Part 8

_Success! It is facing life's trials, undaunted; Fighting the present--forgetting the past: By trusting to Fate, though for years she has taunted, And bearing Time's scars; facing front, to the last!_

_Success! Would you win it and wear its bright token? Smile and step out to the drummer's light lilt; Fight on till the last inch of sword-blade is broken. Then do not say die. Fight on with the hilt!_

MARY MARKWELL.

We thank Thee, Our Father, that Thou hast enriched our being with those faculties which prompt to noble endeavor. We rejoice in our power, guided by Thy free Spirit, both to overcome evil and to do good. Help us, dear Father, to recognize the great incentives of conscience and of duty, assured that in cheerful conformity thereto we shall find the sweetest zest of life. Increase our faith in Thee, O Lord. Enable us more clearly to realize that in the end truth and right will gain the victory. Thus may we be inspired to live brave, true and wholesome lives. May we fight the good fight of faith and win the crown of life promised to all those who follow the conquering Christ. In His name. Amen.

HENRY W. RUGG.

May 4

_The green grass is bowing; The morning wind is in it; 'Tis a tune worth the knowing, Though it change every minute. 'Tis a tune of the Spring; Every year plays it over._

RALPH WALDO EMERSON.

_God does not send strange flowers every year. When the spring winds blow o'er the pleasant places The same dear things lift up the same fair faces. The violet is here._

MRS. A. D. T. WHITNEY.

O God, Father Almighty, who bringest light out of darkness and at whose word night yields to day, we offer Thee glad worship and praise. We thank Thee for Thy gifts which are beautiful and good; for flowers which renew old friendships and awaken new affections; for songs in which voices of all yesterdays sound through today's melodies; for rich memories of the past; for the joy of living now; for the hope of better days; for new expressions of abiding truth and fresh breathings of eternal love; for courage to do right and for confidence in righteousness. May we this day, mindful of earthly duty and of heavenly promise, humbly follow Him "who went about doing good" and "gave Himself a ransom for many." Amen.

W. I. WARD.

May 5

_Bishop Brooks taught me no special creed or dogma; but he impressed upon my mind two great ideas--the fatherhood of God and the brotherhood of man, and made me feel that these truths underlie all creeds and forms of worship. God is love, God is our Father, we are His children; therefore the darkest clouds will break, and though right be worsted, wrong shall not triumph. He said: "There is one universal religion, Helen--the religion of love. Love your Heavenly Father with your whole heart and soul, love every child of God as much as ever you can, and remember that the possibilities of good are greater than the possibilities of evil; and you have the key to Heaven."_

HELEN KELLER.

Infinite Spirit! We shall not look upon Thee as a friend looketh upon the face of his friend, but may we learn to see Thee in every form of life and beauty and service here in this great world of Nature and of Man. May we discover Thee in the midst of common things and then they shall no more be common, but all things shall be sacred and divine. May we see Thy face in all human faces, clasp Thy hand in all human hands, and when we have walked with a friend, or talked with those we love, may it be as a walk with Thee and a communion with Thee. May we not think of Thee as afar off but always near, making all things holy. May we realize that it is a diviner thing to serve the lowly who need our help than to praise the Infinite who needeth not. May the sense of Thy presence in all things be the inspiration and interpretation of all days for us. Amen.

E. L. REXFORD.

May 6

_The brown, brown woods of March Are the green, green woods of May, And they lift their arms with a freer swing And shake out their pennons gay. And the brown, dead world of March, Is the living world of today; Life throbs and flushes and flashes out In the color and fragrance of May._

ANONYMOUS.

Infinite Spirit of the winter and the summer and of the night and the morning, Thou hast watched over and guarded, during its winter sleep and rest, this earth which Thou hast made, and which Thou hast made for a purpose--to be beautiful and fruitful in its season, to be a humble and obedient servant of Thy will of goodness. And now, as the woods of May are radiant in the beauty of springtime, and ready to do Thy will; so as we wake to the opportunity of this new day, may we rejoice in the privilege of living to Thee and doing Thy will in the glad service of lives lived as the Master lived. Amen.

GEORGE WALLACE PENNIMAN.

May 7

_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.

Our Father, in the heaven, we thank Thee for the birth of a new day. May we be full of gladness during its golden hours, may our hearts be tranquil with God's peace. A day is a part of Thy eternity. Thou hast set us in the battle, Thou art watching us in the fight; Thou art training us by well-accepted controversy. May nothing of Thy purpose be lost because of the blinding details of the conflict. Strengthen our hearts to do the work of this day. Help us to be as grateful as we are dependent upon God. Inspire our whole life; help us quickly to learn why we are here, what we are to do while here, and the path that leads home when the work-day is over. In the name of the Christ! Amen.

W. A. WOOD.

May 8

_Then sing, ye birds, sing, sing a joyous song! And let the young lambs bound As to the tabor's sound! We in thought will join your throng, Ye that pipe and ye that play, Ye that through your hearts today Feel the gladness of the May!_

WILLIAM WORDSWORTH.

God of the morning, Father of the Soul, we bless Thee for the light, for it is pleasant to behold the world made beautiful by the King of day, and sweet with the melody of the song of bird, and cheerful with the promise of hope in the swelling buds of spring. We join with Thy faithful ones in ascriptions of praise to Thee for the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and the knowledge of God. Help us to look upon our every faculty of soul, and power of body, as gifts from Thee, to be used for the advancement of love, truth and beauty, in our own hearts, and in the world. Give us Thine own help to bear every burden cheerfully, to stand erect before every responsibility, and if in our efforts to do much good for this day we seem to fail, may we look to Jesus and learn of Him that in a conscience void of offence there is no such thing as failure. Help us to strive with the evil of the world and sin not, that at the close of the day we may look back and say, we have kept ourselves unspotted from the world. Amen.

L. L. GREENE.

May 9

_Fairer grows the earth each morning To the eyes that watch aright; Every dew-drop sparkles warning Of a miracle in sight; Of some unexpected glory Waiting in the old and plain; Poet's dream nor traveller's story Words such wonders as remain._

WILLIAM C. GANNETT.

O Thou, who makest things seen and temporal quiver and flash with Thine own informing spirit, so illumine our pathways that the Luz where we meet our duties may become the Bethel where we meet our God. As Thou dost clothe the lily with beauty and inspire the bird with song help us to grow into the beauty of holiness, and to know the joy of Thy salvation. Whatever our past, open our eyes this day to some better thing which Thou hast always in reserve. Teach us what hinders our attainment and help us burst through the barrier. Make us so conscious of Thy indwelling spirit that we may yield to its gracious impellings toward righteousness and peace and joy. Amen.

THOMAS D. ANDERSON.

May 10

_Listen to the exhortation of the dawn!_

_Look to this day! For it is life, the very life of life. In its brief course lie all the Varieties and realities of your existence; The bliss of growth, The glory of action, The splendor of beauty: For yesterday is but a dream, And tomorrow is only a vision, But to-day well-lived makes Every yesterday a dream of happiness, And every tomorrow a vision of hope. Look well, therefore to this day!_

_Such is the salutation of the dawn._

FROM THE SANSKRIT.

Dear God, in Thy loving kindness, Thou hast brought us to the opening of another day; from darkness to light, from sleep to wakefulness, from rest to labor. We thank Thee for its opening glory and its coming opportunities; but above all, for the new strength we feel within ourselves to do its work and live its life. As radiant dawn climbs to full-orbed day and glides to setting sun, may we come to this day's close with the consciousness that we have lived a little closer to the great heart of the Eternal in every thought, word and deed, that we have woven into the texture of our lives, and gently as twilight enfolds the fruitful earth, shall "peace that passeth understanding" enfold our souls. Amen.

THOMAS B. PAYNE.

May 11

_As the insect from the rock Takes the color of its wing; As the boulder from the shock Of the ocean's rhythmic swing Makes itself a perfect form, Learns a calmer front to raise; As the shell, enameled warm With the prism's mystic rays, Praises wind and wave that make All its chambers fair and strong; As the mighty poets take Grief and pain to build their song; Even so for every soul, Whatsoe'er its lot may be-- Building, as the heavens roll, Something large and strong and free-- Things that hurt and things that mar Shape the man for perfect praise; Shock and strain and ruin are Friendlier than the smiling days._

JOHN WHITE CHADWICK.

Dear Father, as the light of this morning follows the darkness of the night, may we devoutly believe that the light of Thy love shall dispel all darkness and bring us into the morning of eternal peace. May we learn each day that our trials and sorrows are but stepping-stones in Thy divine economy, to bring us up into the clearer atmosphere of heavenly thought and life. Help us to live closer to Jesus, to understand how even He was made glorious through suffering, and ever learn to conquer in His name. Amen.

ELMER F. PEMBER.

May 12

_I live for those that love me For those that know me true, For the heaven that smiles above me, And waits my coming, too; For the cause that lacks assistance, For the wrongs that need resistance, For the future in the distance, For the good that I can do._

G. L. BANKS.

Father, we bless Thee for such as love us and those whom we love in the varying forms of affection, thanking Thee for the sacramental cup of joy in which Thou givest the wine of life to all of Thy children, humble or high. We thank thee for that love which setteth the solitary in families at the beginning, and then reaches wide arms all around, and will not stay its hold till it joins all nations and kindreds and tongues and people into one great family of love. We bless Thee for the noble men and women whose generous heart has lit the altar fire of philanthropy in many a dark and else benighted place. We thank Thee for the unbidden faith which springs up in our hearts, impelling us to trust Thee and love Thee and keep every commandment of Thine, and that while we know not what a day shall bring forth, we are sure of everlasting life. Amen.

THEODORE PARKER.

May 13

_Gladness of morning-- To hear the lark begin his flight, And singing, startle the dull Night From his watch-tower in the skies, Till the dappled Dawn doth rise; Then to come in spite of sorrow, And at my window bid good-morrow Through the sweetbrier, or the vine, Or the twisted eglantine._

JOHN MILTON.

O Thou, in whose light we see light, who hast lifted the shadows of night from our dwellings, complete now in our behalf Thy ministry of light, we beseech Thee, and let the day star arise in our hearts. Make clear Thy face unto us. Rise with Thy morning upon our souls. May the light which envelops us throughout the day be the radiance of Thy presence. May our eyes behold only what Thou revealest and our lives be warmed with the glow of Thy love. O, that we may be new-born like the day and live a new life in Thy mercies which are new every morning; that our love may rise fresh as the dawn and our obedience be as sure as the path of the law. Let no shadow from the past dim the joy of Thy presence. Scatter the darkness of sense and self within us. As the morning reveals, interprets and fulfils the beauties of a world which was wrapped in night, may the mystery of our lives unfold, our latent forces be summoned to service, and our hearts find fulness of joy because we live in Thee. Amen.

EVERETT D. BURR.

May 14

_It may be truly said that no man does any work perfectly who does not enjoy his work. Joy in one's work is the consummate tool without which the work may be done indeed, but without its finest perfectness. Men who do their work without enjoying it are like men carving statues with hatchets. A man who does his work with thorough enjoyment of it is like an artist who holds an exquisite tool which is almost as obedient to him as his own hand, and almost works intelligently with him._

PHILLIPS BROOKS.

O Heavenly Father, we thank Thee that Thou hast placed us where we are and hast given us the work we have to do. We would not seek far and wide for some better place or more honourable task. We pray today for the spirit that shall make us glad in our common toil. We need not to fly away to find enjoyment; we have only to feel that in the duties of this day we are in partnership with Thee,--then shall we be happy that Thou hast called us to so divine a fellowship. Make us strong and earnest and brave--that when the evening shadows fall we shall not look regretfully back because we have been unfaithful,--but that we may be satisfied and happy in the memory that we have been serving with Thee. Amen.

ANONYMOUS.

May 15

_I love the flowers that come about with spring, And whether they be scarlet, white or blue, It mattereth to me not anything, For when I see them full of sun and dew, My heart doth get so full with its delight, I know not blue from red, nor red from white._

ALICE CARY.

Father Divine, we remember Thee at the beginning of another day, and the obedience to Thy laws of life which Thou dost require. About us is Thy beautiful world, thrilling with new life. We would that our lives today may be likewise beautiful, restrained from sin against body and spirit. As there is now in the earth, so there is always in human souls a springtide ready to burst forth into beautiful living. In our hearts there is always the stirring energy of a spiritual spring that needs but the warmth of Thy heavenly sunshine. Let that warmth now stream into our hearts that our lives today may show forth Thy praise. Amen.

MINOT O. SIMONS.

May 16

Violet: "_Well, but surely at least one ought to be afraid of displeasing God; and one's desire to please Him should be one's first motive._"

Lecturer: "_He never would be pleased with us, if it were, my dear. When a father sends his son out into the world--suppose as an apprentice--fancy the boy's coming home at night, and saying, 'Father, I could have robbed the till to-day; but I didn't because I thought you wouldn't like it.' Do you think the father would be particularly pleased?" (Violet is silent). "He would answer, would he not, if he were wise and good, 'My boy, though you had no father, you must not rob tills.' And nothing is ever done so as really to please our Great Father, unless we would also have done it, though we had had no Father to know of it._"

JOHN RUSKIN.

Father of Life, Thy children raise their thoughts in prayer to Thee at the dawning of each day. Their prayer asserts love, trust and conformity to Thy will. May the spirit of prayer abide with us the day through, that we may be dutiful and worthy. The moral law is Thy way of life, may we make it our way by intelligent obedience. To know Thee aright and to find our joy in Thy life is to have fullness of being through purity and strength. O Father, may we be as those who broaden and deepen and purify life by word and deed that none may suffer loss through us, but find aid to reach the perfect life in Thee. Amen.

WILSON M. BACKUS.

May 17

_Through the harsh noises of our day A low sweet prelude finds its way: Through clouds of doubt and creeds of fear A light is breaking, calm and clear._

_Henceforth my heart shall sigh no more For olden time and holier shore: God's love and blessing, then and there Are now and here and everywhere._

JOHN GREENLEAF WHITTIER.

Our Father, as we enter upon the duties of this new day, incline our minds and hearts unto Thee. May we feel, amid its harsh noises, the assurance of Thy love and care. If doubt or fear assail us may we turn unto Thee who art the source of life, love and light, and find calm and peace. We would forget the things behind and make the most of the present. We rejoice that today is better than yesterday and that tomorrow will be better than today. Thou art here now, as Thou art everywhere always, to bless us with Thy love and care. Direct us through the hours of this day and may its close find us better children of Thine. Amen.

JOHN B. REARDON.

May 18

_The sun does not shine for a few trees and flowers, but for the wide world's joy. The lonely pine of the mountain top waves its sombre boughs, and cries, "Thou art my sun!" And the little meadow violet lifts its cup of blue, and whispers with its perfumed breath, "Thou art my sun!" And the grain in a thousand fields rustles in the wind, and makes answer, "Thou art my sun!" So God sits, effulgent, in heaven, not for a favored few, but for the universe of life; and there is no creature so poor or so low that he may not look up with child-like confidence, and say, "My Father, Thou art mine!"_

HENRY WARD BEECHER.

O God, the Eternal Source of all life, we rejoice that there are no bounds to Thy love. We thank Thee that Thou givest us all things richly to enjoy. May we learn that Thy bounties are for all human beings. Make the hearts of men eager that the ignorant, the lowly, the poor, the wayward, may come into the full estate of knowing that they are children of God. Let them in no way be denied the joy of unfolding the divinity within them. Lead us all into those fields of labor where we can be our best selves and develop our lives by what we do to meet the growing demands of truth and love and goodness. Wherever the morning breaks and the sunshine falls upon human faces, may its cheer make homes happy and true, men and women good, and little children joyous. Amen.

ALVA ROY SCOTT.

May 19

_Hear the Master's risen word! Delving spades have set it free, Wake! the world has need of thee, Rise and let thy voice be heard, Like a fountain disinterred, Upward springing, singing, sparkling; Through the doubtful shadows darkling; Till the clouds of pain and rage Brooding o'er the toiling age, As with rifts of light are stirred By the music of the Word; Gospel for the heavy-laden, answer to the labourer's cry; "Raise the stone, and thou shalt find Me: cleave the wood, and there am I."_

HENRY VAN DYKE.

God of light and strength and beauty, for this day we thank Thee. The morning hours come to us freighted with messages of gladness. Thou, our Father, art refreshing our spirits, and home seems dearer, love more sacred and the way of duty clearer before our waiting feet. We thank Thee for life as it is given us, day by day. Help us to fill it with honest, cheerful, fruitful service. May we realize and rejoice in the nobility of labor, and may we learn how it is that a child of Thine, standing in his own place, giving himself to the tasks of the hour, imparts strength and courage to his fellow-worker, and helps the world forward in the path of righteousness and peace. So may Thy will be done in and through us. Amen.

JOHN P. FORBES.

May 20

_O the green things growing, the green things growing The faint sweet smell of the green things growing! I should like to live, whether I smile or grieve, Just to watch the happy life of my green things growing._

DINAH MULOCK CRAIG.

_Not all these sweets, these sounds, this vernal blaze, Is but one joy, express'd a thousand ways; And honey from the flowers, and song of birds, Are from the poet's pen, his overflowing words._

LEIGH HUNT.

O Thou who art the Creator of life in every form in which it is expressed in the earth, we thank Thee for the grass and the flowers, the trees and the shrubs, the music of the streams and the melody of the birds. As nature is ever vocal with Thy praise, so may our hearts be attuned to deepest joy that we are a part of Thy creation and made capable of constant exultation in the beauty and the beneficence of Thy purpose therein displayed. In this spirit may we rejoice and be glad in this new day which Thou hast made for us. Amen.

I. J. MEAD.

May 21

_As one familiar with the sonatas and the symphonies of Beethoven, while passing along the street in summer, gets, from out of the open window, a snatch of a song or a piece that is being played, catching a strain here and another there--and says to himself, "Ah, that is Beethoven. I recognize that: it is from such and such a movement of the Pastoral" or whatever it may be;--so men in life catch strains of God in the mother's disinterested and self-denying love, in the lover's glow, in the little child's innocent affections. Where did this thing come from? No plant ever brought out such fruit as this?_

HENRY WARD BEECHER.

Father of all and giver of every good thing, to Thee we pray; to Thee we look for light, for truth, for beauty. In the travail of thought may there come only the highest and best good. Where there is division we ask for unity; where there is confusion we ask for serenity; where there is discord, we ask for harmony. May divergent paths lead to the larger way of widening vision, distinctive service, unstinted love. Hasten the day when Thy purpose shall be accomplished in us, and when that which is now imperfect shall become the perfected whole. Grant to us wisdom to pursue noble ends with intelligent zeal, and patient effort, and in a charitable and hopeful spirit. Amen.

C. C. CLARK.

May 22