Chapter 14

The man who melts With social sympathy though not allied, Is than a thousand kinsmen of more worth.

--Euripides.

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

--2 Corinthians 1. 4.

Heavenly Father, thou hast made sympathy divine. May I never make it commonplace. Grant that as thou dost bless and comfort me I may be willing to comfort others, and do whatsoever thou wouldst have me do. Amen.

OCTOBER TWELFTH

Columbus discovered America 1492.

Lyman Beecher born 1775.

George W. Cable born 1844.

Helena Modjeska born 1844.

One poor day! Remember whose and how short it is! It is God's day, it is Columbus's. One day with life and heart is more than time enough to found a world.

--James Russell Lowell.

An illusion haunts us, that a long duration, as a year, a decade, a century, is valuable. But an old French sentence says, "God works in moments." We ask for long life, but 'tis deep life or grand moments that signify. Let the measure of Time be spiritual, not mechanical. Life is unnecessarily long. Moments of insight, of fine personal relation, a smile, a glance--what ample borrowers of eternity they are!

--Ralph Waldo Emerson.

One day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.

--2 Peter 3. 8.

My Father, I pray that when the "sun sets to-day my hope may not set with it." Be with me earlier than the dawn, that I may plan with thee a new day. I pray that thou wilt release me from anything that keeps me from reaching the highest. Amen.

OCTOBER THIRTEENTH

Theodore Beza died 1605.

Murat, King of Naples, shot 1815.

Elizabeth Fry died 1845.

What stronger breast-plate than a heart untainted! Thrice is he armed that hath his quarrel just, And he but naked, though locked up in steel, Whose conscience with injustice is corrupted.

--William Shakespeare.

A man's accusations of himself are always believed, his praises never.

--Montaigne.

Justice needs that two be heard.

--From Goethe's Autobiography.

That which is altogether just shalt thou follow, that thou mayest live.

--Deuteronomy 16. 20.

Lord of justice, if I may be influenced this morning by doubt and am inclined to be resentful, wilt thou cause me to have a generous spirit and keep my faith. May I never descend to anything base or deceitful, but may I remember that if I lay down my life, I may have the power to take it up again. Amen.

OCTOBER FOURTEENTH

William Penn born 1644.

James Fenimore Cooper died 1851.

Duke of Wellington died 1852.

Do good with what thou hast, or it will do thee no good. If thou wouldst be happy, bring thy mind to thy condition, and have an indifferency for more than what is sufficient.

--William Penn.

The finest fruit earth holds up to its Maker is a finished man.

--Humboldt.

I considered Napoleon's presence in the field equal to forty men in the balance.

--Duke of Wellington.

What is man, that thou art mindful of him? And the son of man, that thou visitest him? For thou hast made him but little lower than God, And crownest him with glory and honor.

--Psalm 8. 4, 5.

Eternal God, may I know the value of the gift of life. May I think seriously of it, and not through abuse or neglect cripple it, remembering that it is mine to sow, to grow, and to reap. I pray that I may care more for the food and raiment of my soul than I care for the food and raiment of my body. Amen.

OCTOBER FIFTEENTH

Virgil born B.C. 70.

Evangelista Torricelli born 1608.

Edward Fitzgerald born 1763.

Being not unacquainted with woe, I learned to help the unfortunate.

--Virgil.

There are some hearts like wells green-mossed and deep As ever summer saw, And cool their water is, yea, cool and sweet; But you must come to draw. They hoard not, yet they rest in calm content, And not unsought will give; They can be quiet with their wealth unspent, So self-contained they live.

--Author unknown.

For out of much affliction and anguish of heart I wrote unto you with many tears; not that ye should be made sorry, but that ye might know the love which I have more abundantly unto you.

--2 Corinthians 2. 4.

Gracious Father, help me to understand that while I may be content to rest with what I have gathered, I cannot preserve the strength of my soul unless I share my possessions. Give me a passion for humanity that will advance gifts through love, and offer service without the need of an appeal. Amen.

OCTOBER SIXTEENTH

Bishop Hugh Latimer burned at Oxford 1555.

Albrecht von Haller born 1708.

Noah Webster born 1758.

Robert Stephenson born 1803.

As ships meet at sea--a moment together, when words of greeting must be spoken, and then away upon the deep--so men meet in this world; and I think we should cross no man's path without hailing him, and if he needs, giving him supplies.

--Henry Ward Beecher.

Nothing is more unaccountable than the spell that often lurks in a spoken word. A thought may be present to the mind, and two minds conscious of the same thought, but as long as it remains unspoken their familiar talk flows quietly over the hidden idea.

--Nathaniel Hawthorne.

And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others?

--Matthew 5. 47.

Heavenly Father, I pray that thou wilt give me a generous heart. May I not lose sight of the truth, that thou hast made others to have the same needs and wants that I may have. May I not through pride or egoism fail to help, and neglecting to speak, miss an opportunity to assist. May I be self-forgetful in friendly service. Amen.

OCTOBER SEVENTEENTH

Andreas Osiander died 1552.

Frederic Chopin died 1849.

Good name, in man or woman, dear my Lord, Is the immediate jewel of their souls; Who steals my purse, steals trash; 'tis something, nothing; 'Twas mine, 'tis his, and has been slave to thousands; But he that filches from me my good name Robs me of that which not enriches him, And makes me poor indeed.

--William Shakespeare.

Keep back your tears when a soul is untrue; "Sorrow is shallow"; and one can wade through The mud and the marshes, and still endure If he finds he has kept his spirit pure.

The rose near died when it fell to its lot To break its heart for forget-me-not; But after its heart was healed by the dew, Right by its side a sweet violet grew!

--M.B.S.

A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches, And loving favor rather than silver and gold.

--Proverbs 22. 1.

My Father, teach me the value of the possessions that can neither be handled nor seen; and may I not take them away from others. Help me to keep thy commandment "Thou shalt not steal," and interpret it in all its relations to life. Amen.

OCTOBER EIGHTEENTH

Matthew Henry born 1662.

Margaret (Peg) Woffington born 1720.

Helen Hunt Jackson born 1831.

Frederick Harrison born 1831.

Yet I argue not against heaven's hand or will, nor bate a jot of heart of hope;, but still bear up and steer right onward.

--John Milton.

Write it on your heart that every day is the best day in the year. No man has learned anything rightly until he knows that every day is doomsday.

--Ralph Waldo Emerson.

He mourns that day so soon has glided by: E'en like the passage of an angel's tear That falls through the clear ether silently.

--John Keats.

I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will counsel thee with mine eye upon thee.

--Psalm 32. 8.

My Father, if I may be living in bad habits, help me to get out of them. If I may be neglectful of good deeds, help me to get at them. May I reach for the highest purposes as I search for the realities, and may I not delay, but start to-day. Amen.

OCTOBER NINETEENTH

Dean (Jonathan) Swift died 1745.

Leigh Hunt born 1784.

Henry Kirke White died 1806.

Don't look too hard except for something agreeable; we can find all the disagreeable things we want, between our own hats and boots.

--Leigh Hunt.

Instead of a gem or a flower, cast the gift of a lovely thought into the heart of a friend.

--George Macdonald.

For the want of common discretion the very end of good breeding is wholly perverted; and civility, intended to make us easy, is employed in laying chains and fetters upon us, in debarring our wishes, and in crossing our most reasonable desires and inclinations.

--Jonathan Swift.

If it be possible, as much as in you lieth, be at peace with all men.

--Romans 12. 18.

My Lord, help me to adjust my life to what I ought to be, rather than be content in what I am. May I not spend my time in dreaming of obstacles, or searching for things that hurt, but may I be gentle and kind, and as I see the truth speak for it and follow it. Amen.

OCTOBER TWENTIETH

Sir Christopher Wren born 1632.

Thomas Hughes born 1823.

Charles Dudley Warner died 1900.

There has always seemed to me something impious in the neglect of health. I could not do half the good I do if it were not for the strength and activity some consider coarse and degrading.

--Charles Kingsley.

To keep well drink often, but water; Eat not that which makes life shorter; But first, with all your might and skill, Just chain your habits to your will.

--M.B.S.

I will be lord over myself. No one who cannot master himself is worthy to rule, and only he can rule.

--Goethe.

Know ye not that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit which is in you, which ye have from God?

--1 Corinthians 6. 19.

Lord God, may I not wait until I am afflicted and cannot use them to thank thee for my blessings. Guard me against infirmities that are brought on through indulgences, and help me to control my life. May I never forget that regret will not retrieve the life that is spent, even if it brings forgiveness and hope for the days to come. Amen.

OCTOBER TWENTY-FIRST

Samuel Taylor Coleridge born 1772.

Alphonse Lamartine born 1790.

Samuel F. Smith born 1808.

Will Carleton born 1845.

He prayeth best who loveth best All things both great and small; For the dear God who loveth us, He made and loveth all.

--Samuel Taylor Coleridge.

We thank thee, O Father, for all that is bright-- The gleam of the day and the stars of the night, The flowers of our youth and the fruits of our prime, And the blessings that march down the pathway of time.

--Will Carleton.

Thanklessness is a parching wind, drying up the fountain of pity, the dew of mercy, the streams of grace. For doth not that rightly seem to be lost which is given to one ungrateful?

--Saint Bernard.

O give thanks unto Jehovah; for he is good; For his lovingkindness endureth for ever.

--Psalm 136. 1.

My Father, help me to understand that I cannot have self-development unless the spirit of truth drills my character. Cleanse my heart from all impurity, and strengthen me for all usefulness: help me to daily live this prayer. Amen.

OCTOBER TWENTY-SECOND

Charles Martel died 741.

Franz Liszt born 1811.

George Eliot born 1819.

Sarah Bernhardt born 1844.

O may I join the choir invisible Of those immortal dead who live again In minds made better by their presence: live In pulses stirred to generosity, In deeds of daring rectitude, in scorn For miserable aims that end with self, In thoughts sublime that pierce the night like stars, And with their mild persistence urge man's search To vaster issues.

This is life to come, Which martyred men have made more glorious For us to strive to follow. May I reach That purest heaven, be to other souls The cup of strength in some great agony, Enkindle generous ardor, feed pure love, Beget the smiles that have no cruelty, Be the sweet presence of a good diffused, And in diffusion ever more intense! So shall I join the choir invisible Whose music is the gladness of the world.

--George Eliot.

And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish.

--John 10. 28.

My Father, I pray that I may be more generous with my smiles and gladness, and more saving with my tears and sadness. Amen.

OCTOBER TWENTY-THIRD

Anne Oldfield died 1730.

Robert Bridges born 1844.

Mollie Elliot Seawell born 1860.

O youth whose hope is high, Who doth to truth aspire, Whether thou live or die, O look not back nor tire.

Thou that art bold to fly Through tempest, flood and fire, Nor dost not shrink to try Thy heart in torments dire--

If thou canst Death defy, If thy faith is entire, Press onward, for thine eye Shall see thy heart's desire.

--Robert Bridges.

Doubt indulged becomes doubt realized. To determine to do anything is half the battle. Courage is victory, timidity is defeat.

--Nelson.

And thou, son of man, be not afraid of them, neither be afraid of their words, though briers and thorns are with thee, and thou dost dwell among scorpions.

--Ezekiel 2. 6.

Gracious Father, try me again by the courage I have to-day, if thou art judging me by the fear I held yesterday. Help me to see that wavering is misleading and temperament is deceptive. May I learn self-control. Amen.

OCTOBER TWENTY-FOURTH

Hugh Capet died 996.

Sir Moses Montefiore born 1784.

Daniel Webster died 1852.

Exceeding peace made Ben Adhem bold, And to the presence in the room he said, "What writest thou?" The vision raised its head, And, with a look made of all sweet accord, Answered, "The names of those who love the Lord." "And is mine one?" said Abou. "Nay, not so," Replied the angel. Abou spoke more low, But cheerily still; and said, "I pray thee, then, Write me as one that loves his fellow men."

The angel wrote, and vanished. The next night It came again, with a great awakening light, And showed the names whom love of God had blessed-- And, lo! Ben Adhem's name led all the rest!

--Leigh Hunt.

Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and will show thee great things.

--Jeremiah 33. 3.

Lord God, may I keep within my heart that secret sympathy that adds to the power of life. Help me to seek the things that are real, and not be deceived by the things which only appear to be. May all with whom I have to do feel the better for my companionship. Amen.

OCTOBER TWENTY-FIFTH

Geoffrey Chaucer died 1400.

William Hogarth died 1764.

George W. Faber born 1773.

Thomas B. Macaulay born 1800.

Wav'ring as winds the breath of fortune blows, No power can turn it, and no prayers compose. Deep in some hermit's solitary cell, Repose, and ease, and contemplation dwell. Let conscience guide thee in the days of need, Judge well thy own, and then thy neighbor's deed.

--Geoffrey Chaucer.

To every man upon this earth Death cometh soon or late; And how can man die better Than facing fearful odds, For the ashes of his fathers And the temples of his gods.

--Thomas B. Macaulay.

Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.

--Matthew 20. 28.

Heavenly Father, help me to remember that I am to cover life's journey, even though I may go the way carelessly and aimlessly. May I make an estimate of what I am losing, by waiting so long at the resting places, "For the road winds up hill all the way to the end, and the journey takes the whole day long, from morn to night." Amen.

OCTOBER TWENTY-SIXTH

Dr. Philip Doddridge died 1751.

Count Von Moltke born 1800.

Elizabeth Cady Stanton died 1902.

One of the notable eddies of the present-day world currents is what has been loosely called the "Woman Movement." The sensitive and vicarious spirit of womanhood has been enlisted for service in behalf of those who have been denied a fair chance, or who are the victims of oppression, greed, and ignorance.

--William T. Ellis.

And whether consciously or not, you must be in many a heart enthroned: queens you must always be: queens to your lovers; queens to your husbands and sons; queens of higher mystery to the world beyond, which bows itself, and will forever bow, before the myrtle crown, and the stainless scepter of womanhood.

--John Ruskin.

O woman, great is thy faith: be it done unto thee even as thou wilt.

--Matthew 15. 28.

Lord and Master of all, I pray that thou wilt make me see through my prejudices and beyond my desires to the very "top of my condition." May I not wait for places or circumstances that are dimly in the distance or that are near at hand, but accomplish the work I should do to-day. Amen.

OCTOBER TWENTY-SEVENTH

James Cook born 1728.

Nicolo Paganini born 1782.

Theodore Roosevelt, New York, twenty-fifth President United States, born 1858.

The vice of envy is not only a dangerous, but a mean vice; for it is always a confession of inferiority. It may promote conduct which will be fruitful of wrong to others, and it must cause misery to the man who feels it.

--Theodore Roosevelt.

Of all the passions, jealousy is that which exacts the hardest service, and pays the bitterest wages. Its service is to watch the success of one's enemy; its wages to be sure of it.

--C.C. Colton.

Dear to me is the friend, yet I can also make use of an enemy. The friend shows me what I can do, the foe teaches me what I should.

--Schiller.

Let us not become vainglorious, provoking one another.

--Galatians 5. 26.

Almighty God, I would ask thee that my days be filled with aspiration, and that my heart may know no envy. Help me to love humanity. May I be so glad of the success of others that I may never know what it is to be envious. Amen.

OCTOBER TWENTY-EIGHTH

Desiderius Erasmus born 1465.

John Locke died 1704.

Georges Jacques Danton born 1759.

Not so in haste, my heart! Have faith in God and wait; Although he linger long, He never comes too late.

Until he cometh, rest, Nor grudge the hours that roll; The feet that wait for God Are soonest at the goal;

Are soonest at the goal That is not gained by speed; Then hold thee still, my heart, For I shall wait his lead.

--Bayard Taylor.

It is good that a man should hope and quietly wait for the salvation of Jehovah.

--Lamentations 3. 26.

Lord of life, may I pause to remember that rest may not be obtained with wretched thoughts, nor can it be enjoyed in discontent. In my moments of rest wilt thou show me how to relax, and with tranquillity may I gather hope for renewed ambition. Amen.

OCTOBER TWENTY-NINTH

Sir Walter Raleigh beheaded 1618.

James Boswell born 1740.

John Keats born 1795.

Thomas Bayard born 1828.

Thomas Edward Brown died 1897.

Rise, O my soul, with thy desires to heaven, And with divinest contemplation use Thy time where time's eternity is given, And let vain thoughts no more thy thoughts abuse; But down in darkness let them lie: So live thy better, let thy worse thoughts die!

--Sir Walter Raleigh.

The great elements we know of are no mean comforters; the open sky sits upon our senses like a sapphire crown--the air is our robe of state, the Earth is our throne, and the Sea a mighty minstrel playing before it.

--John Keats.

Ah Lord Jehovah! behold, thou hast made the heavens and the earth by thy great power and by thine outstretched arm; there is nothing too hard for thee.

--Jeremiah 32. 17.

Almighty God, I thank thee for the power that gives me the breath of life. May I be willing to be controlled by its guiding care. Amen.

OCTOBER THIRTIETH

Rev. John Whitaker died 1808.

John Adams, Massachusetts, second President United States, born 1735.

Adelaide Anne Procter born 1825.

And yet thou canst know, And yet thou canst not see; Wisdom and sight are slow In poor humanity. If thou couldst trust, poor soul, In Him who rules the whole, Thou wouldst find peace and rest; Wisdom and right are well, but trust is best.

--Adelaide Anne Procter.

The heart to speak in vain essayed, Nor could his purpose reach-- His will nor voice nor tongue obeyed, His silence was his speech.

--John Quincy Adams.

But still believe that story wrong Which ought not to be true.

--Richard Brinsley Sheridan.

Blessed is the man that maketh Jehovah his trust.

--Psalm 40. 4.

My Father, may I not be given to unkindly speech. Deliver me from a critical spirit; and may I not encourage mistrust, but cultivate the kindly considerations in which life abounds. Amen.

OCTOBER THIRTY-FIRST

All Hallow's Eve.

John Evelyn born 1620.

Christopher Anstey born 1724.

Ere, in the northern gale The summer tresses of the trees are gone, The woods of autumn, all around our vale, Have put their glory on.

The mountains that unfold, In their wide sweep, the colored landscape round, Seem groups of giant kings, in purple and gold, That guard the enchanted ground.

Ah! 'twere a lot too blessed Forever in thy colored shades to stray; Amid the kisses of the soft southwest To rove and dream for aye;

And leave the vain low strife That makes men mad; the tug for wealth and power, The passions and the cares that wither life, And waste its little hour.

--William Cullen Bryant.

Let the field exult, and all that is therein; Then shall all the trees of the wood sing for joy.

--Psalm 96. 12.

My Father, may I have an appreciation of the wonderful creations of the earth. Give me a discriminating eye, that I may know the precious things that thou art growing; and throughout my life may I love the beautiful, and choose that which will make my life worthy of growth. Amen.

NOVEMBER

Who said November's face was grim? Who said her voice was harsh and sad? I heard her sing in wood paths dim, I met her on the shore so glad, So smiling, I could kiss her feet! There never was a month so sweet.

--Lucy Larcom.

NOVEMBER FIRST

Sir Matthew Hale born 1609.

William M. Chase born 1849.

Sir Robert Grant died 1892.

O worship the King, all glorious above, O gratefully sing his power and his love; Our Shield and Defender, the ancient of days, Pavilioned in splendor, and girded with praise.

Thy bountiful care what tongue can recite? It breathes in the air, it shines in the light; It streams from the hills, it descends to the plain, And sweetly distills in the dew and the rain.

--Robert Grant.

Ye shall walk in all the way which Jehovah your God hath commanded you, that ye may live, and that it may be well with you, and that ye may prolong your days in the land which ye shall possess.

--Deuteronomy 5. 33.

Almighty God, help me to make my life refulgent while I have the abundance of summer, that I may not find the November of life bleak and barren. Help me to live in the realities of life, that I may gain energy and repose, to use for the lonesome and anxious hours. May I be watchful for the conditions that thwart life, and with patience wait for the awakening of truth. Amen.

NOVEMBER SECOND

Marie Antoinette born 1755.

Field-Marshal Radetzky born 1766.

James Knox Polk, North Carolina, eleventh President United States, born 1795.

Overmastering pain--the most deadly and tragical element in life--alas! pain has its own way with all of us; it breaks in, a rude visitant, upon the fairy garden where the child wanders in a dream, no less surely than it rules upon the field of battle, or sends the immortal war-god whimpering to his father; and innocence, no more than philosophy, can protect us from this sting.

--Robert Louis Stevenson.