f
 
 THE YEAR BOOK OF 
 ENGLISH AUTHORS
 
 WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE 
 1564-1616
 
 IHE YEAR BOOK OF 
 'ENGLISH AUTHORS 
 
 WRITTEN AND COMPILED BY 
 IDA SCOTT TAYLOR AND IL- 
 LUSTRATED WITH TWELVE 
 HALF TONE PORTRAITS OF 
 PROMINENT AUTHORS 
 
 NEW YORK 
 
 RAPHAEL TUCK AND SONS 
 
 COMPANY, LIMITED 
 
 MCMI
 
 COPYRIGHT 1894 BY 
 
 RAPHAEL TUCK AND SONS 
 
 COMPANY, LIMITED
 
 PREFATORY NOTE 
 
 IT has been my purpose not only to make this volume 
 a helpful Year Book, but also a compilation of popular 
 selections, which may render it useful for reference. 
 So far as possible, I have affixed signatures to the 
 quotations. In a few instances the writers quoted are 
 not of English birth, but these cases are so few that 
 it is practically what its title says it is a Year Book 
 of English Authors. It may be understood that all of 
 the prose, as well as a few bits of verse without signa- 
 ture, included in this work, belong to the author and 
 compiler of it. 
 
 I. S. T.
 
 "OLD TIME'S GREAT CLOCK, THAT NEVER STOPS, 
 
 NOR RUNS TOO FAST NOR SLOW, 
 HUNG UP AMID THE WORLDS OF SPACE, 
 
 WHERE WHEELING PLANETS GLOW, 
 ITS DIAL-PLATE THE ORBIT VAST 
 
 WHERE WHIRLS OUR MUNDANE SPHERE, 
 HAS PUSHED ITS POINTER ROUND AGAIN, 
 
 AND STRUCK ANOTHER YEAR ! "
 
 HE YEAR-BOOK OF 
 ENGLISH AUTHORS. 
 
 JANUARY. 
 
 AND now across the hills of Time, falls the glory 
 of a new Day, the royal birthday of a glad New 
 Year. Make way for his coming this messenger of 
 promise ! Open the gateways of the skies, let down 
 the bars of sunlight in the meadows of the heavens, 
 hoist your flags of triumph, and hail King January, the 
 ruling sovereign of the year ! Look up ! see where the 
 horizon is brightest, there is a motto for you and me, 
 which reads, " Be thou faithful unto death, and I will 
 give thee a crown of life ! " 
 
 Oh, glorious promise, arching above us like a rain- 
 bow of Hope, a promise like the pillar of fire to go 
 before us all the year ! let us indeed be " faithful unto 
 death." 
 
 January, bold and dauntless, 
 
 Scales old Winter's rugged height, 
 With his spangled garments gleaming 
 
 In the iridescent light ; 
 And he walks with step majestic 
 
 While we hear the joy-bells ring, 
 As they greet the happy New Year 
 
 Whom they honor as a king. 
 
 So here hath been dawning another blue day ; 
 Think, wilt thou let it slip useless away ? 
 Out of eternity this new day is born ; 
 Into eternity at night will return. 
 
 T. CARLYLE. 
 
 [7]
 
 JANUARY SECOND. 
 
 OUT of the darkness into the light! Rejoice and 
 be glad, for you are allowed to see the radiance 
 of another morning, and its blessings, opportunities, 
 and duties are yours. From silence and sleep have 
 sprung thought and activity, and the busy world has 
 once more begun its round of daily cares. Put your 
 shoulder to the wheel, take up the dropped stitches of 
 yesterday, and don't be disheartened ; thank God, and 
 take courage : come what may, He will help you to 
 bear it, and give you strength for to-morrow when it 
 comes. 
 
 Again the Lord of life and light 
 
 Awakes the kindling ray, 
 Unseals the eyelids of the morn, 
 And pours increasing day. 
 
 This day be grateful homage paid, 
 
 And loud hosannas sung ; 
 Let gladness dwell in every heart, 
 
 And praise on every tongue. 
 
 To Thee, my Saviour and my King, 
 
 Glad homage let me give ; 
 And stand prepared, like Thee, to die, 
 
 With Thee that I may live. 
 
 ANNA LETITIA BARBAULD. 
 
 Come, Light serene and still! 
 Our darkened spirits fill 
 
 With Thy clear day : 
 Guide of the feeble sight, 
 Reveal the path of right, 
 
 Show us Thy way. 
 
 ROBERT II. OF FRANCE. 
 [8]
 
 JANUARY THIRD. 
 
 LET us be true to ourselves ; true to our principles, 
 our convictions, and our religion. A man who 
 lives up to a true moral standard of right, provided his 
 conscience is unimpaired, is a man of untold influence : 
 other men look up to him, quote him, and endeavor to 
 imitate his example. They are proud to claim his 
 friendship, for his word is as good as his bond, and a 
 man like that is a friend worth having. If we would 
 be true ourselves, we must seek the truth. Unless we 
 can discriminate between right and wrong, we are un- 
 able to know the truth. Let us therefore cultivate our 
 consciences, and do only those things that are pleas- 
 ing to God, who is Himself the Divine Truth. 
 
 This above all to thine own self be true, 
 And it must follow, as the night the day, 
 Thou canst not then be false to any man. 
 
 SHAKESPEARE. 
 
 Truth is as impossible to be soiled by any outward 
 touch as the sunbeam. MILTON. 
 
 Happy the man taught by the truth itself; 
 
 Not by the shapes and sounds that pass across his life, 
 
 But by the very truth. 
 
 Our thoughts and senses often lead us wrong ; 
 
 They see one side alone. 
 
 THOMAS X KEMPIS. 
 
 There is nothing so strong and safe, in any emer- 
 gency of life, as the simple truth. DICKENS. 
 [9]
 
 JANUARY FOURTH. 
 
 WE are never happy so long as we are unforgiv- 
 ing. If we cherish an unkind thought or feel- 
 ing, our hearts are never quite right in the sight of 
 God. And what are we, that we should deny forgive- 
 ness to our neighbor? Have we done nothing to be 
 forgiven ourselves ? Think of the mistakes we are con- 
 tinually making, of the impatient words we say, and 
 the number of times we have grieved and offended 
 those around us. Oh yes, you say, we have much to 
 be forgiven : if so, then, shall we refuse to forgive 
 others? How many times does the Bible tell us to 
 forgive? Have you exceeded the number? Ah, but 
 you say, " I was not to blame." No one who refuses 
 to forgive ever thinks himself blamable, and even if 
 he is innocent of any wrong-doing in the act itself, he 
 is sinning against God so long as he denies forgive- 
 ness to his neighbor. I believe it to be sacredly true 
 that no one can keep the Golden Rule or catch the real 
 spirit of the Lord's Prayer, if he is unforgiving towards 
 any one, no matter what the cause may be, nor who 
 may be the offender. 
 
 " Forgive us all our debts," we say, 
 
 " As we have all forgiven " ; 
 Ah, help us indeed to pray 
 
 " Father which art in Heaven ! " 
 
 Help us to pray, for only Thou 
 
 Can'st trace the secret sin, 
 And only Thou can'st wholly know 
 
 The pride that lurks within. 
 
 HELEN MARION BURNSIDE. 
 [10]
 
 JANUARY FIFTH. 
 
 DEATH and life are in the power of the tongue. 
 PROVERBS l8:2l. 
 
 Whoso keepeth his mouth and his tongue keepeth 
 his soul from troubles. PROVERBS 21 : 23. 
 
 A word spoken in due season, how good is it ! 
 
 PROVERBS 15: 23. 
 
 A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in pictures 
 of silver. PROVERBS 25 : 1 1 . 
 
 How much the Word of God dwells on the " power 
 of the tongue," and yet it is referred to as a " little mem- 
 ber." With what care should we guard our tongues, 
 that they speak no ill, that they carry no sting, and that 
 they always find an opportunity to say a word in " due 
 season." A wise tongue echoes the thoughts of a wise 
 intellect, an eloquent tongue paints word-pictures in 
 glowing language ; a truthful tongue is persuasive, and 
 carries conviction, though its utterances may some- 
 times lack culture and polish ; but a kindly tongue 
 speaks the words that can never die ; surely they are 
 " like apples of gold in pictures of silver," sweet and 
 precious to an aching heart and wounded spirit. O 
 words, words! let us be careful how we speak them! 
 
 Words are mighty, words are living ; 
 
 Serpents with their venomous stings, 
 Or bright angels crowding round us 
 
 With Heaven's light upon their wings ; 
 Every word has its own spirit, 
 
 True or false that never dies ; 
 Every word man's lips have uttered 
 
 Echoes in God's skies. 
 
 ADELAIDE PROCTER.
 
 JANUARY SIXTH. 
 
 BE patient at all times. When the cares and duties 
 of the day are weighing you down, when the night 
 is long and dark, and when your cross is heavy and 
 hard to bear. The day with all its burdens will end 
 with the setting of the sun ; the night will soon wear 
 away, and there will be a glorious dawn ; and God 
 shall exchange your cross for a crown. Then be 
 patient ; there is a reward awaiting the faithful. 
 
 Sweet Patience, come ; 
 Not from a low and earthly source, 
 Waiting till things shall have their course, 
 Not as accepting present pain 
 In hope of some hereafter gain, 
 Not in a dull and sullen calm, 
 But as a breath of heavenly balm, 
 Bidding my weary heart submit 
 To bear whatever God sees fit : 
 
 Sweet Patience, come! 
 
 HYMNS OF THE CHURCH MILITANT. 
 
 There is no crown in the world 
 So good as Patience : neither is any peace 
 That God put in our lips to drink as wine, 
 More honey-pure, more worthy love's own praise, 
 Than that sweet-souled endurance which makes clear 
 The iron hands of anger. SWINBURNE. 
 
 Be still, my soul ! the Lord is on thy side ; 
 
 Bear patiently the cross of grief and pain ; 
 Leave to thy God to order and provide, 
 
 In every change He faithful will remain. 
 
 HYMNS FROM THE LAND OF LUTHER. 
 [12]
 
 JANUARY SEVENTH. 
 
 WHAT though we stand in the shadow with our 
 souls sadly yearning for the light ; know ye 
 not that in God's time it will come? We shall find 
 the waiting hard at first, for we are by nature impatient ; 
 there will be doubts and complainings, and troublous 
 murmurs from restless, wilful hearts, but by and by we 
 shall find His way is best ; and when we cease to rely 
 on self, He will calm all our doubts and fears, and hush 
 our tumults into rest. He will gently lead us in the 
 paths of Peace, and reveal to us the light of His love 
 that shines like a beacon in the Christian's sky. Let 
 these words find an echo in our souls : 
 
 I do not ask, O Lord, that life may be 
 
 A pleasant road ; 
 I do not ask that Thou would take from me 
 
 Aught of its load ; 
 I do not ask that flowers should always spring 
 
 Beneath my feet ; 
 I know too well the poison and the sting 
 
 Of things too sweet. 
 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. 
 
 Under Thy wings, my God, I rest, 
 
 Under Thy shadow safely lie ; 
 By Thy own strength in peace possessed, 
 
 While dreaded evils pass me by. 
 
 ANNA L. WARING. 
 [13]
 
 JANUARY EIGHTH. 
 
 IF the heart is full of happiness and joy, the lips will 
 sing. A volcano must have an outlet somewhere : 
 it may lie smouldering for years, but by and by, when 
 we least expect it, it will burst forth, and its fiery elo- 
 quence shall reach far into the clouds. The music of 
 the glad heart cannot be silent forever ; God will tune 
 the key and measure the rhythm, and the happy song- 
 ster shall respond to its great Master Musician. Some- 
 times, in the lowliest walks of life, surrounded by 
 humblest walls, and in the midst of homeliest tasks, 
 the singer shall catch the divine key, and the melody 
 shall mount up, as with wings, and chord with the 
 Heavenly Symphony ; and if earth does not recognize 
 the strain, the listening angels shall know and rejoice, 
 and the heart of the singer shall be blessed and glad- 
 dened by the song. God interprets melody one way, 
 and man another: music to Him is acceptable when 
 the heart sings out its joy and gladness, when there 
 is love and praise and contentment in it, though the 
 voice be poor and trembling and the tune sometimes 
 uncertain. Man only accepts as music that which 
 talent and culture bestows. "Man looketh on the 
 outward things, but God looketh on the heart." 
 
 There are in the loud stunning tide 
 
 Of human care and crime, 
 With whom the melodies abide 
 
 Of th' everlasting chime ; 
 Who carry music in the heart 
 Through dusky lane and wrangling mart, 
 Plying their daily task with busier feet 
 Because their secret souls a holy strain repeat. 
 
 j. KEBLE. 
 [14]
 
 JANUARY NINTH. 
 
 DO not depend too much on earthly friends. Cir- 
 cumstances often change them and alter their 
 friendship for you. Do not, however, misjudge them : 
 sometimes they are carrying burdens of which you 
 may never know, and you may deem them untrue 
 when they are only absorbed with other things. On 
 the other hand, circumstances may influence them so 
 that they grow indifferent to us. New and more pros- 
 perous friends may take our places in their thoughts 
 and affections, and we may become unnecessary to 
 them. Absence and distance sometimes estrange 
 friends, and in the lapse of time we are almost for- 
 gotten : yet the true and steadfast friend will never 
 fail us through all life's vicissitudes, and the separation 
 of years will make no difference in his love and loyalty. 
 Such a friend is Christ. He changes not, but is " the 
 same yesterday, to-day, and forever." 
 
 There's naught on earth to rest upon, 
 
 All things are changing here, 
 The smiles of joy we gaze upon, 
 
 The friends we count most dear : 
 One Friend alone is changeless, 
 
 The One too oft forgot, 
 Whose love hath stood for ages past 
 
 Our Jesus changeth not. 
 
 One sky alone is cloudless, 
 
 There darkness enters not, 
 Tis found alone with Jesus 
 
 And Jesus changeth not. 
 
 WHITEFIELD. 
 
 This God is our God forever and ever : He will be 
 our guide even unto death. PSALM 48 : 14. 
 [is]
 
 JANUARY TENTH. 
 
 IF we can only cling to the Cross of Christ, we shall 
 be safe. In the midst of temptation, of doubt, 
 and danger, it is a Rock of defence ; in the waves of 
 sorrow, and underneath the clouds of darkness, it is 
 a comfort and a beacon of light to lead us onward. 
 When weary and discouraged with the journey of life, 
 let us rest in the shadow of the Cross and drop our 
 burdens there. Its radiance shall illumine our souls, 
 and give us renewed faith and hope. Blessed are they 
 that hide their hearts in its refuge. 
 
 Never farther than Thy cross, 
 
 Never higher than Thy feet ; 
 Here earth's precious things seem dross, 
 
 Here earth's bitter things grow sweet. 
 
 Gazing thus, our sins shall see, 
 Learn Thy love while gazing thus ; 
 
 Sin which laid the cross on Thee, 
 Love which bore the cross for us. 
 
 Here we learn to serve and give, 
 
 And, rejoicing, self deny ; 
 Here we gather love to live, 
 
 Here we gather faith to die. 
 
 Symbols of our liberty 
 
 And our service here unite ; 
 Captives, by Thy cross set free, 
 
 Soldiers of Thy cross, we fight. 
 
 Till amid the hosts of light, 
 
 We in Thee redeemed complete, 
 
 Through Thy cross made pure and white, 
 Cast our crowns before Thy feet. 
 
 ELIZABETH R. CHARLES. 
 
 [16]
 
 JANUARY ELEVENTH. 
 
 TRUE contentment is an ornament to the mind. 
 It is a jewel that brightens with the using, and 
 imparts a lustre to all around it. It combines peace 
 and happiness, and its possessor has a treasure which 
 kings might envy. To be contented, in the midst of 
 gaining and losing, waiting and serving, loving and 
 hating what a rare thing it is! How few of us learn, 
 even in the longest lifetime, the sweet lesson of con- 
 tent, and yet it should be our chief care to cultivate so 
 desirable a trait of character. God tells us " to be 
 content with such things as we have," but we are con- 
 tinually reaching out after something which is not 
 worth having. It is right that we should be discon- 
 tented with ourselves, we should aspire to a higher 
 growth and more noble living, but to be discontented 
 with what God gives us, is wrong. Let us make the 
 best of our surroundings, and meet each day's duty 
 with a cheerfulness that is the outgrowth of inward 
 peace and calm content. 
 
 Happy the man, of mortals happiest he, 
 Whose quiet mind from vain desires is free ; 
 Whom neither hopes deceive nor fears torment, 
 But lives at peace, within himself content. 
 
 GEORGE GRANVILLE. 
 
 The noblest mind the best contentment has. 
 
 SPENSER. 
 
 My crown is in my heart, not on my head, 
 Not deck'd with diamonds and Indian stones, 
 Nor to be seen ; my crown is called Content : 
 A crown it is that seldom kings enjoy. 
 
 HENRY VI., PART III., ACT III. 
 [17]
 
 JANUARY TWELFTH. 
 
 npHROUGH all the changes of life have a purpose, 
 J- and stick to it. Let no outward circumstances 
 cause you to become discouraged and lose heart, if 
 your aspirations are noble and true, but go resolutely 
 forward, and be contented to face dull monotony day 
 by day. No man can ever obtain wealth, power, and 
 honor without fixedness of purpose, and to accomplish 
 these he is obliged to do a great deal of plodding. If 
 you are willing to climb, you will sometime reach the 
 summit. You cannot walk around a difficulty expect- 
 ing to find an easy place to surmount it : you only 
 waste time in the attempt. Take in the situation, and 
 begin the ascent : God allows no obstacles too great 
 and no mounts of difficulty too high for us. Purpose 
 and perseverance, with faith in Him, shall break down 
 every barrier and leave us no excuse for failures. 
 
 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. 
 
 The man who seeks one thing in life, and but one, 
 May hope to achieve it before life be done ; 
 But he who seeks all things, wherever he goes, 
 Only reaps from the hopes which around him he sows 
 A harvest of barren regrets. 
 
 OWEN MEREDITH. 
 
 Our lives are measured by the deeds we do, 
 The thoughts we think, the objects we pursue. 
 
 ANONYMOUS. 
 [18]
 
 JANUARY THIRTEENTH. 
 
 NEVER allow yourself to be too busy to look after 
 your conscience. It needs more attention than 
 your toilet. Put it in order every morning for the day, 
 else if neglected it will become diseased like any other 
 part of you. Examine it carefully at night, and see 
 how it has stood the test of the day. Keep it clean 
 and pure, keep it tender and impressionable, and always 
 remember that it is an open window to the eye of God. 
 Listen to the gentle monitor within ; a good conscience 
 is a safe counsellor, and to follow it is to steer in a right 
 direction. God has given us our consciences that we 
 may educate them in the best schools and give them 
 a good moral training. A neglected conscience is like 
 a garden full of weeds ; nothing good has room to 
 grow in a man, for the weeds of his evil nature get the 
 better of him, and his conscience becomes hardened 
 and unresponsive for want of pruning. 
 
 Yet still there whispers the small voice within, 
 Heard through Gain's silence, and o'er Glory's din ; 
 Whatever creed be taught or land be trod, 
 Man's conscience is the oracle of God. 
 
 BYRON. 
 
 Conscience is harder than our enemies, 
 Knows more, accuses with more nicety. 
 
 GEORGE ELIOT. 
 
 Let Joy or Ease, let Affluence or Content, 
 And the gay Conscience of a life well spent, 
 Calm ev'ry thought, inspirit ev'ry grace, 
 Glow in thy heart, and smile upon thy face. 
 
 POPE. 
 
 Every subject's duty is the king's, but every subject's 
 soul is his own. SHAKESPEARE. 
 [19]
 
 I 
 
 JANUARY FOURTEENTH. 
 
 N the beginning God created the heaven and the 
 earth. GENESIS i : i. 
 
 The heavens declare the glory of God; and the 
 firmament showeth his handiwork. PSALM 19:1. 
 
 Eternal Wisdom! Thee we praise, 
 
 To Thee our songs we bring ; 
 While with Thy name rocks, hills, and seas, 
 
 And Heaven's high arches ring. 
 Thy hand, how wide it spread the sky! 
 
 How glorious to behold ! 
 Tinged with a blue of heavenly dye, 
 
 And starred with sparkling gold! 
 
 There Thou hast bid the globes of light 
 
 Their endless circles run ; 
 There the pale planet rules the night, 
 
 And day obeys the sun ; 
 The stormy winds stand ready there 
 
 Thine orders to obey ; 
 With sounding wings they sweep the air, 
 
 To make Thy chariot way. 
 
 Infinite strength, and equal skill, 
 
 Shine through the worlds abroad ; 
 Our souls with vast amazement fill, 
 
 And speak the builder God. 
 But the sweet beauties of Thy grace 
 
 Our softer passions move ; 
 Pity divine in Jesus' face 
 
 We see, adore, and love. 
 
 ISAAC WATTS. 
 
 [20]
 
 JANUARY FIFTEENTH. 
 
 OH, the blessedness of giving! How it enlarges 
 our hearts and sweetens our toil to share our 
 bounty with others! There is always some one poorer 
 than ourselves to need our help, poorer in more ways 
 than one. Perhaps some one we know is starving for 
 sympathy and kindness, or hungering for an encourag- 
 ing word : we surely can give these things without 
 impoverishing ourselves or our dear ones. 
 
 Or, if they lack temporal blessings, let us do with 
 a little less, that we may divide with them. It is the 
 sweetness of silent alms that gladdens the heart of 
 the Master and enriches the heart of the giver. It is 
 the every-day life of self-sacrifice and self-denial that 
 makes benevolence beautiful. 
 
 Is thy cruse of comfort wasting? Rise and share it 
 
 with another, 
 And through all _the years of famine it shall serve jthee 
 
 and thy brother^ 
 
 Love divine will fill thy storehouse^ or thy handful. 
 
 still renew : 
 Scanty fare for one will often makg_a royal feast Jpr 
 
 two. 
 
 For_ the_heart grows rich in_^iving; all its wealth is 
 
 jiving grain ; 
 .Seeds, which_mi_ldew in the_garner, scattered, fill with 
 
 gold_the_plam. 
 
 Is thy_ burden^ hard jind heavy ? do thy stegsjirag 
 
 wearily? 
 Help to bear thy brothej^VbujxLgnj God will bear both 
 
 it and thee._ 
 
 ELIZABETH R. CHARLES. 
 [21]
 
 JANUARY SIXTEENTH. 
 
 WHY should we boast of what we have and are? 
 All that we have God has given us ; all that 
 we are has only been reached through our acceptance 
 of His opportunities. He has endowed us with body, 
 mind, and soul. If we possess physical beauty and 
 symmetry, it is His gift : if our minds are active and 
 receptive, He has made them so : if our souls are sing- 
 ing the music of Heaven, it is because He has given 
 us the chord. Worldly possessions should only be 
 regarded as a blessing and means of doing good. As 
 God has prospered us, let us benefit others. Riches 
 are short-lived, but .good deeds that spring from right 
 motives are as immortal as Heaven. Let us then divest 
 ourselves of pride, and keep before us the thought of 
 the Eternal Goodness. Life at best is short, and will 
 soon vanish away ; but, thank God, He has provided 
 a home for the faithful, an inheritance that shall last 
 forever. 
 
 O why should the spirit of mortal be proud? 
 Like a swift-fleeting meteor, a fast-flying cloud, 
 A flash of the lightning, a break of the wave, 
 Man passes from life to his rest in the grave. 
 
 For we are the same that our fathers have been ; 
 We see the same sights that our fathers have seen ; 
 We drink the same stream, and we see the same sun, 
 And run the same race that our fathers have run. 
 
 Yea, hope and despondency, pleasure and pain, 
 We mingle together in sunshine and rain ; 
 And the smiles and the tears, the song and the dirge, 
 Still follow each other, like surge upon surge. 
 
 WILLIAM KNOX.
 
 JANUARY SEVENTEENTH. 
 
 GOD has given us His peace to comfort us, His 
 faith to uplift us, and His Word to enlighten 
 us. We have daily proofs of His care for us, and 
 of His provision for our well-being and happiness. 
 All this is because He loves us ! O, what divine con- 
 descension, that He should stoop to remember us in 
 our low estate! He rules the celestial Kingdom, and 
 His footstool is the world ; His strength is in the 
 clouds, and His dominion and power are beyond 
 comprehension. The Almighty and Infinite God hath 
 for all His creatures a deep and boundless love, which 
 we in our humanity cannot fathom or measure. 
 
 On the great love of God I lean, 
 
 Love of the Infinite, Unseen, 
 
 With naught of Heaven or earth between. 
 
 This God is mine, and I am His ; 
 
 His love is all I need of bliss. 
 
 H. BONAR. 
 
 Lord, Thou art Life, tho' I be dead, 
 
 Love's fire Thou art, however cold I be ; 
 
 Nor heaven have I, nor place to lay my head, 
 Nor home, but Thee. 
 
 CHRISTINA ROSSETTI. 
 
 What myst'ry clouds my darkened path ? 
 I'll check my dread, my doubts reprove ; 
 In this my soul sweet comfort hath, 
 That God is Love. 
 
 Oh, may this truth my heart employ, 
 Bid every gloomy thought remove, 
 And turn all tears, all woes to joy, 
 Thou, God, art Love. 
 
 ANONYMOUS.
 
 JANUARY EIGHTEENTH. 
 
 A MAN should guard his honor more than his gold. 
 If it is impossible to possess both at the same 
 time, let him part with his wealth and cling to his 
 honor. Better, a thousand times, be a penniless beg- 
 gar with a blameless character than a prince with a 
 stain on his name. Better fall low in the estimation 
 of the world than lose caste with God and the angels. 
 The man who would honor his Maker must also honor 
 himself; he must make a name and keep it above 
 reproach, so that in after years it shall be found un- 
 sullied in the Records of Heaven. 
 
 Honour is purchased by deeds we do ; honour is not won, 
 Until some honourable deed is done. 
 
 CHRISTOPHER MARLOWE. 
 
 'Tis the mind that makes the body rich ; 
 
 And as the sun breaks through the darkest clouds, 
 
 So honour peereth in the meanest habit. 
 
 SHAKESPEARE. 
 
 Honour and shame from no condition rise ; 
 Act well your part, there all the honour lies. 
 
 POPE. 
 
 The sense of honour is of so fine and delicate a nature 
 that it is only to be met with in minds which are nat- 
 urally noble, or in such as have been cultivated by 
 great examples or a refined education. ADDISON. 
 
 Glory is sweet when our heart says to us that the 
 wreath of honour ought to grace our head. 
 
 KRUMMACHER. 
 
 I could not love thee, dear, so much, 
 Loved I not honour more. 
 
 RICHARD LOVELACE.
 
 JANUARY NINETEENTH. 
 
 BOOKS exert a silent influence on our lives. They 
 are like friends, we choose them, and all un- 
 consciously they mould our characters after their own 
 similitude. A man's thoughts usually flow in the 
 same channel with the books he reads. He who 
 chooses only the purest and best books will certainly 
 be the better for their influence. If, then, our minds 
 are so susceptible, let us be careful how and what we 
 read, selecting only books that will elevate and improve 
 us and broaden and expand our intellect. 
 
 Of all those arts in which the wise excel, 
 Nature's chief masterpiece is writing well. 
 
 SHEFFIELD. 
 
 All that mankind has done, thought, gained, or been 
 is lying as in a magic preservation in the pages of 
 books. They are the chosen possession of men. 
 
 CARLYLE. 
 
 Books should to one of these four ends conduce, 
 For wisdom, piety, delight, and use. 
 
 SIR JOHN DENHAM. 
 
 A good book is the precious life-blood of a master- 
 spirit, embalmed and treasured up on purpose to a life 
 beyond life. MILTON. 
 
 I love to lose myself in other men's minds. When 
 I am not walking, I am reading : I cannot sit and 
 think. Books think for me. LAMB. 
 
 Insist on reading the great books, on marking the 
 great events of the world. Then the little books may 
 take care of themselves, and the trivial incidents of 
 passing politics and diplomacy may perish with the 
 
 using. DEAN STANLEY. 
 
 [35]
 
 JANUARY TWENTIETH. 
 
 WHAT a wonderful thing is Influence! There is 
 a thrill of power in the word itself. Our lives 
 are small and insignificant at best, but our influence is 
 mighty for either good or evil. Though we run our 
 course in a few brief years, our influence goes on, 
 sweeping through the ages, into Eternity. Carlyle 
 says, " The work an unknown good man has done, is 
 like a vein of water flowing hidden underground, 
 secretly making the ground green." Nothing is 
 sweeter or more impressive than silence, and nothing 
 more restful and beautiful than verdure ; and if we can 
 only yield such an influence as this, how much better 
 the world will be for our having lived in it ! 
 
 Who knows 
 What earth needs from earth's lowest creatures ? No 
 
 life 
 
 Can be pure in its purpose and strong in its strife, 
 And all life not be purer and stronger thereby. 
 The spirits of just men made perfect on high, 
 The army of martyrs who stand by the Throne 
 And gaze into the face that makes glorious their own, 
 Knows this surely at last. Honest love, honest sorrow, 
 Honest work for the day, honest hope for the mor- 
 row 
 Are these worth nothing more than the hand they 
 
 make weary, 
 The heart they have sadden'd, the life they leave 
 
 dreary ? 
 Hush ! the sevenfold heavens to the voice of the 
 
 spirit 
 Echo : He that q'_ercometh shall all thingsjinherit. 
 
 OWEN MEREDITH.
 
 JANUARY TWENTY-FIRST. 
 
 BEGIN the morning with God. Open your eyes to 
 His glories, and let your tongue echo forth His 
 praises. Let each act be a bit of worship. When you 
 admit to your room the first beams of the early sun, 
 think how He has lighted Life's pathway for you : 
 when you brush your hair, remember how His loving 
 hand has smoothed the tangles of difficulties from 
 before you : when you wash your face, think of His 
 dews of Mercy that are " new every morning " ; and 
 when you array yourself for the day, send up a little 
 prayer that your soul may also wear the "robe of 
 Righteousness," and that you may be " clad with zeal, 
 as with a cloak." Begin the morning thus, and your 
 heart enjoys noontide's rest and night's repose. 
 
 Mornings are mysteries : the first world's youth, 
 Man's resurrection, and the future's bud 
 
 Shroud in their birth the crown of life, light, truth ; 
 Is styled their star ; the stone, and hidden food. 
 
 Three blessings wait upon them, one of which 
 
 Should move they make us holy, happy, rich. 
 
 When the world's up, and every swarm abroad, 
 Keep^well thy temper ; mix not with each day ; 
 
 Despatch necessities : life has a load 
 Which must be carried on, and safely may. 
 
 Yetjceep these cares without thge : let the hear 
 
 Be God's alone, and choose the better part^ 
 
 HENRY VAUGHAN. 
 
 Lord, I my vows to Thee renew, 
 I Scatter my sins as morning dew, 
 I Guard my first springs of thought and will, 
 \ And with Thyself my spirit fill. / 
 
 ^ THOMAS KEN. 
 
 [27]
 
 JANUARY TWENTY-SECOND. 
 
 TRUE Nobility consists in making every act of our 
 lives an honor to our Maker. God's noblemen 
 are men of royal birth ; they inherit the charity that 
 smiles on all humanity, the heroism that enables them 
 to conquer self, and the courtesy which is a natural 
 instinct to a heart at peace with God and the world. 
 To be truly noble, we must do only noble deeds, and 
 if our praises are not sung on earth, the recompense 
 shall be ours by and by. 
 
 Think truly, and thy thought 
 Shall the world's famine feedj. 
 
 Speak truly, and thy yvord 
 Shall be a fruitful seed ; 
 
 Live truly, and thy life shall be. 
 A great and noble creed. 
 
 ANONYMOUS. 
 
 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 the vast forever 
 
 One grand, sweet song. 
 
 CHARLES KINGSLEY. 
 
 Better not to be at all 
 Than not to be noble. 
 
 TENNYSON. 
 
 The grand old gardener and his wife 
 Smile at the claims of long descent ; 
 
 Howe'er it be, it seems to me. 
 'Tis only noble to be good ; 
 
 True_hearts are more than coronets^ 
 And simple faith than_Nonnan blood. 
 
 TENNYSON. 
 
 [28]
 
 JANUARY TWENTY-THIRD. 
 
 TIME never sleeps, but guards with jealous care the 
 passing years. Bold, resolute, and dauntless, he 
 peers into the mystic future, like an engineer with his 
 swift locomotive, and steers his freighted train of hours, 
 days, and seasons through the mists and shadows of 
 the valleys of Fear ; over the vernal heights of Hope ; 
 through the wilderness of Doubt ; along the by-ways 
 of Progress ; into the avenues of Success, and down the 
 deeps of Adversity. Time shall know no rest until 
 he meets his great enemy Eternity who shall 
 arrest his footsteps and stay his flight ; then shall he 
 drop the burden of the Years, fling down his gleaming 
 scythe, and sink into oblivion. Where Time ends and 
 Eternity begins, it is not ours to know ; the Author of 
 the universe, in whom we trust, is All-wise, and to Him 
 alone belong the mysteries of Time and Eternity. 
 
 Touch us gently, Time ! 
 
 We've not proud nor soaring wings ; 
 Our ambition, our content, 
 
 Lies in simple things. 
 Humble voyagers are we. 
 O'er Lifers dim, unsounded sea^ 
 Seeking only some calm clime ; 
 Touch us gently, gentle Time ! 
 
 BRYAN WALLER PROCTER. 
 
 The best is yet to be^ 
 
 The last of jife, for which the first was 
 
 ROBERT BROWNING. 
 [09]
 
 JANUARY TWENTY-FOURTH. 
 
 SOME one has said, " Fame is a bubble," and so it 
 is. It holds in its fragile globe the fleeting reflec- 
 tion of the sunlight, and when the sky changes, the 
 glory fades, the bubble bursts and leaves no trace be- 
 hind. The goal for which we toil, year by year, is 
 brighter in anticipation than reality, and by the time 
 we have reached it we are too weary to enjoy it, or 
 have grown to realize its nothingness. It is more 
 noble to seek to do good thaii to desire to. be famous. 
 The praises of men are but weak after all, and if it is 
 that which inspires us, the end is not worth striving 
 for. 
 
 The garlands wither on your brow, 
 
 Then boast no more your mighty deeds ; 
 Upon death's altar, now, 
 
 See where the victor victim bleeds ! 
 All heads must come 
 To the cold tomb, 
 Only the actions ofjhe just 
 Smell sweet, and blossom in the dust,. 
 
 JAMES SHIRLEY. 
 
 He lives in fame, that died in virtue's cause. 
 
 SHAKESPEARE. 
 
 The boast of heraldry, the pomp of power, 
 And all that beauty, all that wealth e'er gave, 
 
 Await alike the inevitable hour; 
 
 The paths of .glory lead but to the grave,. 
 
 GRAY. 
 
 ^LJnblemished let me live, or die unknown,; 
 Oh, grant an honest fame, or grant me none! 
 
 POPE. 
 
 [30]
 
 JANUARY TWENTY-FIFTH. 
 
 THE greatest thing, after all, is to understand our 
 qwr^ hearts ; to_rid_theiB .of their faults, so that^ 
 their _yirtues_may Jhave^iQQni for larger and better 
 growth, and to keep them__true and tender, and in sym- 
 pathy with our brother-mar^ 
 
 Heart-culture is full of surprises ; we are amazed at 
 our own selves when we once begin the process. The 
 good and bad within us are continually at war with 
 each other, and as fast as we root out one evil thought, 
 another seed will spring up, so that we have great need 
 of patience and perseverance. From the heart issue 
 the thoughts that make for us our everlasting joy or 
 eternal misery ; from the heart our bodies are fed and 
 our souls quickened, and through its influence the 
 world is made better or worse. 
 
 It's no in titles nor in rank, 
 
 It's no in wealth like Lon'on bank, 
 
 To purchase peace and rest ; 
 It's no in making muckle mair, 
 It's no in books, it's no lear, 
 
 To make us truly blest : 
 If happiness has not her seat 
 
 And centre in the brest, 
 We may be wise, or rich, or great, 
 
 But never can be blest : 
 
 Nae treasures, nor pleasures, 
 Could make us happy lang ; 
 
 The heart aye's the part aye... 
 That makes us right or wrang^ 
 
 BURNS. 
 
 If a good face is a letter of recommendation, a good 
 .heart is a letter of credit. BULWER-LYTTON. 
 "[31]
 
 JANUARY TWENTY-SIXTH. 
 
 "T7TERNAL hope! when yonder spheres sublime 
 *-* Pealed their first notes to sound the march of 
 
 time, 
 Thy joyous youth began. 
 
 CAMPBELL. 
 
 Know then, whatever cheerful and serene 
 Supports the mind, supports the body too ; 
 Hence the most vital movement mortals feel 
 Is Hope, the balm and life-blood of the soul. 
 
 JOHN ARMSTRONG. 
 
 Work without Hope draws nectar_in a sieve. 
 And Hope without an_ object Cannot live. 
 
 S. T. COLERIDGE. 
 
 Hope,_like jhe_gleaming^ taper's light, 
 
 Adorns and jcheers^ pur way^ ; 
 And_s,till, as darker grows the night, 
 
 Ejmite_a^brigjvter ray. , 
 
 GOLDSMITH. 
 
 Hope, like a cordial, innocent, though strong, 
 Man's heart at once inspirits and serenes. 
 
 YOUNG. 
 
 Through the sunset of Hope, 
 Like the shapes of a dream, 
 What paradise islands of glory gleam ! 
 
 SHELLEY. 
 
 Sweet Hope ! celestial influence round me shed, 
 Waving thy silver pinions o'er my head. 
 
 KEATS. 
 [32]
 
 JANUARY TWENTY-SEVENTH. 
 
 HOW rare and sweet is the grace of Humility, espe- 
 cially when possessed by those who have attained 
 honors or accumulated wealth! A truly humble man 
 is seldom to be found, but when we once discover 
 him, he is as refreshing to us as an oasis to the traveller 
 in the desert. Some of our greatest men have been as 
 much distinguished for their modesty and humility as 
 for their greatness. I should say that of all classes of 
 men the " self-made man " is most apt to be boastful ; 
 he will probably tell you, the first time you are in his 
 company, that he is a self-made man, and expects you 
 to evince much surprise at his assertion, little guess- 
 ing that his manner and conversation have proclaimed 
 the fact to every one present. When we sing our own 
 praises, Humility hides her gentle face in very shame 
 for us. Humanity, under all circumstances, needs to 
 be clothed in the garb of Humility ; meekness is not 
 weakness, but lowly strength ; it is the triumph r _<tf 
 being in the world, but not 0f\\. 
 
 God hath sworn to lift on high 
 Who sinks himself by true humility. 
 
 KEBLE. 
 
 O be very sure 
 
 That no man will learn anything at all, 
 Unless he first will learn humility. 
 
 OWEN MEREDITH. 
 
 Knowledge is proud that he knows so much ; 
 Wisdom is humble that he knows no more., 
 
 COWPER. 
 [33]
 
 JANUARY TWENTY-EIGHTH. 
 
 R 
 
 EST not ! Life is sweeping by ; 
 Go and dare before you die. 
 
 GOETHE. 
 
 Life is a short day ; but it is a working ^a^. 
 
 " HANNAH MORE. 
 
 Employment is the tonic of body, mind, and soul. 
 An idle existence weakens the body : lack of exer- 
 cise brings us to a physical standstill. The cheek 
 loses its glow of health, the eye its lustre, and the 
 step its elasticity and firmness. Every muscle and 
 sinew expands and responds with life and strength, 
 with proper physical exercise. The mind lies dormant, 
 and all her natural powers become dulled by disuse ; 
 to become healthy and vigorous, the mind should have 
 proper nourishment and exercise every day. So, too, 
 with the soul ; spiritual ill-health is often caused by 
 neglect. 
 
 All Nature works ; why not we ? The hills, valleys, 
 plains, and mountains know no rest, but each bear an 
 active part to enrich and beautify the earth. Let us 
 not be idle, but while it is To-day, let us take our place 
 among life's toilers, and make its duties ours. 
 
 Rise ! for the day is passing, 
 
 And you lie dreaming on ; 
 The others have buckled their armour, 
 
 And forth to fight have gone ; 
 A pjace in the rank awaits yotk 
 has some part to plaj 
 
 The past and the future are looking 
 In the face of the stern To-day. 
 
 ADELAIDE A. PROCTER. 
 [34]
 
 JANUARY TWENTY-NINTH. 
 
 ALL mankind enjoys being appreciated : if we have 
 always been accustomed to it, we expect it, and 
 are disappointed if we fail to receive it. If unaccustomed 
 to it, we are both surprised and pleased, and are made 
 happy that some one is kind enough and frank enough 
 to show their approval of anything we do. If you think 
 an appreciative thought, speak it you may have but 
 this one chance ; do not fail to improve the opportunity. 
 
 Sweet is the breath of praise when given by those 
 whose own high merit claims the praise they give. 
 
 HANNAH MORE. 
 
 Some hearts go hungering through the world, 
 
 And never find the love they seek ; 
 Some lips with pride or scorn are curled, 
 
 To hide the pain they may not speak ; 
 The eye may flash, the mouth may smile, 
 
 The voice in gladdest music thrill, 
 And yet beneath them all the while, 
 
 The hungry heart be pining still. 
 
 O eager eyes which gaze afar ! 
 
 O arms which clasp the empty air ! 
 Not all unmarked your sorrows are, 
 
 Not all unpitied your despair. 
 Smile, patient lips, so proudly dumb ; 
 
 When life's frail tent at last is furled, 
 Your glorious recompense shall come, 
 
 O hearts that hunger through the world ! 
 
 ANONYMOUS. 
 
 [35]
 
 JANUARY THIRTIETH. 
 
 THE lesson of submission is one of the hardest we 
 have to learn. It is so pleasant to have our own 
 way about things, and so hard for us to yield our will 
 to others. Yet submission must come, sooner or later, 
 to us all. You may resolve to do just as you please in 
 this world, but if you find it possible to do this 
 and very few do you will be selfish and unhappy. 
 " For even Christ pleased not Himself," we are told, 
 and is not He our example ? To live for self alone, 
 when all humanity is crying out to us, who would 
 call it real living? Let us learn the sweetness of self- 
 sacrifice ; to do for God as He shall choose, and be 
 submissive to His choice ; to yield our will to His, and 
 follow where He leads us. 
 
 My God, my Father, while I stray, 
 Far from my home, in life's rough way, 
 Oh! teach me from my heart to say, 
 " Thy will be done." 
 
 Renew my will from day to day ; 
 Blend it with Thine and take away 
 All that now makes it hard to say, 
 " Thy will be done." 
 
 CHARLOTTE ELLIOT. 
 
 I want a sober mind, 
 
 A self-renouncing will, 
 That tramples down and casts behind 
 
 The baits of pleasing ill ; 
 A spirit still prepared, 
 
 And armed with zealous care, 
 Forever standing on its guard, 
 
 And watching unto prayer. 
 
 CHARLES WESLEY. 
 [36]
 
 JANUARY THIRTY-FIRST. 
 
 WHATEVER else we may be, let us be charita- 
 ble. Think what a happy world this would be 
 if we all exercised a spirit of charity towards each other ! 
 How quick we are to judge our fellow-men how often 
 we misjudge them ; we put a wrong construction on 
 their words and misunderstand their actions and mo- 
 tives. Often we complain of faithless friends, and ex- 
 claim mournfully, " There is no one to be trusted : life 
 itself is but a mockery ! " when it is only because we have 
 misjudged our friends, and put a wrong construction 
 on their actions. If life is no more to us than a mock- 
 ery, we should be ashamed to say it. Life is a garden 
 of opportunities, and if we do not cull from it what 
 God has placed there for us, it is no wonder our exist- 
 ence seems useless. There is a sweetness in giving 
 that makes life worth living : to be generous with our 
 charity will not impoverish us ; it enriches both our- 
 selves and our neighbors. 
 
 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 wouldst only faint and yield. 
 
 ADELAIDE A. PROCTER. 
 
 The charities that soothe, and heal, and bless, are 
 scattered at the feet of men like flowers. 
 
 WORDSWORTH. 
 
 Charity, decent, easy, modest, kind, 
 Softens the high, and rears the abject mind. 
 
 MATTHEW PRIOR. 
 [37]
 
 OR THE MONTH 
 OF FEBRUARY 
 
 FEBRUARY FIRST. 
 
 I SING, O Year, of melting snows, 
 Of thawing icebergs out at sea ; 
 I sing of Winters past and gone, 
 I look before and see the dawn 
 
 Of glorious Springtimes yet to be ! 
 
 'Twixt two bright realms my lot is cast, 
 One where the white world lies at rest ; 
 
 The other, waking out of night, 
 
 Is upward striving for the light, 
 With flowers upon its breast. 
 
 I look, I wait ; I sing again 
 
 O worlds, ye both are dear ! 
 Farewell, white shores just drifting by : 
 Behold, the vernal land draws nigh 
 
 And February's here ! 
 
 I. S. T. 
 
 A day of " betweens." After all, it is the betweens 
 that make up our daily lives, the little things that 
 creep in among our duties and divide our thoughts for 
 a time, giving us sometimes a backward glance, and 
 sometimes a forward glimpse into the future. Like 
 February, we, too, are between the snows of the past 
 and the blossoms of the dawning future : let us find 
 something sweet to remember, and something bright 
 to hope for. 
 
 [38]
 
 LORD BYRON 
 
 1788-1824
 
 FEBRUARY SECOND. 
 
 a little time to-day for self-examination. 
 -- What are you doing with your life? Has it been 
 what you intended it should be ? Are you going back- 
 ward or forward ? Have you turned its shadows into 
 sunshine with your happy-heartedness, or have you 
 invited the clouds in life's sky to hang a little lower by 
 showing them the clouds in your heart ? Clouds usu- 
 ally attract each other: they drift in the same direc- 
 tion, and are swept by the same breeze ; and the small 
 ones are often caught up and borne away by the larger 
 ones. Trouble makes trouble ; if you do not meet it 
 bravely, you must battle with weakness and cowardice, 
 in addition to your other burdens. If you are not 
 careful, you will have all your little troubles hanging 
 over you in a great overwhelming mass. Better scat- 
 ter them every day, and let the winds of Good- nature 
 blow them away. Look on the bright side, and make 
 your life a bit of sunshine. 
 
 So take Joy home, 
 
 And make a place in thy great heart for her, 
 And give her time to grow, and cherish her ; 
 Then will she come, and oft will sing to thee, 
 When thou art working in the furrows ; ay, 
 Or weeding in the sacred hour of dawn. 
 It is a comely fashion to be glad, 
 Joy is the grace we say to God. 
 
 JEAN INGELOW. 
 
 Serene will be our days and bright, 
 And happy will our nature be, 
 
 When love is an unerring light, 
 And joy its own security. 
 
 WORDSWORTH. 
 
 [39]
 
 FEBRUARY THIRD. 
 
 THANK God for sympathy ! It is the firelight of 
 the soul. How it warms our hearts and brightens 
 our faces, and enkindles within us a flame of gratitude 
 and love ! Nothing appeals to the heart more than a 
 sympathizing word, when we are crushed by sorrow, or 
 weighed down by perplexing cares. A tear of sym- 
 pathy is like healing balm to a broken spirit, and it 
 lessens our grief to know that others share it and make 
 it their own. Our joys, too, are sweeter when others 
 share them. A man cannot well keep a good laugh to 
 himself; it is contagious, and will spread, and broaden 
 over many faces besides his own. 
 
 Sympathy is an electric current with batteries all 
 over the world ; and blessed be God, that He has put 
 one in every human heart ! 
 
 The look of sympathy, the gentle word, 
 Spoken so low that only angels heard ; 
 The secret act of pure self-sacrifice, 
 Unseen by man, but marked by angels' eyes 
 These are not lost. 
 
 ANONYMOUS. 
 
 Yet, taught by time, my heart has learned to glow 
 For others' good, and melt at others' woe. 
 
 POPE. 
 
 Pity and need 
 
 Make all flesh kin. There is no caste in blood, 
 Which runneth of one hue, nor caste in tears, 
 Which trickle salt with all. 
 
 EDWIN ARNOLD. 
 
 [40]
 
 T 
 
 FEBRUARY FOURTH. 
 
 HY Word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto 
 my path. PSALM 1 19 : 105. 
 
 If we would learn patience, charity, kindness, humil- 
 ity, and forbearance, let us study the Bible. In it 
 are helps for all our needs, balms for all our ills, and 
 comforts for all our distresses. It teaches us how to 
 walk, that our steps may go in the right direction ; it 
 tells us how to order our conversation aright ; it edu- 
 cates our souls for the sacred school of Eternity, and 
 on its grand, strong promises we may rest our hopes of 
 Heaven. It is a comfort when other comforts fail, a 
 stronghold in danger and temptation, and a light in 
 darkness. If we live by the teachings of the Bible, our 
 lives will be full of quiet content and true happiness, 
 and our inheritance shall be a crown of rejoicing. 
 
 The Bible ! that's the Book, the Book indeed, 
 
 The Book of books, 
 
 On which who looks, 
 As he should do, aright, shall never need 
 
 Wish for a better light 
 
 To guide him in the night. 
 
 It is the index to Eternity ; 
 
 He cannot miss 
 
 Of endless bliss 
 That takes this chart to steer his voyage by, 
 
 Nor can he be mistook 
 
 That speaketh by this Book. 
 
 GEORGE HERBERT. 
 [41]
 
 FEBRUARY FIFTH. 
 
 A TRAVELLER through a dusty road strewed 
 acorns on the lea ; 
 And one took root and sprouted up, and grew into a 
 
 tree. 
 Love sought its shade, at evening-time, to breathe its 
 
 early vows, 
 And age was pleased, in heats of noon, to bask beneath 
 
 its boughs ; 
 The dormouse loved its dangling twigs, the birds 
 
 sweet music bore ; 
 It stood a glory in its place, a blessing evermore. 
 
 A little spring had lost its way amid the grass and fern, 
 A passing stranger scooped a well, where weary man 
 
 might turn ; 
 He walled it in, and hung with care a ladle at the 
 
 brink ; 
 He thought not of the deed he did, but judged that 
 
 toil might drink. 
 He passed again, and lo ! the well, by summers never 
 
 dried, 
 Had cooled ten thousand parching tongues, and saved 
 
 a life beside. 
 
 A dreamer dropped a random thought ; 'twas old, and 
 
 yet 'twas new ; 
 
 A simple fancy of the brain, but strong in being true : 
 It shone upon a genial mind, and lo ! its light became 
 A lamp of life, a beacon ray, a monitory flame. 
 The thought was small, its issue great ; a watch-fire 
 
 on the hill, 
 It sheds its radiance far adown, and cheers the valley 
 
 still ! 
 
 CHARLES MACKAY. 
 [42]
 
 FEBRUARY SIXTH. 
 
 WELL, and don't we all have burdens? Have 
 you any one's share but your own ? You may 
 think yours heavier than your neighbor's, but your 
 neighbor, very likely, wouldn't agree with you. We 
 all complain of our crosses, and tell other people about 
 them, when they have their own to carry, and imagine 
 ours small in comparison. Cheerfulness is a great 
 burden-bearer. Drink in a draught of it with the first 
 breath of fresh air in the morning, and you've no idea 
 how it will exhilarate and refresh you. It lifts you 
 above the everyday trials and annoyances, and fills 
 your heart with sunshine, and your lips with a song. 
 Burdens are a part of our discipline ; they belong to 
 our fate. And who could govern all our fate, save 
 God? 
 
 Let those deplore their doom 
 Whose hope still grovels in this dark sojourn ; 
 But lofty souls, who look beyond the tomb, 
 Can smile at Fate, and wonder how they mourn. 
 
 BEATTIE. 
 
 Thus would I double my life's fading space, 
 For he that runs it well, twice runs his race. 
 
 And in this true delight, 
 These unbought sports, that happy state, 
 I would not fear nor wish my fate, 
 
 But boldly say each night, 
 To-morrow let my sun his beams display, 
 Or in clouds hide them ; I have lived to-day. 
 
 ABRAHAM COWLEV. 
 
 To bear is to conquer our fate. 
 
 CAMPBELL. 
 
 [43]
 
 FEBRUARY SEVENTH. 
 
 Behold I 
 
 How short a span 
 Was long enough of old 
 To measure out the life of man! 
 In those well-tempered days his time was then 
 Survey'd, cast up, and found but threescore years and 
 ten. 
 
 Our days 
 Begun, we lend 
 To sleep, to antic plays 
 And toys, until the first stage end : 
 Twelve waning moons, twice five times told, we 
 
 give 
 To unrecover'd loss we rather breathe than live. 
 
 How soon 
 Our new-born light 
 Attains to full-aged noon ! 
 And this, how soon to grey-haired night! 
 We spring, we bud, we blossom, and we blast, 
 Ere we can count our days, our days they flee so fast. 
 
 They end 
 
 When scarce begun, 
 And ere we apprehend 
 That we begin to live, our life is done. 
 Man ! count thy days ; and if they fly too fast 
 For thy dull thoughts to count, count every day thy 
 last. 
 
 FRANCIS QUARLES. (1592.) 
 [44]
 
 FEBRUARY EIGHTH. 
 
 ISN'T it sweet to think of the recompense that shall 
 be ours in God's beautiful Hereafter? In doing 
 our best, we are scattering seed for His great Harvest ; 
 and though sometimes we water them with tears, He 
 sends down the sunlight of His love, and quickens 
 them into springing fields of grain. God never forgets 
 nor loses sight of His own, nor will He be satisfied with 
 work half done. He expects us to do our best, and 
 nothing short of that will meet with His acceptance. 
 
 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. 
 
 E. B. BROWNING. 
 
 May I reach 
 
 That purest heaven, be to other souls 
 The cup of strength in some great agony, 
 Enkindle generous ardour, feed pure love, 
 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. 
 
 Oh, dream no more of quiet life ; 
 Care finds the careless out ; more wise to vow 
 
 Thy heart entire to faith's pure strife ; 
 So peace will come, thou knowest not when or how. 
 
 LYRA APOSTOLICA. 
 [45]
 
 FEBRUARY NINTH. 
 
 IF we can only keep our hearts young, we shall 
 never really grow old. Let the forehead wear its 
 wrinkles, if it must, but keep them out of the heart. 
 Smooth away all the unkind thoughts and feelings, and 
 do not allow the worries to rankle and drive out all the 
 good there is in you. Live in the sunlight of love 
 it keeps you young and sweet-tempered. Soar above 
 annoyances ; if you continually carry them with you, 
 you will grow old before your time yes, old and tired 
 and disagreeable. We don't mind an old face ; wrinkles 
 and white hair are beautiful if there is a young heart 
 back of them. It is a grand thing to be able to grow 
 old graciously, and the way to do it is to keep the 
 heart young. 
 
 When Victor Hugo was past eighty years of age he 
 gave expression to his religious faith in these sublime 
 sentences : " I feel in myself the future life. I am like 
 a forest which has been more than once cut down. 
 The new shoots are livelier than ever. I am rising 
 toward the sky. The sunshine is on my head. The 
 earth gives me its generous sap, but Heaven lights me 
 with its unknown worlds. You say the soul is nothing 
 but the resultant of the bodily powers. Why, then, is 
 my soul the more luminous when my bodily powers 
 begin to fail? Winter is on my head and eternal 
 spring is in my heart." 
 
 The stars shall fade away, the sun himself 
 Grow dim with age, and nature sink in years ; 
 But thou shalt flourish in immortal youth, 
 Unhurt amidst the war of elements, 
 The wreck of matter, and the crush of worlds. 
 
 ADDISON. 
 
 [46]
 
 FEBRUARY TENTH. 
 
 MY Conscience is my crown, 
 Contented thoughts my rest ; 
 My heart is happy in itself, 
 My bliss is in my breast. 
 
 I feel no care of coin, 
 
 Well-doing is my wealth ; 
 My mind to me an empire is, 
 
 While grace affordeth health. 
 
 SOUTHWELL. 
 
 What a song of Content, Southwell sings! It leads 
 to a kingdom which money or birth could not purchase. 
 To wear the crown of a good conscience, and to 
 possess a mind broader and richer than an empire, is 
 enough to inspire one to write a song which shall echo 
 down the ages, and sing itself into the hearts of all 
 nations. Oh, to be satisfied with our lot in life is a 
 rare, sweet thing. 
 
 My house a cottage, more 
 Than palace, and should fitted be 
 For all my use, no luxury. 
 
 My garden painted o'er 
 
 With Nature's hand, not Art's ; and pleasures yield, 
 Horace might envy in his Sabine field. 
 
 ABRAHAM COWLEY. 
 
 It conduces much to our content, if we pass by those 
 things which happen to our trouble, and consider that 
 which is pleasing and prosperous ; that, by the repre- 
 sentation of the better, the worse may be blotted out. 
 
 JEREMY TAYLOR. 
 [47]
 
 FEBRUARY ELEVENTH. 
 
 OUR To-morrows ! What heart would be without 
 them ? In childhood, they are as rosy-hued as 
 the dawn, and we run to meet them our glad young 
 feet as swift as though on soaring wings. Care-free 
 and happy, we close our sleepy eyes at night, our last 
 fond thought of the coming day, our golden dreams 
 made bright, by that one sweet hope to-morrow ! 
 
 In life's grave prime, we look forward with less 
 eagerness to the dawn of our to-morrows. Time has 
 become a reality, and the earnestness of living and 
 being fill us with an awed curiosity, as we think of 
 each coming day. 
 
 Contact with the world has robbed us of some of our 
 childish faith, I grieve to say, but a calm courage pos- 
 sesses us, and we go forth with resolution to meet 
 to-morrow bravely, be it what it may. 
 
 And when the years have gathered on our heads, and 
 left their silver threads above our brows, the eager 
 hopes of youth, the courage of our older years, and all 
 that made us long for bright to-morrows, shall merge 
 into a restful peace the waiting-time of life when 
 we shall listen for our Lord to softly call, " Dear tired 
 Heart, look up and see the dawn 'tis God's To-mor- 
 row." 
 
 How oft my guardian angel gently cried, 
 
 " Soul, from thy casement look, and thou shalt see 
 
 How he persists to knock and wait for thee! " 
 
 And oh ! how often to that voice of sorrow, 
 " To-morrow we will open," I replied, 
 
 And when to-morrow came I answered still, 
 "To-morrow." 
 
 TR. FROM LOPE DE VEGA. 
 [48]
 
 FEBRUARY TWELFTH. 
 
 T)ERHAPS the reason we make so many mistakes 
 -t is because we do not fully understand ourselves, 
 and each other. We are more intent on fathoming 
 God's great mysteries, and searching out His plans, 
 than on studying man and man's needs. Had the 
 Author of our being thought best, He would have 
 revealed to us His heavenly secrets, but in His all- 
 wisdom He bids us leave the future in His keeping, 
 and have faith in Him. He has given us life His 
 grandest creation ; He has given us our brother-man 
 to encourage, to help, and to uplift, so that we may 
 travel together the Upward Way and find pleasant 
 companionship. Let us therefore make it our object 
 to find the best that is in our neighbor, learn how to 
 make our pilgrimage a happy one, and render ourselves 
 as congenial as possible. We must understand our- 
 selves first, and as all humanity has kmdred feelings, 
 we will then be better able to understand our fellow-men. 
 
 Man is his own star, and that soul that can 
 Be honest, is the only perfect man. 
 
 BEAUMONT AND FLETCHER. 
 
 Without our hopes, without our fears, 
 Without our home that plighted love endears, 
 Without the smile from partial beauty won, 
 Oh ! what were man ? a world without a sun. 
 
 CAMPBELL. 
 
 Man stands in the centre of Nature ; his fraction of 
 Time encircled by Eternity ; his handbreadth of Space 
 encircled by Infinitude. CARLYLE. 
 [49]
 
 FEBRUARY THIRTEENTH. 
 
 O" MARINERS of England," how loyal and how 
 brave you are ! As over the bright blue ocean 
 you speed and speed away, you ever keep floating 
 above you the flag of your own native land. With 
 jealous care you guard the shores you love, and turn 
 your longing eyes to catch a lingering glimpse of home, 
 the England of the world. You could not brave the 
 stormy wind with half the courage which you do, had 
 you not such principles of love and loyalty as beat 
 with every bounding pulse, and strengthen with each 
 breath you draw. For the sake of dear old England 
 you brave danger, risk life, and, leaving behind the 
 sweet delights of home, go forth to buffet with the 
 perils of the mighty deep. Oh, long live the British 
 mariners, and may they face the waves of Life with as 
 brave hearts and true as any waves that rise at sea ! 
 
 Ye mariners of England, 
 
 That guard our native seas ; 
 
 Whose flag has braved a thousand years 
 
 The battle and the breeze ! 
 
 Your glorious standard launch again 
 
 To match another foe ! 
 
 And sweep through the deep, 
 
 While the stormy winds do blow ; 
 
 While the battle rages loud and long, 
 
 And the stormy winds do blow. 
 
 Britannia needs no bulwarks, 
 
 No towers along the steep ; 
 
 Her march is o'er the mountain-waves, 
 
 Her home is on the deep. 
 
 THOMAS CAMPBELL. 
 [50]
 
 FEBRUARY FOURTEENTH. 
 
 HAIL to thy returning festival, old Bishop Valen- 
 tine ! Great is thy name in the rubric. Like unto 
 thee, assuredly, there is no other mitred father in the 
 calendar. LAMB. 
 
 Apollo has peeped through the shutter, 
 And waken'd the witty and fair ; 
 The boarding-school belle's in a flutter, 
 The twopenny post's in despair ; 
 The breath of the morning is flinging 
 A magic on blossom and spray, 
 And cockneys and sparrows are singing 
 In chorus on Valentine's day. 
 
 PRAED. 
 
 On paper curiously shaped, 
 Scribblers to-day of every sort, 
 In verses Valentine's y'clep'd, 
 To Venus chime their annual court. 
 I, too, will swell the motley throng, 
 And greet the all-auspicious day, 
 Whose privilege permits my song, 
 My love thus secret to convey. 
 
 HENRY C. BOHN. 
 
 I give you greeting! for this is St. Valentine's day. 
 Let your heart open a little wider ; make room for a 
 few more who need loving ; give out more light and 
 heat you've plenty to spare. Hearts that are bright 
 and warm are royal fireplaces for cold humanity. This 
 is the sort of a Valentine we all want to be, a Valen- 
 tine of love and happiness.
 
 FEBRUARY FIFTEENTH. 
 
 * I "HERE are so many ways in which we can make 
 A others happy. If we are willing to practise a little 
 self-denial, we will find plenty of opportunity to speak 
 a kindly word, or do a friendly deed. Don't be so ab- 
 sorbed in your business affairs that you fail to say 
 "good morning" to a friend when you pass him on 
 the street. The man who goes about with his head 
 too high to see common humanity, will sometime find 
 himself wondering why he has so few real friends. 
 And the man who passes to and fro with his eyes bent 
 on the ground, will some day discover that he has 
 missed a great deal, because he failed to look any 
 higher than the sidewalk. If you want to be alone, 
 select a retired street, where you can meditate undis- 
 turbed, but don't pass your neighbor by without see- 
 ing him you can't afford to be discourteous. Come 
 out of yourself; and don't creep like a snail, if you are 
 a preacher or a professor; on the other hand, don't 
 flash along like a meteor, if you are a business man. 
 You cannot carry your church or school in your head, 
 neither can you bear your warehouse or bank on your 
 shoulders. When on the street, you are only a man 
 among men. People don't care half as much who you 
 are, as what you are : if you are cordial in your greet- 
 ing, and friendly in your manner, it will do the world 
 good if you look it squarely in the face and say " good 
 morning." 
 
 Oh, if the selfish knew how much they lost, 
 What would they not endeavor, not endure, 
 To imitate, as far as in them lay, 
 Him, who His wisdom and His power employs 
 In making others happy! 
 
 SAMUEL ROGERS. 
 [5=0
 
 FEBRUARY SIXTEENTH. 
 
 "T EAD us not into temptation." Every day has 
 J ' its own temptations, without and within. If, 
 like our Redeemer when He was tempted, we can put 
 them behind us, we shall be able to go on our way 
 rejoicing. Oh, the little temptations swarm like bees 
 about us, and when we rob them of their honey they 
 always leave a sting. It is only when we keep busy 
 with our appointed tasks, and are doing our best in 
 the hive where God has placed us, that we can escape 
 being stung by the temptations that come to us from 
 unfriendly hives. Armed with the shield of Prayer, 
 the stings shall glance off, and leave no scar, and ours 
 shall be the victory of overcoming. 
 
 In the hour of dread temptation 
 
 When the serpent's voice shall call, 
 Lest we list to its allurements, 
 
 Lest we weakly faint or fall ; 
 Be Thou near, O gracious Father, 
 
 Lead the feet that fain would stray 
 Into some forbidden pathway, 
 
 Back to safety's narrow way. 
 
 Even as the little children 
 
 Fly, when aught their fears alarm, 
 To the often tried protection 
 
 Of an earthly parent's arm 
 So Thy children call upon Thee, 
 
 When life's shadows darkly fall, 
 Who alone can keep us scathless, 
 
 Gracious Father of us all! 
 
 HELEN MARION BURNSIDE. 
 
 [53]
 
 FEBRUARY SEVENTEENTH. 
 
 THE Lord watch between me and thee when we are 
 absent one from another. GENESIS 31 : 49. 
 
 How thankful must the Israelites have been for the 
 guidance of the pillar of fire ! We can imagine that 
 mighty throng moving on and on in their pilgrimage, 
 sometimes murmuring and complaining, sometimes 
 singing and praising God, yet marching ever nearer to 
 the Promised Land, beneath the radiance of that fiery 
 symbol. And when, at night, they pitched their tents, 
 it must have been a magnificent spectacle the great 
 army grouped about in tented silence, with that won- 
 drous sign God's loving "Mizpah " set, like a seal, 
 in the midst of the starry heavens. We, too, are tread- 
 ing homeward to the Canaan-Land : in the desert and 
 wilderness of life, like the Israelites of old, we have our 
 Mizpah-light to lead us onward and upward to the 
 "rest that remaineth for the people of God." 
 
 In absence, when the day-star shineth, 
 Tho' far apart our paths may be, 
 
 I ask His daily presence with us 
 The Lord keep watch 'tween me and thee. 
 
 At night-fall, when the sun declineth, 
 And shadows fall on earth and sea, 
 
 Oh, may He hide us 'neath His refuge, 
 And still keep watch 'tween me and thee ! 
 
 Forever with us ! tho' we sever ; 
 His shelt'ring love shall be my plea 
 
 Until we meet again, beseeching, 
 The Lord keep watch 'tween me and thee! 
 
 IDA SCOTT TAYLOR. 
 [54]
 
 FEBRUARY EIGHTEENTH. 
 
 WE can put our own interpretation on the word 
 Duty ; it means just what we want it to. It is 
 either a hard, stern task-master, or a gentle leader, 
 whose kind approval is always awaiting us, a sure 
 reward for everything cheerfully and willingly done. 
 There is no task which may not be finished, no burden 
 which shall not be lifted, no cloud that shall not be 
 dispersed, and no night that hath not its glorious dawn. 
 Sometime, sometime, we shall be able to fully realize 
 this, and understand that there is " an end to all things 
 under the sun." Let us go on then, doing the duty 
 nearest, sweetening each task with a smile, and doing 
 with our might what our hands find to do. If we 
 make Duty a pleasure, it will be far easier for us. 
 Each person is a hero in the eyes of God if he is ac- 
 tively engaged in doing his best. Go bravely for- 
 ward, meet and surmount every difficulty : put your 
 hand into the hand of God. 
 
 Long though my task may be, 
 
 Cometh the end. 
 God His that helpeth me, 
 His is the work, and He 
 
 New strength will lend. 
 
 ANONYMOUS. 
 
 Time is indeed a precious boon, 
 But with the boon a task is given ; 
 
 The heart must learn its duty well, 
 To man on earth and God in Heaven. 
 
 ELIZA COOK. 
 
 In common things the law of sacrifice takes the form 
 of positive duty. FROUDE. 
 [55]
 
 FEBRUARY NINETEENTH. 
 
 HHHE firefly only shines when on the wing ; 
 J- So with the mind ; when once we rest, we darken. 
 
 BAILEY. 
 
 The world is the school-room of the mind : in it are 
 gathered classified volumes in poetry and prose, where 
 we read and study to our heart's content. The sea is 
 a nautical library : the beat of its waves is a lyric poem, 
 and the thunder of its mighty breakers is a sermon of 
 majestic sweetness. The sky is rich in its collection of 
 songs and sonnets, and in its deep, thoughtful, astro- 
 nomical works. The woods and hills, and valleys and 
 plains, are Nature's own books, written out by the hand 
 of God. The mines of silver and gold are volumes of 
 hidden love, which need to be brought to the light if 
 we would read their meaning. Man is the speaking 
 book of God, his mind and soul the voice of God, his 
 life a reflection of God, and his only salvation the Son 
 of God. 
 
 Creator ! Yes ! Thy wisdom and Thy word 
 Created me. Thou source of life and good ; 
 
 Thou Spirit of my spirit, and my Lord ; 
 
 Thy light, Thy love, in their bright plenitude, 
 
 Filled me with an immortal soul to spring 
 O'er the abyss of death, and bade it wear 
 
 The garments of eternal day, and wing 
 
 Its heavenly flight beyond this little sphere 
 Even to its source to Thee, its Author there. 
 JOHN BOWRING (Tr. from the Russian) . 
 
 A little philosophy inclineth a man's mind to athe- 
 ism, but depth in philosophy bringeth men's minds 
 about to religion. BACON. 
 [56]
 
 FEBRUARY TWENTIETH. 
 
 your author as you choose your friend. 
 ^ ROSCOMMON. 
 
 Reading is to the mind what exercise is to the body. 
 As by the one, health is preserved, strengthened, and 
 invigorated, by the other, virtue (which is the health 
 of the mind) is kept alive, cherished, and confirmed. 
 
 ADDISON. 
 
 The mind, relaxing into needful sport, 
 Should turn to writers of an abler sort, 
 Whose wit well managed, and whose classic style, 
 Give truth a lustre, and make wisdom smile. 
 
 COWPER. 
 
 Read not to contradict and confute, nor to believe 
 and take for granted, not to talk and discourse, but to 
 weigh and consider. . . . Some books are to be read 
 only in parts ; others to be read, but not curiously ; 
 and some few to be read wholly, and with diligence and 
 attention. BACON. 
 
 All rests with those who read, a work or thought 
 Is what makes it to himself, and may 
 Be full of great dark meanings, like the sea, 
 With shoals of life rushing. 
 
 BAILEY. 
 
 Learn to read slow ; all other graces 
 Will follow in their proper places. 
 
 WM. WALKER. 
 
 [57]
 
 FEBRUARY TWENTY-FIRST. 
 
 A DAY AMONG THE CLOUDS. 
 
 OH, it is pleasant, with a heart at ease, 
 Just after sunset, or by moonlight skies, 
 To make the shifting clouds be what you please, 
 
 Or let the easily-persuaded eyes 
 Own each quaint likeness issuing from the world 
 Of a friend's fancy. 
 
 COLERIDGE. 
 
 What beautiful things we behold in the clouds ! 
 Ever shifting and changing, and drifting about in the 
 great blue sea of the sky, they float above us these 
 fair, white mysteries spreading their airy wings and 
 bearing away our sweetest dreams to be lost in the 
 silence of some unknown world. 
 
 Oh, many gilded palaces and stately castles have we 
 erected in the sunny skies, builded only of the frail, 
 inconstant clouds. With every breeze our structures 
 have tumbled from their dizzy heights and been wrecked 
 before our eyes, but then we only smile and build again. 
 Our sweetest, purest thoughts take wing among the 
 clouds, for God is in their midst, and angels round 
 aboat. 
 
 I bring fresh showers for the thirsty flowers, 
 
 From the seas and the streams ; 
 I bear light shade for the leaves when laid 
 
 In their noonday dreams. 
 From my wings are shaken the dews that waken 
 
 The sweet birds every one, 
 When rocked to rest on their mother's breast, 
 
 As she dances about the sun. 
 
 SHELLEY. 
 
 [58]
 
 FEBRUARY TWENTY-SECOND. 
 
 *" I "'HERE is a great deal said nowadays about " color- 
 -*- blindness " ; this, however, refers to the physical 
 vision, but mental color-blindness is even worse than 
 that. It is a far greater calamity to be unable to dis- 
 tinguish any color but one and that the hue to our 
 own imaginary loveliness ; for loveliness is always im- 
 aginary when only one person is aware of it. If you 
 are a true artist, you will find the shadow as well as the 
 light. Train your mental vision to detect both ; bring 
 them into better harmony. Soften your shadows a 
 little ; get your background ready for the bright tints, 
 then leave God to add the high lights. 
 
 There are no shadows where there is no sun ; 
 There is no beauty where there is no shade ; 
 And all things in two lines of glory run, 
 Darkness and light, ebon and gold inlaid. 
 
 F. W. FABER. 
 
 f 
 
 I know the Hand that is guiding me through the 
 
 shadow to the light, 
 
 And I know that all betiding me is meted out aright ; 
 I know that the thorny path I tread is ruled by a 
 
 golden line, 
 And I know that the darker Iife 1 s tangled thread, the 
 
 richer the deep design. 
 
 BRITISH EVANGELIST. 
 
 Our little systems have their day : 
 
 They have their day and cease to be ; 
 They are but broken lights of Thee, 
 
 And Thou, O Lord, art more than they. 
 
 TENNYSON. 
 
 [59]
 
 FEBRUARY TWENTY-THIRD. 
 
 ' I ^HOU earnest not to thy place by accident, 
 * It is the very place God meant for thee. 
 
 R. C. TRENCH. 
 
 Adapt yourselves to circumstances ; get into harmony 
 with your surroundings, or you will be miserable. If 
 your circumstances are above you, work up to them ; 
 educate your mind and tastes up to a higher plane : 
 keep rising, it is a positive disgrace to go downward 
 or backward in this progressive world of ours. If 
 your circumstances are beneath you, lift them up : this 
 is not asking too much of you it has been done often. 
 I have seen such dignity and refinement in the midst 
 of abject poverty as lends itself to every faded object 
 in a room. There is nothing in an atmosphere of true 
 gentility and nobleness, but what catches a bit of the 
 spirit of its surroundings. The touch of refinement 
 stamps itself on all with which it comes in contact. If 
 you are gracious yourself, your belongings, no matter 
 how poor they are, will unconsciously become a part of 
 you. Dignify your surroundings and they will honor 
 you, and make you more beautiful by contrast. 
 
 The thing which must be, must be for the best ; 
 God helps us do our duty and not shrink, 
 And trust His mercy humbly for the rest. 
 
 OWEN MEREDITH. 
 
 Instead of saying that man is the creature of circum- 
 stances, it would be nearer the mark to say that man is 
 the architect of circumstances. It is character which 
 builds an existence out of circumstances. Our strength 
 is measured by our plastic power. GEORGE H. LEWES. 
 [60]
 
 FEBRUARY TWENTY-FOURTH. 
 
 SOME writer describes beauty thus : " All along the 
 isles of earth, all over the arches of Heaven, all 
 through the expanses of the universe, are scattered in 
 rich and infinite profusion the life-germs of beauty. 
 All natural motion is beauty in action. From the 
 mote that plays its little frolic in the sunbeam, to the 
 world that blazes along the sapphire of the firmament, 
 are visible the ever-varying features of the enrapturing 
 spirit of beauty." 
 
 Who doth not feel, until his failing sight 
 Faints into dimness with its own delight, 
 His changing cheek, his sinking heart confess, 
 The might, the majesty of Loveliness ? 
 
 BYRON. 
 
 The beauty that addresses itself to the eyes is only 
 the spell of the moment ; the eye of the body is not 
 always that of the soul. GEORGE SAND. 
 
 A thing of beauty is a joy forever ; 
 Its loveliness increases ; it will never 
 Pass into nothingness ; but still will keep 
 A bower of quiet for us, and a sleep 
 Full of sweet dreams, and health, and quiet breathing. 
 
 KEATS. 
 
 For when with beauty we can virtue join, 
 We paint the semblance of a point divine. 
 
 PRIOR. 
 
 Beauty is truth, truth beauty. 
 
 KEATS. 
 [61]
 
 FEBRUARY TWENTY-FIFTH. 
 
 WE are builders, and each one 
 Should cut and carve as best he can. 
 Every life is but a stone, 
 Every one shall hew his own. 
 Make or mar shall every man. 
 
 ANONYMOUS. 
 
 Character-building requires patience, perseverance, 
 and care. To build well, select the Firm Foundation 
 Christ. Let no day pass without some progress. 
 
 Master! to do great work for Thee, my hand 
 Is far too weak. Thou givest what may suit 
 Some little chips to cut with care minute, 
 
 Or tint, or grave, or polish. Others stand 
 
 Before their quarried marble, fair and grand, 
 And make a life-work of the great design 
 Which Thou hast traced ; or, many-skilled, combine 
 
 To build vast temples, gloriously planned, 
 
 Yet take the tiny stones which I have wrought, 
 Just one by one, as they were given by Thee, 
 
 Not knowing what came next in Thy wise thought. 
 
 Set each stone by Thy master-hand of grace, 
 For the mosaic as Thou wilt, for me, 
 
 And in Thy temple-pavement give it place. 
 
 FRANCES RIDLEY HAVERGAL. 
 
 Fling wide the portals of your heart, 
 Make it a temple set apart 
 From earthly use for Heaven's employ, 
 Adorned with prayer, and love, and joy. 
 So shall your Sovereign enter in, 
 And new and nobler life begin. 
 
 WEISZEL. 
 [62]
 
 FEBRUARY TWENTY-SIXTH. 
 
 A DAY by the fireside! Draw the blind a little, and 
 shut out the outside world : only leave a faint 
 glimmer, to light the weary passer-by. How cozy it is! 
 How you love to watch the flames leap up, and cast 
 a weird flickering radiance on the walls and ceiling! 
 How you enjoy making pictures in the fire, and what 
 sweet, hallowed memories they suggest! Winter is 
 passing away, and soon shall dawn another spring. 
 Take a backward sweep over the years ; how many 
 sweet, beautiful things you have to remember : did you 
 ever think of that? How many good gifts have fallen 
 to your share, how many dear friendships have been 
 given you. What choice blessings have been yours, 
 and what royal good cheer. Why, sitting here in the 
 glow of the firelight, you can look back over your life 
 and wonder why you never realized before how well- 
 favored you have been. " Surely the lines have fallen," 
 to you, "in pleasant places." How the hallowed 
 memories come thronging around you to-day : old 
 faces look out of the dancing flames to greet you, and 
 you hear familiar tones speaking out of the silent past. 
 Oh, what a blessed thing it is that our missing ones can 
 all come back to us, back through the Memory of the 
 Past, and thank God, that is not all we shall see 
 them by and by on the echoless shores of Eternity. 
 
 When I remember something which I had, 
 But which is gone, and I must do without, 
 
 I sometimes wonder how I can be glad, 
 Even in cowslip-time, when hedges sprout ; 
 
 It makes me sigh to think on it but yet 
 
 My days will not be better days, should I forget. 
 
 JEAN 1NGELOW. 
 
 [63]
 
 FEBRUARY TWENTY-SEVENTH. 
 
 WE then that are strong ought to bear the infirmi- 
 ties of the weak, and not to please ourselves. 
 ROMANS 15: I. 
 
 Isn't it a blessed thing to be helpful? Isn't it a 
 comfort to feel that we are needed and wanted in the 
 world to know that there is a place for us, and to be 
 in our place, ready, willing, aye, and even anxious to 
 do our part, and help some one weaker than ourselves ? 
 Let this be a day of helpfulness : be on the look out for 
 the needs of others. Isn't there a home that you could 
 brighten, a burden that you could lighten, a heart that 
 you could comfort, if you try? The poor little pale- 
 faced invalid who sits at the window when you pass 
 by, haven't you a smile to spare her? The ragged 
 street urchin you were unkind to yesterday, can't you 
 make it up to him to-day with a pleasant word ? You 
 were cross to some one in your own household yester- 
 day, perhaps, but you have been sorry for it ever since ; 
 be patient to-day, and help not hinder the happiness 
 of those you love. 
 
 Be useful where thou livest, that they may 
 Both want and wish thy pleasing presence still. 
 
 Find out men's wants and will, 
 And meet them there. All worldly joys go less 
 To the one joy of doing kindnesses. 
 
 G. HERBERT. 
 
 Oh, might we all our lineage prove, 
 Give and forgive, do good and love ; 
 By soft endearments, in kind strife 
 Lightening the load of daily life. 
 
 j. KEBLE. 
 [6 4 ]
 
 FEBRUARY TWENTY-EIGHTH. 
 
 WE are all too apt to find fault : it is characteristic 
 of humanity. We cannot expect to have things 
 just as we want them in this world, so why should we 
 grumble and complain ? What if our breakfast is not 
 cooked exactly as we like it ; will it taste any better if 
 seasoned with murmurings ? What if the weather 
 doesn't suit our convenience or plans ? Perhaps the 
 sun shines too hotly for a sail on the lake ; or the 
 rain is falling, and we must give up a shopping expedi- 
 tion, or a pleasure-trip ; will it do any good to find 
 fault ? And then, we see too many flaws in our neigh- 
 bors. None of us are perfect : are you ? am I ? That 
 is about the only kind of blindness God will tolerate 
 that which shuts out defects in the dispositions of those 
 around us. Or, if they are too glaring to be hidden, 
 let us not speak of them to others. My grandmother's 
 motto was, " If you cannot say something good about 
 people, say nothing at all." A quick tongue and a 
 complaining spirit stir up strife ; let us therefore learn 
 to control both our words and actions. 
 
 Back then, complainer ; loath thy life no more, 
 Nor deem thyself upon a desert shore, 
 
 Because the rocks the nearer prospect close. 
 Yet in fallen Israel are there hearts and eyes 
 That day by day in prayer like thine arise ; 
 
 Thou know'st them not, but their Creator knows. 
 
 j. KEBLE. 
 
 When thou hast thanked thy God 
 
 For every blessing sent, 
 What time will then remain 
 
 For murmurs or lament ? 
 
 R. C. TRENCH. 
 [6 5 ]
 
 FEBRUARY TWENTY-NINTH. 
 
 A DAY OF GLADNESS. 
 
 I OPENED the doors of my heart, 
 And behold 
 
 There was music within and a song, 
 And echoes did feed on the sweetness, repeating it long. 
 
 JEAN INGELOW. 
 
 Let us open the doors of our hearts to-day and see 
 how much gladness we can throw into the world. 
 What is the use to hoard up sunshine and joy ? We 
 cannot leave it to our friends when we die. The only 
 way to be benevolent with gladness, is to keep on giv- 
 ing it out : let it radiate from us every day, and then its 
 sweet influence will be a precious legacy to our friends 
 and loved ones. 
 
 O, whatever our lot, let us be glad ! 
 Glad for the toil and the tears, 
 Glad for the hopes and the fears, 
 Glad for the gathering years, 
 
 Joyous or sad ; 
 Ours but to do our best, 
 Matters not what the test 
 God's part to do the rest, 
 
 Let us be glad ! 
 
 i. s. T. 
 
 I praise Thee while my days go on ; 
 
 I love Thee while my days go on : 
 
 Through dark and dearth, through fire and frost, 
 
 With emptied arms and treasures lost, 
 
 I thank Thee while my days go on. 
 
 E. B. BROWNING. 
 [66]
 
 FELICIA HE MANS 
 1793-1835
 
 OR THE MONTH 
 OF MARCH 
 
 MARCH FIRST. 
 
 MARCH. Its tree, Juniper. Its stone, Bloodstone. 
 Its motto, "Courage and strength in time of 
 danger." OLD SAYING. 
 
 Look and listen ! All the earth is awakening. For 
 this is Spring's resurrection, and March, with his 
 dauntless courage and strength, has heralded its com- 
 ing to the world. The Juniper trees are trembling with 
 happiness, and as the cool, crisp breath of March sways 
 their branches, they wave their palms of rejoicing and 
 seem to say, " this is our day, for we belong to March ! 
 O world, look up to us, and be strong ! " Let us 
 therefore be sturdy and resolute, like March, and put- 
 ting on our juniper strength, go forth to search for God's 
 truths in all things. Let our souls awake, like the 
 Spring, and seek out God's glories. 
 
 Say not the struggle naught availeth, 
 The labor and the wounds are vain, 
 
 The enemy faints, nor faileth, 
 And as things have been they remain. 
 
 For while the tired waves, vainly breaking, 
 Seem here no painful inch to gain, 
 
 Far back, through creeks and inlets making, 
 Comes silent, flooding in, the main. 
 
 ARTHUR HUGH CLOUGH. 
 [67]
 
 MARCH SECOND. 
 
 LET us take time to consider. We are so hurried 
 in our earth-life, and so burdened with our cares 
 and pleasures, that we have little leisure for reflection. 
 We are so busy clothing our bodies, that we have not 
 time to consider how we may clothe our souls. We 
 are so engrossed with the accumulation of riches that 
 we forget to consider how we may best enrich our 
 minds. We are so taken up with self and self-interests, 
 that we neglect to consider the grand proofs of God's 
 love for us, and to reflect upon His wisdom and might. 
 Oh that we could learn to think more about God, and 
 trust more fully in His loving protection, and grow 
 daily more dependent upon His mercies ! 
 
 Consider 
 The lilies of the field whose bloom is brief, 
 
 We are as they, 
 
 Like them we fade away, 
 As doth a leaf. 
 
 Consider 
 The sparrows of the air of small account ; 
 
 Our God doth view 
 Whether they fall or mount 
 He guards us too. 
 
 Consider 
 The birds that have no barn nor harvest weeks 
 
 God gives them food ; 
 Much more our Father seeks 
 
 To do us good. 
 
 ROSSETTI. 
 
 [68]
 
 T 
 
 MARCH THIRD. 
 
 HIS lovely world, the hills, the sward 
 They all look fresh, as if our Lord 
 But yesterday had finished them. 
 
 JEAN INGELOW. 
 
 For winter's rain and ruins are over, 
 And all the season of snows and sins ; 
 
 The days dividing lover and lover, 
 The light that loses, the night that wins ; 
 
 And time remembered is grief forgotten, 
 
 And frosts are slain and flowers begotten, 
 
 And in green underwood and cover 
 Blossom by blossom the spring begins. 
 
 ALGERNON CHARLES SWINBURNE. 
 
 The heart that loves God rejoices in His works. He 
 has set His seal on the hills and mountains, and 
 breathed His breath into the birds and flowers. A 
 quiet hour of sweet communion with Nature lifts us 
 a little nearer Heaven. You may have read a great 
 many books, but where is there a book that can teach 
 such wisdom as the book of Creation ? It is a master 
 work of theology and philosophy, and yet it has all 
 the grace, sweetness, and rhythm of a lyric poem. The 
 book of Nature may be said to be a divine pastoral. 
 
 I grant to the king his reign ; 
 Let us yield him homage due. 
 
 I grant to the wise his meed, 
 
 But his yoke I will not brook, 
 For God taught me to read, 
 
 He lent me the world for a book. 
 
 JEAN INGELOW. 
 
 [69]
 
 MARCH FOURTH. 
 
 VERSE, a breeze ''mid blossoms straying, 
 Where hope clung feeding like a bee 
 Both were mine ! Life went a-Maying 
 With Nature, Hope, and Poetry, 
 When I was young I 
 
 When I was young? Ah, woful when I 
 Ah, for the change 'twixt now and then! 
 
 Naught cared this body for wind or weather, 
 When Youth and I lived in't together. 
 Flowers are lovely : Love is flower-like : 
 Friendship is a sheltering tree ; 
 O the joys that came down shower-like, 
 Of Friendship, Love, and Liberty, 
 Ere I was old ! 
 
 Ere I was old? Ah, woful ere I 
 Which tells me Youth's no longer here ! 
 O Youth ! for years so many and sweet, 
 'Tis known that thou and I were one ; 
 Til think it but a fond deceit 
 It cannot be that thou art gone ! 
 
 I see these locks in silvery slips, 
 This drooping gait, this altered size ; 
 But Springtide blossoms on thy lips, 
 And tears take sunshine from thine eyes ! 
 Life is but thought ; so think I will, 
 That Youth and I are house-mates still. 
 
 COLERIDGE. 
 
 [70]
 
 N 
 
 MARCH FIFTH. 
 
 OW faith is the substance of things hoped for, the 
 evidence of things not seen. HEBREWS 1 1 : 1. 
 
 There are times when some graces may be out of 
 use, but there is no time wherein faith can be said to 
 be so : wherefore faith must be always in exercise. . . . 
 Faith is the eye, is the mouth, is the hand, and one of 
 these is of use all day long. Faith is to see, to receive, 
 to work, or to eat : and a Christian should be seeing, 
 or receiving, or working, or feeding all day long. 
 
 JOHN BUNYAN. 
 
 If faith produce no works, I see 
 That faith is not a living tree. 
 Thus faith and works together grow, 
 No separate life they e'er can know : 
 They've soul and body, hand and heart : 
 What God hath joined let no man part. 
 
 HANNAH MORE. 
 
 We shall be made truly wise if we be made content ; 
 content, too, not only with what we can understand, 
 but content with what we do not understand the 
 habit of mind which theologians call and rightly 
 faith in God. CHARLES KINGSLEY. 
 
 In such righteousness 
 To them by faith imputed, they may find 
 Justification towards God, and peace 
 Of conscience. 
 
 MILTON. 
 
 Faith builds a bridge across the gulf of death. 
 
 YOUNG. 
 
 [71]
 
 MARCH SIXTH. 
 
 LET us be careful when, and how, we speak. "To 
 everything there is a season, and a time to every 
 purpose under the Heaven. ... A time to keep 
 silence and a time to speak." It requires wisdom, 
 delicacy, and discretion to use our words aright ; and 
 if using them at all will bring discord, or strife, we 
 should better leave them unsaid. Better to appear dull 
 and stupid, better to sit with closed lips and unuttered 
 thoughts, than say aught that will wound or offend a 
 fellow-being. The silvery tongues are not always the 
 most eloquent to the ear of God. Those whose lips 
 are mute, and who have learned the sweet lesson of 
 silence, are often more pleasing to Him. 
 
 Words are like leaves : when they most abound, 
 Much fruit of sense beneath is rarely found. 
 
 POPE. 
 
 We should be as careful of our words as of our 
 actions, and as far from speaking ill as from doing 
 ill. CICERO. 
 
 Such as thy words are, such will thy affections be 
 esteemed ; and such will thy deeds as thy affections, 
 and such thy life as thy deeds. SOCRATES. 
 
 We know not what we do 
 When we speak words. 
 
 SHELLEY. 
 
 My words fly up, my thoughts remain below : 
 Words without thoughts, never to Heaven go. 
 
 SHAKESPEARE.
 
 MARCH SEVENTH. 
 
 EVIL communications corrupt good manners. 
 I CORINTHIANS 15 : 34. 
 
 We always judge strangers by their manners : their 
 dress may give us some idea of their worldly posses- 
 sions, but it is to their manners we look for good or ill 
 breeding. Quietness of movement, and gentleness of 
 speech and action, are marks of true refinement. 
 Though the face may lack beauty, and the form sym- 
 metry, if there is a grace of manner and charm of 
 mind, these will atone for the absence of attractions 
 that only please the eye and strike the fancy. Gracious 
 manners may be cultivated to a certain extent, and with 
 innate refinement, are more beautiful still. 
 
 A moral, sensible, and well-bred man 
 Will not affront me ; and no other can. 
 
 COWPER. 
 
 What a rare gift, by the by, is that of manners ! how 
 difficult to define, how much more difficult to impart! 
 Better for a man to possess them than wealth, beauty, 
 or talents ; they will more than supply all. BULWER- 
 
 LYTTON. 
 
 Manners must adorn knowledge and smooth its way 
 through the world. CHESTERFIELD. 
 
 Good qualities are the substantial riches of the mind ; 
 but it is good breeding that sets them off to advantage. 
 LOCKE. 
 
 t73]
 
 MARCH EIGHTH. 
 
 NOTHING so touches the human heart as the word 
 home. It is the beginning of life, the centre of 
 life, and its true perfection lies at the end of life. No 
 place has such hallowed memories, no faces are so 
 dear, no counsels so wise, and no voices so sweet as 
 those that cluster about the home. It is a beacon in 
 the darkness, when clouds obscure our way, and a 
 haven of rest when the day's long toil is done. With 
 what longing do our hearts turn towards home when 
 distance rolls between us ! Truly, " absence makes the 
 heart grow fonder " the heart that is loyal and lov- 
 ing and to whom home is "the dearest spot on earth." 
 God pity the homeless! yet even they are not so 
 much to be pitied as those who have a place they call 
 home, but in which there is no sympathy of congenial- 
 ity. Such are but abiding-places. Where the heart 
 is, there is home! 
 
 Sweet is the smile of home, the mutual look 
 
 When hearts are of each other sure ; 
 Sweet all the joys that crowd the household nook, 
 
 The haunts of all affections pure. 
 
 j. KEBLE. 
 
 O happy house! and happy servitude! 
 
 Where all alike one Master own ; 
 Where daily duty, in Thy strength pursued, 
 
 Is never hard or toilsome known ; 
 Where each one serves Thee, meek and lowly, 
 
 Whatever Thine appointment be, 
 Till common tasks seem great and holy, 
 
 When they are done as unto Thee. 
 
 c. j. P. SPITTA. 
 [74]
 
 A 
 
 MARCH NINTH. 
 
 LITTLE thought about Self-control! " Self-con- 
 quest," says Plato, "is the greatest of victories." 
 
 There are real heroes around us every day, but we 
 do not call them such. They are fighting the enemy 
 Self, and it is a mighty combat. The man who gov- 
 erns a hasty temper, subdues a proud spirit, and mas- 
 ters a stubborn will, deserves a laurel-wreath more 
 than he who dies on the battle-field. It is easier to 
 meet the enemy in one great conflict, when your whole 
 strength is armed for it, than to wage a daily warfare 
 with self and sin. " He that overcometh shall inherit 
 all things." 
 
 Within ! within, oh, turn 
 
 Thy spirit's eyes, and learn 
 Thy wandering senses gently to control ; 
 Thy dearest Friend dwells deep within thy soul, 
 
 And asks thyself of thee, 
 That heart, and mind, and sense, He may make whole 
 
 In perfect harmony. 
 
 G. TERSTEEGEN. 
 
 I will be lord over myself. No one who cannot 
 master himself is worthy to rule, and only he can rule. 
 GOETHE. 
 
 Lord of himself, though not of lands ; 
 And having nothing, yet hath all. 
 
 SIR HENRY WOTTON. 
 [75]
 
 MARCH TENTH. 
 
 ' I A HERE is an individuality in voices that we can 
 -* hardly understand or explain. The tone, the in- 
 flection, the accent, marks them with a sweetness or 
 harshness, that rings in our ears when only Memory 
 can call them back. O Voices, Voices! how much 
 joy and sorrow you bring into our lives! When, long 
 ago, God spake and the world sprang into space, the 
 sun and moon were illumined, and the stars blossomed 
 in the blue garden of the sky, in the grand, majestic 
 stillness and out of chaos and darkness, think how 
 powerful must have been the sound of that holy Voice ! 
 Then, when He walked in the Garden of Eden at the 
 close of the day, and spake His first reproving word to 
 man, how sorrowful must have been the Voice of the 
 Lord! Again, with what infinite tenderness He must 
 have said of Christ, " This is my beloved Son, in whom 
 I am well pleased." When He calls to you and me, in 
 the silence and in the hour of sacred communion, how 
 softly and lovingly falls " the still small Voice " on our 
 ears! Oh, the ineffable sweetness of the Voice of the 
 Lord ! let us listen to its warnings, and follow its guid- 
 ance all through our earthly pilgrimage. 
 
 My heart is resting, O my God! 
 
 My heart is in Thy care ; 
 I hear Thy voice of joy and health 
 
 Resounding everywhere. 
 " Thou art my portion," saith my soul, 
 
 Ten thousand voices say, 
 The music of their glad Amen 
 
 Will never die away. 
 
 ANNE L. WARING. 
 [76]
 
 MARCH ELEVENTH. 
 
 HE that speaks ill of another, commonly before he 
 is aware, makes himself such a one as he speaks 
 against; for if he had civility or breeding, he would 
 forbear such kind of language. ANONYMOUS. 
 
 A gallant man is above ill words. Speak no ill of a 
 great enemy, but rather give him good words, that he 
 may use you better if you chance to fall into his hands. 
 
 JOHN SELDEN. 
 
 Evil is wrought by want of Thought, 
 As well as want of Heart! 
 
 HOOD. 
 
 Duly advis'd, the coming evil shun : 
 Better not do the deed, than weep it done. 
 
 PRIOR. 
 
 But then I sigh, and, with a piece of Scripture, 
 Tell them, that God bids us do good for evil. 
 
 SHAKESPEARE. 
 
 O ! many a shaft, at random sent, 
 Find mark the archer little meant ! 
 And many a word, at random spoken, 
 May soothe or wound a heart that's broken! 
 
 SCOTT. 
 
 Shakespeare says, " 111 deeds are doubled with an 
 evil word." How true this is! Unkind acts are mag- 
 nified by the power of the tongue. Evil-speaking 
 leaves its own sting : sharp, cruel words are like a stab 
 to a sensitive heart. Oh, the harm they have done! the 
 friendships they have broken, the households they have 
 blighted, the scars they have left ! Let this not be a 
 day of evil-speaking, but a day of gentle words. 
 [77]
 
 MARCH TWELFTH. 
 
 IT is the little rift within the lute, 
 That by and by will make the music mute, 
 And ever widening, silence all. 
 
 TENNYSON. 
 
 Byron says, " Doubt and Discord step 'twixt thine 
 and thee." How little misunderstandings separate 
 friends; how little unkind thoughts will creep into our 
 hearts and gnaw at them until our whole nature 
 changes, and our dispositions become fretful and 
 peevish. We grow suspicious and distrustful; we 
 wonder at the change in ourselves, and are at a loss to 
 understand it. Whenever you are conscious that a 
 weed of doubt is springing up in the soil of your heart, 
 root it up, and cast it out. Rid yourself of unkind 
 thoughts don't harbor them. Be at peace with all 
 men. Don't let Doubt get the better of you; mend 
 the " little rift within the lute " before the music of love 
 and faith is silenced forever. 
 
 An old affront will stir the heart 
 Through years of rankling pain. 
 
 JEAN INGELOW. 
 
 Doubt indulged soon becomes doubt realized. 
 
 FRANCES R. HAVERGAL. 
 
 Our doubts are traitors, 
 
 And make us lose the good we oft might win, 
 
 By fearing to attempt. 
 
 SHAKESPEARE. 
 
 [78]
 
 T 
 
 MARCH THIRTEENTH. 
 
 ELL me, where is fancy bred ; 
 Or in the heart, or in the head? 
 
 SHAKESPEARE. 
 
 Sweet dreams and fancies waking or sleeping, 
 they leave their impression upon our minds and hearts. 
 Our hopes, our longings, our aspirations all come to 
 us, borne on the wings of Fancy. We dream with our 
 eyes wide open, and with the daylight about us 
 dream as softly as if it were in the stillness of night, 
 and the stars were in the sky. Day-dreams are the 
 longings within us ; like little tendrils from the vine, 
 reaching out for something strong to cling to, they 
 shoot out of the heart-soil and twine themselves about 
 us, strengthening each day, until they grow to be a 
 part of our being. If our dreams and fancies are pure 
 and elevating, they will help mould our characters 
 aright ; if our longings are noble and good, they will 
 make us better. Then let us dream to a purpose, and 
 let our dreams develop into realities. 
 
 Dreams are but interludes, which fancy makes ; 
 When monarch Reason sleeps, this mimic wakes. 
 
 DRYDEN. 
 
 I believe it to be true that dreams are the true inter- 
 preters of our inclinations ; but there is art required to 
 sort and understand them. MONTAIGNE. 
 
 And yet, as angels in some brighter dreams 
 
 Call to the soul when man doth sleep, 
 
 So some strange thoughts transcend our wonted 
 
 dreams, 
 And into glory peep. 
 
 VAUGHAN. 
 [79]
 
 MARCH FOURTEENTH. 
 
 OWIFT kindnesses are best ; a long delay 
 ^ In kindness takes the kindness all away. 
 
 GREEK ANTHOLOGY. 
 
 God bless the man whose law is the law of Kindness, 
 and whose heart throbs warmly towards all humanity! 
 The man who has a kind word for the oppressed, a kind 
 look for the erring, and a kind smile for all of God's 
 creatures. Blessings are in his path, and happiness 
 blossoms around him like flowers in early spring. 
 
 That best portion of a good man's life, 
 His little, nameless, unremembered acts 
 Of kindness and of love. 
 
 WORDSWORTH. 
 
 Fraternity is the reciprocal affection, the sentiment 
 which inclines man to do unto others as he would that 
 others should do to him. MAZZINI. 
 
 Never elated, while one man's oppressed ; 
 Never dejected, while another's blest. 
 
 POPE. 
 
 Good words make friends ; bad words make enemies. 
 It is great prudence to gain as many friends as we 
 honestly can, especially when it may be done at so 
 easy a rate as a good word. . . . You will find that 
 silence, or very gentle words, are the most exquisite 
 revenge for reproaches. ... Be kind and loving to 
 one another. SIR MATTHEW HALE. 
 [80]
 
 MARCH FIFTEENTH. 
 
 A DAY OF GOOD WISHES. 
 
 THE wind is sweeping along the highways and 
 blowing open the first young flowers of the year. 
 Nature is stirring and pushing, and pulsing up, and 
 out, into light, and joy, and liberty. What a sweet 
 privilege it is to live and to grow ; to breathe, to expand, 
 to progress, and to go on progressing throughout eter- 
 nity ! My wish for you is that your heart may be like 
 the spring highways ; and that the winds of oppor- 
 tunity may not pass you by, but that they may blow 
 open the buds of purity and gentleness that lie folded 
 within you and carry their fragrance into all the world. 
 
 My wish for you, is a forgiving spirit. May the 
 breath of Heaven scatter all clouds in your sky, and 
 blow away all unpleasant thoughts. Forgive as you 
 wish to be forgiven. 
 
 Again, I wish for you a useful life! Let head, hands, 
 heart, and feet be engaged in active service : allow no 
 part of your being to grow old and rusty through 
 neglect. Polish the gold and silver of your character, 
 and it will shine so brightly as to throw its lustre into 
 the lives of others. I wish for you God's blessing! 
 
 May no sorrow distress thy days ; 
 May no griefs disturb thy nights ; 
 May the pillow of peace kiss thy cheek, 
 And the pleasure of realization attend 
 Thy beautiful dreams. 
 
 May the Angel of God attend thy bed and 
 Take care that the expiring lamp of life 
 Shall not receive one rude blast to hasten on 
 Its extinction. 
 
 ANONYMOUS. 
 [81]
 
 T 
 
 MARCH SIXTEENTH. 
 
 HE Lord is good to all ; and His tender mercies 
 are over all His works. PSALM 145 : 9. 
 
 Maker of earth and sea and sky, 
 
 Creation's sovereign Lord and King 
 
 Who hung the starry worlds on high, 
 
 And formed alike the sparrow's wing ; 
 
 Bless the dumb creatures of Thy care, 
 
 And listen to their voiceless prayer. 
 
 ANONYMOUS. 
 
 The Lord of all, Himself through all diffused, 
 Sustains, and is the life of all that lives ; 
 Nature is but a name for an effect, 
 Whose cause is God. . . . 
 
 . . . Not a flower 
 
 But shows some touch in freckle, streak, or stain, 
 Of His unrivalled pencil. He inspires 
 Their balmy odours, and imparts their hues, 
 And bathes their eyes with nectar, and includes, 
 In grains as countless as the seaside sands, 
 The forms in which He sprinkles all the earth. 
 Happy who walks with Him ! whom what he finds, 
 Of flavour or of scent, in fruit or flower, 
 Of what he views of beautiful or grand 
 In Nature, from the broad majestic oak 
 To the green blade that twinkles in the sun, 
 Prompts with remembrance of a present God. 
 
 WILLIAM COWPER. 
 
 O Heart, look up and praise Him! He who hath 
 made earth so beautiful for thee accounts thy soul of 
 far more value than all earth's richest treasures. 
 Acquaint thyself with Him through His works. 
 [82]
 
 MARCH SEVENTEENTH. 
 
 LOVING and serving, serving and loving ! nothing 
 else can bring true happiness. Love is the key 
 that unlocks the heart of stone, and melts the coldest 
 natures. It softens and subdues, sweetens and enno- 
 bles our lives, and brings us into sympathy and har- 
 mony with the whole created world. Loving eyes ever 
 seek for the good, the true, and the beautiful ; loving 
 hands soothe the aching head, and smooth the rum- 
 pled pillow, and never weary of tender ministrations ; 
 loving feet are swift to bear good tidings, and from 
 morning until night are walking in ways of kindness. 
 Loving voices speak comforting words and sing songs 
 of gladness ; and loving hearts blossom into beautiful 
 thoughts. It is the unselfish spirit that loves the most ; 
 acts of self-denial prove the strength and depth of our 
 love. Daily sacrifice becomes pleasure, if made for 
 those who are dear to us. Let us learn to renounce 
 self; each act of self-denial is a round of the ladder by 
 which we climb nearer to Heaven. 
 
 Sublimest joy is won through fiery trial, 
 And sweetest rest by toil and self-denial. 
 
 ANONYMOUS. 
 
 The trivial round, the common task, 
 Would furnish all we ought to ask ; 
 Room to deny ourselves ; a road 
 To bring us, daily, nearer God. 
 
 j. KEBLE. 
 
 All the doors that lead inward to the secret place of 
 the Most High are doors outward out of self, out of 
 smallness, out of wrong. GEORGE MACDONALD. 
 
 [83]
 
 MARCH EIGHTEENTH. 
 
 A YEAR! A life! What are they ? The telling of 
 a tale, the passing of a meteor, a dim speck seen 
 for a moment on Time's horizon dropping into eternity. 
 
 THOMASON. 
 
 The sands in God's great hour-glass are falling, one 
 by one. Silently and steadily the little golden moments 
 are measuring their brief span, and Time is marching 
 on. His footprints are on the valleys and hills, his 
 touch is on the forest-trees, and the giant rocks wear 
 his impress. May Time whisper to you of Eternity, and 
 as you walk with him through life's pathway, fret not 
 because you are growing older, but let this, the rather, 
 be your anxiety : u Am I growing better? " 
 
 I sometimes feel the thread of life is slender, 
 And soon with me the labor will be wrought ; 
 Then grows my heart to other hearts more tender. 
 The time is short. 
 
 There are no fragments so precious as those of time, 
 and none are so heedlessly lost by people who cannot 
 make a moment, and yet can waste years. MONT- 
 GOMERY. 
 
 Oh, let us carry hence, each one, 
 
 Some kindly word, some look, some tone, 
 
 Into his after life, to be 
 Treasured heart-deep and carried home 
 
 An echo from the distant sea, 
 
 A thing of joy to memory, 
 In all the years to come ! 
 
 ANONYMOUS. 
 
 [84]
 
 MARCH NINETEENTH. 
 
 A SONG OF THE OLDEN TIME. 
 
 LET us give it a place in our hearts, and a page in 
 our book ! We catch the tender music winged 
 to us from Memory's busy hive, and once again gather 
 from the meadows of the past the honied sweets of 
 half-forgotten strains. Oh, sometime, I think all the 
 music of our lives shall come back to us, not a note 
 missing, and the unwritten songs of our hearts shall 
 find words and tune our tongues to harmonies divine. 
 
 There's a song of the olden time, 
 
 Falling sad o'er the ear, 
 Like the dream of some village chime, 
 
 Which in youth we lov'd to hear. 
 And ev'n amidst the grand and gay, 
 
 When music tries her gentlest art, 
 I never hear so sweet a lay, 
 
 Or one that hangs so round my heart. 
 
 And when all of this life is gone, 
 
 Ev'n the hope, ling'ring now, 
 Like the last of the leaves left on 
 
 Autumn's sere and faded bough, 
 'Twill seem as still those friends were near, 
 
 Who loved me in youth's early day, 
 If in that parting hour I hear 
 
 The same sweet notes, and die away, 
 To that song of the olden time, 
 
 Breath'd, like Hope's farewell strain, 
 To say, in some brighter clime, 
 
 Life and youth will shine again. 
 
 MOORE. 
 
 [85]
 
 MARCH TWENTIETH. 
 
 ONE of our writers has said, " The art of conversa- 
 tion is not to be taught in books ; it can be 
 acquired only by constant intercourse with society, 
 acting upon a well-stocked mind. Both conditions are 
 essential to success experience and information. 
 We must know not only what to say, but how to say 
 it. And, remember, if the faculty of talking well be one 
 indispensable accomplishment in a successful conver- 
 sationalist, another is the faculty of listening patiently. 
 The man who always talks and never listens, is a bore 
 of the greatest magnitude ; so is the man who listens, 
 and never talks. For conversation must be neither 
 monologue nor duologue ; but the harmonious com- 
 bination of many voices and many minds." 
 
 Discourse may want an animated " No," 
 To brush the surface, and to make it flow ; 
 But still remember, if you mean to please, 
 To press your point with modesty and ease. 
 
 COWPER. 
 
 Equality is the life of Conversation ; and he is as 
 much out who assumes to himself any part above 
 another, as he who considers himself below the rest of 
 the society. SIR RICHARD STEELE. 
 
 The power to converse well is a very great charm. 
 You think anybody can talk ? How mistaken you are. 
 Anybody can chatter. Anybody can exchange idle 
 gossip. . . . But to talk wisely, instructively, freshly, 
 and delightfully, is an immense accomplishment. It 
 implies exertion, observation, study of books and peo- 
 ple, and receptivity of impression. RUSKIN. 
 [86]
 
 MARCH TWENTY-FIRST. 
 
 DESPISE not the chastening of the Lord, neither 
 be weary of His correction ; for whom the Lord 
 loveth He correcteth, even as the father the son in 
 whom he delighteth. PROVERBS 3 : ri, 12. 
 
 Well-pruned hedges put forth fresh life and vigor, 
 and take on a new and thrifty growth. But under- 
 neath still lie the thorns. When God prunes His 
 children with the discipline of sorrow and adversity, 
 some of us only put on an outward show of sweetness 
 and submission, while underneath lie the thorns of 
 complainings and rebellion. No one but God, who 
 sees beyond the surface-growth, can know the unyield- 
 ing force of a human heart : it often requires repeated 
 chastisings to rid us of the undergrowth of rebellious 
 thoughts and feelings, and bring us into a state of calm 
 resignation to His will. 
 
 My God, my Father, while I stray 
 Far from my home, in life's rough way, 
 Oh, teach me from my heart to say, 
 "Thy will be done." 
 
 If Thou shouldst call me to resign 
 What most I prize, it ne'er was mine : 
 I only yield Thee what was Thine ; 
 " Thy will be done." 
 
 Renew my will from day to day ; 
 Blend it with Thine, and take away 
 All that now makes it hard to say, 
 " Thy will be done." 
 
 CHARLOTTE ELLIOTT. 
 [87]
 
 MARCH TWENTY-SECOND. 
 
 LET us drink from the chalice of Joy, for the winter 
 is over, and God hath waked the world into new- 
 ness of life ! 
 
 How natural is joy, my heart ! 
 
 JEAN INGELOW. 
 
 Joy is the mainspring in the whole round of ever- 
 lasting Nature ; Joy moves the wheels of the great 
 timepiece of the world ; she it is that loosens flowers 
 from their buds, suns from their firmaments, rolling 
 spheres in distant space seen not by the glass of the 
 astronomer. SCHILLER. 
 
 I was only then 
 
 Contented, when with bliss ineffable 
 I felt the sentiment of Being spread 
 O'er all that moves and all that seemeth still ; 
 O'er all that, lost beyond the reach of thought 
 And human knowledge, to the human eye 
 Invisible, yet liveth to the heart ; 
 O'er all that leaps and runs, and shouts and sings, 
 Or beats the gladsome air ; o'er all that glides 
 Beneath the wave, yea in the wave itself, 
 And mighty depth of waters. Wonder not 
 If high the transport, great the joy I felt 
 Communing in this sort through earth and Heaven 
 With every form of creature, as it looked 
 Towards the Uncreated with a countenance 
 Of adoration, with an eye of love. 
 
 WORDSWORTH. 
 [88]
 
 MARCH TWENTY-THIRD. 
 
 THE surest, as the shortest, way to make yourself 
 beloved and honoured, is to be indeed the very 
 man you wish to appear. Set yourself, therefore, dili- 
 gently to the attaining of every virtue, and you will 
 find on experience, that no one of them whatsoever 
 but will flourish and gain strength when properly exer- 
 cised. SOCRATES. 
 
 So Virtue blooms, brought forth amid the storms 
 Of chill adversity ; in some lone walk 
 
 Of life she rears her head, 
 
 Obscure and unobserved ; 
 
 While every bleaching breeze that on her blows, 
 Chastens her spotless purity of breast, 
 
 And hardens her to bear 
 
 Serene the ills of life. 
 
 HENRY KIRK WHITE. 
 
 Salt of the earth, ye virtuous few, 
 
 Who season human kind ; 
 Light of the world, whose cheering ray 
 
 Illumes the realms of mind : 
 Where Misery spreads her deepest shade, 
 
 Your strong compassion glows : 
 From your blessed lips the balm distils, 
 
 That softens mortal woes. 
 
 ANNE L. BARBAULD. 
 
 The virtuous and truly wise man distinguishes him- 
 self, not by a peculiar dress, not by singular actions, 
 words, and gestures, but by his whole conduct. One 
 view must appear in all his actions the view to do as 
 much good by his existence as possible. FEDER. 
 [89]
 
 MARCH TWENTY-FOURTH. 
 
 HAVE high aims and aspirations ; be constantly 
 travelling upward, and keep Heaven always in 
 sight. No matter where your lot may be cast, nor how 
 lowly your surroundings, lift your hopes above you. 
 Let your mind and soul keep steadily mounting God- 
 ward. Spread your spirit-wings up into the pure atmos- 
 phere of Infinite love, and let your whole life be an 
 uplifting of your soul and the souls of fellow-men. 
 
 Fasten your souls so high, that constantly 
 The smile of your heroic cheer may float 
 Above all floods of earthly agonies, 
 Purification being the joy of pain. 
 
 E. B. BROWNING. 
 
 Raise me above the vulgar's breath, 
 Pursuit of fortune, fear of death, 
 
 And all in life that's mean ; 
 Still true to reason be my plan, 
 Still let my actions speak the man, 
 
 Through every various scene. 
 
 MARK AKENSIDE. 
 
 Let each man think himself an act of God, 
 His mind a thought, his life a breath of God ; 
 And let each try, by great thoughts and good deeds, 
 To show the most of Heaven he hath in him. 
 
 BAILEY. 
 
 I hold in truth, with him who sings 
 To one clear harp in divers tones, 
 That men may rise on stepping-stones 
 
 Of their dead selves to higher things. 
 
 TENNYSON. 
 
 [90]
 
 MARCH TWENTY-FIFTH. 
 
 THE voice of the Lord is upon the waters. 
 PSALM 29:3. 
 
 What is more majestic than the sweep of the ocean 
 as it lashes against its shores! In a storm, its tones 
 are like muffled thunder, as the huge breakers dash 
 and plunge, and rear their crested heads high in the 
 air, like tossing manes on white battle-horses. Can 
 you not hear the powerful voice of God speaking 
 through the waters ? Does it not bring to mind those 
 familiar lines, by Cowper? 
 
 God moves in a mysterious way, 
 
 His wonders to perform ; 
 He plants His footsteps on the sea, 
 
 And rides upon the storm. 
 
 Not only on troublous seas, and amid angry billows, 
 is heard the grandeur and sublimity of the voice of 
 God, but beneath fair, cloudless skies, when soft, calm 
 winds are blowing then it sings in our ears a tender 
 Song of Peace. It is heard in the ceaseless flow of 
 the rushing river, reaching ever towards the sea ; and 
 even the bright mountain stream hath a bit of God in 
 it, and is a symbol of His wonderful love, whose foun- 
 tain shall flow on through eternity. 
 
 Christ and His love shall be thy blessed all 
 
 Forevermore ! 
 Christ and His light shall shine on all thy ways 
 
 Forevermore ! 
 Christ and His peace shall keep thy trembling soul 
 
 Forevermore ! 
 
 BONAR. 
 [91]
 
 I 
 
 MARCH TWENTY-SIXTH. 
 
 WISH this may be to you a day of true content- 
 ment ! 
 
 Down the windings, lanes, and among the sprout- 
 ing hedges you can hear the clear, ringing call of early 
 birds, whistling and piping as they go. The air is full 
 of whispers and odors of Spring ; the damp earth 
 steams in the sunlight, and from the very moisture of 
 its sodden mould new seeds take root, new blossoms 
 burst, and everywhere is something fresh and green. 
 Life and Progress sing a daily song of content. When 
 we are busy growing and thriving, and reaching up 
 towards Heaven, we have no time for repining ; like 
 the birds, our songs of gladness will burst forth, and 
 go ringing down the lanes of life, and fill other hearts 
 with joy. We are content when doing our duty, and 
 helping some one else to do theirs. True contentment 
 is in the heart, and not in the surroundings. 
 
 Sweet are the thoughts that savour of content ; 
 
 The quiet mind is richer than a crown ; 
 
 Sweet are the nights in careless slumber spent ; 
 
 The poor estate scorns fortune's angry frown ; 
 
 Such sweet content, such minds, such sleep, such bliss, 
 
 Beggars enjoy, when princes oft do miss. 
 
 ROBERT GREENE. 
 
 We'll therefore relish with content, 
 Whate'er kind Providence has sent, 
 
 Nor aim beyond our power ; 
 For, if our stock be very small, 
 'Tis prudent to enjoy it all, 
 
 Nor lose the present hour. 
 
 NATHANIEL COTTON. 
 [92]
 
 MARCH TWENTY-SEVENTH. 
 
 WE cannot be half thankful enough. God has 
 bestowed so many gifts upon us, is bestowing 
 them now, and will continue to do so as long as we 
 live. Last year's acorns lie half-buried beneath the 
 dead leaves, and though cast aside and trodden under 
 foot of man, they still hold their shapely cups open to 
 the sky ready to gather the dews of Heaven. It may 
 be a tiny germ is sleeping there, and nourished and 
 watered by those refreshing drops ; sometime a mighty 
 tree shall spring up, and spread its leaves and lend 
 shelter to the passer-by. Oh, let us make the most of 
 our daily blessings, showered down upon us, as the 
 crystal drops of dew that fill the little brown acorn's 
 cup! Isn't your cup, and mine, running over? Let 
 us plant a germ of thankfulness in our heart-soil every 
 day that shall take root and grow towards God. If 
 our cups are always ready to catch God's blessings, it 
 will not be long before the world shall be able to sit 
 under the shadow of our wide-spreading oaks of 
 thankfulness ; for like the chalice the acorn holds, 
 there will always be heavenly dews to fill them. 
 
 Enough that He who made can fill the soul 
 Here and hereafter till its deeps o'erflow ; 
 
 Enough that love and tenderness control 
 Our fate where'er in joy or doubt we go. 
 
 ANONYMOUS. 
 
 My heart for gladness springs, 
 
 It cannot more be sad, 
 For very joy it laughs and sings, ' 
 
 Sees nought but sunshine glad. 
 
 P. GERHARDT. 
 [93]
 
 MARCH TWENTY-EIGHTH. 
 
 T ITTLE things 
 J * On little wings 
 Bear little souls to Heaven. 
 
 FABER. 
 
 Love's secret is to be always doing things for God, 
 and not to mind because they are such very little 
 ones FABER. 
 
 We miss so much in this life, because we often pass 
 by the little things. We are ever looking forward to 
 great achievements, instead of making the most of 
 trifles. 
 
 Why do we heap huge mounds of years 
 
 Before us and behind, 
 And scorn the little days that pass 
 
 Like angels on the wind ? 
 
 Each turning round a small, sweet face 
 
 As beautiful as near ; 
 Because it is so small a face 
 
 We will not see it clear : 
 
 And as it turns from us, and goes 
 
 Away in sad disdain : 
 Though we would give our lives for it, 
 
 It never comes again. 
 
 DINAH MULOCH CRAIK. 
 
 Wiser it were to welcome and make ours 
 Whatever of good, though small, the Present brings, 
 Kind greetings, sunshine, song of birds, and flowers, 
 With a child's pure delight in little things. 
 
 R. C. TRENCH. 
 
 [94]
 
 MARCH TWENTY-NINTH. 
 
 AN able writer has said, " The path of duty in this 
 world is not all gloom or sadness, or darkness. 
 Like the roads of the South, it is hedged with ever- 
 bloom, pure and white as snow. It is only when we 
 turn to the right hand or the left that we are lacerated 
 by piercing thorns and concealed dangers." 
 
 Hark, hark, a voice amid the quiet intense ! 
 It is thy Duty waiting thee without. 
 Rise from thy knees, in hope, the half of doubt : 
 A hand doth pull thee it is Providence ; 
 Open thy door straightway and get thee hence ; 
 Go forth into the tumult and the shout ; 
 Work, love, with workers, lovers, all about : 
 Of noise alone is born the inward sense 
 Of silence ; and from action springs alone 
 The inward knowledge of true love and faith. 
 
 GEORGE MACDONALD. 
 
 " What shall I do to gain eternal life ? " 
 
 " Discharge aright 
 The simple dues with which each day is rife, 
 
 Yea, with thy might." 
 
 E. VON SCHILLER. 
 
 Our thoughts, good or bad, are not in our com- 
 mand, but every one of us has at all hours duties to 
 do, and these he can do negligently like a slave, or 
 faithfully, like a true servant. "Do the duty that is 
 nearest thee " that first, and that well ; all the rest 
 will disclose themselves with increasing clearness, and 
 make their successive demand. Were your duties 
 never so small, ... set yourself with double and treble 
 energy and punctuality, to do them. x. CARLYLE. 
 [95]
 
 MARCH THIRTIETH. 
 
 " T EAD us not into temptation." . . . Perhaps 
 J ' you will find this a day of temptations. It may 
 be you will want to do the very things that you know 
 you ought not to do. God's grace can sustain you, His 
 love can uphold you, His strength can support you. 
 Don't trust to yourself to meet temptations ; we are all 
 so frail, and so weak by nature, that we cannot with- 
 stand them ; God alone is able to save us. 
 
 Thus everywhere we find our suffering God, 
 
 And where He trod 
 May set our steps ; the Cross on Calvary 
 
 Uplifted high 
 Beams on the martyr host, a beacon light 
 
 In open fight. 
 
 Mortal, if life smile on thee, and thou find 
 
 All to thy mind, 
 Think, who did once from Heaven to Hell descend 
 
 Thee to befriend ; 
 So, shalt thou dare forego at His dear call, 
 
 Thy best, thine all. 
 
 J. KEBLE. 
 
 Oh, deliver us from evil, 
 
 Our Father that at last 
 When our pilgrimage is ended, 
 
 And its perils safely past ; 
 We may see the morning breaking 
 
 On our promised Canaan's shore, 
 Where Thou reign'st in pow'r and glory 
 
 Evermore and evermore ! 
 
 Amen. 
 
 HELEN MARION BURNSIDE. 
 [96]
 
 MARCH THIRTY-FIRST. 
 
 IF thou hast learned ivhy thou livest, thou wilt surely 
 learn how to love. Why did God place thee in the 
 world? Was it merely for thine own pleasure and 
 satisfaction? Was it that thou mightest reach the 
 heights of wisdom and look down from an exalted 
 position on all humanity? If thou art a true believer 
 in Christianity, thou wilt say this was not His purpose, 
 but that thou shouldst glorify and enjoy Him forever, 
 and that thou shouldst, while having a care for thine 
 intellectual advancement, take even greater thought for 
 thy soul's welfare. Suffer not pleasure to keep thee 
 enchained within its narrow bounds, for pleasure in 
 itself is but vanity ; it soars no higher than thine own 
 head, but dies in languid indolence, and so is lost for- 
 ever. Thou wert made in the image of God, therefore 
 do not lose thy resemblance to Him. Let thy soul 
 reflect His purity, goodness, and truth. If thou dost 
 care for naught but the things of this world, thou wilt 
 soon find thy spirit growing more like the world, and 
 less like God. It is right that thou shouldst be joyful 
 and happy ; but it is not expedient for thee to be ab- 
 sorbed in mere pleasures and frivolities. Let God and 
 thy duty lead thee, then shalt thou walk aright. 
 
 Oh, righteous doom, that they who make 
 
 Pleasure their only end, 
 Ordering the world for its sake, 
 
 Miss that whereto they tend ; 
 While they who bid stern Duty lead, 
 
 Content to follow, they 
 Of duty only taking heed, 
 
 Find pleasure by the way. 
 
 R. C. TRENCH. 
 [97]
 
 OR THE MONTH 
 OF APRIL 
 
 APRIL FIRST. 
 
 SHE comes, she comes, the April-child ; now bid 
 her welcome one and all ! 
 
 God smiles through the Spring's dear eyes, and 
 speaks through Spring's dear voice : and man looks up 
 in thankfulness to listen, and rejoice. A thousand 
 echoes wake the grove, all glad and strong, and full of 
 praise. Oh, hear ! 'tis our Creator's voice that speaks 
 in love and tenderness. 
 
 Dip down upon the northern shore, 
 O sweet new year, delaying long : 
 Thou doest expectant Nature wrong ; 
 
 Delaying long, delay no more. 
 
 Who stays thee from the clouded noons, 
 Thy sweetness from its proper place ? 
 Can trouble live with April days, 
 
 Or sadness in the summer noons ? 
 
 Where now the seamew pipes, or dives 
 In yonder greening gleam, and fly 
 The happy birds, that change their sky 
 
 To build and brood, that live their lives 
 
 From land to land ; and in my breast 
 Spring wakens too ; and my regret 
 Becomes an April violet, 
 
 And buds and blossoms like the rest. 
 
 ALFRED TENNYSON. 
 [98]
 
 JOHN KEATS 
 1795-1821
 
 APRIL SECOND. 
 
 A DAY OF VIOLETS. 
 
 DEEP violets, you liken to 
 The kindest eyes that look on you, 
 Without a thought disloyal. 
 
 E. B. BROWNING. 
 
 May their sweetness pervade your lives; and may 
 you, like them, be adorned with the grace of humility, 
 that your good deeds may shed their fragrance, and 
 make glad the earth ! Hold up your hearts for the 
 truth, and God will fill them with drops of love, as the 
 cup of the violet is filled with the dews of Heaven. So 
 shall you grow like an April violet, blossoming in the 
 garden of God's world, refreshing the highways of life's 
 beautiful Spring. 
 
 Violets ! deep-blue violets ! 
 April's loveliest coronets ! 
 There are no flowers grow in the vale 
 Kiss'd by the dew, woo'd by the gale, 
 None by the dew of the twilight wet, 
 So sweet as the deep-blue violet. 
 
 LETITIA E. LANDON. 
 
 We are violets blue, 
 
 For our sweetness found 
 Careless in the mossy shades, 
 
 Looking on the ground. 
 Love dropp'd eyelids and a kiss, 
 Such our breath and blueness is. 
 
 LEIGH HUNT. 
 
 [99]
 
 APRIL THIRD. 
 
 " "\ T THEN I consider the heavens the work of Thy 
 V fingers, the moon and the stars which Thou 
 hast ordained, what is man that Thou art mindful of 
 him, and the son of man that Thou regardest him ? " 
 
 Addison, who was once surveying the heavens, said, 
 . . . "When I considered the infinite hosts of stars, 
 or to speak more philosophically, of suns, which were 
 then shining upon me, with those innumerable sets of 
 planets or worlds which were moving around their re- 
 spective suns, ... I could but reflect on that little 
 insignificant figure which I myself bore amidst the 
 immensity of God's works." 
 
 Thou art, O God, the life and light 
 Of all this wondrous world we see ; 
 
 Its glow by day, its smile by night, 
 Are but reflections caught from Thee. 
 
 Where'er we turn Thy glories shine, 
 
 And all things bright and fair are Thine ! 
 
 When youthful Spring around us breathes, 
 Thy spirit warms her fragrant sigh ; 
 
 And every flower the summer wreathes 
 Is born beneath that kindling eye : 
 
 Where'er we turn, Thy glories shine, 
 
 And all things fair and bright are Thine ! 
 
 THOMAS MOORE. 
 
 Thou that hast given so much to me, 
 Give one thing more, a grateful heart. 
 Not thankful when it pleaseth me, 
 As if Thy blessings had spare days ; 
 But such a heart, whose pulse may be 
 Thy praise. 
 
 G. HERBERT. 
 [100]
 
 APRIL FOURTH. 
 
 HE who dares not, fail he must ! 
 Only let the cause be just, 
 Then have courage, thou shalt win 
 Let thy task at once begin. 
 
 Does life's pilgrimage seem long? Did yesterday's 
 trials discourage you for to-day? Trials fall to the lot 
 of all mankind, therefore you will have your share. 
 Meet them bravely, bear them cheerfully, and do not let 
 them dishearten you. Arm yourself with Courage, and 
 you will ride over difficulties ; a spirit of valor is needed 
 every day to overcome the evil in your nature, and it is 
 only by continued warfare that you may hope to be 
 victorious. 
 
 Brave spirits are a balsam to themselves. 
 
 CARTWRIGHT. 
 
 True valor, friends, on virtue founded strong, 
 Meets all events alike. 
 
 MALLET. 
 
 The intent and not the deed 
 
 Is in our power ; and therefore who dares greatly, 
 
 Does greatly. 
 
 BROWN. 
 
 True fortitude is seen in great exploits 
 
 That justice warrants, and that wisdom guides. 
 
 ADDISON. 
 
 The brave man is not he who feels no fear, 
 
 For that were stupid and irrational ; 
 
 But he whose noble soul its fear subdues, 
 
 And bravely dares the danger nature shrinks from. 
 
 JOANNA BAILLIE. 
 [*]
 
 APRIL FIFTH. 
 
 MAY this day end in a peaceful evening, when the 
 tumults of your heart, and mine, shall be hushed 
 to rest, and discords steal away amid the gloom ! The 
 close of each day will be welcome indeed, if we but 
 will it so. Even though our sun sets in shadow, and 
 our spirits are sorrowing, an inward calm shall lend 
 tranquillity to our minds, and soothe them into sweet 
 repose. Let us then possess this peace within, whose 
 presence shall make every storm a calm. 
 
 The twilight star to Heaven, 
 And the summer dew to flowers, 
 
 And the rest to us is given 
 
 By the cool, soft, evening hours. 
 
 FELICIA HEMANS. 
 
 God who madest earth and heaven, 
 
 Darkness and light, 
 Who the day for toil hast given, 
 
 For rest the night, 
 May Thine angel-guards defend us, 
 Slumber sweet Thy mercy send us, 
 Holy dreams and hopes attend us, 
 
 This livelong night. 
 
 Guard us waking, guard us sleeping, 
 
 And when we die, 
 May we in Thy mighty keeping 
 
 All peaceful lie ; 
 
 When the last dread call shall wake us, 
 Do not Thou our God forsake us, 
 But to reign in glory take us 
 
 With Thee on high. 
 
 REGINALD HEBER. 
 
 [102]
 
 APRIL SIXTH. 
 
 THE hours are flying ! Change sets her seal on all 
 about us, and we, with all the world, are changing 
 too. But why complain? Would we sit idly down, 
 nor soil our hands, nor tire our feet, nor take no part in 
 the affairs of life ? Would we rather not bear the signs 
 of labor on our brows, than have them smooth and 
 fair, too fair alas, to win the toiler's crown? Would 
 we not far rather show our Lord brown, withered, weary 
 hands that have their noble work done, in loving, faith- 
 ful servitude, than lift to Him a useless pair, though 
 white and beautiful they look to human eyes? Me- 
 thinks the hand best skilled to patient labor here, shall 
 sweeter play the harps above. The feet, though falter- 
 ing, tired, and worn, whose pilgrimage ends nearest 
 Heaven, methinks with gladdest steps shall tread the 
 golden streets of God.' Oh, then let Change and Time 
 sweep on ; it matters little, so we change to ripe fruition, 
 and our souls are ready for His aftermath. 
 
 Well, give the little Years their way ; 
 
 Think, speak, and act the while ; 
 Lift up the bare front to the day, 
 
 And make their wrinkles smile. 
 They mould the noblest living head ; 
 They carve the best tomb for the dead. 
 
 ANONYMOUS. 
 
 Lord, we have wandered forth through doubt and 
 sorrow, 
 
 And thou hast made each step an onward one ; 
 And we will ever trust each unknown morrow, 
 
 Thou wilt sustain us till its work is done. 
 
 S. JOHNSON. 
 [103]
 
 APRIL SEVENTH. 
 
 LIGHT is our sorrow, for it ends to-morrow, 
 Light is our death which cannot hold us fast ; 
 So brief a sorrow can be scarcely sorrow, 
 Or death be death so quickly past. 
 
 One night, no more, of pain that turns to pleasure, 
 One night, no more, of weeping, weeping sore ; 
 And then the heaped-up measure beyond measure, 
 In quietness forevermore. 
 
 Our sails are set to cross the tossing river, 
 Our face is set to reach Jerusalem ; 
 We toil awhile but then we rest forever, 
 Sing with all saints and rest above with them. 
 
 CHRISTINA ROSSETTI. 
 
 Joy will be sweet indeed that follows sorrow, and 
 rest will be welcome that follows toil. How gladly 
 shall we lay down our burdens, and, ever keeping in 
 view the New Jerusalem, journey on to find our prom- 
 ised rest. The river will not be dark or troublous if 
 lighted by the Divine Presence ; the way will not be 
 long if He bears us company ; our hearts shall not faint 
 nor shrink if He is near to cheer and comfort us. Then 
 shall all earthly sorrows vanish, and our faces reflect 
 the sunlight of His gladness, and the beauty of His 
 smile. 
 
 There's no way to make sorrow light 
 
 But in the noble bearing ; be content ; 
 
 Blows given from Heaven are our due punishment ; 
 
 All shipwrecks are not drowning ; you see buildings 
 
 Made fairer from their ruins. 
 
 WILLIAM ROWLEY. 
 
 [104]
 
 APRIL EIGHTH. 
 
 COME, let us spend a day with the birds! Nature's 
 jubilee-choir has begun to chant the glad hallelu- 
 jahs of the year. The vales are trills of rapture, the 
 brooks are symphonies of joy, and the rocks are har- 
 monies of sound. What a grand orchestra! How 
 everything vibrates to the rhythmical measure! Learn 
 a lesson to-day ; take the birds for your text ; every 
 song is tuned to the key-note of praise ; this gush of 
 gladness is the overflowing of joyous hearts in thank- 
 fulness to God. Ye human hearts, like them unite your 
 songs in adoration sweet! 
 
 And the blackbirds helped us with the story, for they 
 
 knew it well. 
 
 Piping, fluting, " Bees are humming, 
 April's here, and summer's coming." 
 
 JEAN INGELOW. 
 
 The welcome guest of settled Spring, 
 The swallow too is come at last ; 
 
 Just at sunset, when thrushes sing, 
 
 I saw her dash with rapid wing, 
 And hailed her as she passed. 
 
 CHARLOTTE SMITH. 
 
 Hark, hark ! the lark at Heaven's gate sings! 
 
 SHAKESPEARE. 
 
 See yon robin on the spray, 
 
 Look ye how his tiny form 
 Swells, as when his merry lay 
 
 Gushes forth amid the storm. 
 
 HARRISON WEIR. 
 
 [105]
 
 APRIL NINTH. 
 
 Time hath laid his mantle by 
 A Of wind and rain and icy chill, 
 And dons a rich embroidery 
 
 Of sunlight poured on lake and hill. 
 
 No beast or bird in earth or sky, 
 Whose voice doth not with gladness thrill, 
 
 For Time hath laid his mantle by 
 Of rain and wind and icy chill. 
 
 CHARLES OF ORLEANS. 
 
 You who have longed and waited for the Spring, 
 behold how gently and how blithely she comes! All 
 in the silence her glad feet come tripping over the hills, 
 and each day she has a sweet surprise in store for us : 
 she sings a rhythmical song in the echoing woods, and 
 spreads a beautiful mosaic over all the wide corridors 
 of the created world a mosaic of richest design and 
 color, fashioned and formed by the hand of God. 
 
 This magnificent tapestry of flowers, and leaves, and 
 velvety moss is spread for the feet of man. It is free 
 as the air we breathe, ours to enjoy, to appropriate, 
 and to be thankful for, and ours to give to others who 
 may not see its loveliness or smell its fragrance. 
 
 Gather the primroses, 
 
 Make handfuls into posies ; 
 
 Take them to the little girls who are at work in the 
 
 mills ; 
 
 Pluck the violets blue, 
 Ah, pluck not a few ! 
 Knowest thou what good thoughts from Heaven the 
 
 violet instills ? 
 
 EDWARD YOUL. 
 
 [106]
 
 APRIL TENTH. 
 
 SOME one has said, "There is sacredness in tears. 
 They are not the mark of weakness, but of power. 
 They speak more eloquently than ten thousand tongues. 
 They are the messengers of overwhelming grief, of 
 deep contrition, and of unspeakable love." 
 
 No radiant pearl which crested fortune wears, 
 No gem that, twinkling, hung from beauty's ears, 
 Not the bright stars, which night's blue arch adorn, 
 Nor rising sun that gilds the vernal morn, 
 Shines with such lustre as the tear that flows 
 Down virtue's manly cheek for others' woes. 
 
 DARWIN. 
 
 The rose is fairest when 'tis budding new, 
 And hope is brightest when it dawns from fears ; 
 The rose is sweetest wash'd with morning dew, 
 And love is loveliest when embalm'd in tears. 
 
 SCOTT. 
 
 All the rarest hues of human life take radiance and 
 are rainbowed out in tears. GERALD MASSEY. 
 
 Sooner mayest thou trust thy pocket to a pickpocket 
 than give loyal friendship to a man who boasts of eyes 
 to which the heart never mounts in dew! Only when 
 man weeps he should be alone, not because tears are 
 weak, but they should be secret. Tears are akin to 
 prayer ; Pharisees parade prayers, imposters parade 
 tears. BULWER. 
 
 [107]
 
 APRIL ELEVENTH. 
 
 THE temple of God is holy, which temple ye are. 
 I CORINTHIANS 3 : 17. 
 
 We are building for Eternity what a responsibility 
 is ours ! Each day your temple and mine counts an 
 added stone ; let us make them such that the great 
 Builder will not reject ; and let us choose only the best 
 material, and build on the Sure Foundation which is 
 Jesus Christ. There are no perfect spiritual temples in 
 this life ; each stone must first be polished by the hand 
 of God before it can reach perfection. But we may do 
 our part, and chisel off the rough corners as best we 
 can, leaving the rest to Him. Let our aim be to build 
 as near Heaven as we can, and to make ourselves wor- 
 thy to be called " temples of the Living God." 
 
 Whereas on earth 
 
 Temples and palaces are formed of parts 
 Costly and rare, but all material, 
 So in the world of spirits nought is found, 
 To mould withal and form into a whole, 
 But what is immaterial ; and thus 
 The smallest portion of this edifice, 
 Cornice, or frieze, or balustrade, or stair, 
 The very pavement is made up of life 
 Of holy, blessed, and immortal beings, 
 Who hymn their Maker's praise continually. 
 
 J. H. NEWMAN. 
 
 Now shed Thy mighty influence abroad 
 On souls that would their Father's image bear ; 
 Make us as holy temples of our God, 
 Where dwells forever calm, adoring prayer. 
 
 c. j. P. SPITTA. 
 [108]
 
 APRIL TWELFTH. 
 
 WHEN gratitude overflows the swelling heart, 
 And breathes in free and uncorrupted praise 
 For benefits receiv'd, propitious Heaven 
 Takes such acknowledgment as fragrant incense, 
 And doubles all his blessings. 
 
 GEORGE LILLO. 
 
 Learn to be grateful ; don't take blessings and favors 
 as a matter of course : you have done nothing to merit 
 them, and why should you receive them as if they 
 were your right ? You owe God everything. What 
 have you done for Him ? To begin with, He has 
 given you life, and instead of being thankful for every 
 breath you draw, you murmur and complain that your 
 lot was not cast in a different place, that you must 
 have trials, that you must suffer pain, that you must 
 shed tears, and bear sorrow, and have disappointments, 
 and lose friends, and oh, basest ingratitude ! you often 
 grieve Him by wishing that He had never given you 
 life at all. Get all you can out of this gift ; be glad 
 that you are alive, and make yourself a part of creation 
 and God ; look up to Him and be thankful. And when 
 loving favors are showered upon you by earthly friends, 
 receive them with loving gratitude ; often they have 
 been extended to you through some act of self-denial, 
 the meaning of which you may never understand. Let 
 your whole life be one of gratitude, and take the oppor- 
 tunity to show it whenever you can. 
 
 A grateful mind 
 
 By owing owes not, but still pays, at once, 
 Indebted and discharg'd. 
 
 MILTON. 
 [109]
 
 APRIL THIRTEENTH. 
 
 the pure mind alone hath solitude 
 Its charms. 
 
 ANONYMOUS. 
 
 An hour of solitude, passed in sincere and earnest 
 prayer or conflict with, and conquest over, a single 
 passion or subtle bosom sin, will teach us more of 
 thought, will more effectually awaken the faculty and 
 form the habit of reflection than a year's study in the 
 schools without them. COLERIDGE. 
 
 'Tis sweet to be alone and turn our thoughts inward ; 
 to muse on what we are how wonderfully made, how 
 mightily endowed ; to meditate on God's eternal wis- 
 dom, goodness, love. No human sculptor can per- 
 fectly imitate man ; he may chisel a beautiful work of 
 art so exquisitely that the world shall hold him in 
 remembrance as long as it lasts, but even then his 
 masterpiece is but cold marble and will crumble to 
 dust. There is no light in the eyes, no breath in the 
 nostrils, no smile on the lips, and no blood in the 
 heart. God's masterpiece lives, and moves, and sees, 
 and hears, and feels : and yet he is but a thought of 
 God, His great, immortal thought a living soul. In 
 the solitude man was created, when light, and darkness, 
 and sea, and sky, and land were new, and when no life, 
 save the Divine Life, had existence. In the solitude of 
 the beginning of time man's career began, before the 
 cycles past and gone had started on their pilgrimage. 
 What marvel then that man should wish to turn aside 
 for silent meditation, when Solitude cries out to him 
 to look within and hear the voices of his soul, and 
 Nature's speech, in gentle tone, beseeches him to look 
 without and see what God has wrought ! 
 [no]
 
 APRIL FOURTEENTH. 
 
 LET this be to you a day of resurrection ! 
 Now when all Nature is waking out of its long 
 winter sleep, and donning robes of freshness and 
 brightness, shake off the gloom that envelops your 
 spirit, and like the chrysalis, let your soul mount up 
 on gladsome wing and soar to greater heights of love 
 and joy. Leave behind your dull, dark self, your load 
 of care, and all that frets or weighs you down. Feast 
 on Nature's freshness and bloom, drink in her sunshine 
 and dew, and let your soul look up to God and be glad. 
 It is a time to think of Christ and His resurrection, a 
 time to remember His glorious awakening His tri- 
 umph over the cross, His victory over death. It is the 
 fair Easter-tide of the year; when the dark brown 
 bulbs are stirring and swelling under the silent earth, 
 and making sweet preparation to burst into lilies of 
 beauty and fragrance. So, too, may your soul blossom 
 into deeds of purity and peace ! 
 
 Awake, thou wintry earth ! 
 
 Fling off thy sadness ! 
 Fair vernal flowers, laugh forth 
 
 Your ancient gladness : 
 Christ is risen ! 
 
 All is fresh and new, 
 
 Full of spring and light : 
 Wintry heart, why wear'st the hue 
 
 Of sleep and night ? 
 Christ is risen ! 
 
 THOMAS BLACKBURN. 
 [Ill]
 
 APRIL FIFTEENTH. 
 
 THE word of the Lord came unto me, saying, 
 Jeremiah, what seest thou? 
 And I said, I see a rod of an Almond-tree. 
 
 JEREMIAH 1 : 1 1 . 
 
 Blossom of the almond-trees, 
 April's gift to April's bees, 
 Birthday ornament of spring, 
 Flora's fairest daughterling ; 
 Coming when no flowerets dare 
 Trust the cruel outer air, 
 When the royal king-cup bold 
 Dares not don his coat of gold, 
 And the sturdy blackthorn spray 
 Keeps his silver for the May ; 
 Coming when no flowerets would, 
 Save thy lowly sisterhood 
 Early violets, blue and white, 
 Dying for their love of light. 
 
 Almond blossoms, sent to teach us 
 
 That the spring days soon will reach us, 
 
 Lest, with longing over-tried, 
 
 We die as the violets died, 
 
 Blossom clouding all the tree 
 
 With thy crimson broidery, 
 
 Long before a leaf of green 
 
 On the bravest bough is seen, 
 
 Ah ! when winter winds are swinging 
 
 All the red bells into ringing, 
 
 With a bee in every bell, 
 
 Almond bloom, we greet thee well. 
 
 EDWIN ARNOLD. 
 
 [112]
 
 APRIL SIXTEENTH. 
 
 \ ~\ 7E read of Jacob's ladder ; Christ is Jacob's ladder 
 V that reacheth up to Heaven, and he that 
 refuses to go by this ladder thither, will scarce by any 
 other means get up so high. There is none other 
 name given under Heaven among men whereby we 
 must be saved. BUNYAN. 
 
 Aye, and Christ sends down to us His angel messen- 
 gers, to whisper tender words from Heaven ; and 
 silently they come and go upon the ladder of His love, 
 which we, too, may ascend if Faith illumes our way 
 and points us through the skies. 
 
 Ah ! many a time we look on starlit nights 
 
 Up to the sky as Jacob did of old ; 
 Look longing up to the eternal lights, 
 
 To spell their lives of gold. 
 
 Yet, to pure eyes the ladder still is set, 
 And Angel visitants still come and go ; 
 
 Many bright messengers are moving yet, 
 From the dark world below. 
 
 Thoughts, that are surely Faith's outspreading wings - 
 Prayers of the church, aye, keeping time and tryst - 
 
 Heart-wishes making bee-like murmurings, 
 Their flower, the Eucharist. 
 
 These are the messengers, forever wending 
 From earth to Heaven, that faith alone may scan ; 
 
 These are the Angels of our God, descending 
 Upon the Son of Man. 
 
 W. ALEXANDER.
 
 APRIL SEVENTEENTH. 
 
 BE careful how you make a promise; look ahead 
 first, and see that you will be able to keep it. A 
 " man of his word," if unpopular otherways, possesses at 
 least one admirable quality. It is easy enough to make 
 a promise, but not always so easy to fulfil it, therefore 
 count the cost before your word is pledged. Some- 
 times circumstances make it necessary for us to break 
 a promise, and if such is the case, let us frankly state 
 the reason, and ask to be released from our obliga- 
 tion. It is more honorable even to break one's word, 
 than to commit an unpardonable wrong simply for the 
 sake of keeping it. It is well to make few promises, and 
 then there will be few to break, but if we do make them 
 let us fulfil them, if we can possibly do so. The world 
 always has a place for the man who can be depended 
 upon, and whose word is as good as his bond. 
 
 Promising is the very air of the 
 
 Time; it opens the eyes of expectation. 
 
 Performance is ever the duller for 
 
 His act ; and, but in the plainer and simpler 
 
 Kind of people, the deed is quite of 
 
 Use. To promise is most courtly and fashionable ; 
 
 Performance is a kind of will or testament, 
 
 Which argues a great sickness in his judgment 
 
 That makes it. 
 
 SHAKESPEARE. 
 
 Promises were the ready money that was first coined 
 and made current by the law of nature, to support 
 that society and commerce that was necessary for the 
 comfort and security of mankind. CLARENDON. 
 ["4]
 
 APRIL EIGHTEENTH. 
 
 Behold a sower went forth to sow: 
 
 ND when he sowed, some seeds fell by the way- 
 
 side: 
 
 Some fell upon stony places : 
 And some fell among thorns ; 
 
 But other fell into good ground, and brought forth 
 fruit." 
 
 Prepare your ground before you sow ; let it be rich 
 and fertile ; turn up the sod to the sunlight, dews, and 
 showers of Heaven: scatter your seed, and wait. 
 Likewise, make ready your heart-soil : baptize it with 
 tears, and warm it with smiles, and while the summer 
 winds are blowing soft and sweet, and while the sum- 
 mer moons in silence wax and wane, be patient, Heart, 
 and wait. God guards the smallest seed ; His Har- 
 vest-time is sure to come ; your ripened wheat shall be 
 His care, your tares His loving heart shall grieve. 
 
 Sow with a generous hand ; 
 
 Pause not for toil or pain ; 
 Weary not through the heat of summer, 
 
 Weary not through the cold spring rain : 
 But wait till the autumn comes, 
 
 For the sheaves of golden grain. 
 
 Then sow, for the hours are fleeting, 
 
 And the seed must fall to-day, 
 And care not what hands shall reap it, 
 
 Or if you shall have passed away 
 Before the waving cornfields 
 
 Shall gladden the sunny day. 
 
 ADELAIDE A. PROCTER. 
 
 ["5]
 
 APRIL NINETEENTH. 
 
 HOW many mistakes we make, and how much we 
 have to regret! We can sit down for a few 
 moments and think of these things until they almost 
 overwhelm us. We can look back on our past lives, 
 and see, as in a glass, the reflection of so much that we 
 would give almost anything to recall. There are so 
 many ways in which to make mistakes ; sometimes they 
 can hardly be avoided, and we are not responsible for 
 them, but oftentimes they are made through igno- 
 rance, ignorance through neglected opportunities, 
 and through carelessness and indifference : we might 
 have avoided them had we only tried. Shall we not 
 endeavor to be less heedless hereafter? Regretting is 
 such sorrow, let us give it no cause to shadow our lives 
 and the lives of others- 
 
 Lifelong our stumbles, lifelong our regret, 
 Lifelong our efforts failing and renewed, 
 
 While lifelong is our witness, " God is good." 
 Who bore with us till now, bears with us yet, 
 Who still remembers and will not forget, 
 
 Who gives us light and warmth and daily food, 
 And gracious promises half understood, 
 
 And glories half revealed, whereon to set 
 
 Our heart of hearts and eyes of our desire ; 
 Uplifting us to longing and to love, 
 
 Luring us upward from this world of mire, 
 Urging us to press on and mount above 
 Ourselves and all we have had experience of, 
 
 Mounting to Him in love's perpetual fire. 
 
 CHRISTINA ROSSETTI. 
 
 [1x6]
 
 APRIL TWENTIETH. 
 
 SPEECH is silver, silence is gold. GERMAN 
 PROVERB. 
 
 Silence is the perfectest herald joy : 
 
 I were but little happy, if I could say how much. 
 
 SHAKESPEARE. 
 
 It is the silent influence, after all, that makes or 
 mars our lives. It is the look or action, often, that 
 carries the greatest weight, and that speaks more elo- 
 quently than the tongue. A man's real life is the life 
 that the world never knows or understands : you may 
 think you can read it like a book, but I think the best, 
 as well as the worst, that is in him is only revealed to 
 his God. If he is modest, he is often chary of giving 
 of his best ; if he is proud, he carefully guards his worst, 
 so that only in the silent chambers of his soul do these 
 two antagonists have their abode, sending forth an 
 occasional thought or look or action to give the world 
 a hint that they are there. O friend, make your silent 
 influence pure and holy ; let your fellow-men feel that 
 your inner life means something. Retire to the silence 
 of yourself, and commune with God, and make the 
 result of that communion a benefit to mankind. 
 
 The silence often of pure innocence 
 Persuades, when speaking fails. 
 
 SHAKESPEARE. 
 
 O Breath from out the Eternal Silence! blow 
 Softly upon our spirits 1 barren ground ; 
 
 The precious fulness of our God bestow, 
 
 That fruits of faith, love, reverence may abound. 
 
 G. TERSTEEGEN. 
 t"7]
 
 APRIL TWENTY-FIRST. 
 
 "\ ~\ 7HEN we gather all our blossoms of hope before 
 * they reach fruition, they wither in their fresh, 
 sweet youth, and leave but empty nothingness. Watch 
 them, one by one, guard them tenderly the budding 
 apple-blossoms of joy and hope that hang heavy from 
 life's green tree : let them grow sweeter, fuller every 
 day, until, at God's great Harvest-time, they shall drop 
 ripened to the ground, in deeds of richest gold. 
 
 Our wants, our wishes, yea, our hopes and fears, 
 
 Lie folded like the apple-blooms ; 
 With modesty flushing, 
 Like them are they blushing, 
 
 And white in their purity 
 Are waiting futurity ; 
 Thus in their silken cells they lie 
 
 Our heart's own cherished apple-blooms 
 That thrive and grow, and ripen with the years. 
 
 What inexpressible joy for me to look up through 
 the apple-blossoms and the fluttering leaves, and to 
 see God's love there ; to listen to the thrush that has 
 built his nest among them, and to feel God's love, who 
 cares for the birds, in every note that swells their little 
 throats ; to look beyond to the bright blue depths of 
 the sky, and feel they are a canopy of blessing ; . . . 
 and to know that if I could unwrap fold after fold of 
 God's universe, I should only unfold more and more 
 blessing, and see deeper and deeper into the love which 
 is at the heart of all. ELIZABETH CHARLES. 
 [*]
 
 T 
 
 APRIL TWENTY-SECOND. 
 
 HE Homes of England! God bless them, and 
 may they all be happy ones! 
 
 The stately Homes of England, 
 How beautiful they stand! 
 Amidst their tall ancestral trees, 
 O'er all the pleasant land ; 
 
 The blessed Homes of England! 
 
 How softly on their bowers 
 
 Is laid the holy quietness 
 
 That breathes from Sabbath hours! 
 
 Solemn, yet sweet, the church-bell's chime 
 
 Floats through their woods at morn ; 
 
 All other sounds, in that still time, 
 
 Of breeze and leaf are born. 
 
 The cottage Homes of England! 
 
 By thousands on her plains, 
 
 They are smiling o'er the silvery brooks, 
 
 And round the hamlet-fanes. 
 
 Through glowing orchards forth they peep, 
 
 Each from its nook of leaves ; 
 
 And fearless there the lowly sleep, 
 
 As the birds beneath their eaves. 
 
 The free, fair Homes of England! 
 
 Long, long in hut and hall, 
 
 May hearts of native proof be reared 
 
 To guard each hallowed wall! 
 
 And green forever be the groves, 
 
 And bright the flowery sod, 
 
 Where first the child's glad spirit loves 
 
 Its country and its God. 
 
 FELICIA HEMANS. 
 
 ["9]
 
 APRIL TWENTY-THIRD. 
 
 T IFE let it be to you a reality ; remember it is 
 -I ' the breath of God ; if you do not realize this, you 
 have never learned to value it. God has given it to 
 you pure and innocent ; let it be your business to keep 
 it so. He has placed within its reach possibilities ; 
 make it your aim to be all that He intended you to be, 
 and let no opportunity pass unimproved. In the very 
 humblest lives, and amid the poorest surroundings, 
 there is always a chance to climb, if you will watch for 
 it, and take it when it comes. It may be at a time 
 when least expected, it may be in a way you would not 
 choose, but if it is God's opportunity for you, why ques- 
 tion the time or way ? Make your life a reflection of 
 His life, and it will breathe out some of His sweetness, 
 and gladden the lives of others. 
 
 Be not amazed at life. 'Tis still 
 The mode of God with His elect, 
 
 Their hopes exactly to fulfil, 
 
 In times and ways they least expect. 
 
 DEAN ALFORD. 
 
 Didst fancy life one Summer holiday, 
 
 With lessons none to learn, and naught but play? 
 
 Go, get thee to thy task. Conquer or die! 
 
 It must be learned ; learn it then patiently. 
 
 No help ! nay, 'tis not so ; 
 Though human help be far, thy God is nigh, 
 Who feeds the ravens, hears His children's cry ; 
 He's near thee wheresoe'er thy footsteps roam, 
 And He will guide thee, light thee, help thee Home. 
 
 ANONYMOUS. 
 [120]
 
 A 
 
 APRIL TWENTY-FOURTH. 
 
 DAY of noble activity, God help you to do 
 your best in it ! 
 
 There, is no action so slight nor so mean but it may 
 
 Jbe done to a great purpose, and ennobled therefore^; 
 nor is any purpose so jjreat but that slight actions may 
 help it, and may be so done as to help it much, most, 
 especially, that chief of all purposes the pleasing of 
 God. RUSKIN. 
 
 One secret act of self-denial, one sacrifice of inclina- 
 tion to duty, is worth all the mere good thoughts, 
 warm feelings, passionate prayers in which idle people 
 indulge themselves. j. H. NEWMAN. 
 
 When first thy eyes unveil, give thy soul leave 
 To do the like ; our bodies but forerun 
 
 The spirit's duty ; true hearts spread and heave 
 Unto their God, as flowers do to the sun. 
 
 H. VAUGHAN. 
 
 Get leave to work ; 
 
 In this world 'tis the best you get at all : 
 For God, in cursing, gives us better gifts 
 Than man in benediction. 
 
 E. B. BROWNING. 
 
 Worship God by doing good ; 
 Help the suffering in their needs. 
 He who loves God as he should, 
 Makes his heart's love understood 
 By his deeds. 
 
 ANONYMOUS. 
 
 [121]
 
 APRIL TWENTY-FIFTH. 
 
 DO you wonder how you shall ever endure to the 
 end? Did you not live yesterday, and last week 
 and last year? To-day will soon be another yesterday, 
 and the longest day has but twenty-four hours. The 
 trouble is you are adding to your burden, instead of 
 lightening it : don't you know complainings, and mur- 
 murings will wejgh_more heavily than, amilhing else,? 
 Throw out a little ballast and you will rise higher; 
 you are carrying too much to make much progress 
 upward. Weighted wings cannot_SQax f Rid yourself 
 of anxieties and complaints, and you will find the jour- 
 ney easier. It is only a little while until your pilgrim- 
 age shall be ended ; take heart and think what lies 
 above and beyond you. Life is short, and it will soon 
 be over, but God's^EternityJcnows no littlq while. 
 
 Up, my drowsing eyes ! 
 
 Up, my sinking heart! 
 Up to Jesus Christ arise! 
 
 Claim your part 
 In all the rapture of the skies. 
 
 Yet a little while, 
 
 Yet a little way, 
 Saints shall reap and rest and smile 
 
 All the day : 
 Up! let's tmdge another mile. 
 
 CHRISTINA ROSSETTI. 
 
 A little longer still patience, beloved : 
 A little longer still, ere Heaven unroll 
 
 The glory, and the brightness, and the wonder, 
 Eternal and divine, that waits thy soul. 
 
 HYMNS OF THE AGES. 
 [122]
 
 APRIL TWENTY-SIXTH. 
 
 AS the Alpine heights tower above the world in 
 their grandeur and sublimity, so the heights of 
 God's love tower above us. We can only reach them 
 by an upward flight, yet the ascent is easy because He 
 makes it so. All He requires is a simple, childlike 
 faith and trust in Him, and a heart ready to love and 
 obey Him. Hold out your hand to Him, and He will 
 uplift you, and you shall one day stand with Him on 
 the Alpine heights of His wonderful love. 
 
 On Alpine heights the love of God is shed ; 
 
 He paints the morning red, 
 
 The flowerets white and blue, 
 
 And feeds them with His dew. 
 On Alpine heights a loving Father dwells. 
 
 On Alpine heights, o'er many a fragrant heath, 
 
 The loveliest breezes breathe ; 
 
 So free and pure the air, 
 
 His breath seems floating there. 
 On Alpine heights a loving Father dwells. 
 
 On Alpine heights, in troops all white as snow, 
 
 The sheep and wild goats go ; 
 
 There in the solitude, 
 
 He fills their hearts with food. 
 On Alpine heights a loving Father dwells. 
 
 On Alpine heights the herdsman tends his herd ; 
 
 His Shepherd is the Lord ; 
 
 For He who feeds the sheep 
 
 Will sure His offspring keep. 
 On Alpine heights a loving Father dwells. 
 
 KRUMMACHER. 
 ["3]
 
 APRIL TWENTY-SEVENTH. 
 
 NO [Vis the constant syllable ticking from the clock 
 of time. Now is the watchword of the wise. 
 Now is the banner of the prudent. Let us keep this 
 little word always in our minds, and whenever any- 
 thing presents itself to us in the shape of work, whether 
 mental or physical, we should do it with all our might, 
 remembering that Now is the only time for us that 
 .Afea/Jsj)urs ; that 7/fowjmay never be. ANONYMOUS. 
 
 Time past, and time to come, are not 
 Time present is our only Jot, ; 
 O God,Jiencefbrth our hearty incline 
 To seek no other love than thine! 
 
 MONTGOMERY. 
 
 The Present is our tirqg yours and mine ; the Past 
 is with death, the_Future isjwith God, The Present is 
 a jgrincely gues.t ; let us give him a royal welcome, and 
 make glad his stay ; if well entertained, he will leave, 
 us a precious legacy_Jn his wjll; but^if ignored and, 
 slighted, he wJlj rob us_of_our^peace, and send the, 
 ghpstjjf Regrets to haunt us in aft^r y pars - 
 
 Time flows from instants, and of these, each one 
 Should be esteem'd, as if it were alone : 
 The shortest space, which we so highly prize 
 When it is coming, and before our eyes, 
 Let it but slide into th' eternal main, 
 No realms, no worlds can purchase it again : 
 Remembrance only makes the footsteps last, 
 When winged time, which fix'd the prints, is past. 
 
 SIR JOHN BEAUMONT. 
 [124]
 
 w 
 
 APRIL TWENTY-EIGHTH. 
 
 A DAY WITH THE WIND! 
 
 IND! thou art lovelike, everywhere; o'er earth, 
 O'er ocean triumphing, and aye with clouds, 
 That like the ghost of ocean's billows roll. 
 
 BAILEY. 
 
 Thou wind! 
 
 Which art the unseen similitude of God 
 The Spirit ; His most meet and mightiest sign! 
 
 BAILEY. 
 
 The wind hath a language, I would I could learn ; 
 
 Sometimes 'tis soothing, and sometimes 'tis stern ; 
 
 Sometimes it comes like a low, sweet song, 
 
 And all things grow calm, as the sound floats along, 
 
 And the forest is lull'd by the dreamy strain, 
 
 And slumber sinks down on the wandering main, 
 
 And its crystal arms are folded in rest, 
 
 And the tall ship sleeps on its heaving breast. 
 
 And the billows leap up when the summons they hear, 
 And the ship flies away, as if winged with fear, 
 
 And when the moon rises, the ship is no more, 
 Its joys and its sorrows are vanish'd and o'er, 
 And the fierce storm that slew it has faded away, 
 Like the dark dream that flies from the light of the day. 
 
 LETITIA E. LANDON. 
 
 May the winds of Heaven blow away all your feuds, 
 until they are lost forever ; and may they sow the seed 
 of your good influence all over the world, until it shall 
 spring up and blossom for eternity!
 
 APRIL TWENTY-NINTH. 
 
 is a word of royal ton&; 
 Friend is a poem all alone. 
 
 ANONYMOUS. 
 
 We can never replace a friend. When a man is 
 fortunate enough to have several, he finds that they 
 are all different, no one has a double in friendship. 
 
 SCHILLER. 
 
 Friendship hath the skill and observation of the best 
 physician ; the diligence and vigilance of the best nurse ; 
 and the tenderness and patience of the best mother. 
 
 LORD CLARENDON. 
 
 Who knows the joys of friendship ? 
 
 The trust, security, and mutual tenderness, 
 
 The double joys, where each is glad for both? 
 
 Friendship our only wealth, our last retreat and 
 
 strength, 
 Secure against ill-fortune and the world. 
 
 NICHOLAS ROWE. 
 
 Lay this into your breast : 
 Old friends, like old swords, still are truest best. 
 
 JOHN WEBSTER. 
 
 It is the friendship that j|o ws ft om jhe heart which 
 is the only true friendship ; no other will stand the test 
 of sorrow and adversity, and remain steadfast. That 
 which is assumed for the sake of policy is short-lived ; 
 it smiles upon you and wears a semblance of sincerity, 
 but gives you the cold shoulder if you fail in the accom- 
 plishment of its hopes and wishes. Keep your heart 
 warm, if you would give out a warm. friendship. 
 
 fl26]
 
 APRIL THIRTIETH. 
 
 A DAY OF SWEET REMEMBRANCE! 
 
 SHE sent him rosemary, to the intent that he should 
 hold her in remembrance. DRAYTON. 
 
 Ah yes, there is a buried April somewhere in your 
 heart and mine : a time half sun, half tears, half hopes, 
 half fears, an April of our vanished years ! Don't you 
 remember it ? Don't you like to go off alone somewhere 
 and think of it, and smile over it, and yes, even grieve 
 over it? We take a sorrowful delight, sometimes, in 
 recalling sad things, and when we have lived them 
 over, and come back once more to the reality of the 
 present, we find ourselves smiling through our tears 
 the dead April rising again in us with a new resurrec- 
 tion. 
 
 When shall we come to that delightful day, 
 When each can say to each, " Dost thou remember f " 
 
 Let_us_fill urns with rpsgjgaves in our May, 
 And hive thejthrifty^ sweetness for December! 
 
 BULWER. 
 
 I cannot but remember such things were 
 That were most precious to me. 
 
 SHAKESPEARE. 
 
 Many kijidjyjieedsjbe yj)yr rosemary of remembran ce. 
 in the heart-gard_ens^ of your friends! 
 
 Sweet Memory, wafted by the gentle gale, 
 Oft up the stream of time I turn my sail, 
 To view the fairy haunts of long-lost hours, 
 Blest with far greener shades, far lovelier flowers. 
 
 SAMUEL ROGERS. 
 [127]
 
 OR THE MONTH 
 OF MAY 
 
 MAY FIRST. 
 
 AH, there is no one like her bonny May, the rosy, 
 dimpled darling of the year ! How light is her 
 step, how silvery her laugh, and how blithe her heart ! 
 She hath power to dispel sadness, to banish gloom, and 
 to drive away care. Her young hands are full of blos- 
 soms, with which to beautify the earth. God must 
 have put a song in her lips, and a light in her eye for 
 the joy of all mankind. Oh, that you may be akin to 
 her in sunshine and gladness, scattering sweetness 
 wherever you go, and making your influence a per- 
 petual May ! 
 
 Now the bright morning-star, day's harbinger, 
 Comes dancing from the east, and leads with her 
 The flowery May, who from her green lap throws 
 The yellow cowslip and the pale primrose. * 
 
 MILTON. 
 
 Little brings the May breeze 
 
 Beside pure scent of flowers, 
 While all things wax and nothing wanes 
 
 In lengthening daylight hours. 
 Across the hyacinth beds 
 
 The wind lags warm and sweet, 
 Across the hawthorn tops, 
 
 Across the blades of wheat. 
 
 CHRISTINA ROSSETTI. 
 
 [128]
 
 THOMAS CARLTLE 
 
 1795-1881
 
 MAY SECOND. 
 
 O SWEET English primroses ! May you be like 
 them, carrying gladness in your face, and God's 
 vernal Springtime in your heart. Like them, may you 
 grow and thrive in the light of God. 
 
 My soul lies out like a basking hound 
 
 A hound that dreams and dozes ; 
 
 Along my life my length I lay, 
 
 I fill to-morrow and yesterday, 
 
 I am warm with the suns that have long since set, 
 
 I am warm with the summers that are not yet, 
 
 And like one who dreams and dozes, 
 
 Softly afloat on a sunny sea, 
 
 Two worlds are whispering over me, 
 
 And there blows a wind of roses 
 
 From the backward shore to the shore before, 
 
 From the shore before to the backward shore, 
 
 And like two clouds that meet and pour 
 
 Each through each, till core in core 
 
 A single self reposes, 
 
 The nevermore with the evermore 
 
 Above me mingles and closes ; 
 
 As my soul lies out like the basking hound, 
 
 And wherever it lies seems happy ground ; 
 
 And when, awakened by some sweet sound, 
 
 A dreamy eye uncloses, 
 
 I see a blooming world around, 
 
 And I lie amid primroses, 
 
 Years of sweet primroses, 
 
 Springs of fresh primroses, 
 
 Springs to be, and springs for me, 
 
 Of distant, dim primroses. 
 
 SIDNEY DOBELL. 
 [129]
 
 MAY THIRD. 
 
 T ET your heart beat in unison with God's, and He 
 - ' will stand revealed in His marvellous works. 
 
 My God, what is a heart, 
 
 That Thou should'st it so eye and woo, 
 
 Pouring upon it all Thy art, 
 
 As if Thou had'st nothing else to do ? 
 
 Indeed, man's whole estate 
 
 Amounts and richly to serve Thee ; 
 
 He did not Heaven and earth create, 
 
 Yet studies them, not Him by whom they be. 
 
 Teach me Thy love to know ; 
 That this new light which now I see 
 May both the work and Workman show ; 
 Then by a sunbeam I will climb to Thee. 
 
 GEORGE HERBERT. 
 
 The Psalms of David show forth God's continual 
 goodness and love, as manifested in His works. Oh, 
 that our hearts may unite in this glad melody and sing 
 with thanksgiving, " O Lord, how manifold are Thy 
 works ! in wisdom hast Thou made them all : the earth 
 is full of Thy riches." 
 
 The spacious firmament on high ; 
 
 With all the blue ethereal sky, 
 And spangled heavens, a shining frame, 
 
 Their great Original proclaim ; 
 The unwearied sun, from day to day, 
 
 Does his Creator's power display, 
 And publishes to every land 
 
 The work of an Almighty hand. 
 
 ADDISON.
 
 MAY FOURTH. 
 
 BEST things are obtainable, but they do not come to 
 us of themselves. Ambition, energy, and perse- 
 verance are the levers that remove many obstacles in 
 our path, and leave the way clear to the attainment of 
 our end. Ambition beckons, energy pushes, and per- 
 severance keeps us continually toiling and delving, so 
 that, if we unite the three, we cannot help but succeed. 
 Perseverance will do more for us than mere talent. 
 Science owes her wonderful progress to perseverance ; 
 art and invention are indebted to her for their marvel- 
 lous discoveries ; and, through her mighty influence, 
 the world is growing wiser every day. 
 
 Perseverance is a Roman virtue, 
 That wins each god-like act, and plucks success 
 E'en from the spear-proof crest of rugged danger. 
 
 HA YARD. 
 
 Attempt an end, and never stand to doubt ; 
 Nothing's so hard, but search will find it out. 
 
 HERRICK. 
 
 He who flies, 
 
 In war or peace, who his great purpose yields, 
 He is the only villain in this world : 
 But he who labours firm and gains his point, 
 Be what it will, which crowns him with success, 
 He is the son of fortune and of fame. 
 
 THOMSON. 
 
 Perseverance, dear my lord, 
 Keeps honour bright. To have none, is to hang 
 Quite out of fashion 
 
 SHAKESPEARE.
 
 MAY FIFTH. 
 
 GOD knows what is best for you. Why should you 
 doubt Him? You think you can choose for your- 
 self, but the choice is always a poor one, if made in op- 
 position to His will. If things look unusually dark and 
 gloomy to-day, there is a reason for it. Why should 
 they look gloomier and darker to-day than yesterday? 
 God is the same, the world is the same, and you 
 are you the same, or are you tormented with doubts 
 and fears, and are you shrinking from the future, be- 
 cause of your poor, weak faith? Let God carry your 
 burdens ; take as your text for to-day, 
 
 NOT WHAT I WILL ! BUT WHAT THOU WILT. 
 
 Send what thou wilt : or beating shower, 
 
 Soft dew or brilliant sun ; 
 Alike in still or stormy hour, 
 
 My Lord, Thy will be done. 
 
 FRANCES R. HAVERGAL. 
 
 I have no cares, O blessed Will ! 
 
 For all my cares are Thine ! 
 I live in triumph, Lord, for Thou 
 
 Hast made Thy triumphs mine. 
 
 He always wins who sides with God, 
 
 To him no chance is lost ; 
 God's will is sweeter to him, when 
 
 It triumphs at his cost. 
 
 Ill that He blesses is our good, 
 
 And unblessed good is ill ; 
 And all is right that seems most wrong, 
 
 If it be His sweet will. 
 
 F. W. FABER. 
 
 [132]
 
 MAY SIXTH. 
 
 NOTHING can live well without proper nourish- 
 ment. A half-starved body soon loses its health 
 and vigor ; muscle, blood, and nerves need wholesome 
 food if they would perfectly perform their part of God's 
 great plan. If we refuse to eat, we are neglecting our 
 bodies, and are therefore dishonoring our Creator. 
 The mind needs quickening and enlightening, lest it 
 should lie dormant, and lose the strength of its facul- 
 ties : without thought and study the intellect becomes 
 starved it has nothing to feed upon. The soul, too, 
 the spiritual part of our being, must likewise be nour- 
 ished, or it also shrinks and shrivels into a dull, lifeless 
 thing, and fails to fulfil the mission for which God in- 
 tended it. Every part of our being should be indus- 
 trious ; the body, if well fed, will give strength to the 
 intellect, and a bright, active mind might to give us 
 broader and deeper spiritual growth. If the mind is 
 alive to earth's beauty, the soul should be alive to 
 God's goodness. Let us be careful and watchful of 
 all three of these treasures, body, mind, and soul, 
 that each may be active and industrious, and able to 
 grow and thrive. Riches of health, riches of intellect, 
 and riches of soul are all the result of constant dili- 
 gence. 
 
 Industry . . . 
 
 To meditate, to plan, resolve, perform, 
 Which in itself is good as surely brings 
 Reward of good, no matter what be done. 
 
 POLLOCK. 
 
 If little labour, little are our gains : 
 Man's fortunes are according to his pains. 
 
 HERRICK. 
 
 [133]
 
 MAY SEVENTH. 
 
 'T'HERE is no true rest outside of Christ. It is 
 A sweet to go apart with Him for a little season of 
 rest, during the busy hours of the day. His Presence 
 strengthens and refreshes us, and His sweet peace calms 
 our troubled spirits, and fills us with inward repose. 
 
 Silken rest, 
 Tie all my cares up. 
 
 BEAUMONT AND FLETCHER. 
 
 The camel, at the close of day, 
 
 Kneels down upon the sandy plain, 
 To have his burden lifted off, 
 And rest to gain. 
 
 My soul, thou, too, shouldst to thy knees 
 
 When daylight draweth to a close, 
 And let thy Master lift the load, 
 And grant repose. 
 
 Else how couldst thou to-morrow meet, 
 
 With all to-morrow's work to do, 
 If thou thy burden all the night 
 Dost carry through? 
 
 The camel kneels at break of day 
 
 To have his guide replace his load, 
 Then rises up anew to take 
 The desert road. 
 
 So thou shouldst kneel at morning's dawn, 
 
 That God may give thee daily care. 
 Assured that He no load too great 
 Will make thee bear. 
 
 ANONYMOUS. 
 
 [134]
 
 MAY EIGHTH. 
 
 READING maketh a full man, conference a ready 
 man, and writing an exact man. . . . Histories 
 make men wise ; poets, witty ; the mathematics, sub- 
 tle ; natural philosophy, deep ; moral, grave ; logic and 
 rhetoric, able to contend. BACON. 
 
 Read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest. COLLECT 
 
 FOR THE SECOND SUNDAY IN ADVENT. 
 
 Books, we know, 
 
 Are a substantial world, both pure and good ; 
 Round these, with tendrils strong as flesh and blood, 
 Our pastime and our happiness will grow. 
 
 WORDSWORTH. 
 
 Books are men of higher stature, 
 
 And the only man who speaks aloud for future time to 
 hear. 
 
 E. B. BROWNING. 
 
 As good almost kill a man as kill a good book ; who 
 kills a man kills a reasonable creature, God's image ; 
 but he who destroys a good book kills reason itself. 
 MILTON. 
 
 Read the Bible, the precious " Book of books," whose 
 Great Author is the Divine Poet of Heaven and earth. 
 He is the Historian of every age of man ; the Astrono- 
 mer of all created suns, moons, and stars ; the Philoso- 
 pher of deepest thought and reason ; the most eminent 
 Scientist, the best Mathematician, and the truest Theo- 
 logian, in that He alone is the God from whence 
 Theology had its rise ; His Book is our safest guide, 
 and our sweetest comfort.
 
 MAY NINTH. 
 
 WITH God there is no night, and they that walk 
 with Him are never in darkness. He is the 
 Sun of Righteousness, and in His presence is always 
 light. Is your life overshadowed? If poverty, sick- 
 ness, trouble, disgrace, or sorrow hang darkly above you, 
 let in the Light. It will warm and brighten and cheer 
 you. God's glorious Light can disperse the gloom, and 
 scatter the clouds in your sky. He comforts in sorrow, 
 soothes in distress, and sweetens the bitter draught in 
 every cup. Oh, may the Light of God illumine your 
 being, and be the Day-star to guide you Home at last ! 
 
 Shine, my only Day-star, shine : 
 So mine eyes shall wake by Thine ; 
 So the dreams I grope in now 
 To clear visions all shall grow ; 
 So my day shall measured be 
 By Thy Grace's clarity ; 
 So shall I discern the Path 
 Thy sweet Law prescribed hath ; 
 For Thine ways cannot be shown 
 By any light but Thine own. 
 
 BEAUMONT. 
 
 A blind man, being led one day 
 Where fragrant roses blossomed gay, 
 Said to his guide : " Here roses bloom ; 
 I know them by their sweet perfume." 
 Oh ! when blind souls around us go, 
 Led by the eyes that watch us so, 
 Blessed the Christian life that throws 
 The sweet perfume of Sharon's rose. 
 
 ANONYMOUS. 
 
 [136]
 
 MAY TENTH. 
 
 THE only worthy end of all learning, of all science, 
 of all life, in fact, is that human beings should love 
 one another better. Culture merely for culture's sake 
 can never be anything but a sapless root, capable 
 of producing, at best, a shrivelled branch. GEORGE 
 
 ELIOT. 
 
 Learn that to love is the one way to know 
 pr God or Man ; it is not love received 
 That maketh man to know the inner life 
 Of them that love him ; his own love bestowed 
 Shall do it._~" 
 
 JEAN INGELOW. 
 
 There is a power to bless 
 In hillside loneliness, 
 
 In tarns and dreary places ; 
 A virtue in the brook, 
 A freshness in the look 
 
 Of mountain's joyless faces. 
 
 And I would have my heart 
 From littleness apart, 
 
 A love-anointed thing ; 
 Be set above my kind, 
 In my unfettered mind 
 
 A veritable king. 
 
 F. W. FABER. 
 
 A simple tolerance is not enough : our hearts must 
 be bound by the cords of sympathy and love. We 
 must share each other's burdens, and they will be 
 lighter ; we must bask in each other's sunshine, and it 
 will be brighter.
 
 MAY ELEVENTH. 
 
 OH, the mystery of to-morrow ! 
 Ambitious man is ever looking forward with 
 eager curiosity to to-morrow. He dreams, and plans, 
 and hopes for it, and is often bitterly disappointed 
 when it comes. God has veiled the face of the Future, 
 so that we may not know what is in store for us. Is 
 not this kind ? How miserable we would be if we knew 
 what tears our eyes would shed. It is well also that 
 we do not know of all the brightness to come. Did 
 you ever look through the window out into the misti- 
 ness and murkiness of a rainy day, when, suddenly, 
 the clouds were rifted, and like a smile from Heaven 
 the sunlight came pouring down upon the earth in a 
 flood of gold ? Ah, what a sweet unexpected joy ! Had 
 you known of its coming, you might have fretted and 
 worried that it did not come sooner, and been wearied 
 with long waiting. So it is with the future ; our to- 
 morrows will open their windows to us, and God's 
 folded sunshine will stream into our hearts, while we, 
 perchance, stand doubting beneath a dismal sky. 
 
 Heaven from all creatures hides the book of fate, 
 All but the page prescribed, their present state. 
 
 O blindness to the future ! kindly given, 
 
 That each may fill the circle mark'd by Heaven ; 
 
 Who sees with equal eye, as God of all, 
 
 A hero perish, or a sparrow fall, 
 
 Atoms or systems into ruin hurl'd, 
 
 And now a bubble burst, and now a world. 
 
 POPE. 
 
 Live so that your yesterdays may be blessings, your 
 to-days, opportunities, and your to-morrows, rewards. 
 [138]
 
 MAY TWELFTH. 
 
 GOD'S mercy, how boundless it is ! It is like a 
 great sea without a shore, whereon we are sailing, 
 safe from danger and alarm. How He holds us ; how 
 He guides us ! Oh, let us trust Him completely, and 
 sail on in calm assurance, for on His sea of Mercy, 
 when life and time are ended, we shall be borne, 
 cast anchor, and reach Home at last. 
 
 Man may dismiss compassion from his heart, 
 But God will never. 
 
 COWPER. 
 
 There's a wideness in God's mercy, 
 
 Like the wideness of the sea ; 
 There's a kindness in His justice 
 
 Which is more than liberty. 
 
 For the love of God is broader 
 Than the measure of man's mind ; 
 
 And the heart of the Eternal 
 Is most wonderfully kind. 
 
 F. W. FABER. 
 
 O'er friendless grief Compassion shall awake, 
 And smile on innocence, for Mercy's sake ! 
 
 CAMPBELL. 
 
 Oh, think ! think upward on the thrones above : 
 Disdain not mercy, since they mercy love ; 
 If mercy were not mingled with their pow'r, 
 This wretched world could not subsist an hour. 
 
 DAVENANT. 
 
 But mercy first and last shall brightest shine. 
 
 MILTON. 
 
 [i39]
 
 MAY THIRTEENTH. 
 
 THIS is such a beautiful time of the year to say and 
 do beautiful things. With God's fresh, sweet 
 May-time adorning the earth, and carrying into our 
 hearts a sense of His goodness and love, you surely 
 cannot harbor an evil thought towards any one. You 
 should be ready to breathe out kind and gentle 
 thoughts to the whole world. No matter how fast the 
 years are heaping on your head, so that they are not 
 gathering on your heart. Do not grow old in false 
 judgments, and unkind words and deeds. They 
 shrivel the heart until it becomes as dry and wrinkled 
 as a sour apple eaten up by its own acidity. Do 
 not grow old in false judgments and deeds. Let the 
 May-time start within you a new growth of kindly 
 words and deeds, and when the Autumn days come 
 you will not be able to gather half of the abundant 
 harvest they will yield. 
 
 Before the birth of love, many fearful things took 
 place through the empire of necessity ; but when this 
 god was born, all things arose to man. SOCRATES. 
 
 Man is dear to man ; the poorest poor 
 
 Long for some moments in a dreary life, 
 
 When they can know and feel that they have been 
 
 Themselves the fathers and the dealers-out 
 
 Of some small blessings ; have been such 
 
 As needed kindness, for the single cause, 
 
 That we have all of us one human heart. 
 
 WORDSWORTH. 
 
 Gently to hear, kindly to judge. 
 
 SHAKESPEARE. 
 [I 4 o]
 
 MAY FOURTEENTH. 
 
 LEARN to be as the angel, who could descend 
 among the miseries of Bethesda without losing 
 his heavenly purity or his perfect happiness. Gain 
 healing from troubled waters. Make up your mind to 
 the prospect of sustaining a certain measure of pain 
 and trouble in your passage through life. By the 
 blessing of God this will prepare you for it. j. H. 
 
 NEWMAN. 
 
 Is it raining, little flower? 
 
 Be glad of rain ! 
 Too much sun would wither thee ; 
 
 'Twill shine again. 
 The sky is very black, 'tis true ; 
 But just behind it shines the blue. 
 
 Art thou weary, tender heart ? 
 
 Be glad of pain ! 
 In sorrow sweetest things will grow, 
 
 As flowers in rain. 
 
 God watches ; and thou wilt have sun, 
 When clouds their perfect work have done. 
 
 Rejoice, O grieving heart ! 
 
 The hours fly fast ; 
 With each some sorrow dies, 
 With each some shadow flies, 
 
 Until at last 
 
 The red dawn in the east 
 Bids weary night depart, 
 
 And pain is past. 
 Rejoice, then, grieving heart, 
 
 The hours fly fast ! 
 
 ADELAIDE A. PROCTER. 
 [141]
 
 MAY FIFTEENTH. 
 
 A DAY AMONG THE TREES. 
 
 I HEARD a Seer cry, "The wilderness, 
 The solitary place, 
 Shall yet be glad for Him, and He shall bless 
 
 The forests ; they shall drop their precious gum, 
 And shed for Him their balm ; and He shall yield 
 The grandeur of His speech to charm the field." 
 
 JEAN INGELOW. 
 
 Trees are the exquisite workmanship of God. The 
 seed, the root, the sap, the vein, the leaf, the bough, 
 the branch, all make a magnificent whole. Yet how 
 soon a tree becomes dead and useless, unless there is 
 life in the heart. God remembers this ; He feeds the 
 roots that lie in darkness hidden from the eye of man. 
 And now, behold, the May is here, and overhead the 
 leaves are spread, and each with each in gladness joins, 
 to make a canopy of green to shelter man, of all God's 
 creatures, dearest, best. O monarch trees ! O tossing 
 leaves ! may we have power, like you, to shelter some 
 one weary grown, who longs to hide from life's oppres- 
 sive heat, or fierce, descending storms ! 
 
 The Laurel, meed of mighty conquerors, 
 And poets sage, the Fir that weepeth still, 
 The Yew, obedient to the bender's will, 
 The Birch for shafts, the Sallow for the mill, 
 The Myrrh sweet bleeding in the bitter wound, 
 The warlike Beech, the Ash for nothing ill, 
 The sailing Pine, the Cedar proud and tall, 
 The builder Oak, sole king of forests all. 
 
 EDMUND SPENSER. 
 [142]
 
 MAY SIXTEENTH. 
 
 T7VERY kindness done to others in our daily walk, 
 t-' every attempt to make others happy, every preju- 
 dice overcome, every truth more clearly perceived, every 
 difficulty subdued, every sin left behind, every tempta- 
 tion trampled under foot, every step forward in the 
 cause of what is good, is a step nearer the cause of 
 Christ, through which only death can really be a gain 
 
 to US. DEAN STANLEY. 
 
 If thou art blest, 
 
 Then let the sunshine of thy gladness rest 
 
 On the dark edges of each cloud that lies 
 
 Black in thy brother's skies. 
 
 If thou art sad, 
 
 Still be thou in thy brother's gladness glad. 
 
 ANONYMOUS. 
 
 The kindly plans devised for other's good, 
 So seldom guessed, so little understood. 
 The quiet, steadfast love that strove to win 
 Some weary wanderer from the ways of sin 
 These are not lost. 
 
 ANONYMOUS. 
 
 All sweet, pure thoughts that bloom into deeds, and 
 send forth a fragrance into the hearts of others, are 
 never lost. You shall find them blooming in the gar- 
 den of Eternity. 
 
 The greatest pleasure I know is to do a good action 
 by stealth, and to have it found out by accident. 
 
 CHARLES LAMB. 
 
 [143]
 
 MAY SEVENTEENTH. 
 
 REAL friendship is of slow growth. It seldom 
 arises at first sight. Nothing but our vanity will 
 make us think so. It never thrives unless engrafted 
 upon a stock of known and reciprocal merit. CHES- 
 TERFIELD. 
 
 There is a vast difference between humanity and 
 friendship. If you are ill or in trouble people will aid 
 and sympathize with you, who would perhaps utterly 
 ignore you in health and in the midst of your daily 
 activities. Don't mistake this for friendship : it is only 
 common humanity reaching out to you in a time of 
 need. A man may sometimes lend a helping hand, 
 too, to satisfy his conscience ; he may do a kind act 
 and get the credit of it, and yet have no warm or gen- 
 erous impulses this is not friendship. True friend- 
 ship hath its rise in the heart ; it is fed from a hidden 
 source, and its springs never run dry. 
 
 Every one that natters thee 
 Is no friend in misery. 
 Words are easy, like the wind ; 
 Faithful friends are hard to find. 
 
 He that is thy friend indeed, 
 He will keep thee in thy need ; 
 If thou sorrow, he will weep, 
 If thou wake, he cannot sleep. 
 Thus of every grief in heart, 
 He with thee doth bear a part. 
 These are certain signs to know 
 Faithful friend from flattering foe. 
 
 RICHARD BARNFIELD. 
 [144]
 
 MAY EIGHTEENTH. 
 
 HHHERE'S not a cheaper thing on earth, 
 J- Nor yet one half so dear ; 
 'Tis worth more than distinguish'd birth, 
 Or thousands gain'd a year : 
 
 It maketh poverty content, 
 
 To sorrow whispers peace ; 
 It is a gift from Heaven sent 
 
 For mortals to increase. 
 It meets you with a smile at morn, 
 
 It lulls you to repose ; 
 A flower for peer and peasant born, 
 
 An everlasting rose. 
 
 As smiles the rainbow through the cloud 
 
 When threat'ning storm begins 
 As music 'mid the tempest loud, 
 
 That still its sweet way wins. 
 As springs an arch across the tide, 
 
 Where waves conflicting foam, 
 So comes this seraph to our side, 
 
 This angel of our home. 
 
 What may this wondrous spirit be, 
 
 With power unheard before 
 This charm, this bright divinity? 
 
 Good temper ! nothing more! 
 Good temper ! 'tis the choicest gift 
 
 That woman homeward brings ; 
 And can the poorest peasant lift 
 
 To bliss unknown to kings. 
 
 CHARLES SWAIN. 
 [I4S]
 
 MAY NINETEENTH. 
 
 MAKE yourselves nests of pleasant thoughts. 
 None of us yet know, for none of us have been 
 taught in early youth, what fairy palaces we may build 
 of beautiful thoughts proof against all adversity. 
 Bright fancies, satisfied memories, noble histories, 
 faithful sayings, treasure-houses of precious and rest- 
 ful thoughts, which care cannot disturb, nor pain make 
 gloomy, nor poverty take away from us, houses 
 built without hands, for our souls to live in. RUSKIN. 
 
 I pray you hear my song of a nest, 
 For it is not long. 
 
 Once, awhile ago, I peered 
 In the nest where Spring was reared. 
 There, she quivering her fair wings, 
 Flattered March with chirrupings ; 
 And they fed her ; nights and days, 
 Fed her mouth with much sweet food, 
 And her heart with love and praise, 
 Till the wild thing rose and flew 
 Over woods and water-springs, 
 Shaking off the morning dew 
 In a rainbow from her wings. 
 
 JEAN INGELOW. 
 
 In the home-nests of our souls let us, like the March, 
 feed upon the food of praise from out our Father's 
 hand. Then shall sweet messengers of gladness take 
 wing therefrom, and fly into the waiting world about 
 us, to help make vocal life's blossoming May. Let us 
 feed upon God's goodness, and drink in His sunshine 
 and dews of grace, then shall we make happy nests. 
 [146]
 
 MAY TWENTIETH. 
 
 HE is waiting, waiting, waiting, 
 He is waiting through the night ; 
 He has looked with wondrous patience 
 
 For the hour of dawning light, 
 When the oft-mistaken spirit 
 
 Shall observe Him at the door, 
 And shall cry, Come in, my Saviour, 
 Come, and leave me nevermore. 
 
 Did you hear Him gently knocking 
 
 When you played among the flowers? 
 
 Did you notice how He waited 
 
 In the hush of evening hours? 
 
 He is waiting, waiting, waiting, 
 
 You have let all others in. 
 Some odd guests are in your temple, 
 
 Sad with sorrow, dark with sin. 
 There is only One can bless you 
 
 In your times of grief and doubt, 
 There is only One can save you 
 
 But you strangely keep Him out! 
 
 He is waiting, waiting, waiting ; 
 
 Surely He may enter now : 
 Haste to throw your heart's door open, 
 
 And before the Master bow. 
 Bid Him come, no more to leave you 
 
 Till you dwell with Him above. 
 Oh, receive the waiting Saviour, 
 
 And return Him love for love! 
 
 MARIANNE FARNINGHAM.
 
 MAY TWENTY-FIRST. 
 
 GOOD common-sense will take a man through the 
 world a great deal easier than talent, genius, or 
 wealth. Talented people are often without tact ; the 
 true genius is generally self-absorbed and absent- 
 minded, and the man of wealth cannot always count 
 on his pocketbook to carry him through. There are 
 things that mere money cannot buy ; a man with more 
 in his pocket than in his head is to be pitied, for when 
 his riches take flight he is helpless indeed, unless he has 
 a good round measure of common-sense. Common- 
 sense is equal to any emergency ; it is wide awake and 
 swings in a steady balance. The man who possesses 
 a goodly share of it, though he may be an Englishman 
 or an American, will find himself rich in his own right. 
 His judgment is strong and impartial, his counsel wise, 
 and his character is usually as straight as a plumb-line. 
 If he is modest, and not inclined to boast of his gift 
 (for it is a gift) , he is indeed blest ; William Penn once 
 said, " Sense shines with a double lustre when it is set 
 in humility." 
 
 Sense is our helmet, wit is but the plume ; 
 The plume exposes, 'tis our helmet saves. 
 Sense is the diamond, weighty, solid, sound ; 
 When cut by wit, it casts a brighter beam ; 
 Yet, wit apart, it is a diamond still. 
 
 YOUNG. 
 
 Something there is more needful than expense, 
 And something previous e'en to taste 'tis sense ; 
 Good sense which only is the gift of Heaven, 
 And though no science, fairly worth the seven. 
 
 POPE. 
 
 [148]
 
 H 
 
 MAY TWENTY-SECOND. 
 
 E is the richest who is content with the least, for 
 content is the wealth of nature. SOCRATES. 
 
 Stone walls do not a prison make, 
 
 Nor iron bars a cage, 
 Minds innocent and quiet, take 
 
 That for a heritage. 
 
 LOVELACE. 
 
 There is a jewel which no Indian mine can buy, 
 No chemic art can counterfeit ; 
 It makes men rich in greatest poverty, 
 Makes water wine, turns wooden cups to gold, 
 The homely music to sweet music's strain ; 
 Seldom it comes to few from Heaven sent 
 That much in little all in naught content. 
 
 WILBYE. 
 
 'Tis better to be lowly born, 
 And range with humbler lives in content, 
 Than to be perk'd up in a glittering grief, 
 And wear a golden sorrow. 
 
 SHAKESPEARE. 
 
 Such is the force of each created thing, 
 
 That it no soiled happiness can bring, 
 
 Which to our minds may give contentment sound ; 
 
 For, like as Noah's dove no succour found, 
 
 Till she returned to him that sent her out, 
 
 Just so the soul in vain may seek about 
 
 For rest or satisfaction anywhere, 
 
 Save in His presence who hath sent her here. 
 
 ANNE COLLINS. 
 tM9]
 
 MAY TWENTY-THIRD. 
 
 GOD is our Light ; let us therefore continually 
 reach up to Him for sunshine. There is no mine 
 so far underground, no prison-cell so dark, no dwell- 
 ing-place so obscure, but His presence can enter and 
 His glory illumine. 
 
 Shadows to-day, while shadows show God's Will. 
 
 Light were not good except He send us light. 
 
 Shadows to-day, because this day is night 
 Whose marvels and whose mysteries fulfil 
 Their course and deep in darkness serve Him still. 
 
 Thou dim aurora, on the extremest height 
 
 Of airy summits wax not over bright ; 
 Refrain thy rose, refrain thy daffodil. 
 Until God's Word go forth to kindle thee 
 
 And garland thee and bid thee stoop to us, 
 
 Blush in the heavenly choirs and glance not down : 
 To-day we race in darkness for a crown, 
 In darkness for beatitude to be, 
 
 In darkness for the city luminous. 
 
 CHRISTINA ROSSETTI. 
 
 A root set in the finest soil, in the best climate, 
 and blessed with all that sun and air and rain can do 
 for it, is not in so sure a way of its growth to perfec- 
 tion, as every man may be, whose spirit aspires after 
 all that which God is ready and infinitely desirous to 
 give him. For the sun meets not the springing bud 
 that stretches toward him with half that certainty, as 
 God, the source of all good, communicates Himself to 
 the soul that longs to partake of Him. WILLIAM 
 LAW. 
 
 [150]
 
 MAY TWENTY-FOURTH. 
 
 BE yourself. Bring the best that is in you to light ; 
 do not keep it hidden away, as if there were noth- 
 ing good about you. Some persons imagine this to be 
 an evidence of sincerity, and are continually showing 
 others their worst side. This is a mistake ; our faults 
 and failings should be secrets between ourselves and 
 God, therefore to Him alone should they be revealed. 
 It would be well if of each of us it might be said, as 
 Shakespeare has it, 
 
 " His words are bonds, his oaths are oracles : 
 His love sincere, his thoughts immaculate ; 
 His tears pure messengers sent from his heart ; 
 His heart so far from fraud, as Heav'n from earth." 
 
 Sincerity's my chief delight, 
 The darling pleasure of the mind : 
 Oh, that I could to her invite, 
 All the whole race of human kind ; 
 Take her, mortals, she's worth more 
 Than all your glory, all your fame, 
 Than all your glittering boasted store, 
 Than all the things that you can name : 
 She'll with her bring a joy divine, 
 All that's good, and all that's fine. 
 
 LADY CHUDLEIGH. 
 
 I give thoughts 
 Words, and words truth, and truth boldness. She 
 
 whose 
 
 Honest freeness makes it her virtue to 
 Speak what she thinks, will make it her necessity 
 To think what is good. 
 
 JOHN MARSTON. 
 
 [151]
 
 MAY TWENTY-FIFTH. 
 
 WHO pipes upon the long green hill, 
 Where meadow grass is deep ? 
 The white lamb bleats but followeth on 
 Follows the clean white sheep. 
 
 The white lambs feed in tender grass ; 
 With them and thee to bide, 
 How good it were. 
 
 JEAN INGELOW. 
 
 Kind Shepherd, who Thy little flock dost guide, 
 Wisdom Thy rod Thy staff unceasing love ; 
 
 And dost in pastures feed and coverts hide 
 The wanderers, till they reach Thy fold above. 
 
 Each weakness and each want to Thee are known ; 
 
 All strength is Thine, and every holy joy ; 
 The people whom Thou choosest for thine own, 
 
 No force can sever, and no power destroy. 
 
 Rich is the food Thou givest, bread from heaven, 
 Waters of life which from Thy presence flow ; 
 
 And fitting guidance all their journey given, 
 Thy hand directing every step they go. 
 
 When through the vale of death they leave this land- 
 That vale where all is dark and chilly night 
 
 Thou wilt conduct them to Thine own right hand, 
 And gild the vale of death with light. 
 
 JAMES EDMESTON. 
 
 I praise my loving Lord, who maketh me 
 His type of harmless sweet simplicity : 
 Yet He the Lamb of lambs incomparably. 
 
 CHRISTINA ROSSETTI.
 
 MAY TWENTY-SIXTH. 
 
 T ET your thoughts, words, and deeds be worthy of 
 J * the Sabbath, any day in the week. James Shir- 
 ley said, 
 
 " Only the actions of the just 
 Smell sweet and blossom in the dust," 
 
 and if your life will bear close inspection, it will be as 
 beautiful in the midst of a work-a-day world as it will 
 in the quietude of the Sabbath. Do not carry your 
 goodness with your Sunday clothes and lay it away 
 to be worn once a week, but let it become a part of 
 yourself, your companion in the daily walks of life. If 
 you only don your good thoughts one day out of seven, 
 they will become mouldy and ill-fitting from disuse, 
 and you will wear them awkwardly, because your nature 
 will shrink away from them, and soon be too small to 
 wear them at all. Let your life be a Sabbath of rest 
 to the weary, and a Sabbath of joy to the depressed 
 and discouraged, and carry about with you a bit of the 
 Gospel in your smiles and cheery words, all the week. 
 
 Sabbath is not a day to feast our bodies, but to feed 
 
 OUr souls. EMPRESS JOSEPHINE. 
 
 The Sabbath is to the rest of the week in spirituals, 
 what summer is to the rest of the year in temporals ; 
 it is the chief time for gathering knowledge to last you 
 through the following week, just as summer is the 
 chief season for the gathering of food to last you 
 through the following twelvemonth. A. w. HARE. 
 
 I feel as if God had, by giving the Sabbath, given 
 fifty-two springs in every year. COLERIDGE.
 
 MAY TWENTY-SEVENTH. 
 
 I WANDERED lonely as a cloud 
 That floats on high o'er vales and hills, 
 When all at once I saw a crowd, 
 
 A host of golden daffodils 
 Beside the lake, beneath the trees, 
 Fluttering and dancing in the breeze. 
 
 Continuous as the stars that shine 
 And twinkle on the Milky Way, 
 
 They stretched in never-ending line 
 Along the margin of the bay : 
 
 Ten thousand saw I, at a glance, 
 
 Tossing their heads in sprightly dance. 
 
 The waves beside them danced, but they 
 Outdid the sparkling waves in glee ; 
 
 A poet could not but be gay 
 In such a jocund company ; 
 
 I gazed and gazed but little thought 
 
 What wealth the show to me had brought. 
 
 For oft, when on my couch I lie, 
 
 In vacant or in pensive mood, 
 They flash upon that inward eye 
 
 Which is the bliss of solitude ; 
 And then my heart with pleasure fills, 
 And dances with the daffodils. 
 
 WORDSWORTH. 
 
 Were I in churchless solitudes remaining, 
 Far from all voice of teachers or divines, 
 
 My soul would find, in flowers of God's ordaining, 
 Priests, sermons, shrines! 
 
 HORACE SMITH. 
 
 [154]
 
 MAY TWENTY-EIGHTH. 
 
 DO not think it wasted time to submit yourself to 
 any influence which may bring upon you any 
 noble feeling. RUSKIN. 
 
 Wouldst thou know thyself, observe the actions of 
 
 others. 
 Wouldst thou other men know, look thou within thine 
 
 OWn heart ' SCHILLER. 
 
 Do not forget that the world is hung with mirrors, 
 reflecting you as you really are. Have you never real- 
 ized this? Perhaps not, and yet it is true. How 
 small you look when you see the image of yourself in 
 the bright eyes of a friend! Yet you occupy just as 
 much room as is possible in so diminutive a space. 
 So with the soul that looks into your soul ; you are 
 measured according to space. Be careful of your 
 friends and associates. Remember they measure you 
 by themselves, and imagine you to be as small-minded 
 as they. Their influence will affect your whole life, 
 and you will unconsciously adopt their thoughts and 
 ideas, even if you do not altogether approve of them. 
 Choose only such friends as those whose influence is 
 pure and wholesome. 
 
 Thy face 
 
 Gives a meaning of all space ; 
 And thine eyes, with starbeams fraught, 
 Hold the measure of all thought ; 
 For of them my soul besought, 
 And was shown a glimpse of thine. 
 
 JEAN INGELOW. 
 
 [155]
 
 MAY TWENTY-NINTH. 
 
 WE ought to cultivate the friendships of little 
 things. Beauty is one of the surest antidotes 
 to vexation. Often when life looks dreary from some 
 real or fancied injustice, or indignity, has a thought of 
 truth been flashed into my mind from a flower, the 
 frost, a shadow, clouds, rainbows, stars, and sunrises! 
 
 GEORGE MACDONALD. 
 
 Was never true love loved in vain, 
 For truest love is highest gain. 
 No art can make it ; it must spring 
 Where elements are fostering. 
 So in Heaven's spot and hour 
 Springs the little native flower, 
 Downward root and upward eye, 
 Shapen by the earth and sky. 
 
 GEORGE ELIOT. 
 
 Our outward life requires them not ; 
 
 Then wherefore had they birth ? 
 To minister delight to man, 
 
 To beautify the earth : 
 
 To comfort man, to whisper hope 
 
 Whene'er his faith is dim ; 
 For " Whoso careth for the flowers, 
 
 Will care much more for him ! " 
 
 MARY HOWITT. 
 
 Your voiceless lips, O Flowers ! are living preachers, 
 Each cup a pulpit, and each leaf a book, 
 
 Supplying to my fancy numerous teachers, 
 From loneliest nook. 
 
 HORACE SMITH. 
 
 [156]
 
 MAY THIRTIETH. 
 
 THE days are slipping softly by, and our sweet May 
 is about to say farewell. How much brightness 
 she has brought with her! How much gladness she 
 brought this year, and last year, and the year before, 
 and all the other years since there was a May-time ! 
 She is warm-hearted and sympathetic see how she 
 caresses the flowers, and how she smiles through their 
 beautiful faces! She is constant and true, for every 
 year she comes back at just the same time, to walk the 
 old paths through the woodlands, and across the 
 meadows, and to gladden our hearts and make us for- 
 get our cares. Ah, let us be constant too true- 
 hearted, pure-hearted, warm-hearted, like the May! 
 Our years roll onward with the flood of time, and 
 when another May shall blossom on the earth, let our 
 friendship be just as deep and true as it is to-day. 
 
 Year after year the cowslips fill the meadow, 
 Year after year the skylarks thrill the air, 
 
 Year after year, in sunshine or in shadow, 
 Rolls the world round, love, and finds us as we were. 
 
 Year after year, as sure as birds 1 returning, 
 
 Or field flowers' blossoming above the wintry mould, 
 
 Year after year, in work or mirth or mourning, 
 
 Love we with love's own youth, that never can grow 
 old. 
 
 Sweetheart and lady-love, queen of boyish passions, 
 Strong hope of manhood, content of age begun, 
 
 Loved in a hundred ways, each in a different fashion, 
 Yet loved supremely, solely, as we never love but 
 
 D. M. CRAIK. 
 [157]
 
 MAY THIRTY-FIRST. 
 
 A SOUL which sincerely longs after God never con- 
 siders whether a thing be small or great ; it is 
 enough to know that He for whom it is done is infi- 
 nitely great ; that it is His due to have all creation 
 solely devoted to His glory, which can only be fulfilling 
 
 His Will. FENELON. 
 
 Oh, let us not this thought allow! 
 The heat, the dust upon our brow, 
 Signs of the contest, we may wear ; 
 Yet thus we might appear more fair 
 
 In our Almighty Master's eye, 
 Than if in fear to lose the bloom, 
 Or ruffle the soul's lightest plume, 
 
 We from the strife should fly. 
 
 R. C. TRENCH. 
 
 Wanted : Deeds. 
 Not words of winning note, 
 Not thoughts from life remote, 
 Not fond religious airs, 
 Not sweetly languid prayers, 
 Not love of scent and creeds. 
 
 Wanted : Deeds. 
 
 DUNCAN MACGREGOR. 
 
 This is exactly what God wants every day of your 
 life and mine deeds. Something to prove our love 
 for Him and for each other. 
 
 Let me not leave my space of ground untilled, 
 Call me not hence with mission unfulfilled. 
 Let me not die before I've done for Thee 
 My earthly work, whatever that may be. 
 
 ANONYMOUS. 
 
 [158]
 
 MBBB 
 
 
 
 
 ELIZABETH BARRETT BROWNING 
 1806-1861
 
 OR THE MONTH 
 OF JUNE- 
 
 * 
 JUNE FIRST. 
 
 AH, June is here! wake, heart of mine, she hath a 
 message sweet for thee a message from a mystic 
 land, a Realm of Roses pure and fair, where all day 
 long new joys unfold, and happy winds blow fresh and 
 free. To-day the Summer-tide is born; to-day we 
 leave behind the May, and butterflies and birds and 
 bees begin the roundelay of June, quaint queenly 
 June, with roses crowned, the Rose of all the garden 
 of the year. She hath a message : listen well ! a mes- 
 sage for each one who hears ; for me and mine, for you 
 and yours. 'Tis this: " Behind the roses hid, I smile 
 and smile the livelong day : I breathe in every rose's 
 breath, and sing in every bird's glad throat, and make 
 the earth look fresh and gay ; but back of me a Higher 
 Power has showered gifts of love on me ; the Heart of 
 June beats large and warm, above the wind, above the 
 storm, and silvery streams and rivers run and sing His 
 praise His voice obey. The Rose of Sharon is His 
 name, and I have come to bid the earth look up to 
 Him, take heart anew, and, like the rose, exalt His 
 fragrance till it rise in incense to the throne above." 
 
 Woo on, with odour wooing me, 
 
 Faint rose, with fading core : 
 For God's rose thought that blooms in thee 
 
 Will bloom forevermore. 
 
 GEORGE MACDONALD. 
 [159]
 
 JUNE SECOND. 
 
 A DAY OF ROSES. 
 
 IN the wind of sunny June 
 Thrives the red rose crop, 
 Every day fresh blossoms blow 
 While the first leaves drop ; 
 White rose and yellow rose 
 
 And moss-rose choice to find, 
 And the cottage cabbage-rose 
 Not one whit behind. 
 
 CHRISTINA ROSSETTI. 
 
 Jasmine is sweet, and has many lovers, 
 And the broom's betrothed to the bee ; 
 
 But I will plight with the dainty rose, 
 For fairest of all is she. 
 
 THOMAS HOOD. 
 
 Roses, roses, all my song ! 
 
 Roses in a gorgeous feast! 
 Roses in a royal throng 
 
 Surging, rosing from the east! 
 
 Roses all the rosy way, 
 
 Roses to the rosier west, 
 Where the roses of the day 
 
 Cling to night's unrosy breast. 
 
 Out of darkness light is born ; 
 
 Out of weakness make me strong 
 For the day when every thorn 
 
 Breaks into a rose of song. 
 
 GEORGE MACDONALD. 
 [160]
 
 JUNE THIRD. 
 
 AH, we cannot think about it too often the 
 sweetness of charity ! And if we brought it to 
 mind twice as often, we should still regret that we 
 thought of it so little. Put a great deal of charity into 
 this June day. Breathe it in with the air and sun- 
 shine God has smiled upon you and given you 
 plenty of it, because you are always an object of His 
 divine charity ; give it out generously to others. 
 
 The sun gives over ; so the earth 
 What it can give so much 'tis worth : 
 The ocean gives in many ways 
 Gives paths, gives fishes, rivers, bays ; 
 So, too, the air, it gives us breath 
 When it stops giving comes in death. 
 Give, give, be always giving ; 
 Who gives not is not living. 
 
 The more you give, 
 
 The more you live. 
 
 God's love has to us wealth upheaped ; 
 Only by giving it is reaped. 
 The body withers, and the mind, 
 If pent in by a selfish rind. 
 
 Give strength, give thought, give deeds, give pelf, 
 Give love, give tears, and give thyself; 
 Who gives not is not living. 
 
 The more we give, 
 
 The more we live. 
 
 ANONYMOUS. 
 
 The truly generous is the truly wise ; 
 
 And he who loves not others, lives unblest. 
 
 JOHN HOME. 
 [161]
 
 JUNE FOURTH. 
 
 THOU shalt not bear false witness against thy 
 neighbor. NINTH COMMANDMENT. 
 
 You only repeated innocently what you heard? Yes, 
 that is the way most of us do : we are surprised that 
 such little sayings can ever result in harm ; we do not 
 intend to injure any one's good name, or hurt any one's 
 feelings, and yet we sometimes thoughtlessly do that 
 very thing. Oh, let us start afresh this June weather ! 
 
 On eagles' wings immortal scandals fly ; 
 While virtuous actions are but born and die. 
 
 HERVEY. 
 
 Nor do they trust their tongues alone, 
 But speak a language of their own : 
 Can read a nod, a shrug, a look, 
 Far better than a printed book ; 
 Convey a libel in a frown, 
 And wink a reputation down. 
 
 SWIFT. 
 
 Beware how you allow words to pass for more than 
 they are worth, and bear in mind what alteration is 
 sometimes produced in their current value by the course 
 of time! R. SOUTHEY. 
 
 God preserve us from the destructive power of words ! 
 There are words which can separate hearts sooner than 
 sharp swords ; there are words whose sting can remain 
 through a whole life! MARY HOWITT. 
 
 It is busy talking world. NICHOLAS ROWE. 
 [162]
 
 JUNE FIFTH. 
 
 A SWARM in May 
 Is worth a load of hay ; 
 A swarm in June 
 Is worth a silver spoon ; 
 A swarm in July 
 Is not worth a fly. 
 
 OLD SAYING. 
 
 June is our opportunity, and we may as well embrace 
 it. May has gone, and we have only the present time, 
 which, if we will improve, will be of more value than a 
 "silver spoon." We are all God's bees, gathering 
 honey for His hive, I trust. Oh, how much sweetness 
 there is around us ! Life's meadows are overflowing 
 with rich and rare perfumes, and flowers are springing 
 everywhere. Let us store up honey for the future : 
 loving and gentle words, little unexpected kindnesses, 
 charitable deeds, and daily sacrifices these will come 
 back to us in golden honey for the Hive of Eternity. 
 
 So work the Honey Bees : 
 Creatures that, by a rule in nature, teach 
 The art of order to a peopled kingdom. 
 They have a king, and officers of sorts : 
 Where some, like magistrates, correct at home ; 
 Others, like merchants, venture trade abroad ; 
 Others, like soldiers, armed in their stings, 
 Make boot upon the Summer's velvet buds ; 
 Which pillage they with merry march bring home 
 To the tent royal of their emperor. 
 Who, busied in his majesty, surveys 
 The singing masons building roofs of gold. 
 
 SHAKESPEARE.
 
 JUNE SIXTH. 
 
 T)ATIENCE is the truest sign of courage. Ask old 
 A soldiers who have seen real war, and they will tell 
 you that the bravest men, the men who endure best, 
 not in mere fighting, but in standing still for hours to 
 be mowed down by cannon-shot ; who were most cheer- 
 ful and patient in shipwreck and starvation and defeat 
 all those things ten times worse than fighting ; ask 
 old soldiers, I say, and they will tell you that the men 
 who showed best in such miseries were generally the 
 stillest, meekest men in the whole regiment. That is 
 true fortitude ; that is Christ's image ; the meekest of 
 men, and the bravest, too. CHARLES KINGSLEY. 
 
 Patience ! why, 'tis the soul of peace : 
 Of all the virtues, 'tis nearest kin to Heaven : 
 It makes men look like gods. The best of men 
 That e'er wore earth about Him was a sufferer, 
 A soft, meek, patient, humble, tranquil spirit : 
 The first true Gentleman that ever breathed. 
 
 THOMAS DEKKER. 
 
 Therefore wait ; be patient. Look at the grain-fields ; 
 what are they doing these early June days? Waiting 
 for the harvest. Look at the orchards ; they have 
 dropped their blossoms, and they are waiting for 
 ripened fruition. Is this all? Ah, no ; they are grow- 
 ing, too. Are you growing richer and better? 
 
 Whate'er God does is well ! 
 
 In patience let us wait ; 
 
 He doth himself our burdens bear, 
 
 He doth for us take care, 
 And He, our God, knows all our weary days. 
 
 B. SCHMOLCKE. 
 
 [164]
 
 JUNE SEVENTH. 
 
 GOD will bring the sweet recompense by and by ; 
 so do not falter by the way, nor look into the 
 June sunshine blinded by your tears to all the glory 
 around you. The little unkind word that has rankled 
 all day long in your heart forgive it : you love the 
 dear offender too well to harbor ill-feelings for so small 
 a thing. Do you not often speak hastily yourself? 
 Are you not always sorry for it? How much better 
 you will feel to forgive it ! 
 
 Now, the sowing and the weeping, 
 Working hard and waiting long ; 
 
 Afterward, the golden reaping, 
 Harvest home and grateful song. 
 
 Now, the long and toilsome duty, 
 Stone by stone to carve and bring ; 
 
 Afterward, the perfect beauty 
 Of the palace of the King. 
 
 Now, the tuning and the tension, 
 Wailing minors, discord strong ; 
 
 Afterward, the grand ascension 
 Of the Alleluia song. 
 
 Now, the spirit conflict-riven, 
 Wounded heart, unequal strife ; 
 
 Afterward, the triumph given, 
 And the victor's crown of life. 
 
 Now, the training, strange and lowly, 
 Unexplained and tedious now ; 
 
 Afterward, the service holy, 
 And the Master's " Enter thou! " 
 
 FRANCES RIDLEY HAVERGAL.
 
 JUNE EIGHTH. 
 
 'T'HERE are but two paths in life : one leading up- 
 A ward ; the other, downward. We are compelled 
 to travel one of them ; there is no standing still in this 
 world : we must go forward. We are under marching 
 orders. Be careful how you choose your path in life. 
 Is it the pathway of faith? It will be trodden in diffi- 
 culties often, but little acts of self-denial will drop their 
 seed by the wayside, and spring up into blossoms of 
 gold, and all the world shall know you are travelling 
 heavenward by the brightness you scatter around you. 
 The downward path is the way of evil and sin : when 
 the heart is so full of Self that it cannot find room for 
 God, weeds of envy and malice and worldliness v.ill 
 choke out the blossoms of gold that might have lighted 
 some darkened soul to Heaven. 
 
 There is no pathway man hath ever trod, 
 
 By faith or seeking sight, but ends in God. 
 
 Yet 'tis in vain ye look without to find 
 
 The inner secrets of the eternal mind, 
 
 Or meet the King on His eternal throne. 
 
 But when ye kneel at heart, and feel so lone, 
 
 Perchance behind the veil you get the grip 
 
 And spirit-sign of secret fellowship ; 
 
 Silently as the gathering of a tear 
 
 The human want will bring the Helper near ; 
 
 The very weakness that is utterest need 
 
 Of God, will draw Him down with strength indeed. 
 
 GERALD MASSEY. 
 
 Man should be ever better than he seems, and shape 
 his acts, and discipline his mind, to walk adorning 
 earth, with hope of Heaven. SIR A. DEVERE. 
 
 [166]
 
 JUNE NINTH. 
 
 " A ^^ ^ oc * sa ^> ^ c ^ set mv 
 
 tA. it shall be for a token of a covenant between 
 me and the earth." 
 
 One of the grandest sights I ever beheld was a rain- 
 bow above the mountains. Arched in perfect grace 
 and symmetry, with every separate color glowing 
 against a misty sky, the great bow of God's promise 
 hung in jewelled radiance over the vernal, pine-clad 
 peaks. The trees, still wet with ''the late-fallen 
 showers," glittered with diamond drops, as if bathed in 
 tears, while far down below us the sodden valleys and 
 bosky dells were steaming in the warm summer air. 
 A perfect silence seemed to reign, as we stood with 
 hushed voices, within the circle of the divine radius, 
 and looked upon the heavenly sign of our Almighty 
 Creator. We are ever encircled by the rainbow of 
 His promises : the Bible is full of them ; let us bind 
 them about us as a girdle of praise, and wear them as 
 precious jewels in our hearts. 
 
 Meanwhile, reflected from yon eastern cloud, 
 Bestriding earth, the grand ethereal cloud, 
 Shoots up immense ; and every hue unfolds, 
 In fair proportion running from the red 
 To where the violet fades into the sky. 
 
 JAMES THOMSON. 
 
 May all go well with you! May life's short day glide 
 on peaceful and bright, with no more clouds than may 
 glisten in the sunshine, no more rain than may form 
 a rainbow. RICHTER. 
 
 [167]
 
 JUNE TENTH. 
 
 NO earthly kingdom could be to thee what the 
 Kingdom of Heaven shall prove, when thou hast 
 entered into its glories, and obtained the rights of heir- 
 ship. The higher thou dost lift thy soul while here 
 below, the higher shall be thy place above. Let each 
 day be a step upward ; climb by little things. He who 
 could paint with such beauty a butterfly's wing hath 
 made nothing without a purpose. Is there not a 
 lesson for thee hidden under the butterfly's wing? If 
 so, learn thy lesson, for God is thy Teacher, and His 
 teachings are never in vain. 
 
 Look high, O soul ! for what is earth but dust ? 
 
 The fleeting shadow of the better things ? 
 
 The heavens are thine if thou wilt use thy wings, 
 And sighs are songs if thou wilt only trust. 
 
 Aim high, O soul ! for on the higher forms 
 Is always room, while lower ranks are filled ; 
 Who climbs the heights finds all earth's noises stilled, 
 
 And a sweet calm and light above the storms. 
 
 Be high, O soul ! scorn what is low and base ; 
 " Child of a King," they call thee ; be a king, 
 And troops of vassals will their tribute bring, 
 
 To crown thee, heir of glory, child of grace. 
 
 HENRY BURTON. 
 
 Is life a field ? Then plough it up re-sow 
 With worthier seed. Is life a ship? Oh, heed 
 The southing of thy stars. Is life a breath? 
 Breathe deeper ; draw life up from hour to hour, 
 Ay, from deepest deep of thy soul. 
 
 JEAN INGELOW. 
 
 [168]
 
 JUNE ELEVENTH. 
 
 MUSIC is the inarticulate speech of the heart, 
 which cannot be compressed into words, be- 
 cause it is infinite. WAGNER. 
 
 Were it not for music we might, in these days, say 
 the beautiful is dead. DISRAELI. 
 
 God grant that your soul may be filled with music ! 
 Even if denied the gift of song, you can cultivate a love 
 for the harmonies of Nature, the symphonies of thought, 
 and the songs without words, which are quiet commun- 
 ings with God whispered into your spirit by the 
 Divine Musician. Keep the heart in tune, and let its 
 music draw other hearts to yours, that your gladness 
 may be to them the key-note, which shall be like a 
 sweet chime ringing out the music of a Better Life, 
 whose harp resounds with melodies of Heaven. 
 
 The loveliest scenes, e'en harmonies of June, 
 Seem discord, if the heart be out of tune. 
 Beneath the veil of pride and outward show 
 Ariseth many a hidden sigh of woe. 
 The wish that seems to thee as dear as life, 
 Granted, may yield but sorrow, care, or strife. 
 Many a wish may come to thee at will, 
 And leave thee restless and unhappy still. 
 
 ANONYMOUS. 
 
 Music dwells 
 
 Lingering, and wandering on as loth to die, 
 Like thoughts whose very sweetness yieldeth proof 
 That they were born for immortality. 
 
 WORDSWORTH. 
 
 [169]
 
 JUNE TWELFTH. 
 
 AS you grow ready for it, somewhere or other you 
 will find what is needful for you in a book, or a 
 friend, or, best of all, in your own thoughts the 
 eternal thought speaking in your thought. GEORGE 
 
 MACDONALD. 
 
 It is not always the depth or the novelty of a thought 
 which constitutes its value to ourselves, but the fitness 
 of its application to our circumstances. SEWELL. 
 
 Thoughts must come naturally, like wild flowers ; 
 they cannot be forced in a hot-bed even although 
 aided by the leaf-mould of your past. ALEXANDER 
 SMITH. 
 
 They are never alone that are accompanied with 
 noble thoughts. SIR PHILIP SIDNEY. 
 
 Thought can never be compared with action, but 
 when it awakens in us the image of truth. MADAME 
 
 DE STAEL. 
 
 Nurture your mind with great thoughts ; to believe 
 in the heroic makes heroes. i. DISRAELI 
 
 Learning without thought is labour lost ; and thought 
 without learning is perilous. CONFUCIUS. 
 
 Receive your thoughts like guests, to be entertained 
 according to their importance. AL-MAIDANI. 
 
 Thought is the wind, knowledge the sail, and man- 
 kind the vessel. j. c. HARE. 
 
 A thoughtful day to you ! 
 
 [170]
 
 JUNE THIRTEENTH. 
 
 LET-H??!?. b^J^othmg^ * n to ~day tq_ regret ! Make 
 to-day better than yesterday: you remember, 
 perhaps, when you calmly reviewed the day's events 
 before you went to sleep, you thought of something 
 you did which you were sorry for. DonH let it happen 
 again to-day. Srjgak guardedly, act_ deliberately, and 
 then there will be no cause for / repenting at leisure^" 
 Regrets are like myriads of little insects that swarm 
 about the light, ever following in its wake, and all to- 
 gether forming a persistent cloud of annoyance. Go 
 where we will, regrets take wing and swarm about us, 
 and even in our dreams they come to haunt us. Oh, for 
 the idle word of yesterday ! 
 
 Oh^that word. Regret! 
 
 There have been nights and morns when we have 
 
 sighed, 
 
 " Let us alone, Regret ! We are content 
 To throw thee all our past, so thou wilt sleep 
 For aye." But it is patient, and it wakes ; 
 It hath not learned to cry itself to sleep, 
 But plaineth on the bed that it is hard. 
 
 We did amiss when we did wish it gone 
 And over ; sorrows humanise our race ; 
 Tears are the showers that fertilise this world ; 
 And memory_of things .precious keejeth warm 
 The heart_that oncejiid hold them,, 
 
 They are poor 
 
 That hath lost nothing ; they are poorer far 
 Who, losing, have forgotten ; they most poor 
 Of all, who lost and wish they might forget. 
 
 JEAN INGELOW. 
 [171]
 
 JUNE FOURTEENTH. 
 
 T)ATIENCE and resignation are the pillars 
 A Of human peace on earth. 
 
 YOUNG. 
 
 We may always find peace, if we look for it in the 
 right place : it can be had simply for the asking. 
 
 He to the_cpjjflic.t 
 
 Wasjturning His face, 
 The cross loomed before Him, 
 
 But He, full of grace, 
 Looked jon_the disciples, 
 
 Grown weary with care, 
 And gavejjigm His blessing, 
 
 And stilled them withjjrayet* 
 
 He the departed One 
 
 What would He leave 
 To quiet and comfort 
 
 The hearts that must grieve ? 
 This, that would ever 
 
 Cause sorrow to cease, 
 His benediction 
 
 Of quiet and peace. 
 
 Down through the centuries, 
 
 None of it lost, 
 Comes the kind legacy 
 
 Won through great cost. 
 Know, all yp troubled 
 
 Treading life^s_w_a.v. 
 ace is^the biggs jng. 
 Christ gives_.v.Qu to.-day^ 
 
 MARIANNE FARNINGHAM. 
 [172]
 
 JUNE FIFTEENTH. 
 
 JUSTICE is a grand thing, and the man who prac- 
 J tises it in all affairs of his daily life sits on a 
 higher throne than kings. His throne is Reason, and 
 he has conquered prejudice and policy, and holds in 
 his hand the well-balanced scales with which to weigh 
 the acts and deeds of his fellow-men. 
 
 Justice is truth in action. 
 
 ANONYMOUS. 
 
 Fidelity is the sister of Justice. 
 
 HORACE. 
 
 Patience and gravity of bearing are an essential part 
 of justice ; and an over-speaking judge is no well-tuned 
 cymbal. LORD BACON. 
 
 Justice must be from violence exempt ; 
 But fraud's her only object of contempt : 
 Fraud in the fox, force in the lion dwells ; 
 But justice both from human hearts expels ; 
 But he^j the greatest jnonste.r, vvithout doubt, 
 Who is a wolf withm, a^ sheep without . 
 
 SIR JOHN DENHAM. 
 
 not ju&t_because theyjdp no wrqngj 
 But he who will not wrong me when he 
 He is the truly just. 
 
 RICHARD CUMBERLAND. 
 
 God is the God of Justice ; in His hands are the 
 scales of Justice, with which He weighs the deeds of all 
 men. Let us not be "weighed, and found wanting." 
 [i73]
 
 JUNE SIXTEENTH. 
 
 MAY this day have a bright sunrise and a glorious 
 sunset ! How restful it is, at the close of a 
 dreamy summer day, to look back over the hours, and 
 feel that they were well and profitably spent ; to know 
 that you have faithfully tried to do your duty in all 
 things, and have not murmured or complained; and 
 that your crosses have been patiently and cheerfully 
 borne! The glad heart turns sighs into singing, and 
 tears into smiles. Make the day beautiful, and you shall 
 have a beautiful sunset. Peace will enfold you with 
 her white wings, and you shall lie down to pleasant 
 dreams, with the consciousness that you have spent a 
 happy, useful day. Oh, that the glory of a Christian's 
 sunset may illumine for you each dying day, and help 
 to fit you for the sunrise in Heaven! 
 
 How fine has the day been, how bright was the sun, 
 How lovely and joyful the course that he run, 
 Though he rose in a mist, when his race he begun, 
 
 And there followed some droppings of rain ! 
 But now the fair traveller's come to the west, 
 His rays are all gold, and his beauties are best ; 
 He paints the sky gay as he sinks to his rest, 
 
 And foretells a bright rising again. 
 
 Just such is the Christian ; his course he begins, 
 Like the sun in a mist, when he mourns for his sins, 
 And melts into tears ; then he breaks out and shines ; 
 
 And travels his heavenly way ; 
 But when he comes nearer to finish his race, 
 Like a fine setting sun, he looks richer in grace, 
 And gives a sure hope at the end of his days, 
 
 Of rising in brighter array. 
 
 ISAAC WATTS. 
 
 [174]
 
 JUNE SEVENTEENTH. 
 
 R great trouble^ js,jwe are too sure of ourselves. 
 
 It is not until we do the wrong thing, at the wrong 
 time, and in the wrong place, that we find out how lit- 
 tle real tact we possess ; not until we fail of making a 
 success in life that we realize we were not so gifted 
 after all ; not until we have planned our future, and 
 God has decreed it otherwise, that we discover our lack 
 of judgment ; and not until we learn how strong God 
 is, that we feel our utter weakness. It is when we are 
 crushed and stricken that we turn our hearts heaven- 
 ward. Oh, that we could learn to trust God more fully ! 
 
 LejLvejJl to.God, 
 Forsaken one, and stay thy tears.; 
 
 For the Highest knows thy pain, 
 Sees thy sufferings and _thy_fearsj 
 Thou shalt not wait His help in vain : 
 Leave all to God. 
 
 Be. still andjrustl 
 For His strokes are strokes of_Jo_y.& 
 
 Thou must for_thy profit bear ^ 
 He thy filial fear wpuld move..; 
 Trust_thy_ Fathejr^s -layjng^cate . 
 Be still and trust 1 
 
 Oh, teach Him not 
 When and how to hear thy prayers ; 
 
 Neverjioth our God forgel, 
 He the cross who longest bears 
 Finds his sorrows' bounds are set. 
 Then teach Him not. 
 
 ANTON ULRICH, OF BRUNSWICK, 1667. 
 [175]
 
 JUNE EIGHTEENTH. 
 
 LIFE is a restless sea, and man the mariner steer- 
 ing across from shore to shore. When the sky 
 is fair, and the waves calm, the voyage will be smooth 
 and prosperous ; but storms will come and the breakers 
 dash high, and what then? There is a Divine Hand 
 guiding the barque of the Christian mariner, which the 
 eye of faith can discern in the darkest night. The 
 mariner knows his Captain's powers; calmly and 
 serenely he sails beneath the terrors of a stormy sky, 
 flashing with lightning and booming with thunders, as- 
 sured of the strength of that guiding Hand that rules 
 the fiercest gale. Be not thou afraid to launch thy 
 boat, if thou hast chosen God to go with thee across 
 life's perilous sea: the voyage is not long a few brief 
 years, then Home shall rise in sight, and all be well. 
 
 Launch thy bark, mariner! 
 
 Christian, God speed thee! 
 Let loose the rudder-bands 
 
 Good angels lead thee! 
 Set thy sails warily, 
 
 Tempests will come ; 
 Steer thy course steadily ; 
 
 Christian, steer home! 
 
 Slacken not sail yet 
 
 At inlet or island ; 
 Straight for the beacon steer, 
 
 Straight for the high land ; 
 Crowd all thy canvas on, 
 
 Cut through the foam 
 Christian! cast anchor now 
 
 Heaven is thy home! 
 
 CAROLINE SOUTHEY. 
 [176]
 
 JUNE NINETEENTH. 
 
 HOW sweet is the name of Mother ! In it is em- 
 braced all that is pure and holy, good and beau- 
 tiful. We linger over it with tenderness, and enshrine 
 it in our heart of hearts, like a precious jewel to be 
 guarded and prized as long as life shall last. About 
 that hallowed name clusters the sacredness of home ; 
 and from a mother's loving influence emanates all that 
 is ennobling, and that inspires us with longings after 
 a higher and better life. Who can estimate the value 
 of a mother's influence? Who can measure the depths 
 of a mother's love ? They are links between us and 
 Heaven. They who have never known a mother's 
 love have missed half the blessedness of living, and to 
 such as these the love of God must be more tender and 
 sweet. May the influence of the good mothers of Eng- 
 land, whether in palace or cot, make her name more 
 and more revered, and her people worthier of all God's 
 goodness ! 
 
 The mother, in her office, holds the key 
 
 Of the soil ; and she it is who stamps the coin 
 
 Of .character, and makes the being who would be a 
 
 savage, 
 
 But for her gentle cares, a Christian man. 
 Then crown her Queen of the world. 
 
 OLD PLAY. 
 
 Sweet is the image of the brooding dove ! 
 Holy as Heaven a mother's tender love! 
 The love of many prayers, and many tears, 
 Which changes not with dim declining years 
 The only love which, on this teeming earth, 
 Asks no return for passion's wayward birth. 
 
 CAROLINE NORTON. 
 
 [177]
 
 JUNE TWENTIETH. 
 
 MAY thy heart be as full of music as England's 
 forest minstrel ! 
 
 Hark! ah, the nightingale 
 
 The tawny-throated! 
 
 Hark ! from that moonlit cedar what a burst ! 
 
 What triumph ! hark ! what pain ! 
 
 MATTHEW ARNOLD. 
 
 Sweet bird that sing'st away the early hours 
 Of winters past or coming, void of care, 
 Well pleased with delights which present are, 
 
 Fair seasons, budding sprays, sweet-smelling flowers. 
 
 DRUMMOND. 
 
 The nightingale's sweet music 
 Fills the air and leafy bowers. 
 
 HEINE. 
 
 The nightingale now wanders in the vines : 
 Her passion is to seek roses. 
 
 LADY MARY WORTLEY MONTAGU. 
 
 The bird that sings on highest wing, 
 Builds on the ground her lowly nest ; 
 
 And she that doth most sweetly sing, 
 Sings in the shade when all things rest : 
 
 In lark and nightingale we see 
 
 What honour hath humility. 
 
 MONTGOMERY. 
 
 Be thou filled with humility, like the lark, and let 
 thy soul sing in the darkness, like the nightingale! 
 [178]
 
 JUNE TWENTY-FIRST. 
 
 'T^HINK not to escape sorrow. Even in the sum- 
 J- mer days it comes to happy hearts all over God's 
 green earth. Ah, it is pitiful to stand amid the roses, 
 and feel too sorely stricken to see their beauty and 
 scent their perfume ; it is sorrowful to be baptized in a 
 flood of sunshine, and yet be not aware of it ; to walk 
 knee-deep in clover, and to think your pathway is dark 
 and gloomy and desolate ; and to be too blinded by 
 grief to see that the sky is as blue as ever, and that 
 God's dear Hand is outstretched still. Stand not doubt- 
 ing and desponding, but let Him share your heart-aches. 
 He will pour His sunlight into your spirit, until your 
 vision shall no longer be holden from His glories. 
 
 Saviour ! by Thy sweet compassion. 
 
 So unmeasured, so Divine ; 
 By that bitter, bitter Passion ; 
 
 By that crimson Cross of Thine ; 
 By the woes Thy love once tasted 
 
 In this sin-marred world below, 
 Succour those in tribulation, 
 
 Succour those in sorrow now. 
 
 Thou who wast so sorely burdened, 
 Help the weak that are oppressed ; 
 
 Sanctify all earthly crosses, 
 For the coming day of rest ; 
 
 Tell them Thou canst see all sorrow 
 In this world's rough wilderness ; 
 
 Tell them Thou art near to succour, 
 Near to comfort and to bless. 
 
 ADA CAMBRIDGE. 
 [179]
 
 JUNE TWENTY-SECOND. 
 
 WHATEVER you are, be faithful. Faithful to 
 duty, faithful in little things, faithful in friend- 
 ships, faithful to God. Do not allow yourself to slight 
 anything that is worth doing. Half-way sewing gives 
 you a garment to do over again ; half-way study makes 
 failures in examinations ; half-read articles weaken 
 your memory ; half-way business loses customers ; half- 
 way friendships are not worth having. God bless the 
 loyal man or woman, who will uphold a good cause, 
 and be faithful to it, come what may ! " What is worth 
 doing, is worth doing well," and what is worth being, is 
 worth our best in faithfulness and steadfastness of 
 purpose. To be loyal to those you love, and to prove 
 your fidelity in time of need, this too is desirable, and 
 shows a heart sincere. Let it be truthfully said of you, 
 that you were 
 
 Faithful found 
 
 Among the faithless. . . . 
 
 His loyalty he kept, his love, his zeal ; 
 
 Nor number with example with him wrought 
 
 To swerve from truth, or change his constant mind, 
 
 Though single. 
 
 MILTON. 
 
 Thought ye your iron hands of pride 
 Could break the knot that hath been tried ? 
 No : let the eagle change her plume, 
 The leaf its hue, the flow'r its bloom ; 
 But ties around this heart were spun, 
 That could not, would not, be undone! 
 
 CAMPBELL. 
 
 Here is my hand for true constancy. 
 
 SHAKESPEARE. 
 [180]
 
 JUNE TWENTY-THIRD. 
 
 THIS is my prayer for thee to-day : that thou mayst 
 have patience, long-suffering, and endurance ; that 
 thou mayst forget self and its weakness, and, relying 
 only upon the divine strength, mayst look upward and 
 outward, and rejoice ! God is everywhere ; " His 
 strength is in the hills," and His song is rippling in 
 gladness from the rivers and seas. He who hath es- 
 tablished the rocks and formed the mountains hath 
 not forgotten thee. He will put a new song into thine 
 heart, and strengthen and uphold thee, and give thee 
 courage to endure unto the end. 
 
 Be strong to hope, O Heart! 
 
 Though day is bright, 
 The stars can only shine 
 
 In the dark night. 
 Be strong, O Heart of mine, 
 
 Look toward the light ! 
 
 Be strong to bear, O Heart ! 
 
 Nothing is vain : 
 Strive not, for life is care, 
 
 And God sends pain ; 
 Heaven is above, and there 
 
 Rest will remain ! 
 
 Be strong to love, O Heart ! 
 
 Love knows not wrong ; 
 Didst thou love creatures even, 
 
 Life were not long ; 
 Didst thou love God in Heaven, 
 
 Thou wouldst be strong. 
 
 ADELAIDE A. PROCTER. 
 [181]
 
 JUNE TWENTY-FOURTH. 
 
 A WORD of commendation or praise, sincere be- 
 cause it issues from the heart, is always helpful 
 and encouraging. But flattery is to every earnest, 
 truthful nature most unwelcome and distasteful. When 
 you flatter, you commit two wrongs : one against your- 
 self, and one against the person to whom you are 
 speaking. The man who indulges in oft-repeated 
 flatteries grows more and more indifferent to truth, 
 until his conscience becomes calloused to its gentle 
 teachings. Don't seek to further your ends by speak- 
 ing what you don't feel ; don't allow policy to lead you 
 away from your better self and to trample truth under 
 your feet. Encourage, commend, and say a helpful, 
 kind word, but do not stoop to the level of a flatterer : 
 it is always easier to fall a little lower, when once you 
 are down. Let all of your words and actions tend to 
 elevate and ennoble you. 
 
 Beware of flattery, 'tis a weed 
 
 Which oft offends the very idol vice, 
 
 Whose shrine it would perfume. 
 
 FENTON. 
 
 Minds 
 
 By nature great are conscious of their greatness, 
 And hold it mean to borrow aught from flattery. 
 
 ROWE. 
 
 Parent of wicked, bane of honest deeds, 
 Pernicious flattery ! thy malignant seeds, 
 In an ill hour, and by a fated hand, 
 Sadly diffus'd o'er virtue's gleby land, 
 With rising pride amidst the corn appear, 
 And choke the hopes and harvests of the year. 
 
 PRIOR. 
 
 [182]
 
 JUNE TWENTY-FIFTH. 
 
 SUMMER days, with all their dreamy beauty, often 
 find us filled with restless longings and discontent. 
 We look up into the sky, and follow the fleecy clouds, 
 and our unsatisfied souls grow weary with watching 
 their ever-shifting whiteness ; the song of the river lulls 
 us for a time, and again we cry out for rest. When 
 we shall reach the fadeless Summer-land of the world 
 above, and not until then, shall our longing souls be 
 satisfied. 
 
 When I shall wake on that fair morn of morns, 
 After whose dawning never night returns, 
 And with whose glory day eternal burns, 
 I shall be satisfied. 
 
 When I shall see Thy glory face to face, 
 When in Thine arms Thou wilt Thy child embrace, 
 When Thou shalt open all Thy stores of grace, 
 I shall be satisfied. 
 
 When I shall meet with those whom I have loved, 
 Clasp in my eager arms the long-removed, 
 And find how faithful Thou hast proved, 
 I shall be satisfied. 
 
 When I shall gaze upon the face of Him 
 Who for me died, with eyes no longer dim, 
 And praise Him in the everlasting hymn, 
 I shall be satisfied. 
 
 When I shall call to mind the long, long past, 
 With clouds and storms and shadows overcast, 
 And know that I am saved and blest at last, 
 I shall be satisfied. 
 
 HORATIUS BONAR. 
 [I8 3 ]
 
 H 
 
 JUNE TWENTY-SIXTH. 
 
 'OW often we are mistaken in people! Havard 
 
 says, 
 
 " Appearances deceive, 
 And this one maxim is a standing rule, 
 Men are not what they seem." 
 
 It is true we are unable to understand each other in 
 the brief glimpses we have, as we pass back and forth 
 in our daily lives. A man's outer garb may betoken 
 him a gentleman, when he is at heart anything else. 
 A woman's queenly grace and beauty may stamp her 
 as a lady, when she may never have known the true 
 meaning of the word. The dark side of life may have 
 changed a man's nature to such an extent, that when 
 you look into his face you say, " He is a villain," whereas 
 it is only poverty and hunger and despair that are 
 speaking through his hollow-looking eyes and gloomy 
 countenance. Perhaps 
 
 " That gloomy outside, like a rusty chest* 
 Contains the shining treasure of a sou] 
 Resolved and brave," 
 
 as Dryden has it. We are too easily influenced by ap- 
 pearances, and, in consequence, a rough exterior is often 
 undervalued, when beneath lies hidden a heart of pur- 
 est truth and highest nobility. Yet, on the other hand, 
 some men are outwardly polished and attractive : we 
 can scarcely believe they can be other than they seem. 
 Shakespeare says, 
 
 " Why should the sacred character of virtue 
 
 Shine on a villain's countenance ? " 
 Because perhaps he makes, to quote Churchill's words, 
 " Appearances to save his only care ; 
 So things seem right, no matter what they are.'''' 
 [184]
 
 JUNE TWENTY-SEVENTH. 
 
 TO pray together, in whatever tongue or ritual, is 
 the most tender brotherhood of hope and sympa- 
 thy that men can contract in this life. MADAME DE 
 STAEL. 
 
 He whojnay_s jwhhou^confidence^jcannpt hope that_ 
 his prayers wiU be granted. FENELON. 
 
 In prayer jhe lips ne'er act the winning jparj; 
 
 Without the sweet concurrence of the heart,. 
 
 HERRICK. 
 
 Prayer moves the jland which moves the world^ 
 
 JOHN AIKMAN WALLACE. 
 
 j^erve Gqd bejfqrejhe world, ; let Him not jjo 
 UntiHhou hast a blgssjng ; then resign 
 The whole unto Him: and remember who. 
 
 7 wrir ~ 4 ' " ' 
 
 Prevail'd by wrestling ere_the sun. didjaMne, 
 Pour oyle upon_the_stgnesj__wee2 for thy_ia4. 
 Then journey ^>n. and have an eye to Heav^n^ 
 
 VAUGHAN. 
 
 They never sough t_in_vain that spughUhe Lord Bright. 
 
 BURNS. 
 
 More things are wrought by prayer 
 Than thisjvorld drean^of^ Wherefore, let thy voice 
 Rise like a fountain for me night and day. 
 Fox what arg_menjbetter_than sheep_ or ^gpajs 
 That nourish a blind life within the brajn, 
 lf^ knowin^_Gpji, they lift not hands_of PJ^Y^T 
 Both fqrjhemselves and those ^\iio_ call them friend? 
 For so the whole round earth is eyerjf way 
 Bound by gold chains about the feet of God. 
 
 TENNYSON. 
 
 [185]
 
 JUNE TWENTY-EIGHTH. 
 
 WE should learn to be temperate in all things. 
 The thirst for knowledge has led to the utter 
 ruin of many a mind. The appetite of the mind should 
 be held in check, as well as the appetite of the body. 
 Continued pampering will result in disease : overfed 
 minds cannot continue strong and vigorous, any more 
 than overfed bodies. Many a bright, young intellect 
 has been clouded forever, because ambitious teachers, 
 parents, and friends have made a god of knowledge, 
 and sacrificed an innocent victim on its altar. Youth- 
 ful inventors, musicians, and artists, as well as students 
 of literature and language, are to-day shut up between 
 the walls of our asylums because of intemperate habits 
 in reading and studying. The mind must have exer- 
 cise, recreation, and rest ; it must not be overcrowded, 
 but should unfold slowly, as an opening rose, in the 
 sunny garden of Knowledge. 
 
 The mind of man is this world's true dimension ; 
 And knowledge is the measure of the mind : 
 And as the mind, in her vast comprehension, 
 Contains more worlds than all the world can find, 
 So knowledge doth itself far more extend, 
 Than all the minds of man can comprehend. 
 
 LORD BROOKE. 
 
 Knowledge is as food, and needs no less 
 Her temperance over appetite, to know 
 In measure what the mind may well contain, 
 Oppresses else with surfeit, and soon turns 
 Wisdom to folly. 
 
 MILTON. 
 
 [186]
 
 JUNE TWENTY-NINTH. 
 
 AN argument has often been the means of separat- 
 ing friends. With some people arguing is a 
 hobby ; they are never really happy until deep in an 
 argument with some one, and are often very unhappy 
 before they get out of it. A constant war of words 
 is unpleasant ; it renders one sharp-tongued and fretful, 
 and takes the sweetness out of any disposition. The 
 man who boasts that he always carries his point often 
 imagines he does so, while, on the other hand, his oppo- 
 nent is just as sure that he has been defeated. An 
 argument seldom results in a change of opinion, and 
 is, therefore, in many cases, a mere waste of time and 
 breath, and often ends in a quarrel. Avoid controver- 
 sies where they create hard feelings ; but where you 
 know a friend is in the wrong, endeavor kindly to point 
 out his error and convince him of his mistake. Do 
 not approach him when he is angry, for then he is 
 unfit to reason with you, but let him calmly and delib- 
 erately be shown what you conscientiously believe to 
 be the right, and then he will listen quietly. 
 
 Be calm in arguing. For fierceness makes 
 Error a fault, and truth discourtesy. 
 Why should I feel another man's mistakes 
 More than his sickness or poverty? 
 In love I should ; but anger is not love, 
 Nor wisdom neither ; therefore gently move : 
 Calmness is great advantage. 
 
 HERBERT. 
 
 If truth be with thy friend, be with them both : 
 Share in the conquest, and confess a troth. 
 
 HERBERT. 
 
 [187]
 
 JUNE THIRTIETH. 
 
 FAREWELL, sweet June! thy little race is run, thy 
 first bright roses hang their drooping heads, but 
 one by one new buds have opened in the sun, and not 
 a link of beauty yet is lost. So in the wheaten fields, 
 that wave like golden seas, if one stalk withers through 
 a blighted heart, its fellows closer crowd and hide its 
 early grave, and no one but the Father knows the spot. 
 The strawberries have turned their soft cheeks to the 
 light, and, rich and luscious, ripened into red ; and 
 their abundant yield, like rose, like golden wheat, has 
 failed not in the glory of the June. Our deeds, our 
 acts of love, oh, that they too have been unmarred 
 by fading leaves of sad mistakes, or withered stalks of 
 blighted trust, or stolen fruits that robbed our neigh- 
 bor's store of joys ! Oh, that in some sweet aftermath, 
 our roses, grain, and fruit may make for some tired 
 heart a rest ! 
 
 Therefore myself is that one only thing 
 
 I hold to use or waste, to keep or give ; 
 
 My sole possession every day I live, 
 And still mine own despite Time's winnowing. 
 Ever mine own, while moons and seasons bring 
 
 From crudeness ripeness mellow and sanative : 
 
 Ever mine own, till Death shall ply his sieve ; 
 And still mine own, when saints break grave and sing. 
 And this myself as king unto my King 
 
 I give to Him who gave Himself for me ; 
 Who gives Himself to me, and bids me sing 
 
 A sweet new song of His redeemed set free ; 
 He bids me sing: O death, where is thy sting? 
 
 And sing : O grave, where is thy victory ? 
 
 CHRISTINA ROSSETTI. 
 [188]
 
 ALFRED TENNYSON 
 1809-1892
 
 OR THE MONTH 
 OF JULY 
 
 JULY FIRST. 
 
 HOW drowsy and dreamy is July ! Bees hum, and 
 flies buzz, and insects chirp in the grasses. The 
 air is still and languid, disturbed now and then by the 
 soft flutter of butterflies' wings, flitting from flower to 
 flower, or the quick whirring of a summer bird. The 
 lark goes, singing, upward from her lowly nest among 
 the grasses, and the cuckoo sends forth happy notes 
 from out the leafy shade. The sea murmurs along the 
 shore, and the dewy freshness of the morning melts 
 into the heart of noon when all is sunshine and drowsi- 
 ness and stillness. On the valleys rests the midday 
 hush, and man ceases his labor to refresh himself from 
 the cool, sweet waters that lie in the shadow of the 
 wayside well. July is the midsummer season, the 
 noontide of the year. A beautiful time is it to refresh 
 ourselves from the Fountain of God's Love, and to 
 drink a deep, cooling draught, which, if we drink, we 
 shall never thirst again. 
 
 July has come ! the meadow-lands 
 
 In verdure stretch away ; 
 In broad-brimmed hat the mower stands 
 
 Knee-deep amid the hay ; 
 The scent of clover fills the air, 
 
 While sunflowers gaily nod, 
 And Nature's children sweetly share 
 
 The joy of praising God. 
 [189]
 
 JULY SECOND. 
 
 MAY your life be an example of sweet humility, 
 and, like the modest daisy, " the eye of the day," 
 may you ever be a white star of purity blooming con- 
 tentedly for the glory of God. 
 
 There is a flower, a little flower 
 With silver crest and golden eye, 
 
 That welcomes every changing hour, 
 And weathers every sky. 
 
 On waste and woodland, rock and plain, 
 Its humble buds unheeded rise ; 
 
 The rose has but a summer-reign ; 
 The Daisy never dies ! 
 
 MONTGOMERY. 
 
 That well by reason men it call may 
 The daisie or else the eye of the day. 
 
 CHAUCER. 
 
 The Daisy blossoms on the rocks, 
 
 Amid the purple heath ; 
 It blossoms on the river's banks, 
 
 That thrids the glens beneath ; 
 The eagle, at his pride of place, 
 
 Beholds it by his nest, 
 And in the mead, it cushions soft 
 
 The lark's descending breast. 
 
 MOIR. 
 
 Daisies infinite 
 
 Uplift in praise their little glowing hands, 
 O'er every hill that under Heaven expands. 
 
 EBENEZER ELLIOTT. 
 [190]
 
 JULY THIRD. 
 
 HIGH Thoughts ! They come and go 
 Like the soft breathings of a listening maiden, 
 While round me flow 
 The winds, from woods and fields with gladness 
 
 laden : 
 
 When the corn's rustle on the earth doth come 
 When the eve's beetle sounds its drowsy hum 
 When the stars, dewdrops of the summer sky, 
 Watch over all with soft and loving eye 
 While the leaves quiver by the lone river, 
 And the quiet heart 
 
 From depths doth call and garners all 
 Earth grows a shadow 
 
 Forgotten whole, 
 And Heaven lives 
 In the blessed soul! 
 
 High thoughts! They visit us 
 
 In moments when the soul is dim and darkened ; 
 They come to bless, 
 
 After the vanities to which we hearkened : 
 When weariness hath come upon the spirit 
 (Those hours of darkness which we all inherit) 
 Bursts there not through a glint of warm sunshine, 
 A winged thought, which bids us not repine? 
 In joy and gladness, in mirth and sadness, 
 Come signs and tokens ; 
 
 Life's angel brings, upon its wings 
 Those bright communings 
 
 The soul doth keep 
 Those thoughts of Heaven 
 So pure and deep ! 
 
 ROBERT NICHOLL. 
 [191]
 
 JULY FOURTH. 
 
 Osing unto the Lord a new song; sing unto the 
 Lord, all the earth. 
 
 Sing unto the Lord, bless his name ; shew forth 
 his salvation from day to day. 
 
 Declare his wonders among all people. For the 
 Lord is great and greatly to be praised. PSALM 96: 
 1-4. 
 
 All hail, light of day! 
 
 Thy sweet gushing ray 
 Pours down its soft warmth over pasture and field ; 
 
 With hues silver-tinged 
 
 The meadows are fringed, 
 And numberless suns in the dewdrop reveal'd. 
 
 SCHILLER. 
 
 As a bird in meadows fair 
 
 Or in lonely forest sings 
 Till it fills the summer air, 
 
 And the greenwood sweetly rings, 
 So my heart to Thee would raise, 
 O my God, its song of praise, 
 That the gloom of night is o'er, 
 And I see the sun once more. 
 
 If Thou, Sun of Love, arise, 
 
 All my heart with joy is stirred, 
 And to greet Thee upward flies, 
 
 Gladsome as yon little bird. 
 Shine Thou in me clear and bright 
 Till I learn to praise Thee right : 
 Guide me in the narrow way, 
 Let me ne'er in darkness stray. 
 
 FROM THE GERMAN. 
 [192]
 
 JULY FIFTH. 
 
 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. 
 
 SCOTT. 
 
 Our Father was very kind when He implanted within 
 us the feeling which we call sympathy. We have need 
 for a great deal of it in this world : not a day goes by 
 but some friend, or passing acquaintance, or stranger, 
 draws upon our fund of sympathy ; and I trust we have 
 all a goodly sum in reserve, enough to last us the rest 
 of our natural life. What various appeals there are 
 to us ! Sometimes it is poverty, or distress, or sorrow, 
 or disgrace, or affliction, or losses, or severe illness and 
 intense suffering, or cruel injustice, or false accusations, 
 
 all of these call forth our sincere sympathy, and fill 
 us with the longing to comfort and relieve those who 
 are troubled and distressed. Let us keep our hearts 
 warm and tender, that they may beat kindly towards 
 all humanity. 
 
 The craving for sympathy is the common boundary- 
 line between joy and sorrow. j. c. AND A. w. HARE. 
 
 Sympathy is especially a Christian's duty. SPURGEON. 
 
 As the human countenance smiles on those that 
 smile, so does it sympathise with those that weep. 
 
 SMART. 
 
 I live not in myself, but I become 
 Portion of that around me. 
 
 BYRON. 
 
 [193]
 
 I 
 
 JULY SIXTH. 
 
 A DAY OF CONSECRATION. 
 
 WOULD rather be what God chose to make me 
 than the most glorious creature I could think of. 
 For to have been thought about born in God's 
 thoughts, and then made by God, is the dearest, 
 grandest, most precious thing in all thinking. GEORGE 
 
 MACDONALD. 
 
 Take my life, and let it be 
 Consecrated, Lord, to Thee ; 
 
 Take my hands, and let them move 
 At the impulse of Thy love. 
 
 Take my voice, and let me sing 
 Always, only, for my King. 
 
 Take my silver and my gold, 
 Not a mite would I withhold ; 
 
 Take my moments and my days, 
 Let them flow in ceaseless praise. 
 
 Take my will, and make it Thine, 
 It shall be no longer mine ; 
 
 Take my heart, it is Thine own, 
 It shall be Thy royal throne. 
 
 FRANCES RIDLEY HAVERGAL. 
 
 Withhold not from God His just due. Talent, time, 
 wealth, and all that thou hast are His, but given into 
 thy keeping to improve and use for His glory. See 
 that thou payest thy debt with interest J 
 [194]
 
 JULY SEVENTH. 
 
 OF all inorganic substances, acting in their own 
 proper nature, and without assistance or combi- 
 nation, water is the most wonderful. If we think of it 
 as the source of all changefulness and beauty which 
 we have seen in clouds; then as the instrument by 
 which the earth we have contemplated was modelled 
 into symmetry, and its crags chiselled into grace ; then 
 as, in the form of snow, it robes the mountains it has 
 made with that transcendent light which we could not 
 have conceived if we had not seen ; then as it exists in 
 the foam of the torrent, in the iris which spans it, in 
 the morning mist which rises from it, in the deep crys- 
 talline pools which mirror its hanging shore, in the 
 broad lake and glancing river ; finally, in that which is 
 to all human minds the best emblem of unwearied, 
 unconquerable power, the wild, various, fantastic, 
 tameless unity of the sea ; what shall we compare to 
 this mighty, this universal element, for glory and for 
 beauty? or how shall we follow its eternal changeful- 
 ness of feeling? It is like trying to paint a soul. 
 
 RUSKIN. 
 
 Roll on, thou deep and dark blue ocean roll! 
 
 Thou glorious mirror, where the Almighty's form 
 
 Glasses itself in tempests ; in all time, 
 
 Calm or convuls'd . . . 
 
 . . . boundless, endless, and sublime 
 
 The image of eternity. 
 
 BYRON. 
 
 Launch your soul on the ocean of God's love ; and 
 in His own time you shall reach His Harbor of Perfect 
 Peace. 
 
 [195]
 
 JULY EIGHTH. 
 
 LET your motto be "Onward and upward," no 
 matter what obstacles you may meet. Per aspera 
 ad astra. Keep on climbing higher. 
 
 Rest is not quitting 
 
 This busy career ; 
 Rest is the fitting 
 
 Of self to its sphere. 
 
 'Tis loving and serving 
 
 The highest and best ; 
 'Tis onward, unswerving, 
 
 And this is true rest. 
 
 GOETHE. 
 
 Catch, then, O catch the transient hour ; 
 
 Improve each moment as it flies ; 
 Life's a short summer, man a flower ; 
 
 He dies, alas! how soon he dies! 
 
 SAMUEL JOHNSON. 
 
 Seek'st thou the highest, the greatest? In that the 
 
 plant can instruct thee ; 
 What it unwittingly is, be thou of thine own free will! 
 
 SCHILLER. 
 
 Be like the bird, that, halting in her flight 
 
 Awhile on boughs too slight, 
 Feels them give way beneath her and yet sings, 
 
 Knowing that she hath wings. 
 
 VICTOR HUGO. 
 
 Great souls, 
 By nature half divine, soar to the stars. 
 
 NICHOLAS ROWE. 
 
 [196]
 
 H 
 
 JULY NINTH. 
 OW far the little candle throws its beams! 
 
 SHAKESPEARE. 
 
 May this be said truly of us! If our light is but 
 small, may its tiny beams shine afar into the paths of 
 others and help them to avoid the pitfalls of tempta- 
 tions and evil. Let us not scorn the little duties and 
 little services, but however humble our place, and 
 small our achievements, let us make it tell for Eternity. 
 
 Small service is true service while it lasts : 
 Of humblest friends , bright creature, scorn not one ; 
 
 The Daisy, by the shadow that it casts, 
 
 Protects the lingering dewdrop from the sun. 
 
 WORDSWORTH. 
 
 To me the meanest flower that blows can give 
 Thoughts that so often lie too deep for tears. 
 
 WORDSWORTH. 
 
 What time is little ? To the sentinel 
 
 That hour is regal when he mounts on guard. 
 
 GEORGE ELIOT. 
 
 Exactness in little duties is a wonderful source of 
 cheerfulness. F. w. FABER. 
 
 The tasks, the joys of earth, the same in Heaven will 
 
 be; 
 Only the little brook has widened to a sea. 
 
 R. C. TRENCH. 
 
 He that is faithful in that which is least, is faithful 
 also in much. LUKE 16: 10. 
 [197]
 
 JULY TENTH. 
 
 IF the human mind is rich, it will generously give of 
 its abundance to others ; if it is steeped in the 
 incense of sweet thoughts, it will yield a fragrance to 
 those around it. The mind enriched by Heaven is 
 continually getting and giving, absorbing and radiat- 
 ing, being blessed and blessing others. 
 
 Mind's command o'er mind, 
 Spirit o'er spirit, is the clear effect 
 And natural action of an inward gift, 
 Given by God. 
 
 BAILEY. 
 
 Time has small pow'r 
 
 O'er features the mind moulds. Roses where 
 They once have bloom'd, a fragrance leave behind ; 
 And harmony will linger on the wind ; 
 And suns continue to light up the air, 
 When set ; and music from the broken shrine 
 Breathes, it is said, around whose altar-stone 
 His flower the votary has ceas'd to twine : 
 Types of the beauty, that when youth is gone, 
 Breathes from the soul whose brightness mocks decline. 
 
 GEORGE HILL. 
 
 Mind, despatch'd upon the busy toil, 
 Should range where Providence hast blessed the soil ; 
 Visiting every flow'r with labour meet, 
 And gathering all her treasures, sweet by sweet, 
 She should imbue the tongue with what she sips, 
 And shed the balmy blessings on the lips, 
 That good diffus'd may more abundant grow, 
 And speech may praise the pow'r that bids it flow. 
 
 COWPER. 
 
 [198]
 
 JULY ELEVENTH. 
 
 WHEN God at first made man, 
 Having a glass of blessings standing by, 
 " Let us," said He, " pour on him all we can ; 
 Let the world's riches, which dispersed lie, 
 Contract into a span." 
 
 So strength first made a way ; 
 
 Then beauty flowed ; then wisdom, honour, pleasure ; 
 When almost all was out, God made a stay ; 
 
 Perceiving that alone, of all His treasures, 
 Rest in the bottom lay. 
 
 " For if I should," said He, 
 
 " Bestow this jewel on my creature, 
 He would adore my gift instead of Me, 
 
 And rest in nature, not the God of nature 
 So both should losers be. 
 
 ' Yet let him keep the rest 
 
 But keep them, with repining restlessness 
 Let him be rich and weary ; that, at least, 
 
 If goodness lead him not, yet weariness 
 May toss him to My breast." 
 
 GEORGE HERBERT. 
 
 There is no perfect rest out of Christ. Sleep but 
 soothes us for a time ; change of scene makes our life 
 less monotonous, perhaps, but we must soon return to 
 the old routine and feel again the old weariness and 
 restlessness. It is the humanity in us seeking a greater 
 Strength to lean upon. When you are most restless 
 and most filled with the realization that earth cannot 
 satisfy you, then, you may depend upon it, you need to 
 get closer to God, and to rest in His sheltering arms.
 
 JULY TWELFTH. 
 
 TO prove that we have goodness within us, it must 
 blossom into deeds. A tree that yields no bloom 
 and bears no fruit, of what use is it ? Even the sturdy 
 pine drops its beautiful, symmetrical cones, and the 
 grand old oak its dainty acorns, proofs that each not 
 only lends shelter and grace to the world, but that it is 
 showering down its treasures, in token of growth and 
 strength. 
 
 It is a kind of good deed to say well, 
 And yet words are not deeds. 
 
 SHAKESPEARE. 
 
 When the poor and hungry are about you, a kind 
 word will do their hearts good, but it will not feed 
 their bodies. What they need is substantial food, and 
 if you bestow this upon them, and accompany it with 
 kindness, you have given them a noble blessing. The 
 sweetest way to be charitable is to give in such a way 
 that it is not recognized as charity at all. " Not 
 grudgingly or of necessity : for God loveth a cheerful 
 giver." 
 
 There is some soul of goodness in things evil, 
 Would men observingly distil it out. 
 
 SHAKESPEARE. 
 
 The chamber where the good man meets his fate 
 
 Is privileged beyond the common walk 
 
 Of virtuous life, quite in the verge of Heaven. 
 
 YOUNG. 
 
 [200]
 
 JULY THIRTEENTH. 
 
 IN your occupations try to possess your soul in 
 peace. It is not a good plan to be in haste to 
 perform any action that it may soon be over. On the 
 contrary, you should accustom yourself to do whatever 
 you have to do with tranquillity, in order that you may 
 retain the possession of yourself and of settled peace. 
 
 MADAME GUYON. 
 
 One lesson, Nature, let me learn of thee, 
 One lesson, which in every wind is blown, 
 One lesson of two duties kept at one, 
 Though the loud world proclaim their unity 
 
 Of toil unsever'd from tranquillity ! 
 Of labour, that in lasting fruit outgrows 
 Far noisier schemes, accomplish'd in repose 
 Too great for haste, too high for rivalry ! 
 
 Yes, while on earth a thousand discords ring, 
 Man's senseless uproar mingling with his toil, 
 Still do they, quiet ministers, move on, 
 Their glorious tasks in silence perfecting! 
 Still working, blaming still our vain turmoil, 
 Labourers that shall not fail, when man is gone. 
 
 MATTHEW ARNOLD. 
 
 In Nature all work is quiet work. The most beauti- 
 ful flower that ever bloomed unfolded every petal in 
 silence, and yet how many hearts it cheered! The 
 largest grain-field that ever ripened in the sunshine 
 and rain reached perfection without making a sound, 
 and yet how many hungry it fed! God bless the silent 
 workers, and make you one of them! 
 
 [201]
 
 JULY FOURTEENTH. 
 
 LET us walk among the lilies. "As the Lily is 
 pure and spotless, so may thy life be ! " and may 
 thy soul open to the sunshine of God's love, and bloom 
 like the lilies of the field, clothed in the beauty of 
 humility and the whiteness of peace ! 
 
 The Lily is all in white like a saint. 
 
 HOOD. 
 
 The lilies say : Behold how we 
 Preach, without words, of purity. 
 
 CHRISTINA ROSSETTI. 
 
 Very whitely still 
 
 The lilies of our lives may reassure 
 Their blossoms from their roots, accessible 
 Alone to heavenly dews. 
 
 E. B. BROWNING. 
 
 " Look to the lilies how they grow ! " 
 'Twas thus the Saviour said, that we, 
 
 Even in the simplest flowers that blow, 
 God's ever-watchful care might see. 
 
 MOIR. 
 
 " Thou wert not, Solomon ! in all thy glory, 
 Array'd," the lilies cry, " in robes like ours " ; 
 
 How vain your grandeur ! Ah, how transitory 
 Are human flowers ! 
 
 HORACE SMITH. 
 
 The citron-tree or spicy grove for me would never 
 
 yield 
 A perfume half so grateful as the lilies of the field. 
 
 ELIZA COOK. 
 
 [202]
 
 I 
 
 JULY FIFTEENTH. 
 
 r T is through a flower-strewn way 
 That Thy children walk to-day, 
 O God, who makest the Summer-time so beautiful to 
 see; 
 
 And the sweetly scented air 
 Bears upward many a prayer 
 
 Of loving, happy gratitude from the sons of men to 
 Thee. 
 
 O God, is any sad 
 
 When the world is all so glad, 
 
 And Thou hast made the Summer so full of joy and 
 love? 
 
 Are there tears in any eyes 
 That look upward to Thy skies, 
 
 When the earth in beauty vieth with the azure space 
 above ? 
 
 For all the pain and sadness, 
 
 Thou canst put joy and gladness 
 In hearts that do not know them though "the corn 
 
 and wine increase." 
 
 Hush Thou the care and strife that mar our human life, 
 And give to every troubled one some share of love and 
 
 peace. 
 
 All things own Thy control ; 
 Make Summer in the soul, 
 Whose sobbings spoil with dissonance the season's 
 
 merry chimes ; 
 
 Thy blessings crowd the sod, be merciful, O God, 
 And give to every child of Thine the joy of Summer- 
 time. 
 
 MARIANNE FARNINGHAM. 
 [20 3 ]
 
 JULY SIXTEENTH. 
 
 CAST thy bread upon the waters: for thou shalt 
 find it after many days. ECCLESIASTES 1 1 : i . 
 
 May you be able to look back upon this day in after 
 years, and remember it as one of the best days of your 
 life ! As one who, sitting on the green shore of some 
 quiet lake, throws a handful of bread to the pure white 
 swans gliding over its tranquil surface, so may you, 
 this July day, feed some sorrowing spirit with crumbs 
 of comfort, or some hungering heart with the manna 
 of Christian love. When life's winter comes, the chan- 
 nels will be all frozen over, and your chances lost 
 forever. 
 
 We scatter seeds with careless hand, 
 And dream we ne'er shall see them more : 
 But for a thousand years 
 Their fruit appears, 
 In weeds that mar the land, 
 Or healthful store. 
 
 The deeds we do, the words we say 
 Into still air they seem to fleet, 
 We count them ever past, 
 
 But they shall last ; 
 In the dead-judgment they 
 And we shall meet ! 
 
 I charge thee by the years gone by, 
 For the love's sake of brethren dear ; 
 Keep thou the one true way 
 
 In work and play, 
 
 Lest in the world their cry 
 
 Of woe thou hear ! 
 
 JOHN KEBLE. 
 [204]
 
 JULY SEVENTEENTH. 
 
 TO be self-reliant, thoroughly independent, and to 
 possess the knowledge that God has given you a 
 special place in this world, and you feel that you are 
 expected to fill it ; this, and to be endowed with the 
 gift of perseverance, is a fortune which is worth more 
 to you than an inherited earthly kingdom. The mere 
 possession of wealth does not always ensure happiness ; 
 in fact, it is those who have vast possessions who have 
 greatest responsibilities, and who consequently bear 
 the heaviest burdens. Good health is good fortune. 
 Sound judgment, common sense, a cheerful disposition, 
 and a willingness to be useful, all of these are things 
 which adverse winds cannot -blow away, and which 
 make for its possessors a cause for daily thanksgiving. 
 
 To catch dame Fortune's golden smile, 
 
 Assiduous wait upon her ; 
 And gather gear by every wile 
 
 That's justified by honour. 
 Not for to hide it in a hedge 
 
 Nor for a train attendant ; 
 But for the glorious privilege 
 
 Of being independent. 
 
 BURNS. 
 
 Not always fall of leaf, nor ever spring, 
 
 Not endless night, yet not eternal day : 
 
 The saddest birds a season find to sing, 
 
 The roughest storm a calm may soon allay. 
 
 Thus, with succeeding turns, God tempereth all, 
 
 That man may hope to rise, yet fear to fall. 
 
 ROBERT SOUTHWELL. 
 [205]
 
 JULY EIGHTEENTH. 
 
 GOD said, " Blessed are the merciful : for they shall 
 obtain mercy." One of the sweetest and gentlest 
 virtues is Mercy ; patience, charity, love, and compassion 
 are all blended in her, and when she smiles Hatred is 
 melted to tears, and Cruelty hides his face for shame. 
 Be merciful, not only to human beings, but to dumb 
 animals, who look to you for protection and kindness. 
 Without mercy you cannot claim kinship with God, 
 whose great warm Heart is full of tender compassion 
 for all His creatures. 
 
 'Tis mercy ! mercy ! 
 
 The mark of Heav'n impress'd on human kind, 
 Mercy, that glads the world, deals joy around ; 
 Mercy that smooths the dreadful brow of power, 
 And makes dominion light ; mercy that saves, 
 Binds up the broken heart, and heals despair. 
 
 ROWE. 
 
 How would you be, 
 
 If He, which is the top of judgment, should 
 But judge as you do? Oh, think on that ; 
 And mercy then will breathe within your lips, 
 Like man new made! 
 
 SHAKESPEARE. 
 
 O mercy, heavenly born ! Sweet attribute ! 
 Thou great, thou best prerogative of power ! 
 Justice may guard the throne, but joined with thee, 
 On rocks of adamant, it stands secure, 
 And braves the storm beneath. 
 
 WILLIAM SOMERVILLE. 
 [206]
 
 JULY NINETEENTH. 
 
 /CHRIST be with you to-morrow 
 
 >^ In pleasure or in sorrow ; 
 Christ help you in temptation 
 And every tribulation ; 
 Christ strengthen you for duty, 
 Give to your spirit beauty, 
 And comfort you with gladness 
 For every hour of sadness ; 
 Christ bid His angels serve you 
 And from all ill preserve you ; 
 Christ make you pure and holy, 
 Christ keep you meek and lowly, 
 Until with Him in heaven 
 His crowning grace be given ; 
 The care of Christ defend you, 
 The love of Christ befriend you. 
 
 MARIANNE FARNINGHAM. 
 
 Have nothing apart from Christ. Let Him share all 
 things with you. Plan no to-morrow without Him ; 
 include Him in your joys, and ask His sympathy in 
 your sorrows. He knows exactly what you need, and 
 knows far better than you do yourself. Surely with 
 such a Guide and Friend you cannot seek to do your 
 will, and to walk contrary to His choice. 
 
 Lead, kindly Light, amid the encircling gloom, 
 
 Lead Thou me on ; 
 The night is dark, and I am far from home, 
 
 Lead Thou me on. 
 
 Keep Thou my feet ; I do not ask to see 
 The distant scene ; one step enough for me. 
 
 j. H. NEWMAN. 
 [207]
 
 JULY TWENTIETH. 
 
 ^H ROUGH the spirit of Divine Love, let the vio- 
 -J- lent, obstinate powers of thy nature be quieted, 
 the hardness of thy affections be softened, and thine 
 intractable self-will be subdued. G. TERSTEEGEN. 
 
 Only thy restless heart keep still, 
 And wait in cheerful hope ; content 
 
 To take whate'er His gracious will, 
 His all-discerning love, hath sent ; 
 
 Nor doubt our inmost wants are known 
 To Him who chose us for His own. 
 
 G. NEUMARK. 
 
 And should the twilight darken into night, 
 
 And sorrow grow to anguish, be thou strong ; 
 
 Thou art in God, and nothing can go wrong 
 Which a fresh life-pulse cannot set aright. 
 That thou dost know the darkness, proves the light. 
 
 Weep if thou wilt, but weep not all too long ; 
 
 Or weep and work, for work will lead to song. 
 
 GEORGE MACDONALD. 
 
 God make thee able to endure the petty trials and 
 cares that nag and fret and worry thee in thine earthly 
 pilgrimage. As thou goest, step by step, through the 
 journey of the year, mayst thou be filled with inward 
 gentleness and grace of spirit, and with strength to 
 conquer and subdue the foes without and within. 
 
 Yet still the light of righteousness beams pure, 
 Beams to me from the world of far-off day ; 
 
 Lord who hast called them happy that endure, 
 Lord, make me such as they. 
 
 CHRISTINA ROSSETTI. 
 [208]
 
 JULY TWENTY-FIRST. 
 
 WE cannot honour our country with too deep a 
 reverence ; we cannot love her with an affection 
 too pure and fervent ; we cannot serve her with an 
 energy of purpose or a faithfulness of zeal too stead- 
 fast and ardent. GRIMKE. 
 
 Our country's welfare is our first concern, 
 
 And who promotes that best, best proves his duty. 
 
 HAVARD. 
 
 Give me the death of those 
 
 Who for their country die ; 
 And oh ! be mine like their repose, 
 
 When cold and low they lie : 
 Their loveliest mother earth 
 
 Enshrines the fallen brave ; 
 In their sweet lap who gave them birth, 
 
 They find their tranquil grave. 
 
 MONTGOMERY. 
 
 A people 
 
 Who cannot find in their own proper force 
 Their own protection, are not worth saving. 
 
 THOMSON. 
 
 What constitutes a state? 
 
 Men who their duties know, 
 But know their rights, and knowing, dare maintain, 
 
 Prevent the long-aimed blow, 
 And crush the tyrant, while they rend the chain : 
 
 These constitute a state. 
 
 SIR WILLIAM JONES. 
 [209]
 
 JULY TWENTY-SECOND. 
 
 A DAY IN THE HAY-FIELDS. 
 
 THE sun had risen, the air was sweet, 
 And brightly shone the dew, 
 And cheerful sounds and busy feet 
 
 Pass'd the lone meadows through ; 
 And waving like a flowery sea 
 
 Of gay and spiry bloom, 
 The hay-fields rippled merrily 
 In beauty and perfume. 
 
 I saw the early mowers pass 
 
 Along the pleasant dell, 
 And rank on rank the shining grass 
 
 Around them quickly fell ; 
 I looked, and far and wide at noon 
 
 The fallen flowers were spread, 
 And all, as rose the evening moon, 
 
 Beneath the scythe were dead. 
 
 " All flesh is grass," the Scriptures say, 
 
 And so we truly find ; 
 Cut down, as in a Summer's day, 
 
 Are all of human kind : 
 Some, while the morning still is fair, 
 
 Taken in earliest prime ; 
 Some, mid-day's heat and burden bear, 
 
 But all, laid low in time. 
 
 JANE TAYLOR. 
 
 Whatever life may be to us now, whether a bright, 
 dreamy day in the hay-fields among ripening grass and 
 blooming flowers, or a weary, heated season of toil and 
 care, it will end before a great while, and we, like the 
 hay, shall be gathered into God's great Store-house. 
 [210]
 
 JULY TWENTY-THIRD. 
 
 THERE is no virtue the exercise of which, even 
 momentarily, will not impress a new fairness upon 
 the features ; neither on them only, but on the whole 
 body, the moral and intellectual faculties have opera- 
 tion, for all the movements and gestures, however 
 slight, are different in their modes according to the 
 mind that governs them and on the gentleness and 
 decision of right feeling follows grace of actions, and, 
 through continuance of this, grace of form. j. RUSKIN. 
 
 Purity of thought and mind leave their impress on 
 the countenance. A face may be beautiful in outline 
 and feature, but if it lacks purity and modesty, the 
 chief charm is wanting. A homely face, in which soul- 
 beauty is revealed, possesses a loveliness which will 
 not fade with the youthful bloom, but which will grow 
 more attractive as the years go by, and in old age will 
 wear the outward reflection of tranquillity and peace. 
 
 May it be said of you that, 
 
 Around her shone 
 
 The light of love, the purity of grace, 
 The mind, the music breathing from her face, 
 The heart whose softness harmonized the whole, 
 And, oh ! the eye was in itself a soul ! 
 
 BYRON. 
 
 And that your soul is 
 
 Unstained and pure 
 As is the lily, or the mountain snow. 
 
 THOMSON. 
 
 Blessed are the pure in heart : for they shall see 
 God. MATTHEW 5 : 8. 
 
 [211]
 
 JULY TWENTY-FOURTH. 
 
 T ET us live each day for God ; live where He has 
 -I ' put us, with an eye single to His glory. We can, 
 perhaps, find it easy to be charitable for God, to be 
 kind for God, to be useful for God, but how do we feel 
 about enduring for God? This is what entire conse- 
 cration means, not the willingness to serve Him 
 alone, nor the readiness to die a martyr's death for His 
 cause; but to live for Him, to endure trials and perse- 
 cutions, and to suffer indignities and false accusations ; 
 to be misjudged, misrepresented, and to go bravely on 
 climbing nearer to Heaven every day, this is living 
 for God. 
 
 I hold him great who for love's sake, 
 Can give with generous, earnest will : 
 
 Yet he who takes for love's sweet sake 
 I think I hold more generous still. 
 
 I bow before the noble mind 
 That freely some great wrong forgives ; 
 
 Yet nobler is the one forgiven 
 Who bears the burden well and lives. 
 
 Great may be he who can command 
 And rule with just and tender sway ; 
 
 Yet is diviner wisdom taught 
 Better by him who can obey. 
 
 Blessed are they who die for God, 
 And earn the martyr's crown of light ; 
 
 Yet he who lives for God may be 
 A greater conqueror in His sight. 
 
 ADELAIDE ANNE PROCTER. 
 [212]
 
 JULY TWENTY-FIFTH. 
 
 WHAT different ideas people have of what life is ! 
 Some will go through the world careless, bright, 
 and happy, and at its close may still insist it is a beau- 
 tiful dream, but these persons are very few. Most 
 of us who have passed through our childhood and 
 earlier years of manhood and womanhood have come 
 to a realization of life's earnestness, its duties, obli- 
 gations, and responsibilities. But because we have 
 learned to read its prose, we do not lose our apprecia- 
 tion of its poetry ; I think, on the contrary, we under- 
 stand it better and love it all the more. Life would 
 become monotonous if our days were all sunshiny ones. 
 When we have walked for a while in the glare of the 
 light, how welcome and restful is the shadow ; and 
 after the darkness, how gladly we step out into the 
 brightness and beauty of sunshine once more. So with 
 life : its smiles are sweeter because of its tears ; its joys 
 are purer because of its sorrows. Our individual views 
 of life rest a great deal with ourselves. Look at it 
 through blue glasses, and it will appear gloomy and 
 dismal, but put on rose-colored ones, and immediately 
 all things are tinted with a warm, roseate hue which is 
 beautiful indeed. 
 
 When I consider life, His all a cheat. 
 Yet, fooled with hope, men favour the deceit ; 
 Trust on, and think to-morrow will repay : 
 To-morrow's falser than the former day. 
 
 DRYDEN. 
 
 Life's but a means unto an end, that end, 
 Beginning, mean, and all things God. 
 
 BAILEY.
 
 A 
 
 JULY TWENTY-SIXTH. 
 
 NEW commandment give I unto you, that ye 
 love one another. JOHN 13 : 34. 
 
 To love is everything ; love is God. 
 
 LEON GOZLAN. 
 
 Love's holy flame forever burneth ; 
 
 From Heaven it came, to Heaven returneth, 
 
 Too oft on earth a troubled guest, 
 
 At times deceived, at times opprest. 
 
 It here is tried and purified, 
 
 Then hath in Heaven its perfect rest ; 
 
 It soweth here with toil and care, 
 
 But the harvest-time of love is there. 
 
 SOUTHEY. 
 
 True love's the gift which God has given 
 To man alone beneath the heaven : 
 
 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. 
 
 SCOTT. 
 
 Love is life's end ; an end but never ending ; 
 
 All joys, all sweets, all happiness awarding ; 
 
 Love is life's wealth (ne'er spent but ever spending), 
 
 More rich by giving, taking by discarding : 
 
 Ah ! should'st thou live but once love's sweets to 
 
 prove, 
 
 Thou wilt not love to live, unless thou live to love. 
 
 SPENSER.
 
 JULY TWENTY-SEVENTH. 
 
 E life that I now live in the flesh, I live by the 
 faith of the Son of God." 
 That is not all. Much as my future includes all 
 those elements which go to make the blessed fabric of 
 earthly life, yet, after all, what the summer is compared 
 with all its earthly products flowers, and leaves, and 
 grass that is Christ compared with all the products 
 of Christ in my mind and in my soul. All the flowers 
 and leaves of sympathy ; all the twining joys that come 
 from my heart as a Christian, these I take and hold 
 in the future, but they are to me what the flowers and 
 leaves of summer are compared with the sun that 
 makes the summer. Christ is the Alpha and Omega, 
 the beginning and the end of my better life. PROF. 
 
 HENRY DRUMMOND. 
 
 I am the end of love ; give love to me. 
 O thou that sinnest, grace doth more abound 
 Than all thy sin ! Sit still beneath my rood, 
 And count the droppings of my victim-blood, 
 And seek none other sound. 
 
 E. B. BROWNING. 
 
 Thou hast the words of endless life ; 
 Thou givest victory in the strife ; 
 Thou only art the changeless friend, 
 On whom for aye we may depend : 
 In life, in death, alike we flee, 
 O Saviour of the world, to thee. 
 
 F. R. HAVERGAL. 
 
 Christ, first, last, and always ! Let us lift our eyes to 
 Him in our last earthly hours ; and in our first glimpse 
 of Heaven, He shall be the first to welcome us Home.
 
 JULY TWENTY-EIGHTH. 
 
 HE who is faithful over a few things is a lord over 
 cities. It does not matter whether you preach in 
 Westminster Abbey, or teach a ragged class, so you be 
 
 faithful. GEORGE MACDONALD. 
 
 Never delay 
 
 To do the duty which the hour brings, 
 Whether it be in great or smaller things, 
 
 For who doth know 
 What he shall do the coming day? 
 
 ANONYMOUS. 
 
 Example is more forcible than precept. People look 
 at me six days in the week, to see what I mean on the 
 seventh. CECIL. 
 
 Cast forth thy act, thy word, into the ever-living, 
 ever-working universe. It is a seed-grain that cannot 
 die ; unnoticed to-day, it will be found flourishing as a 
 banyan-grove, perhaps, alas ! as a hemlock-forest after 
 a thousand years. CARLYLE. 
 
 Lord, with what courage and delight 
 
 I do each thing, 
 When Thy least breath sustains my wing ! 
 
 I shine and move 
 
 Like those above, 
 
 And with much gladness 
 
 Quitting sadness, 
 Make me fair days of every night. 
 
 HENRY VAUGHAN. 
 
 There is not a moment without some duty. CICERO. 
 [216]
 
 JULY TWENTY-NINTH. 
 
 T)ERHAPS this is the very day in which you want to 
 A be alone. You are in the mood to enjoy a quiet 
 ramble in the woods, or to steal off with a favorite 
 book and shut out the world for a while. Or, it may 
 be, you have a sweet dream-world of your own, where 
 you can build pretty air-castles out of the clouds, and 
 where your ships of thoughts can go sailing about 
 blown by innocent little gales of happiness. Perhaps 
 when you awakened this morning, you planned to 
 spend this warm July day in quiet, peaceful enjoyment, 
 just to your own liking. But it may be God chose 
 otherwise for you, and gave you the better, sweeter 
 opportunity of doing for others. " For even Christ 
 pleased not Himself," though doubtless He needed a 
 season of rest far more than you ; but He was ever 
 ministering to those around Him, no matter how weary 
 He was. Thank God that He gave you the chance to 
 do some sweet service for Him. 
 
 Be kind to each other ! 
 
 The night's coming on ; 
 When friend and when brother 
 
 Perchance may be gone ! 
 Then 'midst our dejection, 
 
 How sweet to have earned 
 The blest recollection 
 
 Of kindness returned ! 
 
 CHARLES SWAIN. 
 
 Kindness by secret sympathy is tied ; 
 For noble souls in Nature are allied. 
 
 DRYDEN. 
 
 [217]
 
 JULY THIRTIETH. 
 
 LET envy have no place in your thoughts or feel- 
 ings. If your neighbor's possessions are greater 
 than yours, rejoice that he has so much, and so great 
 an opportunity of doing good. The more wealth we 
 have, the greater our responsibility will be, and if not 
 used aright we are better off if we have less. Do 
 not envy your neighbor his talent ; it may prove his 
 downfall, if not properly valued and improved. Do 
 not envy him his position or fame ; doubtless he would 
 willingly surrender it all for your quiet, retired life, and 
 for your sweet, untroubled sleep. He is perhaps un- 
 easy and restless even in his dreams. He belongs to 
 the public, he toils for the public, and the demands of 
 the public have robbed him of the happiness and re- 
 pose which you have the privilege of enjoying, if you 
 will. Fill your little niche as God intended; if He 
 wants you to be rich or great, you will be, but do not 
 spoil your life by continually envying some one else, 
 and wishing you could have their gifts or goods. If 
 you honor your calling, God will honor you, and in 
 some sweet, unexpected way will overrun your cup with 
 blessings. 
 
 For the condition of envy, is 
 
 to have 
 
 Our eyes continually fix'd upon another 
 
 Man's prosperity, that is, his chief happiness, 
 And to grieve at that. 
 
 BEN JONSON. 
 
 For envy doth invade 
 Works breathing to eternity, and cast 
 Upon the fairest piece the greatest shade. 
 
 CHARLES ALEYN. 
 [218]
 
 JULY THIRTY-FIRST. 
 
 /~"*ARRY some message of gladness to-day. Look 
 V.* at the birds ; their little throats are swelling with 
 rapture. They are telling God's love, and this is my 
 message. 
 
 Give me some word to say for Thee, 
 I pray. The world needs charity, 
 Its sorrows are so great to bear, 
 And men bow down 'neath loads of care, 
 Fain would I bring them some relief 
 And comfort for their hours of grief. 
 May I not tell them something? " Go," 
 A voice replied, " and let them know 
 Their Father loves them." 
 
 His blessing touches every head, 
 He knows the path their tired feet tread, 
 He pities them when they are sad, 
 It is His good-will makes them glad. 
 Let no one doubt Him. Every child 
 The good, the bad, the meek, the mild 
 Is to the Father's heart most dear ; 
 He sent His Son to bring you near 
 Because He loves you. 
 
 Receive the good, glad news again, 
 O heavy-laden sons of men! 
 Our Father will your burdens bear, 
 Our Father will your sorrows share, 
 Because He loves you. Cold of heart 
 Are you to others? Do your part, 
 And thank Him thus. To your heart take 
 Earth's sad ones, for your Father's sake 
 Because He loves you. 
 
 MARIANNE FARNINGHAM. 
 [219]
 
 OR THE MONTH 
 OF AUGUST 
 
 AUGUST FIRST. 
 
 AUGUST is like a princess ; she wears the royal 
 colors, and moves with stately grace, following 
 close on the steps of daisy-crowned, sunny July. The 
 gold of the wheat, the purple of the grape, and the 
 scarlet of the poppy are woven in the folds of her 
 flowing robe, and emblazoned on her royal crest. 
 When she comes, the corn-fields wave her a welcome. 
 
 A song in a corn-field 
 
 Where corn begins to fall, 
 
 Where reapers are reaping, 
 Reaping one, reaping all. 
 
 Out in the fields 
 
 Summer heat gloweth, 
 Out in the fields 
 
 Summer wind bloweth, 
 Out in the fields 
 
 Summer friend showeth, 
 Out in the fields 
 
 Summer wheat groweth : 
 But in the winter 
 
 When summer heat is dead 
 And summer wind has veered 
 
 And summer friend has fled, 
 Only summer wheat remaineth, 
 
 White cakes and bread. 
 
 CHRISTINA ROSSETTI. 
 [220]
 
 GEORGE ELIOT 
 1819-1880
 
 o 
 
 AUGUST SECOND. 
 
 IN one side is a field of drooping oats, 
 Through which the poppies show their scarlet 
 coats. 
 
 KEATS. 
 
 Find me next a poppy posy. 
 
 MOORE. 
 
 We are slumbrous poppies, 
 
 Lord of Lethe downs, 
 Some awake and some asleep, 
 
 Sleeping in our crowns. 
 What perchance our dreams may know, 
 Let our serious beauty show. 
 
 Central depth of purple, 
 
 Leaves more bright than rose, 
 Who shall tell what brightest thought 
 
 Out of darkest grows ? 
 Who, through what funereal pain, 
 Souls to love and peace attain ? 
 
 LEIGH HUNT. 
 
 Let but my scarlet head appear 
 And I am held in scorn ; 
 Yet juice of subtle virtue lies 
 Within my cup of curious dyes. 
 
 CHRISTINA ROSSETTI. 
 
 Gold flashed out of the wheat-ear brown, 
 And flame from the poppy's leaf. 
 
 ELIZA COOK. 
 
 Pleasures are like poppies spread, 
 You seize the flow'r, its bloom is shed! 
 
 BURNS. 
 [221]
 
 AUGUST THIRD. 
 
 SOCRATES, accounted by many to have been the 
 wisest man who has ever lived since the time of 
 King Solomon, said : 
 
 " As for me, all I know is that I know nothing." 
 Spurgeon, one of our ablest divines, said : 
 " The doorstep to the temple of Wisdom is a 
 knowledge of our own ignorance." 
 
 What a lesson for us! That such great minds as 
 these were so modest and unassuming seems marvel- 
 lous, when we hear many who are intellectually inferior 
 to them boasting of their fund of knowledge, when- 
 ever an occasion presents itself. I believe the more 
 we learn, the deeper realization we have of what yet 
 remains to be learned. 
 
 Wisdom does not show itself so much in precept as 
 in life in a firmness of mind and mastery of appetite. 
 It teaches us to do, as well as to talk ; and to make 
 our actions and words all of a colour. SENECA. 
 
 When swelling buds their od'rous foliage shed, 
 And gently harden into fruit, the wise 
 Spare not the little offsprings, if they grow 
 Redundant. 
 
 JOHN PHILIPS. 
 
 Tell (if you can) what it is to be wise ? 
 'Tis but to know how little can be known. 
 To see all others' faults, and feel our own. 
 
 POPE. 
 
 Knowledge is proud that he has learn 'd so much ; 
 Wisdom is humble that he knows no more. 
 
 COWPER. 
 
 [222]
 
 AUGUST FOURTH. 
 
 HHHE wish falls often on my heart, that I may learn 
 J- nothing here that I cannot continue in the other 
 world ; that I may do nothing here but deeds that will 
 bear fruit in Heaven. JEAN PAUL RICHTER. 
 
 Up and away, like the dew of the morning, 
 Soaring from earth to its home in the sun ; 
 
 Thus would I pass from the earth and its toiling, 
 Only remember'd by what I have done. 
 
 Shall I be missed if another succeed me, 
 
 Reaping the fields I in Springtime have sown ? 
 
 No, for the sower may pass from his labours, 
 Only remember'd by what he has done. 
 
 Only the truth that in life I have spoken, 
 Only the seed that on earth I have sown, 
 
 These shall pass onward when I am forgotten, 
 Fruits of the harvest, and what I have done. 
 
 Oh, when the Saviour shall make up His jewels, 
 When the bright crowns of rejoicing are won, 
 
 Then will His faithful and weary disciples 
 All be remember'd by what they have done! 
 
 H. BONAR. 
 
 I will go forth 'mong men, not mailed in scorn, 
 But in the armour of a pure intent ; 
 Great duties are before me, and great songs, 
 And whether crowned or crownless when I fall, 
 It matters not, so as God's work is done. 
 
 ALEXANDER SMITH. 
 [223]
 
 AUGUST FIFTH. 
 
 LORD of Earth! Thy bounteous hand 
 Well this glorious frame hath planned ; 
 Woods that wave, and hills that tower, 
 Ocean rolling in his power, 
 All that strikes the gaze unsought, 
 All that charms the lonely thought ; 
 Friendship, gem transcending price; 
 Love, a flower of Paradise ; 
 Yet, amid this scene so fair, 
 Should I cease Thy smile to share, 
 What were all its joys to me! 
 Whom have I in Heaven but Thee! 
 
 Lord of Heaven! beyond our sight 
 Rolls a world of purer light ; 
 
 Oh, that scene is passing fair! 
 Yet should'st Thou be absent there, 
 What were all its joys to me! 
 Whom have I in Heaven but Thee! 
 
 Lord of Earth and Heaven! my breast 
 Seeks in Thee its only rest! 
 I was lost : Thy accents mild 
 Homeward lured Thy wandering child. 
 I was blind : Thy healing ray 
 Charmed the long eclipse away. 
 Source of every joy I know, 
 Solace of my every woe ; 
 Yet should once Thy smile divine 
 Cease upon my soul to shine, 
 What were Heaven or earth to me ! 
 Whom have I in Heaven but Thee! 
 
 SIR ROBERT GRANT. 
 
 [224]
 
 AUGUST SIXTH. 
 
 ALL true work is sacred; in all true work, were 
 it but true hand-labour, there is something of 
 divineness. CARLYLE. 
 
 Strike and struggle ; ever strive, 
 
 Labour with hand, and heart, and brain. 
 
 Work doth more than genius give ; 
 
 He who faithfully toils doth live ; 
 'Tis labour that doth reign. 
 
 ANONYMOUS. 
 
 Blessed is he who hath found his work ; let him ask 
 no other blessedness. He has a work, a life-purpose ; 
 he has found it and will follow it. CARLYLE. 
 
 Let no one till his death 
 Be called unhappy. Measure not the work 
 Until the day's out and the labour done. 
 
 E. B. BROWNING. 
 
 We enjoy ourselves only in our work, our doing; 
 and our best doing is our best enjoyment. JACOBI. 
 
 God be thank'd that the dead have left still 
 Good undone for the living to do 
 
 Still some aim for the heart and the will 
 And the soul for a man to pursue. 
 
 OWEN MEREDITH. 
 
 In every rank, or great or small, 
 'Tis industry supports us all. 
 
 GAY. 
 
 Nothing is impossible to industry. PERIANDER OF 
 CORINTH. 
 
 [ 22 5l
 
 AUGUST SEVENTH. 
 
 LET us have patience ; the way will grow brighter 
 as we press on. Our hearts are discouraged to- 
 day, but they will be lighter to-morrow. Our feet are 
 tired to-day, but they will rest when the night cometh. 
 There are things in store for us worth waiting for; 
 let us, then, not be too eager and impatient, but let us 
 span our sky with the rainbow of hope, and wait God's 
 time for the fulfilment of our heart's desires. For the 
 patient soul, He has in reserve His dearest blessings. 
 
 If only we strive to be pure and true, 
 To each of us all there will come an hour 
 When the tree of life shall burst into flower, 
 And rain at our feet the glorious dower 
 Of something grander than ever we knew. 
 
 ANONYMOUS. 
 
 For who that leans on His right arm 
 Was ever yet forsaken? 
 What righteous cause can suffer harm 
 If He its part hath taken ? 
 
 Though wild and loud 
 
 And dark the cloud, 
 
 Behind its folds 
 
 His hand upholds 
 The calm sky of to-morrow. 
 
 God give us grace 
 Each in his place 
 To bear his lot 
 And murmur not, 
 Endure and wait and labour. 
 
 LUTHER. 
 
 [226]
 
 AUGUST EIGHTH. 
 
 DID you ever notice how a child skips and dances 
 in the summer sunshine ? Its feet seem scarce to 
 touch the ground, they have so much elasticity in them ; 
 its face is a mirror of happiness ; its eyes are as bright 
 as stars, and its sweet little innocent heart seems over- 
 flowing with gladness. Life is like a beautiful garden, 
 all flowers, and sunshine, and cooling shadows, with 
 blue sky and sailing clouds overhead ; why should not 
 the child rejoice? More, too, the joy of youth is in the 
 blithe little spirit, and it trusts in and loves all man- 
 kind. It knows it will be cared for, and its heart is 
 full of childish faith ; it sees no clouds in the sky of 
 the future, so it clasps confidingly the hand of Hope, 
 and fears no ills to come. Why should we lose our 
 faith and hope? God cares for us. Why should we 
 lose our joy in His sunshine when He is overhead? 
 Why should we leave our youth behind if we love all 
 mankind ? Ah, it is the lack of these things that makes 
 us grow old. Keep your heart young with trust in 
 God and man, and your youth will never die. 
 
 Blest hour of childhood! then, and then alone, 
 Dance we the revels close round Pleasure's throne, 
 Quaff the bright nectar from her fountain-springs, 
 And laugh beneath the rainbow of her wings. 
 O time of promise, hope, and innocence, 
 Of trust, and love, and happy ignorance ! 
 
 THOUGHTS OF A RECLUSE. 
 
 Life went a-Maying 
 With Nature, Hope, and Poesy 
 When I was young! 
 
 COLERIDGE. 
 
 [227]
 
 L 
 
 AUGUST NINTH. 
 
 ORD, thou knowest all things : thou knowest that 
 I love thee. JOHN 21 : 17. 
 
 The twilight falls, the night is near, 
 
 I fold my work away, 
 And kneel to One who bends to hear 
 
 The story of the day. 
 
 The old, old story ; yet I kneel 
 
 To tell it at Thy call ; 
 And cares grow lighter as I feel 
 
 That Jesus knows it all. 
 
 Yes, all ! The morning and the night, 
 
 The joy, the grief, the loss, 
 The roughened path, the sunbeam bright, 
 
 The hourly thorn and cross. 
 
 Thou knowest all I lean my head, 
 
 My weary eyelids close ; 
 Content and glad awhile to tread 
 
 This path, since Jesus knows ! 
 
 And He has loved me! All my heart 
 
 With answering love is stirred, 
 And every anguished pain and smart 
 
 Finds healing in the Word. 
 
 So here I lay me down to rest, 
 
 As nightly shadows fall, 
 And lean, confiding, on His breast, 
 
 Who knows and pities all! 
 
 ANONYMOUS. 
 
 [228]
 
 AUGUST TENTH. 
 
 npHAT understanding which we have of our Creator, 
 J- and of His works, and of ourselves, is the store- 
 house of all wisdom. A. BZOWSKI. 
 
 I know no evil under the sun so great as the abuse 
 of the understanding, and yet there is no vice more 
 common. STEELE. 
 
 The vigorous mind is sympathetic and reflective. 
 It gathers from those around it thoughts similar to its 
 own, and widens and deepens its channels every day. 
 
 With curious art the brain, too finely wrought, 
 Preys on herself, and is destroyed by thought! 
 Constant attention wears the active mind, 
 Blots out her pow'rs, and leaves a blank behind. 
 
 CHURCHILL. 
 
 By earth, and hell, and Heaven, 
 The shroud of souls is riven, 
 
 Mind, mind alone, 
 Is light, and hope, and life, and power! 
 
 EBENEZER ELLIOTT. 
 
 The mind within me panted after mind, 
 The spirit sigh'd to meet a kindred spirit, 
 And in my human heart there was a void, 
 Which nothing but humanity could fill. 
 
 MONTGOMERY. 
 
 Recollect every day the things seen, heard, or read, 
 which make any addition to your understanding. 
 
 WATTS. 
 
 [229]
 
 AUGUST ELEVENTH. 
 
 LET this be the prayer of your heart to-day : 
 Make use of me, dear God, in the way which 
 Thou shalt choose. Thou hast made all things for 
 Thy glory and the good of humanity ; Thou hast a mis- 
 sion for me, even me ! Give me a heart ready for willing 
 service, O my Father, and then appoint my work. 
 
 There is little or nothing in this life worth living for, 
 but we can all of us go forward and do our duty. 
 
 WELLINGTON. 
 
 Make use of me, my God, 
 
 Let me not be forgot, 
 Let not Thy child be cast aside, 
 
 One whom Thou needest not. 
 
 Thou usest all Thy works, 
 The weakest things that be ; 
 
 Each has a service of its own, 
 For all things wait on Thee. 
 
 Thou usest the high stars, 
 
 The tiny drops of dew, 
 The giant peak, the little hill, 
 
 My God, oh, use me too! 
 
 Thou usest tree and flow'r, 
 
 The river vast and small ; 
 The eagle great, the little bird, 
 
 That sings upon the wall. 
 
 All things do serve Thee here, 
 All creatures great and small ; 
 
 Make use of me, of me, my God, 
 The weakest of them all. 
 
 H. BONAR. 
 
 [230]
 
 AUGUST TWELFTH. 
 
 is not a leaf or a blade of grass, a drop of 
 -A. dew or a ray of light, that hath not God in it. 
 He walks among the hills, and leaves behind the glory 
 of His presence, and the evidence of His power. He 
 beautifies the rivers and seas until they glisten like 
 burnished silver, laughing in His sunlight, and smiling 
 in the soft radiance of His stars. He ushers in the 
 faint, gray dawn, and floods the east with sunrise ; He 
 measures the hours of day, and hushes the earth to 
 repose, and guards it while it is wrapped in silence and 
 dreams. Oh, the wonders of God! how divinely and 
 exquisitely are they wrought ! 
 
 Eternal and Omnipotent unseen! 
 
 Who bad'st the world, with all its lives complete, 
 
 Start from the void, and thrill Thy feet, 
 
 Thee I adore, with reverence serene. 
 
 Here, in the fields, Thine own cathedral meet, 
 
 Built of thyself, blue-roofd, and hung with green, 
 
 Within all breathing things, in concert sweet, 
 
 Organ'd by winds, perpetual hymns repeat. 
 
 HORACE SMITH. 
 
 O God of Truth, 
 Make me one with Thee in eternal love. Oft I am 
 
 weary, 
 Reading, listening, but all I wish and long for is in 
 
 Thee. 
 
 Then silent be all teachers, hushed be all creation at 
 the sight of Thee : 
 
 Speak Thou to me alone. 
 
 THOMAS X KEMPIS. 
 
 [231]
 
 AUGUST THIRTEENTH. 
 
 /CHRIST is the Divine Healer; we have not a 
 ^^ spiritual disease beyond His reach. Infinitely 
 tender, loving, and sympathetic, He invites us to come 
 to Him and be healed. 
 
 In His death, Christ is a sacrifice, satisfying for our 
 sins ; in the resurrection, a conqueror ; in the ascen- 
 sion, a king; in the intercession, a high priest. 
 
 LUTHER. 
 
 When across the heart deep waves of sorrow 
 Break, as on a dry and barren shore, 
 
 When hope glistens with no bright to-morrow, 
 And the storms seem sweeping evermore ; 
 
 When the cup of every earthly gladness 
 Bears no taste of the life-giving stream, 
 
 And high hopes, as though to mock our sadness, 
 Fade and die as in some fitful dream ; 
 
 Who shall hush the weary spirit's chiding? 
 
 Who the aching void within shall fill? 
 Who shall whisper of peace abiding, 
 
 And each surging billow calmly still ? 
 
 Only He whose wounded heart was broken 
 With the bitter cross and thorny crown, 
 
 Whose dear love glad words of joy had spoken, 
 Who His life for us laid meekly down. 
 
 Blessed Healer! all our burdens lighten; 
 
 Give us peace, Thine own sweet peace, we pray ; 
 Keep us near Thee till the morn shall brighten, 
 
 And all mists and shadows flee away. 
 
 CANTERBURY HYMNAL. 
 [232]
 
 AUGUST FOURTEENTH. 
 
 GOD pays good wages for good work. The calm 
 consciousness of doing one's best is worth more 
 than dollars and cents, though we may be greatly in 
 need of the latter. Yet whatever price we may receive 
 in exchange for labor is unsatisfactory, if we have with 
 it no inward assurance that we have earned it. God 
 sometimes allows us to have the discipline of waiting, 
 but He knows all of His own by name, and when the 
 place is ready for us, He will call us, and we have only 
 to respond promptly, " Lord, here am I ; send me." 
 
 Sum up at night what thou hast done by day, 
 And in the morning what thou hast to do. 
 Dress and undress thy soul. 
 
 GEORGE HERBERT. 
 
 Glory of warrior, glory of orator, glory of song, 
 
 Paid with a voice flying by to be lost on an endless 
 
 sea; 
 Glory of virtue, to fight, to struggle, to right the 
 
 wrong 
 Nay, but she aim'd not at glory, no lover of glory 
 
 she. 
 Give her the glory of going on and still to be. 
 
 The wages of sin is death ; if the wages of virtue be 
 
 dust, 
 Would she have heart to endure for the life of the 
 
 worm and the fly? 
 She desires no isles of the blest, no quiet seats of 
 
 the just, 
 
 To rest in a golden grove, or bask in a summer sky ; 
 Give her the wages of going on, and not to die. 
 
 ALFRED TENNYSON. 
 [233]
 
 AUGUST FIFTEENTH. 
 
 A GOOD listener is a rarity, and as pleasing as rare. 
 I think the reason there are so few good listeners, 
 is because we do not exercise patience enough. It 
 requires considerable patience and self-denial on our 
 part, often, to sit quietly, giving earnest heed to words 
 that do not interest or concern us in the least. But 
 courtesy demands that we should do this even though 
 it may prove a positive infliction on our good nature. 
 Let us be careful not to launch into that dangerous 
 topic which is most interesting to us, but less so to 
 others, ourselves. To be continually enumerating 
 our ailments, and losses, and crosses, and all the ills we 
 have to bear, there is no surer way of wearying a 
 listener than this. 
 
 It is a secret known to but few, yet of no small use in 
 the conduct of life, that when you fall into a man's 
 conversation, the first thing you should consider is, 
 whether he has a greater inclination to hear you, or that 
 you should hear him. STEELE. 
 
 But 'tis a task indeed to learn to hear ; 
 
 In that the skill of conversation lies ; 
 
 That shows or makes you both polite and wise. 
 
 YOUNG. 
 
 Nor did we fail to see within ourselves 
 What need there is to be reserved in speech, 
 And temper all our thoughts with charity. 
 
 WORDSWORTH. 
 [234]
 
 AUGUST SIXTEENTH. 
 
 TO what various things has the world been likened ! 
 Hear some of them : 
 
 The true sovereign of the world, who moulds the 
 world like soft wax, according to his pleasure, is he 
 who lovingly sees into the world. CARLYLE. 
 
 Beautiful! 
 
 How beautiful is this visible world, 
 How glorious in its action and itself! 
 
 BYRON. 
 
 This world is all a fleeting show, 
 
 For man's illusion given ; 
 The smiles of Joy, the tears of Woe, 
 Deceitful shine, deceitful flow 
 
 There's nothing true but Heaven! 
 
 THOMAS MOORE. 
 
 The world is like a bride superbly dressed : 
 Who weds her for dowry must pay for his soul. 
 
 HAFIZ. 
 
 The world is a comedy to those who think, a tragedy 
 to those who feel. WALPOLE. 
 
 The world's a theatre, the earth a stage, 
 Which God and Nature do with actors fill. 
 
 HEYWOOD. 
 
 Such is the world. Understand it, despise it, love 
 it ; cheerfully hold on thy way through it, with thy eye 
 on highest loadstars! CARLYLE. 
 [235]
 
 AUGUST SEVENTEENTH. 
 
 D is the rock of my heart and my portion for- 
 ever." Can you say this? Can you say that 
 your hope, your faith, your trust is established on the 
 Rock of Ages, and that the Lord is your portion for- 
 ever? If so, you need have no fears for the future. If 
 you have made your peace with Him, He will abide with 
 you, your ever-present, loving Guest, His smile reflect- 
 ing itself in your spirit and filling you with a sweet gra- 
 ciousness that will make you welcome wherever you go. 
 If you trust Him fully and completely, and give your 
 life into His keeping, you can tell others how precious 
 He is. O blessed Rock of Ages, be Thou the strength 
 and the stay of those who trust in Thee! 
 
 He taught my heart to trust Him fearlessly 
 
 (Trust oft betrayed, but now misplaced no more) ; 
 
 My Rock! my Rock! my wave-besieged Rock! 
 Safe in Thy clefts I rest forevermore. 
 
 They that trust in the Lord shall be as Mount Zion, 
 which cannot be removed, but abideth forever. As 
 the mountains are round about Jerusalem, so the Lord 
 is round about his people from henceforth even for- 
 ever. PSALM 125 : i, 2. 
 
 Rock of Ages, cleft for me, 
 Let me hide myself in Thee ; 
 Let the water and the blood 
 From Thy riven side which flowed 
 Be of sin the double cure, 
 Save from wrath, and make me pure. 
 Rock of Ages, cleft for me, 
 Let me hide myself in Thee ! 
 
 TOPLADY. 
 
 [236]
 
 AUGUST EIGHTEENTH. 
 
 GOD, who is liberal in all His other gifts, shows, by 
 the wise economy of His providence, how circum- 
 spect we ought to be in the management of our time, 
 for He never gives us two moments together. FENE- 
 
 LOX. 
 
 What are all thy boasted treasures ? 
 Tender sorrow, transient pleasures ? 
 Anxious hopes, and jealous fears, 
 Laughing hours, and mourning years ? 
 Deck'd with brightest tints at morn, 
 At twilight with'ring on a thorn ; 
 Like the gentle rose of spring, 
 Chill'd by ev'ry zephyr's wing : 
 Ah ! how soon its colour flies, 
 Blushes, trembles, falls, and dies. 
 What is youth ? A smiling sorrow, 
 Blithe to-day and sad to-morrow ; 
 Never fix'd, forever ranging, 
 Laughing, weeping, doating, changing ; 
 Wild, capricious, giddy, vain, 
 Cloy'd with pleasure, nurs'd with pain ; 
 Age steals on with wintry face, 
 Ev'ry rapt'rous hope to chase, 
 Like a withered, sapless tree, 
 Bow'd to chilling fate's decree ; 
 Stripp'd of all its foliage gay, 
 Drooping at the close of day. 
 
 MARY ROBINSON. 
 
 Gather the rosebuds while ye may, 
 Old time is still a-flying ; 
 And that same flower that blooms to-day, 
 To-morrow shall be dying. 
 
 HERRICK. 
 
 [237]
 
 AUGUST NINETEENTH. 
 
 NATURAL wit is as sparkling as wine ; bottled up 
 in the brains of the sage, it is ready to effervesce 
 at the first opportunity. It takes a genius to manage 
 it, for it is a dangerous thing to handle ; keen as a 
 lance, it cuts deepest in the hearts that best know how 
 to appreciate it. 
 
 A jesfs prosperity lies in the ear 
 
 Of him that hears it, never in the tongue 
 
 Of him that makes it. 
 
 SHAKESPEARE. 
 
 True wit is everlasting, like the sun, 
 
 Which though sometimes behind a cloud retired, 
 
 Breaks out again, and is by all admir'd : 
 
 A flame that glows amidst conceptions fit, 
 
 E'en something of divine, and more than wit, 
 
 Itself unseen, yet all things by it shown, 
 
 Describing all men, but described by none. 
 
 BUCKINGHAM. 
 
 True wit is like the brilliant stone 
 
 Dug from the Indian mine, 
 Which boasts two different powers in one 
 
 To cut as well as shine. 
 
 Genius, like that, if polished right, 
 
 With the same gifts abounds, 
 Appears at once both keen and bright, 
 
 And sparkles while it wounds. 
 
 ANONYMOUS. 
 
 [238]
 
 AUGUST TWENTIETH. 
 
 QTRENGTH of character is not mere strength of 
 ^ feeling ; it is the resolute restraint of strong feel- 
 ing. It is unyielding resistance to whatever would dis- 
 concert us from without or unsettle us from within. 
 
 DICKENS. 
 
 A beautiful character makes a beautiful woman. 
 Not long ago I heard a homely woman spoken of as 
 " beautiful " ; I looked into her face, and saw plain 
 features, and was disappointed. But a closer acquaint- 
 ance gave me an insight to her character, whose true 
 key-note was self-forgetfulness. Soul-beauty will not 
 fade, for God has stamped it with eternal youth. 
 
 Age cannot wither her, nor custom stale 
 Her infinite variety : other women cloy 
 The appetite they feed ; but she makes hungry, 
 Where most she satisfies. 
 
 SHAKESPEARE. 
 
 Grace was in all her steps, Heav'n in her eye, 
 In ev'ry gesture dignity and love. 
 
 MILTON. 
 
 She's a temple 
 
 Sacred by birth, and built by hands divine ; 
 Her soul's the deity that lodges there ; 
 Nor is the pile unworthy of the god. 
 
 DRYDEN. 
 
 The beautiful are never desolate ; 
 But some one always loves them. 
 
 BAILEV. 
 [ 2 39]
 
 AUGUST TWENTY-FIRST. 
 
 T TPWARD, where stars are burning, 
 ^-^ Silent, silent in their turning 
 
 Round the never-changing pole ; 
 Upward, where the sky is brightest, 
 Upward, where the blue is lightest, 
 
 Lift I now my longing soul ! 
 
 Far above that arch of gladness, 
 Far beyond those clouds of sadness, 
 
 Are the many mansions fair ! 
 Far from pain, and sin, and folly, 
 In that palace of the holy, 
 
 I would find my mansion there ! 
 
 Where the glory brightly dwelleth, 
 Where the new song sweetly swelleth, 
 
 And the discord never comes ; 
 Where life's stream is ever laving, 
 And the palm is ever waving 
 
 That must be the home of homes ! 
 
 Where the Lamb on high is seated, 
 By ten thousand voices greeted, 
 
 Lord of Lords and King of Kings! 
 Son of Man, they crown, they crown Him! 
 Son of God, they own, they own Him! 
 
 With His name the palace rings! 
 
 Blessing, honour, without measure, 
 Heavenly riches, earthly treasure, 
 
 Lay we at His blessed feet! 
 Poor the praise that now we render ; 
 Loud shall be our voices yonder, 
 
 When before His throne we meet! 
 
 H. BONAR. 
 
 [240]
 
 AUGUST TWENTY-SECOND. 
 
 CARRY the spirit of worship with you ; a simple 
 uplifting of the heart to God, sometimes in the 
 busy thoroughfare, and sometimes in the solitude of a 
 walk through the pathless woods, will bring us nearer 
 Heaven than to sit under the preaching of the most 
 learned divine, with our thoughts on things around us. 
 
 Sacred Religion! mother of form and fear! 
 
 How gorgeously dost thou sit deck'd! 
 
 What pompous vestures do we make thee wear! 
 
 What stately piles we prodigal erect! 
 
 How sweet perfum'd art thou, how shining clear! 
 
 How solemnly observed ; with what respect ! 
 
 Another time all plain, all quite threadbare : 
 
 Thou must have all within, and nought without ; 
 
 Sit poorly without light, disrob'd ; no care 
 
 Of outward grace t' amuse the poor devout. 
 
 SAMUEL DANIEL. 
 
 Know, 
 
 Without a star, or angel, for their guide, 
 Who worship God shall find Him. Humble love, 
 And not proud reason, keeps the door of Heaven : 
 Love finds admission, where proud science fails. 
 
 YOUNG. 
 
 Love never fails ; though knowledge cease, 
 
 Though prophecies decay, 
 Love, Christian love, shall still increase, 
 
 Shall still extend her sway. 
 
 WILLIAM PETER. 
 
 Religious lustre is, by native innocence, 
 Divinely pure, and simple from all arts. 
 
 ROWE. 
 
 [241]
 
 AUGUST TWENTY-THIRD. 
 
 A DAY of sweet confidences ! Blossom out, O 
 flowers! send upward new shoots, and down- 
 ward new roots, and whisper to God how thou art 
 growing and thriving for His glory. Dance in the 
 August sunshine, O streams! flow in gladness and 
 brightness, and sing to Jehovah a song of rippling 
 praise! Tell Him thou art watering the dry, parched 
 land, and cooling the woodlands, and how these art 
 His messengers all the day long. And thou, O Heart ! 
 what hast thou to say of thy opportunity and thy duty? 
 Pour into His ear the sweet joys of the day, and tell 
 thy dear Lord all thy perplexities. Sit at His feet and 
 rest ; confide in Him, for thou hast His messages to 
 bear as well as the flowers and the streams, and if thou 
 hast nothing to tell thy King, thou hast been an 
 unfaithful servant. 
 
 If I could trust mine own self with your fate, 
 
 Shall I not rather trust it in God's hand ? 
 
 Without Whose Will one lily doth not stand, 
 Nor sparrow fall at His appointed date ; 
 
 Who numbereth the innumerable sand, 
 Who weighs the wind and water with a weight, 
 To Whom the world is neither small nor great, 
 
 Whose knowledge foreknew every plan we planned. 
 Searching my heart for all that touches you, 
 I find there only love and love's good-will, 
 Helpless to help and impotent to do, 
 
 Of understanding dull, of sight most dim ; 
 
 And therefore I commend you back to Him 
 Whose love your love's capacity can fill. 
 
 CHRISTINA ROSSETTI. 
 [242]
 
 AUGUST TWENTY-FOURTH. 
 
 thy burden on the Lord, and He shall sus- 
 ^-' tain thee." 
 
 To every one on earth 
 God gives a burden to be carried down 
 The road that lies between the cross and crown. 
 
 No lot is wholly free ; 
 
 He giveth one to thee. 
 
 The burden is God's gift, 
 And it will make the bearer calm and strong, 
 Yet, let it press too heavily and long, 
 
 He says, Cast it on Me, 
 
 And it shall easy be. 
 
 And those who heed His voice, 
 And seek to give it back in trustful prayer, 
 Have quiet hearts that never can despair ; 
 
 And hopes light up the way 
 
 Upon the darkest day. 
 
 Take thou thy burden thus 
 Into thy hands, and lay it at His feet, 
 And whether it be sorrow or defeat, 
 
 Or pain or sin or care, 
 
 It will grow lighter there. 
 
 It is the lonely load 
 That crushes out the light of Heaven, 
 But, borne with Him, the soul, restored, forgiven, 
 Sings out through all the days 
 Her joy, and God's high praise. 
 
 MARIANNE FARNINGHAM. 
 
 [243]
 
 AUGUST TWENTY-FIFTH. 
 
 I HAVE heard people say they do not like poetry ; 
 I always wonder if they understand what it means. 
 Some imagine everything which rhymes to be poetry, 
 while a great deal of it is not poetry at all. On the 
 other hand, some of the finest poems ever produced 
 were wholly without rhyme or measure. It is the 
 delicacy of thought and expression, however clothed, 
 that constitutes real poetry ; if you have nothing in 
 you which responds to poetic sentiment, you cannot 
 understand it. Just as well try to explain color to a 
 blind man. It seems to me all true lovers of Nature 
 are fond of poetry, for God has written it on all of His 
 works. 
 
 Poets are all who love, who feel great truths, 
 And tell them ; and the tnith of truths is love. 
 
 BAILEY. 
 
 Poetry is the breath and finer spirit of all knowledge ; 
 it is the impassioned expression which is the counte- 
 nance of all science. WORDSWORTH. 
 
 That which moveth the heart most is the best poetry ; 
 it comes nearer unto God, the source of all power. 
 
 W. S. LANDOR. 
 
 Poetry is the record of all the best and happiest 
 moments of the happiest and best minds. SHELLEY. 
 
 A drainless renown 
 
 Of light is Poesy. 'Tis the supreme power : 
 The might half slumbering on its own right arm ! 
 
 KEATS. 
 
 [244]
 
 AUGUST TWENTY-SIXTH. 
 
 "DEMEMBER us, O Lord, at all times! breathe 
 *- V upon us Thy Spirit, and accompany us through 
 every step of our day's journey. Let us rely upon 
 Thee, knowing that Thou art near ; let us not attempt 
 to walk alone, lest we stumble and fall ; but let us begin 
 the day aright, asking Thy guidance as soon as our 
 eyes unclose to the light. Let us, in gratitude, make 
 preparation for the new day. 
 
 While flowers are wet with dews, 
 
 Dew of our souls, descend ; 
 Ere yet the sun the day renews, 
 
 O Lord, Thy spirit send. 
 
 Upon the battle-field, 
 
 Before the fight begins, 
 We seek, O Lord, Thy sheltering shield, 
 
 To guard us from our sins. 
 
 Ere yet our vessel sails 
 
 Upon the stream of day, 
 We plead, O Lord, for heavenly gales 
 
 To speed us on our way. 
 
 On the lone mountain side, 
 
 Before the morning's light, 
 The Man of Sorrows wept and cried, 
 
 And rose refresh'd with might. 
 
 Oh, hear us, then, for we 
 
 Are very weak and frail ; 
 We make the Saviour's name our plea, 
 
 And surely must prevail. 
 
 C. H. SPURGEON. 
 
 [245]
 
 AUGUST TWENTY-SEVENTH. 
 
 GOD is a tranquil Being, and abides in a tranquil 
 eternity. So must thy spirit become a tranquil 
 and clear little pool, wherein the serene light of God 
 can be mirrored. Therefore shun all that is disquiet- 
 ing and distracting, both within and without. Noth- 
 ing in the whole world is worth the loss of thy peace ; 
 even the faults which thou hast committed should only 
 humble, but not disquiet thee. God is full of Joy, 
 peace, and happiness. G. TERSTEEGEN. 
 
 Well may Thy happy children cease 
 From restless wishes, prone to sin, 
 
 And, in Thy own exceeding peace, 
 Yield to Thy daily discipline. 
 
 A. L. WARING. 
 
 We might enjoy much peace, if we would not busy 
 ourselves with the words and deeds of other men, and 
 things which appertain nothing to our charge. How 
 can he abide long in peace, who thrusteth himself 
 into the cares of others, who seeketh occasion abroad, 
 who little or seldom cometh to himself ? Blessed are 
 the single-hearted ; for they shall enjoy much peace. 
 
 THOMAS A KEMPIS. 
 
 Place on the Lord reliance ; 
 
 My soul, with courage wait ; 
 His truth be thine affiance 
 
 When faint and desolate ; 
 His might thy heart shall strengthen, 
 
 His love thy joy increase ; 
 Mercy thy days shall lengthen : 
 
 The Lord will give thee peace. 
 
 MONTGOMERY. 
 [246]
 
 AUGUST TWENTY-EIGHTH. 
 
 TF you differ with people, don't allow your differences to 
 -- end in a quarrel. We are here on the earth for such 
 a short time, let us spend it peaceably together. Some 
 men will not brook opposition ; they grow irritable and 
 cross if they are contradicted ; their example is not 
 a desirable one to follow. You can see how disagree- 
 able they are, would you wish to imitate them? 
 This quarrelsome sort of individuals are avoided and 
 disliked ; but they are really to be pitied, too, for they 
 are greatly afflicted, and yet do not realize that they 
 possess any ailment. A crabbed, self-conceited man, 
 who becomes angry because every one else does not 
 respect his opinions as he does, makes many enemies, 
 and stirs up strife, as he goes through the world. 
 Don't allow yourself to grow like him ; live at peace 
 with all men ; you have a right to your opinion on all 
 subjects, and there are fitting times when you may ex- 
 press it, but shun quarrelsome debates, they only 
 end in unkind feelings. Settle differences pleasantly, 
 and part friendly with all men. 
 
 Let not opinion make thy judgment err ; 
 The evening conquest crowns the conqueror. 
 
 I could never divide myself from any man upon the 
 difference of an opinion, or be angry with his judg- 
 ment for not agreeing in that from which within a few 
 days I might dissent myself. SIR THOMAS BROWNE. 
 
 Opinion governs all mankind. 
 
 SAMUEL BUTLER. 
 [247]
 
 AUGUST TWENTY-NINTH. 
 
 WHAT treasure are you laying up for the future ? 
 While you are gathering in your earthly harvest, 
 and filling your granaries with all your ripened store, 
 what are you giving to God ? What you give to the 
 world, in mere shallow pleasures, will only come back 
 to you as chaff thrown to the winds. May your har- 
 vest for Eternity yield a goodly increase, and your 
 grain ripen for the glory of the Lord of the Harvest! 
 
 Ripening harvest rustles in the gale. 
 
 Here, midst the boldest triumphs of her worth, 
 Nature herself invites the reapers forth ; 
 And every cottage from the plenteous store 
 Receives a burden nightly at its door. 
 Eternal Power! from whom those blessings flow, 
 Teach me still more to wonder, more to know : 
 Seed-time and harvest let me see again ; 
 
 And let me ever, midst Thy bounties, raise 
 A humble note of thankfulness and praise ! 
 
 ROBERT BLOOMFIELD. 
 
 These various mercies from above 
 
 Matured the swelling grain ; 
 A yellow harvest crowned thy love, 
 
 And plenty fills the plain. 
 
 Seed-time and harvest, Lord, alone, 
 
 Thou dost on man bestow ; 
 Let him not, then, forget to own 
 
 From whom his blessings flow. 
 
 ALICE FLOWERDEW. 
 [248]
 
 AUGUST THIRTIETH. 
 
 WE must not be too much influenced by what the 
 world says and thinks of us, but, having clear 
 convictions of right and wrong, ever walk in the divine 
 light of God, and as near Heaven as we can. 
 
 How happy who is born and taught, 
 That serveth not another's will ; 
 
 Whose armour is his honest thought, 
 And simple truth his utmost skill ; 
 
 Whose passions not his masters are, 
 Whose soul is still prepared for death, 
 
 Untied unto the worldly care 
 
 Of public fame, or private breath ; 
 
 Who hath his life from rumours freed, 
 Whose conscience is his strong retreat ; 
 
 Whose state can neither flatterers feed, 
 Nor ruin make oppressors great ; 
 
 Who God doth late and early pray, 
 More of His grace and gifts to lend ; 
 
 And entertains the harmless day 
 With a religious book or friend ; 
 
 This man is freed from servile bands 
 Of hope to rise, or fear to fall ; 
 
 Lord of himself, though not of lands, 
 And having nothing, yet hath all. 
 
 SIR HENRY WOTTON. 
 
 Nothing can work me damage except myself; the 
 harm that I sustain I carry with me, and never am a 
 real sufferer but by my own fault. ST. BERNARD. 
 [249]
 
 AUGUST THIRTY-FIRST. 
 
 THE Summer wanes, and, one by one, the long, 
 warm hours melt in the sun. In depths of shade 
 the ivy creeps, its cool green leaves laid lovingly 
 against the oak's great twisted trunk ; out-spreading 
 till each friendly bough bears clinging tendrils young 
 and new, and ivy shoots are everywhere. 
 
 O Heart, be like the ivy green! send forth thy tender 
 leaves of hope ; doubt not, though 'neath the shadows 
 hid, thou still shalt keep thy gladsome life, and 
 every day be freshly fed by fountains from a Hand 
 divine. The Summer wanes ; let it not go, until thou 
 givest to its keep some gift eternal for thy God ; some 
 hallowed thought, some treasure rare, some truth, dear 
 Heart, immortal, pure, like Hope, that nevermore shall 
 die. Thus shall thy fadeless ivy twine its beauty 
 round the oak of Time, nor wear a semblance of decay. 
 
 Oh, a dainty plant is the ivy green, 
 
 That creepeth o'er ruins old ! 
 Of right choice food are his meals, I ween, 
 
 In his cell so lone and cold. 
 
 Fast he stealeth on, though he wear no wings, 
 
 And a staunch old heart has he! 
 How closely he twineth, how tight he clings 
 
 To his friend, the huge oak-tree! 
 
 What ages have fled, and their works decayed, 
 
 And nations scattered been ; 
 But the stout old ivy shall never fade 
 From its hale and hearty green. 
 Creeping where no life is seen, 
 A rare old plant is the ivy green. 
 
 CHARLES DICKENS. 
 
 [250]
 
 MATTHEW ARNOLD 
 1822-1888
 
 OR THE MONTH 
 OF SEPTEMBER 
 
 SEPTEMBER FIRST. 
 
 THE leaves take on their first faint blush, and gold 
 creeps in among the green of waving grass and 
 rustling corn. The skies are tinged with crimson 
 streaks, the fruit hangs glowing from the boughs. The 
 earth is bright and beautiful, as if the Lord had looked 
 from Heaven and bathed it in His smile. I stand with 
 you this wondrous day, and look with you before, 
 behind, and see the glories of the year, outspread in 
 all their bloom and growth ; with you I cry, " How 
 marvellous ! the selfsame Hand hath made them all ! " 
 Behind, the waking, shooting bud, the sprouting oak, 
 the stirring sap ; the long, long dreamy Summer days, 
 the tender eves, and starlit nights, and silent growth 
 of grain and fruit. Ah, hush! be still, and hear the 
 song all Nature's tuneful voice repeats : 
 
 Sing hey, sing hey! the Summer days are dying! 
 Across the hills the first red leaves are flying! 
 O Heart, dear Heart, in leaf, and fruit, we see 
 Rich stores of love from God above, 
 Dropped down from every tree! 
 
 Sing hey! sing hey! let joyful songs arise! 
 Heaven smiles to-day through glad September's 
 eyes! 
 
 May your soul be like September in its brightness, 
 ripening into fruition for the Eternal Harvest ! 
 
 [251]
 
 SEPTEMBER SECOND. 
 
 I SEND thee pansies, 
 Yellow as sunshine, purple as the night ; 
 Flowers of remembrance, ever fondly sung 
 
 By all the chiefest of the Sons of Light ; 
 And if in recollection lives regret 
 
 For wasted days and dreams that were not true, 
 I tell thee that the " Pansy freak'd with jet " 
 
 Is still the hearts'-ease that the poets knew. 
 Take all the sweetness of a gift unsought, 
 And for the pansies send me back a thought. 
 
 SARAH DOWDNEY. 
 
 And there is pansies, that's for thoughts. 
 
 SHAKESPEARE. 
 
 Here they grew, 
 
 From blue to deeper blue, in midst of each 
 A golden dazzle like a glimmering star, 
 Each broader, bigger than a silver crown ; 
 The very sunshine loved them, and would lie 
 Here happy, coming early, lingering late, 
 Because they were so fair. 
 
 ROBERT BUCHANAN. 
 
 And thou so rich in gentle names, appealing 
 
 To hearts that own our nature's common lot ; 
 Thou, styled by sportive fancy's better feeling, 
 
 "A thought," "The Heart's-ease," or "Forget-me- 
 not," 
 
 . . . With humble joy 
 Proclaim afresh, by castle and by cot, 
 Hopes which ought not like things of time to cloy, 
 And feelings Time itself shall deepen, not destroy! 
 
 BERNARD BARTON. 
 [252]
 
 SEPTEMBER THIRD. 
 
 LOVING one another makes better Christians of 
 us ; our prayers have more heart in them, and are 
 more acceptable to God, because we love our fellow- 
 men and want them to share God's goodness and 
 mercies. In offering up a petition for others, we 
 receive a double portion ourselves. Our Father has 
 some choice blessing always in store for the unselfish 
 heart. Love makes us forgetful of self, and thought- 
 ful of others ; love enables us to bear crosses and to 
 endure losses ; love is the loadstar that leads us to the 
 Better Life ; love lifts us near and nearer to God. 
 
 They sin who tell us love can die ; 
 
 Its holy flame forever burneth ; 
 
 From Heaven it came, to Heaven returneth. 
 
 SOUTHEY. 
 
 He prayeth best who loveth best 
 All things, both great and small ; 
 
 For the dear God who loveth us, 
 He made and loveth all. 
 
 S. T. COLERIDGE. 
 
 Mutual love the token be, 
 Lord, that we belong to Thee ; 
 Love, Thine image, love impart ; 
 Stamp it on our face and heart ; 
 Only love to us be given ; 
 Lord, we ask no other Heaven. 
 
 c. WESLEY. 
 
 'Tis Love that makes the heavens shine 
 With hues more radiant, more divine, 
 And turns dull earth to Heaven. 
 
 SCHILLER. 
 [253]
 
 SEPTEMBER FOURTH. 
 
 THINK not thy time short in this world, since the 
 world itself is not long. The created world is 
 but a small parenthesis in eternity, and a short inter- 
 position, for a time, between such a state of duration 
 as was before it and may be after it. SIR THOMAS 
 
 BROWNE. 
 
 A man's time, when well husbanded, is like a culti- 
 vated field, of which a few acres produce more of what 
 is useful to life than extensive provinces, even of the 
 richest soil, when overrun with weeds and brambles. 
 HUME. 
 
 Know the true value of time; snatch, seize, and 
 enjoy every moment of it. No idleness, no laziness, 
 no procrastination ; never put off till to-morrow what 
 you can do to-day. EARL OF CHESTERFIELD. 
 
 Time, as he passes us, has a dove's wing, 
 Unsoil'd, and swift, and of a silken sound. 
 
 COWPER. 
 
 Even such is Time, that takes on trust 
 Our youth, our joys, our all we have, 
 
 And pays us, but with age and dust ; 
 Who in the dark and silent grave, 
 
 When we have wandered all our ways, 
 
 Shuts up the story of our days. 
 
 SIR WALTER RALEIGH. 
 
 Years following years, steal something ev'ry day ; 
 At least they steal us from ourselves away. 
 
 POPE. 
 
 [254]
 
 SEPTEMBER FIFTH. 
 
 ART thou grieving that the Summer has flown, and 
 its beauty gone forever? Nay, grieve not for 
 that, for other joyous days shall dawn, and other sea- 
 sons bloom again. Then rather let this thought be 
 thine : Have I improved the passing hours ? have I to 
 others been a light to lead them upwards? helped 
 them bear a burden or a heavy cross? have I strown 
 sunshine round my path and given other hearts de- 
 light? Has Christ been with me all the way, through 
 changing seasons? Without Him what were earth? 
 
 ... So shall 
 
 All loved things that vanish or that die 
 Return to use in some sweet By-and-By ! 
 
 ANONYMOUS. 
 
 How tedious and tasteless the hours, 
 
 When Jesus no longer I see ! 
 Sweet prospects, sweet birds, and sweet flowers 
 
 Have lost all their sweetness with me ; 
 The midsummer sun shines but dim, 
 
 The fields strive in vain to look gay, 
 But when I am happy in Him, 
 
 December's as pleasant as May. 
 
 His name yields the richest perfume, 
 
 And sweeter than music His voice ; 
 His presence disperses my gloom, 
 
 And makes all within me rejoice ; 
 I would, were He always thus nigh, 
 
 Have nothing to hope or to fear ; 
 No mortal so happy as I, 
 
 My Summer would last all the year. 
 
 JOHN NEWTON. 
 
 [255]
 
 SEPTEMBER SIXTH. 
 
 BE strong of heart! love on, nor let 
 Thy love grow faint, if thou shouldst find 
 The objects of thy love all changed 
 
 Unlovely and unkind ; 
 For love, though missing sweet returns, 
 Makes purer hearts in which it burns. 
 
 Be strong of voice! sing on, thy song 
 Though void of grace, and rough in strain, 
 , May touch some troubled heart, and soothe 
 
 Some portion of its pain ; 
 And all the peace thy songs impart 
 Shall, sometime, drop into thy heart. 
 
 Be strong of arm ! support the weak, 
 From weary shoulders lift the load, 
 To rest a moment's space ; while thou 
 
 Walk'st by them, up life's road, 
 Be glad, as thus thou toil'st along, 
 For bearing burdens makes us strong. 
 
 Be strong of soul ! let every door 
 Be fast against the foes of right ; 
 And let its walls be strong as truth, 
 
 And proof against unrighteous might, 
 And let thy Saviour hold the keys ; 
 Then shalt thou surely dwell in peace. 
 
 ANONYMOUS. 
 
 There is strength 
 
 Deep bedded in our hearts, of which we reck 
 But little till the shafts of Heaven have pierc'd 
 Its fragile dwelling. 
 
 FELICIA HEMANS. 
 
 [256]
 
 SEPTEMBER SEVENTH. 
 
 A TEMPLE there has been upon earth, a spiritual 
 Temple, made up of living stones ; a Temple, as 
 I may say, composed of souls ; a Temple with God for 
 its light, and Christ for its high priest ; with wings of 
 angels for its arches, with saints and teachers for its 
 pillars, and with worshippers for its pavement. Where- 
 ever there is faith and love, this Temple is. j. H. 
 
 NEWMAN. 
 
 Still may Thy sweet mercy spread 
 
 A shady arm above my head, 
 
 About my paths ; so shall I find 
 
 The fair centre of my mind 
 
 Thy temple, and those lovely walls 
 
 Bright ever with a beam that falls 
 
 Fresh from the pure glance of Thine eye, 
 
 Lighting to eternity. 
 
 R. CRASHAW. 
 
 Christ is our Corner-stone, 
 
 On Him alone we build ; 
 
 With His true saints alone 
 
 The courts of Heaven are filled. 
 On His great love 
 Our hopes we place 
 Of present grace 
 And joys above. 
 
 JOHN CHANDLER. 
 
 Thy spirit should become, while yet on earth, the 
 perfect throne of the Divine Being ; think, then, how 
 quiet, how gentle and pure, how reverent thou shouldst 
 
 be. GERHARD TERSTEEGEN. 
 [257]
 
 SEPTEMBER EIGHTH. 
 
 WE are sowing here what we are to reap hereafter. 
 Through days of darkness, nights of sorrow, it 
 may be, but seed will lie waiting for the touch of the 
 Master-hand to spring into growth. Out of good seed 
 must spring good grain : first the sowing, then the 
 silent waiting, and in His time the golden harvest. 
 
 'Tis first the true, and then the beautiful, 
 Not first the beautiful, and then the true ; 
 
 First the wild moor, with rock and reed and pool, 
 Then the gay garden, rich in scent and hue. 
 
 'Tis first the good, and then the beautiful, 
 Not first the beautiful and then the good ; 
 
 First the rough seed, sown in the rougher soil, 
 Then the flower-blossom, or the branching wood. 
 
 Not first the glad, and then the sorrowful, 
 But first the sorrowful, and then the glad ; 
 
 Tears for a day for earth of tears is full, 
 Then we forget that we were ever sad. 
 
 Not first the bright, and after that the dark, 
 But first the dark, and after that the bright ; 
 
 First the thick cloud, and then the rainbow's arc, 
 First the dark grave, then resurrection light. 
 
 'Tis first the night stern night of storm and war ; 
 
 Long night of heavy clouds and veiled skies ; 
 Then the fair sparkle of the morning star, 
 
 That bids the saints awake, and dawn arise. 
 
 HORATIUS BONAR.
 
 SEPTEMBER NINTH. 
 
 QTRENGTH of Will is the quality most needing 
 ^ cultivation in mankind. Will is the central force 
 which gives strength and greatness to character. We 
 overestimate the value of Talent, because it dazzles us ; 
 and we are apt to underrate the importance of Will, 
 because its works are less shining. Talent gracefully 
 adorns life ; but it is Will which carries us victoriously 
 through the struggle. Intellect is the torch which 
 lights us on our way ; Will, the strong arm which 
 rough-hews the path for us. GEORGE HENRY LEWES. 
 
 Talk not of talents ; what hast thou to do ? 
 Thy duty, be thy portion five or two. 
 Talk not of talents ; is thy duty done ? 
 Thou hadst sufficient, were they ten to one. 
 
 MONTGOMERY. 
 
 There is always hope in a man that actually and 
 honestly works. In idleness alone is there perpetual 
 despair. CARLYLE. 
 
 Do not fear to take up your work, if God has shown 
 you what it is. Come to a decision regarding it let 
 it be your determination to make a success of it, using 
 talents and your will-power both. Do not rely on one 
 without the other ; each has its place, and each is the 
 gift of God. If you are too self-willed, let it be your 
 aim to conquer and control this fault. Do not abuse 
 your will-power, but use it aright and let it be subject 
 to the divine will of God. 
 
 My meat is to do the will of Him that sent me, and 
 to finish His work. JOHN 4 : 34. 
 [ 2 59]
 
 SEPTEMBER TENTH. 
 
 nPAKE life like a man. Take it just as though it 
 J. was as it is an earnest, vital, essential affair. 
 Take it just as though you personally were born to the 
 task of performing a merry part in it as though the 
 world had waited for your coming. Take it as though 
 it was a grand opportunity to do and to achieve, to 
 carry forward great and good schemes ; to help and 
 cheer a suffering, weary, it may be heart-broken, 
 brother. The fact is, life is undervalued by a great 
 majority of mankind. It is not made half as much of 
 as should be the case. Now and then a man stands 
 aside from the crowd, labours earnestly, steadfastly, 
 confidently, and straightway becomes famous for wis- 
 dom, intellect, skill, greatness of some sort. The 
 world wonders, admires, idolizes ; and yet it only 
 illustrates what each may do if he takes hold of life 
 with a purpose. LONDON JOURNAL. 
 
 The sweetest lives are those to duty wed, 
 
 Whose deeds, both great and small, 
 Are close-knit strands of an unbroken thread 
 
 Where love ennobles all. 
 
 The world may sound no trumpets, ring no bells, 
 The Book of Life the shining record tells. 
 
 It seems so childish to our cultivated intelligences 
 to say, Love God and love one another. The old 
 prophets babbled that, long ago. Yes, and the proph- 
 ets to come will but repeat the same message in other 
 forms. Truth always comes, as Christ came, in the 
 garb of absolute simplicity . . . Love God and love 
 one another! Is that all? That we have known from 
 our youth up. Yet is there nothing else to say. 
 
 RICHARD LE GALLIENNE. 
 [260]
 
 SEPTEMBER ELEVENTH. 
 
 WE all have our faults, and peculiarities ; we are 
 all liable to make mistakes, and do things we 
 are sorry for. Then how charitable we should be to 
 others when they do as we have done. When you 
 blame a man for yielding to temptation, do you ever 
 try to bring the question home to yourself: What 
 would / have done under the same circumstances? 
 When you hear of some wrong that has been com- 
 mitted, don't judge too harshly the one who is at fault. 
 What would you do if you were in his place ? If you 
 had not the sustaining grace of God, you would prob- 
 ably be no better than he is. Therefore be considerate 
 and kindly towards those who err, and be always more 
 ready to pity than to blame. 
 
 Then gently scan your brother man, 
 
 Still gentler sister woman ; 
 Though they may gang a kennin' wrang, 
 
 To step aside is human. 
 One point must still be greatly dark, 
 
 The moving why they do it ; 
 And just as lamely can ye mark 
 
 How far, perhaps, they rue it. 
 
 Who made the heart, 'tis He alone 
 
 Decidedly can try us ; 
 He knows each chord its various tone, 
 
 Each spring its various bias ; 
 Then at the balance let's be mute, 
 
 We never can adjust it. 
 What's done we partly may compute, 
 
 But know not what's resisted. 
 
 BURNS. 
 
 [261]
 
 SEPTEMBER TWELFTH. 
 
 WHAT have you given to the hours to-day? The 
 busy little hurrying hours that count the pulse- 
 beats of this fleeting September day! What have you 
 entrusted to their keeping that is worth claiming again 
 in the Golden Aftermath? There shall come to you 
 sometime a solemn, immortal Hour, when you shall 
 stand face to face with the Eternal Reaper of earth's 
 ripened harvest ; will to-day's record be a source of 
 satisfaction to you then? Has your life given out a 
 glory of gold and scarlet to-day? Has it been drink- 
 ing in September's dyes to gild other lives, and to 
 make a fabric of beauty and grace for Heaven? Oh, 
 think on the hours ! put your best into them ; remem- 
 ber they were born for Eternity. 
 
 They all 
 Sweep onward. 
 
 These are the immortal Hours 
 Of whom thou didst demand. One waits for thee. 
 
 SHELLEY. 
 
 Hours are golden links, God's token, 
 Reaching Heaven ; but one by one 
 
 Take them, lest the chain be broken, 
 Ere thy pilgrimage be done. 
 
 ADELAIDE PROCTER. 
 
 Happy the man, and happy he alone, 
 
 He who can call to-day his own, 
 
 He who secure within can say, 
 
 To-morrow do thy worst, for I have lived to-day. 
 
 DRYDEN. 
 
 [262]
 
 SEPTEMBER THIRTEENTH. 
 
 GUIDE me, O Lord, in all the changes and varie- 
 ties of the world ; that in all things that shall 
 happen I may have an evenness and tranquillity of 
 spirit ; that my soul may be wholly resigned to Thy 
 divinest will and pleasure, never murmuring at Thy 
 gentle chastisement and fatherly correction. Amen. 
 
 JEREMY TAYLOR. 
 
 This is our common lot, the bitter with the sweet ; 
 and if we can drink of this cup unmurmuringly from the 
 Hand of God, He will give us the blessed victory over 
 Self, which is the beginning of the New Life. In this 
 happier and higher state, we shall accept thankfully 
 His wise decree, and with humble submission say, 
 " Thy will be done." We shall then be enabled to 
 comfort other hearts and whisper words of consolation 
 to those who have learned the discipline of sorrow. 
 
 Throw thyself on thy God, nor mock Him with feeble 
 
 denial ; 
 
 Sure of His love, and oh ! sure of His mercy at last ; 
 Bitter and deep though the draught, yet shun not the 
 
 cup of thy trial, 
 But in its healing effect, smile at its bitterness past. 
 
 Pray for the holier cup while sweet with bitter lies 
 
 blending, 
 Tears in the cheerful eye, smiles on the sorrowing 
 
 cheek ; 
 Death expiring in life, when the long-drawn struggle 
 
 is ending ; 
 Triumph and joy to the strong, strength to the weary 
 
 and weak. 
 
 SIR JOHN HERSCHEL. 
 [263]
 
 SEPTEMBER FOURTEENTH. 
 
 WE often expect too much of our friends. We 
 sometimes demand more from them than we 
 are willing to give in exchange. We look to them for 
 loyalty at all times ; we expect their help in an emer- 
 gency, and are grieved and disturbed if we cannot 
 depend upon them in time of need. Are we willing to 
 do as much for them ? Nothing is more touching than 
 the genuine friendship that some of the poor little 
 newsboys and bootblacks have for each other ; they 
 seem to account it a privilege to defend their friends. 
 God bless their little loyal hearts! Many of us, placed 
 in similar circumstances, would not prove so unselfish, 
 I fear, as they, who, though lacking the temporal bless- 
 ings we enjoy, are staunch and loyal in their friend- 
 ships. 
 
 He ought not to pretend to friendship's name 
 Who reckons not himself and friend the same. 
 
 Such is the use and noble end of friendship, 
 To bear a part in every storm of fate, 
 And, by dividing, make the lighter weight. 
 
 BEVIL HIGGONS. 
 
 Let falsehood assail not, 
 
 Nor envy disprove ; 
 Let trifles prevail not 
 
 Against those ye love ! 
 Nor change with to-morrow, 
 
 Should fortune take wing, 
 But the deeper the sorrow, 
 
 The closer still cling ! 
 
 CHARLES SWAIN. 
 
 [264]
 
 SEPTEMBER FIFTEENTH. 
 
 A GLAD September day! Let us feel the first cool 
 breezes blow inward from the wood ; let us ram- 
 ble through the winding paths, and stoop to gather, 
 here and there, a stray leaf of crimson and amber, that 
 comes fluttering down at our feet. Some uncut fields 
 yet wait the shining sickle, some late roses yet cradle 
 the airy butterflies, and over all the meadow-lark and 
 linnet make music clear and sweet. Rejoice, my heart! 
 this world of September beauty is all for thee! 
 
 I take the land to my breast, 
 In her coat with daisies fine ; 
 
 For me are the hills in their best, 
 And all that's made is mine. 
 
 JEAN INGELOW. 
 
 The world and I are too full of bliss 
 To think or plan or toil or care ; 
 The sun is waxing strong, 
 The days are waxing long, 
 And all that is, 
 Is fair. 
 
 Hark to my linnets from the hedges green, 
 Blackbird and lark, and thrush and dove, 
 And every nightingale 
 And cuckoo tells its tale, 
 And all they mean 
 Is love. 
 
 CHRISTINA ROSSETTI. 
 
 Lo ! the hills of harvest whiten, 
 All along each distant shore. 
 
 CECIL FRANCES ALEXANDER. 
 [265]
 
 SEPTEMBER SIXTEENTH. 
 
 T)EACE possesses the soul that is strong to do and 
 A bear all things for Christ's sake. Be submissive 
 in God's hands ; be strong to wait as well as work ; 
 with every appointed task, given by the hand of God, 
 comes also the blessing of patience. Peace is one of 
 God's sweetest gifts to His beloved, and is the twin 
 sister of Patience. 
 
 The child leans on its parent's breast, 
 Leaves there its cares and is at rest ; 
 The bird sits singing by his nest, 
 
 And tells aloud 
 His trust in God, and so is blessed 
 
 'Neath every cloud. 
 
 He has no store, he sows no seed, 
 Yet sings aloud, and doth not heed ; 
 By flowing stream or grassy mead, 
 
 He sings to shame 
 Men who forget, in fear of need, 
 
 A Father's name. 
 
 The heart that trusts forever sings, 
 And feels as light as it had wings ; 
 A well of peace within it springs ; 
 
 Come good or ill, 
 Whate'er to-day, to-morrow brings, 
 
 It is His will. 
 
 ISAAC WILLIAMS. 
 
 O my God ! I bless 
 
 Thy mercy that with Sabbath peace hath filled 
 My chastened heart, and all its throbbings stilled 
 To one deep calm of lowliest thankfulness. 
 
 FELICIA HEMANS. 
 [266]
 
 SEPTEMBER SEVENTEENTH. 
 
 npRACE an immortal truth on the hearts of thy 1 
 *- friends while thou livest. Make thy life an ex- 
 ample for others to follow, a life that isjjver oint- 
 
 ing Godward. Blend in thy being the loveliness of all 
 Christian graces, the sweetest of all which are Faith, 
 Hope, and Love. Let thy soul outbreathe, faith in God 
 and thy fellow-man, hope for the Life Everlasting, and 
 love to all creation. Then shall thy influence be 
 deathless. 
 
 There are three lessons I would write, 
 Three words, as with a burning pen, 
 
 In tracings of eternal light 
 Upon the hearts of men. 
 
 Have Hope. Though clouds environ now, 
 And gladness hides her face in scorn, 
 
 Put thou the shadow from thy brow, 
 No night but hath its morn. 
 
 Have Faith, Where'er thy bark js_ Driven, 
 
 The claim's disport, the tempest's mirth, 
 
 Know this, God rules the host of Heaven, 
 
 The inhabitants of earth. 
 
 Have Love. Not love alone x for jjne, 
 Busman, as man, thy brothers call j 
 
 And scatter, like the circling sun x 
 Thy charities on all. 
 
 Thus grave these lessons on thy soul^ 
 
 Hope, Faith, and Love and thou shalt find 
 
 Strength when life's surges rudest roll* 
 Light when thou else wert blind. 
 
 FROM THE GERMAN OF SCHILLER. 
 
 [267]
 
 SEPTEMBER EIGHTEENTH. 
 
 SIT not down with idly folded hands ; open thy 
 palms, reach out for thy work, and the Master 
 Mechanic will give thee a place among His busy work- 
 men. Then, ck) thy honest besL 
 
 .God did anoint thee with His odorous oil, 
 To wrestle^ not to reign. 
 
 E. B. BROWNING. 
 
 To be rich, be diligent ; move on 
 
 Like Heaven's great movers that enrich the earth, 
 
 Whose moment's sloth would show the world undone, 
 
 And make the Spring straight bury all her birth. 
 
 Rich are the diligent who can command 
 
 Time nature's stock. 
 
 DAVENANT. 
 
 'Tis the bold who win the race, 
 
 Whether for gold, or love, or name ; 
 'Tis the true ones always face 
 Dangers and trials, and win a place, 
 A niche in the fane of fame. 
 
 ANONYMOUS. 
 
 t Let me not die before I have done for The.e, 
 Some earthly^work, whateverjt may be ; 
 Call me not hence with mission unfulfilled : 
 Let me not leave my space _of ground untilledj 
 Impress this truth upon me, that not one 
 Can do my portion that I leave undone, . 
 For each one in Thy vineyard hath a spot 
 T_oJab_our.injiQr.life., and weary_jio. 
 Then give me strength all faithfully to toil, 
 Converting barren earth to fruitful soil. 
 
 ANONYMOUS. 
 
 [268]
 
 SEPTEMBER NINETEENTH. 
 
 YOUR share and mine! God has divided it out 
 for us and then watches to see how we will accept 
 it, how make use of it. Some bitter with the sweet, 
 some dead leaves with the blooming flowers, some 
 shadows with the glowing sun, but He hath given 
 it from His Hand Divine. What of the submissive 
 heart that received a bitterer draught than yours? 
 What did it do? Took the cup that God gave, quaffed 
 it to its bitter dregs, and stood calmly beneath His 
 chastening rod, subdued, but not cast down. " Why 
 art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou 
 disquieted within me ? " 
 
 There are briars besetting nry_Ba.th. 
 
 That call for patiept care ; 
 There is a cross for every lot, 
 
 And (an earnest nee_d for 2 rav -lj 
 But the lowly heart that leans on Thee. 
 
 Isjiappjr everywhere. 
 
 ANNA L. WARING. 
 
 My God once mixed a harsh cup, for me to drink from 
 
 it, 
 
 And it was full of acrid bitterness intensest ; 
 The black and nauseating draught did make me shrink 
 
 from it, 
 
 And cry, " O Thou who every draught alike dispensest, 
 This cup of anguish sore, bid me not to quaff of it, 
 Or pour away the dregs and the deadliest half of it, 
 But still the cup He held ; and seeing He ordained it, 
 One glance at Him it turned to sweetness as I 
 
 drained it. 
 
 FROM POETRY OF THE ORIENT. 
 
 [269]
 
 SEPTEMBER TWENTIETH. 
 
 THE particular annoyance which befell you this 
 morning ; the vexatious words which met your 
 ear and " grieved " your spirit ; the disappointment 
 which was His appointment for to-day; the slight but 
 hindering ailment ; the presence of some one who is a 
 " grief of mind " to you, whatever this day seemeth 
 not joyous, but grievous, is linked in " the good pleasure 
 of His goodness " with a corresponding afterward of 
 "peaceable fruit," the very seed from which, if you 
 only do not choke it, this shall spring and ripen. 
 
 F. R. HAVERGAL. 
 
 Sense of wrongsJorget to treasure. 
 
 brethren, live in perfect lo.ve!. 
 
 In the starry realms above, 
 God will mete as we may measure. 
 
 SCHILLER. 
 
 Be not you grieved 
 
 If that which you mould fair, upright, and smooth, 
 Be screwed awry, made crooked, lame, and vile, 
 By racking comments. 
 So to be bit it rankles not, for Innocence 
 May with a feather brush off the foul wrong. 
 
 THOMAS DEKKER. 
 
 Be not o'ermastered with thy pain, 
 But cling to God, thou shalt not fall ; 
 
 The floods sweep over thee in vain, 
 Thou yet shalt rise above them all ; 
 
 For when thy JriaLseems too hard to bear, 
 
 Lo! God, thy Kingj hath granted all thy_ prayer^: 
 Be thou content. 
 
 P. GERHARDT. 
 
 [270]
 
 SEPTEMBER TWENTY-FIRST. 
 
 WHO has good deeds brought well to end, 
 For him the glowing forests shine ; 
 The whole world is to him a friend, 
 
 And all the earth a diamond mine. 
 
 FROM THE POETRY OF THE ORIENT. 
 
 Good deeds in this world done 
 Are paid beyond the sun ; 
 As water on the root 
 Is seen above in fruit. 
 
 WAS ANA'S PROVERB. 
 
 Go from the east to the west, as the sun and the stars 
 
 direct thee, 
 Go with the girdle of man, go and encompass the 
 
 earth. 
 Not for the gain of the gold ; for the getting, the 
 
 hoarding, the having, 
 
 But for the joy of the deed ; but for the Duty to do. 
 Go with the spiritual life, the higher volition and 
 
 action, 
 
 With the great girdle of God, go and encompass the 
 earth. 
 
 ARTHUR HUGH CLOUGH. 
 
 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. 
 
 BAILEY. 
 [271]
 
 SEPTEMBER TWENTY-SECOND. 
 
 ^~\UTWARD appearances are often deceitful. Beau- 
 V.X ties lie hidden underneath rough exteriors, until 
 the touch of a master-hand polishes and chisels and 
 moulds them into loveliness. Who would think the 
 exquisite vase was ever once a mass of sodden clay? 
 Who would believe it possible that the gleaming 
 marble statue was hewn from the dark stone? Ah, 
 who but the great and wise Philosopher could put into 
 the mind of man the ability to reason out these things, 
 to labor, and to achieve? It is the refining process 
 that is needed to bring to light hidden beauties. 
 
 Within this leaf to every eye 
 So little worth, doth hidden lie 
 Most rare and subtle fragrancy. 
 Wouldst thou its secret strength unbind? 
 Crush it, and thou shalt perfume find 
 Sweet as Arabia's spicy wind. 
 
 In this dull stone so poor, and bare 
 Of shape or lustre, patient care 
 Will find for thee a jewel rare! 
 But first must skilful hands essay, 
 With file and flint, to clear away 
 The film which hides its fire from day. 
 
 This leaf ! This stone ! It is thy heart ; 
 It must be crushed by pain and smart, 
 It must be cleansed by sorrow's art, 
 Ere it will yield a fragrance sweet, 
 Ere it will shine a jewel meet 
 To lay before Thy dear Lord's feet ! 
 
 ANONYMOUS. 
 
 [272]
 
 SEPTEMBER TWENTY-THIRD. 
 
 OH, the joy of giving joy to others ! Your sum- 
 mer vacation is ended, and how pleasant it has 
 been ! You shut your eyes and imagine you are 
 still wandering through the deep green fields and 
 " across the far blue hills." You have brought back 
 some of the fresh country air in your invigorated 
 body, and, besides, have stored up some sweet little 
 lessons from Nature's happy teachings. Your house 
 is full of dust and cobwebs, and there is plenty to 
 be done to get it in habitable order again. There 
 is more yet for you to do ; keep on getting ready 
 for winter. Give some of your bottled-up sunshine 
 to others ; clear out the store-house of your mind. 
 Every one could not go to the sea-shore, or to the 
 mountains, or even to a quiet country place, as you 
 did. Some stayed in the hot, dry city, walled in 
 by buildings that shut out the blue sky, the sun- 
 shine, and the occasional breeze, while you revelled 
 in all three. Now be careful that the dust and cob- 
 webs of selfishness do not accumulate in the corners 
 of your mental house, and keep others from looking 
 in. The poor little sick girl across the way, and 
 the lame bootblack that you pass every day, how 
 like Heaven it would be to give them some of the 
 brightness you have shut up in your heart, and some 
 of the lessons you have locked away in your mind. 
 Keep brushing down the cobwebs, so the sunlight 
 can have plenty of room to shine in, and so your 
 happiness can have plenty of room to get out. 
 There are a hundred beautiful ways of showing God 
 that you are personally grateful to Him for His 
 goodness to you, donH fail to take advantage of 
 them. 
 
 [273]
 
 SEPTEMBER TWENTY-FOURTH. 
 
 DO not allow idle curiosity about the affairs of 
 others to rob you of a sense of your obligations to 
 God and man. Many a bright mind has been directed 
 into wrong channels. Endowed with a natural desire 
 to investigate beyond the bounds of sight, it reaches 
 out like a vine for something to cling to, and instead of 
 twining itself around oaks of wisdom and knowledge, 
 finds but brambles of worldly affairs around which to 
 wind its tendrils. Oh, what a pity that a life should be 
 so spoiled by trifles ! What difference does it make to 
 you what your neighbor may do, so that you exert the 
 right influence over him, and are never a stumbling- 
 block in his path ? Your part is to attend to the duties 
 assigned to you, and not, through idle curiosity, to 
 leave your work to see into the affairs of others. 
 
 What is it then to me 
 
 If others are inquisitive to see? 
 
 Why should I quit my place to go and ask 
 
 If other men are working at their task? 
 
 Leave my own buried roots to go 
 
 And see that brother plants shall grow ; 
 
 And turn away from Thee, O Thou most Holy Light, 
 
 To look if other orbs their orbits keep aright, 
 
 Around their proper sun, 
 
 Deserting Thee, and being undone. 
 
 ARTHUR HUGH CLOUGH. 
 
 One finger's breadth at hand will mar 
 A world of light in Heaven afar, 
 A mote eclipse a glorious star, 
 An eyelid hide the sky. 
 
 J. KEBLE. 
 
 [274]
 
 SEPTEMBER TWENTY-FIFTH. 
 
 LORD, who shall abide in thy tabernacle? Who 
 shall dwell in thy holy hill? He that walketh 
 uprightly, and walketh righteously, and speaketh the 
 truth in his heart. PSALM 15 : I, 2. 
 
 May Truth abide with you through all Eternity! 
 
 While the great generation depart, 
 And full ages and firmaments roll, 
 Mighty love is the lord of the heart, 
 And pure truth the bright king of the soul. 
 
 ANONYMOUS. 
 
 If all circumstances lead me, I will find 
 Where truth is hid, though it were hid indeed 
 Within the centre. 
 
 SHAKESPEARE. 
 
 Rejoice, ye humble, and exult, ye poor ; God's king- 
 dom's yours, if ye but walk in truth. THOMAS A 
 
 KEMPIS. 
 
 It fortifies my soul to know 
 
 That, though I perish, Truth is so ; 
 
 That howsoe'er I stray and range, 
 
 Whatever I do, Thou dost not change. 
 
 I steadier step when I recall 
 
 That if I slip, Thou dost not fall. 
 
 ARTHUR HUGH CLOUGH. 
 
 Oh, truth, 
 
 Thou art, whilst tenant in a noble breast, 
 A crown of crystal in an iv'ry chest! 
 
 DAVENANT. 
 
 [275]
 
 SEPTEMBER TWENTY-SIXTH. 
 
 NO one but God understands our hearts : we do not 
 understand them ourselves. They send out words 
 and breathe out thoughts that surprise us, at times. 
 We wonder that we are capable of so much loving or 
 unloving ; God looks calmly down and listens to all we 
 say. He knows our hearts from the beginning. The 
 world stamps its image upon us ; each heart carries a 
 bit of the world in it, because we are so much with the 
 world, and so much of it. The more our hearts are 
 with God, the more of God we have in us. Let us, 
 then, be less with the world, and more with God. 
 
 Each little thronging star that shines 
 
 Below the eternal throne, 
 Amidst the crowd of burning lines, 
 
 Revolves and burns alone. 
 
 Upon its earthly pathway hurled, 
 
 So every human heart, 
 Even as that lone and burning world, 
 
 Aspires and beats apart. 
 
 Mysterious star, and heart as well, 
 
 We little know, alas! 
 But God can look through both, and tell 
 
 The smallest things that pass. 
 
 FROM THE FRENCH. 
 
 The heart hath its mystery, and who may reveal it, 
 Or who ever read in the depth of their own, 
 
 How much we never may speak of, yet feel it, 
 But even in feeling it, know it unknown. 
 
 LETITIA E. LANDON. 
 [276]
 
 SEPTEMBER TWENTY-SEVENTH. 
 
 WHO has not felt the sweet, silent influence of a 
 pure friendship ? It runs through our lives like 
 a thread of gold, and beautifies the fabric of our whole 
 nature. Happy is he who is such a blessing to others. 
 And when we are called to part from one so dear, his 
 memory never dies ; it is like the perpetual rose of 
 Summer : it keeps on blooming forever, and makes our 
 hearts a never-dying Summer-land. 
 
 Friendship's the image of 
 Eternity, in which there is nothing 
 Movable nothing mischievous ; as much 
 Difference as there is between beauty 
 And virtue, bodies and shadows, colours 
 And life, so great odds is there between love 
 And friendship. 
 
 JOHN LILLY. 
 
 I count myself in nothing else so happy, 
 As in a soul rememb'ring my good friends ; 
 And, as my fortune ripens with my love, 
 It shall be still thy true love's recompense. 
 
 SHAKESPEARE. 
 
 Friendship has a power 
 To soothe affliction in her darkest hour. 
 
 HENRY KIRKE WHITE. 
 
 The thread of our life would be dark, Heaven knows! 
 If it were not with Friendship and Love inter- 
 twined ; 
 And I care not how soon I may sink to repose, 
 
 When those blessings shall cease to be dear to my 
 mind. 
 
 MOORE. 
 
 [277]
 
 SEPTEMBER TWENTY-EIGHTH. 
 
 AND you, humble little blades of grass, you are not 
 fair like the flowers, nor have you odors such as 
 they ; what have you done to show forth the Father's 
 glory? 
 
 We have fed His humblest creatures, 
 We have served Him truly and long ; 
 
 We have no grace to our features, 
 We have neither colour or song. 
 
 Yet He who made the flowers 
 
 Placed us on the self-same sod ; 
 He knows our reason for being : 
 
 We are the grass in the garden of God. 
 
 FROM THE GULISTAN OF SAADI. 
 
 Even the grasses praise God. There is not a blade 
 among them but has a tiny mission to perform, and 
 not one of them but is large enough to hold a drop of 
 dew. What an example for us! When we complain 
 that our strength is too small for the burden laid upon 
 us, why do we not trust our Father to uphold us and 
 give us the power to carry dew-drops of love for our 
 fellow-men ? Little smiles, as we pass each other by ; 
 a touch of the hand ; a word of sympathy, a tear, 
 ah, what bright drops of heavenly dew they are! 
 
 The merest grass 
 
 Along the roadside where we pass, 
 
 Lichen and moss and sturdy weed, 
 
 Tell of His love who sends the dew, 
 
 The rain and sunshine too, 
 
 To nourish one small seed. 
 
 CHRISTINA ROSSETTI. 
 
 [278]
 
 w 
 
 SEPTEMBER TWENTY-NINTH. 
 
 BEAUTIFUL THINGS TO REMEMBER. 
 
 HO learns and learns, but acts not what he 
 
 knows, 
 Is one who ploughs and ploughs, but never sows. 
 
 Be no imitator ; freshly act thy part ; 
 Through this world be thou an independent ranger ; 
 Better is the faith that springeth from the heart, 
 Than a better faith belonging to a stranger. 
 
 Howe'er the ignorant decry, 
 
 Howe'er oppose the envious crew, 
 
 Since death comes soon, and brief years fly, 
 
 Thy firmly chosen work pursue! 
 
 A friend both wise and true amid all shocks 
 Resplendent shines, like fire uppn a rock's 
 High top, which dissipates the darkness round, 
 And fills the travellers by with joy profound. 
 
 A wondrous rosary he never needs, 
 
 Who tells in love and thought the spirit's beads. 
 
 Where'er the face of earnest faith thou bringest, pure, 
 
 and sweet, 
 Thou then the smiling face of thine approving God 
 
 shall meet. 
 
 Name not as friends the men who by you stand 
 In pleasant times, when peace and welfare please you; 
 But him indeed call friend who grasps your hand 
 In that dark day when want and danger seize you. 
 
 GEMS FROM POETRY OF THE ORIENT. 
 
 [279]
 
 SEPTEMBER THIRTIETH. 
 
 IT is not until the last golden days of September are 
 slipping away, that we begin to realize that our glad, 
 brief Summer has gone, never to return. True, we have 
 felt the keen little breezes blowing ; the nights have 
 grown cooler, and the mornings and evenings take on 
 a mistiness which is as faint and purpling as the bloom 
 on a ripened plum. Oh, let not the season drift by 
 without leaving some tokens of its presence! Give to 
 some heart a harebell of joy, or a torch of love, or a 
 water-lily of purity, to have and to hold during all the 
 winter days to come. Let no season go by without 
 keeping some memento of it ; happy is he who can 
 gather blessings in a time of plenty, and scatter them 
 in a time of need. 
 
 But still for Summer dost thou grieve ? 
 Then read our poets they shall weave 
 A garden of green fancies still, 
 Where they who wish may rove at will. 
 They have kept for after treats 
 The essence of summer sweets, 
 And echoes of its songs that wind 
 In endless music through the mind : 
 They leave stamped in visible traces 
 The " thoughts that breathe," in words that shine 
 The flights of soul in sunny places 
 To greet and company with thine. 
 These shall wing thee on to flowers 
 The past or future that shall seem 
 All the brighter in thy dream, 
 For blowing in such desert hours. 
 
 THOMAS HOOD. 
 
 [280]
 
 GEORGE MACDONALD 
 1824
 
 OR THE MONTH 
 OF OCTOBER 
 
 OCTOBER FIRST. 
 
 O GRAND October, the whole world has waited 
 thy coming, since first the year began! And now, 
 thou art blushing and glowing and fading and dying 
 all at once. Oh, the splendor of thy forests, the rich- 
 ness and ripeness of thy harvests, how marvellous they 
 are! Earth's best is ready to be garnered ; her growing 
 and blooming and perfecting is done, and lo! what 
 an abundance has it yielded ! Soul, is thy harvest of 
 good deeds an abundant one ? Then for thee will thy 
 Autumn-time be rich in Heaven's glorious colorings, 
 which the frosts of God's wise discipline will bring into 
 ripened fruition. 
 
 Inconstant Summer to the tropics flees, 
 
 And as her rose-sails catch the amorous breeze, 
 
 Lo! bare, brown Autumn trembles to her knees! 
 
 The stealthy nights encroach upon the days, 
 The earth with sudden whiteness is ablaze, 
 And all her paths are lost in crystal maze! 
 
 The ripened nuts drop downward day by day, 
 Sounding the hollow tocsin of decay, 
 And bandit squirrels smuggle them away. 
 
 Vague sight and scents pervade the atmosphere, 
 Sounds of invisible stirrings hum the ear, 
 The morning's lash reveals a frozen tear. 
 
 ANONYMOUS. 
 
 [281]
 
 OCTOBER SECOND. 
 
 A BLENDING of rich color lies around us. Here 
 and there a dahlia, crimsoning in the October 
 sunshine, a velvety marigold, yellow as an autumn sun- 
 set, and all about the gardens, clustered groups of 
 fringy chrysanthemums, whose spicy breath mingles 
 with the odor of the pines. The orchards hang low 
 their freighted boughs. Truly the year is in its prime. 
 
 A second blow of many flowers appear, 
 Flowers faintly tinged, and breathing no perfume. 
 But fruits, not blossoms, form the woodland wreath 
 That circles Autumn's brow. 
 
 JAMES GRAHAM. 
 
 Life is not quite over, 
 
 Even if the year has done with corn and clover, 
 With flowers and leaves ; besides, in fact it's true, 
 Some leaves remain and some flowers too, 
 For me and you. 
 Now see my crops : 
 
 I've brought you nuts and hops ; 
 And when the leaf drops, why, the walnut drops. 
 
 CHRISTINA ROSSETTI. 
 
 What wondrous life is this I lead! 
 Ripe apples drop about my head. 
 The luscious clusters of the vine 
 Upon my mouth do crush their wine. 
 
 SAMUEL BUTLER. 
 
 God give you many days, and may your whole life 
 be spotless and pure, giving beauty through all the 
 changes, even when the leaf has turned brown and the 
 fruit has ripened. ANONYMOUS. 
 
 [282]
 
 OCTOBER THIRD. 
 
 IT is very sweet to us, in our daily life, to catch a 
 little foretaste of Heaven, and feel as if we were a 
 step nearer God. Sometimes there comes to us a far- 
 off vision of the Immortal Land, and we see a dim 
 radiance of its glories. These little glimpses are but 
 a faint revelation of what is to come, when the Heart 
 of Love shall make them all " clear as the noonday." 
 
 Yet sometimes glimpses on my sight, 
 Through present wrong, the eternal right ; 
 And step by step, since time began, 
 I see the steady gain of man ; 
 
 That all of good the past hath had 
 Remains to make our own time glad, 
 Our common, daily life divine, 
 And every land a Palestine. 
 
 Through the harsh noises of our day 
 A low, sweet prelude finds its way ; 
 Through clouds of doubt and creeds of fear, 
 A light is breaking, calm and clear. 
 
 That song of love, now low and far, 
 Ere long shall swell from star to star! 
 That light, the breaking day, which tips 
 The golden-spired apocalypse! 
 
 Henceforth my heart shall sigh no more 
 For olden time and holier shore ; 
 God's love and blessing, then and there, 
 Are now and here and everywhere. 
 
 GERALD MASSEY.
 
 OCTOBER FOURTH. 
 
 ' /~~*IVE us this day our daily bread." Not this day 
 V-T alone, but all days, doth our Father feed His 
 children. He provides for all our wants; not only 
 those of the body, but of the mind and soul, as well. 
 His goodness is a spacious storehouse, open at all 
 times for our needs. But He desires us to make our 
 wants known : this is why Christ gave us the beauti- 
 ful prayer which has echoed from lip to lip all over 
 the universe, one of whose sweetest clauses is this : 
 " Give us this day our daily bread." It is an appeal 
 to God to remember us out of His great abundance, 
 and shows our utter dependence on His bounty. Give 
 us, O Lord, mental and spiritual food, as well, that 
 body, mind, and soul may this day be sustained and 
 fed. 
 
 The golden harvest field 
 Is warmly glowing 'gainst a sapphire sky, 
 The orchard trees lift laden boughs on high, 
 A fruitage rich to yield. 
 
 Tis thus "Our Father" feeds 
 With loving care all creatures He hath made, 
 And in His treasure-house hath duly laid 
 Sufficient for our needs. 
 
 And giveth daily bread 
 
 As He sees well. With pain, or smiles, or fears, 
 Through the brief discipline of early years, 
 Are we, His children fed. 
 
 HELEN MARION BURNSIDE. 
 [284]
 
 OCTOBER FIFTH. 
 
 TRUE courtesy is greatly to be desired ; therefore, 
 be courteous. 
 
 Seldom yet did living creature see 
 That courtesies and manhood ever disagree. 
 
 SPENSER. 
 
 I seldom ride in a car without seeing some evidences 
 of nineteenth century gallantry. While the World's 
 Fair was in progress in Chicago, I was told by a resi- 
 dent of the city that no one had time for civilities, and 
 that I would have no need to make use of those two 
 little gate-openers to desired favors, " if you please," 
 and " I thank you," and that it was not expected. I 
 found this a mistaken idea. Sir Walter Raleigh him- 
 self could not have been more thoroughly a gentle- 
 man in courtesy and deferential politeness than were 
 many of the people who were in attendance at the 
 great exhibition. I cannot now recall a single act of 
 discourtesy at that time. Let us practise true cour- 
 tesy at all times ; it is becoming to everybody. 
 
 Serene, accomplished, cheerful but not loud ; 
 
 Insinuating without insinuation ; 
 Observant of the foibles of the crowd, 
 
 Yet ne'er betraying this in conversation ; 
 Proud with the proud, yet courteously proud, 
 
 So as to make them feel he knew his station 
 And theirs : without a struggle to priority 
 He neither brooked nor claimed superiority. 
 
 BYRON. 
 
 Civility costs nothing, but buys everything. 
 
 LADY MARY WORTLEY MONTAGU.
 
 OCTOBER SIXTH. 
 
 LET the weakest, let the humblest, remember that 
 in his daily course he can, if he will, shed around 
 him almost a heaven. Kindly words, sympathizing at- 
 tentions, watchfulness against wounding men's sensi- 
 tiveness, these cost very little, but they are priceless 
 in their value. Are they not almost the staple of our 
 daily happiness ? From hour to hour, from moment to 
 moment, we are supported, blest, by small kindnesses. 
 
 F. W. ROBERTSON. 
 
 Sympathetic words, looks, and acts are especially 
 dear to us in our home-circle, and are treasured by us 
 as long as we live. Dispense your sympathy as you 
 would your charity. Let it have a bit of Heaven in it ; 
 let it be gentle and genuine. 
 
 I lay in sorrow, deep distress : 
 
 My grief a proud man heard ; 
 His looks were cold, he gave me gold, 
 
 But not a kindly word. 
 My sorrow passed I paid him back 
 
 The gold he gave to me ; 
 Then stood erect and spoke my thanks, 
 
 And blessed his charity. 
 
 I lay in want, in grief and pain : 
 
 A poor man passed my way ; 
 He bound my head, he gave me bread, 
 
 He watched me night and day. 
 How shall I pay him back again 
 
 For all he did for me ? 
 Oh, gold is great, but greater far 
 
 Is heavenly sympathy! 
 
 CHARLES MACKAY. 
 
 [286]
 
 OCTOBER SEVENTH. 
 
 THE most necessary talent in a man of conversa- 
 tion, is a good judgment. He that hath this in 
 perfection is a master of his companion, without letting 
 him see it ; and has the same advantage over men of 
 any other qualifications whatsoever, as one that can 
 see would have over a blind man of ten times his 
 strength. STEELE. 
 
 ' Tis with our judgments as our watches, none 
 Go just alike, yet each believes his own. 
 
 POPE. 
 
 His be the praise, who looking down in scorn 
 On the false judgment of the partial herd, 
 Consults his own clear heart, and nobly dares 
 To be, not to be thought, an honest man. 
 
 CUMBERLAND. 
 
 Let none direct thee what to do or say, 
 Till thee thy judgment of the matter sway ; 
 Let not the pleasing many thee delight, 
 First judge, if those whom thou dost please judge 
 right. 
 
 DENHAM. 
 
 How much we give to other hearts our tone, 
 And judge of other's feelings by our own. 
 
 LETITIA ELIZABETH LANDON. 
 
 Let your judgments be charitable. Look at both 
 sides of the question before deciding which is right. 
 Harsh judgments often occur through ignorance or in- 
 atteation. Acquaint yourself thoroughly with the facts 
 in the case before you render a decision. In order to 
 be just, you must be accurate. 
 [287]
 
 OCTOBER EIGHTH. 
 
 T7RECT your tabernacles, not out of perishable ma- 
 * * terial, but of substantial stones set up in the name 
 of Christ, and fitted for His habitation. 
 
 Methinks it is good to be here, 
 If thou wilt, let us build but for whom ? 
 
 Nor Elias nor Moses appear ; 
 But the shadows of eve that encompass with gloom 
 The abode of the dead and the place of the tomb. 
 
 Shall we build to Ambition? Ah no! 
 Affrighted, he shrinketh away ; 
 
 For see, they would pin him below 
 In a small narrow cave, and, begirt with cold clay, 
 To the meanest of reptiles a peer and a prey. 
 
 Shall we build to Affection and Love? 
 Ah no! they have withered and died, 
 
 Or fled with the spirit above. 
 Friends, brothers, and sisters are laid side by side, 
 Yet none have saluted, and none have replied. 
 
 Unto Sorrow? the dead cannot grieve; 
 Not a sob, not a sigh meets mine ear, 
 
 Which Compassion itself could relieve. 
 Ah, sweetly they slumber, nor love, hope, or fear ; 
 Peace! peace is the watchword, the only one here. 
 
 The first tabernacle to Hope we will build, 
 And look for the sleepers around us to rise! 
 
 The second to Faith, which insures it fulfilled, 
 And the third to the Lamb of the great sacrifice, 
 Who bequeathed us them both when He rose to the 
 skies. 
 
 HERBERT KNOWLES. 
 
 [288]
 
 OCTOBER NINTH. 
 
 THE dearest secrets of our heart are known to God. 
 Cover them up, bury them deeply, hide them 
 away from the world as you may, they are always re- 
 vealed to Him. Do not wish to have anything apart 
 from Him ; be glad of His confidence, rejoice in His 
 love, and be comforted through His sympathy. Oh, 
 always remember that God knows, and that He cares. 
 
 Therefore, our Heavenly Father, 
 
 We will not fear to pray 
 For the little needs and longings 
 
 That fill our every day ; 
 And when we dare not whisper 
 
 A want that lieth dim 
 We say, " Our Father knoweth," 
 
 And leave it all to Him. 
 
 For His great love has compassed 
 
 Our nature, and our need, 
 We know not : but He knoweth, 
 
 And He will bless indeed. 
 Therefore, O Heavenly Father, 
 
 Give what is best to me ; 
 And take the wants unanswered, 
 
 As offerings made to Thee. 
 
 ANONYMOUS 
 
 While here, alas ! I know but half His love, 
 But half discern Him, and but half adore, 
 But when I meet Him in the realm above, 
 
 I hope to love Him better, praise Him more, 
 And feel and tell, amid the choir divine, 
 How fully I am His, and He is mine. 
 
 LYTE. 
 [289]
 
 OCTOBER TENTH. 
 
 npO be angry about trifles is mean and childish ; to 
 J- rage and be furious is brutish ; . . . but to pre- 
 vent and suppress rising resentment is wise and glori- 
 ous, is manly and divine. WATTS. 
 
 When anger rushes, unrestrain'd, to action, 
 
 Like a hot steed, it stumbles in its way : 
 
 The man of thought strikes deepest, and strikes safest. 
 
 RICHARD SAVAGE. 
 
 There is not in nature, 
 
 A thing that makes a man so deform'd, so beastly, 
 As doth intemperate anger. 
 
 JOHN WEBSTER. 
 
 Madness and anger differ but in this, 
 This is short madness, that long anger is. 
 
 CHARLES ALEYN. 
 
 If you have inherited a quick temper, learn to con- 
 trol it ; wrestle with it, get it under subjection, break 
 it, master it. There is no grander victory than to 
 conquer a stubborn will, or a hasty temper. It re- 
 quires patience and perseverance to overcome, every 
 day : keep on trying, you will surely succeed by and 
 by. God will give you the mastery, if you ask Him ; 
 He has accomplished greater things than that. 
 
 Renew Thine image, Lord, in me, 
 Lowly and gentle may I be ; 
 
 No charms but these to Thee are dear ; 
 No anger mayest Thou ever find, 
 No pride in my unruffled mind, 
 
 But faith, and heaven-born peace be there. 
 
 P. GERHARDT. 
 
 [290]
 
 OCTOBER ELEVENTH. 
 
 IF events change men, much more persons. No 
 man can meet another on the street without mak- 
 ing some mark upon him. We say we exchange words 
 when we meet ; what we exchange is souls. And when 
 intercourse is very close and frequent, so complete is 
 this exchange that recognizable bits of the one soul 
 begin to show in the other's nature, and the second is 
 conscious of a similar and growing debt to the first. 
 . . . It is the law of influence that we become like 
 those whom we habitually admire. Through all the 
 range of literature, of history, and biography, this law 
 presides. Men are all mosaics of other men. PROF. 
 
 HENRY DRUMMOND. 
 
 The more we are with Christ, the more we become 
 like Him. The more we study the beauty and loveli- 
 ness of His character, the more we desire to be like 
 Him. Why should not the flowers be beautiful ? They 
 blend in their petals the rose of the dawn, the amber 
 of the noontide, and the flame of the sunset ; they 
 drink in the dew and rain, drops that are pure and clear 
 as crystal; why, I repeat, should the flowers not be 
 beautiful with such associations? How could they 
 help it? And you, if your influences are of Christ, will 
 possess a spirit lovelier than the flowers. 
 
 Within a caravan of man's trackless spirit 
 
 Is framed an Image so intensely fair, 
 That the adventurous thoughts that wander near it 
 
 Worship, and as they kneel tremble, and wear 
 The splendour of its Presence, and the light 
 
 Penetrates their dreamlike frame 
 Till they become charged with the strength of flame. 
 
 PERCY BYSSHE SHELLEY. 
 [291]
 
 OCTOBER TWELFTH. 
 
 MAY God breathe into thy soul the tranquillity of 
 His peace! When Christ stilled the tempest, 
 how must the troubled disciples have been brought 
 near to Him, through this proof of His love and power! 
 How sweet to them must have been those welcome 
 words, how reassuring, how tender "It is I." 
 
 Fierce was the wild billow, 
 
 Dark was the night, 
 Oars laboured heavily, 
 
 Foam glimmered white ; 
 Mariners trembled, 
 
 Peril was nigh, 
 Then said the God of God : 
 
 "Peace! it is I." 
 
 Ridge of the mountain-wave, 
 
 Lower thy crest! 
 Wail of the stormy wind, 
 
 Be thou at rest ! 
 Peril can none be, 
 
 Sorrow must fly, 
 Where saith the Light of Light : 
 
 "Peace! it is I." 
 
 Jesus! Deliverer! 
 
 Come Thou to me! 
 Soothe Thou my voyaging 
 
 Over life's sea! 
 Thou, when the storm of death 
 
 Roars, sweeping by, 
 Whisper, O Truth of Truth! 
 
 "Peace! it is I." 
 
 ANATOLIUS OF EPHESUS. 
 [292]
 
 B 
 
 OCTOBER THIRTEENTH. 
 
 Y ignorance is pride increas'd ; 
 They most assume who know the least. 
 
 JOHN GAY. 
 
 Heaven pities ignorance ; 
 She's still the first that has her pardon signed ; 
 All sins else see their faults, she's only blind. 
 
 THOMAS MIDDLETON. 
 
 Survey our faults, our errors, our vices, fearful, and 
 fertile field, trace them to their causes, all those 
 causes resolve themselves into one Ignorance ! For 
 as from this source flowed the abuses of religion, so 
 also from this source flow the abuses of all other bless- 
 ings, of talents, of riches, of power ; for we abuse things, 
 either because we know not their real use, or because, 
 with an equal blindness, we imagine the abuse more 
 adapted to our happiness. But as ignorance, then, is 
 the sole spring of evi7, so, as the antidote of ignorance 
 is knowledge, it necessarily follows that, were we con- 
 summate in knowledge, we should be perfect in good. 
 He, therefore, who retards the progress of intellect, 
 countenances crime nay, to a state, is the greatest of 
 criminals; while he who circulates that mental light, 
 more precious than the visual, is the holiest improver, 
 and the surest benefactor of his race ! BULWER. 
 
 But 'tis some justice to ascribe to chance 
 The wrongs you must expect from ignorance ; 
 None can the moulds of their creation choose. 
 We, therefore, should men's ignorance excuse 
 When born too low to reach all things sublime ; 
 ' Tis rather their misfortune than their crime. 
 
 SIR W. DAVENANT. 
 
 [293]
 
 OCTOBER FOURTEENTH. 
 
 WHOSOEVER will come after me, let him deny 
 himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. 
 MARK 8 : 34. 
 
 What is your cross? Is it an envious disposition? 
 Is it a hasty temper? Or does it lie in your surround- 
 ings? Is it the kind of work you are obliged to do? 
 He has given you this special place, and its special 
 duties, that they may become a crown to you. Christ 
 bore His cross with uncomplaining meekness ; why 
 should not you? 
 
 I've many a cross to take up now, 
 
 And many left behind ; 
 But present troubles move me not, 
 
 Nor shake my quiet mind. 
 And what may be to-morrow's cross 
 
 I never seek to find ; 
 My Father says, " Leave that to Me, 
 
 And keep a quiet mind." 
 
 ANONYMOUS. 
 
 Take, then, your Cross and follow Jesus, 
 
 And your path shall lead to everlasting life. 
 
 He went His way before you 
 
 Carrying the burden for Himself. 
 
 He died for you upon it, 
 
 That you might take your own 
 
 And die upon it too. 
 
 But if you die with Him, 
 
 Even so with Him you live ; 
 
 And if you are the comrade of His pain, 
 
 You shall have His glory too. 
 
 THOMAS A KEMPIS. 
 [294]
 
 OCTOBER FIFTEENTH. 
 
 THERE are times when the Light breaks in upon 
 thy soul, and thou hast a dim idea of what it will 
 be like to be with Christ and His redeemed forever. 
 
 Sometimes I catch sweet glimpses of His face 
 
 But that is all. 
 Sometimes He looks on me and seems to smile, 
 
 But that is all. 
 Sometimes He speaks a passing word of peace, 
 
 But that is all. 
 Sometimes I think I hear His loving voice 
 
 Upon me call. 
 
 And this is all He meant when thus He spoke, 
 
 " Come unto me "? 
 Is there no deeper, more enduring rest, 
 
 In Him for thee? 
 Is there no steadier light for thee in Him ? 
 
 Oh, come and see! 
 
 Oh, come and see ! oh, look, and look again! 
 
 All shall be right ; 
 Oh, taste His love, and see that it is good, 
 
 Thou child of night. 
 Oh, trust Him, trust Him in His grace and power, 
 
 Then all is bright! 
 
 Then shall thy tossing soul find anchorage 
 
 And steadfast peace ; 
 Thy love shall rest on His ; thy weary doubts 
 
 Forever cease. 
 Thy heart shall find in Him, and in His grace, 
 
 Its rest and bliss. 
 
 BONAR. 
 [295]
 
 OCTOBER SIXTEENTH. 
 
 T ET your heart be full of thankfulness and praise 
 J ' to-day ! Walk out into the October sunshine, and 
 breathe in the spicy odors. Go for a drive in the 
 country, if you can; it will do you good. The autum- 
 nal breeze is so refreshing, and the woods, kindled 
 with their last dying fires, are a beautiful sight. The 
 orchards are losing their fruited store day by day, and 
 you can hear the song of the harvesters as they gather 
 in their winter hoard. Thank God for the harvest ! 
 Bless Him that the year has been an abundant one, 
 and that He hath given the earth a goodly increase ! 
 
 To Thee, Creator of all good, 
 Who givest life, and health and food, 
 Sing we Alleluia ! 
 
 Praise to God, immortal praise, 
 For the love that crowns our days ! 
 Beauteous source of every joy, 
 Let Thy praise our tongues employ. 
 For the blessings of the field, 
 For the stores the gardens yield ; 
 For the fruits in full supply, 
 Ripened 'neath the Summer sky ; 
 All that Spring with bounteous hand 
 Scatters o'er the smiling land ; 
 All that liberal Autumn pours 
 From her rich o'erflowing stores ; 
 These, to Thee, my Lord, we owe, 
 Source whence all our blessings flow ; 
 And for these my soul shall raise 
 Grateful vows and solemn praise. 
 
 ANNA LETITIA BARBAULD. 
 [296]
 
 OCTOBER SEVENTEENTH. 
 
 SUBMIT yourself to the inevitable. How often this 
 is said! Do not allow your temper to become 
 ruffled over trifles ; be happy in spite of circumstances ; 
 be hopeful in the face of discouragements. Carry a 
 cheerful countenance about with you. The man who 
 is out of work, if he only holds up his head and smiles, 
 and hopes for better things, is much more apt to 
 secure employment than the one who goes around with 
 a mournful, dejected look, seeing nothing but the dark 
 side of everything. Life cannot be all brightness, 
 neither is it all shadow; we have our share of both. 
 You think you have more sorrows than joys, more 
 adversity then prosperity, more bitter than sweet in 
 your life. Do you know why you believe this? Be- 
 cause you forgot to count your blessings. You are 
 only looking out for the trials and ills of life, and when 
 they come you put on a dejected air, and say sadly, 
 " It is no more than I expected." Look out for the 
 bright things, there are plenty of them in store for 
 you, and when God allows you to walk in the shadow 
 make the best of it, and you will \>e all the better for 
 it. 
 
 A cheerful temper, joined with innocence, will make 
 beauty attractive, knowledge delightful, and wit good- 
 natured. ADDISON. 
 
 What I don't see 
 
 Don't trouble me ; 
 And what I see 
 
 Might trouble me, 
 Did I not know 
 
 That it must be so. 
 
 GOETHE. 
 
 [297]
 
 OCTOBER EIGHTEENTH. 
 
 BUILD for Heaven! Keep climbing up by little 
 things ; let your commonplace, every-day life be 
 an honor to yourself and your God. Things that seem 
 so insignificant and mean to-day, may grow beautiful 
 by to-morrow. Look at the night-blooming cereus : it 
 is nothing but a reddish-brown folded bud to-day, but 
 in the silence and darkness of the night it bursts into 
 exquisite beauty and fragrance. God sometimes lays 
 His dear Hand on one of His beloved, and says, " Be 
 still, and know that I am God." He whispers tenderly, 
 " Be patient and I will teach thee beautiful lessons, and 
 thou shalt be adorned with grace that thou couldst not 
 otherwise obtain." But the soul-bud, so long folded in 
 the shallow frivolities of earthly happiness, feels for the 
 first time the warm, pure breath of Heaven blowing 
 upon it, and begins to expand, until it becomes a 
 blossom of rare fragrance, fit to be transplanted in the 
 Garden of God. 
 
 No cross, no crown no loss, no gain ; 
 They first must suffer who would reign. 
 
 He best can part with life without a sigh 
 Whose daily living is to daily die. 
 
 Youth builds for age ; age builds for rest ; 
 Who builds for Heaven will build the best. 
 
 SPURGEON. 
 
 Out of suffering comes the serious mind ; out of sal- 
 vation, the grateful heart ; out of endurance, fortitude ; 
 out of deliverance, faith. RUSKIN. 
 
 The truest end of life is to know the life that never 
 ends. WILLIAM PENN. 
 
 [298]
 
 OCTOBER NINETEENTH. 
 
 A TIME of ripened fruits and scattered seeds. 
 Was ever time so beautiful ? The year, from its 
 beginning, has been making preparation for this ; you 
 have been looking forward to it, no matter what your 
 business is, everything depends upon the harvest. 
 A farmer toils all Spring, and waits all Summer for it. 
 Man revives with the first breath of Autumn, and its 
 cool breezes are a tonic to body and mind. 
 
 Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness! 
 
 Close bosom-friend of the maturing sun ; 
 Conspiring with him how to load and bless 
 
 With fruit the vines that round the thatch-eaves run ; 
 To bend with apples the mossed cottage-trees, 
 
 And fill all fruit with ripeness to the core ; 
 
 To swell the gourd and plump the hazel shells 
 With a sweet kernel ; to set budding more, 
 
 And still more, later flowers for the bees, 
 
 Until they think warm days will never cease. 
 
 For Summer has o'erbrimmed their clammy cells. 
 
 Where are the songs of spring? Ay, where are they? 
 
 Think not of them, thou hast thy music too, 
 While barred clouds bloom the soft dying day, 
 
 And touch the stubble-plains with rosy hue ; 
 Then in a wilful choir the small gnats mourn 
 
 Among the river sallows, borne aloft 
 
 Or sinking as the light wind lives or dies ; 
 And full-grown lambs loud bleat from hilly bourn ; 
 
 Hedge-crickets sing ; and now with treble soft 
 
 The redbreast whistles from a garden croft, 
 And gathering swallows twitter from the skies. 
 
 KEATS. 
 
 [299]
 
 OCTOBER TWENTIETH. 
 
 WORK while it is called to-day, 
 Watch and pray! 
 
 With both thine hands right earnestly, 
 As in the sight of God most high, 
 Thy calling ply. 
 
 HENRY G. TOMKINS. 
 
 Not a prayer, not an act of faithfulness in your call- 
 ing, not a self-denying or kind word or deed, done out 
 of love for Himself; not a weariness or painfulness en- 
 dured patiently ; not a duty performed ; not a tempta- 
 tion resisted ; but it enlarges the whole soul for the 
 endless capacity of the love of God. E. B. PUSEY. 
 
 Do nothing without a purpose, and let that purpose 
 be to glorify God. Let every duty be done in His 
 name, and every kindness done for His sake. Let each 
 day's work be rounds upon which you shall climb to 
 Heaven. 
 
 Work while life is given ; 
 
 Faint not, although 'tis hard ; 
 Work is the will of Heaven, 
 
 And peace is the reward! 
 All work is holy. 
 
 Scorn nought as plain or mean ; 
 
 All with thy work impress, 
 That all where thou hast been 
 
 May day by day confess 
 That work is holy. 
 
 ANONYMOUS. 
 
 [300]
 
 OCTOBER TWENTY-FIRST. 
 
 I LOVE and love not : Lord, it breaks my heart 
 To love and not to love. 
 Thou veiled within Thy glory, gone apart 
 
 Into Thy shrine, which is above, 
 Dost Thou not love me, Lord, or care 
 
 For this mine ill ? 
 / love thee here or there, 
 
 I will accept thy broken heart : lie still. 
 
 Lord, it was well with me in time gone by 
 
 That cometh not again, 
 When I was fresh and cheerful, who but I ? 
 
 I fresh, I cheerful : worn with pain 
 Now, out of sight and out of heart ; 
 
 Lord, how long ? 
 / watch thee as thou art, 
 
 1 will accept thy fainting heart : be strong. 
 
 " Lie still," " Be strong," to-day ; but Lord, to-morrow, 
 
 What of to-morrow, Lord ? 
 Shall there be rest from toil, be truce from sorrow, 
 
 Be living green upon the sward 
 Now but a barren grave to me, 
 
 Be joy for sorrow ? 
 Did I not die for thee ? 
 
 Do not I live for thee ? Leave Me to-morrow. 
 
 CHRISTINA ROSSETTI. 
 
 If we were but contented to leave God all our to- 
 morrows we would not fret and worry so about them. 
 How faithless we are ! Oh, let us learn the lesson of 
 submission. Let us give our all into His keeping, 
 trials, cares, perplexities, heartaches ; He wants them 
 all. Shall we not trust Him with everything? 
 [301]
 
 OCTOBER TWENTY-SECOND. 
 
 IF you have any special gift, make use of it. That 
 you have some gift, cannot be doubted. Perhaps it 
 is music ; if so, let your talent be cultivated, that it may 
 brighten other hearts, and sing itself into other souls. 
 The noble band of King's Daughters, who send out 
 messengers into our hospitals and charitable institu- 
 tions, sometimes select from their number a sweet 
 minstrel, who pours forth a gush of melody to cheer 
 the suffering and afflicted ones ; it is like a bit of 
 Heaven to them. Those who possess the gift of song 
 may not recognize it at all ; and yet their lives are un- 
 written music, to which God strikes the key, and sets 
 the chords in harmony. May He give you some pure 
 influence, some song turned to His love to sing for 
 His glory! 
 
 If a pilgrim has been shadowed 
 
 By a tree that I have nursed ; 
 If a cup of cold, clear water 
 
 I have raised to lips athirst ; 
 If I've planted one sweet flower 
 
 By an else too barren way ; 
 If I've whispered in the midnight 
 
 One sweet word of day ; 
 If in one poor bleeding bosom 
 
 I a woe-swept chord have stilled ; 
 If a dark and restless spirit 
 
 I with hope of Heaven have stilled ; 
 If I've made of life's hard battle 
 
 One faint heart grow warm and strong ; 
 Then, my God ! I thank Thee bless Thee 
 
 For the precious gift of song. 
 
 ANONYMOUS. 
 
 [302]
 
 D 
 
 OCTOBER TWENTY-THIRD. 
 
 EAR Heart, keep steadily on thy way, ever trust- 
 ing, ever singing! 
 
 The little birds trust God, for they go singing, 
 From northern woods where autumn winds have 
 blown, 
 
 With joyous faith their trackless pathway winging 
 To summer-lands of song, afar, unknown. 
 
 Let us go singing, then, and not go sighing. 
 
 Since we are sure our times are in His hand, 
 Why should we weep, and fear, and call it dying? 
 
 'Tis only flitting to a Summer-land. 
 
 ANONYMOUS. 
 
 Glad is the October sunshine, for it beams so full 
 and free, and the Wind spreads wide and wider, with a 
 wing on earth and sea; and a later crop of apples 
 hangs well-freighted from the tree. Heart, rejoice, the 
 year is ripe ! Sing, O Heart, and cease thy grieving ! 
 Though thy Summer slips away, though the beauty of 
 the Autumn lose its gold and scarlet dye, there is wait- 
 ing for thy coming God's blest Summer, by and by ! 
 
 How calmly may we commit ourselves to the hands 
 of Him who bears up the world of Him who has 
 created and who provides for the joys, even of insects, 
 as carefully as if He were their father! RICHTER. 
 
 If our love were but more simple, 
 We should take Him at His word ; 
 
 And our lives would be all sunshine 
 In the sweetness of our Lord. 
 
 FABER. 
 
 [303]
 
 OCTOBER TWENTY-FOURTH. 
 
 LEAD us, dear Lord, this day in the green pastures 
 of Thy love, and by the still waters of Thy peace ! 
 Feed us, dear Lord, with " food convenient for us," 
 and suffer us not to want for any good thing. Thou 
 art abundantly able to supply all our needs, out of 
 Thy great plenty, therefore we pray Thee that, as 
 "giving doth not impoverish Thee, nor withholding 
 enrich Thee," we, Thy little flock, may be kindly fed 
 and tended, and that when the night cometh, we may 
 be gathered safely into Thy Fold ! 
 
 When I faint with summer's heat, 
 Thou shalt guide my weary feet 
 To the streams, that still and slow, 
 Through the verdant meadows flow. 
 
 MERRICK. 
 
 Thy sheep shall hear Thy voice, on plain and hill, 
 
 Through flood or wilderness, 
 In the green pastures, by the waters still, 
 
 In joy or sharp distress, 
 Thy call will reach them, sometimes loud and near, 
 
 Then faint and far away ; 
 O thou good Shepherd ! grant that heart and ear 
 
 May listen and obey! 
 
 SARAH DOUDNEY. 
 
 Thou layest Thy hand on the fluttering heart, 
 
 And sayest, " Be still ! " 
 The silence and shadow are only a part 
 
 Of Thy sweet will ; 
 Thy presence is with me, and where Thou art 
 
 I fear no ill. 
 
 F. R. HAVERGAL. 
 t304]
 
 OCTOBER TWENTY-FIFTH. 
 
 ART thou weary ? Dear tired heart, be comforted : 
 thou shalt have sweet rest by and by. Beyond 
 earth's cares and sorrows and shadows, there waits for 
 Christ's beloved a never-ending rest. 
 
 Rest remaineth oh, how sweet, 
 Flowery fields for wandering feet, 
 Peaceful calm for sleepless eyes, 
 Life for death, and songs for sighs. 
 
 Rest remaineth hush that sigh ; 
 Mourning pilgrim, rest is nigh ; 
 Yet a season bright and blest, 
 Thou shalt enter on thy rest. 
 
 Rest remaineth rest from sin 
 Guilt can never enter in ; 
 Every warring thought shall cease 
 Rest in purity and peace. 
 
 Rest remaineth rest from tears, 
 Rest from parting, rest from fears ; 
 Every trembling thought shall be 
 Lost, my Saviour lost in Thee. 
 
 Rest remaineth oh, how blest ! 
 We believe, and we have rest ; 
 Faith, reposing faith, hath been 
 'Mongst the things that are not seen. 
 
 Thus, my Saviour, let me be 
 Ever here at rest in Thee, 
 And at last, by Thee possessed, 
 On Thy bosom sink to rest. 
 
 FROM "DARK SAYINGS ON A HARP." 
 [305]
 
 OCTOBER TWENTY-SIXTH. 
 
 npHE flood of time is rolling on, 
 -L We stand upon its brink, . . . 
 To glide in peace down death's mysterious stream. 
 Have you done well? 
 
 SHELLEY. 
 
 Look into your heart this autumn day, and ask your- 
 self this question, " Have I done well ? " Through 
 each changing season, while the leaf has unfolded, 
 taken on its rich green color, and fluttered out into 
 the air and sunshine ; while it grew and waxed strong 
 and spread itself, with a million other leaves, to make 
 a restful, cooling shade ; while it turned gold, and 
 crimson, and then russet brown, and lastly ashen gray, 
 ere it plumed itself for flight, ah, what have you been 
 doing? Have you done well ? Has your soul been 
 making preparation for Heaven ? As within the grape 
 the sweet crimson juice is hidden, waiting for the wine- 
 press to crush it, and for the refiner to clarify it, so the 
 soul's fruits should reach fruition through passing 
 seasons ; until, crushed and sweetened by the Master 
 of the Vineyard, it becomes a strengthening draught to 
 all around it. Learn, then, the lesson of the Grape 
 and of the Leaf. 
 
 The Wine of Life keeps oozing drop by drop, 
 The Leaves of Life keep falling one by one. 
 
 Ah, with the Grape my fading Life provide, 
 And wash the Body whence the Life has died, 
 
 And lay me, shrouded in the living Leaf, 
 By some not unfrequented Garden-side. 
 
 OMAR KHAYYAM. 
 [306]
 
 OCTOBER TWENTY-SEVENTH. 
 
 IF thou wouldst be happy, thou must be useful. 
 Make thyself necessary wherever thy lot is cast ; 
 make thy work acceptable whatever it is ; honour thy 
 calling, no matter how lowly, and then thou shalt be 
 royal in the sight of God. Mount upward, press for- 
 ward, and let every day be well and profitably spent, 
 for the time appointed for thee is short, and life's brief 
 day soon draweth to a close. 
 
 There will be sorrow 
 Beyond to-morrow, if I lose to-day. 
 
 ARTHUR J. MUNBY. 
 
 We have not wings, and we cannot soar ; 
 
 But we have feet to scale and climb 
 By slow degrees, by more and more, 
 
 The cloudy summits of our time. 
 
 TENNYSON. 
 
 All things have something more than barren use ; 
 
 There is a scent upon the briar, 
 A tremulous splendour in the Autumn dews ; 
 
 Cold morns are fringed with fire. 
 
 The clodded earth goes up in sweet-breathed flowers ; 
 
 In music dies poor human speech ; 
 And in beauty blow those hearts of ours 
 
 When love is born in each. 
 
 Life is transfigured in the soft and tender 
 
 Light of love, a volume dun 
 Of rolling smoke becomes a wreathed splendour 
 
 In the declining sun. 
 
 ALEXANDER SMITH. 
 [307]
 
 OCTOBER TWENTY-EIGHTH. 
 
 TRUE happiness never flows into a man, but always 
 out of him. Heaven itself is more internal than 
 external. NEWMAN. 
 
 Happiness is a perfume that cannot shed over 
 another, without a few drops falling on one's self. 
 BYRON. 
 
 The happy man is he that hath learned to read him- 
 self more than all books ; and hath so taken out his 
 lesson that he can never forget it ; that knows the 
 world, and cares not for it ; that after many traverses 
 of thoughts, is grown to know what he may trust to, 
 and stands now equally armed for all events. JOSEPH 
 HALL. 
 
 The hearts of men are their books ; events are their 
 tutors ; great actions are their eloquence. MACAULAY. 
 
 If Happiness has not her seat 
 
 And centre in the breast, 
 We may be wise, or rich, or great, 
 
 But never can be blest. 
 
 BURNS. 
 
 True happiness is not the growth of earth, 
 The soil is fruitless if you seek it there ; 
 1 Tis an exotic of celestial birth, 
 And never blooms but in celestial air. 
 Sweet plant of Paradise! its seeds are sown 
 In here and there abreast of heavenly mould, 
 It rises slow, and buds, but ne'er was known 
 To blossom here the climate is too cold. 
 
 RICHARD BRINSLEY SHERIDAN. 
 
 [308]
 
 OCTOBER TWENTY-NINTH. 
 
 ONLY Heaven is high. 
 Only the gods are great. 
 Above the searchless sky, 
 In unremoved state, 
 They from their golden mansions 
 Look over the lands and the seas ; 
 The ocean's wide expanses, 
 And the earth's varieties : 
 Secure of their supremacy, 
 And sure of affluent ease. 
 Who shall say, "I stand! " nor fall? 
 Destiny is over all ! 
 Rust will crumble old renown. 
 Bust and column tumble down ; 
 Keep and castle ; tower and town ; 
 Throne and sceptre ; crest and crown. 
 Destiny is over all! 
 One by one the pale guests fall 
 At lighted feasts, in palace hall ; 
 And feast is turned to funeral. 
 Who shall say, " I stand! " nor fall? 
 Destiny is over all. 
 
 OWEN MEREDITH. 
 
 It is a proverbial saying, that every one makes his 
 own destiny ; and this is usually interpreted, that every 
 one, by his wise or unwise conduct, prepares good or 
 evil for himself: but we may also understand it, that 
 whatever it be that he receives from the hand of Prov- 
 idence, he may so accommodate himself to it, that he 
 will find his lot good for him, however much may seem 
 to others to be wanting. WILLIAM VON HUMBOLDT. 
 [309]
 
 OCTOBER THIRTIETH. 
 
 DEATH and love are the two wings 
 Which bear man from earth to Heaven. 
 
 MICHAEL ANGELO. 
 
 What an empty world this would be without love ! 
 It is the magnetic needle that draws all hearts together 
 in one common bond of humanity. It is the heart of 
 Religion, the basis of Benevolence, the twin-sister of 
 Pity, and the foundation of home. 
 
 But Love's a flower that will not die 
 
 For lack of leafy screen, 
 And Christian Hope can cheer the eye 
 
 That ne'er saw vernal green ; 
 Then be ye sure that Love can bless 
 E'en in this crowded loneliness. 
 
 ANONYMOUS. 
 
 Hid in earth's mines of silver, 
 
 Floating in clouds above, 
 Ringing in Autumn's tempest, 
 
 Murmured by every dove, 
 One thought fills God's creation, 
 
 His own great name of Love. 
 
 ADELAIDE PROCTER. 
 
 I cannot go 
 
 Where universal love not smiles around, 
 Sustains all yon orbs, and all their suns ; 
 From seeming evil still educing good, 
 And better thence again, and better still, 
 In infinite progression. But I lose 
 Myself in Him, in light ineffable! 
 Come, then, expressive silence, muse His praise. 
 
 THOMSON.
 
 OCTOBER THIRTY-FIRST. 
 
 LET the golden month go out in prayer. Have 
 thou thine own pure prayer, to suit thy needs, 
 and breathe secretly in the listening ear of Heaven! 
 
 Master and Maker! my hope is in Thee ; 
 My Jesus, dear Saviour! now get my soul free 
 From this my hard prison, my spirit uprisen 
 
 Soars upward to Thee. 
 Thus moaning, and groaning, and bending the knee, 
 
 1 adore and implore that Thou liberate me. 
 
 TR. OF PRAYER OF MARY STUART, QUEEN OF SCOTS. 
 ( Written before her execution.') 
 
 Awake in me desires for Heaven! 
 
 Help me to view the world aright ; 
 Far from my heart its wiles be driven 
 
 While endless joys allure my sight : 
 For Jesus' sake, when flesh shall fail, 
 With me, O God, may it be well ! 
 
 AMELIA JULIANA, COUNTESS OF SCHUARZBURG. 
 
 Father in Heaven ! oh, hear when we call, 
 
 Hear for Christ's sake, who is Saviour of all ; 
 
 Feeble and fainting we trust in Thy might, 
 
 In doubting and darkness Thy love be our light : 
 
 Let us sleep on Thy breast while the night taper burns, 
 
 And wake in Thy arms when the morning returns. 
 
 Father, have mercy ; Father, have mercy ; 
 
 Father, have mercy thro' Jesus Christ our Lord. 
 
 SELINA, COUNTESS OF HUNTINGDON. 
 [3"]
 
 OR THE MONTH 
 OF NOVEMBER 
 
 NOVEMBER FIRST. 
 
 IT is November. May you be at peace with all the 
 world, and may you look up into the gray sky and 
 see beyond its shadows the Light of the Eternal, the 
 Sun of Righteousness that declines not with the 
 brooding Autumn days, but steadfast, pure, and clear, 
 shines gloriously forever. Abiding peace is there. 
 
 Down below, the wild November whistling. 
 
 Through the beeches' dome of burning red, 
 And the Autumn sprinkling penitential 
 
 Dust and ashes on the chestnut's head. 
 
 Up above, the Tree with leaf unfading 
 
 By the everlasting River's brink : 
 And the Sea of Glass beyond whose margin 
 
 Never yet the Sun was known to sink. 
 
 W. ALEXANDER. 
 
 But peace was there : no lightnings blazed ; 
 
 No clouds obscured the face of Heaven ; 
 Down each green opening while I gazed, 
 
 My thoughts to Home and you were given. 
 Oh, tender minds ! in life's gay morn, 
 
 Some clouds must dim your coming day ; 
 Yet bootless pride and falsehood scorn, 
 
 And peace like this shall cheer your way. 
 
 ROBERT BLOOMFIELD. 
 [3"]
 
 CHRISTINA ROSSETTI 
 1830-1894
 
 NOVEMBER SECOND. 
 
 IT does one good to be alone sometimes ; to throw 
 care to the winds, and to walk among the rustling 
 leaves, and muse on life, its changes, its beauties, and 
 its mysteries. Come with me into the dying woods ; 
 look, how fast the leaves are falling! how the winds 
 whisper of decay, as they sing their melancholy dirge for 
 the faded flowers. But wait! among the leaves a bit 
 of color peeps, half-sheltered by a friendly bush, a dear 
 memento of the summer days. How loth is Nature yet 
 to lose the flowers she wore upon her breast. 
 
 We shall not die nor disappear, 
 But in these other selves, ourselves succeed, 
 Even as ripe flowers pass into their seed 
 Only to be renewed from prime to prime. 
 
 THOMAS HOOD. 
 
 The constant wheels of nature scorn to tire 
 Until her works expire. 
 
 FRANCIS QUARLES. 
 
 Those few pale Autumn flowers, 
 
 How beautiful they are! 
 Than all that went before, 
 Than all the Summer store, 
 
 How lovelier far! 
 
 And why? They are the last! 
 
 The last! the last! the last! 
 Oh! by that little word 
 How many thoughts are stirr'd 
 
 That whisper of the past! 
 
 CAROLINE SOUTHEY. 
 [313]
 
 NOVEMBER THIRD. 
 
 NOW to Thee, gracious Lord of the season, be honour 
 and glory and praise, 
 
 That again in the joy of the harvest our jubilant an- 
 them we raise. 
 
 Though many the fears that beset us, though faith 
 waxes feeble and cold, 
 
 Thy bow, with promise unbroken, glitters still as it glit- 
 tered of old. 
 
 Though weary we grow in our watching the weeks of 
 
 the drought as they pass, 
 When the earth is as iron beneath us, and the heaven 
 
 above us as brass. 
 
 Yet the showers come back in their season ; once more 
 
 in the land they are seen, 
 The brook brimming over with crystals, the grass as 
 
 the emerald green. 
 
 Though troubled the spirit within us, when the mist 
 
 upon valley and plain 
 Lies thick, and the clouds in their armies return again 
 
 after the rain. 
 
 Yet the sun cometh forth as a giant, and after the Tem- 
 pest the morn 
 
 Is cloudless and fair, and the colour grows golden and 
 rich on the corn. 
 
 For seedtime and harvest we thank Thee; our fears 
 
 as the shadows have fled ; 
 Thou hast given his seed to the sower, Thou hast given 
 
 the eater his bread. 
 
 ALFRED CHURCH.
 
 NOVEMBER FOURTH. 
 
 MAY thy soul be as beautiful as the Autumn star- 
 light, which silvers all the sleeping world. Thou 
 needst not make any stir or commotion, only shine. 
 Shine as if God were reflected from thy being. 
 
 There is no end to the Sky, 
 
 And the stars are everywhere. 
 
 HENRY BURTON. 
 
 It was an eve of Autumn's holiest mood, 
 . . . Nature seemed 
 In silent contemplation to adore 
 Its Maker. Now and then the aged leaf 
 Fell from its fellows, rustling to the ground ; 
 And, as it fell, bade man think on his end, 
 On vale and lake, on wood and mountain high, 
 With pensive wing outspread, sat heavenly Thought, 
 Conversing with itself. . . . 
 And up the east, unclouded, rode the moon 
 With all her stars, gazing on earth intense, 
 As if she saw some wonder working there. 
 
 ROBERT POLLOCK. 
 
 Ye stars! which are the poetry of Heaven, 
 If in your bright leaves we would read the fate 
 Of men and empires, 'tis to be forgiven 
 That in our aspirations to be great 
 Our destinies o'erlap their moral state, 
 And claim a kindred with you ; for ye are 
 A beauty and a mystery, and create 
 In us such love and reverence from afar, 
 That fortune, fame, power, life, have named themselves 
 a star. 
 
 BYRON. 
 [315]
 
 NOVEMBER FIFTH. 
 
 MAY God preserve and keep thee, " merrie Eng- 
 land," noble and illustrious country as thou art ! 
 and in every time of danger mayst thou be protected, 
 thy fair name be ever writ in shining letters, and thy 
 rulers be found worthy of thee ! 
 
 England, with all thy faults, I love thee still, 
 My Country! and, while yet a nook is left 
 Where English mind and manners may be found, 
 Shall be constrain'd to love thee. 
 
 COWPER. 
 
 Happy is England ! I could be content 
 To see no other verdure than its own ; 
 To feel no other breezes than are blown 
 
 Through its tall woods with high romances blent. 
 
 KEATS. 
 
 Breathes there a 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 burn'd, 
 As home his footsteps he hath turn'd, 
 From wandering on a foreign strand ! 
 
 SCOTT. 
 
 Dear home in England, safe and fast, 
 If but in thee my lot be cast, 
 The past shall seem a nothing past 
 To thee, dear home, if won at last ; 
 Dear home in England, won at last. 
 
 ARTHUR HUGH CLOUGH. 
 [316]
 
 NOVEMBER SIXTH. 
 
 HOW sweet it is, that no one can ever take the 
 place of those we have loved and lost : they have 
 their own sacred corner in our hearts, their own hal- 
 lowed shrine in our memory. New friends may endear 
 themselves to us, but they never fill the vacancies 
 made by those who have passed out of our sight into 
 the Better Country. 
 
 How much so ever in life's mutations 
 
 We seek our shattered idols to replace, 
 Not one in all the myriads of the nations 
 
 Can ever fill another's vacant place. 
 
 Each has his own, the smallest and most humble, 
 As well as he, revered the wide world through ; 
 
 With every death some love and hope must crumble, 
 Which strive to build themselves anew. 
 
 If the fair face of violets should perish 
 Before another springtime had its birth, 
 
 Could all the costly blooms which florists cherish 
 Bring back its April beauty to the earth? 
 
 Not the most gorgeous flower that uncloses 
 Could give the olden grace to vale and plain, 
 
 Not even Persia's gardens full of roses, 
 Could ever make the world so fair again. 
 
 And so with souls we love ; they pass and leave us 
 
 Time teaches patience at a bitter cost ; 
 Yet all the new loves, which the years may give us, 
 
 Fill not the heart-place aching for the lost. 
 
 ANONYMOUS. 
 [3173
 
 NOVEMBER SEVENTH. 
 
 BE diligent, after thy power, to do deeds of love. 
 Think nothing too little, nothing too low, to do 
 lovingly for the sake of God. Bear with infirmities, 
 ungentle tempers, contradictions ; visit the sick, relieve 
 the poor ; forego thyself and thine own ways for love ; 
 and He whom in them thou lovest, to whom in them 
 thou ministerest, will own thy love, and will pour His 
 own love into thee. E. B. PUSEY. 
 
 The memory of a kindly word 
 
 For long gone by, 
 The fragrance of a fading flower 
 
 Sent lovingly ; 
 The gleaming of a sudden smile 
 
 Or sudden tear, 
 The warmer pressure of the hand, 
 
 The tone of cheer ; 
 The hush that means I cannot speak, 
 
 But I have heard! 
 The note that only bears a verse 
 
 Of God's own word ; 
 Such tiny things we hardly count 
 
 As ministry ; 
 The givers deeming they have shone 
 
 Scant sympathy ; 
 But when the heart is overwrought, 
 
 Oh! who can tell 
 The power of such tiny things 
 
 To make it well ! 
 
 FRANCES RIDLEY HAVERGAL. 
 
 Let this be a day of sweet ministrations.
 
 M 
 
 NOVEMBER EIGHTH. 
 
 SOME THOUGHTS ABOUT MAN. 
 
 ARK the perfect man, and behold the upright : 
 for the end of that man is peace. PSALM 37 : 37. 
 
 In this world there is one godlike thing, the essence 
 of all that ever was or ever will be of godlike in this 
 world, the veneration done to human worth by the 
 hearts of men. CARLYLE. 
 
 The good great man? three treasures, love and light 
 And calm thoughts regular as infant's breath, 
 And three firm friends, more sure than day and night, 
 Himself, his Maker, and the angel Death. 
 
 COLERIDGE. 
 
 Men in great place are thrice servants ; servants of 
 the Sovereign or state ; servants of fame ; and servants 
 of business. BURNS. 
 
 Man dwells apart, though not alone, 
 
 He walks among his peers unread ; 
 The best of thoughts which he hath known, 
 
 For lack of listeners are not said. 
 
 JEAN INGELOW. 
 
 Man was mark'd 
 
 A friend in his creation to himself, 
 And may with fit ambition conceive 
 The greatest blessings, and the brightest honours 
 Appointed for him, if he can achieve them 
 The right and noble way. 
 
 PHILIP MASSINGER. 
 [319]
 
 NOVEMBER NINTH. 
 
 HPHOUGH you may be surrounded by the fog and 
 -A- mist, let your heart keep its sunshine, sending out 
 bright rays to guide and lead through the darkness 
 some one whose love and faith in humanity is shrouded 
 in a mist of doubt. 
 
 First, at the dawn of lingering day, 
 It rises of an ashen gray ; 
 Then deepening with a sordid strain 
 Of yellow, like a lion's mane. 
 Scarce an eclipse, with pall so dun, 
 Blots from the face of Heaven the sun. 
 But soon a thicker, darker cloak 
 Wraps all the town, behold in smoke, 
 Which steam compelling trade disgorges 
 From all her furnaces and forges 
 In pitchy clouds, too dense to rise, 
 Descends rejected from the skies ; 
 Till struggling day, extinguished quite, 
 At noon gives place to candle-light. 
 
 HENRY LUTTRELL. 
 
 No sun no moon ! 
 No morn no noon 
 
 No dawn no dusk no proper time of day 
 No sky no earthly view 
 
 No warmth, no cheerfulness, no healthful ease, 
 No comfortable feel in any member 
 
 No shade, no sun, no butterflies, no bees, 
 No fruits, no flowers, no leaves, no birds, 
 November! 
 
 HOOD. 
 
 [320]
 
 NOVEMBER TENTH. 
 
 HPHESE " gray days " give us plenty of time for 
 J- thought. Let us enter the " living room " of our 
 brain, and spend a little time with silent Thought. 
 How kind our dear Heavenly Father was to give us 
 this means of communing with Him, and of contem- 
 plating His goodness! 
 
 Our great thoughts, our great affections, the truths 
 of our life never leave us. Surely they cannot sepa- 
 rate from our consciousness, shall follow it whitherso- 
 ever that shall go, and are of their nature divine and 
 immortal. THACKERAY. 
 
 Thoughts, thoughts, thoughts! 
 Rolling wave-like on the mind's strange shore, 
 Rustling leaf-like through the evermore. 
 
 Oh, that they might follow God's good Hand ! 
 
 W. ALEXANDER. 
 
 Thought can never be compared with action, but 
 when it awakens in us the image of Truth. MADAME 
 
 DE STAEL. 
 
 The chariot of Thought 
 
 Rolls from the world's ringing walls to its goal, 
 Urged by Faith, the bright-eyed charioteer of the Soul. 
 
 OWEN MEREDITH. 
 
 He therefore that would govern his actions by the 
 laws of virtue, must regulate his thoughts by those of 
 reason. SAMUEL JOHNSON. 
 
 Reading seeks, meditation finds ; 
 Prayer asks, contemplation tastes. 
 
 ST. AUGUSTINE. 
 
 [321]
 
 NOVEMBER ELEVENTH. 
 
 HE who walks with God, who lives in His presence, 
 whose mind is filled with the image of wisdom 
 far above human wisdom, goodness far above human 
 goodness, justice to which a last appeal may be made 
 and with whom justice will ever be found, he who 
 sees His beauty in this garb of external nature, so ex- 
 quisite an exposition of the Divine Mind for shattered 
 and disordered as it is by some evidently external force, 
 enough remains to prove the beauty, grace, and order 
 of the unblemished original ; he who does this lives 
 in a new element ; his thoughts, his imagination, his 
 views, are purified and elevated. ANONYMOUS. 
 
 Look in, and see Christ's chosen saint 
 In triumph wear his Christ-like chain ; 
 
 No fear lest he should swerve or faint ; 
 " His life is Christ, his death is gain." 
 
 KEBLE. 
 
 What shall we be who have in Christ believed 
 
 What, through His grace, will be our sweet reward ? 
 Eye hath not seen, ear heard, or heart conceived, 
 
 What God for those who love Him hath prepared ; 
 Let us the steep ascent then boldly climb, 
 
 Our toil and labour will be well repaid ; 
 Let us haste onward ; till in God's good time 
 
 We reap the fruit a crown that doth not fade. 
 
 c. j. P. SPITTA. 
 
 Of simple understandings, little inquisitive, and little 
 instructed, are made good Christians, who by reverence 
 and obedience implicitly believe, and are constant in 
 their belief. MONTAIGNE. 
 
 [3 22 ]
 
 NOVEMBER TWELFTH. 
 
 SOME people drift through life without any purpose 
 or aim. They have nothing in particular to do, 
 nothing in particular to interest them, and no opinion 
 worth listening to. What an existence to lead! When 
 life presents such grand opportunities for doing good to 
 others, and getting good for ourselves, why should any 
 one value it so lightly, and make it of so little worth 
 the living? Choose your work, and try to do it as well 
 as you can. Make up your mind about things ; have 
 some kind of an opinion, but do not hug it so close 
 that you would not let it go if you found it to be 
 wrong. Live for a purpose ; work for a purpose ; be 
 decided in what you do ; have opinions and ideas of 
 your own, but do not be either stubborn or conceited 
 about them. Byron says, " Be something, anything, 
 but mean." The world always respects a resolute man. 
 
 To him, alas! to him, I fear, 
 The face of death will terrible appear, 
 Who in his life, flatt'ring his senseless pride, 
 By being known to all the world beside, 
 Does not himself, when he is dying, know 
 Nor what he is, nor whither he's to go. 
 
 COWLEY. 
 
 Be stirring as the time : be fire with fire ; 
 ... So shall inferior eyes, 
 That borrow their behaviour from the great, 
 Grow great by your example ; and put on 
 The dauntless spirit of resolution. 
 
 SHAKESPEARE. 
 
 [323]
 
 NOVEMBER THIRTEENTH. 
 
 IN a Devonshire lane as I trotted along 
 T'other day, much in want of a subject for song, 
 Thinks I to myself, I have hit on a strain, 
 
 Sure, Marriage is much like a Devonshire lane. 
 
 In the first place, 'tis long, and when once you are in it> 
 It holds you as fast as a cage holds a linnet, 
 
 For howe'er rough and dirty the road may be found, 
 Drive forward you must, since there's no turning 
 round. 
 
 Then the banks are so high, both to left hand and right, 
 That they shut up the beauties around from the 
 sight, 
 
 And hence you'll allow 'tis an inference plain, 
 That Marriage is just like a Devonshire lane. 
 
 But thinks I too, these banks within which we are pent, 
 With bud, blossom, and berry are richly besprent, 
 
 And the conjugal fence which forbids us to roam, 
 
 Looks lovely, when deck'd with the comforts of 
 home. 
 
 In the rock's gloomy crevice the bright holly grows, 
 The ivy waves fresh o'er the withering rose, 
 
 And the evergreen love of a virtuous wife 
 
 Smooths the roughness of care, cheers the winter of 
 life. 
 
 Then long be the journey and narrow the way, 
 I'll rejoice that I've seldom a turnpike to pay, 
 
 And whate'er others think, be the last to complain, 
 Though Marriage is just like a Devonshire lane. 
 
 ANONYMOUS. 
 
 [324]
 
 NOVEMBER FOURTEENTH. 
 
 TEMPTATIONS come to us in so many forms. 
 Not a day passes that we have not need to arm 
 ourselves with fresh courage to meet the battle of life. 
 Overcoming is not easy with any of us : it requires 
 constant vigilance and self-denial, moral courage and 
 strength of will, but each victory over temptation is 
 setting a stone in our spiritual temples which neither 
 time nor decay can destroy. Let us root out the evil 
 habits, overcome the desire to do wrong, and stand 
 up courageously against temptation, not in our own 
 strength, but in the strength of our Lord. He it is 
 that giveth us the victory, in His name. 
 
 Was the trial sore? 
 
 Temptation sharp? Thank God a second time! 
 Why comes temptation but for man to meet 
 And master, and make crouch beneath his foot 
 And so be pedestalled 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. 
 
 BROWNING. 
 
 When life is more terrible than death, it is then the 
 truest valour to dare to live. SIR THOMAS BROWNE. 
 
 Our business is like men to fight, 
 And hero-like to die ! 
 
 WILLIAM MOTHERWELL. 
 
 A man of courage is also full of faith. 
 
 YONGE'S CICERO. 
 [3*6]
 
 NOVEMBER FIFTEENTH. 
 
 MAN carries under his hat a private theatre, wherein 
 a greater drama is acted than is ever performed 
 on the mimic stage, beginning and ending in Eternity. 
 
 CARLYLE. 
 
 There is a chamber of silence in every human heart. 
 Here our secret thoughts lie hidden away, known only 
 to ourselves and the great Author of our being. Into 
 this chamber we retire when in great joy or sorrow ; 
 we seek its seclusion when baffled or defeated, when 
 disappointed, when discouraged, or when successful 
 and happy. What we think while there influences our 
 whole life. We can scarcely understand our own 
 motives often ; there is a mysterious something within 
 us which seems to govern our actions, and we obey, as 
 it were, an unseen voice. I think we are in close 
 kinship with the associations of that secret heart- 
 chamber. If our thoughts are pure and ennobling, we 
 carry about with us the reflection of them in good 
 deeds ; but if they are not, our influence cannot be 
 wholesome. Oh, this silent, inner life! it only lies re- 
 vealed to the Eye of God ; the world sees but a glimpse 
 of it, but let us keep our hearts so clean and true that 
 we need never fear to have our secret thoughts known. 
 
 Thou canst not sufficiently prize Humanity's value ; 
 Let it be coin'd in deed as it exists in thy breast, 
 E'en the man whom thou chancest to meet in life's 
 
 narrow pathway, 
 
 If he should ask it of thee, hold forth a succouring 
 hand. 
 
 SCHILLER.
 
 NOVEMBER SIXTEENTH. 
 
 TIME is like a great bird flying ever onward to 
 his nest among the mountains of Eternity. The 
 little minutes make the soft white down on his breast 
 the countless busy minutes that rest not until they are 
 closely folded under the wings of Time, to be borne 
 away into the trackless past. The days, and weeks, 
 and years gather about him ; they form his plumage, 
 and each and every one is eager for flight. What are 
 you giving into Time's keeping to bear away forever? 
 What you give will never return. Let it be something 
 sweet and beautiful that shall be put away for safe 
 keeping, under the wings of the Eternal Years. 
 
 The Bird of Time has but a little way 
 To flutter and the Bird is on the Wing. 
 
 OMAR KHAYYAM. 
 
 How slowly and how silently doth time 
 Float on his starry journey ! Still he goes, 
 And goes, and goes, and doth not pass away. 
 He rises with the golden morning, calmly, 
 And with the moon at night. Methinks I see 
 Him stretching wide abroad his mighty wings, 
 Floating forever o'er the crowds of men, 
 Like a huge vulture with its prey beneath. 
 Lo ! I am here, and time seems passing on : 
 To-morrow I shall be a breathless thing 
 Yet he will still be here ; and the blue hours 
 Will laugh as gaily on the busy world 
 As though I were alive to welcome them. 
 
 BRYAN WALLER PROCTER. 
 [327]
 
 NOVEMBER SEVENTEENTH. 
 
 WHO is the great man? He who has accumulated 
 vast estates, established flourishing institutions, 
 diminished the public debt, won some famous battle, 
 written a popular book, or painted a picture that all 
 London has praised? Ah, perhaps you, in your plain 
 every-day life are greater in the sight of God than the 
 men who have accomplished these things. You think 
 you lead a very humdrum sort of a life ; you long to 
 do great and noble things. You have high ambitions, 
 but God had other plans for you. He chose a humble 
 place for you, gave you your work to do, and now is 
 watching the result. He doesn't forget the little way- 
 side blessings you are scattering about you ; He 
 notices all the daily kindnesses you are doing for 
 others, and when you whisper to Him that you have 
 lived in vain, do you think your Heavenly Father be- 
 lieves as you do ? You have no right to call a life spent 
 for Him, and for the service of others, "useless." 
 They who are greatest in the eyes of the world are 
 often least in the Kingdom of God. 
 
 If I am asked, " Who is the greatest man ? " I an- 
 swer " The best " ; and if I am required to say who is 
 the best, I reply, " He that has deserved the most of 
 his fellow-creatures." Whether we deserve better of 
 mankind, by the cultivation of letters, by obscure and 
 inglorious attainments, by intellectual pursuits calcu- 
 lated rather to amuse than inform, than by strenuous 
 exertions in speaking and acting, let those consider 
 who bury themselves in studies unproductive of any 
 benefit to their country, or fellow-citizens. I think 
 
 not. SIR WILLIAM JONES. 
 
 [328]
 
 NOVEMBER EIGHTEENTH. 
 
 NO wonder you are troubled and perplexed, and 
 that things go wrong. You are trying to walk 
 alone, and your strength is small. You forget that 
 you are human, and that humanity is solely depend- 
 ent on God. How would you be clothed and fed and 
 sheltered without Him? Why, you are simply noth- 
 ing without God ; and yet you are trying to rely 
 upon your poor feeble strength. You take your bur- 
 den to Him, perhaps, and ask Him to carry it for 
 you, but when you finish your prayer to Him, you re- 
 sume the burden, and go on sighing and wondering 
 why God did not relieve you of it. Learn to rely upon 
 Him ; remember He is your Father, and you are His 
 child ; trust Him completely, and give into His keep- 
 ing all that you have. 
 
 With doubts, and cares, and fears opprest, 
 Man's wayward thoughts desponding rove ; 
 
 Where shall the troubled soul find rest? 
 Oh! fly to God, for God is love. 
 
 Trust, trust in Him for you He died ; 
 
 By works of love thy faith approve ; 
 So shall thy soul in peace abide, 
 
 And know, and feel that God is love. 
 
 LORD TEIGNMOUTH. 
 
 Faith sees the worlds that are not open to any other 
 eye. It has been well said : " The Holy Spirit can 
 put an eye of faith into the soul, and thus make the 
 things of God manifest to it, as He did to the Old 
 Testament saints, who saw things afar off." ENGLISH 
 
 CHURCHMAN. 
 
 Be not faithless, but believing. JOHN 20 : 27. 
 [3 2 9]
 
 NOVEMBER NINETEENTH. 
 
 TO be especially loved and cared for, is very sweet 
 to us. To be enshrined in loyal hearts, and set 
 apart as if we were jewels, how precious this is ! If we 
 are shining each day for our Master, reflecting His 
 glory, we are truly His jewels. 
 
 Set apart for Jesus ! 
 
 Is not this enough, 
 Though this desert prospect 
 
 Open wild and rough ? 
 Set apart for His delight, 
 
 Chosen for His holy pleasure, 
 
 Sealed to be His special treasure ; 
 
 Could we choose a nobler joy? 
 And would we if we might ? 
 
 Set apart to love Him, 
 
 And His love to know ; 
 Not to waste affection 
 
 On a passing show. 
 Called to give Him life and heart, 
 
 Called to pour the hidden treasure, 
 
 That none other claims to measure 
 
 Into His beloved hand! 
 Thrice blessed " set apart." 
 
 FRANCES RIDLEY HAVERGAL. 
 
 Thou art my King 
 
 My King henceforth alone ; 
 
 And I, Thy servant, Lord, am all Thine own. 
 
 Give me Thy strength ; Oh ! let Thy dwelling be 
 
 In this poor heart that pants, my Lord, for Thee ! 
 
 G. TERSTEEGEN. 
 [330]
 
 NOVEMBER TWENTIETH. 
 
 NOW LEDGE may slumber in the memory, but it 
 never dies. It is like the dormouse in the ivied 
 tower, that sleeps whilst winter lasts, but wakes with 
 the warm breath of spring ; it is like the life-germ in 
 the seed ; it is like the sweet music of the harp-strings 
 that waits but the master's touch to wake it into utter- 
 ance. ANONYMOUS. 
 
 The Almighty wisdom, having given 
 
 Each man within himself an apter light 
 
 To guide his acts, than any light within him, 
 
 Creating nothing, not in all things equal : 
 
 It seems a fault in any that depend 
 
 On other's knowledge, and exile their own. 
 
 CHAPMAN AND SHIRLEY. 
 
 God intended man to acquire knowledge of his own, 
 this is why He gave him a mind to reason, and to 
 improve his opportunities. Do not depend on the 
 thoughts and opinions of others ; lay up a fund of knowl- 
 edge, and it will be ready to draw from at any time. 
 Add to your store every day ; improve the little min- 
 utes ; make use of everything you can as you pass 
 along. Keep learning ; it will help fit you for the life 
 to come. 
 
 Learning is addition beyond 
 Nobility or birth : honour of blood, 
 Without the ornament of knowledge, is 
 A glorious ignorance. 
 
 JAMES SHIRLEY. 
 [331]
 
 NOVEMBER TWENTY-FIRST. 
 
 WE can't choose happiness either for ourselves 
 or for another; we can't tell where that will 
 lie. We can only choose whether we will indulge our- 
 selves in the present moment, or whether we will re- 
 nounce that, for the sake of the Divine voice within us 
 
 GEORGE ELIOT. 
 
 Thou, Lord, my path shalt choose, 
 
 And my Guide be! 
 What shall I fear to lose 
 
 While I have Thee? 
 This be my portion blest, 
 On my Redeemer's breast, 
 In peaceful trust to rest : 
 
 He cares for me! 
 
 Shall I, then, choose my way? 
 
 Never, oh, no! 
 I, a creature of a day, 
 
 What can I know? 
 What dread perplexity, 
 Then would encompass me : 
 Now I can look to Thee, 
 
 Thou orderest so : 
 
 This lightens every cross, 
 
 Cheers every ill : 
 Suffer I grief or loss, 
 
 It is Thy will! 
 Who can make no mistake, 
 Chooseth the way I take ; 
 He who can ne'er forsake, 
 
 Holds my hand still! 
 
 FROM THE GERMAN. 
 
 [332]
 
 NOVEMBER TWENTY-SECOND. 
 
 WHO has ever been able to mark out a future and 
 have his life exactly as he had planned it ? So 
 much depends upon circumstances ; for, as we cannot 
 look into the future and see what is before us, what 
 folly it is for us to boast of what we will do in the 
 coming years! Why not leave the future with God? 
 Perhaps these very disappointments are stepping- 
 stones to a better and higher life. We do not con- 
 sider that God has wisely withheld from us the very 
 thing which might have made us miserable here and 
 hereafter. To be contented with to-day's portion, to 
 be cheerful and bright no matter what comes, this is 
 the dearest wish I have for you this November day. 
 
 Our content 
 Is our best having. 
 
 SHAKESPEARE. 
 
 With equal minds what happens let us bear, 
 
 Nor joy, nor grieve too much for things beyond our care. 
 
 DRYDEN. 
 
 Cellars and granaries in vain we fill 
 With all the bounteous summer's store, 
 If the mind thirst and hunger still, 
 The poor rich man's emphatically poor ; 
 Slaves to the things we too much prize, 
 We masters grow of all that we despise. 
 
 COWLEY. 
 
 Not he who has little, but he who wishes for more, is 
 
 poor. SENECA. 
 
 [333]
 
 NOVEMBER TWENTY-THIRD. 
 
 THOUGH we may be always wishing to have what 
 the world calls " a good easy time," we would soon 
 tire of such an existence, could we reach the fulfilment 
 of our desires. A few weeks' vacation at a summer 
 resort refreshes and invigorates us, but as soon as we 
 begin to feel rested we grow impatient to resume our 
 work, and to get back into the daily routine of our 
 former activity. If you have ever been restricted from 
 work by long illness, and your physician tells you that 
 absolute rest is necessary for your restoration to health, 
 then you will fully comprehend the misery of being 
 idle. One has only to have a little experience of this 
 kind to fully appreciate the real luxury of work. 
 Wheels that are allowed to stand still soon rust, and 
 by and by the machinery will not run at all, because the 
 oil and friction are wanting. The machinery of our 
 being needs oiling with cheerfulness ; and then if we 
 keep all of the wheels in motion, we shall be happier 
 than if we spent our days in luxurious idleness. 
 
 He that embarks on the voyage of life will always 
 wish to advance rather by the simple impulse of the 
 wind than the strokes of the oar ; and many founder 
 in their passage while they lie waiting for the gale. 
 
 SAMUEL JOHNSON. 
 
 Life's cares are comforts ; such by Heav'n design'd ; 
 He that has none, must make them, or be wretched. 
 Cares are employments ; and without employ 
 The soul is on the rack ; the rack of rest, 
 To souls most adverse ; action all their joy. 
 
 YOUNG. 
 
 t334]
 
 NOVEMBER TWENTY-FOURTH. 
 
 T EARN to be temperate in all things. The man 
 J ' who indulges his appetite too freely starves his 
 mind and neglects his soul. Avoid the use of intoxi- 
 cating liquors or drugs, the world has suffered enough 
 through them already ; do not run to extremes in any- 
 thing ; let your life be temperate, pure, and blameless, 
 and worthy of imitation. After all, it is not so much 
 what we profess, as how we live; this is what the 
 world wants proofs ! If you wish to do anything 
 for the good of humanity, begin with yourself; the 
 truer the pattern, the more it will be copied. If you 
 then would have a temperate world, do your share 
 towards making it so by being temperate yourself. 
 
 Temperance is reason's girdle and passion's bridle, 
 the strength of the soul and the foundation of virtue. 
 
 JEREMY TAYLOR. 
 
 Philosophy, religious solitude 
 And labour wait on temperance ; in these 
 Desire is bounded : they instruct the mind's 
 And body's action. 
 
 T. NABB. 
 
 There is no difference between knowledge and tem- 
 perance ; for he who knows what is good and embraces 
 it, who knows what is bad and avoids it, is learned and 
 temperate ; but they who know very well what ought 
 to be done, and yet do quite otherwise, are ignorant 
 and stupid. SOCRATES. 
 
 Temperate in every place, abroad, at home, 
 Thence will applause, and hence will profit come. 
 
 CRABBE. 
 [335]
 
 B 
 
 NOVEMBER TWENTY-FIFTH. 
 
 UT we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, 
 even the hidden wisdom. I CORINTHIANS 2 : 7. 
 
 We fret ourselves all our life long trying to fathom 
 the mysteries of God, and all to no avail. Why not 
 content ourselves to wait until all the mists that belong 
 to our mortal life shall melt away? Why not be satis- 
 fied to worship and adore Him ; to read His wisdom 
 written on all His works ; and to leave the revelation 
 to Him who orders all things for our good ? 
 
 God keeps His holy mysteries 
 
 Just on the outside of man's dream! 
 In diapason slow, we think 
 To hear their pinions rise and sink, 
 While they float beneath His eyes, 
 Like the swans adown the stream. 
 
 Abstractions, are they, from the forms 
 Of His great beauty? exaltations 
 
 From His great glory ? strong previsions 
 
 Of what we shall be ? intuitions 
 
 Of what we are in calms and storms, 
 Beyond our peace and passions? 
 
 Things nameless ! which, in passing so, 
 Do stroke us with a subtle grace : 
 
 We say, " Who passes? " they are dumb : 
 
 We cannot see them go or come : 
 
 Their touches fall soft cold as snow 
 Upon a blind man's face. 
 
 ELIZABETH BARRETT BROWNING. 
 
 [336]
 
 T 
 
 NOVEMBER TWENTY-SIXTH. 
 
 IIS not a lip, or eye, we beauty call, 
 But the joint force and full result of all. 
 
 ALEXANDER POPE. 
 
 The criterion of true beauty is that it increases on 
 examination ; if false, that it lessens. There is some- 
 thing, therefore, in true beauty that corresponds with 
 right reason, and is not merely the creation of fancy. 
 
 LORD GREVILLE. 
 
 Some souls lose all things but the love of beauty ; 
 
 And by that love they are redeemable : 
 
 For in love and beauty they acknowledge good, 
 
 And good is God. 
 
 BAILEY. 
 
 The most natural beauty in the world is honesty and 
 moral truth ; for all beauty is truth ; true features make 
 the beauty of the face, and true proportions the beauty 
 of architecture, as true measures that of harmony and 
 
 music. EARL OF SHAFTESBURY. 
 
 Beauty like wit, to judge should be shown ; 
 Both are most valued when they are best known. 
 
 LORD LYTTLETON. 
 
 Beauty of soul will never fade. Age will not wrinkle 
 it, nor time mar it, nor illness rob it of its attractions. 
 While it is a pleasure to look on a pure sweet face, 
 beautiful and harmonious in tint and feature, yet we 
 cease to care for it, if it is unaccompanied by charm of 
 intellect and depth of soul. Alas, for the beauty that 
 is " only skin deep!" 
 
 [337]
 
 NOVEMBER TWENTY-SEVENTH 
 
 LET your heart bring a thank-offering to God 
 to-day! 
 
 Lord of the harvest! Thee we hail! 
 Thine ancient promise doth not fail ; 
 The varying seasons haste their round, 
 With goodness all our years are crowned ; 
 
 Our thanks we pay, 
 
 This holy day ; 
 Oh, let our hearts in tune be found. 
 
 If spring doth wake the song of mirth, 
 If summer warms the fruitful earth, 
 When winter sweeps the naked plain, 
 Or autumn yields its ripened grain, 
 
 We still do sing 
 
 To Thee our King ; 
 Through all their changes Thou dost reign. 
 
 But chiefly when Thy liberal hand 
 Bestows new plenty o'er the land, 
 When sounds of music fill the air, 
 As homeward all their treasures bear, 
 
 We too will raise 
 
 Our hymn of praise, 
 For we Thy common bounties share. 
 
 Lord of the harvest! all is Thine, 
 The rains that fall, the suns that shine, 
 The seeds once hidden in the ground, 
 The skill that makes our fruits abound : 
 
 New every year, Thy gifts appear ; 
 New praises from our lips shall sound. 
 
 JOHN HAMPDEN GURNEY. 
 [338]
 
 NOVEMBER TWENTY-EIGHTH. 
 
 NOTHING can produce so great a serenity of life 
 as a mind free from guilt, and kept untainted, 
 not only from actions, but purposes that are wicked. 
 By this means the soul will be not only unpolluted, 
 but not disturbed ; the fountain will run clear and 
 unsullied and the streams that flow from it will be just 
 and honest deeds, ecstasies of satisfaction, a brisk energy 
 of spirit which makes man an enthusiast in his joy, 
 and a tenacious memory, sweeter than hope. PLU- 
 TARCH. 
 
 Though Wisdom wake, Suspicion sleeps 
 
 At Wisdom's gate, and to Simplicity 
 
 Resigns her charge, while Goodness thinks no ill 
 
 Where no ill seems. 
 
 MILTON. 
 
 Look for the good in people, then shalt thou grow 
 better thyself. If thou wilt incline thy tastes in a cer- 
 tain direction, thy whole nature will soon tend that 
 way. In continually seeking for beautiful things, thou 
 wilt in time utterly ignore those that are not beautiful. 
 If thou dost pursue goodness, thou wilt become good 
 thyself, and wilt not search for evil in those around 
 thee. Strive to imitate God, who is the sum of true 
 Goodness. 
 
 Goodness is beauty in its best estate. 
 
 MARLOWE. 
 
 The soul 
 
 Is strong that trusts in goodness and shows clearly 
 It may be trusted. 
 
 MASSINGER. 
 
 [339]
 
 NOVEMBER TWENTY-NINTH. 
 
 SHALL we allow the camel and the wolf to have 
 more fortitude, more calm endurance, than we? 
 God makes each object, each creature, for some good ; 
 we may learn lessons in patience from the slow, plod- 
 ding ox ; lessons in industry from the bee and the ant ; 
 lessons in meekness from the lamb ; and lessons in 
 perseverance from the tortoise and the snail, as well as 
 lessons in fortitude from the camel and the wolf. Do 
 not scorn to be taught by such as these ; they are 
 works of the Divine Hand, thoughts of the Divine 
 Heart. If your burden be, each day, heavy and cum- 
 bersome as that which the camel carries, bear it silently 
 and uncomplainingly, until He who loves you shall lift 
 it off. Calm endurance will help to fit you for Heaven. 
 
 Existence may be borne, and the deep root 
 Of life and sufferance make its firm abode 
 In base and desolate bosoms : mute 
 The camel labours with the heaviest load, 
 And the wolf dies in silence : not bestow'd 
 In vain should such examples be ; if they, 
 Things of ignoble or of savage mood, 
 Endure and shrink not, we of noble clay 
 May temper it to bear it is but for a day. 
 
 BYRON. 
 
 So, firm in steadfast hope, in thought secure, 
 
 In full accord to all thy world of joy, 
 May I be nerved to labour high and pure, 
 
 And Thou Thy child to do Thy work employ. 
 
 J. STERLING. 
 
 May God give thee fortitude and strength for to-day ! 
 [340]
 
 NOVEMBER THIRTIETH. 
 
 T7AREWELL, old Autumn, thou wilt not return to 
 A us until another year! May thy sun set in peace : 
 
 The mellow year is hastening to its close : 
 The little birds have almost sung their last, 
 
 Their small notes twitter in the dreary blast 
 That shrill-piped harbinger of early snows ; 
 
 The dusky waters shudder as they shine, 
 The russet leaves obstruct the straggling way 
 Of oozy brooks, which no deep banks define, 
 And the gaunt woods, in ragged, scant array, 
 Wrap their old limbs with sober ivy twine. 
 
 HARTLEY COLERIDGE. 
 
 Now Autumn's fire burns slowly along the woods, 
 And day by day the dead leaves fall and melt, 
 And night by night the monitory blast 
 Wails in the key-hole, telling how it pass'd 
 O'er empty fields, or upland solitudes, 
 Or grim wide wave ; and now the power is felt 
 Of melancholy, tenderer in its moods 
 Than any joy indulgent Summer dealt. 
 
 WILLIAM ALLINGHAM. 
 
 Dear Heart, thou art not forsaken. Solitude and 
 Peace are round about thee, and God is over all. Like 
 a pure white dove with folded wing, His sweet mes- 
 senger Peace is waiting near thee. Thou hearest 
 a Voice speaking tenderly to thy soul. It is the whisper 
 of the Eternal, bidding thee cast all thy cares upon 
 Him. Through the long winter days may His peace 
 abide with thee and thine ! 
 
 [34i]
 
 OR THE MONTH 
 OF DECEMBER 
 
 DECEMBER FIRST. 
 
 NEXT came the chill December : 
 Yet he, through merry feasting which he made 
 And great bonfires, did not the cold remember ; 
 His Saviour's birth his mind so much did glad. 
 
 EDMUND SPENSER. 
 
 Thy heart be like December! Forget the cold, forget 
 the wind. Remember only that the time is now the 
 crown of all the year. 
 
 Dimmest and brightest month am I ; 
 My short days end, my lengthening days begin ; 
 What matters more or less sun in the sky, 
 
 When all is sun within? 
 
 Ivy and privet dark as night, 
 I weave with hips and haws a cheerful show, 
 And holly for a beauty and delight, 
 
 And milky mistletoe. 
 
 While high above them all I set 
 Yew twigs and Christmas roses pure and pale ; 
 Then Spring her snowdrop and her violet 
 
 May keep, so sweet and frail ; 
 
 May keep each merry singing bird, 
 Of all her happy birds that singing build : 
 For I've a carol which some shepherds heard 
 
 Once in a wintry field. 
 
 CHRISTINA ROSSETTI. 
 [342]
 
 
 INGELOW 
 1830-1897
 
 DECEMBER SECOND. 
 
 pvECEMBER, its emblem, the Holly: its motto, 
 L' Cheerfulness. 
 
 The holly ! the holly ! oh, twine it with bay 
 
 Come give the holly a song ; 
 For it helps to drive stern Winter away, 
 
 With his garment so sombre and long ; 
 It peeps through the trees with its berries red, 
 
 And its leaves of burnished green, 
 When the flowers and fruits have long been dead, 
 
 And not even the daisy is seen. 
 
 ELIZA COOK. 
 
 Gone are the Summer hours, 
 The birds have left their bowers ; 
 
 While the holly true restrains his hue, 
 Nor changes like the flowers. 
 On his armed leaf reposes 
 The berries tinged like roses ; 
 
 For he's ever seen in red and green, 
 While grim old Winter dozes. 
 
 THOMAS MILLER. 
 
 And should my youth as youth is apt, I know, 
 
 Some harshness shew, 
 All vain asperities I day by day 
 
 Would wear away, 
 
 Till the smooth temper of my age should be 
 Like the high leaves upon the holly tree. 
 
 So would I seem amid the young and gay 
 
 More grave than they, 
 That in my age as cheerful I might be 
 As the green winter of the holly tree. 
 
 ROBERT SOUTHEY. 
 [343]
 
 DECEMBER THIRD. 
 
 /~~*HERISH a forgiving spirit ; do not allow yourself 
 V-x to bear a grudge or harbor an unkind thought 
 against any one. Bury all unpleasant feelings beneath 
 the leaves and snows, deeply let them lie hidden away, 
 no more to wake and haunt you. Christ had more to 
 forgive than you, but He bore no ill-will towards those 
 who persecuted Him. What will it matter in a few 
 brief years if some one injured your pride or hurt your 
 feelings ? Better overlook it and forgive it ; life is so 
 short. Would you want to stand face to face with your 
 Lord and be obliged to say, " Master, I am unworthy 
 a place in Thy Kingdom, because I could not for- 
 give " ? 
 
 Of him that hopes to be forgiven, it is indispensably 
 required that he forgive. It is therefore superfluous to 
 urge any other motive. On this great duty eternity is 
 suspended : and to him that refuses to practise it, the 
 throne of mercy is inaccessible, and the Saviour of the 
 world is born in vain. SAMUEL JOHNSON. 
 
 But O ! revenge is sweet, 
 
 Thus think the crowd ; who, eager to engage, 
 
 Take quickly fire, and kindle into rage. 
 
 Not so mild Thales, nor Chrysippus thought, 
 
 Nor that good man who drank the poisonous draught 
 
 With mind serene, and could not wish to see 
 
 His vile accuser drink as deep as he : 
 
 Exalted Socrates! divinely brave ! 
 
 Injured he fell, and dying he forgave ; 
 
 Too noble for revenge ; which still we find 
 
 The weakest frailty of a feeble mind. 
 
 DRYDEN. 
 [344]
 
 DECEMBER FOURTH. 
 
 WE can learn many valuable lessons from children. 
 Their perfect faith and confidence in those they 
 love ; their trust in God ; their natural simplicity and 
 innocence ; their purity and guilelessness of heart ; their 
 love for the beautiful, and abhorrence for all that is ugly 
 and unattractive, these things are the chief charms of 
 childhood. How careful we should be that any influ- 
 ence of ours should mar the loveliness or take from the 
 trustfulness of any child. While we are daily learning 
 sweet lessons of them, let us strive to make ourselves 
 worthy examples for them to follow. Childhood imi- 
 tates readily ; character in the young is easily moulded, 
 and we little think, perhaps, that a careless word or 
 deed of ours will germinate in some tender heart soil, 
 and spring up in a few brief years, a harvest of wheat 
 or tares. 
 
 Every first thing continues forever with the child ; 
 the first colour, the first music, the first flower, paint the 
 foreground of his life. The first inner or outer object 
 of love, injustice, or such like, throws a shadow im- 
 measurably far along his after years. RICHTER. 
 
 Happy the child who is suffered to be, and con- 
 tented to be, what God meant it to be, a child while 
 childhood lasts. Happy the parent who does not 
 force artificial manners, precocious feelings, premature 
 religion. F. w. ROBERTSON. 
 
 No sense have they of ills to come, 
 No cares beyond to-day. 
 Yet see how all around them wait 
 The ministers of human fate! 
 
 THOMAS GRAY. 
 
 [345]
 
 DECEMBER FIFTH. 
 
 WHERE are the swallows fled? 
 Frozen and dead 
 Perchance upon some bleak and stormy shore. 
 
 O doubting heart ! 
 Far over purple seas, They wait in sunny ease 
 
 The balmy southern breeze 
 To bring them to their northern homes once more. 
 
 Why must the flowers die? 
 Prisoned they lie 
 In the cold tomb, heedless of tears or rain. 
 
 O doubting heart! 
 They only sleep below, The soft white ermine snow 
 
 While winter winds shall blow, 
 To breathe and smile upon you soon again. 
 
 The sun has hid its rays 
 
 These many days ; 
 Will dreary hours never leave the earth ? 
 
 O doubting heart! 
 The stormy clouds on high 
 Veil the same sunny sky 
 That soon, for spring is nigh, 
 Shall wake the summer into golden mirth. 
 
 Fair hope is dead, and light 
 
 Is quenched in night ; 
 What sound can break the silence of despair ? 
 
 O doubting heart! 
 
 The sky is overcast, 
 
 Yet stars shall rise at last, 
 
 Brighter for darkness past, 
 
 And angels' silver voices stir the air. 
 
 ADELAIDE ANNE PROCTER. 
 
 [346]
 
 M 
 
 DECEMBER SIXTH. 
 AY God preserve you from evil-speaking! 
 
 But ye, keep ye on earth 
 
 Your lips from over-speech ; 
 Loud words and longing are so little worth, 
 
 And the end is hard to reach ; 
 For silence after grievous things is good, 
 
 And reverence, and the fear that makes men whole, 
 And shame, and righteous governance of blood, 
 
 And lordship of the soul. 
 
 ALGERNON CHARLES SWINBURNE. 
 
 Oh, to be able to keep back the quick words that we 
 so often speak ; to suffer reproach and indignity and 
 keep silent! But we only attain to this by constant 
 vigilance, patience, and prayer. 
 
 What! never speak one evil word, 
 
 Or rash, or idle, or unkind ! 
 Oh ! how shall I, most gracious Lord, 
 
 This mark of true perfection find ? 
 
 c. WESLEY. 
 
 We say an unkind thing, and another is hindered in 
 learning the holy lesson of charity that thinketh no 
 evil. We say a provoking thing, and our sister or 
 brother is hindered in that day's effort to be meek. 
 How sadly, too, we may hinder without word or act! 
 For wrong feeling is more infectious than wrong-doing ; 
 especially the various phases of ill-temper, gloomi- 
 ness, touchiness, discontent, irritability, do we not 
 know how catching these are? FRANCES RIDLEY 
 
 HAVERGAL. 
 
 [347]
 
 DECEMBER SEVENTH. 
 
 E word of God instructs how we may obtain wis- 
 dom, and is continually urging us to increase in 
 knowledge. Solomon says, " Get wisdom, get under- 
 standing ; forget it not." We are to keep this thought 
 continually before us. 
 
 Would Wisdom for herself be wooed, 
 And wake the foolish from his dream, 
 
 She must be glad as well as good, 
 And must not only be but seem. 
 
 What's that which Heaven to man endears, 
 
 And that which eyes no sooner see 
 Than the heart says, with floods of tears, 
 
 "Ah! that's the thing which I would be"? 
 Not childhood, full of tears and fret ; 
 
 Not youth, impatient to disown 
 Those visions high, which to forget 
 
 Were worse than never to have known. 
 Not these ; but souls found here and there, 
 
 Oases in our waste of sin, 
 When everything is well and fair, 
 
 And God remits His discipline, 
 Whose sweet subdual of the world 
 
 The worldling scarce can recognize ; 
 And ridicule, against it hurled, 
 
 Drops with a broken sting and dies. 
 
 COVENTRY PATMORE. 
 
 Walk 
 
 Boldly and wisely in that light thou hast ; 
 There is a Hand above will help thee on. 
 
 BAILEY. 
 [348]
 
 DECEMBER EIGHTH. 
 
 I HAVE sought for rest everywhere, but I have found 
 it nowhere, except in a little corner with a little 
 
 book. THOMAS A KEMPIS. 
 
 Every season has its particular power of striking 
 the mind. . . . To the man of study and imagina- 
 tion the Winter is generally the chief time of labour. 
 Gloom and silence produces composure of mind and 
 consideration of ideas ; and the privation of external 
 pleasure naturally causes an effort to find entertainment 
 within. This is the time, in which those whom litera- 
 ture enables to find amusements for themselves, have 
 more than common convictions of their own happiness. 
 When they are condemned by the elements to retire- 
 ment, and debarred from most of the diversions which 
 are called in to assist the flight of time, they can find 
 new subjects of inquiry, and preserve themselves from 
 the weariness which hangs always flagging upon the 
 vacant mind. SAMUEL JOHNSON. 
 
 A good book is the precious life-blood of a master- 
 spirit, embalmed and treasured up on purpose to a life 
 beyond. MILTON. 
 
 The past lives but in words ; a thousand ages were 
 blank if books had not woke their ghosts. BULWER- 
 
 LYTTON. 
 
 Books are friends, and what friends they are ! Their 
 love is deep and unchanging; their patience inex- 
 haustible ; their gentleness perennial ; their forbearance 
 unbounded; and their sympathy without selfishness. 
 
 LANGFORD. 
 
 [349]
 
 DECEMBER NINTH. 
 
 LET not sleep fall upon thy eyes till thou hast thrice 
 reviewed the transactions of the past day. Where 
 have I turned aside from rectitude? What have I been 
 doing? What have I left undone, which I ought to 
 have done? Begin this from the first act, and proceed ; 
 and in conclusion, at the ill which thou hast done be 
 troubled, and rejoice for all the good. PYTHAGORAS. 
 
 Think them all over the day's events and sift 
 out the good thou hast done ; God grant it may out- 
 weigh the evil. What is so helpful to us as to review 
 our past actions, that we may profit by our failures and 
 mistakes, and make a better record in the future ? 
 
 Moments there are in life alas, how few ! 
 
 When, casting cold, prudential doubts aside 
 
 We take a generous impulse for our guide, 
 
 And, following promptly what the heart thinks best, 
 
 Commit to Providence the rest ; 
 
 Of shame or sorrow, for the heart is wise, 
 
 Sure that no after-reckoning will arise. 
 
 And happy they who thus in faith obey 
 
 Their better nature ; err sometimes they may, 
 
 And some sad thoughts lie heavy in the breast, 
 
 Such as by hope deceived are left behind ; 
 
 But like a shadow these will pass away 
 
 From the pure sunshine of the peaceful mind. 
 
 SOUTHEY. 
 
 By all means use sometimes 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 find'st there. 
 
 GEORGE HERBERT. 
 [350]
 
 DECEMBER TENTH. 
 
 SOME persons, I know, estimate happiness by fine 
 houses, gardens, and parks others by pictures, 
 money, and various things wholly remote from their 
 own species ; but when I wish to ascertain the real 
 felicity of any rational man, I always inquire 'whom he 
 has to love. If I find he has nobody, or does not love 
 those he has even in the midst of all his profusion of 
 finery and grandeur I pronounce him a being in ad- 
 versity. MRS. INCHBALD. 
 
 What wonder man should fail to stay 
 
 A nursling wafted from above, 
 The growth celestial come astray, 
 
 That tender growth whose name is Love ! 
 
 It is as if high winds in Heaven 
 
 Had shaken the celestial trees, 
 And to this earth below had given 
 
 Some feathered seeds from one of these. 
 
 O perfect love that 'dureth long! 
 
 Dear growth, that shaded by the palms, 
 And breathed on by the angel's song, 
 
 Blooms on in Heaven's eternal calms ! 
 
 How great the task to guard thee here, 
 When wind is rough and frost is keen, 
 
 And all the ground with doubt and fear 
 Is checkered, birth and death between! 
 
 Space is against thee it can part ; 
 
 Time is against thee it can chill ; 
 Words they but render half the heart ; 
 
 Deeds they are poor to our rich will. 
 
 JEAN INGELOW. 
 
 [351]
 
 DECEMBER ELEVENTH. 
 
 r I CHOUGH reason is, as experience assures us, apt 
 -*- to be biassed in such a variety of ways, in its deter- 
 mination of what is morally right, yet is it in every man, 
 from his childhood, fitted to apprise him, that it is his 
 duty to act according to his sense of right, whatever it 
 may be ; and this sense of right is what we call Con- 
 science. ANONYMOUS. 
 
 Knowledge or wealth to few are given, 
 But mark how just the ways of Heaven ; 
 True joy to all is free. 
 
 Nor wealth, nor knowledge grant the boon, 
 'Tis thine, O conscience, thine alone, 
 It all belongs to thee. 
 
 MICKLE. 
 
 When tyrannizing pain shall stop 
 
 The passage of thy breath, 
 
 And thee compel to swear thyself 
 
 True servant unto death : 
 
 Then shall one virtuous deed impart 
 
 More pleasure to thy mind, 
 
 Than all the treasures that on earth 
 
 Ambitious thoughts can find. 
 
 The well-spent time of one short day, 
 
 One hour, one moment then, 
 
 Shall be more sweet than all the joys 
 
 Amongst us mortal men. 
 
 Then shalt thou find but one refuge 
 
 Which comfort can retain : 
 
 A guiltless conscience pure and clear 
 
 From touch of sinful stain. 
 
 SAMUEL BRANDON. 
 [352]
 
 DECEMBER TWELFTH. 
 
 DO well the little things now, so shall great things 
 come to thee by and by asking to be done. 
 
 PERSIAN PROVERB. 
 
 You are serving God just as much through patience 
 as through active work, if this is what He requires of 
 you. The preparation of a meal, the care of a room, 
 the sewing of a seam, the innumerable little details 
 that must be attended to in the daily routine of life 
 these require all the patience we can command ; 
 the more the better. If you are murmuring and com- 
 plaining, and doing your duty ungraciously, there is 
 going to be a dark, sorry-looking pattern traced out 
 by your unwilling hands, by and by. But if you are 
 putting in plenty of the golden threads of patience 
 and cheerfulness, your fabric will be like woven sun- 
 shine, and an honor to Him who made you. 
 
 I love to think that God appoints 
 
 My portion day by day ; 
 Events of life are in His hand ; 
 
 And I would only say : 
 "Appoint them in Thine own good time, 
 
 And in Thine own best way ; " 
 All things shall mingle for my good, 
 I would not change them if I could, 
 
 Nor alter Thy decree. 
 Thou art above and I below! 
 " Thy will be done ! and even so, 
 
 For so it pleaseth Thee! " 
 
 ANNA L. WARING. 
 [353]
 
 DECEMBER THIRTEENTH. 
 
 IF a man be gracious and courteous to strangers, it 
 shows he is a citizen of the world, and that his 
 heart is no island cut off from other lands, but a con- 
 tinent that joins to them ; if he be compassionate 
 towards the afflictions of others, it shows that his heart 
 is like the noble tree that is wounded itself when it 
 gives the balm ; if he easily pardons and remits 
 offences, it shows that his mind is planted above 
 injuries, so that he cannot be shot ; if he be thankful 
 for small benefits, it shows that he weighs men's 
 minds ; . . . but, above all, if he have St. Paul's per- 
 fection, that he would wish to be an anathema from 
 Christ for the salvation of his brethren, it shows much 
 of a divine nature, and a kind of conformity with 
 Christ Himself. FRANCIS BACON. 
 
 Then wake into sound divine 
 The very pavement of Thy shrine, 
 Till we, like Heaven's star-sprinkled floor, 
 Faintly give back what we adore ; 
 Childlike though our voices be, 
 
 And untunable the parts, 
 Thou wilt own the minstrelsy, 
 
 If it flow from childlike hearts. 
 
 JOHN KEBLE. 
 
 Living monuments do not come of committees 
 they come from individuals. JOHN HENRY NEWMAN. 
 
 Use the temporal ; desire the eternal. THOMAS A 
 KEMPIS. 
 
 t354]
 
 DECEMBER FOURTEENTH. 
 
 happiness of mankind is the end of virtue, and 
 -*- truth is the knowledge of the means ; which he 
 will never seriously attempt to discover who has not 
 habitually interested himself in the welfare of others. 
 The searcher after truth must love and be beloved ; 
 for general benevolence is begotten and rendered per- 
 manent by social and domestic affections. Let us 
 beware of that proud philosophy which affects to incul- 
 cate philanthropy, while it denounces every home-born 
 feeling by which it is produced and matured. The 
 parental and filial duties discipline the heart, and pre- 
 pare it for the love of all mankind. s. T. COLERIDGE. 
 
 Abou Ben Adhem (may his tribe increase!) 
 
 Awoke one night from a deep dream of peace, 
 
 And saw, within the moonlight in his room, 
 
 Making it rich, and like a lily in bloom, 
 
 An angel writing in a book of gold : 
 
 Exceeding peace had made Ben Adhem bold, 
 
 And to the presence in the room he said : 
 
 " What writest thou ? " The vision rais'd its head, 
 
 And with a look made of all sweet accord, 
 
 Answer'd : " The name of those who love the Lord." 
 
 " And is mine one?" said Abou. " Nay, not so," 
 
 Replied the angel. Abou spoke more low, 
 
 But cheerly 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 wakening light, 
 And show'd the names whom love of God had bless'd, 
 And lo! Ben Adhem's name led all the rest. 
 
 LEIGH HUNT. 
 
 [355]
 
 DECEMBER FIFTEENTH. 
 
 MASTER! how shall I bless Thy name 
 For Thy tender love to me, 
 For the sweet enablings of Thy grace, 
 
 So sovereign, yet so free, 
 That have taught me to obey Thy word 
 And cast my care on Thee! 
 
 They tell of weary burdens borne 
 
 For discipline of life, 
 Of long anxieties and doubts, 
 
 Of struggle and of strife, 
 Of a path of dim perplexities 
 
 With fears and shadows rife. 
 
 Oh, I have tried that weary path 
 
 With burdens not a few, 
 With shadowy faith that Thou would'st lead 
 
 And help me safely through, 
 Trying to follow and obey, 
 
 And bear my burdens too. 
 
 Master! dear Master! Thou didst speak, 
 
 And yet I did not hear, 
 Or long ago I might have ceased 
 
 From every care and fear, 
 And gone rejoicing on my way 
 
 From brightening year to year. 
 
 And now I find Thy promise true, 
 
 Of perfect peace and rest ; 
 I cannot sigh ; I can but sing, 
 
 While leaning on Thy breast, 
 And leaving everything to Thee, 
 
 Whose ways are always best. 
 
 FRANCES RIDLEY HAVEHGAL. 
 [356]
 
 DECEMBER SIXTEENTH. 
 
 HOW rare and beautiful is sincerity! So much is 
 done for self and self-interests, that often what 
 appears to us as a personal favor is nothing more than 
 a means to an end. It is said the Arabs have a prayer 
 like this, " O Lord, I pray that I may never be deceived ; 
 but if I am deceived, I pray I may never know it." But 
 most people want to know when they are deceived. 
 To put confidence in a friend, and have him prove 
 unworthy, is always a grief to us. Let us then be 
 sincere ourselves, that no one may be deceived in us. 
 
 First I would have thee cherish truth 
 As leading star in virtue's train ; 
 
 Folly may pass, nor vanish youth, 
 But falsehood leaves a poison stain. 
 
 ELIZA COOK. 
 
 The man who dares to dress misdeeds, 
 And colour them with virtue's name, deserves 
 A double punishment from gods and men. 
 
 CHARLES JOHNSON. 
 
 What man is wise, what earthly wit so ware, 
 
 As to descry the crafty cunning train, 
 
 By which deceit doth mask in visor fair, 
 
 And cast her colours dyed deep in grain, 
 
 To seem like truth, whose shape she well can feign, 
 
 And fitting gestures to her purpose frame, 
 
 The guiltless man with guile to entertain ? 
 
 SPENSER. 
 
 May you be kept free from deceit ! 
 
 [357]
 
 DECEMBER SEVENTEENTH. 
 
 MAY this be to you a day of quiet enjoyment! 
 Winter without, Summer within, this be your 
 portion ! Warm the atmosphere of home with your sunny 
 disposition ; turn on the electric lights of your good- 
 nature, and illumine every corner of the house ; make 
 your place of abode bright with your presence, and keep 
 giving out joy to those around you. Don't sit frowning 
 and brooding over your book or your work, but take 
 time occasionally to give a kind word or a smile to 
 others. Your business will not be any the worse for 
 it ; for, although you think it is absolutely necessary to 
 utilize every moment, let me tell you, the world will go 
 on just the same without you, when you have ceased to 
 hurry and worry over things. Take time, then, to be 
 happy and make others so, as you pass along. If you 
 have any joy in you, don't hoard it up ; the world needs 
 all it can get ; be lavish with it, and you will have plenty 
 left, for it increases with the giving. 
 
 Give me long dreams and visions of content, 
 Rather than pleasures in a moment spent : 
 And since I know before, the shedding rose 
 In that same instant doth her sweetness lose ; 
 Upon the virgin stock still let her dwell, 
 For me to feast my longings with her smell. 
 Those are but counterfeits of joy at best, 
 Which languish soon as brought into the test, 
 Nor can I hold it worth his pains, who tries 
 To win that harvest which by reaping dies. 
 
 DR. KING, BISHOP OF CHICHESTER. 
 
 It is a joy 
 To think the best we can of human kind. 
 
 WORDSWORTH. 
 
 [358]
 
 DECEMBER EIGHTEENTH. 
 
 A HEALTHY body is good ; but a soul in right 
 health it is the thing beyond all others to pray 
 for ; the blessedest thing this earth receives of Heaven. 
 
 CARLYLE. 
 
 The soul, of origin divine, 
 
 God's glorious image freed from clay, 
 
 In Heaven's eternal sphere shall shine 
 
 A star of day! 
 
 The sun is but a spark of fire, 
 
 A transient meteor in the sky ; 
 
 The soul, immortal as its sire, 
 
 Shall never die. 
 
 MONTGOMERY. 
 
 The soul on earth is an immortal guest, 
 
 Compell'd to starve at an unreal feast : 
 
 A spark, which upward tends by nature's force : 
 
 A stream diverted from its parent source ; 
 
 A drop dissever'd from the boundless sea ; 
 
 A moment parted from Eternity ; 
 
 A pilgrim panting for the rest to come ; 
 
 An exile, anxious for his native home. 
 
 HANNAH MORE. 
 
 Nature, who has made no two leaves to resemble each 
 other, has endowed our souls with a still greater diver- 
 sity ; and imitation, then, is a kind of death, since it 
 robs each of its individual existence. MADAME DE 
 STAEL. 
 
 May you have "a soul as white as Heaven!" 
 
 [359]
 
 DECEMBER NINETEENTH. 
 
 THE keener tempests rise : 
 From all the livid east or piercing north, 
 Thick clouds descend . . . 
 Heavy they roll their fleecy world along ; 
 And the sky saddens with the gathered storm. 
 Through the hushed sky the whitening shower descends 
 At first thin wavering ; till at last the flakes 
 Fall broad and wide and fast, dimming the day 
 With a continual flow. The cherished fields 
 Put on their winter robe of purest white. 
 
 JAMES THOMSON. 
 
 There is a strange music in the stirring wind ! 
 
 BOWLES. 
 
 Loud wind, strong wind, sweeping o'er the mountains, 
 Fresh wind, free wind, blowing from the sea, 
 Pour forth thy vials like streams from airy fountains, 
 Draughts of life to me. 
 
 D. M. MULOCK. 
 
 May God keep thee calm of heart and soul, no 
 matter what may disturb the outer air, or threaten the 
 outer world. His love protect thee ; His care defend 
 thee ; His peace enfold thee, and make thee tranquil 
 within ! Preserve a quiet demeanor ; be always hopeful, 
 bright, and cheerful, but be also gentle of voice and 
 manner, not stormy or loud like the Wind. A gusty 
 nature is never restful ; in youth it is bubbling over 
 with life and merriment, but has no stability ; in age it 
 fumes and frets, and carries a tempest wherever it goes. 
 Learn how to obtain the inner calm, and thou shalt be 
 in every season a spirit of rest and peace in the midst 
 of life's storms. 
 
 [360]
 
 DECEMBER TWENTIETH. 
 
 WHEN your hearth is bright and cheery, and the 
 soft red light flickers on ceiling and wall, when 
 you are surrounded by comforts, and even luxuries, let 
 your heart go out in loving pity to the poor and suf- 
 fering, the hungry and homeless ones, who are shiver- 
 ing along the cold wintry streets, while you are snugly 
 housed and sheltered from the snowy blasts. Don't 
 stop at mere pity for them ; do something to help them. 
 Pope says, 
 
 " In Faith and Hope the world will disagree, 
 But all mankind's concern is charity." 
 
 Oh, poverty is disconsolate! 
 
 Its pains are many, its foes are strong : 
 
 The rich man, in his jovial cheer, 
 
 Wishes 'twas winter through the year ; 
 The poor man mid his wants profound, 
 
 With all his little children round, 
 Prays God that winter be not long! 
 
 MARY HOWITT. 
 
 Winter was at the heart of all things. ... It was 
 a time when selfishness hugs itself in its own warmth. 
 When the mere wordling rejoices the more in his 
 warm chamber, because it is so bitter cold without. 
 A time when such a man sees in the misery of his fel- 
 low-beings nothing save his own victory of fortune. . . . 
 
 It was a time, too, when human nature often shows 
 its true divinity, and with misery like a garment cling- 
 ing to it, forgets its wretchedness in sympathy with 
 suffering. A time when in want, in anguish, in throes 
 of mortal agony, some seed is sown that bears a flower 
 in Heaven. DOUGLAS JERROLD. 
 [361]
 
 DECEMBER TWENTY-FIRST. 
 
 TT\ATHER and King of Powers, both high and low 
 -* Whose sounding Fame all creatures serve to blow ; 
 My Soul shall with the rest strike up thy praise, 
 And Carol of thy works and wondrous ways. 
 
 The glorious majesty of God above 
 Shall ever reign, in Mercy and in Love : 
 
 As long as life doth last, I Hymns will sing, 
 With cheerful voice to the eternal King ; 
 As long as I have being, I will praise 
 The works of God, and all His wondrous ways. 
 
 Let all His works praise Him with one accord 
 O praise the Lord, my Soul ; praise ye the Lord ! 
 
 LORD BACON. 
 
 Praise Him ever, 
 
 Bounteous Giver ; 
 
 Praise Him, Father, Friend, and Lord ! 
 Each glad soul, its free course winging, 
 Each glad voice, its free song singing, 
 Praise the great and mighty Lord ! 
 
 JOHN STUART BLACKIE. 
 
 He is the well of life, for He does give 
 
 To all that live 
 Both breath and being ; He is the Creator 
 
 Both of the water, 
 Earth, air, and fire. Of all things that subsist 
 
 He has the list ; 
 
 Of all the heavenly hosts, or what earth claims, 
 He keeps the scroll, and calls them by their names. 
 
 THOMAS HEYWOOD. 
 [362]
 
 DECEMBER TWENTY-SECOND. 
 
 LET us keep our faith in God, and in each other. 
 How beautiful is the implicit faith and trust of 
 childhood; and how even more beautiful still is the 
 old person who has preserved a belief in, and love for, 
 all humanity! If we would only see the best in those 
 around us, we should have more faith in them, but we 
 are continually on the lookout for flaws. This is why 
 there are not more Christians in the world : people 
 expect perfection of those who profess to follow Christ, 
 and because they fail to come up to the standard of 
 right, they are often held up as poor examples of Chris- 
 tianity. How wrong this is! We should not expect 
 perfection of any save God, and the man who is trying 
 to imitate Him is to be honored, though he may often 
 make mistakes. He who uses Christianity as a cloak 
 for his sins is not worthy to be called a Christian; 
 therefore he certainly is not a fit example to follow. 
 Let us, then, put confidence in God as God, and in 
 man as man, but let us never confuse the two, thinking 
 either that man can be perfect like God, or that God 
 could ever descend to the level of man. 
 
 Nought shall prevail against us, or disturb 
 Our cheerful faith, that all which we behold 
 Is full of blessings. 
 
 WORDSWORTH. 
 
 True faith and reason are the soul's two eyes. 
 Faith evermore looks upward, and descries 
 Objects remote ; but reason can discover 
 Things only near, sees nothing that's above her. 
 
 QUARLES. 
 
 [363]
 
 DECEMBER TWENTY-THIRD. 
 
 SEEK not the highest places, but fit yourself for 
 them, so that if they are given to you, you may fill 
 them acceptably and honor them. 
 
 Virtue, not rolling suns, the mind matures ; 
 That life is long, which answers life's great end. 
 The time that bears no fruit, deserves no name. 
 The man of wisdom is the man of years. 
 
 YOUNG. 
 
 This is true glory and renown, when God 
 Looking on earth, with approbation marks 
 The just man, and divulges him through Heav'n 
 To all his angels, who with true applause 
 Recount his praise. 
 
 MILTON. 
 
 Nobility is not only in dignity and ancient lineage, 
 nor great revenues, lands, or possessions, but in wis- 
 dom, knowledge, and virtue, which, in man, is very 
 nobility ; and this nobility bringeth man to dignity. 
 Honour ought to be given to virtue, and not to riches. 
 
 AN ACH ARSIS. 
 
 Happen what there can, I will be just ; 
 My fortune may forsake me, not my virtue : 
 That shall go with me and before me still, 
 And glad me doing well, though I hear ill. 
 
 BEN JONSON. 
 
 Some there are 
 
 By their good deeds exalted, lofty minds 
 And meditative authors of delight 
 And happiness, which to the end of time 
 Will live and spread and flourish. 
 
 WORDSWORTH. 
 
 [364]
 
 DECEMBER TWENTY-FOURTH. 
 
 WHO art thou that complainest of thy life of toil? 
 Complain not. Look up, my wearied brother ; 
 see thy fellow-workmen there, in God's Eternity ; sur- 
 viving there, they alone surviving ; sacred band of the 
 Immortals, celestial body-guard of the empire of man- 
 kind. To thee, Heaven, though severe, is not unkind ; 
 Heaven is kind, as a noble mother ; as that Spartan 
 mother, saying while she gave her son his shield, 
 " With it, my son, or upon it." Thou too shalt return 
 home in honour ; to thy far-distant Home, in honour ; 
 doubt it not, if in the battle thou keep thy shield. 
 
 THOMAS CARLYLE. 
 
 Not stirring words, nor gallant deeds alone, 
 Plain patient work, fulfilled that length of life ; 
 
 Duty, not glory Service, not a throne, 
 Inspired his effort, set for him the strife. 
 
 ARTHUR HUGH CLOUGH. 
 
 A trusty workman I would be, 
 
 And well my task pursue ; 
 Work when my Master does not see, 
 
 And work with vigour too. 
 
 And whilst I ply the busy foot, 
 
 Or heave the labouring arm, 
 Do Thou my withering strength recruit, 
 
 And guard me well from harm. 
 
 JOHN BERRIDGE. 
 
 It is just as much to thy credit to do the humble 
 task well, as to do the great one. It is the heart that 
 God looks at, and not the work itself. 
 [365]
 
 CHRISTMAS-DAY. 
 A MERRY CHRISTMAS TO YOU! 
 
 HTHIS is the dear Lord's birthday the time of 
 JL rejoicing, the crown of the year ! 
 
 Heap on more wood ! the wind is chill ; 
 
 But let it whistle as it will, 
 
 We 1 !! keep our Christmas merry still. 
 
 SIR WALTER SCOTT. 
 
 High cause had they, at Bethlehem, that night 
 To lift the curtain of Hope's hidden light, 
 To break decree of silence with Love's cry, 
 Forseeing how this Babe, born lowlily, 
 
 Should Mercy to her vacant throne restore, 
 
 Teach Right to Kings, and Patience to the poor : 
 
 Should by His sweet Name all names overthrow, 
 
 And by His lovely words, the quick seeds sow 
 
 Of golden equities, and brotherhood, 
 
 Of Pity, Peace, and gentle praise of Good ; 
 
 Of knightly honour, holding life in trust 
 
 For God, and Lord, and all things pure and just. 
 
 EDWIN ARNOLD. 
 
 The shepherds sing ; and shall I silent be? 
 
 My God, no hymn for Thee? 
 My soul's a shepherd too ; a flock it feeds 
 
 Of thoughts and words and deeds. 
 The pasture is Thy word ; the streams, Thy grace 
 
 Enriching all the place. 
 Shepherds and flock shall sing, and all my powers 
 
 Outsing the daylight hours. 
 
 GEORGE HERBERT. 
 
 [366]
 
 DECEMBER TWENTY-SIXTH. 
 
 GOD knows what is best for thee ; there is not a 
 morning that dawns but He does not think of 
 thee in loving remembrance ; He wakes thee again to 
 light and life once more, and yet thou art not half grate- 
 ful enough to Him ; thy every deed is witnessed by Him 
 fear not to trust Him to guide thee in all thy ways. 
 Be resigned to His will, and know that He loves thee 
 far more than any earthly friend can, and that He 
 holds thy future and all that thou hast in His almighty 
 Hand. He never forgets His beloved, and He will 
 safely keep thee until the years of thy earth-journey 
 have finished their pilgrimage. 
 
 Without an end or bound 
 Thy life lies all outspread in light ; 
 Our lives feel Thy life all around, 
 Making our weakness strong, our darkness bright ; 
 Yet is it neither wilderness nor sea, 
 But the calm gladness of a full eternity. 
 
 FABER. 
 
 And when the tribes of wickedness are strewn 
 Like forest-leaves in the Autumn of Thine ire : 
 Faithful and true! Thou still wilt save Thine own! 
 The saints shall dwell within the unharming fire, 
 Each white robe spotless, blooming every palm. 
 Even safe as we, by this still fountain's side, 
 So shall the church, thy bright and mystic bride, 
 Sit on the stormy gulf a halcyon bird of calm. 
 Yes, 'mid yon angry and destroying signs, 
 O'er us the rainbow of Thy mercy shines ; 
 We hail, we bless the covenant of its beam, 
 Almighty to avenge, almightiest to redeem! 
 
 HENRY HART MILMAN. 
 [367]
 
 DECEMBER TWENTY-SEVENTH. 
 
 AS he that lives longest lives but a little while, 
 every man may be certain that he has no time to 
 waste. The duties of life are commensurate to its dura- 
 tion, and every day brings its task, which if neglected is 
 doubled on the morrow. But he that has already trifled 
 away those months and years, in which he should have 
 laboured, must remember that he has now only a part 
 of that of which the whole is little ; and that since the 
 moments remaining are to be considered as the last 
 trust of Heaven, not one is to be lost. SAMUEL 
 
 JOHNSON. 
 
 An hour once fled, has fled forever. 
 
 SCOTT. 
 
 To-morrow, and to-morrow, and to-morrow, 
 Creeps in this petty pace from day to day, 
 To the last syllable of recorded time. 
 
 SHAKESPEARE. 
 
 See the minutes how they run, 
 How many make the hour full, complete, 
 How many hours bring about the day, 
 How many days will finish up the year, 
 How many years a mortal man may live. 
 
 SHAKESPEARE. 
 
 Our time consumes like smoke and posts away ; 
 Nor can we treasure up a month or day. 
 The sand within the transitory glass 
 
 Doth haste, and so our minutes pass. 
 
 WATKYNS. 
 [368]
 
 DECEMBER TWENTY-EIGHTH. 
 
 OH, I beseech you, be true ! The year is dying fast, 
 how fast! The beautiful Christmas-tide has come 
 and gone ; the hearts of the children have been glad- 
 dened and all the world is better for its thoughts of 
 Christ, the King. You stand to-day almost at the 
 close of the Old Year ; how much you have to think of, 
 as you look backward ! Have you been true to yourself 
 and your convictions ? Have you been true to the world, 
 and God ? Have you made mistakes ? We all do. We 
 all innocently err, but ah ! we often do more than this, 
 we fail to do as well as we might. How about the 
 neglected opportunities? How about the things you 
 might have said and done to help make the world 
 better? Was this being faithful and true to yourself? 
 Were you not deceiving others, when you ignored the 
 chances given you by your Heavenly Father? Perhaps 
 the world has called you good ; did you deserve it, when 
 you gave the impression that you were living up to your 
 privileges ? " Will a man rob God ? " you say, " I would 
 not do that" but what else do you call it, when you take 
 His opportunities and throw them away? Have you 
 been true to yourself ? Have you been true to Him ? 
 
 Where are the great, whom thou wouldst wish to praise 
 
 thee? 
 Where are the pure, whom thou wouldst choose to love 
 
 thee ? 
 
 Where are the brave, to stand supreme above thee, 
 Whose high commands would cheer, whose chidings 
 
 raise thee? 
 
 Seek, seeker, in thyself; submit to find 
 In the stones, bread, and life in the blank mind. 
 
 ARTHUR HUGH CLOUGH. 
 [369]
 
 DECEMBER TWENTY-NINTH. 
 
 WE are led on, like the little children, by a way 
 that we know not. It is a vain thought to flee 
 from the work that God appoints us, for the sake of 
 rinding a greater blessing to our souls ; as if we could 
 choose for ourselves where we shall find the fulness 
 of the Divine Presence, instead of seeking it where 
 alone it is to be found, in loving obedience. GEORGE 
 ELIOT. 
 
 Calm soul of all things ! make it mine 
 
 To feel amid the city's jar, 
 That there abides a peace of Thine, 
 
 Man did not make and cannot mar. 
 
 The will to neither strive nor cry, 
 The power to feel with others, give! 
 
 Calm, calm me more! nor let me die 
 Before I have begun to live. 
 
 MATTHEW ARNOLD. 
 
 Although to-day He prunes my twigs with pain, 
 Yet doth His blood nourish and warm my root ; 
 
 To-morrow I shall put forth buds again, 
 And clothe myself with fruit. 
 
 Although to-day I walk in tedious ways, 
 
 To-day His staff is turned into a rod, 
 Yet will I wait for Him the appointed days 
 
 And stay upon my God. 
 
 CHRISTINA ROSSETTI. 
 
 The spirit of obedience and resignation be yours ! 
 
 [370]
 
 DECEMBER THIRTIETH. 
 
 WE have had many glances backward, and now let 
 us look forward to futurity, where waits for us 
 the great glad morning of the Better Day. Soon shall 
 dawn the Celestial Spring, when the soul shall leave 
 behind its winter, and mount upward, clad in beauty 
 fresh and fair. AH peace, all joy, all happiness be 
 yours ; and may you walk with God's redeemed, 
 through the glad Eternal Years! 
 
 For what abides that we should look on here? 
 The heavens are better than this earth below, 
 
 They are of more account and far more dear. 
 We will look up, for all most sweet and fair, 
 Most pure, most excellent, is garnered there. 
 
 JEAN INGELOW. 
 
 We are born for a higher destiny than that of earth ; 
 there is a realm where the rainbow never fades, where 
 the stars will be spread before us like islands that slum- 
 ber on the ocean, and where the beings that pass before 
 us like shadows will stay in our presence forever. 
 
 BULWER-LYTTON. 
 
 Go wing thy flight from star to star, 
 From world to luminous world, as far 
 
 As the universe spreads its flaming wall ; 
 Take all the pleasures of all the spheres, 
 And multiply each through endless years, 
 
 One minute of Heaven is worth them all. 
 
 MOORE. 
 
 Keep quietly to God, and think 
 Upon the Eternal Years. 
 
 F. W. FABER. 
 
 [371]
 
 DECEMBER THIRTY-FIRST. 
 
 *~pHE last day of the year 5 let us give it " God 
 -A- speed ! " and as it ends its pilgrimage, may every 
 heart ascend in gratitude to Heaven, for the blessings 
 and mercies so richly showered upon us with all the 
 changing seasons. And it is my sincere wish that 
 from the seed you have sown in the passing year, may 
 spring forth a harvest of good deeds which shall go on 
 ripening through all time, for Eternity. And now 
 we hear the feeble tread of the Old Year, going, going, 
 and soon he will be sleeping side by side with his 
 departed sires. Oh, may he carry with him many sweet 
 and beautiful things for us to remember in days to 
 come ! The Old Year dies ; farewell ! 
 
 And as the moments slip away, 
 
 The midnight bells sweep o'er the sky 
 
 " Good bye, Old Year " we softly say 
 " Oh dear Old Year good bye good bye! " 
 
 "Go, long tried friend we part in peace 
 Thine hour is come, thy tale is told ; 
 
 Time gives the signal for release 
 And thou art with the days of old ! " 
 
 HELEN MARION BURNSIDE. 
 
 Oh, New Year, teach us faith ! 
 
 We'll hold our patient hands, each in his place, 
 And trust thee to the end ; 
 
 Knowing thou leadest onward to those spheres 
 Where there are neither days, nor months, nor years. 
 
 DINAH MULOCH CRAIK.
 
 Press of T. J. Little & Co. 
 or Place, New York 
 
 Astor
 
 I
 
 A 000 672 559 2