Chapter 3

William Henry Harrison, Virginia, ninth President United States, born 1773.

Anthony Hope (Hawkins) born 1863.

George Ade born 1866.

A man's own observation, what he finds good of, and what he finds hurt of, is the best physic to preserve health. But it is a safer conclusion to say, "This agreeth not well with me, therefore I will not continue it"; than to say, "I find no offense of this, therefore I may use it." For strength of nature in youth passeth over many excesses, which are owing a man till his age.

--Francis Bacon.

Though man a thinking being is defined, Few use the grand prerogative of mind. How few think justly of the thinking few! How many never think, who think they do!

--Jane Taylor.

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, I would learn that while thou art a forgiving Lord, nature has no mercy on them that break her laws. Forgive me for all my neglect, and help me to see the way in which thou hast through mercy led me. Give me the power to endure and the strength to resist temptation. May I seek to understand thy laws, that I may not fail through ignorance. Amen.

FEBRUARY TENTH

Rev. Henry Hart Milman born 1791.

Charles Lamb born 1775.

Sir William Napier died 1860.

Never let the most well-intended falsehood escape your lips; for Heaven, which is entirely Truth, will make the seed which you have sown of untruth to yield miseries a thousandfold.

--Charles Lamb.

We cannot command veracity at will; the power of seeing and reporting truly is a form of health that has to be distinctly guarded, and as an ancient rabbi has solemnly said, "The penalty of untruth is untruth."

--George Eliot.

The bat hangs upside down and laughs at a topsy-turvy world.

--Unknown.

The lip of truth shall be established for ever; But a lying tongue is but for a moment.

--Proverbs 12. 19.

Lord God, give me the will to hold to the truth and the strength to help keep the world true; and may I help others to look up and catch the truth from the purest light. Amen.

FEBRUARY ELEVENTH

Mary, Queen of England, born 1516.

Daniel Boone born 1735.

Lydia M. Child born 1802.

Washington Gladden born 1836.

Thomas A. Edison born 1847.

Few, in the days of early youth, Trusted like me in love and truth. I've learned sad lessons from the years; But slowly and with many tears; For God made me to kindly view The world that I was passing through.

And all who tempt a trusting heart From faith and hope to drift apart, May they themselves be spared the pain Of losing power to trust again! God help us all to kindly view The world that we are passing through!

--Lydia M. Child.

For ye shall go out with joy, and be led forth with peace: the mountains and the hills shall break forth before you into singing; and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.

--Isaiah 55. 12.

Lord God, I pray that I may not rest my hope in self alone, but know that the greatest joy is in the hope of the world. Help me to have faith in mankind; and with a loyal heart and a brave spirit be as kind to the world as I can. Amen.

FEBRUARY TWELFTH

Dr. Cotton Mather born 1663.

Peter Cooper born 1791.

Abraham Lincoln, Kentucky, sixteenth President United States, born 1809.

Robert Charles Darwin born 1809.

George Meredith born 1828.

With malice towards none, with charity for all, with firmness in the right as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in; to bind up the nation's wounds, ... to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace among ourselves and with all nations.

--Abraham Lincoln.

The great moral combat between human life and each human soul must be single.... When a soul arms for battle she goes forth alone.

--Owen Meredith.

According to the grace of God which was given unto me, as a wise master builder I laid a foundation; and another buildeth thereon.

--1 Corinthians 3. 10.

Almighty God, I thank thee for the courage that comes with a great life. Help me to be brave, even if it is only that others may be blest. May I lay a careful foundation and plan to build the best that I can afford. Amen.

FEBRUARY THIRTEENTH

David Allan born 1744.

Maurice de Talleyrand-Périgord born 1754.

Richard Wagner died 1883.

A man is not his hope, nor yet his despair, nor yet his past deed. We know not yet what we have done; still less what we are doing. Wait till evening, and other parts of our work will shine than we had thought at noon, and we shall discover the real purport of our toil.

--Henry D. Thoreau.

When you make a mistake don't look back at it long. Take the reason of the thing into your mind, and look forward. Mistakes are lessons of wisdom.... The past cannot be changed. The future is yet in your power.

--Hugh White.

He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing seed for sowing, Shall doubtless come again with joy, bringing his sheaves with him.

--Psalm 126. 6.

My Father, help me to survey my life. Make me compassionate and considerate, that I may be qualified to promote that which is helpful. May I appreciate that what is worth keeping I can obtain from thee. Amen.

FEBRUARY FOURTEENTH

Saint Valentine's Day.

Captain James Cook killed 1779.

Jean Ernest Reynaud born 1808.

Oh! little loveliest lady mine, What shall I send for your valentine? Summer and flowers are far away; Gloomy old Winter is king to-day; Buds will not blow, and sun will not shine: What shall I do for a valentine?

I've searched the gardens all through and through For a bud to tell of my love so true; But buds are asleep and blossoms are dead, And the snow beats down on my poor little head: So, little loveliest lady mine, Here is my heart for your valentine.

--Laura E. Richards.

Oh rank is gold, and gold is fair, And high and low mate ill; But love has never known a law Beyond its own sweet will!

--John G. Whittier.

Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God.

--1 John 4. 7.

Loving Father, may I not fall to nodding in the balmy air of luxury and miss the messages of love. Arouse me, that I may give and take in the treasures of love as they come my way, and that they may not pass unnoticed. Amen.

FEBRUARY FIFTEENTH

Galileo Galilei born 1564.

Louis XV born 1710.

S. Weir Mitchell born 1829.

Sir Frederick Treves born 1853.

The night I know is nigh at hand, The mists lie low on hill and bay, The autumn sheaves are brown and dry, But I have had the day.

Yes, I have had, dear Lord, the day. When at thy call I have the night Brief be the twilight as I pass From light to dark, from dark to light.

--S. Weir Mitchell.

If thou faint in the day of adversity, thy strength is small--too small to be worth talking about, for the day of adversity is its first real opportunity.

--Maltbie Babcock.

Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.

--Romans 8. 37.

My Father, may my daily work not be the means of separating me from thee, but may I have thee for my companion through my work. Forbid that I should ever submit to despair from weakness of body, but that I may be blest and grow strong as my spirit lives in thee. Amen.

FEBRUARY SIXTEENTH

Philip Melanchthon born 1497.

Gasper de Coligny born 1517.

Thomas Robert Malthus born 1766.

Ernst Heinrich Haeckel born 1834.

Thy love shall chant its own beatitudes After its own life working. A child's kiss Set on thy sighing lips shall make thee glad. A poor man served by thee shall make thee rich; A sick man helped by thee shall make thee strong; Thou shalt be served thyself by every sense Of service which thou renderest.

--Elizabeth B. Browning.

Ask nothing more of me, sweet; All I can give you I give. Heart of my heart, were it more, More would be laid at your feet: Love that should help you to live, Song that should help you to soar.

--Algernon Charles Swinburne.

All things therefore whatsoever ye would that men should do unto you, even so do ye also unto them.

--Matthew 7. 12.

Lord God, I pray that I may not neglect the help and happiness that I may give with compassion and love. Make me strong in all the senses that answer to the call of humanity. Help me to guide and protect little children, and to care for the comforts of the old. Amen.

FEBRUARY SEVENTEENTH

Kate Greenaway born 1846.

Michael Angelo Buonarroti died 1563.

Giordano Bruno burned at Rome 1600.

Molière died 1673.

Rose Terry Cooke born 1827.

Frances E. Willard died 1898.

It is not much To give a gentle word or kindly touch To one gone down Beneath the world's cold frown,

And yet who knows How great a thing from such a little grows? O, oftentimes, Some brother upward climbs And hope again Uplifts its head, that in the dust had lain, Gives place to morning's light.

--E. H. Divall.

I will seek that which was lost, and will bring back that which was driven away, and will bind up that which was broken, and will strengthen that which was sick.

--Ezekiel 34. 16.

My Father, may I not sorrow so that I fail to comfort the sorrowing, and may I not be so happy that I fail to see that others need to be glad. I thank thee for thy providences. May I serve thee in helping others to brighter lives. Amen.

FEBRUARY EIGHTEENTH

Martin Luther died 1546.

George Peabody born 1795.

Wilson Barrett born 1846.

A mighty fortress is our God, A bulwark never failing: Our helper he amid the flood Of mortal ills prevailing. For still our ancient foe Doth seek to work us woe; His craft and power are great: And, armed with cruel hate, On earth is not his equal.

--Martin Luther.

Let us stand by our duty fearlessly and effectively. I am not bound to win, but I am bound to be true. I am not bound to succeed, but I am bound to live up to the light that I have.

--Abraham Lincoln.

Jehovah is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; My God, my rock, in whom I will take refuge.

--Psalm 18. 2.

Lord God, help me to lay my life in the rocks of thy foundation, and not in moving sands which are tossed from shore to shore. May I cling to the rock that was cleft for me and trust for thy care. Amen.

FEBRUARY NINETEENTH

Copernicus born 1473.

Leonard Bacon born 1802.

W.W. Story born 1819.

Adelina Patti born 1843.

So mine are these new fruitings rich, The simple to the common brings; I keep the youth of souls who pitch Their joy in this old heart of things;

Full lasting is the song, though he The singer passes; lasting too, For souls not lent in usury, The rapture of the forward view.

--George Meredith.

All deep things are Song. It seems, somehow, the very central essence of us, Song; as if all the rest were wrappages and hulls! the primal element of us; of us, and all things.

--Thomas Carlyle.

Ye shall have a song as in the night when a holy feast is kept; and gladness of heart, as when one goeth with a pipe to come unto the mountain of Jehovah.

--Isaiah 30. 29.

Lord God, help me to feel the power of praise. "As words without thoughts never to heaven go," so the highest praises are never sung alone, but rendered with service and love. May I have the heart to sing thy praises far and near, and rejoice in him from whom all blessings flow. Amen.

FEBRUARY TWENTIETH

J.H. Voss born 1828.

Joseph Jefferson born 1829.

Mihaly Munkacsy (Michael Lieb) born 1844.

Who serves his country well has no need of ancestors.

--Voltaire.

Lo, Spring comes forth with all her warmth and love, She brings sweet justice from the realms above; She breaks the chrysalis, she resurrects the dead; Two butterflies ascend encircling her head. And so this emblem shall forever be A sign of immortality.

--Joseph Jefferson.

Thou wilt guide me with thy counsel, And afterward receive me to glory.

--Psalm 73. 24.

Lord God, I pray that I may not neglect my soul in trying to fathom immortal life. If I may be hesitating between comfort and work, remind me of the greatness of the place which I started to reach. May I not grow weary of climbing and falter on the stair. Breathe upon me thy inspiration and love, that I may continue in faith all the way. Amen.

FEBRUARY TWENTY-FIRST

Edmund William Gosse born 1849.

Karl Czerny born 1791.

Cardinal John H. Newman born 1801.

Jean L.E. Meissonier born 1815.

Alice Freeman Palmer born 1855.

Prune thou thy words, the thoughts control That o'er thee swell and throng; They will condense within thy soul, And change to purpose strong.

--John H. Newman.

Think truly, and thy thoughts Shall the world's famine feed; Speak truly, and each word of thine Shall be a fruitful seed; Live truly, and thy life shall be A great and noble creed.

--Horatio Bonar.

We ought to love everybody and make everybody love us. Then everything else is easy.

--Alice Freeman Palmer.

Then shall thy light break forth as the morning, and thy healing shall spring forth speedily; and thy righteousness shall go before thee; the glory of Jehovah shall be thy rearward.

--Isaiah 58. 8.

Almighty God, look upon me with pity; so often I have obeyed the thoughts that have been misleading and profitless. Make me more careful of what I think and say, and may I learn from my mistakes the forbidden paths. Help me to keep my mind in unity with thy will. Amen.

FEBRUARY TWENTY-SECOND

George Washington, Virginia, first President United States, born 1732.

James Russell Lowell born 1819.

Margaret E. Sangster born 1838.

Labor to keep alive in your breast that little spark of celestial fire called conscience.

--George Washington.

Life is a sheet of paper white Whereon each one of us may write His word or two, and then comes night. Greatly begin! though thou hast time But for a line, be that sublime. Not failure, but low aim is crime.

--James Russell Lowell.

God keep us through the common days, The level stretches white with dust, When thought is tired, and hands upraise Their burdens feebly since they must; In days of slowly fretting care Then most we need the strength of prayer.

--Margaret E. Sangster.

Make level the path of thy feet, And let all thy ways be established.

--Proverbs 4. 26.

Lord God, help me to realize the influence of the individual life. And as I would care for my own, may I seek to do for others; and may I not criticize, but help all who are trying to make the world better. Amen.

FEBRUARY TWENTY-THIRD

Samuel Pepys born 1633.

George F. Handel born 1685.

George Frederick Watts born 1817.

John Keats died 1821.

Margaret Deland born 1857.

Labor is life! 'tis the still water faileth; Idleness ever despaireth, bewaileth: Keep the watch wound, or the dark rust assaileth; Flowers droop and die in the stillness of noon. Labor is glory! the flying cloud lightens; Only the waving wing changes and brightens, Idle hearts only the dark future frightens, Play the sweet keys, wouldst thou keep them in tune.

--Frances S. Osgood.

KEATS

Palled death, with kisses ghostly, Wooed and won him while too young, And the world reveres him mostly, For the songs he might have sung.

--Samuel A. Wood.

Enlarge the place of thy tent, and let them stretch forth the curtains of thy habitations; spare not: lengthen thy cords, and strengthen thy stakes.

--Isaiah 54. 2.

Almighty God, I pray for the will to do my finest work. Disclose to me if I am being detained by serving selfishness in myself or in others. Lead me to what is right for me to do; and may I diligently tarry in it. Amen.

FEBRUARY TWENTY-FOURTH

Samuel Lover born 1797.

Robert Fulton died 1815.

George William Curtis born 1824.

'Tis not to enjoy that we exist, For that end only; something must be done; I must not walk in unreproved delight These narrow bounds, and think of nothing more, No duty that looks further and no care.

--William Wordsworth.

We weave our thoughts into heart-spun plans, And weave secure for a fitful day, But lose in the web of earthly things The pattern of sublimity.

Shall days spring up as wild vines grow, Unheeding where they climb or cling? Consider, child, before you sow, And wait not until harvesting.

--M.B.S.

Jehovah is my strength and my shield; My heart hath trusted in him, and I am helped: Therefore my heart greatly rejoiceth; And with my song will I praise him.

--Psalm 28. 7.

Loving Father, command my judgment for the influences which I permit to come into my life. Grant that I may not delay my purposes for the lack of comforts which are so often made more than life. With thy strength may I be steadfast in what I would achieve. Amen.

FEBRUARY TWENTY-FIFTH

William Seely died 1521.

Sir Christopher Wren died 1723.

Jane Goodwin Austin born 1831.

Camille Flammarion born 1842.

In general, pride is at the bottom of all great mistakes. All other passions do occasionally good; but wherever pride puts in its word everything goes wrong.

--John Ruskin.

He that is proud eats up himself: pride is his own glass, his own trumpet, his own chronicle; and whatever praises itself but in the deed, devours the deed in the praise.

--William Shakespeare.

Save me alike from foolish pride Or impious discontent; At aught Thy wisdom hath denied, Or aught Thy wisdom lent.

--Alexander Pope.

A man's pride shall bring him low; But he that is of a lowly spirit shall obtain honor.

--Proverbs 29. 23.

Heavenly Father, I pray that I may not let pride keep me down when it may be mine to be carried to the heights. With tenderness take me out of myself, that I may see how pride deceives, and destroys an humble spirit. Help me to master both stubbornness and pride. Amen.

FEBRUARY TWENTY-SIXTH

Christopher Marlowe (baptized 1564).

Victor Hugo born 1802.

Lord Cromer born 1841.

Thomas Moore died 1852.

When I go down to the grave I can say, like so many others, I have finished my work; but I cannot say I have finished my life; my day's work will begin again the next morning. My tomb is not a blind alley; it is a thoroughfare. It closes in the twilight to open in the dawn.

--Victor Hugo.

There's nothing bright above, below, From flowers that bloom to stars that glow, But in the light my soul can see Some feature of the Deity.

There's nothing dark below, above, But in its gloom I trace God's love, And meekly wait that moment when His truth shall turn all bright again.

--Thomas Moore.

Jehovah redeemeth the soul of his servants; And none of them that take refuge in him shall be condemned.

--Psalm 34. 22.

Lord God, may I not only feel the need of thee when I am burdened with sorrow and care, but may I have need of thee in my pleasures and joys. I thank thee for thy gracious kindness, thy mercy and thy protection. Amen.

FEBRUARY TWENTY-SEVENTH

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow born 1807.

Ellen Terry born 1848.

Mary F. Robinson born 1857.

Lives of great men all remind us We can make our lives sublime, And, departing, leave behind us Footprints on the sands of time--

Footprints that perhaps another, Sailing o'er life's wintry main, A forlorn and shipwrecked brother, Seeing, shall take heart again.

--Henry W. Longfellow.

They are slaves who fear to speak For the fallen and the weak; They are slaves who will not choose Hatred, scoffing, and abuse, Rather than in silence shrink From the truth they needs must think; They are slaves who dare not be In the right with two or three.

--James Russell Lowell.

Even so let your light shine before men; that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.

--Matthew 5. 16.

Merciful Father, help me to know that my shadow cannot fall without me, and that my footprints cannot be found where I have never trodden. I pray that thou wilt make me so familiar with the right path that it may be mine to have the privilege of leading others to the right places. Amen.

FEBRUARY TWENTY-EIGHTH

Montaigne born 1533.

Mary Lyon born 1797.

Sir John Tenniel born 1820.

Soul, rule thyself; on passion, deed, desire, Lay thou the laws of thy deliberate will. Stand at thy chosen post, Faith's sentinel: Though Hell's lost legions ring thee round with fire, Learn to endure.

--Arthur Symonds.

The confidence in another man's virtue is no slight evidence of a man's own, and God willingly favors such a confidence.

--Montaigne.

Though a host should encamp against me, My heart shall not fear: Though war should rise against me, Even then will I be confident.

--Psalm 27. 3.

My Father, may I ever be kept in remembrance of my virtue, and may I be sensitive to its strength. As I go on my way, keep me within control of the impetuous desires of my nature, and in call of the duties and obligations of my daily life. Amen.

FEBRUARY TWENTY-NINTH

Anne Lee born 1736.

G.A. Rossini born 1792.

John Landseer died 1852.

Happy is he and more than wise Who sees with wondrous eyes and clean This world through all the gray disguise Of sleep and custom in between.

--G.K. Chesterton.

In the morning, when thou findest thyself unwilling to rise, consider with thyself presently, if it is to go about a man's work that I am stirred up. Or was I made for this, to lay me down, and make much of myself in a warm bed.

--Marcus Aurelius.

Arise and be doing, and Jehovah be with thee.

--1 Chronicles 22. 16.

Gracious Father, help me to take of the wealth of my day, while it is in season, and accessible. May I not be ignorant of the abundance in which I live, and be found in overwhelming regret. Forgive me for all that I have missed in life, and make me more watchful of that which is to come. Amen.

MARCH

Spring still makes spring in the mind, When sixty years are told; Love makes anew this throbbing heart, And we are never old. Over the winter glaciers, I see the summer glow, And through the wild-piled snowdrift The warm rosebuds below.

--Ralph Waldo Emerson.

MARCH FIRST

Alexander Balfour born 1767.

Frederick François Chopin born 1809.

Augustus Saint-Gaudens born 1848.

William Dean Howells born 1837.

Thy soul shall enter on its heritage Of God's unuttered wisdom. Thou shalt sweep With hand assured the ringing lyre of life, Till the fierce anguish of its bitter strife, Its pain, death, discord, sorrow, and despair, Break into rhythmic music. Thou shalt share The prophet-joy that kept forever glad God's poet-souls when all a world was sad. Enter and live! Thou hast not lived before.

--S. Weir Mitchell.

Return unto thy rest, O my soul; For Jehovah hath dealt bountifully with thee. For thou hast delivered my soul from death, Mine eyes from tears, And my feet from falling.

--Psalm 116. 7, 8.

Almighty God, grant that I may never be so discouraged that I feel my life has been spent. Help me to so live, that I may not follow into hopeless days, but look for the bright and beautiful in to-morrow. Forgive me for all that I have asked for and accepted through willful judgment, and make me more careful in selecting my needs. Amen.

MARCH SECOND

Juvenal born A.D. 40.

John Wesley died 1791.

Horace Walpole died 1797.

Nature never says one thing, Wisdom another.

--Juvenal.