Chapter 12

And where are thy playmates now, O man of sober brow? "Alas! dear joy, the merriest is dead, But I have wed Peace; and our babe, a boy Newborn, is joy."

--John B. Tabb.

Depart from evil, and do good; Seek peace, and pursue it.

--Psalm 34. 14.

Lord God, may I realize more my dependence on thee for the joys of life. I pray that as I accept thy gifts I will not neglect to take the peace and happiness which thou dost give with them. Grant that I may have the bright hope and cheerful courage that is the experience of power and truth. Amen.

AUGUST TWENTY-EIGHTH

Johann W. von Goethe born 1749.

Ormsby MacKnight Mitchel born 1809.

Jones Very born 1813.

Count Lyoff (Leo) Tolstoy born 1828.

Sir Edward Burne-Jones born 1833.

Leigh Hunt died 1859.

All truly wise thoughts have been already thought a thousand times; but to make them truly ours we must think them over again honestly, till they take firm root in our personal experience.

--Goethe.

The light that fills thy house at morn Thou canst not for thyself retain; But all who with thee here are born It bids to share an equal gain.

The wave, the blue encircling wave, No chain can bind, no fetter hold; Its thunders tell of Him who gave What none can ever buy for gold.

--Jones Very.

And the glory which thou hast given me I have given unto them

--John 17. 22.

Father of love, I thank thee for thy daily love and for thy daily bread. May I feel that thy gifts are for all, and not mine to keep and store from those who are in need. Help me as I say, "Thy will be done to me," to so will it to others. Amen.

AUGUST TWENTY-NINTH

John Locke born 1632.

John Fawcett born 1768.

Frederick D. Maurice born 1805.

Oliver Wendell Holmes born 1809.

Maurice Maeterlinck born 1862.

Build thee more stately mansions, O my soul, As the swift seasons roll! Leave thy low-vaulted past! Let each new temple, nobler than the last, Shut thee from heaven with a dome more vast, Till thou at length art free, Leaving thine outgrown shell by life's unresting sea!

--Oliver Wendell Holmes.

We all live in the sublime. Where else can we live? That is the only place of life. Though you have but a little room, do you fancy that God is not there, too, and it is impossible to live therein a life that shall be somewhat lofty? Do you imagine that you can possibly be alone, that love can be a thing one knows, a thing one sees; that events can be weighed like the gold and silver of ransom?

--Maurice Maeterlinck.

My soul waiteth in silence for God only: From him cometh my salvation.

--Psalm 62. 1.

Loving Father, help me to live, that my spirit may always dwell in thy protecting love. Amen.

AUGUST THIRTIETH

Cleopatra died B. C. 30.

William Paley born 1743.

Julian A. Weir born 1852.

Thyself and thy belongings Are not thine own so proper as to waste Thyself upon thy virtues, they on thee. Heaven doth with us as we with torches do, Not light them for themselves; for if our virtues Did not go forth of us, 'twere all alike As if we had them not. Spirits are not finely touched But to fine issues, nor Nature never lends The smallest scruple of her excellence, But, like a thrifty goddess, she determines Herself the glory of a creditor, Both thanks and use.

--William Shakespeare.

Brethren, be ye imitators together of me, and mark them that so walk even as ye have us for an ensample.

--Philippians 3. 17.

My Father, I pray that I may not let my life become commonplace through habit. May I not be content to rest in my virtues and let the days pass neglected. Awaken my dull satisfactions to a desire to live for the greatest, that I may have the greatest to live for. Amen.

AUGUST THIRTY-FIRST

John Bunyan died 1686.

Charles James Lever born 1806.

Theophile Gautier born 1811.

Queen Wilhelmina of Holland born 1880.

Let us be patient, and endure a while; the time may come that God may give us a happy release; but let us not be our own murderers.

--John Bunyan.

He that is down need fear no fall; He that is low no pride; He that is humble ever shall Have God to be his guide.

--John Bunyan.

Time delivers fools from grief and reason wise men.

--Epictetus.

For our light affliction, which is for the moment, worketh for us more and more exceedingly an eternal weight of glory.

--2 Corinthians 4. 17.

My Lord, if I may be walking through fields that are rough with grief and care, may I have the courage to continue on to the smooth pastures, where I may walk with comfort and peace. May I not let the weariness and sorrow that may come to my heart to-day dwarf my hope and enjoyment of the future. Amen.

SEPTEMBER

Go forth at eventide, The eventide of summer, when the trees Yield their frail honors to the passing breeze, And woodland paths with autumn tints are dyed; When the mild sun his paling luster shrouds In gorgeous draperies of golden clouds, Then wander forth, mid beauty and decay, To meditate alone--alone to watch and pray.

--Emma C. Embury.

SEPTEMBER FIRST

Edward Alleyn born 1566.

Lydia Sigourney born 1791.

James Gordon Bennett, Sr., born 1795.

William Stanley Jevons born 1835.

O ye, who proudly boast, In your veins, the blood of sires like these, Look to their lineaments. Dread lest ye lose Their likeness in your sons. Should mammon cling Too close around your heart, or wealth beget That bloated luxury which eats the core From manly virtue, or the tempting world Make faint the Christian purpose in your soul, Turn ye to Plymouth Rock, and where they knelt Kneel, and renew the vow they breathed to God.

--Lydia Sigourney.

Educate children without religion, and you make a race of clever devils.

--Duke of Wellington.

Remember his covenant for ever, The word which he commanded to a thousand generations.

--1 Chronicles 16. 15.

O Lord of wisdom, kindle me with a love for true knowledge, that I may strive, in the moments I have now, to culture my life. Not by might, not by power, but by thy spirit, O Lord, may I learn and teach thy children. Amen.

SEPTEMBER SECOND

John Howard born 1726.

Henry George born 1839.

George R. Sims born 1842.

Eugene Field born 1850.

Newell Dwight Hillis born 1858.

And thus we sat in darkness, Each one busy in his prayer; "We are lost!" the captain shouted, As he staggered down the stair. But the little daughter whispered, As she took his icy hand, "Isn't God upon the ocean, Just the same as on the land?"

--Eugene Field.

Happiness is through helpfulness. Every morning let us build a booth to shelter some one from life's fierce heat. Every noon let us dig some life-spring for thirsty lips.

--Newell Dwight Hillis.

Jehovah is nigh unto all them that call upon him, To all that call upon, him in truth.

--Psalm 145. 18.

Heavenly Father, may I live that my spirit may never feel lost from thee; and when I am in great need of thee, even unto death, may I know that thou art very near. Amen.

SEPTEMBER THIRD

Oliver Cromwell died 1658.

George Lillo died 1739.

Bishop James Harrington born 1847.

Sarah Orne Jewett born 1849.

Love thyself last: cherish those hearts that hate thee: Corruption wins not more than honesty. Still in thy right hand carry peace, To silence envious tongues. Be just and fear not: Let all the ends thou aim'st at be thy country's, Thy God's and truth's; then if thou fallest, O Cromwell, Thou fallest a blessed martyr.

--William Shakespeare.

Surely, the only true knowledge of our fellow man is that which enables us to feel with him, which gives us a fine ear for the heart-pulses that are beating under the mere clothes of circumstance and opinion.

--George Eliot.

With all lowliness and meekness, with long-suffering, forbearing one another in love.

--Ephesians 4. 2.

Lord, give thy people consistency of judgment, one heart, and mutual love; and go on to deliver them, and with the work of the reformation; and make the name of Christ glorious in the world. Teach those who look too much on thy instruments to depend more upon thyself. Pardon the folly of this short prayer: Even for Christ's sake. And give us a good night, if it be thy pleasure. Amen.

--Prayer by Oliver Cromwell, just before death.

SEPTEMBER FOURTH

Pindar, poet, born B. C. 522.

William E. Dodge born 1805.

Phoebe Cary born 1824.

Sir Wilfred Lawson born 1829.

I ask not wealth, but power to take And use the things I have, aright; Not years, but wisdom that shall make My life a profit and delight.

--Phcebe Gary.

Another day may bring another mind, A mind to learn when there is none to teach; To follow when no leader we can find; To enjoy when good is now beyond our reach.

A better mind, but not a better time, A mind to will, but not a time to do What had been done, if we in life's bright prime, When God was ready, had been ready too.

--Thomas T. Lynch.

Give diligence to present thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed.

--2 Timothy 2. 15.

My Father, help me to have lofty thoughts, and may I not be content until they are carried into purpose. Help me to conquer that which will keep me from an act of happiness, and grant that by thinking of that which is pure, and doing that which is good, I may be made helpful and true. Amen.

SEPTEMBER FIFTH

Catherine Parr died 1548.

Cardinal Richelieu born 1585.

Robert Fergusson born 1750.

Giacomo Meyerbeer born 1791.

Richard C. Trench born 1807.

Be patient! O, be patient! Put your ear against the earth; Listen there how noiselessly the germ o' the seed has birth-- How noiselessly and gently it upheaves its little way, Till it parts the scarcely broken ground, and the blade stands up in day.

Be patient! O, be patient!--though yet our hopes are green, The harvest fields of freedom shall be crowned with sunny sheen. Be ripening! be ripening--mature your silent way, Till the whole broad land is tongued with fire on freedom's harvest day.

--Richard C. Trench.

And let patience have its perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, lacking in nothing.

--James 1. 4.

Gracious Father, help me to see the truth as thou hast made it, and may I not be indifferent to the beauty and patience of the earth's revelations. May I not mistake indolence for patient ambition, which I would have for anxious hours, and which I need for my heart's desires. Amen.

SEPTEMBER SIXTH

Moses Mendelssohn born 1729.

Marquis de Lafayette born 1757.

Jane Addams born 1860.

God will not seek thy race, Nor will he ask thy birth; Alone he will demand of thee, What hast thou done on earth?

--Persian.

One dreams of the time when the interest and capacity of each person shall be studied with reference to the industry about to be undertaken.

--Jane Addams.

Honor is purchased by deeds we do, honor is not won, until some honorable deed is done.

--Sir Christopher Marlowe.

In diligence not slothful; fervent in spirit; serving the Lord.

--Romans 12. 11.

Gracious Father, wilt thou bring to my mind and heart the important things which are needed in preparing life. Help me to use the strength that is given to me for to-day, that I may not have to give to-morrow to learning what I should have known. Amen.

SEPTEMBER SEVENTH

Queen Elizabeth born 1533.

Comte de Buffon born 1707.

Victorien Sardou born 1831.

Hannah More died 1833.

John G. Whittier died 1892.

Side by side In the low sunshine by the turban stone They knelt; each made his brother's woe his own, Forgetting, in the agony and stress Of pitying love, his claim of selfishness; Peace, for his friend besought, his own became; His prayers were answered in another's name; And when at last they rose up to embrace, Each saw God's pardon in his brother's face.

--John G. Whittier.

My care is like my shadow in the sun, Follows me flying, flies when I pursue it; Stands and lies by me, does what I have done, This too familiar care does make me rue it. No means I find to rid him from my breast, Till by the end of things it be suppressed.

--Queen Elizabeth.

Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.

--Galatians 6. 2.

Lord God, help me to look for those who are in need of help. Forgive me for my failures, and may I gather up my broken promises and try to redeem them. I ask for thy forgiveness, as I ask that thou wilt help me to forgive them who may have trespassed against me. Amen.

SEPTEMBER EIGHTH

Richard Coeur de Lion born 1157.

A.W. Schlegel born 1767.

Antonin Dvorak born 1841.

All service ranks the same with God,-- With God, whose puppets, best and worst, Are we: there is no last nor first.

--Robert Browning.

Thou needest not man's little life of years, Save that he gather wisdom from them all; That in thy fear he lose all other fears, And in thy calling heed no other call. Then shall he be thy child to know thy care, And in thy Self the eternal Sabbath share.

--Jones Very.

He that keepeth the commandment keepeth his soul; But he that is careless of his ways shall die. --Proverbs 191. 6.

My Lord, forbid that I should want to live to be known only for power and pride. Help me to strive for that which is helpful and lovely. May I never be restrained from thee, but delight to follow in thy way. Help me to be obedient to thy laws, that I may learn thy truths. Amen.

SEPTEMBER NINTH

Battle of Flodden.

James the Fourth of Scotland killed 1513.

Luigi Galvani born 1737.

Then welcome each rebuff That turns earth's smoothness rough, Each sting that bids nor sit, nor stand but go! Be our joys three-parts pain! Strive and hold cheap the strain; Learn, nor account the pang; dare, never grudge the throe.

--Robert Browning.

Life without industry is guilt; and industry without art is brutality.

--John Ruskin.

Blessed is the man that endureth temptation; for when he hath been approved, he shall receive the crown of life.

--James 1. 12.

Almighty God, help me as I start this day to remember how easy it is to drive the peace from it. May I do my best to keep it, and defy any indolence or disposition, that may make me spoil it. May I lay me down at night in peace and sleep because of the contentment that has filled the hours. Amen.

SEPTEMBER TENTH

William the Conqueror died 1087.

Dr. Thomas Sheridan died 1788.

Mungo Park born 1771.

Mrs. Godwin (Mary Wollstonecraft) died 1797.

Let the wind blow east, west, north, or south, the immortal soul will take its flight to the destined point.

--Thomas Sheridan.

He is void of true taste who strives to have his house admired by decorating it with showish outside; but to adorn our character by gentleness of a communicative temper is a proof of good taste and good nature

--Epictetus.

Let fortune empty her whole quiver on me. I have a soul that, like an empty shield, Can take it all, and verge enough for more.

--Thomas Dryden.

The Lord will deliver me from every evil work, and will save me unto his heavenly kingdom.

--2 Timothy 4. 18.

Almighty God, I bless thee that it is thou who brought me to live on earth; and I rejoice that it is thou who wilt judge my life when thou takest me away. May I be saving thy rich gifts that I may not be found poor; and may I be worthy to receive thine inheritance and hear thee say, "Well done." Amen.

SEPTEMBER ELEVENTH

Battle of Marathon B. C. 490.

William Lowth born 1661.

James Thomson born 1700.

But what is virtue but repose of mind, A pure ethereal calm, that knows no storm; Above the reach of wild ambitious wind, Above the passions that this world deform.

--James Thomson.

And if I pray, the only prayer That moves my lips for me Is, "Leave the heart that now I bear, And give me liberty!"

Yes, as my swift days near their goal, 'Tis all that I implore; In life and death, a chainless soul With courage to endure.

--Emily Brontë.

Cast not away therefore your boldness, which hath great recompense of reward.

--Hebrews 10. 35.

Tender Father, may I pause this morning to look at that which I keep uppermost in my life; and if it may not be worthy of thy esteem, may I be bold enough to revise my ideals. With thy compassion may I free my heart and mind of all unworthiness, and be given endurance to restore the empty places. Amen.

SEPTEMBER TWELFTH

Jean-Philippe Rameau born 1693.

Griffith Jones died 1786.

Charles Dudley Warner born 1829.

Our duty is to be useful, not according to our desires, but according to our powers.

--Amiel.

How good is man's life, the mere living! how fit to employ All the heart and the soul and the senses for ever in joy!

--Robert Browning.

Do something! No man is born with a mortgage on his soul; but every man is born a debtor to Time. Meet this obligation before you find too late that your life is impoverished and you cannot redeem it.

--M.B.S.

Let him labor, working with his hands the thing that is good, that he may have whereof to give to him that hath need.

--Ephesians 4. 28.

My Father, what I have left out of my life I know I cannot recover now. I pray that I may give the best to what is left. Make me deliberate, that I may prove my earnestness. Make me industrious, that I may use my best resources to develop my life and further thy kingdom. Amen.

SEPTEMBER THIRTEENTH

William Cecil born 1520.

Michael de Montaigne died 1592.

General Wolfe died 1759.

Charles James Fox died 1806.

And thou, O river of to-morrow, flowing Between thy narrow adamantine walls, But beautiful, and white with waterfalls And wreaths of mist, like hands the pathway showing; I hear the trumpets of the morning blowing.

It is the mystery of the unknown That fascinates us; we are children still, Wayward and wistful; with one hand we cling To the familiar things we call our own, And with the other, resolute of will, Grope in the dark for what the day will bring.

--Henry W. Longfellow.

Behold, happy is the man whom God correcteth.

--Job 5. 17.

Almighty God, I pray that thou wilt help me to correct my life to-day that I may know a better way to-morrow; and may I be mindful and try to do right. Grant that I may be patient and kind if I may be sick or in need, and always keep uppermost the faith of deliverance and eternal care. Amen.

SEPTEMBER FOURTEENTH

Alighieri Dante died 1321.

Alexander Baron von Humboldt born 1769.

Julia Magruder born 1854.

Charles Dana Gibson born 1867.

Since it is Providence that determines the fates of men, their inner nature is thus brought into unison. There is such harmony, as in all things of nature, that one might explain the whole without referring to a higher Providence. But this only proves the more clearly and certainly this higher Providence, which has given existence to this harmony.

--Wilhelm von Humboldt.

The good mariner, when he draws near the port, furls his sails and enters it softly; so ought we to lower the sails of our worldly operations, and turn to God with all heart and understanding.

--Dante.

Thy righteousness is like the mountains of God; Thy judgments are a great deep: O Jehovah, thou preservest man and beast.

--Psalm 36. 6.

My Father in heaven, may I hear thy voice to-day! May I be quiet as I listen to thee. Above the clamor of the crowd may I hear thee calling me. May I hear thee in my joys and in my sorrows; in my work and in my leisure. May I listen to thee oftener, that I may be familiar with thy ways. Amen.

SEPTEMBER FIFTEENTH

James Fenimore Cooper born 1789.

Louis Joseph Martel born 1813.

Porfirio Diaz born 1830.

William Howard Taft, Ohio, twenty-sixth President United States, born 1857.

Friendship is one of the cheapest and most accessible of pleasures; it requires no outlay and no very serious expenditure of time or trouble. It is quite easy to make friends, if one wants to... There is surely no greater pleasure in the world than to feel one is needed, welcomed, missed, and loved.

--Arthur C. Benson.

"Friendship is love without his wings."

--William H. Taft (from Byron).

Without sympathy, in the highest sense of intellectual penetration, kindness may be a folly, and intended aid, oppression.

--John Ruskin.

He that maketh many friends doeth it to his own destruction; but there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother.

--Proverbs 18. 24.

My Father, may I know the delight of true friendship which is responsive and sincere. May I never feel so secure in myself that I will cease to want friends, or be so dependent on others that I will be continually seeking them. May I understand the value of having a stanch friend and of being one. Amen.

SEPTEMBER SIXTEENTH

Gabriel D. Fahrenheit died 1736.

W. Augustus Muhlenberg born 1796.

Francis Parkman born 1823.

Yes, to this thought I hold with firm persistence-- The last result of wisdom stamps it true: He only earns his freedom and existence Who daily conquers them anew.

--Goethe.

For thee hath been dawning Another blue day; Look how thou let it Slip empty away.

--Goethe.

Happy the man, and happy he alone, Who can call to-day his own: He who, secure within, can say, "To-morrow, do thy worst, for I have lived to-day."

--John Dryden.

Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of Jehovah is risen upon thee.

--Isaiah 60. 1.

Gracious Father, help me to be alert this morning and select the noblest that is in to-day. May I be diligent and not find in the evening that I have been unworthy of the day. Amen.

SEPTEMBER SEVENTEENTH

Samuel Prout born 1783.

Dr. John Kidd died 1851.

Walter Savage Landor died 1864.

In the hour of distress and misery the eye of every mortal turns to friendship; in the hour of gladness and conviviality, what is your want? It is friendship. When the heart overflows with gratitude or with other sweet and sacred sentiment, what is the word to which it would give utterance? A friend.

--Walter Savage Landor.

The hurried quest of some people to get hold of new friends is so perpetual that they never have time to get acquainted with anyone.

--M.B.S.

Thine own friend, and thy father's friend, forsake not; And go not to thy brother's house in the day of thy calamity: Better is a neighbor that is near than a brother far off.

--Proverbs 27. 10.

My Lord and my Friend, I pray that my sympathy may be sincere and comforting, and with a glad heart I may bring rejoicing to my friends. May I learn from thee how I may be a permanent friend. Amen.

SEPTEMBER EIGHTEENTH

Trajan, Roman emperor, born 1584.

James Shirley born 1596.

Samuel Johnson born 1709.

Joseph Story born 1779.

There is no greater happiness than to be able to look on a life usefully and virtuously employed: to trace our own purposes in existence by such tokens that excite neither shame nor sorrow.

--Dr. Johnson.

The perfect poise that comes-from self-control, The poetry of action, rhythmic, sweet-- The unvexed music of the body and soul That the Greeks dreamed of, made at last complete. Our stumbling lives attain not such a bliss; Too often, while the air we vainly beat, Love's perfect law of liberty we miss.

--Annie Matheson.

Brethren, I have lived before God in all good conscience until this day.

--Acts 23. 1.