For the man who plays on the winning team. + + The loser travels a longer lane; + Level it leads to a lonely land. + There's little glory for him to gain + The voices mock him on either hand; + But the man who wins in the greater game + Is the man who, beaten, fights on the same. + + --G. Rice. + + The hero is not fed on sweets, + Daily his own heart he eats; + Chambers of the great are jails, + And head-winds right for royal sails. + + --Ralph Waldo Emerson. + + He thanked God, and took courage. + + --Acts 28. 15. + +O Lord, I pray that whether I may be successful in the sight of the +world, or whether I may be successful in my own sacrifices, I may have +the freedom of courage, and be master of my life. Amen. + + + + +NOVEMBER TENTH + +Martin Luther born 1483. + +William Hogarth born 1697. + +Oliver Goldsmith born 1728. + +Johann von Schiller born 1759. + +Joaquin Miller born 1841. + +Henry van Dyke born 1852. + + As faith, so is God. + + --Martin Luther. + + Learn the luxury of doing good. + + --Oliver Goldsmith. + + Love is the ladder by which we climb up to the likeness of God. + + --Johann von Schiller. + + And who will walk a mile with me + Along life's weary way? + A friend whose heart has eyes to see + The stars shine out o'er the darkening lea, + And the quiet rest at the end of the day-- + A friend who knows and dares to say, + The brave sweet words that cheer the way + Where he walks a mile with me. + + --Henry van Dyke. + + And whosoever shall compel thee to go one mile, go with him two. + + --Matthew 5. 41. + +My Father, may I not dwell in the appearances of life, where I may +grow selfish; but live in the realities of simplicity. May I not only +seek those who may return me pleasure, but may I find delight in +brightening the walk of a weary friend. Amen. + + + + +NOVEMBER ELEVENTH + +Alfred de Musset born 1810. + +Thomas Bailey Aldrich born 1836. + +Rev. Joshua Brookes died 1821. + + I'll not confer with Sorrow + Till to-morrow, + But joy shall have her way + This very day. + + --Thomas Bailey Aldrich. + + Shall we have ears on the stretch for the footfalls of sorrow that + never come, but be deaf to the whirr of the wings of happiness that + fill all space? + + --Maurice Maeterlinck. + + This day is a day of good tidings, and we hold our peace: if we + tarry till the morning light, punishment will overtake, us; now + therefore come, let us go and tell the king's household. + + --2 Kings 7. 9. + +Loving Father, I pray that thou wilt help me to overcome unhappiness. +May I not let depression overpower me, but claim the promises of joy +that are open to every life. May I be blest by my own cheerfulness and +encourage others to possess it. Amen. + + + + +NOVEMBER TWELFTH + +Saint Augustine died A. D. 354. + +Richard Baxter born 1615. + +Amelia Opie born 1769. + +Elizabeth Cady Stanton born 1815. + +Thomas Lord Fairfax died 1671. + + In life it is difficult to say who do you the most mischief--enemies + with the worst intentions or friends with the best. + + --Edward Bulwer. + + The friends thou hast, and their adoption tried, Grapple them to thy + soul with hooks of steel. + + --William Shakespeare. + + Where persons who ought to esteem and love each other are kept + asunder, as often happens, by some cause which three words of frank + explanation would remove, they are fortunate if they possess an + indiscreet friend who blurts out the whole truth. + + --Thomas B. Macaulay. + + Yea, mine own familiar friend, in whom I trusted, + Who did eat of my bread, + Hath lifted up his heel against me. + + --Psalm 41. 9. + +Lord God, help me to consider more carefully what I offer to my +friends; and may I not be critical of what I receive from my friends. +May I not be a hindrance instead of a help to those who would have my +companionship. Amen. + + + + +NOVEMBER THIRTEENTH + +Sir John Moore born 1761. + +Robert Louis Stevenson born 1850. + +Sir John Forbes died 1861. + + Little do we know our own blessedness; for to travel hopefully is a + better thing than to arrive, and the True Success is to labor. + + --Robert Louis Stevenson. + + Whether thy work be fine or coarse, planting corn or writing epics, + so only it be honest work, done to thine own approbation, it shall + earn a reward to sense as well as to the thought. + + --Ralph Waldo Emerson. + + Nature gives to labor; and to labor alone. In a very garden of Eden + a man would starve but for human exertion. + + --Henry George. + + But let each man prove his own work, and then shall he have his + glorying in regard of himself alone, and not of his neighbor. + + --Galatians 6. 4. + +My Father, make pure living clear to me, that I may not be deceived in +my work; and may I not use my working hours searching for more +suitable work, but may I be sure in what I am that I may feel secure +in what I undertake to do. Amen. + + + + +NOVEMBER FOURTEENTH + +Bishop Hoadley born 1676. + +Fanny Mendelssohn-Hensel born 1805. + +Robert Smythe Hichens born 1864. + + Give us, O give us, the man who sings at his work! Be his occupation + what it may, he is better than any of those who follow the same + pursuit in silent sullenness. + + --Thomas Carlyle. + + What doctor possesses such curative resources as those latent in a + single ray of hope? The mainspring of life is in the heart. Joy is + the vital air of the soul, and grief is a kind of asthma complicated + by atony. + + --Amiel. + + I will sing unto Jehovah as long as I live: + I will sing praise to my God while I have any being. + + --Psalm 104. 33. + +Loving Father, restore the spirit of gentleness and meekness if it may +be withered within me, that I may be contented. May I make it a habit +to be happy over my work and cheerful about my duties. May I never +lose the view of the glory of thy kingdom. Amen. + + + + +NOVEMBER FIFTEENTH + +William Pitt, Earl of Chatham, born 1708. + +William Cowper born 1731. + +Sir William Herschel born 1738. + +Johann Lavater born 1741. + +Richard Henry Dana born 1787. + +Ida Tarbell born 1857. + + The parting sun sends out a glow + Across the placid bay, + Touching with glory all the show-- + A breeze! Up helm! Away! + + Careening to the wind, they reach, + With laugh and call, the shore. + They've left their footprints on the beach, + But them I hear no more. + + --Richard Henry Dana. + + Art little? Do thy little well: + And for thy comfort know + The great can do their greatest work + No better than just so. + + --Goethe. + + But be thou an ensample to them that believe, in word, in manner of + life, in love, in faith, in purity. + + --1 Timothy 4. 12. + +Lord God, grant that if I may be complaining of what Providence has +not sent me, I may not be neglecting what Providence has given me. May +I not pause too long over what I have done, or over what I might have +done, but may I be appreciative of what thou dost expect of me and +endeavor to accomplish it. Amen. + + + + +NOVEMBER SIXTEENTH + +Tiberius born B.C. 42. + +Gustavus Adolphus killed 1632. + +Francis Danby born 1793. + + Judge not the workings of his brain + And of his heart thou canst not see; + What looks to thy dim eyes a stain + In God's pure light may only be + A scar, brought from some well-won field, + Where thou would'st only faint and yield. + + And judge none lost; but wait and see, + With hopeful pity, not disdain; + The depth of the abyss may be + The measure of the height of pain + And love and glory that may raise + The soul to God in after days! + + --Adelaide A. Procter. + + I am more afraid of deserving criticism, than of receiving it. + + --William Gladstone. + + Judge not, that ye be not judged. + + --Matthew 7.1. + +Lord Jehovah, judge of all mankind, forbid that I should set myself as +a judge of another's life, and neglect to live for the higher judgment +of my own. May I not be absorbed in that which thrives in darkness, +but live in the light of honesty and gentleness. Amen. + + + + +NOVEMBER SEVENTEENTH + +Queen Mary of England died 1558. + +Joost van den Vondel born 1587. + +George Grote born 1794. + + There are evergreen men and women in the world, praise be to + God!--not many of them, but a few. They are not the showy folk. + (Nature is an old-fashioned shopkeeper; she never puts her best + goods in the window.) They are only the quiet, strong folk; they are + stronger than Fate. The storms of life sweep over them, and the + biting frosts creep round them; but the winds and the frosts pass + away, and they are still standing, green and straight. + + --Jerome K. Jerome. + + And he shall be like a tree planted by the streams of water, + That bringeth forth its fruit in its season, + Whose leaf also doth not wither; + And whatsoever he doeth shall prosper. + + --Psalm 1.3. + +Gracious Lord, may I not spend most in equipment and forget the tides, +which may desert me on the sands, or the rocks in the channels, which +may crush the finest vessel. May I be prepared for the hard knocks if +they come, but may I know how to keep clear of them. Amen. + + + + +NOVEMBER EIGHTEENTH + +Sir David Wilkie born 1785. + +Louis J. M. Daguerre born 1789. + +Cyrus Field born 1819. + +William S. Gilbert born 1836. + + If e'er when man had fallen asleep, + I heard a voice, "Believe no more," + A warmth within the breast would melt + The freezing reason's colder part, + And like a man in wrath, the heart + Stood up and answered, "I have felt." + + --Alfred Tennyson. + + Faith is the deep want of the soul. We have faculties for the + spiritual, as truly as for the outward world. God, the foundation of + all existence, may become to the mind the most real of all beings. + The believer feels himself resting on an everlasting foundation. + + --William Henry Channing. + + And they said one to another, Was not our heart burning within us, + while he spake to us in the way, while he opened to us the + scriptures? + + --Luke 24. 32. + +Lord God, save me from a hard and doubting heart. May I be trustful +and come to thee in faith. All the days of my life may my lips sing +thy praise as I unfold thy love and purposes. Amen. + + + + +NOVEMBER NINETEENTH + +Nicolas Poussin died 1665. + +Albert Thorwaldsen born 1770. + +James A. Garfield, Ohio, twentieth President United +States, born 1831. + +Mary Hallock Foote born 1847. + +Count Lyoff (Leo) Tolstoy died 1910. + + And son I live, you see, + Go through the world, try, prove, reject, + Prefer, still struggling to effect + My warfare; happy that I can + Be crossed and thwarted as a man, + Not left in God's contempt apart, + With ghastly smooth life, dead at heart, + Tame in earth's paddock, as her prize. + + --Robert Browning. + + Be good at the depths of you, and you will discover that those who + surround you will be good even to the same depths. Therein lies a + force that has no name; a spiritual rivalry that has no resistance. + + --Maurice Maeterlinck. + + First of all, I must make myself a man; if I do not succeed in that, + I can succeed in nothing. + + --James A. Garfield. + + That we may be no longer children, tossed to and fro and carried + about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, in + craftiness, after the wiles of error. + + --Ephesians 4. 14. + +Eternal God, I thank thee for all the sterling elements that greaten +the individual life. I pray that I may not desire to be kept a small +creature, but seek to grow in wisdom and love, and qualify for mighty +purposes and achievements. Amen. + + + + +NOVEMBER TWENTIETH + +Paul Potter born 1625. + +Thomas Chatterton born 1752. + +William Ellery Channing born 1818. + +Sir Wilfred Laurier born 1841. + + Then why, my soul, dost thou complain? + Why drooping seek the dark recess? + Shake off the melancholy chain, + For God created all to bless. + + The gloomy mantle of the night, + Which on my sinking spirits steals, + Will vanish at the morning light, + Which God, my East, my Sun, reveals. + + --Thomas Chatterton. + + Lady, there is a hope that all men have-- + Some mercy for their faults, a grassy place + To rest in, and a flower-strewn, gentle grave: + Another hope which purifies our race, + That when that fearful bourne forever past, + They may find rest--and rest so long to last. + + I seek it not, I ask no rest forever, + My path is onward to the farthest shores. + + --William Ellery Channing. + + He brought me up also out of a horrible pit, out of the miry clay; + And he set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings. + And he put a new song in my mouth. + + --Psalm 40. 2, 3. + +My Father, I pray that I may have patience to live through the +difficulties of life. May I correct my faults, that they may not +destroy my peace and take from me my strength; help me to center my +life in brightness and hope. Amen. + + + + +NOVEMBER TWENTY-FIRST + +Claude Lorraine died 1682. + +Bryan Waller Procter (Barry Cornwall) born 1787. + +Mary Johnston born 1870. + + There is not a creature from England's king + To the peasant that delves the soil, + Who knows half the pleasures the seasons bring + If he had not his share of toil. + + --Barry Cornwall. + + It may be proved, with much certainty, that God intends no man to + live in this world without working; but it seems to me no less + evident that he intends every man to be happy in his work. Now, in + order that people may be happy in their work, these three things are + needed: they must be fit for it; and they must not do too much of + it; and they must have a sense of success in it. + + --John Ruskin. + + Let him labor, working with his hands the thing that is good, that + he may have whereof to give to him that hath need. + + --Ephesians 4. 28. + +My Father, if my work seems hard to-day, may I not cease working if I +grow weary, but may my strength be renewed to continue my work. May +the aim of my work be to please thee, and to help in the progress of +humanity. Amen. + + + + +NOVEMBER TWENTY-SECOND + +Saint Cecilia martyred A.D. 230. + +Sir Henry Havelock died 1857. + +Justin M'Carthy born 1830. + + Sometimes the sun, unkindly hot, + My garden makes a desert spot, + Sometimes a blight upon the tree + Takes all my fruit away from me; + And then with throes of bitter pain + Rebellious passions rise and swell; + And so I sing and all is well. + + --Paul Laurence Dunbar. + + Such songs have power to quiet + The restless pulse of care, + And come like benediction + That follows after prayer. + + --Henry W. Longfellow. + + Songs consecrate to truth and liberty. + + --Percy Bysshe Shelley. + + David took the harp, and played with his hand: so Saul was + refreshed, and was well, and the evil spirit departed from him. + + --1 Samuel 16. 23. + +Almighty God, I thank thee that thou wilt come to me as my heart cries +for need. I bless thee that thou dost come to me as my lips sing thy +praise. I pray that I may be saved from a cruel and cheerless heart, +and be a sharer of the songs that are sung to the soul. Amen. + + + + +NOVEMBER TWENTY-THIRD + +Thomas Tallis died 1585. + +Franklin Pierce, New Hampshire, fourteenth President +United States, born 1804. + +Marie Bashkirtseff born 1860. + + Asleep, awake, by night or day, + The friends I seek are seeking me; + No word can drive my bark astray, + Nor change the tide of destiny. + + The stars come nightly to the sky, + The tidal wave unto the sea; + Nor time, nor space, nor deep, nor high, + Can keep my own away from me. + + --John Burroughs. + + If a man could make a single rose we would give him an empire; yet + flowers no less beautiful are scattered in profusion over the world, + and no one regards them. + + --Martin Luther. + + Let patience have its perfect work. + + --James 1. 4. + +My Creator, may I remember that after thou didst create the earth thou +didst say it was good. May I love the fragrance and beauty of the +flowers which were made to nourish the soul, and the fruits and herbs +which were made to nourish the body. May my song of thanksgiving be +new every morning, as I awake in the abundance of what thou hast +prepared. Amen. + + + + +NOVEMBER TWENTY-FOURTH + +John Knox died 1572. + +Baron Spinoza born 1632. + +Grace Darling born 1815. + +Frances Hodgson Burnett born 1849. + + I waited long until the sky + Should give me of its blue + To weave and wear, and share, and weave + The very stars into. + The days they went, the years they went, + And left my hands instead + Another thing for wonderment, + The mending and the bread. + + Ah me, and one must set a hand + To burnish up the task, + And hush and hush the old demand + A wakeful heart will ask. + But with a star's clear eye on me, + O, I can hear it said, + "What souls there be that only see + The mending and the bread!" + + --Josephine P. Peabody. + + The riches of a commonwealth + Are free, strong minds and hearts of health. + And more to her than gold or grain, + The cunning hand and cultured brain. + + --John G. Whittier. + + For the life is more than the food, and the body than the raiment. + + --Luke 12. 23. + +My Father, I pray that thou wilt help me, that I may not consume my +life in preparing clothes and food for my body. Amen. + + + + +NOVEMBER TWENTY-FIFTH + +Charles Kemble born 1775. + +John Bigelow born 1817. + +Paul Haupt born 1858. + +John Kitto died 1854. + + I will not kill or hurt any living creature needlessly, nor destroy + any beautiful thing, but will strive to save and comfort all gentle + life and guard and perfect all natural beauty on earth. I will + strive to raise my own body and soul daily into all the higher + powers of duty and-happiness, not in rivalship or contention with + others, but for help, delight, and honor of others and for the joy + and peace of my own life. + + --John Ruskin. + + They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain; for the + earth shall be full of the knowledge of Jehovah, as the waters cover + the sea. + + --Isaiah 11. 9. + +Lord God, I rejoice in the blessedness of peace. May I not try to +force peace where cruelty has entered, but keep a watch for what may +come into my life. I pray that if I may be in turbulence to-day, thou +wilt quiet me with thy peace which knows no fear or wrong. Amen. + + + + +NOVEMBER TWENTY-SIXTH + +Sir William Ware born 1594. + +John Elwes died 1789. + +John Loudoun Macadam died 1836. + + I'd like a way + To change the clouds that bring us sorrow, + And build to-day a bright to-morrow; + To banish cares that tarry long, + And have the days like the blue-bird's song-- + I'd like a way. + + I'll find a way-- + I'll set sail when the breeze is high, + And calmly drift when pleasure's nigh; + I'll steer a course afar from tears, + And take in joy the coming years-- + I'll find a way. + + I've lost the way! + Out through the gloom a beam of light + Looks like a purpose looming bright! + Up with the sail! I'll out to sea + And bring that purpose back with me, + Or go its way. + + --M.B.S. + + Unto the upright there ariseth light in the darkness: He is + gracious, and merciful, and righteous. + + --Psalm 112. 4. + +My Father, I pray that I may not through indifference wander without a +purpose, or through discouragement stumble through the darkness. May I +be drawn to the light by the vision of hopeful and useful days. Amen. + + + + +NOVEMBER TWENTY-SEVENTH + +Horace died B.C. 8. + +Marquise d'Aubigne Maintenon born 16324. + +General Artemus Ward born 1727. + +Fanny Kemble born 1809. + +Alexandra Dumas died 1895. + + Be this thy brazen bulwark of defense, to preserve a conscience void + of offense, and never turn pale with guilt. + + --Horace. + + Is life a noxious weed which whirlwinds sow? + A useless flint o'er which the waters flow? + Not so! + A life well spent has not its weight in gold; + It is the clearest crystal earth doth hold, + A gem beside which suns seem dull and cold. + + --Robert Louis Stevenson. + + That they may lay hold on the life which is life indeed. + + --1 Timothy 6. 19. + +Lord God, I pray that my life may not be impoverished by neglect, nor +burdened with indulgences, but that it may be kept in condition for +high endeavors. Grant that I may never be content to rest in +satisfaction and ease when I could struggle and accomplish a good +work. Amen. + + + + +NOVEMBER TWENTY-EIGHTH + +William Blake born 1757. + +Anton G. Rubinstein born 1829 + +Washington Irving died 1859. + + The sorrow for the dead is the only sorrow from which we refuse to + be divorced. Every other wound we seek to heal, every other + affliction to forget. Take warning by the bitterness of this thy + contrite affliction over the dead, and henceforth be more faithful + and affectionate in the discharge of thy duties to the living. + + --Washington Irving. + + Joy and woe are woven fine, + A clothing for the soul divine; + Every grief and pine + Runs a joy with a silken twine. + + --William Blake. + + Ye shall be sorrowful, but your sorrow shall be turned into joy. + + --John 16. 20. + +Heavenly Father, grant that I may not lose the kindness that I may +give and receive to-day. I thank thee for the memories of yesterday, +the hope of to-morrow, and the wisdom of to-day. May I have a vision +of immortality that will keep me through the closest sorrow. Amen. + + + + +NOVEMBER TWENTY-NINTH + +Sir Philip Sidney born 1554. + +A. Bronson Alcott born 1799. + +Wendell Phillips born 1811. + +Louisa M. Alcott born 1832. + + Truth is sensitive and jealous of the least encroachment of its + sacredness. + + --A. Bronson Alcott. + + Faith that withstood the shocks of toil and time, + Hope that defied despair, + Patience that conquered care, + And loyalty whose courage was sublime; + + Teaching us how to seek the highest goal, + To earn the true success; + To live to love, to bless, + And make death proud to take a royal soul. + + --Louisa M. Alcott. + + Nor is it + Wiser to weep a true occasion lost, + But trim our sails, and let old bygones be. + + --Alfred Tennyson. + + In hope of eternal life, which God, who cannot lie, promised before + times eternal. + + --Titus 1. 2. + +Heavenly Father, I pray that I may live in truth; and without fear of +life or death live content in the faith of eternal life. Amen. + + + + +NOVEMBER THIRTIETH + +Peregrine White born New England 1620. + +Jonathan Swift born 1687. + +Samuel L. Clemens (Mark Twain) born 1835. + +Winston Churchill born 1874. + + He gave it for his opinion that whoever could make two ears of corn, + or two blades of grass, to grow upon a spot of ground where only one + grew before, would deserve better of mankind, and do more essential + service to his country, than the whole race of politicians put + together. + + --Jonathan Swift. + + That man may last, but never lives, + Who much receives, but nothing gives; + Whom none can love, whom none can thank,-- + Creation's blot, creation's blank. + + --Thomas Gibbons. + + Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, + shaken together, running over, shall they give into your bosom. For + with what measure ye mete it shall be measured to you again. + + --Luke 6. 38. + +My Father, preserve my soul from all selfishness. May I delight in thy +teaching as I trust in thy word. I pray that I may not only speak +truthfully, but that I may leave the door of my spirit open, that +truth may always enter and abide continually. Amen. + + + + +DECEMBER + + + He comes--he comes--the Frost Spirit comes: + You may trace his footsteps now + On the naked woods and the blasted fields, + And the brown hill's withered brow. + He has smitten the leaves of the gray old trees, + Where their green came forth, + And the winds, which follow wherever he goes, + Have shaken them down to earth. + + He comes--he comes--the Frost Spirit comes! + Let us meet him as we may, + And turn with the light of the parlor fire + His evil power away; + And gather closer the circle round, + Where the firelight dances high, + And laugh at the shriek of the baffled fiend, + As his sounding wing goes by. + + --John G. Whittier. + + + + +DECEMBER FIRST + +Dr. George Birkbeck died 1841. + +Queen Alexandra born 1844. + +R.W. Dale born 1829. + +Ebenezer Elliott died 1849. + + We would fill the hours with the sweetest things, + If we had but a day: + We should drink alone at the purest springs, + In our upward way: + We should guide our wayward or wearied will, + By the clearest light: + We should keep our eyes on the heavenly hills, + If they lay in sight: + We should be from our clamorous selves set free, + To work and pray: + And be what the Father would have us to be, + If we had but a day. + + --Margaret E. Sangster. + + Whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honorable, + whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever + things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be + any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things. + + --Philippians 4. 8. + +Gracious Father, help me to understand that my life grows out of what +I put into my days. Forgive me for the unspoken words and the kind +deeds which I kept for rare days, and had so few occasions to use. May +I be as useful in kindness as I am in work, remembering that to thee +every day is a golden day. Amen. + + + + +DECEMBER SECOND + +David Masson born 1822. + +John Brown hanged, Charlestown, West Virginia +1859. + +Hugh Miller died 1856. + + The solitude of life is known to us all; for the most part we are + alone, and the voices of friends come only faint and broken across + the impassable gulfs which surround every human soul. + + --Hamilton Mabie. + + To have an ideal or to have none, to have this ideal or that--this + is what digs gulfs between men, even between those who live in the + same family circle, under the same roof, or in the same room. You + must love with the same love, think with the same thoughts as some + one else if you are to escape solitude. + + --Amiel. + + The plans of the heart belong to man; + But the answer of the tongue is from Jehovah. + + --Proverbs 16. 1. + +Lord God, help me to take in the glory of life, that my spirit may +never be lonely, even though I may have to be much alone. I pray that +thou wilt spare me the loneliness and the solitude that may be brought +on by selfishness. Make me considerate of others. May I soar above the +disappointments and losses that may come to me, and stay where I may +have thy companionship. Amen. + + + + +DECEMBER THIRD + +Samuel Crompton born 1753. + +Sir Frederick Leighton born 1830. + +Robert Louis Stevenson died 1894. + + To know what you prefer, instead of humbly saying "Amen" to what the + world tells you you ought to prefer, is to have kept your soul + alive. + + --Robert Louis Stevenson. + + There is precious instruction to be got by finding we were wrong. + Let a man try faithfully, manfully to be right. He will grow daily + more and more right. + + --Thomas Carlyle. + + The hero is the man who is immovably centered. + + --Ralph Waldo Emerson. + + Let us draw near with a true heart in fulness of faith, having our + hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience: and having our body washed + with pure water. + + --Hebrews 10. 22. + +Gracious Father, grant that I may not be content to follow through +ignorance and indolence and be led to the lowly paths of life. Make my +Hie positive; and from my surroundings may I look out and struggle to +mount to the highest ideals, that I may be qualified to select the +best in life. Amen. + + + + +DECEMBER FOURTH + +Cardinal Richelieu died 1642. + +William Drummond died 1649. + +Madame Recamier born 1777. + +Thomas Carlyle born 1795. + +John Kitto born 1804. + + It is with a man's soul as it is with nature: the beginning of + Creation is--Light. Till the eye have visions the whole members are + in bonds. Divine moment, when over the tempest-tost Soul, as once + over the wild-weltering Chaos, it is spoken: Let there be Light! + + --Thomas Carlyle. + + What in me is dark + Illumine, what is low raise and support; + That to the light of this great argument + I may assert eternal Providence + And justify the ways of God to men. + + --John Milton. + + For thou art my lamp, O Jehovah; And Jehovah will lighten my + darkness. + + --2 Samuel 22. 29. + +My Lord, forgive me if I have allowed bitterness and misery to darken +my life, for my soul yearns continually for the light. In thy +compassion lead me to the "sunny side of the road where the beautiful +flowers grow," that my path may be made bright and cheerful all the +rest of the way. Amen. + + + + +DECEMBER FIFTH + +Martin Van Buren, New York, eighth President +United States, born 1782. + +Christina G. Rossetti born 1830. + +Alice Brown born 1857. + + A cold wind stirs the blackthorn + To burgeon and to blow, + Besprinkling half-green hedges + With flakes and sprays of snow. + + Through coldness and through keenness, + Dear hearts take comfort so: + Somewhere or other doubtless + These make the blackthorn blow. + + --Christina G. Rossetti. + + There are some men and women in whose company we are always at our + best. All the best stops in our nature are drawn out by their + intercourse, and we find a music in our souls never there before. + + --Henry Drummond. + + And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and good works. + + --Hebrews 10. 24. + +My Father, I thank thee for life. Make me sensitive to the unseen +influences that bring thy messages. May I be led where great riches +may be found through small kindnesses, and where I may learn from the +meek the beauty of earth. Amen. + + + + +DECEMBER SIXTH + +General George Monk born 1608. + +Warren Hastings born 1732. + +Dr. Richard Barham born 1786. + + That low man seeks a little thing to do, + Sees it and does it: + This high man, with a great thing to pursue, + Dies ere he knows it. + That low man goes on adding one to one, + His hundred's soon hit: + This high man, aiming at a million, + Misses an unit. + That, has the world here--should he need the next, + Let the world mind him! + This, throws himself on God, and unperplexed + Seeking shall find him. + + --Robert Browning. + + Hitch your wagon to a star. + + --Ralph Waldo Emerson. + + When thou saidst, Seek ye my face; my heart said unto thee, Thy + face, Jehovah, will I seek. + + --Psalm 27. 8. + +Almighty God, show me what thou hast given for me to do, that I may +not leave undone that which is mine. Forgive me for useless planning +and blind asking for the things which cannot be mine. I pray that my +work may be honest work, well done, and acceptable for thy service. +Amen. + + + + +DECEMBER SEVENTH + +Cicero assassinated B.C. 43. + +John Dalton born 1766. + +Mary Stuart, Queen of Scotland, born 1542. + + It is virtue--yes, let me repeat it again--it is virtue alone that + can give birth, strength, and permanency to friendship. For virtue + is a uniform and steady principle ever acting consistently with + itself. + + --Cicero. + + A common friendship--who talks of a common friendship? There is no + such thing in the world. On earth no word is more sublime. + + --Henry Drummond. + + But thou shalt surely open thy hand unto him, and shalt surely lend + him sufficient for his need. + + --Deuteronomy 15. 8. + +Lord God, wilt thou reveal to me my weakness if I may be insincere; +and give me the strength that I lack to keep me true. May I not take +advantage of the ignorant, or thoughtlessly lead the innocent into +temptation. Grant that I may be a trustful and kind friend. Amen. + + + + +DECEMBER EIGHTH + +John Pym died 1643. + +Richard Baxter died 1691. + +Thomas De Quincey died 1859. + +Elihu Burritt born 1810. + +Robert Collyer born 1823. + + Into the dusk of the East, + Gray with the coming of night, + This may we know at least-- + After the night comes light! + Over the mariners' graves, + Grim in the depths below, + Buoyantly breasting the waves, + Into the East we go. + + On to a distant strand, + Wonderful, far, unseen, + On to a stranger land, + Skimming the seas between; + On through the days and nights, + Hope in each sailor's breast, + On till the harbor lights + Flash on the shores of rest! + + J.H. Jowett. + + So he bringeth them unto their desired haven. + + --Psalm 107. 30. + +Lord God, I pray that thou wilt provide me with thy indwelling peace. +May it keep me reconciled to the decline of years, and enable me to +bear the earthly separation from those whom I love. May I always have +hope and trust in thee. Amen. + + + + +DECEMBER NINTH + +John Milton born 1608. + +Sir Anthony Van Dyck died 1641. + +Joel Chandler Harris born 1848. + + Doth God exact day labor, light denied? + I fondly ask: but Patience, to prevent + That murmur, soon replies, "God doth not need + Either man's work, or his own gifts; who best + Bear his mild yoke, they serve him best; his state + Is kingly; thousands at his bidding speed, + And post o'er land and ocean without rest; + They also serve who only stand and wait." + + --John Milton. + + "'Tain't on'y chilluns w'at got de consate er doin' eve'ything dey + see yuther folks do. Hit's grown folks w'at oughter know better," + said Uncle Remus. + + --Joel Chandler Harris. + + Wherefore, receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us have + grace, whereby we may offer service well-pleasing to God with + reverence and awe. + + --Hebrews 12. 28. + +My Father, teach me to select my work from that which is noble and +true. May I not mold my life in affectation or feel that I must +imitate the lives of others, but grant that I may perfect my life +through experiences which are worthy of increasing endeavors. Amen. + + + + +DECEMBER TENTH + +Thomas Holcroft born 1745. + +Dr. Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet born 1787. + +Eugene Sue born 1804. + + Be of good cheer. Do not think of to-day's failures, but of success + that may come to-morrow. You have set yourselves a difficult task, + but you will succeed if you persevere; and you will have a joy in + overcoming obstacles--a delight in climbing rugged paths which you + would perhaps never know if you did not sometimes slip backward, if + the road were always smooth and pleasant. Remember, no effort that + we make to attain something beautiful is ever lost. + + --Helen Keller. + + We rise by things that are beneath our feet, + By what we have mastered by good and gain, + By the pride deposed and passion slain, + And the vanquished ills that we hourly meet. + + --J.G. Holland. + + He that overcometh, I will give to him to sit down with, me in my + throne, as I also overcame, and sat down with my Father in his + throne. + + --Revelation 3. 21. + +My Father, I pray that I may not be given to contradicting and +doubting, nor take for granted that which needs to be considered. +Grant that I may have the faith and strength of heart to fulfill the +longings of my soul. Amen. + + + + +DECEMBER ELEVENTH + +Sir Roger L'Estrange died 1704. + +Dr. William Cullen born 1712. + +Colley Cibber died 1757. + + Lord, subdue our selfish will; + Each to each our tempers suit, + By thy modulating skill, + Heart to heart, as lute to lute. + + --Charles Wesley. + + One of the last, slowly murmured sayings of Whittier, was this: + "Give--my--love--to--the--world." And this is the world's supreme + need to-day; more than our eloquence, or our knowledge, or our + wealth, or all else besides, it needs our love. True, even love may + sometimes err; but the cure for love's mistakes is just more love; + we often blunder because we do not love enough. God help us all + that, like Whittier, we may live and die, giving our love to the + world. + + --George Jackson. + + Love never faileth. + + --1 Corinthians 13. 8. + +Lord God, help me to see the beauty of the world, and through my duty +may I find the love in the world. May I not spend my life in +discontent, but may I remember that thou hast said, "The meek shall +inherit the earth." Fill my heart with compassion, that I may love my +fellow man as I love myself. Amen. + + + + +DECEMBER TWELFTH + +Chief Justice John Jay born 1745. + +Gustav Flaubert born 1821. + +Robert Browning died 1889. + + A people is but the attempt of many + To rise to the completer life of one. + And those who live for models for the mass + Are singly of more value than they all. + + --Robert Browning. + + Give me the power to labor for mankind; + Make me the mouth of such as cannot speak; + Eyes let me be to groping men and blind; + A conscience to the base; and to the weak + Let me be hands and feet, and to the foolish, mind; + And lead still further on such as thy kingdom seek. + + --Theodore Parker. + + I was eyes to the blind, + And feet was I to the lame. + + --Job 29. 15. + +Almighty God, wilt thou guide me in the direction where I may choose a +useful life; open wide my heart as well as my eyes, that I may early +see my work and be diligent in its prosecution. Reveal to me, when I +may have failed, that I may do better to-morrow. Amen. + + + + +DECEMBER THIRTEENTH + +William Drummond born 1585. + +Dr. Samuel Johnson died 1784. + +Joseph Noel Paton born 1821. + +Phillips Brooks born 1835. + +Hamilton Mabie born 1846. + + When the clouds of sorrow gather over us, we see nothing beyond + them, nor can imagine how they can be dispelled; yet a new day + succeeded to the night, and sorrow is never long without a dawn of + ease. + + --Dr. Samuel Johnson. + + The fountains of joy and sorrow are for the most part locked up in + ourselves.... There come to great, solitary, and sorely smitten + souls moments of clear insight, of assurance of victory, of + unspeakable fellowship with truth and life and God, which outweigh + years of sorrow and bitterness. + + --Hamilton Mabie. + + And ye therefore now have sorrow: but I will see you again, and your + heart shall rejoice, and your joy no one taketh away from you. + + --John 16. 22. + +My Father, may I remember that the days of my life that I give over to +grief can never be reclaimed. Help me that I may not want to keep +sorrow in my life, but with faith may I believe that "weeping may +endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning." Amen. + + + + +DECEMBER FOURTEENTH + +Daniel Neal born 1678. + +Rev. Charles Wolfe born 1791. + +George Washington died 1799. + +Frances Ridley Havergal born 1836. + + Seldom can the heart be lonely, + If it seek a lonelier still; + Self-forgetting, seeking only + Emptier cups of love to fill. + + --Frances R. Havergal. + + When to the sessions of sweet silent thought + I summon up remembrance of things past, + I sigh the lack of many a thing I sought. + And with old woes new wail my dear time's waste + + * * * * * + + But if the while I think on thee, dear friend, + All losses are restored, and sorrows end. + + --William Shakespeare. + + The Lord Jehovah hath given me the tongue of them that are taught, + that I may know how to sustain with words him that is weary. + + --Isaiah 50. 4. + +Gracious Father, keep me cheerful and courageous, that I may not be +given to weary murmurings. May my hours of solitude be spent +profitably as they pass. Grant that I may be a help to those who are +in need of sympathy and encouragement, and through the peace that is +given to me help them to a tranquil life. Amen. + + + + +DECEMBER FIFTEENTH + +Catherine of Aragon born 1485. + +George Romney born 1734. + +Franklin B. Sanborn born 1831. + + Yet frequent visitors shall kiss the shrine, + And ever keep its vestal lamp alight; + All noble thoughts, all dreams divinely bright, + That waken or delight this soul of mine. + + --F.B. Sanborn. + + One small cloud can hide the sunlight; + Loose one string, the pearls are scattered; + Think one thought, a soul may perish; + Say one word, a heart may break. + + --A.A. Procter. + + Self-scrutiny is often the most unpleasant, and always the most + difficult, of moral actions. But it is also the most important and + salutary; for, as the wisest of the Greeks said, "An unexamined life + is not worth living." + + --J. Strachan. + + Try your own selves, whether ye are in the faith; prove your own + selves. + + --2 Corinthians 13. 5. + +Gracious Father, help me that I may not be thoughtless and unkind. May +I be gentle and sympathetic. Forgive me for any unhappiness which I +may have made, and may it be mine to know the rejoicing that comes hi +lifting a discouraged life in time. Amen. + + + + +DECEMBER SIXTEENTH + +John Selden born 1584. + +Francois La Rochefoucauld born 1610. + +George Whitefield born 1714. + +Jane Austen born 1775. + + So live that when thy summons comes to join + The innumerable caravan that moves + To that mysterious realm where each shall take + His chamber in the silent halls of death, + Thou go not, like the quarry slave at night, + Scourged to his dungeon, but, sustained and soothed + By an unfaltering trust, approach thy grave + Like one who wraps the drapery of his couch + About him and lies down to pleasant dreams. + + --William Cullen Bryant. + + As the wind extinguishes a taper but kindles the fire, so absence is + the death of an ordinary passion, but lends strength to the greater. + + --La Rochefoucauld. + + If a man die, shall he live again? + + --Job 14. 14. + +Heavenly Father, with thy help may I enter into the hope that +overcomes the fear of death. May my days be full of aspiration, and +through faith may my life move toward the eternal and the sublime. +Amen. + + + + +DECEMBER SEVENTEENTH + +Sir Roger L'Estrange born 1616. + +Ludwig van Beethoven born 1770. + +Sir Humphry Davy born 1779. + +John Greenleaf Whittier born 1807. + + The night is mother of the day, + The winter of the spring; + And ever upon old decay + The greenest mosses cling. + Behind the cloud the starlight lurks, + Through showers the sunbeams fall; + For God, who loveth all his works, + Has left his hope with all. + + --John Greenleaf Whittier. + + The sun set; but not his hope: + Stars rose; his faith was earlier up. + + --Ralph Waldo Emerson. + + What I am I have made myself. + + --Sir Humphry Davy. + + Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoiceth: + My flesh also shall dwell in safety. + + --Psalm 16. 9. + +My Father, may I never be content to pass by thy beautiful offerings +and keep on in wretched despair. Save me if I may 'be inclining toward +misery. Give me the spirit of repose, and help me to confide in thee +as I daily seek the strength of thy love. Amen. + + + + +DECEMBER EIGHTEENTH + +Charles Wesley born 1708. + +Lyman Abbott born 1835. + +Samuel Rogers died 1855. + +Sir Joseph John Thomson born 1845. + + And let this feeble body fail, + And let it faint or die; + My soul shall quit this mournful vale, + And soar to worlds on high. + + --Charles Wesley. + + It were better to live an immortal life and be robbed of immortality + hereafter by some supernal power, than to live the mortal, fleshly + animal life, and live it endlessly. Who would not rather have a + right to immortality than to be immortal without a right to be? + + --Lyman Abbott. + + So when a great man dies, + For years beyond our ken, + The light he leaves behind him lies + Upon the paths of men. + + --Henry W. Longfellow. + + But he that soweth unto the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap eternal + life. + + --Galatians 6. 8. + +My Father, I pray that I may be spared the deprivations that may come +from years spent in selfishness. Help me to realize before it is too +late how little self can hold and how much remorse may accumulate. +Help me to aspire to ideals that compel me to live an immortal life. +Amen. + + + + +DECEMBER NINETEENTH + +Gustavus Adolphus born 1594. + +Horatio Bonar born 1808. + +F. Delsarte born 1811. + +Mary A. Livermore born 1820. + +J.M.W. Turner died 1851. + + If a man is to be a pillar in the temple of his God by and by, he + must be some kind of a prop in God's house to-day. We are here to + support, not to be supported. No one can be a living stone on the + foundations of the Spiritual House which is God's habitation without + being a foundation to the stones above him. + + --Maltbie Babcock. + + Since trifles make the sum of human things, + And half our misery from our foibles springs; + Since life's best joys consist in peace and ease, + O let th' ungentle spirit learn from hence, + A small unkindness is a great offense. + + --Hannah More. + + He that overcometh I will make a pillar in the temple of my God, and + he shall go out thence no more. + + --Revelation 3. 12. + +My Father, grant that I may not deceive myself and expect big results +from little efforts; nor be willing to receive assistance and refuse +my support. May I not only be anxious to give others all that I can, +and share their burdens, but may I be glad to help make fewer burdens +for others to bear. Amen. + + + + +DECEMBER TWENTIETH + +Louis the Dauphin died 1765. + +John Wilson Croker born 1780. + +Cyrus Townsend Brady born 1861. + + Love is not love + Which alters when it alteration finds, + Or bends with the remover to remove. + O no! it is an ever-fixed mark + That looks on tempests and is never shaken. + It is the star to every wandering bark, + Whose worth's unknown, although his height be taken. + + --William Shakespeare. + + I will not doubt the love untold + Which not my worth nor want hath bought, + Which wooed me young and wooes me old, + And to this evening hath me brought. + + --Henry David Thoreau. + + Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with + lovingkindness have I drawn thee. + + --Jeremiah 81. 3. + +Loving Father, teach me the secret of constancy, that none may ever be +disappointed in me. May I not reckon what I give on recompense, but +have the spirit of giving which has no measure for what it may receive +in return. May I not be forgetful of thy love which will hold me to +deeper reverence and devotion. Amen. + + + + +DECEMBER TWENTY-FIRST + +Jean Baptiste Racine born 1639. + +Robert Moffat born 1795. + +Laura Bridgman born 1829. + + To think and to feel constitute the two grand divisions of men and + genius--the men of reasoning and the men of imagination. + + --Disraeli. + + Grow old along with me! the best is yet to be, + The last of life, for which the first was made: + Our times are in his hand who saith, a whole I planned, + Youth shows but half; trust God: see all, nor be afraid! + + --Robert Browning. + + But the path of the righteous is as the dawning light, That shineth + more and more unto the perfect day. + + --Proverbs 4. 18. + +Almighty God, I pray that I may have the grace to penetrate the deep +things of life and test their truth and greatness. May I have faith in +thy power and train for the best which thou hast made possible for me +to live. Help me to think and feel aright, that I may be thine to-day, +and in the days of to-morrow may I still be thine, ever keeping bright +memories of past days. Amen. + + + + +DECEMBER TWENTY-SECOND + +Franz Abt born 1819. + +Thomas W. Higginson born 1823. + +George Eliot died 1880. + + Love and Pain + Make their own measure of all things that be. + No clock's slow ticking marks their deathless strain; + The life they own is not the life we see; + Love's single moment is eternity. + + --Thomas W. Higginson. + + Life is made stronger + Giving, receiving; + Love is made longer + Hoping, believing. + + Life is made sweeter, + Truly worth living; + Love is completer, + Trusting, forgiving. + + --M.B.S. + + In love of the brethren be tenderly affectioned one to another; in + honor preferring one another. + + --Romans 12. 10. + +Loving Father, I thank thee that every morn breaks in a new day +without the sadness of yesterday or the gladness of to-morrow. I pray +that I may not lose the love and joy that it brings to-day. Amen. + + + + +DECEMBER TWENTY-THIRD + +Michael Drayton died 1631. + +Robert Barclay born 1648. + +James Sargent Storer died 1854. + + When heaven endows you with all gifts, you are an incomplete being + if you stay still in your corner instead of taking advantage of your + real value. + + --Marie Bashkirtseff. + + Life, which ought to be a thing complete in itself, and ought to be + spent partly in gathering materials, and partly in drawing + inferences, is apt to be a hurried accumulation lasting to the edge + of the tomb. We are put into the world, I cannot help feeling, to be + rather than do. + + --Arthur C. Benson. + + Jehovah is the strength of my life. + + --Psalm 27. 1. + +Heavenly Father, I pray that thou wilt reverse my standards of life if +I may be striving only for selfish gain. May I care for all that I +could be, and may I care for where I should be found, but, most of +all, may I care for what I really am. Help me to keep my mind on thee +that I may find delight in doing thy will. Amen. + + + + +DECEMBER TWENTY-FOURTH + +George Crabbe born 1754. + +Kit Carson born 1809. + +Matthew Arnold born 1822. + +John Morley born 1838. + +William Makepeace Thackeray died 1863. + + Ah, friend, let us be true + To one another! For the world, which seems + To lie before us like a land of dreams, + So various, so beautiful, so new, + Hath really neither joy, nor love, nor light, + Nor certitude, nor peace, nor help for pain, + And we are here as on a darkling plain + Swept with confused alarms of struggle and flight, + Where ignorant armies clash by night. + + --Matthew Arnold. + + We take care of our health, we lay up money, we make our roof tight + and our clothing sufficient, but who provides wisely that we shall + not be wanting in the best property of all--friends? + + --Ralph Waldo Emerson. + + Faithful are the wounds of a friend. + + --Proverbs 27. 6. + +Gracious Lord, fill my life with the spirit of love and sacrifice. I +bless thee for the deep fellowships and tender intimacies; and on the +eve of this Christmas ask thy blessing for all, as my heart rings with +joy for those whom I love. Amen. + + + + +DECEMBER TWENTY-FIFTH + +Christmas Day. + +Sir Isaac Newton born 1642. + +William Collins born 1721. + +Father Taylor born 1794. + + This is the month, and this is the happy morn, + Wherein the Son of heaven's eternal King, + Of wedded maid, and virgin mother born, + Our great redemption from above did bring. + + --John Milton. + + Christmas is here; + Winds whistle shrill, + Icy and chill, + Little care we; + Little we fear + Weather without, + Shelter'd about + The Mahogany tree. + + --William M. Thackeray. + + And the angel said unto them, Be not afraid; for behold, I bring you + good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all the people: for + there is born to you this day in the city of David a Saviour, who is + Christ the Lord. + + --Luke 2. 10, 11. + +Almighty God, I give honor and praise to express my joy for thy great +love in the gift of thy Son, Jesus Christ. With a glad heart I wish +all mankind "A merry Christmas," and may I ever remember, where the +angels sang, "Peace on earth, good will toward men." Amen. + + + + +DECEMBER TWENTY-SIXTH + +Thomas Gray born 1716. + +Mrs. Southworth born 1818. + +Stephen Girard died 1831. + + Let not ambition mock their useful toil, + Their homely joys, and destiny obscure; + Nor grandeur hear with a disdainful smile + The short and simple annals of the poor. + + Nor you, ye proud, impute to those the fault, + If memory o'er their tomb no trophies raise, + Where, through the long-drawn aisle and fretted vault, + The pealing anthem swells the note of praise. + + Full many a gem of purest ray serene + The dark, unfathomed caves of ocean bear; + Full many a flower is born to blush unseen, + And waste its sweetness on the desert air. + + --Thomas Gray. + + Jehovah, my heart is not haughty, nor mine eyes lofty; + Neither do I exercise myself in great matters, + Or in things too wonderful for me. + + --Psalm 131. 1. + +Gracious Father, give me the courage to live my life, and the +endurance to overcome the disappointments that may come to me. May I +not be neglectful of the great opportunities of which I am privileged +to take advantage. May I not be pretentious of what I have not done, +or boastful of what I am, but with my best ability live in truth. +Amen. + + + + +DECEMBER TWENTY-SEVENTH + +Jacques Bernoulli born 1654. + +Johann Kepler born 1571. + +Charles Lamb died 1834. + + There is a time in every man's education when he arrives at the + conviction that envy is ignorance; that imitation is suicide; that + he must take himself for better or worse, as his portion; that, + though the wide universe is full of good, no kernel of nourishing + corn can come to him but through his toil bestowed on that plot of + ground which is given him to till. + + --Ralph Waldo Emerson. + + Knowing ourselves, our world, our task so great, + Our time so brief, 'tis clear if we refuse + The means so limited, the tools so rude + To execute our purpose, life will fleet, + And we shall fade, and leave our task undone. + + --Robert Browning. + + Study to be quiet, and to do your own business, and to work with + your hands. + + --1 Thessalonians 4. 11. + +Lord God of life, give me the desire to learn, and the wisdom to live +in my best. May I not fail to culture my mind and heart and make life +productive and worthy. Help me to see the mistakes that I have made in +the past, and in the year that is approaching not only try to avoid +them, but try to make amends for them. Amen. + + + + +DECEMBER TWENTY-EIGHTH + +Catherine M. Sedgwick born 1789. + +Woodrow Wilson, Virginia, twenty-seventh President +United States, born 1856. + +Thomas B. Macaulay died 1859. + + The government might be serviceable for many things. It might assist + in a hundred ways to safeguard the lives and the health and promote + the comfort and happiness of the people; but it can do these things + only if they respond to public opinion, only if those who lead + government see the country as a whole, feel a deep thrill of + intimate sympathy with every class and every interest in it. + + --Woodrow Wilson. + + The hearts of men are their books; events are their tutors; great + actions are their eloquence. + + --Thomas B. Macaulay. + + Be of good courage, and let us play the man for our people, and for + the cities of our God: and Jehovah do that which seemeth him good. + + --2 Samuel 10. 12. + +Lord God, I pray that my estimate of life may not be as I take it, but +as thou hast given it for peace and prosperity. Teach me my duty to my +country, and make me useful in uplifting and serving humanity. Amen. + + + + +DECEMBER TWENTY-NINTH + +Thomas a Becket died 1170. + +Andrew Johnson, Tennessee, seventeenth President +United States, born 1808. + +William E. Gladstone born 1809. + +Margaret Bottome born 1827. + +Pauline O. Louise, Queen of Roumania (Carmen +Sylva), born 1843. + +Christina G. Rossetti died 1894. + + One example is worth a thousand arguments. + + --William E. Gladstone. + + One day at a time! That's all it can be + No faster than that is the hardest of fate, + And days have their limit, however we + Begin them too early or stretch them late. + + --J.R. Miller. + + He lives happy and master of himself + Who can say, as each day passes on, + I have lived! no matter whether to-morrow + The great Father shall give us a clouded sky or a clear day. + + --Horace. + + Give us this day our daily bread. + + --Matthew 6. 11. + +Eternal God, guard me against the love of praise, that I may not lose +the sense of duty. Start me for the right places and give me strength +with my days, that I may press toward their possession. Deliver me +from drifting when it is mine to pull against the tide, that I may not +be carried out of my course. Shield me from the storms that may gather +about me, and bring us all to the desired haven safe in thy keeping. +Amen. + + + + +DECEMBER THIRTIETH + +Titus born A.D. 40. + +William R. Alger born 1822. + +Rudyard Kipling born 1865. + + God of our fathers, known of old, + Lord of our far-flung battle line, + Beneath whose awful hand we hold + Dominion over palm and pine: + Lord God of Hosts, be with us yet, + Lest we forget--lest we forget! + + For heathen heart that puts her trust + In reeking tube and iron shard; + All valiant dust that builds on dust, + And guarding calls not thee to guard: + For frantic boast and foolish word, + Thy mercy on thy people, Lord! Amen. + + --Rudyard Kipling. + + But thou shalt remember Jehovah thy God, for it is he that giveth + thee power to get wealth. + + --Deuteronomy 8. 18. + +Almighty God, as I come to thee wilt thou forgive me for the errors I +have made, and for the promises that I have broken. Help me to be as +true as the holly that keeps itself red through the snow. Remind me of +my opportunities as I breathe in thy blessings, "Lest I forget!" Amen. + + + + +DECEMBER THIRTY-FIRST + +New Year's Eve. + +John Wycliffe died 1384. + +Battle of Wakefield 1460. + +Charles Marquis Cornwallis born 1738. + + Ring out, wild bells, to the wild sky, + The flying cloud, the frosty light: + The year is dying in the night; + Ring out, wild bells, and let him die. + + Ring out old shapes of foul disease, + Ring out the narrow lust of gold: + Ring out the thousand wars of old, + Ring in the thousand years of peace. + + --Alfred Tennyson. + + Let every dawn of morning be to you as the beginning of life, and + every setting sun be to you as its close. + + --John Ruskin. + + The night is far spent, and the day is at hand: let us therefore + cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of + light. + + --Romans 13. 12. + +My Father, as I look to the past days, I feel much of my happiness and +much of my misery has come from my own choice. May I be more watchful +of my standards and less wasteful of my time, and keep a poise in life +that will leave a memory of well-spent days. For the year that has +passed and for its blessings I thank thee. Amen. + + + + + +End of Project Gutenberg's Leaves of Life, by Margaret Bird Steinmetz + +*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK LEAVES OF LIFE *** + +***** This file should be named 14849.txt or 14849.zip ***** +This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: + https://www.gutenberg.org/1/4/8/4/14849/ + +Produced by Stephen Schulze and the Online Distributed Proofreaders Team + +Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions +will be renamed. + +Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no +one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation +(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without +permission and without paying copyright royalties. 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