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 A SONG OF LIFE 
 
 MEDITATIONS 
 
 ATKINS 
 
 y
 
 THE LIBRARY 
 
 OF 
 
 THE UNIVERSITY 
 
 OF CALIFORNIA 
 
 LOS ANGELES

 
 ,, -::.!■ U 
 
 **i^«»u£~trs 
 
 ' ' Listen to the Song of Life
 
 v^ SONG ^/^ LIFE 
 
 MEDITATIONS 
 
 by 
 Albert J. Atkins 
 
 Third edition, ren.<ised and enlarged 
 
 ^ 
 
 \-^ 
 
 Su FnndfiCb, C«Ufonut 
 
 f^„-;;,;i,rf A> RICARPO ^. Oft07CC 
 MCMX
 
 Copyright, 1905 
 
 by Albert J. Atkins 
 
 San Francisco
 
 
 G1C)490 
 
 UBBIKY
 
 A SONG OF LIFE 
 
 WAKE, arise, listen to the song 
 of life. It has notes of gladness, 
 and strains of sorrow, disap- 
 pointment and despair, yet even these 
 are softened hy the sweet notes of pathos 
 and of love. 
 
 At first, all may seem confusion and 
 you may declare that all is discord ; but 
 wait, strive to catch the deeper melody, 
 for the song is there. It may not be 
 judged by an}'' one note, nor even by 
 any one strain; you must catch the whole 
 theme, then all discord will be lost in 
 the complete harmony of the mighty 
 song. Perhaps you have only heard the 
 voices of the storm and the whirlwind 
 which make the earth tremble as if in 
 
 5
 
 fear; listen again, you will hear other 
 voices, for there are many in the song 
 of life. After the mighty peals of thun- 
 der have ceased, after the clouds and 
 storm have vanished, then, in the still- 
 ness of the hour, will be heard the mi- 
 nor notes, the expressions of melody 
 which awake the slumbering emotions 
 of the soul. Listen to the note of one 
 chirping insect, then another, and an- 
 other; follow upward from these infin- 
 itesimal singers, you will hear the song 
 of birds, then the lowing of a distant 
 herd, all full of music for him who hath 
 ears to hear. These songs are borne 
 upon the bosom of the breezes, to the 
 flowers and trees of the woodland, un- 
 til all the voices of Nature blend in one 
 grand symphony — this is the song of 
 life.
 
 PROGRESS 
 
 XN the pathway of progress, the 
 poets ever lead. They are the 
 Prophets whose eyes see visions 
 of beauty, and possibiUties of attainment 
 that hire men onward to conquer obsta- 
 cles and to wrest from Nature her finer 
 secrets. 
 
 Later come the toilers, hewing the 
 world's pathway, making practical that 
 which hitherto was only ideal; giving 
 to humanity the power to take another 
 forward step in the onward march of 
 progress, which all are eager to join, and 
 which in these days of achievement all 
 are sharing by coming into practical 
 possession of great truths. 
 
 The minds that vibrate in unison 
 
 7
 
 with life's grander scale are those who 
 lead the world to greater development 
 and harmony; though many of these 
 are unknown, yet none the less they 
 are doing their part in the constant prog- 
 ress of endless evolution. Others, in 
 various arenas, are visibly working out 
 grand ideas; the world's work requires 
 them all. The way is long and diffi- 
 cult; the goal of today becomes a new 
 point of departure from which we must 
 strive toward a yet higher goal tomor- 
 row; yet, he who loves his fellowmen 
 labors with untiring zeal in his efforts 
 to uplift humanity. 
 
 HOEVER becomes overen- 
 thused by any one idea cannot 
 see a composite whole truth, 
 consequently cannot know that a uni- 
 versal relationship exists between all 
 conditions of life ; that a thread of unity 
 runs through all diversity. 
 
 8
 
 EVOLUTION 
 
 When we think of the many failures 
 Of Uves that have gone before. 
 Each with its proud ideals. 
 Scattered along the shore; 
 The heart is filled with sadness, 
 For all the efforts of man 
 Should only be notes of gladness 
 In the great eternal plan. 
 Each shares his own of sorrow. 
 Each must feel his bitter pain, 
 That in some distant morrow 
 There may come the perfect man; 
 And never an effort is wasted. 
 No good thought goes astray. 
 If we look at life's great problems 
 In the higher and broader way.
 
 .»-^ 
 
 INFINITY 
 
 "—^g-' AM the Infinite, from me all 
 things proceed, unto me all 
 things return. 
 
 Before the morning stars took their 
 place in the great procession of time, I 
 had existence in the silence of the uni- 
 verse. 
 
 I am the light and glory of the sun, 
 the purple tints of the morning, the 
 soft shadows of the evening. I am the 
 blush of the rose, the divinity of love, 
 the sadness of thought, yet I am invis- 
 ible, the great Unseen. 
 
 Wise men of all ages have sought for 
 me, yet found me not, for I am the 
 Great Unknown. 
 
 10
 
 A GROWING PLANT 
 
 m 
 
 HEN I look into thy heart, O 
 growing plant, when I see thy 
 flowers unfolding to the breez- 
 es, I feel like pressing thee to my bosom, 
 like crying out I have found in thee a 
 brother to my finer self. Why have my 
 dull senses only recognized thy external 
 beauty? Why has my soul not felt its 
 kinship to thee? 
 
 Truly thy life is a pattern of all that 
 inner life which I would express; thy 
 beauty is an image of the ideal within 
 my heart. The power which plays 
 through thy delicate structure, causing 
 it to respond with sweet perfume, is the 
 same power which uplifts my mind in 
 inspiration, thus enabling me to read 
 
 11
 
 within thy being the same principles 
 which are in my own Hfe, the same 
 principles found in every phase of life 
 throughout the universe. As I study 
 thy beauteous form I see the positive, 
 heat-producing sunray mingling its red 
 tints with the cool, blue rays of the 
 negative earth, until they interblend 
 under the law of magnetic harmony, 
 pausing to build thy petals and to paint 
 them in all their brilliant coloring. 
 
 RUTH is a correct conclusion 
 based on facts that are gathered 
 from all extremes, therefore 
 
 truth is central and is most to be found 
 
 on middle grounds. 
 
 E who would ascend Mount 
 
 Olympus and know its divine 
 
 '*" - wisdom, must first write upon 
 
 thetabletsofhishearttheloveof truth and 
 
 become one in spirit with all mankind. 
 
 12
 
 A PR.\YER 
 
 '^^-— HE Divine Spirit of Nature per- 
 € J meates all life ; its action is both 
 ^**^ visible and invisible; its basic 
 unity is indestructible, calm and serene. 
 
 O Spirit of all matter. Spirit of all 
 force. Spirit of all nature, from ever- 
 lasting to everlavSting, Thou art full of 
 joy, full of contentment, full of peace. 
 In thy great presence the soul unfolds to 
 the possibilities of its own achievement, 
 to the realization of its own divinity. 
 
 Let our individuality reflect thy di- 
 vine selfhood, let us sink into repose 
 upon thy bosom, like a child cradled in 
 the arms of love ; in this atmosphere of 
 peace we shall find all that for which we 
 have labored in the great efforts of life. 
 
 13
 
 DEATH 
 
 DEATH, thou hast bathed the 
 earth in tears, yet, with all thy 
 somberness thy strength has not 
 been sufficient to destroy man's thought 
 of ultimate victory over thee. 
 
 Thou art a part of Nature's purpose, 
 the infinite measure of which we cannot 
 understand, but in the darkness of thy 
 sable night, evershines the Star of Hope. 
 Through thy portals pass all things, the 
 brave, the noble, the good ; all that is beau- 
 tiful, all that is sacred to human affection. 
 All these have woven about thee a halo 
 of love; a love that is stronger than thy 
 shackles, more lasting than thy spell. 
 
 Love tears away thy mask of sadness, 
 revealing thy true character — an Angel 
 of Light. 
 
 H
 
 THE LAST SLEEP 
 
 LEEP on, O Friend; may peace 
 attend thee in thy slumber. 
 The noontide of Ufe was scarcely 
 past when the weariness of death over- 
 shadowed thee, calling thy spirit to rest 
 in the chamber of silence. 
 
 These beautiful flowers placed about 
 thy couch are the fitting guardians of 
 thy gentle spirit. Each flower breathes 
 in love upon thee, a blessing from some 
 friend. Each bloom is but the mate- 
 rial symbol of some loving thought, 
 which, in the past, sprung from thy 
 generous heart. Thy magnanimous 
 nature brought order out of discord; 
 thy cheerful words were melodious 
 strains in the song of life. 
 
 15
 
 THE LIGHT ETERNAL 
 
 » 
 
 HEN palling shadows of mental 
 night overwhelm thy brooding 
 spirit, turn thy expansive long- 
 ings from the external world of sensa- 
 tion into the silent chambers of thine 
 inner selfhood, for here thou shalt find 
 light. At first the subtile rays will be 
 so faint that thine eye can scarce discern 
 its feeble power lighting dimly the ruin 
 and desolation of thy heart, but trust its 
 guidance with all thy failing strength, 
 for the light will grow stronger with 
 thy trust. Soon its beams will be bright- 
 er and brighter until thy whole life will 
 become illumined and a new song will 
 burst forth from thy quivering lips. 
 Follow on in the light for this is the 
 
 16
 
 sacred lamp of truth within thine own 
 soul. Its power alone can guide thy 
 faltering footsteps along the pathway 
 of life into the light eternal. 
 
 1 
 
 EXPRESSION 
 
 ING on, O Soul, though the 
 cadences of thy voice fall with- 
 in shadows of the night. In 
 the shadows of the silence thy brother is 
 awaiting the inspiration of thy thought 
 and prayer. Breathe forth thy love in 
 accents sweet and low, for every out- 
 breathing of the soul's desire is a prayer, 
 v/hich shall ultimately find answer in 
 the eternal events of life. Therefore, 
 let the beauty within thy heart find full 
 expression in the great rhythpiical song 
 of life. 
 
 17
 
 MY RETREAT 
 
 HERE is a garden in my heart, 
 A place from all the world apart. 
 Where I alone in sorrow move. 
 Awaiting her whose name is Love ; 
 Here in my hour of deepest night 
 I turn to find her beacon light. 
 
 Sometimes I feel an inner gleam 
 Of Love's true light, a steadfast beam; 
 Then comes to me a low, sweet voice. 
 Which makes my longing soul rejoice; 
 A message brings of strength, of might. 
 That gives me courage for the fight. 
 
 When weary with the outward strife, 
 I seek this sacred inner life, 
 And find within its calm repose, 
 A brief surcease from earthly woes; 
 Thus, in the garden of my heart, 
 I rest from all the world apart. 
 
 18
 
 TO MY FATHER 
 
 TT seems but a little while since 
 you and I struggled side by side 
 in the warfare of life. Ours 
 was a condition of great privation, yet 
 it was ever lighted by your loving smile, 
 which gave me hope. One day, before 
 I fully realized that you could go, the 
 spoiler came and took you away, and I 
 was left alone to go onward in the pur- 
 suit of young ambition. Years have 
 passed, and I seem to be waiting for 
 you to come as of old, to tell me that 
 you share my sorrows, rejoice in my 
 victories, and still believe in me. Yours 
 was a great love, it was from a heart of 
 gold. 
 
 19
 
 r; 
 
 TAMALPAIS 
 
 Now the silv'ry gray mist hovers 
 
 O'er the hills and distant bay; 
 Like a silken veil it covers 
 
 All the landscape far away. 
 Through the haze a boundless ocean. 
 
 With untiring ceaseless roar, 
 Breaks with ever restless motion 
 
 Madly on the rugged shore. 
 
 And the sunlight softly gleaming 
 
 On the hills with mantels gray, 
 Show the mountains ever seeming 
 
 Sentinels to guard the bay. 
 High above all others standing, 
 
 God's own Temple grand and fre< 
 Is pro^id Tamalpais commanding 
 
 Homage from the land and sea. 
 
 20 
 
 e, 
 
 il
 
 THOUGHT 
 
 H OUGHT is mental vision. 
 1 Sensation is the instrument of 
 thought. All sensory apparatus 
 photograph their repeated impressions 
 upon the sensitized substance of the brain. 
 These mental pictures are thus preserved, 
 constituting memory. Through will, 
 mental pictures are reversed, bringing 
 them before tne mind for comparison, 
 thus forming recollection. Recollec- 
 tion and comparison of experiences per- 
 mit of judgment. Judgment classifies 
 the results as conclusions. Many class- 
 ified conclusions constitute knowledge. 
 Knowledge leads to principle. The 
 association of principles gives under- 
 standing of unity. Unity is the sum 
 of all experiences, the comprehension 
 of which is wisdom. 
 
 21
 
 r\TN' 
 
 APPEAL TO HUMANITY 
 
 * 
 
 CHILDREN of Nature! 
 Come out from thy illy venti- 
 lated houses, come into the pure 
 electrical sunshine, to a life in the open 
 air where health and strength abound. 
 Fill thy lungs with its certain life and 
 catch the vital aroma from the gardens 
 of perpetual spring and youth. Lie 
 upon the welcoming bosom of the great 
 Mother Earth, listen to her teachings; 
 each lesson will shed the light of wisdom 
 and joy within thy heart. Walk in thy 
 gardens, stroll through thy parks, com- 
 mune with Nature in spirit; she will 
 soothe thy tired nerves and rebuild thy 
 vital organism for she alone is the Great 
 Physician. 
 
 22
 
 Study the vines and plants of Nature 
 seriously, — each one of them can preach 
 a divine sermon of life. Worship God 
 in the Holy Temple of thine own soul, 
 in the house not made hy human hands. 
 Lie down by the great pulsating, ever- 
 living ocean; hug its sands close to thy 
 bosom ; be once more a simple child ; 
 laugh and be glad in harmony with the 
 superabundance of life. 
 
 Attune thyself to the Infinite forces 
 all around, beneath and above thee; 
 learn to realize that thine own life is 
 but a part of this greater Infinite life; 
 thou art but a note in the Infinite Song. 
 Uplift thy thoughts ; let th}^ mind 
 vibrate in unison with life's greater 
 rhythmic song and thou wilt know that 
 all is good to him who hears within his 
 own soul the voice of peace. 
 
 23
 
 UNIVERSAL LIFE 
 
 "^- HE infinite measure of life's 
 I " power cannot be told in a lan- 
 ^*^ guage of common speech; it is 
 measured in the flash of the lightning; 
 in the crash of the thunder; in the storm 
 and whirlwind ; in the glory of the sun- 
 shine as it blossoms in the flowers, 
 painting them in heavenly tints of 
 beauty, while they freight the air with 
 sweet perfume. 
 
 Let no man hope to grasp the full 
 meaning of Life's manifestations with 
 flame and retort alone; he must rise to 
 a broader outlook and realize that the 
 Universe is made up of living substance ; 
 that all matter is alive, it is moving; 
 
 24
 
 that the changes which we witness are 
 only those of form, of time, and vibra- 
 tory rhythm; that not one pulsation of 
 energy has ever been lost in all the 
 seons of ages; that life has always been, 
 it ever will be; it is eternal and infinite. 
 
 Universal life is the power which 
 builds from invisible substance all that 
 which has form, shape and activit}^; it 
 builds atoms, shapes crj^stals, and in its 
 first feeble way shines in the drops of 
 water and glistens in the sands of the 
 seashore. The strength and the power 
 which condenses the atoms into solid 
 rock, with a change of vibration and 
 an increased force, grows in the forest, 
 trembles in its leaves, sways in its vines, 
 which are but prophecies of higher 
 forms yet to come, for the leaf upon 
 the tree, as it flutters in the breezes, 
 has but to feel a higher touch of uni- 
 versal life and it flies forth as the insect 
 of the air. 
 
 From the great universal life, which 
 draws from the barren rock, the first 
 
 25
 
 tiny manifestation of organic life, up- 
 ward through all the circling spirals of 
 evolution, Nature points the way, re- 
 vealing her secrets to him who patiently 
 and diligently searches for the knowl- 
 edge she holds in her keeping. One 
 phase of life following another, step by 
 step, all brought under the reign of one 
 law of unity, links the kingdoms of 
 Nature into one harmonious whole; 
 through Earth's forests, vines and grain 
 fields she shadows forth her all-embrac- 
 ing plan of organic life. Gradually de- 
 veloping her culminati ng forces through 
 seed and cell, she brings forth order 
 after order, preserving as far as possible 
 their individuality through heredity ; fol- 
 lowing fixed laws, she ultimately cre- 
 ates her highest product, man. Formed 
 on the same principle as the life beneath 
 him, built from atoms and cells, grad- 
 ually growing more complex, until at 
 last united into one symmetrical system, 
 the light of a higher intelligence shows 
 itself in him, through emotions and 
 
 26
 
 thought, which may, in turn, scan the 
 nether world, or scale the clouds to 
 catch an inspiration of wisdom, which 
 may lead to an understanding of the 
 harmonies of Nature, whose greatest 
 symphony is the vibratory music of 
 universal life in action. 
 
 I, 
 
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 ^ENIA
 
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