Chapter 5

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 Brontë 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 Brontë.

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 Cæsar the things that are Cæsar'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 Dürer 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.