Chapter 9

I stretch my hands out in the empty air; I strain my eyes into the heavy night; Blackness of darkness!--Father, hear my prayer; Grant me to see the light!

--George Arnold.

But when he came to himself he said, How many hired servants of my father's have bread enough and to spare, and I perish here with hunger! I will arise and go to my father.

--Luke 15. 17, 18.

Heavenly Father, I pray that as I search for the truth I will not be so eager to seek thy mysteries as I am to extend thy ministries. Grant that by thy love I will be guided in comprehending and exalting thy kingdom. May my service bring me wisdom as I obey thy laws. Amen.

JUNE TWENTY-SECOND

Matthew Henry died 1714.

Karl Wilhelm von Humboldt born 1767.

H. Rider Haggard born 1856.

The safe and general antidote against sorrow is employment. Sorrow is a kind of rust in the soul, which every new idea contributes in its passage to scour away.

--Dr. Johnson.

We may be sure that one principle will hold throughout the whole pursuit of thoughtful happiness--the principle that the best way to secure future happiness is to be as happy as is rightfully possible to-day. To secure any desirable capacity for the future, near or remote, cultivate it to-day. What would be the use of immortality for a person who cannot use well half an hour? asks Emerson.

--Charles W. Eliot.

Strengthen ye the weak hands, and confirm the feeble knees. Say to them that are of a fearful heart, Be strong, fear not.

--Isaiah 35. 3, 4.

Loving Father, help me that I may realize the depth of thy love. If I may be discouraged over my failures, speak to me hopefully and lead me out where I may find the right way to succeed. May I not be kept in sorrow, but find each day the happiness that brings a thankful heart. Amen.

JUNE TWENTY-THIRD

Mark Akenside died 1770.

John Fill born 1625.

Josephine born 1763

Could we by a wish Have what we will and get the future now, Would we wish aught done undone in the past? So, let him wait God's instant men call years; Meantime hold hard by truth and his great soul, Do out the duty! Through such souls alone God stooping shows sufficient of his light For us i' the dark to rise by. And I rise.

--Robert Browning.

Press not thy purpose on thy Lord, Urge not thy erring will, Nor dictate to the Eternal mind Nor doubt thy Maker's skill.

--Lydia H. Sigourney.

Cause me to hear thy loving-kindness in the morning; For in thee do I trust: Cause me to know the way wherein I should walk; For I lift up my soul unto thee.

--Psalm 143. 8.

My Father, help me to see that in my portion of work thou hast entrusted me to help further thy kingdom. Correct me if I am wrong in interpreting thy way. May I concentrate my mind and make my heart and hands do the work which thou hast given for me to do. Amen.

JUNE TWENTY-FOURTH

Jean Baptiste Massillon born 1663.

Alexandre Dumas born 1803.

Henry Ward Beecher born 1813.

General Lord Kitchener born 1850.

All the world cries, "Where is the man who will save us?" Don't look so far for this man, you have him at hand. This man--it is you, it is I, it is each one of us! How to constitute oneself a man? Nothing harder if one knows not how to will it; nothing easier if one wills it.

--Alexandre Dumas.

Many of our troubles are God dragging us, and they would end if we would stand upon our feet and go whither he would have us.

--Henry Ward Beecher.

Ye shall therefore keep my statutes, and mine ordinances; which if a man do, he shall live in them.

--Leviticus 18. 5.

Gracious Lord, I pray that I may have reverence for that which is pure and holy, and that my soul may delight in the presence of the good. Help me to so live that I may have the memory of precious deeds, and that I may not have to depend on the service of others to supply contentment for my closing days. Amen.

JUNE TWENTY-FIFTH

William Smellie died 1795.

Antoine Jean Gros died 1835.

Lucy Webb Hayes died 1889.

In every feast remember there are two guests to be entertained--the body and the soul; and what you give the body you presently lose, but what you give the soul remains forever.

--Epictetus.

We take pains and weary to faultlessly clothe the body. We persevere, and often struggle, to adorn the mind. As we pass through the rays of truth, sometimes we find, after all we have put on, we have left bare the soul.

--M.B.S.

For what shall a man be profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and forfeit his life?

--Matthew 16. 26.

Lord God, help me to understand that thou hast made the principle of truth so that I cannot add to it, nor take from it, lest in altering it I might destroy it. May I never try to make my purpose cover the truth, but without fear, face the light where truth shines the brightest. Amen.

JUNE TWENTY-SIXTH

Archbishop Robert Leighton died 1684.

Dr. Philip Doddridge born 1702.

George Morland born 1763.

Why are we so glad to talk and take our turns to prattle, when so rarely we get back to the stronghold of our silence with an unwounded conscience?

--Thomas a Kempis.

I have read that those who listened to Lord Chatham felt that there was something finer in the man than anything which he said.

--Ralph Waldo Emerson.

Speech is like the cloth of Arras opened and put abroad, whereby the imagery doth appear in figure; whereas in thoughts they lie but as in packs.

--Plutarch.

Keep thy tongue from evil, And thy lips from speaking guile.

--Psalm 34. 13.

Tender Father, make me more watchful of the time that I give to useless thoughts and words, and save me from cutting words, which make deeper impressions than can be cut with sharp tools. Forgive me for the hours that have not been profitable; I would I had them back, for my heart and mind have need of them. Amen.

JUNE TWENTY-SEVENTH

Paul Laurence Dunbar born 1872.

Lafcadio Hearne born 1850.

Helen Keller born 1880.

Of course, it was not easy at first to fly. The speech wings were weak and broken; nothing was left save the impulse to fly, but that was something. One can never consent to creep when one has an impulse to soar. There are so many difficulties in the way, so many discouragements; but I kept on trying, knowing that perseverance and patience win in the end.

--Helen Keller.

De da'kest hour, dey allus say, Is des' befo' de dawn, But it's moughty ha'd a-waitin' Were de night goes frownin' on; An' it's moughty ha'd a-hopin' When de clouds is big and black, An' all de t'ings you's waited fu' Has failed, er gone to wrack-- But des' keep on a joggin' ind a little bit o song. De moon is allus brightah w'en de night's been long.

--Paul Laurence Dunbar.

Weeping may tarry for the night, But joy cometh in the morning.

--Psalm 30. 5.

My Father, I thank thee for life and its faculties. May I not be deceived by gratification and miss the permanent satisfactions. Make me brave that I may be courageous in affliction, and not be dismayed over humiliations and disappointments. May I be kept in harmony with thy will. Amen.

JUNE TWENTY-EIGHTH

Henry VIII born 1491.

Jean Jacques Rousseau born 1712.

John Wesley born 1703.

Frederick William Faber born 1814.

Workman of God! O lose not heart, But learn what God is like; And in the darkest battlefield Thou shalt know where to strike.

For right is right, since God is God; And right the day must win; To doubt would be disloyalty, To falter would be sin.

--F. W. Faber.

Leisure and I have parted company. I look upon the world as my parish. The best of all is, God is with us. To overdo is to undo.

--John Wesley.

But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only.

--James 1. 22.

Lord God, I pray for a desire to work. May I not be deceived in my convictions, and work for that of which I may afterward be ashamed. Lead me into a clear conception of right and wrong. Help me to see as thou dost see, that I may walk with confidence in thy steps. Amen.

JUNE TWENTY-NINTH

Paul Rubens born 1577.

Baron John De Kalb born 1721.

Elizabeth Barrett Browning died 1861.

Do ye hear the children weeping, O my brothers, Ere the sorrow comes with years? They are leaning their young heads against their mothers, And they cannot stop their tears. The young lambs are bleating in the meadows; The young birds are chirping in the nests; The young fawns are playing with the shadows; The young flowers are blowing toward the west: But the young, young children, O my brothers! They are weeping bitterly. They are weeping in the playtime of the others, In the country of the free.

--Elizabeth B. Browning.

Moreover thou hast taken thy sons and thy daughters, whom thou hast borne unto me, and these hast thou sacrificed unto them to be devoured.

--Ezekiel 16. 20.

Father of all, I pray that I may always love children. May I never forget that I wanted things and needed things when I was a child, and that the help and neglect which I received then told in my life. Make me interested in the purposes that will help the progress of the child to-day, and may I realize that the child does not need my casual charity as much as it needs my permanent justice. Amen.

JUNE THIRTIETH

Alexander Brome died 1666.

Archibald Campbell beheaded 1685.

Sir Thomas Pope Blount died 1697.

Be useful where thou livest, that they may Both want and wish thy pleasing presence still; Kindness, good parts, great places are the way To compass this. Find out men's wants and will, And meet them there. All worldly joys go less To the one joy of doing kindnesses.

--George Herbert.

Thrice happy he, who by some shady grove, Far from the clamorous world, doth live his own; Though solitary, who is not alone, But doth converse with that eternal love

--William Drummond.

Seek, and ye shall find.

--Matthew 7. 7.

My Father, help me to draw from the wisdom of life, that my soul may grow in knowledge and power. May I have the quiet confidence that comes in trusting thee. May I help others to think on the uplifting things of life. Amen.

JULY

Then came hot July, boiling like to fire, That all his garments he had cast away; Upon a lion raging yet with ire He boldly rode, and made him to obey.

--Edmund Spenser.

A pleasing land of drowsyhead it was, Of dreams that wave before the half-shut eye; And of gay castles in the clouds that pass, For ever flushing round a summer sky.

--James Thomson.

JULY FIRST

Comte de Rochambeau born 1725.

Gideon Welles born 1802.

George Frederick Watts died 1904.

There is no unbelief! Whoever plants a seed beneath a sod, And waits to see it push away the clod, He trusts in God.

There is no unbelief! And day by day, and night, unconsciously, The heart lives by that faith the lips deny-- God knoweth why.

--Bulwer Lytton.

More and more I see that nothing is so necessary for the religious condition of the mind as absolute simplicity. We know what we have got to do, and the only thing is to ask ourselves whether we are doing it as well as we can.

--George Frederick Watts.

Being therefore justified by faith, we have peace with God.

--Romans 5. 1.

My Creator, I praise thee for the knowledge of life, and the hope of immortality. Help me to express my belief, and to give my utmost for the divinest, that I may be worthy of life eternal. Amen.

JULY SECOND

Archbishop Cranmer born 1489.

Christopher W. Gluck born 1714.

Richard Henry Stoddard born 1825.

Sir Robert Peel died 1850.

One step more, and the race is ended; One word more, and the lesson's done; One toil more, and a long rest follows At set of sun.

Who would fail, for one step withholden? Who would fail, for one word unsaid? Who would fail, for a pause too early? Sound sleep the dead.

--Christina G. Rossetti.

One who never turned his back, but marched breast forward, Never doubted clouds would break, Never dreamed, though right were worsted, wrong would triumph, Held we fall to rise, are baffled to fight better, Sleep to wake.

--Robert Browning.

He that endureth to the end, the same shall be saved.

--Matthew 10. 22.

My Father, thou hast proven the strength of thy promises by thy tender love and mercy through the darkest hours. Help me always to cling to the hope that thou hast provided for my soul. May I be trustful, and be thankful to "see so much as one side of a celestial idea, one side of the rainbow, and the sunset sky." Amen.

JULY THIRD

John S. Copley born 1737.

Henry Grattan born 1746.

Eugene Sue died 1857.

Not from the dangers that beset our path From storm or sudden death, or pain or wrath, We pray deliverance; But from the envious eye, the narrowed mind Of those that are the vultures of mankind Thy aid advance.

Not at the strong man's righteous rage or hate, But at the ambushed malice laid in wait Thy strength arise; At those who ever seek to spot the fair White garments of a neighbor's character With mud of lies.

--Theodosia P. Garrison.[1]

Putting away therefore all wickedness, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil speakings.

--1 Peter 2. 1.

My Lord, may I remember that to protect the character of others is to add virtue to my own. Grant that I may see the good and not be looking for the evil. Cause me to know that peace will not abide in deceit or revenge, but may be found in a happy and charitable spirit. Help me to earn thy peace. Amen.

[Footnote 1: Special permission by Mitchell Kennerly, New York.]

JULY FOURTH

Independence Day.

Colonel William Byrd died 1704.

Nathaniel Hawthorne born 1804.

Thomas Jefferson died 1826.

By the rude bridge that arched the flood, Their flag to April's breeze unfurled, Here once the embattled farmers stood, And fired the shot heard round the world.

--Ralph Waldo Emerson.

Then conquer we must, when our cause it is just, And this be our motto, "In God is our trust"; And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave!

--Francis Scott Key.

Seek not to keep your soul perpetually in the unwholesome region of remorse. It was needful to pass through that dark valley, but it is infinitely dangerous to linger there too long.

--Nathaniel Hawthorne.

And this city shall be to me for a name of joy, for a praise and for a glory, before all the nations of the earth, which shall hear all the good that I do unto them.

--Jeremiah 33. 9.

Lord of justice and peace, may I not pause at the marked stones of the brave to learn of liberty, but may I look for the opportunities that I may measure up to because of them, and do my part to keep the peace and spread the blessings of our land. Amen.

JULY FIFTH

Mrs. Sarah Siddons born 1755.

David G. Farragut born 1801.

George Sand born 1804.

Cecil Rhodes born 1853.

Nature alone can speak to our intelligence an imperishable language, never changing, because it remains within the bounds of eternal truth and of what is absolutely noble and beautiful.

--George Sand.

Say, dost thou understand the whispered token, The promise breathed from every leaf and flower? And dost thou hear the word ere it be spoken, And apprehend love's presence by its power?

--Unknown.

But ask now the beasts, and they shall teach thee; And the birds of the heavens, and they shall tell thee: Or speak to the earth, and it shall teach thee; And the fishes of the sea shall declare unto thee. Who knoweth not in all these, That the hand of Jehovah hath wrought this?

--Job 12. 7-9.

Lord God, direct me away from self, that I may learn of thy wisdom, and help further thy kingdom. Give me patience to search for thy truths, that I may obtain the noblest to use for thy service. Amen.

JULY SIXTH

John Huss burned at Constance, Baden, 1369.

Baron Wilhelm Leibnitz born 1646.

John Paul Jones born 1747.

John Flaxman born 1755.

No man likes to acknowledge that he has made a mistake in the choice of his profession, and every man worthy of the name will row long against wind and tide before he allows himself to cry out, "I'm baffled!" and submit to be floated passively back to land.

--Charlotte Brontë.

There is nothing so small but that we honor God by asking his guidance of it, or insult him by taking it into our hands.

--John Ruskin.

If I take the wings of the morning, And dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea; Even there shall thy hand lead me, And thy right hand shall hold me.

--Psalm 139. 9, 10.

My Father, I pray that I may have wise judgment and use discretion in the choice of my work. May I remember that only that is genuine which is received and used for thee. Amen.

JULY SEVENTH

Alexis, son of Peter the Great, died in prison 1718.

Thomas Blacklock died 1791.

Richard Brinsley Sheridan died 1816.

The surest way not to fail is to determine to succeed.

--Richard B. Sheridan.

I felt my hot blood a-tingling flow; With thrill of the fight my soul did glow; And when, braced and pure, I emerged secure From the strife that had tried my courage so, I said, "Let heaven send me sun or rain, I'll never know flinching fear again."

--Thomas Crawford.

For the Lord Jehovah will help me; therefore have I not been confounded: therefore have I set my face like a flint, and I know that I shall not be put to shame.

--Isaiah 50. 7.

Lord Jehovah, help me to learn how to be strong and brave, that I may not remain in fear and weakness. Help me to conquer unworthiness, and to overcome discouragements, that I may be spared the needless battles that are brought on through impatience and selfishness. Keep my soul in repose, that I may add to my conquering strength. Amen.

JULY EIGHTH

Jean de La Fontaine born 1621.

Dr. Samuel D. Gross born 1805.

Joseph Chamberlain born 1836.

Neither gold nor grandeur can render us happy.

--La Fontaine.

Spirit of God! descend upon my heart; Wean it from earth; through all its pulses move; Stoop to my weakness, mighty as thou art, And make me love thee as I ought to love.

I ask no dream, no prophet ecstasies, No sudden rending of the veil of clay: No angel visitant, no opening skies-- But take the dimness of my soul away.

--George Croly.

For a man's life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth.

--Luke 12. 15.

Eternal God, help me to honor my life; and may I realize, whether I select good or bad, much or little, the harvesting is for eternity. Grant that I may not make my life accumulate gold and grandeur, and laden it with much spending; but may I strive and love what thou dost love, and make my life worthy of my labor. Amen.

JULY NINTH

Henry Hallam born 1777.

Edmund Burke died 1797.

Elias Howe born 1819.

Discretion of speech is more than eloquence; and to speak agreeably to him with whom we deal is more than to speak in good words or in good order.

--Francis Bacon.

When anyone provokes you, be assured it is your opinion which provokes you. Try therefore, in the first place, not to be hurried away with appearance. For if you once gain time and respite, you will more easily command yourself.

--Epictetus.

Let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer each one.

--Colossians 4. 6.

My Father, help me to learn through kindness and tenderness the value of self-control. Help me in the moods of jealousy and impatience, that I may not cause others unhappiness by words or deeds. Teach me how to overcome the ways that keep me discontented, that I may have a brighter speech. Amen.

JULY TENTH

John Calvin born 1509.

Sir William Blackstone born 1723.

Frederick Marryat born 1792.

The quality of mercy is not strained; It droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven Upon the place beneath. It is twice blessed; It blesseth him that gives, and him that takes. 'Tis mightiest in the mightiest; it becomes The throned monarch better than his crown;

* * * * *

It is enthroned in the hearts of kings; It is an attribute to God himself.

--William Shakespeare.

His gain is loss; for he that wrongs his friend Wrongs himself more, and ever has about A silent court and jury, and himself The prisoner at the bar, ever condemned.

--Alfred Tennyson.

Brethren, even if a man be overtaken in any trespass, ye who are spiritual, restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness; looking to thyself, lest thou also be tempted.

--Galatians 6. 1.

My Father, help me to avoid the critical spirit that leans toward injustice. Grant that none may be made despondent waiting for my mercy; but through forgiveness may I inspire confidence in those who have made mistakes, and influence them to a better life. Amen.

JULY ELEVENTH

Robert de Bruce born 1274.

Jean Marmontel born 1723.

John Quincy Adams, Massachusetts, sixth President United States, born 1767.

Susan Warner (E. Wetherell) born 1819.

A friend to chide me when I'm wrong, My inmost soul to see: And that my friendship prove as strong For him as his for me.

--John Quincy Adams.

Our chief want in life is somebody who shall make us do what we can: this is the service of a friend.

--Ralph Waldo Emerson.

It is better to hear the rebuke of the wise, than for a man to hear the song of fools. For as the crackling of thorns under a pot, so is the laughter of the fool.

--Ecclesiastes 7. 5, 6.

My Father and Friend, who calleth me to check the progress of the wrong, make me submissive and eager for what is right, that I may learn and uphold to others thy purposes and desires. Amen.

JULY TWELFTH

Caius Julius Cæsar born B.C. 100.

Josiah Wedgwood born 1730.

Alexander Hamilton killed 1804.

Henry David Thoreau born 1817.

Clara Louise Kellogg born 1842.

Each reaching and aspiration is an instinct with which all nature consists and cooperates, and therefore it is not in vain. If a man believes and expects great things of himself it makes no odds where you put him, he will be surrounded by grandeur.

--Henry David Thoreau.

If you have built castles in the air, your work need not be lost--that is where they should be: now put foundations under them.

--Henry David Thoreau.

He is like a man building a house, who digged and went deep, and laid a foundation upon the rock: and when a flood arose, the stream brake against that house, and could not shake it: because it had been well builded.

--Luke 6. 48.

Lord of strength, I pray that while I may lay a strong foundation for my life, I may remember that I should not delay the building by neglecting to complete the plans. May I look to-day and see if I am making my words stronger than my life. With thy wisdom help me to realize that the test of life is made with the soul. Amen.

JULY THIRTEENTH

Richard Cromwell died 1712.

Elijah Fenton died 1730.

Jean Paul Marat killed by Charlotte Corday 1793.

Let each day take thought for what concerns it, liquidate its own affairs, and respect the day which is to follow, and then it shall be ready.

--Amiel.

What does your anxiety do? It does not empty to-morrow, brother, of its sorrow; but ah! it empties to-day of its strength. It does not make you escape the evil; it makes you unfit to cope with it if it comes.

--Ian Maclaren.

Be not anxious for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on.