—Epictetus.

Set a watch, O Jehovah, before my mouth; Keep the door of my lips.

—Psalm 141. 3.

My Lord, make me a lover of the truth. Make me careful of my thoughts, and the words I would speak, that I may not think selfishly and speak cruelly, but keep myself holy unto thee. Amen.



MARCH TWENTY-FOURTH

Queen Elizabeth died 1603.

Fanny Crosby born 1820.

Henry W. Longfellow died 1882.

Sir Edwin Arnold died 1904.

Every quivering tongue of flame Seems to murmur some great name, Seems to say to me "Aspire!" No endeavor is in vain; Its reward is in the doing, And the rapture of pursuing Is the prize of vanquished gain.

—Henry W. Longfellow.

Never be sad or desponding If thou hast faith to believe; Grace for the duties before thee Ask of thy God and receive.

—Fanny Crosby.

I spread forth my hands unto thee: My soul thirsteth after thee, as a weary land.

—Psalm 143. 6.

Almighty God, make me conscious of my weaknesses, and make me ashamed of my indulgences. Give me a victory over self; and may I consider more what I put in my life. May I be eager for that which will inspire me for greater aspirations. Amen.



MARCH TWENTY-FIFTH

Archbishop John Williams born 1582.

Joachim Murat born 1771.

Anna Seward died 1809.

How awful is the thought of the wonders underground, Of the mystic changes wrought in the silent, dark profound! How each thing upward tends by necessity decreed, And the world's support depends on the shooting of a seed!

The summer's in her ark, and this sunny-pinioned day Is commissioned to remark whether Winter holds her sway: Go back, thou dove of peace, with myrtle on thy wing, Say that floods and tempests cease, and the world is ripe for Spring.

—Horace Smith.

I should never have made my success in life if I had not bestowed upon the least thing I have ever undertaken the same attention and care that I have bestowed upon the greatest.

—Charles Dickens.

Gather up the broken pieces which remain over, that nothing be lost.

—John 6. 12.

Loving Father, cause me to learn from nature that to have perfection I must be attentive at the beginning of growth. Help me to select with care the soil wherein I plant; and to weed and cultivate my life that it may grow to beauty and usefulness. Amen.



MARCH TWENTY-SIXTH

Konrad von Gesner born 1516.

W. E. H. Lecky born 1838.

Gustave Guillaumet born 1840.

Walt Whitman died 1892.

Every man takes care that his neighbor shall not cheat him, but a day comes when he begins to care that he do not cheat his neighbor. Then all goes well. He has changed his market-cart into a chariot of the sun.

—Ralph Waldo Emerson.

He that is unacquainted with the nature of the world must be at a loss to know where he is. And he that cannot tell the ends he was made for is ignorant both of himself and the world too.

—Marcus Aurelius.

Give diligence to present thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, handling aright the word of truth.

—2 Timothy 2. 15.

Almighty God, may I not only approve of justice and kindness, but practice it. Grant that I may be attentive to the call of work and steadfast in completing it. May I be sincere to those who are dear to me, and never falter in my support to those who are dependent upon me. Amen.



MARCH TWENTY-SEVENTH

Alfred Vigny born 1799.

General A. W. Greely born 1847.

Sir Gilbert Scott died 1878.

It takes great strength to bring your life up square With your accepted thought and hold it there: Resisting the inertia that drags it back From new attempts, to the old habit's track. It is so easy to drift back, to sink. So hard to live abreast of what you think.

—Charlotte Perkins Stetson.

If a person had delivered up your body to anyone whom he met in his way, you would certainly be angry. And do you feel no shame in delivering up your own mind to be disconcerted and confounded by anyone who happens to give you ill language.

—Epictetus.

Wherefore, O King Agrippa, I was not disobedient unto the heavenly vision.

—Acts 26. 19.

My Father, my soul sinks with shame when I think of the great moments that I have given over to mean little things. Help me that I may reckon more on the value of time, and live not to tolerate life, but to have a great need for it, that day by day I may have a deeper consciousness of its appropriate use. Amen.



MARCH TWENTY-EIGHTH

Santi d'Urbino Raphael born 1483.

Sir Thomas Smith born 1514.

Margaret (Peg) Woffington died 1760.

They may not need me, Yet they might; I'll let my heart be Just in sight—

A smile so small As mine might be Precisely their Necessity.

—Unknown.

You hear that boy laughing?—you think he's all fun; But the angels laugh too at the good he has done; The children laugh loud as they troop to his call, And the poor man that knows him laughs loudest of all.

—Oliver Wendell Holmes.

Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamor, and railing, be put away from you, with all malice: and be ye kind one to another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other.

—Ephesians 4. 31.

Lord God, I pray that I may be fair, and not pass judgment on those whom I like or those whom I dislike, and so bring unhappy regrets. May I remember that, though hasty judgment often may be temporary, the gain or loss of a friend may be permanent. Amen.



MARCH TWENTY-NINTH

Dr. John Lightfoot born 1602.

John Tyler, Virginia, tenth President United States, born 1790.

Amelia Barr born 1831.

The year's at the spring And the day's at the morn; The hillside's dew-pearled; The lark's on the wing: The snail's on the thorn; God's in his heaven: All's well with the world.

—Robert Browning.

Dear Lord and Father of mankinds Forgive our feverish ways; Reclothe us in our rightful mind; In purer lives thy service find, In deeper reverence praise.

—John G. Whittier.

In quietness and in confidence shall be your strength.

—Isaiah 30. 15.

Lord God, I beseech thee to give me the strength which endures. Grant that I may have the ceaseless content which is secured by choosing and continuing in the right way. From the wealth of each day renew my hope, and quiet my soul with the calm of thy peace. Amen.



MARCH THIRTIETH

Sir Henry Wotton born 1568.

Archbishop Somner born 1606.

John Fiske born 1842.

John Constable died 1837.

I said, "Let us walk in the field." He said, "Nay walk in the town." I said, "There are no flowers there." He said, "No flowers but a crown."

I said, "But the air is thick, And the fogs are veiling the sun." He answered, "Yet souls are sick And souls in the dark undone."

I cast one look at the field, Then set my face to the town. He said: "My child, do you yield? Will ye leave the flowers for the crown?"

Then into his hand went mine And into my heart came He, And I walked in a light divine The path I had feared to see.

—George Macdonald.

Now therefore amend your ways and your doings, and obey the voice of Jehovah your God.

—Jeremiah 26. 13.

Eternal God, teach me the way of a complete and unbroken trust. In my disappointments, and in my devotions, may my faith and hope be as immortal as my soul. May I listen for thy voice and answer thy call. Amen.



MARCH THIRTY-FIRST

Ludwig von Beethoven died 1827.

Joseph Francis Haydn born 1732.

Andrew Lang born 1844.

Charlotte Bronte died 1855.

The Great Being unseen, but all-present, who in his beneficence desires only our welfare, watches the struggle between good and evil in our hearts, and waits to see whether we obey his voice, heard in the whispers of conscience, or lend an ear to the Spirit Evil, which seeks to lead us astray. Rough and steep is the path indicated by divine suggestion; mossy and declining the green way along which temptation strews flowers. Then conscience whispers, "Do what you feel is right, obey me, and I will plant for you firm footing."

—Charlotte Bronte.

God help us do our duty, and not shrink, And trust in heaven humbly for the rest.

—Owen Meredith.

I call heaven and earth to witness against you this day, that I have set before thee life and death, the blessing and the curse: therefore choose life.

—Deuteronomy 30. 19.

My Father, as I review my life I am impressed how accurately my deeds have copied my thoughts. And though I have failed the so often, yet I pray that thou wilt accept my yearnings, to think and work for the best in every day. Amen.



APRIL

God's April is coming up the hill, and the noisy winds are quieting down, subdued by the fragrance of the wild flowers on the way. Lest we miss the richness of life, while pursuing the world, God continues to pour out precious fragrance from his storehouse, and unconsciously, our souls are lulled to peace through the sweetness of April days.

—M.B.S.



APRIL FIRST

All Fools' Day.

William Harvey born 1578.

Prince von Bismarck born 1815.

Edwin A. Abbey born 1852.

Agnes Repplier born 1858.

It is a peculiar quality of a fool to perceive the faults of others, and to forget his own.

—Cicero.

A man may be as much a fool from the want of sensibility as the want of sense.

—Mrs. Jameson.

He that knows not, and knows not that he knows not, is a fool: shun him.

—Arabian Maxim.

Seest thou a man wise in his own conceit? There is more hope of a fool than of him.

—Proverbs 26. 12.

Almighty God, grant that I may be spared the allurements of deceptive happiness which leaves weary days. I ask for wisdom that I may not speak foolishly, think foolishly, or act foolishly; and may I not be detained by the foolishness of others, but pursue my work, whether it be far or near. Amen.



APRIL SECOND

Charlemagne born 742.

Thomas Jefferson, Virginia, third President United States, born 1743.

Hans Andersen born 1805.

Frederic A. Bartholdi born 1834.

Emile Zola born 1840.

When a man assumes a public trust he should consider himself public property.

—Thomas Jefferson.

We hold these truths to be self-evident—that all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

—Declaration of Independence.

Breathes there the man with soul so dead Who never to himself hath said, This is my own, my native land! Whose heart hath ne'er within him burned As home his footsteps he hath turned From wandering on a foreign strand?

—Sir Walter Scott.

Render therefore unto Caesar the things that are Caesar's.

—Matthew 22. 21.

My Lord, I thank thee for the wisdom and love that is spoken through the lives of strong men and women. Grant that I may be willing to learn of them, and gladly serve where I am needed, remembering that thou art Lord of all. Amen.



APRIL THIRD

George Herbert born 1593.

Washington Irving born 1783.

Edward Everett Hale born 1822.

John Burroughs born 1837.

Sum up at night what thou hast done by day And in the morning what thou hast to do: Dress and undress thy soul: mark the decay And growth of it; if with thy watch that too Be dowl, then wind up both; since we shall be Most surely judged, make thy accounts agree.

—George Herbert.

To look up and not down, To look forward and not back, To look out and not in, and To lend a hand.

—Edward E. Hale.

There is a healthy hardiness about real dignity that never dreads contact and communion with others, however humble.

—Washington Irving.

I put on righteousness, and it clothed me: My justice was as a robe and a diadem.

—Job 29. 14.

My Lord, I pray that I may always be found clothed in love and kindness. Make me worthy to minister to those who may be dependent on me, and whether they be rich or poor, high or low, may I try to help them. Amen.



APRIL FOURTH

Oliver Goldsmith died 1774.

Dorothea Dix born 1802.

James Freeman Clarke born 1810.

"The greatest object in the universe," said a certain philosopher, "is a good man struggling with adversity"; yet there is still a greater, which is the good man who comes to relieve it.

—Oliver Goldsmith.

Yet I believe that somewhere, soon or late, A peace will fall Upon the angry reaches of my mind; A peace initiate In some heroic hour when I behold A friend's long-quested triumph, or unbind The tressed gold From a child's laughing face. I still believe— So much believe.

—J. Drinkwater.

But whoso hath the world's goods, and beholdeth his brother in need, and shutteth up his compassion from him, how doth the love of God abide in him?

—1 John 3. 17.

Almighty God, may I have a liberal heart. Grant that I may feel the needs of thy children in all lands; and may I be willing to give of thy blessings, as I am ready to receive them. May my tribute be not only of tender thoughts and kind words, but may I give of myself, and of what I have, as thou hast through love and wisdom done for me. Amen.



APRIL FIFTH

Elihu Yale born 1648.

Sir Henry Havelock born 1795.

Frank Stockton (Francis) born 1834.

Algernon Charles Swinburne born 1837.

As morning hears before it run The music of the mounting sun, And laughs to watch his trophies won From darkness, and her hosts undone, And all the night becomes a breath, Nor dreams that fear should hear and flee The summer menace of the sea, So hear our hope what life may be, And know it not for death.

—Algernon Charles Swinburne.

I came from God, and I'm going back to God, and I won't have any gaps of death in the middle of my life.

—George MacDonald.

The hope of the righteous shall be gladness; But the expectation of the wicked shall perish.

—Proverbs 10. 28.

Lord God, teach me the way and show me the light of the eternal day; and may the vision fill my soul as I take courage and follow it. May I not be fearful of what may be provided, but remember that before the creation of life thou didst have a purpose in death. May I be trustful. Amen.



APRIL SIXTH

Albert Duerer died 1528.

James Mill born 1773.

Jean Baptiste Rousseau born 1669.

Even if the sacrifices which are made to duty and virtue are painful to make, they are well repaid by the sweet recollections which they leave at the bottom of the heart.

—Jean B. Rousseau.

I am the man of a thousand loves, A thousand loves have I; And all my loves are white-winged doves, That into my soul would fly.

I am the man of a thousand friends Of tuneful memory; And each of them spends the delicate ends Of a brilliant day with me.

And all my gifts are magical words That sing sweet songs to me; And the sensitive words are caroling birds In the garden of imagery.

—Edwin Leibfreed.

Be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee the crown of life.

—Revelation 2. 10.

Loving Father, I bless thee for thy love and ministry. May I enter into a broader conception of sharing thy gifts. May I not seek thy blessings to keep, but to use for renewed inspiration. Amen.



APRIL SEVENTH

Saint Francis Xavier born 1506.

William Wordsworth born 1770.

William Ellery Channing born 1780.

My heart leaps up when I behold A rainbow in the sky: So was it when my life began; So is it now I am a man; So be it when I shall grow old, Or let me die! The child is Father of the Man; And I could wish my days to be Bound each to each by natural piety.

—William Wordsworth.

A self-controlled mind is a free mind, and freedom is power. I call that mind free which jealously guards its intellectual rights and powers. I call that mind free which resists the bondage of habit, which does not live on its old virtues, but forgets what is behind, and rejoices to pour itself forth in fresh and higher exertions.

—William Ellery Channing.

That ye be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and put on the new man, that after God hath been created in righteousness and holiness of truth.

—Ephesians 4. 23, 24.

Lord God, give me the power to control my mind and heart, that I may not be a slave to habits that may keep me from eternal love and blessedness. May I have sympathy and compassion for others, and cherish thy tenderness and mercy as I hold it in my daily life. Amen.



APRIL EIGHTH

Petrarch crowned 1341.

William Herbert, Earl of Pembroke, born 1580.

David Rittenhouse born 1732.

If I can stop one heart from breaking, I shall not live in vain; If I can ease one life from aching, Or cool one pain, Or help one fainting robin Unto his nest again, I shall not live in vain.

—Emily Dickinson.

The most solid comfort one can fall back upon is the thought that the business of one's life is to help in some small way to reduce the sum of ignorance, degradation, and misery on the face of this beautiful earth.

—George Eliot.

Make full my joy, that ye be of the same mind, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind; doing nothing through faction or through vainglory, but in lowliness of mind each counting other better than himself.

—Philippians 2. 2, 3.

My Father, take away the spirit, if I may be inclined to keep the best, and to be always seeking my portion. May I have the desire to share with those who have less, and to give to those who may have more, whether it be of bread or love. Amen.



APRIL NINTH

Fisher Ames born 1758.

John Opie died 1807.

Dante Gabriel Rossetti died 1882.

Gather a shell from the strown beach And listen at its lips; they sigh The same desire and mystery, The echo of the whole sea's speech. And all mankind is this at heart— Not anything but what thou art: And Earth, Sea, Man are all in each.

—Dante Gabriel Rossetti.

And as, in sparkling majesty, a star Gilds the bright summit of some glory cloud; Brightening the half-veil'd face of heaven afar; So when dark thoughts my boding spirit shroud, Sweet Hope! celestial influence round me shed, Waving the silver pinions o'er my head.

—John Keats.

Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, in the power of the Holy Spirit.

—Romans 15. 13.

Almighty God, may I ever know the generous glow that comes with an overwhelming desire to cultivate the soul. With hope may I find the way through the darkness that leads to immortality, even if I may have to experience the weariness that may accompany it. Amen.



APRIL TENTH

Hugo Grotius born 1583.

William Hazlitt born 1778.

General Lew Wallace born 1827.

General William Booth born 1829.

The essence of happy living is never to find life dull, never to feel the ugly weariness which comes of overstrain; to be fresh, cheerful, leisurely, sociable, unhurried, well-balanced. It seems to me impossible to be these things unless we have time to consider life a little, to deliberate, to select, to abstain.

—Arthur C. Benson.

Four things come not back—the spoken word, the sped arrow, the past life, the neglected opportunity.

—William Hazlitt.

Wherefore, brethren, give the more diligence to make your calling and election sure.

—2 Peter 1. 10.

My Father, may I not miss my work through indifference and feel it is thy neglect of me. May I be reminded that the enrichment of life comes through persistency and being consistent, and may not be found on the idle paths of extravagant ways. Help me to take up my work with a willing spirit and give my best to it. Amen.



APRIL ELEVENTH

George Canning born 1770.

Edward Everett born 1794.

Donald G. Mitchell (Ik Marvel) born 1822.

The safe path to excellence and success in every calling, is that of appropriate preliminary education, diligent application to learn the art of assiduity and practicing it.

—Edward Everett.

That nothing walks with aimless feet; That not one life shall be destroyed, Or cast as rubbish to the void, When God hath made the pile complete.

Behold, we know not anything: I can but trust that good shall fall At last—far off—at last, to all, And every winter change to spring.

—Alfred Tennyson.

And we desire that each one of you may show the same diligence unto the fullness of hope even to the end: that ye be not sluggish, but imitators of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises.

—Hebrews 6. 11, 12.

Lord God, help me in all my circumstances, and be with me in my daily work. Help me in my efforts, as I endeavor to attain, and may my will be hid in thine. Amen.



APRIL TWELFTH

Edward Young died 1765.

Edward Bird born 1772.

Henry Clay born 1777.

I would rather be right than be President.

—Henry Clay.

Who does the best his circumstances allow Does well, acts nobly; angels could no more.

—Edward Young.

Pedigree haz no more to do in making a man aktually grater than he iz than a pekok's feather in his hat haz in making him aktually taller. When the world stands in need of an arestokrat, natur pitches one into it, and furnishes him papers without enny flaw in them.

—Josh Billings.

Cast not away therefore your boldness, which hath great recompense of reward. For ye have need of patience, that, having done the will of God, ye may receive the promise.

—Hebrews 10. 35, 36.

Lord God, help me to select with care the site, the plans, and the foundation of my life. May I use the best material; and may it be worthy of a permanent home. Amen.



APRIL THIRTEENTH

Madame Jeanne Guyon born 1648.

Dr. Thomas Beddoes born 1760.

James Harper born 1795.

If there were dreams to sell, Merry and sad to tell, And the crier rang the bell, What would you buy?

A cottage lone and still With bowers nigh, Shadowy, my woes to still, Until I die. Such pearl from Life's fresh crown Fain would I shake me down, Were dreams to have at will This would best heal my ill, This would I buy.

—Thomas Lovell Beddoes.

I pray you, bear me hence From forth the noise and rumor of the field Where I may think the remnant of my thoughts In peace, and part this body and my soul With contemplation and devout desires.

—William Shakespeare.

Come ye yourselves apart into a desert place, and rest awhile.

—Mark 6. 31.

Lord God, help me to bear in mind that to step aside and safeguard the mind in contemplation is a safe guard to the soul. Amen.



APRIL FOURTEENTH

Dr. George Gregory born 1754.

George Frederic Handel died 1759.

Horace Bushnell born 1802.

Flower in the crannied wall, I pluck you out of the crannies— Hold you here, root and all, in my hand, Little flower—but if I could understand What you are, root and all, and all in all, I should know what God and man is.

—Alfred Tennyson.

So much is history stranger than fiction, and so true it is Nature has caprices which Art dares not imitate.

—Thomas Macaulay.

Nature is the face of God. He appears to us through it, and we can read his thoughts in it.

—Victor Hugo.

Many, O Jehovah my God, are the wonderful works which thou hast done, And thy thoughts which are to us-ward.

—Psalm 40. 5.

Eternal God, I thank thee for the seasons which bring abundance and beauty. I thank thee for thy loving care, which is over all and forever. May I behold thy works and make thee a very present help for all my needs, and perceive the joy of thy love through the greatness of the earth. Amen.



APRIL FIFTEENTH

Emile Souvestre born 1806.

John Lothrop Motley born 1814.

Henry James born 1843.

Abraham Lincoln died 1865.

Two thirds of human existence are wasted in hesitation, and the last third in repentance.

—Emile Souvestre.

And, having thus chosen our course, let us renew our trust in God and go forward without fear and with manly hearts.

—Abraham Lincoln.

The barriers are not erected which shall say to aspiring talent, "Thus far and no further."

—Beethoven.

Be strong and of good courage.

—Joshua 1. 6.

Almighty God, I pray that I may always be alive to my opportunities, but may I never leave others impoverished by taking advantage of them. May my prosperity be conducted with my eyes open, guarding what I give and receive, that my possessions may remain valuable through life. Amen.



APRIL SIXTEENTH

Charles Montagu, Earl of Halifax, born 1661.

Charles W. Peale born 1741.

Sir John Franklin born 1786.

Weary of myself and sick of asking What I am, and what I ought to be, At the vessel's prow I stand, which bears me Forward, forward, o'er the starlit sea

O air-born voice! long since severely clear, A cry like thine in my own heart I hear. Resolve to be thyself: and know that he Who finds himself, loses his misery.

—Matthew Arnold.

This above all to thine own self be true, And it must follow, as the night the day, Thou can'st not then be false to any man.

—William Shakespeare.

Let thine eyes look right on, And let thine eyelids look straight before thee. Make level the path of thy feet, And let all thy ways be established.

—Proverbs 4. 25, 26.

My Father, give me a sense of nearness to thee when I may be faltering from weariness in well doing. May I hold to my determinations. Help me to know what is useless, that I may not give unnecessary energy, and to know what is worth while, that I may acquire strength through the power of truth. Amen.



APRIL SEVENTEENTH

Bishop Benjamin Hoadley died 1761.

Benjamin Franklin died 1790.

William G. Simms born 1806.

Shall I ask the brave soldier who fights at my side, In the cause of mankind, if our creeds agree? Shall I give up the friend I have valued and tried, If he kneel not before the same altar as me?

—Thomas Moore.

I met a little Elf-man once, Down where the lilies blow. I asked him why he was so small And why he didn't grow.

He slightly frowned, and with his eye He looked me through and through. "I'm quite as big for me," said he "As you are big for you."

—John Kendrick Bangs.

Woe unto them that are wise in their own eyes, and prudent in their own sight!

—Isaiah 5. 21.

Loving Father, grant that I may not barter love with formalities, nor sacrifice love for customs. But, may I have a fellowship that is true and sincere, and that may be counted on, though all and for all. Amen.



APRIL EIGHTEENTH

Lord Jeffreys died 1689.

George Henry Lewes born 1817.

Sir Francis Baring born 1740.

Nor can I count him happiest who has never Been forced with his own hand his chains to sever, And for himself find out the way divine; He never knew the aspirer's glorious pains, He never earned the struggler's priceless gains.

—James Russell Lowell.

There is not time for hate, O wasteful friend. Put hate away until the ages end. Have you an ancient wound? Forget the wrong— Out in my West a forest loud with song Towers high and green over a field of snow, Over a glacier buried far below.

—Edwin Markham.

Fight the good fight of the faith, lay hold on the life eternal, whereunto thou wast called, and didst confess the good confession in the sight of many witnesses.

—1 Timothy 6. 12.

Lord God, help me to realize the power of my life. I feel ashamed and alarmed when I think of the grievous wrongs I may have done for greed. May I have delight in the struggles I have made for the ways of righteousness. Make me careful to avoid the things that debase life. May I aspire for the highest and best. Amen.



APRIL NINETEENTH

Roger Sherman born 1721.

Lord Byron died 1824.

Lord Beaconsfield (Disraeli) died 1881.

Charles Darwin died 1882.

The secret of success in life is for a man to be ready for his opportunity when it comes. —Disraeli.

One sees, and the other does not see; one enjoys an unspeakable pleasure, and the other loses that pleasure which is as free to him as the air.... The whole outward world is the kingdom of the observant eye. He who enters into any part of that kingdom to possess it has a store of pure enjoyment in life which is literally inexhaustible and immeasurable. His eyes alone will give him a life worth living.

—Charles W. Eliot.

Having eyes, see ye not?

—Mark 8. 18.

My Father, help me to realize that I cannot feel the joy that breathes through the early morning unless I am with it. May I see distinctly the glory of to-day. Help me to be watchful and keep my spirit awake, that I may receive thy revelations. Amen.



APRIL TWENTIETH

Marcus Aurelius born 121.

Elizabeth Barton (Maid of Kent) executed 1534

Sir Francis T. Baring born 1796.

Alice Cary born 1820.

Do not act as if you had ten thousand years to throw away. Death stands at your elbow. Be good for something while you live and it is in your power.

—Marcus Aurelius.

And O, my heart, my heart, Be careful to go strewing in and out The way with good deeds, lest it come about That when thou shalt depart, No low lamenting tongue be found to say, The world is poorer since thou went'st away

—Alice Cary.

A good man prolongs his life; to be able to enjoy one's past life is to live twice.

—Martial.

The righteous shall be had in everlasting remembrance.

—Psalm 112. 6.

Heavenly Father, thou hast made my life dear; forgive me if I have made dearer the things that I have put around it. Many days have been used for costly things that have faded and are laid aside. May I realize the meaning of days that have been lost. Make me more concerned for what I put in the days to come. Amen.



APRIL TWENTY-FIRST

Peter F. Abelard died 1142.

Friedrich Froebel born 1782.

Reginald Heber born 1783.

James Martineau born 1805.

Charlotte Bronte born 1816.

Henry Shaw (Josh Billings) born 1818.

Education should lead and guide man to clearness concerning himself and in himself, to peace with nature, and to unity with God.

—Friedrich Froebel.

When spring unlocks the flowers, to paint the laughing soil; When summer's balmy showers refresh the mower's toil; When winter binds in frosty chains the fallow and the flood, In God the earth rejoiceth still, and owns its maker good.

—Reginald Heber.

A memory without a blot or contamination must be an inexhaustible source of pure refreshment.

—Charlotte Bronte.

For ye are all sons of light, and sons of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness.

—1 Thessalonians 5. 5.

Lord of light, thou art the light of my life. May I make thee the joy and light of my soul. Call me to where it is clear and high, that I may see above the mist. May I not weary in climbing to reach thee in the high places. Amen.



APRIL TWENTY-SECOND

Henry Fielding born 1707.

Immanuel Kant born 1724.

Philip James Bailey born 1816.

We live in deeds, not years: in thoughts, not breaths: In feelings, not in figures on a dial. We should count time by heart-throbs. He most lives Who thinks most, feels the noblest, acts the best.

—Philip James Bailey.

Men cease to interest us when we find their limitations. The only sin is limitation. As soon as you once come up with a man's limitations it is all over with him.

—Ralph Waldo Emerson.

But he that looketh into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and so continueth, being not a hearer that forgeteth but a doer that worketh, this man shall be blessed in his doing.

—James 1. 25.

Lord God, help me to break away from habits that fasten me in the ruts of life. Draw me out to thy broad way, where there are no limits to thy wonderful works, that I may expand my life. Amen.



APRIL TWENTY-THIRD

William Shakespeare born 1564, died 1616.

Cervantes died 1616.

J.M.W. Turner born 1775.

James Buchanan, Pennsylvania, fifteenth President United States, born 1791.

James Anthony Froude born 1818.

Thomas Nelson Page born 1853.

Edwin Markham born 1852.

My crown is in my heart, not on my head: Not decked with diamonds and Indian Stones, Nor to be seen. My crown is called content. A crown it is that seldom kings enjoy.

—William Shakespeare.

At the heart of the cyclone tearing the sky And flinging the clouds and the towers by Is a place of central calm: So here in the roar of mortal things, I have a place where my spirit sings, In the hollow of God's Palm.

—Edwin Markham.

Rest in Jehovah, and wait patiently for him: Fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way.

—Psalm 37. 7.

Almighty God, my heart beats quicker and the desire for thy care grows stronger when I remember thy promises are given for all eternity. May I be grateful and contented with thy love and care. Amen.



APRIL TWENTY-FOURTH

Edmund Cartwright born 1743.

Anthony Trollope born 1815.

Arthur Christopher Benson born 1862.

By religion I mean the power, whatever it be, which makes a man choose what is hard rather than what is easy; what is lofty and noble rather than what is mean and selfish; that puts courage into timorous hearts and gladness into clouded spirits.

—Arthur C. Benson.

For all noble things the time is long and the way rude.... For every start and struggle of impatience there shall be so much attendant failure.... But the fire which Patience carries in her own hand is that truly stolen from heaven—unquenchable incense of life.

—John Ruskin.

But they that wait for Jehovah shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk, and not faint.

—Isaiah 40. 31.

My Father, I pray that I may not be indifferent to the call of my soul. May I not seek to serve the disappearing and neglect to make life worthy. Acquaint me with the permanent values of life. Make clear the way of strength, that I may not be misled by ease and carried to weakness. May my life be ennobled by the power of my possessions. Amen.



APRIL TWENTY-FIFTH

Oliver Cromwell born 1599.

John Keble born 1792.

Alexander Duff born 1806.

Guglielmo Marconi born 1874.

Mrs. Burton Harrison (Constance Cary) born 1846.

Samuel Wesley died 1735.

Truly God follows us with encouragements: let him not lose his blessing upon us! They come in season, and with all the advantages of heartening, as if God should say, "Up and be doing, and I will stand by you and help you!" There is nothing to be feared but our own sin and sloth.

—Oliver Cromwell.

Sun of my soul, thou Saviour dear, It is not night if thou be near; O may no earthborn cloud arise To hide thee from thy servants' eyes.

—John Keble.

For Jehovah God is a sun and a shield: Jehovah will give grace and glory; No good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly.

—Psalm 84. 11.

My Father, may I not err in choosing thy benefits, nor fail from the neglect to use them. Make me appreciative of all thy gifts, and, through thy wisdom and power, may I find the best use for them. Amen.



APRIL TWENTY-SIXTH

David Hume born 1711.

Daniel Defoe died 1791.

Charles F. Browne (Artemus Ward) born 1834.

How strange a chequer-work of Providence is the life of man! and by what secret different springs are the affections hurried about, as different circumstances present! To-day we love what to-morrow we hate; to-day we seek what to-morrow we shun; to-day we desire what to-morrow we fear; nay, even tremble at the apprehension of.

—Daniel Defoe.

Now don't do nothin' which isn't your Fort, for ef you do you'll find yourself splashin' round in the Kanawl, figgeratively speakin'.

—Artemus Ward.

Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. And there are diversities of ministrations, and the same Lord. And there are diversities of workings, but the same God, who worketh all things in all.

—1 Corinthians 12. 4-6.

Lord forbid that I should fear to change for the better or be so pleased with myself and the things which surround me that I feel no need for a higher life. Make me dissatisfied if I am not trying to grow in truth and to live in noble deeds. Amen.



APRIL TWENTY-SEVENTH

Samuel Morse born 1791.

Lajos Kossuth born 1802.

Herbert Spencer born 1820.

Ulysses S. Grant, Ohio, eighteenth President United States, born 1822.

Ralph Waldo Emerson died 1882.

People who are dishonest, or rash, or stupid will inevitably suffer the penalties of dishonesty, or rashness, or stupidity.

—Herbert Spencer.

Abide in the simple and noble regions of thy life; obey thy heart.

—Ralph Waldo Emerson.

Well, then, we must cut our way out.

—General Grant.

Wherefore take up the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and, having done all, to stand.

—Ephesians 6. 13.

Loving Father, help me to live a simple and noble life. Grant that I may have the blessedness that comes through peace, and escape the misery that comes from cruelty and untruth. Through my life may what I reap show that I have been careful in choosing and cultivating what I have sown. Amen.



APRIL TWENTY-EIGHTH

Charles Cotton born 1630.

James Monroe, Virginia, fifth President United States, born 1758.

Anthony Ashley, Earl of Shaftesbury, born 1801.

During a long life I have proved that not one kind word ever spoken, not one kind deed ever done, but sooner or later returns to bless the giver, and becomes a chain, binding men with golden bands to the throne of God.

—Earl of Shaftesbury.

There's many a time when the bitterest thing Is said without reason, and God knows The courage it takes to suffer the sting, By hiding the wounds that the heart shows.

There's many a sob we bravely keep down For the sake of old times revered so, There's many a head with thorns for a crown Where kisses would soon make the heart glow.

—Edwin Leibfreed.

So shalt thou know wisdom to be unto thy soul; If thou hast found it, then shall there be a reward, And thy hope shall not be cut off.

—Proverbs 24. 14.

My Father, if I am to-day without happiness, may I go in search of it. Help me to remember that the will thou hast given me to overcome evil with good I may use to overcome misery with happiness. Make me careful that I may not be trapped by selfishness as I look for joy. May I delight in the sweet sensations that are felt in having consideration for others, and may I make kindness a daily habit. Amen.



APRIL TWENTY-NINTH

Michel Ruyter died 1676.

Abbe Charles de St. Pierre died 1743.

Matthew Vassar born 1792.

Edward Rowland Sill born 1841.

Never yet was a springtime, Late though lingered the snow, That the sap stirred not at the whisper Of the south wind, sweet and low; Never yet was a springtime When the buds forgot to blow.

Ever the wings of the summer Are folded under the mold; Life that has known no dying, Is Love's, to have and to hold, Till, sudden, the burgeoning Easter! The song! the green and the gold![1]

—Margaret E. Sangster.

In tracing the shade, I shall find out the sun.

—Owen Meredith.

All chastening seemeth for the present to be not joyous but grievous; yet afterward it yieldeth peaceable fruit unto them that have been exercised thereby, even the fruit of righteousness.

—Hebrews 12. 11.

Almighty God, grant that as the fulfillment of the green comes to the withered grass, so thy restoring may come to me with the glory of life that comes in the resurrection of the soul. I trust thee to bring me out of winter's seal, that I may help make the spring. Amen.

[Footnote 1: From Easter Bells. Copyright, 1897, by Harper & Brothers.]



APRIL THIRTIETH

Chevalier de Bayard killed 1524.

Sir John Lubbock born 1834.

James Montgomery died 1854.

David Livingstone died 1873.

We scatter seeds with careless hands, And dream we ne'er shall see them more; But for a thousand years Their fruit appears In weeds that mar the land.

—John Keble

And there came up a sweet perfume From the unseen flowers below, Like the savor of virtuous deeds, Of deeds done long ago.

—Mrs. Southey.

Mary therefore took a pound of ointment of pure nard, very precious, and anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped his feet with her hair: and the house was filled with the odor of the ointment.

—John 12. 3.

My Father, I pray that it may be mine to have the recollection of happy deeds, and not the memory of unkept promises. Help me to remember that one act is worth a thousand intentions, and that memory is the storehouse that supplies old age. Make me careful of my memory, that it may not be burdened. Amen.



MAY

I cannot see what flowers are at my feet, Nor what soft incense hangs upon the boughs, But, in the embalmed darkness, guess each sweet Wherewith the seasonable month endows The grass, the thicket, and the fruit tree wild; White hawthorn, and the pastoral eglantine; Fast-fading violets covered up in leaves; And mid-May's wildest child, The coming musk-rose, full of dewy wine, The murmurous haunt of flies on summer eves.

—John Keats.

Such a starved bank of moss Till that May morn, Blue ran the flash across: Violets were born.

—Robert Browning.



MAY FIRST

Arbor Day.

Joseph Addison born 1672.

Arthur, Duke of Wellington, born 1769.

If you wish to succeed in life, make perseverance your bosom friend, experience your wise counselor, caution your elder brother, and hope your guardian genius.

—Joseph Addison.

He who plants a tree, he plants love; Tents of coolness spreading out above Wayfarers, he may not live to see. Gifts that grow are best; Hands that bless are blest; Plant-life does the rest! Heaven and earth help him who plants a tree, And his work his own reward shall be.

—Lucy Larcom.

And he shall be like a tree planted by the streams of water, That bringeth forth its fruit in its season, Whose leaf also doth not wither; And whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.

—Psalm 1. 3.

My Creator, give me joyful eyes for joyful nature. May I be alive to the gentle influences of a May day which bring new experiences to all who may receive them: and may I serve thee by unfolding to others the love of truth, the love of good, and the love of beauty. Amen.



MAY SECOND

Leonardo da Vinci died 1519.

Robert Hall born 1764.

Jerome K. Jerome born 1859.

William Henry Hudson born 1862.

Without a false humility; For this is love's nobility,— Not to scatter bread and gold, Goods and raiment bought and sold; But to hold fast his simple sense, And speak the speech of innocence, And with hand and body and blood, To make his bosom-counsel good. He that feeds man serveth few; He serves all who dares be true.

—Ralph Waldo Emerson.

Small service is true service while it lasts: Of humblest friends scorn not one: The daisy, by the shadow it casts, Protects the lingering dewdrop from the sun.

—William Wordsworth.

Surely then shalt thou lift up thy face without spot; Yea, thou shalt be steadfast, and shalt not fear.

—Job 11. 15.

Heavenly Father, I would be thankful for the blessings I am inclined to forget. Give me a heart of gratitude, and forbid that I should hold my friends for material gain or selfish ends. May I through the truthfulness of my lips, and the honor of my acts, be a necessary friend. Amen.



MAY THIRD

Niccolo Machiavelli born 1469.

Thomas Hood died 1845.

Jacob Riis born 1849.

The longing for ignoble things; The strife for triumph more than truth; The hardening of the heart that brings Irreverence for the dreams of youth;

All these must first be trampled down Beneath our feet, if we would gain In the bright fields of fair renown The right of eminent domain.

—John Keble.

One lesson, and only one, history may be said to repeat with distinctness; that the world is built somehow on moral foundations; that in the long run, it is well with the good; in the long run it is ill with the wicked.

—James Anthony Froude.

No soldier on service entangleth himself in the affairs of this life; that he may please him who enrolled him as a soldier. And if also a man contend in the games, he is not crowned, except he have contended lawfully.

—2 Timothy 2. 4, 5.

Gracious Father, may my heart be mindful of thee, that I may discover the truth and possess it. Steady me in my affections and save me from wandering impulses; and may I help to put wrong down and uplift humanity. Amen.



MAY FOURTH

Frederick Edwin Church born 1826.

Isaac Barrow died 1677.

John James Audubon born 1780.

Horace Mann born 1796.

Thomas Henry Huxley born 1825.

The chess board is the world, the pieces are the phenomena of the universe, the rules of the game we call the laws of nature. My metaphor will remind some of you of the famous picture in which Retzsch has depicted Satan playing chess with man for his soul. Substitute for the mocking fiend in that picture a calm, strong angel, who is playing "for love," as we say, and would rather lose than win, and I should accept it as an image of human life.

—Thomas Henry Huxley.

Riches and nobility fade together. O, my God! be thou praised for having made love for all time, and immortal as thyself.

—George Sand.

He hath given food unto them that fear him: He will ever be mindful of his covenant. The works of his hands are truth and justice; All his precepts are sure.

—Psalm 111. 5, 7.

Father of life, I know I cannot hold youth. I may have prosperity or poverty. I thank thee that thou hast taught me that love may be kept changeless through all. Amen.



MAY FIFTH

Napoleon Bonaparte died 1821.

Empress Eugenie born 1826.

Bret Harte died 1902.

As I stand by the cross, on the lone mountain's crest, Looking over the ultimate sea, In the gloom of the mountain a ship lies at rest, And one sails away from the lea; One spreads its white wings on the far-reaching track, With pennant and sheet flowing free; One hides in the shadow with sails laid aback— The ship that is waiting for me.

But lo! in the distance the clouds break away, The gate's glowing portals I see, And I hear from the outgoing ship in the bay The song of the sailors in glee. So I think of the luminous footprints that bore The comfort o'er dark Galilee, And wait for the signal to go to the shore To the ship that is waiting for me.

—Bret Harte.

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for thou art with me; Thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me.

—Psalm 23. 4.

Eternal God, I praise thee, that "thy love is broader than the measure of man's mind," and that through all my years I may hide myself in thee, trusting thee to the end. Amen.



MAY SIXTH

Plato born B.C. 427.

Robespierre born 1758.

General Andrea Messena born 1758.

Hard ye may be in the tumult, Red to your battle hilts; Blow give blow in the foray, Cunningly ride in the tilts. But tenderly, unbeguiled— Turn to a woman a woman's Heart, and a child's to a child.

Test of the man if his worth be In accord with the ultimate plan That he be not, to his marring, Always and utterly man. That he may bring out of the tumult, Fetter and undefiled, To woman the heart of a woman— To children the heart of a child.[1]

—O. Henry.

A man's concern is only whether in doing anything he is doing right or wrong—acting the part of a good man or a bad.

—Plato.

A faithful man shall abound with blessings.

—Proverbs 28. 20.

Almighty God, I pray that I may seek sincerely those whom I approach with sympathy, and by my honor may they feel the same sincerity for me. Amen.

[Footnote 1: Special permission Cosmopolitan Magazine, New York.]



MAY SEVENTH

Correggio born 1494.

Robert Browning born 1812.

Johannes Brahms born 1833.

Lord Rosebery (Archibald Primrose) born 1847.

So, take and use thy work: amend what flaws may lurk, What strain o' the stuff, what warpings past the aim! My times be in Thy hand! perfect the cup as planned! Let age approve of youth, and death complete the same!

—Robert Browning.

No matter how often defeated, you are born to victory. The reward of a thing well done is to have done it.

—Ralph Waldo Emerson.

When I hear a young man spoken of as giving promise of high genius, the first question I ask about him is always—Does he work?

—John Ruskin.

Ye therefore shall be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

—Matthew 5. 48.

O God, I pray that thou wilt search me, and in the silent moments show me myself without obstruction. Breathe upon me thy awakening breath, that I may be revived to nobler activities. Amen.



MAY EIGHTH

Rev. William Jay born 1769.

Francois Mignet born 1796.

Louis Gottschalk born 1829.

John Stuart Mill died 1873.

A profound conviction raises a man above the feeling of ridicule.

—John Stuart Mill.

A garden is a lonesome thing, God wot! Rose plot, Fringed pool, Ferned grot— The veriest school Of peace; and yet the fool Contends that God is not— Not God! in the gardens! when the eve is cool? Nay but I have a sign; 'Tis very sure God walks in mine.

—Thomas E. Brown.

Jehovah bless thee, and keep thee: Jehovah make his face to shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee: Jehovah lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace.

—Numbers 6. 24, 25, 26.

My Father, may this be a day of usefulness. Make me sure of myself, that I may not spend my days in questioning, but accept with gratefulness thy love and tender care. Make me worthy to be called thy child. Amen.



MAY NINTH

John Brown (Ossawattomie) born 1800.

Johann Schiller died 1805.

J.M. Barrie born 1860.

Have love! not love alone for one, But man as man thy brother call: And scatter like the circling sun Thy charities on all.

—Johann Schiller.

He spoke, and words more soft than rain Brought the Age of Gold again: His action won such reverence sweet, As hid all measure of the feat.

—Ralph Waldo Emerson.

That their hearts might be comforted, they being knit together in love.

—Colossians 2. 2.

Gracious Lord, I pray that I may not only be known to those who are my own, but may I consider all mankind. May those who need me find me through my gentleness, and may they be assured by quiet confidence and faith. Amen.



MAY TENTH

Rouget de l'Isle born 1760.

Jared Sparks born 1789.

James Bryce born 1838.

Sir Henry Stanley died 1904.

For four months and four days I lived with David Livingstone in the same house, or in the same boat, or in the same tent, and I never found a fault in him. I am a man of quick temper, and often without sufficient cause, I dare say, have broken the ties of friendship; but with Livingstone I never had cause for resentment, but each day's life with him added to my admiration for him.

—Sir Henry Stanley.

In speech right gentle, yet so wise: princely of mien, Yet softly mannered; modest, deferent, And tender-hearted, though of a fearless blood.

—Edwin Arnold.

Ye are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hid.

—Matthew 5. 14.

Almighty God, help me to aspire, that my life may tend toward the ideal. May I be persuaded that I cannot be that which I do not possess, nor can I live in that which I do not know. Help me to put the best in what I do, that I may not feel I have failed, even though it may not seem to be a success. Amen.



MAY ELEVENTH

Baron Muenchhausen born 1720.

William Pitt, Earl of Chatham, died 1778.

Jean Leon Gerome born 1824.

And methought that beauty and terror are only one, not two; And the world has room for love, and death, and thunder and dew; And all the sinews of hell slumber in the summer air; And the face of God is a rock, but the face of the rock is fair. Beneficent streams of tears flow at the finger of pain; And out of the cloud that smites, beneficent rivers of rain.

—Robert Louis Stevenson.

It is more shameful to be distrustful of our friends than to be deceived by them.

—La Rochefoucauld.

Thou shalt rejoice in all the good which Jehovah thy God hath given unto thee.

—Deuteronomy 26. 11.

Lord God, may I comprehend the sacredness of friendship. I thank thee for my friends, and for all the beautiful influences which they bring to my life. May I never hold friendship without the sincerity to return it. Correct my faults, and cause me to learn the secret of cheerful endurance, that I may be steadfast. Amen.



MAY TWELFTH

Robert Fielding died 1712.

James Sheridan Knowles born 1784.

Dante Gabriel Rossetti born 1828.

Jules Massenet born 1842.

Look in my face; my name is Might-have-been; I am also called No-more, Too-late, Farewell; Unto thine ear I hold the dead sea-shell Cast up thy Life's foam-fretted feet between; Unto thine eyes the glass where that is seen Which had Life's form and Love's, but by my spell Is now a shaken shadow intolerable, Of ultimate things unuttered the frail screen.

—Dante Gabriel Rossetti.

Let me not pass my work at morn And then at eve, Find for what purpose I was born— Just as I leave.

—M.B.S.

We must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work.

—John 9. 4.

Lord God, I do earnestly pray that thou wilt give me strength to break away, if I may be trying to free myself from habits that mar my character. May I not lose courage and fall back in the old ways, but by faith be led where I should go. Amen.



MAY THIRTEENTH

Carolus Linnaeus (Karl von Linne) born 1707.

Alphonse Daudet born 1840.

Sir Arthur Sullivan born 1842.

I heard a voice in the darkness singing (That was a valiant soul I knew), And the joy of his song was a wild bird winging Swift to his mate through a sky of blue.

And his song was of love and all its bringing And of certain day when the night was through; I raised my eyes where the hope was springing, And I think in his heaven God smiled too (That was a valiant soul I knew).

—J. Stalker.

The soul aids the body, and at certain moments raises it. It is the only bird which bears upward its own cage.

—Victor Hugo.

But desire earnestly the greater gifts.

—1 Corinthians 12. 31.

Gracious Lord, I rejoice that thou dost know the depths of my soul, and that I may call upon thee to supply its needs. Make me worthy that I may not be kept from the springs of joy where my soul may be refreshed, and where I may gather hope and encouragement for the greater loves of life. Amen.



MAY FOURTEENTH

John Dutton born 1659.

Gabriel D. Fahrenheit born 1686.

Robert Owen born 1771.

Henry Grattan died 1820.

They that wander at will where the Works of the Lord are revealed, Little guess what joy can be got From a cowslip out of the field.

—Alfred Tennyson.

Move onward serenely, cast aside regret, cleanse and purify life, only be undismayed and hopeful, as you turn page after page of the revelation of God.

—Arthur C. Benson.

Thou wilt show me the path of life: In thy presence is fullness of joy; In thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.

—Psalm 16. 11.

My Father, I thank thee that nature reveals thy power as she unfolds her beauty and wonder to the searching eye. Guide me that I may see in the little flower the smile of welcome, the look of kindness, and the beauty of hope which it renders to all; and may I learn from it thy protection in the smallest things of life. Amen.



MAY FIFTEENTH

Ephraim Chambers died 1740.

Florence Nightingale born 1820.

Michael W. Balfe born 1808.

Edmund Keane died 1833.

Daniel O'Connell died 1847.

Light human nature is too lightly lost And ruffled without cause, complaining on, Restless with rest, until being overthrown, It learneth to lie quiet.

—Elizabeth Barrett Browning.

Was the trial sore? Temptation sharp? Thank God a second time! Why comes temptation but for a man to meet And master and make crouch beneath his foot, And so be pedestaled in triumph? Pray "Lead us into no such temptations, Lord!" Yea, but, O thou whose servants are the bold, Lead such temptations by the head and hair, Reluctant dragons, up to who dares fight That so he may do battle and have praise.

—Robert Browning.

Therefore we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things that were heard, lest haply we drift away from them.

—Hebrews 2. 1.

Almighty God, if I am overwhelmed by the tides of temptation and discouragement, let me not drift away to sea, but anchor and take harbor in thee. May I not be afraid to trust in thy protection, but calmly wait and watch for thy deliverance. Amen.



MAY SIXTEENTH

Sir William Patty born 1623.

Honore de Balzac born 1799.

William H. Seward born 1801.

Felicia Hemans died 1835.

Favored of Heaven! O Genius! are they thine, When round thy brow the wreaths of glory shine; While rapture gazes on thy radiant way, 'Midst the bright realms of clear mental day? No! sacred joys! 'tis yours to dwell enshrined, Most fondly cherished, in the purest mind.

—Felicia Hemans.

Genius is intensity.

—Honore Balzac.

But what if I fail of my purpose here? It is but to keep the nerves at strain, To dry one's eyes and laugh at a fall, And, baffled, get up and begin again— So the chase takes up one's life, that's all.

—Robert Browning.

Be urgent in season, out of season.

—2 Timothy 4. 2.

My Lord, my life makes me conscious of weakness, and my memory brings regret; forgive me for the lost strength I neglected to develop. In thy compassion encourage me to be more watchful of my power, that I may usefully increase it, and not willfully deplete it. May I learn the need of constancy in well-doing. Amen.



MAY SEVENTEENTH

Heloise died 1163.

Matthew Parker died 1575.

Edwin Jenner born 1749.

The weakest among us has a gift, however seemingly trivial, which is peculiar to him, and which worthily used, will be a gift to his race forever.

—John Ruskin.

Not in entire forgetfulness, And not in utter nakedness, But trailing clouds of glory do we come From God who is our home.

—William Wordsworth.

A weak mind sinks under prosperity as well as under adversity. A strong and deep mind has two highest tides—when the moon is at full, and when there is no moon.

—Julius Hare.

Thou hast granted me life and lovingkindness; And thy visitation hath preserved my spirit.

—Job 10. 12.

Almighty God, I pray that I may have a true appreciation of the quality of life. Reveal to me my responsibilities and help me to make them my opportunities. Keep me in search of thoughts and deeds that will increase the delight of my soul. Amen.



MAY EIGHTEENTH

Francis Mahony (Father Prout) died 1866.

Mrs. Johnson (Stella) born 1735.

John Wilson (Christopher North) born 1785.

Longing is God's fresh heavenward will, With our poor earthly striving; We quench it, that we may be still Content with merely living.

But would we learn that heart's full scope Which we are hourly wronging, Our lives must climb from hope to hope, And realize our longing.

—James Russell Lowell.

Pretexts are not wanted when one wishes a thing.

—Goldoni.

Friendship is for all aid and comfort through all the relations of life and death—for serene days and graceful gifts and country rambles; but also for rough roads, and hard fare, shipwreck, poverty, and persecution.

—Ralph Waldo Emerson.

Strive to enter in by the narrow door.

—Luke 13. 24.

Eternal God, I pray that thou wilt graciously restore my spirits if I may have settled into despondency over my disappointments. May I have the will to rise above them, and patiently strive for renewed hope. Amen.



MAY NINETEENTH

James Boswell died 1795.

Johann Gottlieb Fichte born 1762.

William E. Gladstone died 1898.

Tired! Well, what of that? Didst fancy life was spent on beds of ease, Fluttering the rose-leaves scattered by the breeze? Come! rouse thee, work while it is called to-day! Coward, arise—go forth upon the way!

Lonely! And what of that? Some one must be lonely; 'tis not given to all To feel a heart responsive rise and fall, To blend another life into its own; Work may be done in loneliness; work on.

Dark! Well, what of that? Didst fondly dream the sun would never set? Dost fear to lose thy way? Take courage yet, Learn thou to walk by faith and not by sight, Thy steps will be guided, and guided right.

—Unknown.

And let us not be weary in well-doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.

—Galatians 6. 9.

My Father, if thou wert far off I could not reach thee in time, for I falter so much and need thee so often. I pray that thou wilt keep so near that I can feel thy love and strength breathing within me. Amen.



MAY TWENTIETH

Elizabeth G. Fry born 1780.

John Stuart Mill born 1806.

Alfred Domett born 1811.

Rudolf H. Lotze born 1817.

Marquis de Lafayette died 1834.

Nature has written a letter of credit upon some men's faces which is honored wherever presented. You cannot help trusting such men; their very presence gives confidence. There is a "promise to pay" in their faces which gives confidence, and you prefer it to another man's indorsement. Character is credit.

—William M. Thackeray.

Henry Drummond has told us how in the heart of Africa he came across men and women who remembered the only white man they ever saw before—David Livingstone; and as you cross his footsteps in the dark continent men's faces light up as they speak of the kind doctor who passed there years ago. They could not understand him; but they felt the love that beat in his heart.

Who is wise and understanding among you? let him show by his good life his works in meekness of wisdom.

—James 3. 13.

My Lord, inspire me with kind words and thoughtful deeds, that I may share the yearnings and sympathy of others. May my life show that I am dependable, and may none be left lonely to-day because of my forgetfulness. Amen.



MAY TWENTY-FIRST

Albrecht Duerer born 1471.

Fernando de Soto died 1542.

Alexander Pope born 1688.

Self-love but serves the virtuous mind to wake As the small pebble stirs the peaceful lake; The center moved, a circle straight succeeds, Another still, and still another spreads; Friend, parent, neighbor, first it will embrace, Its country next, and next, the human race.

—Alexander Pope.

A gentleman is one who understands and shows every mark of deference to the claim of self-love in others, and exacts it in return from them.

—William Hazlitt.

But he knoweth the way that I take; When he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold. My foot hath held fast to his steps; His way have I kept, and turned not aside.

—Job 23. 10.

Lord God, teach me how secret actions make or destroy my life. Show me the deep lines made by sorrow and discontent that cannot be effaced. May I look toward the corrections of life and not on my imperfections, that my life may be a helpful influence. Amen.



MAY TWENTY-SECOND

Newman Hall born 1816.

Wilhelm Richard Wagner born 1813.

Maria Edgeworth died 1849.

Victor Hugo died 1885.

Who cares for the burden, the night, and the rain, And the long, steep, lonesome road, When at last through the darkness a light shines plain, When a voice calls "Hail," and a friend draws rein, With an arm for the stubborn load?

For life is the chance of a friend or two This side of the journey's goal. Though the world be a desert the long night through, Yet the gay flowers bloom and the sky shows blue When a soul salutes a soul.

—Unknown.

In all misfortune the greatest consolation is a sympathizing friend.

—Cervantes.

They help every one his neighbor; and every one saith to his brother, Be of good courage.

—Isaiah 41. 6.

Loving Father, may I lay hold upon the highest standards of friendship and so be qualified to be a friend. May those who call and lean on me feel secure in my support. May none ever be ashamed to call me friend. Grant that those whom I love may keep faith with me. Amen.



MAY TWENTY-THIRD

Thomas Hood born 1798.

Margaret Fuller Ossoli born 1810.

Henrik Ibsen died 1896.

Dr. John Campbell died 1861.

Chance cannot touch me! Time cannot hush me! Fear, Hope, and longing, at strife; Sink as I rise, on, on, upward forever, Gathering strength, gaining breath— Naught can sever Me from the Spirit of Life.

—Margaret Fuller.

But evil is wrought by want of thought, as well as want of heart.

—Thomas Hood.

For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed to us-ward.

—Romans 8. 18.

Heavenly Father, cause the newness of life to continue to flow through my heart, that I may not be fatigued, as I struggle with discouragements. Release me from hopeless cares that I have made mine, thinking they were thine. May I trust in the boundless limit of thy mercy, and rejoice in the world of living light. Amen.



MAY TWENTY-FOURTH

Jean Paul Marat born 1744.

Stephen Girard born 1750.

Sir Robert Adair born 1763.

Queen Victoria born 1819.

Caroline Fox born 1819.

I see my way as birds their trackless way. I shall arrive! what time, what circuit first, I ask not: but unless God send his hail Or blinding fireballs, sleet, or stifling snow, In some time, his good time, I shall arrive: He guides me and the bird.

—Robert Browning.

To live in the presence of great truths and eternal laws—that is what keeps a man patient when the world ignores him, and calm and unspoiled when the world praises him.

—Honore Balzac.

But whoso putteth his trust in Jehovah shall be safe.

—Proverbs 29. 25.

Lord Jehovah, all goodness, tenderness, and forbearance that are in my life have come from thee. May I not lose them in self, but by them make possible happiness and endurance for others. Amen.



MAY TWENTY-FIFTH

Ralph Waldo Emerson born 1803.

Edward Bulwer-Lytton (George) born 1803.

Dr. William Paley died 1805.

William Henry Channing born 1810.

Hast thou named all the birds without a gun? Loved the wild rose, and left it on the stalk? At rich men's tables eaten bread and pulse? Unarmed faced danger with a heart of trust? And loved so well a high behavior, In man or maid, that thou from speech refrained, Nobility more noble to repay? O, be my friend and teach me to be thine!

—Ralph Waldo Emerson.

What the superior man seeks is in himself; What the small man seeks is in others.

—Confucius.

Make no friendship with a man that is given to anger; And with a wrathful man thou shalt not go.

—Proverbs 22. 24.

Lord God, may I live for the pure and upright, and have the blessedness of a rejoicing heart. May I yearn for the secrets of nature. Grant that my life may not seek destruction, but tenderly find and protect life. Amen.



MAY TWENTY-SIXTH

The Venerable Bede died 735.

Count Nicolas Ludwig Zinzendorf born 1800.

Capel Lofft died 1821.

Let us disengage ourselves from care about the passing things of time; let us soar above our worldly possessions. The bee does not less need its wings when it has gathered an abundant store, for if it sink in the honey, it dies.

—Saint Augustine.

Perhaps if we could penetrate nature's secrets, we should find that what we call needs are more essential to the well-being of the world than the most precious grain or fruit.

—Nathaniel Hawthorne.

We trust the Lord in faith serene, A ladder he hath given; The lower rounds in earth are seen, The higher reach to heaven.

—Thomas Brevior.

Is not the life more than the food, and the body than the raiment?

—Matthew 6. 25.

Almighty God, I bless thee for the privilege of a great life. May I not be satisfied to rest with idle hands in youth and make age regretful because I have lived a useless life: but with a clear eye and an exalted mind may I choose the "durable satisfactions" that may be mine. Amen.



MAY TWENTY-SEVENTH

Alighieri Dante born 1265.

John Calvin died 1564.

Julia Ward Howe born 1819.

Noah Webster died 1843.

John Kendrick Bangs born 1862.

To your judgments give ye not the reins With too much eagerness, like him who ere The corn be ripe, is fain to count the grains: For I have seen the briar through the winter snows Look sharp and stiff—yet on a future day High on its summit bear the tender rose: And ship I've seen, that through the storm hath passed, Securely bounding o'er the watery way, At entrance of the harbor wrecked at last.

—Dante, translated by Wright.

In the beauty of the lilies Christ was born across the sea, With a glory in his bosom that transfigures you and me: As he died to make men holy, let us die to make them free, While God is marching on.

—Julia Ward Howe.

Trust in Jehovah with all thy heart, And lean not upon thine own understanding.

—Proverbs 3. 5.

Lord God, help me to know my ability, that I may not attempt with weakness that which requires strength to undertake; and make me stable that I may not relax vigilance even though victory seems assured. Amen.



MAY TWENTY-EIGHTH

William Pitt born 1759.

Thomas Moore born 1779.

Louis Agassiz born 1807.

The bird let loose in eastern skies, When hastening fondly home, Ne'er stoops to earth her wing, nor flies Where idle warblers roam; But high she shoots through air and light, Above all low delay, Where nothing earthly bounds her flight, Nor shadow dims her way.

—Thomas Moore.

Remember, the essence of religion is, a heart void of offense toward God and man; not subtle speculative opinions, but an active principle of faith.

—William Pitt.

And hope putteth not to shame; because the love of God hath been shed abroad in our hearts.

—Romans 5. 5.

God of mercy, reveal to me the hallowed life. May I be reminded that, while I may save and keep the dust from things that perish, my life, though unkept and undeveloped, tells in itself the value and need of the most watchful care. Amen.



MAY TWENTY-NINTH

Patrick Henry born 1736.

Joseph Fouche born 1763.

Josephine died 1814.

Gerald Massey born 1829.

Is life so dear or peace so sweet as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God. I know not what course others may take, but as for me, give me liberty or give me death.

—Patrick Henry.

Though hearts brood o'er the past, our eyes With smiling features glisten; For lo! our day bursts up the skies, Lean out your souls and listen! The world is following freedom's way, And ripening with her sorrow; Take heart! Who bears the cross to-day Shall wear the crown to-morrow.

—Gerald Massey.

For God gave us not a spirit of fearfulness; but of power and love and discipline.

—2 Timothy 1. 7.

Lord God, may I never feel that I have a right to sell thy joys, nor the privilege of giving away my burdens. Grant that I may not forsake my principles, but may I keep the way clear that memory may find an unruffled rest. Amen.



MAY THIRTIETH

Decoration Day.

Joan d'Arc burned at Rouen 1431.

Alexander Pope died 1744.

Voltaire died 1778.

Alfred Austin born 1835.

Here is the nation God has builded by our hands. What shall we do with it? Who stands ready to act again and always in the spirit of this day of reunion and hope and patriotic fervor? The day of our country's life has but broadened into morning. Do not put uniforms by. Put the harness of the present on. Lift your eyes to the great tracts of life yet to be conquered in the interest of righteous peace, of that prosperity which lies in a people's hearts and outlasts all wars and errors of men.

—Woodrow Wilson.

Cover them over with beautiful flowers: Deck them with garlands these brothers of ours; Lying so silent, by night and by day, Sleeping the years of their manhood away;

* * * * *

Give them the laurels they lost with their life.

—Will Carleton.

Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.

—John 15. 13.

My Father, as I pause this day to think of the brave men and women who have given their lives for the sake of others, may I be thankful for them. May I remember that noble deeds and kind words are never lost, but that self may block the way to justice. O Father, make war to cease! and lead us to victories that are won through peace. Amen.



MAY THIRTY-FIRST

Ludwig Tieck born 1773.

Joseph Haydn died 1809.

Walt Whitman born 1819.

Passage, immediate passage! the blood burns in my veins! Away, O soul! hoist instantly the anchor! Out the hawser—haul out—shake out every sail! Have we not stood here like trees in the ground long enough? Have we not groveled here long enough eating and drinking like mere brutes? Have we not darkened and dazed ourselves with books long enough? Sail forth—steer for the deep waters only, Reckless, O soul, exploring, I with thee, and thou with me, For we are bound where mariner has not dared to go, And we will risk the ship, ourselves and all.

—Walt Whitman.

Be strong and of good courage, fear not, nor be affrighted at them: for Jehovah thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.

—Deuteronomy 31. 6.

My Father, give me joyful courage to squarely face my life. Help me to know that I cannot vanquish life by evading duties, nor encircling myself with indulgences. If I may be blind to my situation, restore my sight that I may make ready a worthy passage with thee. Amen.



JUNE

There lives a glory in these sweet June days Such as I found not in the days gone by, A kindlier meaning in the unclouded sky, A tenderer whisper in the woodland ways; And I have understanding of the lays, The birds are singing, forasmuch as I Have learned how love avails to satisfy A man's whole heart, and fills his lips with praise.

—Percy C. Ainsworth



JUNE FIRST

Nicolas Poussin born 1594.

Sir Christopher Marlowe died 1593.

Sir David Wilkie died 1841.

Hugo Muensterberg born 1863.

In every act of ours, in every feeling and every volition and every thought, we are conscious of a self which expresses its aims and meanings. Every idea of ours points beyond itself, every volition binds us in decision, and every experience gets meaning by our attitudes. The most immediate task which life demands from us in the understanding of ourselves and of others is, therefore, to interpret our ideas, to draw the consequences of our will, to appreciate the attitudes, to measure them by higher standards.

—Hugo Muensterberg.

And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness.

—Genesis 1. 26.

My Creator, I pray that I may not only have the desire to know life, but the assurance to live it. Help me to understand that my earthly possessions are not the measure of my life, nor my body the boundary of my living. May I reach for the high standards that are free, without limit, to all. Amen.



JUNE SECOND

Ethelbert baptized 597.

John Randolph born 1773.

Thomas Hardy born 1840.

In battle or business, whatever the game, In law or in love, it is ever the same: In the struggle for power, or scramble for pelf, Let this be your motto: "Rely on yourself."

—John G. Saxe.

Labor is necessary to excellence. This is an eternal truth, although vanity cannot be taught to believe or indolence to heed it.

—John Randolph.

But let each man prove his own work, and then shall he have his glorying in regard of himself alone, and not of his neighbor.

—Galatians 6. 4.

Almighty God, I regret the hours of indiscretion and waste; through thy forgiveness may I have thy help over past wrongs. May I have a deeper conception of a profitable life, that I may hereafter live by it. Amen.



JUNE THIRD

Sydney Smith born 1771.

Dr. John Gregory born 1724.

Richard Cobden born 1804.

Jefferson Davis born 1808.

Norman Macleod born 1812.

Certainly, let the board be spread and let the bed be dressed for the traveler; but let not the emphasis of hospitality lie in these things. Honor to the house where they are simple to the verge of hardship, so that there the intellect is awake and reads the law of the universe, the soul worships truth and love, honor and courtesy flow into all deeds.

—Ralph Waldo Emerson.

Kind actions, and good wishes, and pure thoughts No mystery is here: Here is no boon For high—yet not for low: The smoke ascends To heaven as lightly from the cottage hearth As from the haughtiest palace.

—William Wordsworth.

Given to hospitality.

—Romans 12. 13.

Gracious Father, I beseech thee to give me wisdom for kind thoughts and deeds. Teach me true hospitality, that I may be gracious in my own home and appreciative in the home of others. May I not temper my hospitality for certain reasons, but have a genuine welcome for all. Amen.



JUNE FOURTH

George III born 1738.

Lord Edward Fitzgerald died 1798.

General Garnet Wolseley born 1833.

This is the gospel of labor—ring it, Ye bells of the kirk— The Lord of Love came down from above To live with the men who work. This is the rose he planted, here In the thorn-cursed soil; Heaven is blest with perfect rest, but The blessing of earth is toil.

—Henry van Dyke

No man is born into the world whose work Is not born with him. There is always work And tools to work withal, for those who will; And blessed are the horny hands of toil.

—James Russell Lowell.

Six days thou shalt do thy work, and on the seventh day thou shalt rest.

—Exodus 23. 12.

My Father, I pray for the love of work, and the desire to cultivate life. Stir me, that I may be ambitious. May I not stare at life in an everyday way and forget that others are watching for the surprises. Help me to be considerate and kind in all that I do. Amen.



JUNE FIFTH

Socrates born B.C. 469.

Dr. Adam Smith born 1723.

Karl Maria von Weber died 1826.

O. Henry died 1910.

You think that upon the score of foreknowledge and divining I am infinitely inferior to the swans. When they perceive approaching death they sing more merrily than before, because of the joy they have in going to the God they serve.

—Socrates.

O yet we trust that somehow good Will be the final goal of ill, To pangs of nature, sins of will, Defects of doubt, and taints of blood;

That nothing walks with aimless feet; That not one life shall be destroyed, Or cast as rubbish to the void, When God hath made the pile complete.

—Alfred Tennyson.

How precious is thy lovingkindness, O God! And the children of men take refuge under the shadow of thy wings.

—Psalm 36. 7.

Eternal God, forbid that I should try to set up thy judgment-seat in so small a place as self, and attempt to render decisions for thee. My soul lives anew as I think of thy love, and that there is no place where thy mercy can be withheld from me. Amen.



JUNE SIXTH

Diego R. Velasquez born 1599.

Pierre Corneille born 1606.

Nathan Hale born 1755.

Sir John Stainer born 1840.

These stones that make the meadow brooklet murmur Are the keys on which it plays. O'er every shelving rock its touch grows firmer, Resounding notes to raise.

If every path o'er which footsteps wander, Were smooth as ocean strand, There were no theme for gratitude and wonder At God's delivering hand.

—W. E. Winks.

We also rejoice in our tribulations: knowing that tribulation worketh steadfastness; and steadfastness, approvedness; and approvedness, hope.

—Romans 5. 3, 4.

My Father, if rain may come to-day, may I realize its help, with the power of the sun, to increase life; and may its influence be sweet and wholesome to me, as I learn that sadness is temporary and will disappear with the coming of gladness. May I go search for the joy that may be mine to-day. Amen.



JUNE SEVENTH

Robert Bruce died 1329.

George Bryan (Beau Brummel) born 1778.

Rev. W.D. Conybeare born 1787.

When the lamp is shattered The light in the dust lies dead— When the cloud is scattered The rainbow's glory is shed. When the lute is broken Sweet tones are remembered not; When the lips have spoken Loved accents are soon forgot.

—Percy Bysshe Shelley.

A slip of the rose may take root, and bring forth a bloom to give peace to the soul. A slip of the tongue may take root, and bring forth a thorn that will torture the soul.

—M.B.S.

Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; so neither can ye, except ye abide in me.

—John 15. 4.

Many of us, O Father, overlook the fragrance of the rose while we are being pierced by its thorn. Increase my faith in life and in thee, that I may not be dismayed over mysteries, but sincerely wait for deliverance. Amen.



JUNE EIGHTH

Mohammed died 632.

Thomas Rickman born 1776.

Charles Reade born 1814.

John Everett Millais born 1829.

If one touch of nature makes the whole world kin, methinks that sweet and wonderful thing sympathy is not less powerful. What golden barriers, what ice of centuries, it can melt in a moment!

—Charles Reade.

If I had two loaves of bread, I would sell one to buy white hyacinths to feed my soul.

—Mohammed.

What do you live for if it is not to make life less difficult for each other?

—George Eliot.

Pure religion and undefiled before our God and Father is this, to visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world.

—James 1. 27.

My Father, help me to understand that kind hearts and willing hands are made possible by the depth and greatness of thy love. May I possess the spirit of forgiveness and consideration, that I may not hold prejudice and revenge, but help with sympathy and tenderness. Amen.



JUNE NINTH

George Stephenson born 1781.

John Howard Payne born 1791.

Richard D. Blackmore born 1825.

Charles Dickens died 1870.

Reflect upon your present blessings of which every man has many; not upon your past misfortunes, of which all have some.

—Charles Dickens.

'Mid pleasures and palaces though we may roam, Be it ever so humble, there's no place like home! A charm from the skies seems to hallow us there, Which, sought through the world, is ne'er met with elsewhere. Home! home! sweet, sweet home! There's no place like home!

—John Howard Payne.

For thou shalt forget thy misery; Thou shalt remember it as waters that are passed away.

—Job 11. 16.

Lord God, my soul fills with gratitude for the blessings which I have received and enjoyed. Help me to conform to thy will concerning my duties. May I not try to resist thy providence. I pray that thou wilt bless my daily life, and make my home a place to dispense kindness and cheerfulness. Amen.



JUNE TENTH

Sir Edwin Arnold born 1832.

Henry M. Stanley born 1840.

Edward Everett Hale died 1809.

Robert Schumann born 1810.

What have you done with your soul, my friend? Where is the ray you were wont to send, Glancing bright through the outer night, Touching with hope what was dark before, Glimmering on to the further shore?

—Arthur C. Benson.

God suffers the light to know eclipse, Dashes the cup from the eager lips; You perchance would have drunk too deep.

—Arthur C. Benson.

Lift where you stand.

—Edward Everett Hale.

A friend is the first person who comes in when the whole world has gone out.

—Unknown.

Who comforteth us in all our affliction, that we may be able to comfort them that are in any affliction, through the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God.

—2 Corinthians 1.4.

Almighty God, help me to correct my mistakes, and to be more careful of what I take in my life. May I always stretch out a hand of love to inspire others with confidence to care more for themselves and more for thee. Amen.



JUNE ELEVENTH

Roger Bacon died 1292.

George Wither born 1588.

John Constable born 1776.

Exceeding gifts from God are not blessings, they are duties. They do not always increase a man's happiness; they always increase his responsibilities.

—Charles Kingsley.

Make a rule and pray for help to keep it. Once a day spare room for a thought that will pursue a strong purpose. Help in some way the progress of a weary soul who cannot repay you.

—M. B. S.

There is no true potency, remember, but that of help; nor true ambition, but ambition to save.

—John Ruskin.

And if thou draw out thy soul to the hungry, and satisfy the afflicted soul: then shall thy light rise in darkness, and thine obscurity be as the noon day.

—Isaiah 58. 10.

Heavenly Father, when I think of how little I have given away my heart burns with shame, as I recall what thou hast given to me. May I from this day be more thoughtful of thy tender compassion by being less selfish with what I have. Amen.



JUNE TWELFTH

Harriet Martineau born 1802.

Charles Kingsley born 1819.

Dr. Thomas Arnold (Arnold of Rugby) died 1842.

Sir Oliver Lodge born 1851.

Do to-day's duty, fight to-day's temptation, and do not weaken and distract yourself by looking-forward to things which you cannot see, and could not understand if you saw them.

—Charles Kingsley.

Genuine religion has its roots deep down in the heart of humanity.... The actions of the Deity make no appeal to any special sense. We are deaf and blind, therefore, to the imminent grandeur around us unless we have insight enough to appreciate the whole and to recognize the woven fabric of existence flowing steadily from the loom of an infinite progress toward perfection.

—Sir Oliver Lodge.

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom can be no variation, neither shadow that is cast by turning.

—James 1. 17.

Gracious Father, forbid that I should make thee regret thy gifts to me; and if I have failed to appreciate them, look upon me with pity, for I have cheated myself more than I have thee. Give me a deeper appreciation, that I may be strengthened day by day in the veriest duties of life. Amen.



JUNE THIRTEENTH

Dr. Thomas Young born 1773.

General Winfield Scott born 1786.

Dr. Thomas Arnold (Arnold of Rugby) born 1795.

William Butler Yeats born 1865.

Beyond all wealth, honor, or even health, is the attachment we form to noble souls, because to become one with the good, generous, and true is to become, in a measure, good, generous, and true ourselves.

—Thomas Arnold.

Open thy bosom, set thy wishes wide, and let in manhood—let in happiness; admit the boundless theater of thought from nothing up to God ... which makes a man.

—Thomas Young.

Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their labor. For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow; but woe to him that is alone when he falleth, and hath not another to lift him up.

—Ecclesiastes 4. 9, 10.

Heavenly Father, I thank thee for good friends, and for the delight that dwells in fellowship. Give me the power to apprehend love, and guard me against the ways to lose it. May I look to my friends to help me to be pure, and to help me live my truest life. Amen.



JUNE FOURTEENTH

Carlo Guidi born 1650.

Harriet Beecher Stowe born 1812.

Mary Carpenter died 1877.

When you get into a tight place, and everything goes against you till it seems as if you couldn't hold on a minute longer, never give up then, for that's just the time and place that the tide will turn.

—Harriet Beecher Stowe.

I cannot do it alone, The waves run fast and high, And the fogs close chill around, And the light goes out in the sky; But I know that we two Shall win in the end— God and I.

—Unknown.

Let us hold fast the confession of our hope that it waver not.

—Hebrews 10. 23.

Almighty God, I pray that thou wilt sustain me when I may be enduring for a purpose, and to accomplish it seems beyond my strength. Renew me with courage, and give me unceasing hope, and faith that is able to hold out to the end. Amen.



JUNE FIFTEENTH

Thomas Randolph born 1605.

Edward Grieg born 1843.

Thomas Campbell died 1844.

What is rightly done stays with us, to support another right beyond, or higher up; whatever is wrongly done vanishes; and by the blank, betrays what we would have built above.

—John Ruskin.

The seed ye sow another reaps, The wealth ye find another keeps, The robe ye weave another wears, The arms ye forge another bears.

—Percy Bysshe Shelley.

Thou drewest near in the day that I called upon thee; thou saidst, Fear not. O Lord, thou hast pleaded the causes of my soul; thou hast redeemed my life.

—Lamentations 3. 57, 58.

Lord God, reveal to me my selfishness if I am receiving much and giving little to satisfy life. May I be grateful and considerate of all those who labor to give me comfort and happiness. Amen.



JUNE SIXTEENTH

Hugh Capet succeeds to throne of father 956.

Sir Richard Fanshawe died 1666.

Sir John Cheke born 1514.

When to the sessions of sweet, solemn thought I summon up remembrance of things past, I sigh the lack of many a thing I sought. But if the while I think on thee, dear friend, All losses are restored and sorrows end.

—William Shakespeare.

Seldom can the heart be lonely If it seek a lonelier still— Self-forgetting, seeking only Emptier cups of love to fill.

—F. R. Havergal.

The Lord Jehovah hath given me the tongue of them that are taught, that I may know how to sustain with words him that is weary.

—Isaiah 50. 4.

Gracious Father, keep within me that cheer and courage which never has a place for weary murmurings; and with peace make the hours of solitude profitable as they pass. Help me to seek those who are in need of sympathy and encouragement, that I may help them to have a tranquil life. Amen.



JUNE SEVENTEENTH

Joseph Addison died 1719.

Charles Francois Gounod born 1818.

Sir E. C. Burne-Jones died 1898.

He who plants a tree Plants a hope. Rootlets up through fibers blindly grope, Leaves unfold unto horizons free. So man's life must climb From the clods of time Unto heavens sublime. Canst thou prophesy, thou little tree, What the glory of the boughs shall be?

—Lucy Larcom.

Very early, I perceived that the object of life is to grow.

—Margaret Fuller.

Many a genius has been slow of growth. Oaks that flourish for a thousand years do not spring up into beauty like a reed.

—George Henry Lewes.

And Jesus advanced in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men.

—Luke 2. 52.

Almighty God, thy power is so great I cannot express it; help me to comprehend the meaning of it, that I may feel more profoundly thy expectations of my life. May I remember that to forget that life is eternal may make me to lose all it has grown. Amen.



JUNE EIGHTEENTH

Robert Stewart born 1769.

Battle of Waterloo 1815.