Part 10

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.

--Matthew 6. 25.

My Father, save me from the habit of borrowing. So often I borrow trouble and cannot use it, when the peace that I possess is all that I need. Help me, that I may not miss the glory of to-day, by anticipating the uncertainty of to-morrow; but may I discern my place and have delight in every day. Amen.

JULY FOURTEENTH

Bastille destroyed 1789.

Jane Baillie Welch Carlyle born 1801.

Owen Wister born 1860.

Sail fast, sail fast, Ark of my hopes, Ark of my dreams; Sweep lordly o'er the drowned Past, Fly glittering through the sun's strange beams; Sail fast, sail fast. Breath of new buds from off some drying lea, With news about the Future scent the sea; My brain is beating like the heart of Haste. I'll loose me a bird upon this Present waste; Go, trembling song, And stay not long; O, stay not long; Thou art only a gray and sober dove, But thine eye is faith and thy wing is love.

--Sidney Lanier.

God speed thee, pretty bird; may thy small nest, With little ones all in good time be blest. I love thee much; For well thou managest that life of thine, Well I!--O ask not what I do with mine! Would I were such!

--Jane Welch Carlyle.

Behold the birds of the heaven, that they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; and your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are not ye of much more value than they?

--Matthew 6. 26.

My Father, may I start this day with more faith in myself and greater love for thy world. May my soul be awakened to the highest and be ready for the joys of to-day. Amen.

JULY FIFTEENTH

Inigo Jones born 1573.

Rembrandt born 1607.

Henry Edward Manning born 1808.

William Winter born 1836.

His was the heart that overmuch In human goodness puts its trust, And his the keen, satiric touch That shrivels falsehood into dust.

Fierce for the right, he bore his part In strife with many a valiant foe; But laughter winged his polished dart, And kindness tempered every blow.

--William Winter.

A wise man will so act that whatever he does may rather seem voluntary and of his own free will than done by compulsion, however much he may be compelled by necessity.

--Machiavelli.

Wherefore I saw that there is nothing better, than that a man should rejoice in his works; for that is his portion: for who shall bring him back to see what shall be after him?

--Ecclesiastes 3. 22.

Lord God, may I not forget that it is in the light, and not the darkness, that my work is revealed. I beseech thee to pour in thy light as I plan my life, and open my heart and mind for the reception of thy truth. Amen.

JULY SIXTEENTH

Andrea del Sarto born 1486.

Sir Joshua Reynolds born 1723.

Margaret Fuller Ossoli perished at sea 1850.

Reverence the highest, have patience with the lowest. Let this day's performance of the meanest duty be thy religion. Are the stars too distant? Pick up the pebble that lies at thy feet and from it learn all.

--Margaret Fuller.

The situation that has not its Duty, its Ideal, was never yet occupied by man. Yet, here is this miserable, despicable Actual, wherein thou standest--here or nowhere is thy Ideal! Work it out therefrom!

--Thomas Carlyle.

And whosoever shall give to drink unto one of these little ones a cup of cold water only, in the name of a disciple, verily I say unto you he shall in no wise lose his reward.

--Matthew 10. 42.

Great God, may I begin this day bearing in mind that the things which I think and do are my life. I pray that thou wilt keep me from making great efforts for that which is valueless, and thus waste my life. May I watch my pride and indolence that they may not cause me to lose the best. Amen.

JULY SEVENTEENTH

Dr. Isaac Watts born 1674.

Charlotte Corday guillotined 1793.

Paul Delaroche born 1797.

J.A. McNeil Whistler died 1903.

So frail is the youth and beauty of men, Though they bloom and look gay like the rose; But all our fond cares to preserve them is vain, Time kills them as fast as he goes.

Then I'll not be proud of my youth nor my beauty, Since both of them wither and fade; But gain a good name by well doing my duty; For this will scent like the rose when I'm dead.

--Isaac Watts.

Onward, onward may we press Through the path of duty; Virtue is true happiness, Excellence true beauty; Minds are of supernal birth, Let us make a heaven of earth.

--James Montgomery.

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

--Matthew 7. 12.

My Lord and my strength, I pray that I may possess that expectancy which comes in joyous hope and have the endurance that is controlled by courage and energy. Grant in the future that I may be less concerned about my living and more anxious for what I make of my life. Amen.

JULY EIGHTEENTH

William Makepeace Thackeray born 1811.

Jane Austen died 1817.

Jean Antoine Watteau died 1721.

Learn to admire rightly: the great pleasure of life is that. Note what great men admired; they admired great things; narrow spirits admire basely and worship meanly.

--W.M. Thackeray.

Our thoughts are often more than we are, just as they are often better than we are. And God sees us as we are altogether, and not in separate feelings or actions, as our fellow men see us. We are always doing each other injustice, and thinking better or worse of each other than we deserve, because we only hear separate feelings or actions. We don't see each other's whole nature.

--George Eliot.

The wilderness and the dry land shall be glad; and the desert shall rejoice, and blossom as the rose.

--Isaiah 35. 1.

Eternal God, may I become more like thee. Give me the desire to associate myself with people and places where the divine spirit is supreme. May my soul breathe in the influence of all that is good and true; and may I use my life for thy honor and praise. Amen.

JULY NINETEENTH

John Martin born 1789.

Samuel Colt born 1814.

Charles Victor Cherbuliez born 1829.

In love, if love be love, if love be ours, Faith and unfaith can ne'er be equal powers: Unfaith in aught is want of faith in all.

It is the little rift within the lute That by and by will make the music mute, And ever widening slowly silence all. The little rift within the lover's lute, Or little pitted speck in garner'd fruit, That rotting inward slowly molders all.

It is not worth the keeping: let it go: But shall it? Answer, darling, answer no. And trust me not at all or all in all.

--Alfred Tennyson.

Take us the foxes, the little foxes, That spoil the vineyards; For our vineyards are in blossom.

--Song of Solomon 2. 15.

Loving Father, help me to put away the distractions and cares that make me discontented. Grant that I may not set myself in "gilded pride" and keep out the precious things of life. Help me to abandon doubt and suspicion, and keep the faith that is happy to believe and willing to forgive. Amen.

JULY TWENTIETH

Petrarch born 1304.

Thomas Lovell Beddoes born 1803.

John Sterling born 1806.

Jean Ingelow died 1897.

Let thy day be to the night A letter of good tidings! Let thy praise Go up as birds go up--that when they awake, Shake off the dew and soar.

--Jean Ingelow.

I, and the bird, And the wind together, Sang a supplication In the winter weather.

The bird sang for sunshine, And the trees for winter fruit, And for love in the spring time When the thickets shoot.

And I sang for patience When the teardrops start; Clean hands and clear eyes, And a faithful heart.

--Arthur C. Benson.

Unto thee, O Jehovah, do I lift up my soul.

--Psalm 25. 1.

Lord God, if I am discouraged this morning, may I pause for thine encouragement. Grant that the fear of the night may make no decline in my morn, but that "into the future I may fuse the past," and use what is clearest for to-day. Amen.

JULY TWENTY-FIRST

Matthew Pryor born 1664.

William Lord Russell beheaded 1683.

Robert Burns died 1796.

Our heaven must be within ourselves, Our home and heaven the work of faith And thro' this race of life which shelves Downward to death. While over all a dome must spread, And love shall be that dome above; And deep foundations must be laid, And these are love.

--Christina Rossetti.

If happiness has not her seat And center in the breast, We may be wise or rich or great, But never can be blest.

--Robert Burns.

Keep thy heart with all diligence; For out of it are the issues of life.

--Proverbs 4.

My Father, if I choose to be unhappy and miserable, may I not be to myself and friends as "a harp with one string." Help me to free myself from thinking and anticipating things that keep me from the pleasure that I might receive and give. May I have more trust in my friends and in thee. Amen.

JULY TWENTY-SECOND

Sir John Graham killed 1298.

Pilgrims started for America 1620.

Earl of Shaftesbury (Anthony Ashley Cooper) born 1621.

How comes it to pass, then, that we appear such cowards in reasoning, and are so afraid to stand the test of ridicule?

--Earl of Shaftesbury.

He that of such a height hath built his mind, And reared the dwelling of his thoughts so strong, As neither fear nor hope can shake the frame Of his resolved powers; nor all the wind Of vanity or malice pierce to wrong His settled peace, or to disturb the same: What a fair seat hath he, from whence he may The boundless wastes and wilds of man survey?

--Samuel Daniel.

Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee; because he trusteth in thee.

--Isaiah 26. 3.

O Lord, it is not that I am ashamed to ask thee for the truth that I do not more diligently seek it, but it is because I fear the sacrifice that may follow in obtaining it. I would that I could understand that thy strength is given in the sacrifice. Make me braver as I seek to live in the truth. Amen.

JULY TWENTY-THIRD

Richard Gibson died 1690.

Charlotte Cushman born 1816.

Coventry Patmore born 1823.

I do not ask, O Lord, that life may be A pleasant road; I do not ask that thou would'st take from me Aught of its load.

For one thing only, Lord, dear Lord, I plead: Lead me aright-- Though strength should falter, and though heart should bleed-- Through peace to light.

--Adelaide A. Procter.

O, why and whither?--God knows all, I only know that he is good, And that whatever may befall Or here or there, must be the best that could.

--John G. Whittier.

Lead me, O Jehovah, in thy righteousness because of mine enemies; Make thy way straight before my face.

--Psalm 5. 8.

Loving Father, may I never fail to ask for thy guidance, for thou hast promised to lead me to the cool springs while I pass through the desert places. Help me to put myself in thy keeping and say, "Thy will be done." Amen.

JULY TWENTY-FOURTH

Rev. John Newton born 1725.

John P. Curran born 1750.

J.G. Holland born 1819.

As the winged arrow flies Speedily the mark to find; As the lightning from the skies Darts and leaves no trace behind; Swiftly thus our fleeting days Bear us down life's rapid stream; Upward, Lord, our spirits raise; All below is but a dream.

--John Newton.

O gentlemen! the time is short; To spend that shortness basely were too long, If life did ride upon a dial's point, Still ending at the arrival of an hour.

--William Shakespeare.

Jehovah, make me to know mine end, And the measure of my days, what it is; Let me know how frail I am.

--Psalm 39. 4.

Lord, forbid that I should overcast my life with intentions, and neglect to put in the deeds. May I not be satisfied to spend my days in being merely occupied, but live to learn and work. May I not be dismayed over what I might have been, but with all my might do what I can now. Amen.

JULY TWENTY-FIFTH

Thomas à Kempis died 1471.

Simon Bolivar born 1783.

Arthur James Balfour born 1848.

Blessed indeed are those ears which listen not after the voice which is sounding without, but after the truth teaching within.

--Thomas à Kempis.

How joyed my heart in the rich melodies That overhead and round me did arise! The moving leaves--the water's gentle flow-- Delicious music hung on every bough. Then said I in my heart, "If that the Lord Such lively music on the earth accord; If to weak, sinful man such sounds are given, O! what must be the melody of heaven!"

--Izaak Walton.

But thou, O Jehovah, knowest me; thou seest me, and triest my heart toward thee.

--Jeremiah 12. 3.

Loving Father, thou hast made it needful for me to know that the songs which are sung by divine love are rarely heard by cruel hearts. Grant that my soul may chord with the sweetest music that vibrates in the beauty and harmony of life. Amen.

JULY TWENTY-SIXTH

Charles Emmanuel died 1630.

John Wilmot died 1680.

George Clinton born 1739.

Quiet minds cannot be perplexed or frightened, but go on in fortune or misfortune at their own private pace, like a clock during a thunderstorm.

--Robert L. Stevenson.

I have learned, as days have passed me, Fretting never lifts the load; And worry, much or little, Never smooths an irksome road; For do you know that somehow, always, Doors are opened, ways are made; When we work and live in patience Under all the cross that's laid.

--Unknown.

But whoso hearkeneth unto me shall dwell securely, And shall be quiet without fear of evil.

--Proverbs 1. 33.

Merciful and just God, I pray that I may regulate my life by thy standards and conform my life to thy laws, that thy goodness and mercy may not be wasted on me. Help me to bear in mind, that willingness is the power that starts the hands to work. May I have thy presence while I wait in quietness, that I may be helped through the anxious moments. Amen.

JULY TWENTY-SEVENTH

Thomas Campbell born 1777.

Alexandre Dumas-fils born 1824.

Dr. John Dalton died 1844.

What's hallowed ground? 'Tis what gives birth To sacred thoughts in souls of worth!-- Peace! Independence! Truth! go forth Earth's compass round; And your high-priesthood shall make earth All hallowed ground.

--Thomas Campbell.

Remember the week day to keep it holy.

--Elbert Hubbard.

The meaning of life comes to us mostly in great revealing flashes and intense emotions.

--Dean Farrar.

To the pure all things are pure.

--Titus 1. 15.

Gracious Father, may I not feel that it is necessary to wait for certain days and ceremonies to prepare to worship thee, while at every moment thy love is pleading for me. May I through the busiest hours and the most perplexing moments serve thee in reverence and obedience, and ever give praise to thy holy name. Amen.

JULY TWENTY-EIGHTH

John Sebastian Bach died 1750.

Robespierre executed 1794.

Jean Baptiste Corot born 1796.

O Light that followest all my way, I yield my flickering torch to thee; My heart restores its borrowed ray, That in thy sunshine's blaze its day May brighter, fairer be.

--George Matheson.

Follow your Star that lights a desert pathway, yours or mine, Forward, till you learn the highest Human Nature is divine. Follow Light and do the Right--for man can half control his doom-- Till you see the deathless Angel seated in the vacant Tomb.

--Alfred Tennyson.

My soul waiteth for the Lord, More than watchmen wait for the morning; Yea, more than watchmen for the morning.

--Psalm 130. 6.

Almighty God, help me to kindle my life by the shining light of thy power and love, that I may be an ambassador for thee. Amen.

JULY TWENTY-NINTH

Andrew Marvell died 1678.

William Wilberforce died 1833.

Dr. Thomas Dick died 1857.

I wrestle not with rage While fury's flame doth burn; It is vain to stop the stream Until the tide doth turn.

But when the flame is out And ebbing wrath doth end I turn a late enraged foe Into a quiet friend.

--Robert Southwell.