Part 11
If I can lend A strong hand to the fallen, or defend The right against a single envious strain, My life though bare Perhaps of much that seemeth dear and fair To us on earth, will not have been in vain.
--Unknown.
A friend loveth at all times; And a brother is born for adversity.
--Proverbs 17. 17.
Gracious Father of us all, if I may have cause to be provoked to-day, help me to rise above my angry passions, and not from weakness plunge into that for which I may be sorry. Make me self-forgetful, that I may be willing to make peace with those whom I may have displeased. Amen.
JULY THIRTIETH
Samuel Rogers born 1763.
Thomas Gray died 1771.
W.T. Adams (Oliver Optic) born 1822.
Prince Bismarck died 1898.
Sit down, sad soul, and count The moments flying; Come, tell the sweet amount That's lost by sighing! How many smiles?--a score? Then laugh, and count no more; For day is dying.
Lie down sad soul, and sleep, And no more measure The flight of time, nor weep The loss of leisure; But here by this lone stream, Lie down with us, and dream Of starry treasure.
Bryan Waller Procter.
The only thing grief has taught me is to know how shallow it is. Grief will not carry you one step into real nature; grief can teach me nothing.
--Ralph Waldo Emerson.
Leave off, ye simple ones, and live; And walk in the way of understanding.
--Proverbs 9. 6.
God of love, may I come quickly to thee, when I am in need of protection and sympathy. Guard me against sorrow that is drawn from the imagination. May I not allow grief to drag me into misery, but with strength and courage may I find happiness in thy daily will. Amen.
JULY THIRTY-FIRST
John Conybeare died 1775.
John Ericsson born 1803.
Paul B. Du Chaillu born 1835.
Phoebe Cary died 1871.
Be wise to-day; 'tis madness to defer; Next day the fatal precedent will plead; Thus on, till wisdom is pushed out of life. Procrastination is the thief of time; Year after year it steals, till all are fled, And to the mercies of a moment leaves The vast concerns of an eternal scene.
--Dr. Edward Young.
O, my friend, rise up and follow Where the hand of God shall lead; He has brought thee through affliction, But to fit thee for his need.
--Mary Howitt.
For he is our God, And we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand. To-day, O that ye would hear his voice! Harden not your heart.
--Psalm 95. 7, 8.
Lord God, I come to thee for help, that I may make more of my life. Steady me, that I may know its value without wavering, and the loss it sustains from wasted days. I pray that I may live more in thy commandments, and with my work accept the joy of thy love. Amen.
AUGUST
Flame-like, the long midday, With not so much of sweet air as hath stirred The down upon the spray, Where nests the panting bird, Dozing away the hot and tedious noon, With fitful twitter, sadly out of tune.
Pleasantly comest thou, Dew of the evening, to the crisped-up grass; And the curled corn-blades bow, As the light breezes pass, That their parched lips may feel thee, and expand, Thou sweet reviver of the fevered land.
So, to the thirsting soul, Cometh the dew of the Almighty's love; And the scathed heart, made whole, Turneth in joy above, To where the spirit freely may expand, And rove, untrammeled, in that "better land."
--William D. Gallagher.
AUGUST FIRST
Andrew Melville born 1545.
Richard Henry Dana, Jr., born 1815.
Maria Mitchell born 1818.
Am I wrong to be always so happy? This world is full of grief; Yet there is laughter of sunshine, to see the crisp green on the leaf, Daylight is ringing with song-birds, and brooklets are crooning at night; And why should I make a shadow when God makes all so bright? Earth may be wicked and weary, yet cannot I help being glad! There is sunshine without and within me, and how should I mope or be sad? God would not flood me with blessings, meaning me only to pine Amid all the bounties and beauties he pours upon me and mine; Therefore I will be grateful, and therefore will I rejoice; My heart is singing within me; sing on, O heart and voice.
--Walter C. Smith.
Rejoice always.
--1 Thessalonians 5. 16.
Gracious Father, my soul floods with joy for the blessings of life. May it be my privilege to be happy in them. Help me not to ask thee for anything which will cause loss to another; may I not delight in a lonely view, but as I see thy glory bring others to the vision also. Amen.
AUGUST SECOND
Thomas Gainsborough died 1788.
Elisha Gray born 1835.
Marion Crawford born 1854.
William Watson born 1859.
The Holy Supper is kept, indeed, In whatso we share with another's need; Not what we give, but what we share, For the gift without the giver is bare; Who gives himself with his alms feeds three, Himself, his hungering neighbor, and me.
--James Russell Lowell.
And when o'er storm and jar I climb, Beyond life's atmosphere, I shall behold the lord of time And space--of world and year.
O vain, far quest! not thus my heart Shall ever find its goal! I turn me home--and there thou art, My Father, in my soul.
--George Macdonald.
That they should seek God, if haply they might feel after him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us; for in him we live, and move, and have our being.
--Acts 17. 27, 28.
O Lord, my gracious Father, may I not be so eager for more, that I feel I have nothing to spare. Help me to realize that if I may be on the mountain-top, or at the level of the sea, thy spirit may dwell in my soul. May I rejoice that I can always receive and share thy grace and love. Amen.
AUGUST THIRD
John Henley born 1692.
Henry Cuyler Bunner born 1855.
Eugene Sue died 1857.
Set out in the very morning of your lives with a frank and manly determination to look simply for what is right and true in all things.... This is the only way to know God's will and do it. You may not find it at once, but you have set your face in the true direction to find it.
--Jeremy Taylor.
The important thing in life is to have a great aim, and to possess the aptitude and perseverance to attain it.
--Goethe.
Blessed are they that keep his testimonies, That seek him with the whole heart.
--Psalm 119. 2.
Lord God, forbid that I should lose the opportunities of making my life by waiting for sudden developments. Cause me to notice that the tree that bears fruit must first grow the blossom before it may be perfected by the sun: whether thou hast made me greater or less, may I be ashamed to live in untruth and wait in idleness. Amen.
AUGUST FOURTH
Percy Bysshe Shelley born 1792.
Edward Irving born 1792.
Walter H. Pater born 1839.
We look before and after, And pine for what is not; Our sincerest laughter With some pain is fraught; Our sweetest songs are those that tell of saddest thought.
Yet if we could scorn Hate and pride and fear, If we were things born Not to shed a tear, I know not how thy joy we ever could come near.
--Percy Bysshe Shelley.
It becomes no man to nurse despair, But in the teeth of clenched antagonisms To follow up the worthiest till he die.
--Alfred Tennyson.
He suffered no man to do them wrong; Yea, he reproved kings for their sakes.
--1 Chronicles 16. 21.
My Father, I bless thee for thy patience and forbearance. I pray that thou wilt forgive me for all the sorrow that I have made from rebellion and despair, and with thy forgiveness may I receive patience and cheerful courage. Amen.
AUGUST FIFTH
John Eliot born 1604.
John, Lord Wrottesley, born 1798.
Richard Lord Howe died 1799.
To live within a cave--it is most good; But if God made a day, And some one come, and say, "Lo! I have gathered faggots in the wood!" E'en let him stay, And light a fire, and fan a temporal mood! So sit till morning! when the light is grown That he the path can read, Then bid the man Godspeed! His morning is not thine: yet must thou own Those ashes on the stone. They have a cheerful warmth.
--Thomas Edward Brown.
It is given to us sometimes, even in our everyday life, to witness the saving influence of a noble nature, the divine efficacy of rescue that may lie in a self-subduing act of fellowship.
--George Eliot.
And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it unto one of these my brethren, even these least, ye did it unto me.
--Matthew 25. 40.
Father of mankind, may I not be a barrier to the discouraged, but help them in the ways of encouragement. May I not allow pride and prejudice to keep me from acts of love and deeds of kindness, but may I be worthy of thy trust. Amen.
AUGUST SIXTH
Ben Jonson died 1637.
François Fénelon born 1651.
Daniel O'Connell born 1775.
Alfred, Lord Tennyson, born 1809.
O well for him whose will is strong! He suffers, but he will not suffer long; He suffers, but he cannot suffer wrong; For him nor moves the loud world's random mock, Not all Calamity's hugest waves confound, Who seems a promontory rock, That compassed round with turbulent sound, In middle ocean meets the surging shock, Tempest-buffeted, citadel-crowned.
--Alfred Tennyson.
Grandeur of character lies in force of soul--that is, in the force of thought, moral principle, and love; and this may be found in the humblest condition of life.
--William Ellery Channing.
So then, brethren, stand fast.
--2 Thessalonians 2. 15.
Eternal God, help me that I may not be deceived by my surroundings as I seek to have life abundantly. Instruct me that it is by the way of character that I must attain the laws of growth, and learn reverence for the spirit of divine life. Amen.
AUGUST SEVENTH
Battle of Thermopylae B.C. 480.
Frederick William (Dean) Farrar born 1831.
Alexander M. Bell died 1905.
Although a friend may remain faithful in misfortune, yet none but the very best and loftiest will remain faithful to us after our errors and our sins.
--Dean Farrar.
Friendship is like a debt of honor: the moment it is talked of it loses its real name, and assumes the more ungrateful form of obligation. From hence we find that those who regularly undertake to cultivate friendship find ingratitude generally repays their endeavors.
--Oliver Goldsmith.
For even in their wickedness shall my prayer continue.
--Psalm 141. 5.
Lord God, may I ever continue to be thankful for the times thou hast helped me, when I have asked for thy compassion; may I recall the joy in which I received it, when it may be mine to have compassion and extend a helping hand to others. I pray that I may place my life where it will be stronger than adversity and controlled by sincerity and love. Amen.
AUGUST EIGHTH
Charles A. Dana born 1819.
Laurence Hutton born 1843.
Cecile Chaminade born 1861.
Lo! all the glory gone! God's masterpiece undone! The last created and the first to fall; The noblest, frailest, godliest of all.
Child of the humble sod, Wed with the breath of God, Descend! for with the lowest thou must lie-- Arise! thou hast inherited the sky.
--John B. Tabb.
Far away there in the sunshine are my highest aspirations; I cannot reach them, but I can look up and see their beauty, believe in them, and try to follow where they lead.
--Louisa M. Alcott.
I will lift up mine eyes unto the mountains: From whence shall my help come?
--Psalm 121. 1.
Heavenly Father, may I see as I raise my eyes to the mountains that without the deep shadows there would be no vision of the high-light, and still higher may I see that without the sun there would be no color to encircle the rainbow. And beyond, O Father, may I believe that without the shadow of the cross we could not have the glory of the resurrection. May I keep the vision clear. Amen.
AUGUST NINTH
Izaak Walton born 1593.
John Dryden born 1631.
Francis Scott Key born 1780.
Joseph Jacques Tissot died 1902.
All habits gather, by unseen degrees, Brooks make rivers, rivers run to seas.
--John Dryden.
Now it catches the gleam of the morning's first beam, In full glory reflected now shines on the stream; 'Tis the star-spangled banner; O yet may it wave O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave!
--Francis Scott Key.
Do not be troubled because you have not great virtues. God made a million spears of grass where he made one tree.... Only have enough of little virtues and common fidelities, and you need not mourn because you are neither a hero nor a saint.
--Henry Ward Beecher.
The reward of humility and the fear of Jehovah Is riches, and honor, and life.
--Proverbs 22. 4.
Lord God, who keepest truth to generations, and who through love and wisdom hath gathered us into nations, forgive me for what I have done that is wrong, and for what I have neglected that was right. May I give greater loyalty to my country and to thee. Amen.
AUGUST TENTH
Founding of Greenwich Observatory 1675.
Sir Charles Napier born 1782.
George Park Fisher born 1827.
No one can ask honestly or hopefully to be delivered from temptation unless he has himself honestly and firmly determined to do the best he can to keep out of it.
--John Ruskin.
Men at some time are masters of their fates: The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, But in ourselves, that we are underlings.
--William Shakespeare.
The greatest punishment one can have is to discover, not how hard, but how low he has fallen.
--M.B.S.
O Timothy, guard that which is committed unto thee, turning away from the profane babblings and oppositions of the knowledge which is falsely so-called.
--1 Timothy 6. 20.
Almighty God, through thy mercies may I recognize my faults, and correct any evil that is in me. Make me strong, that I may not yield to temptation. May I have regard for thy will and be prepared to take thy messages as they are flashed to the soul. Amen.
AUGUST ELEVENTH
Jean Victor Moreau born 1761.
Octave Feuillet born 1821.
Signer Crispi died 1901.
Heaven overreaches you and me, And all earth's gardens and her graves. Look up with me, until we see The day break and the shadows flee. What though to-night wrecks you and me If so to-morrow saves?
--Christina G. Rossetti.
The essence of joy lies in the doing rather than in the result of the doing. There is a lifelong and solid satisfaction in any productive labor, manual or mental, which is not pushed beyond the limit of strength.
--Charles W. Eliot.
Show me thy ways, O Jehovah; Teach me thy paths. Guide me in thy truths, and teach me.
--Psalm 25. 4, 5.
My Father, keep me where my eyes may look expectantly toward the dawn, through the darkness. Take away everything that comes between me and the brightness of the morning. Amen.
AUGUST TWELFTH
Robert Southey born 1774.
Francis Horner born 1778.
Edith Thomas born 1854.
Katherine Lee Bates born 1859.
Our restlessness in this world seems to indicate that we are intended for a better. We have all of us a longing after happiness; and surely the Creator will gratify all the natural desires he has implanted in us.
--Robert Southey.
Whenso my quick, light-sandaled feet Bring me where Joys and Pleasures meet, I mingle with their throng at will; They know me not an alien still, Since neither words nor ways unsweet Of stored bitterness I spill; Youth shuns me not nor gladness fears, For I go softly all my years.
--Edith Thomas.
He hath swallowed up death forever; and the Lord Jehovah will wipe away tears from off all faces.
--Isaiah 25. 8.
Loving Father, help me to guard my inclinations. May I be able to appreciate that though I may be restless from ambition, I also may be restless through discontent. Correct my life, that my desires may meet the true demands of my soul. Strengthen me with the power of calmness, that "I may go softly all my years," even though I walk through the bitterness of sorrow. Amen.
AUGUST THIRTEENTH
Jeremy Taylor died 1667.
Dr. William Wotton born 1669.
Elizabeth Stuart Phelps Ward born 1844.
Elizabeth Prentiss died 1878.
Sir John Millais died 1896.
Feeling the way--and all the way up hill; But on the open summit, calm and still, The feet of Christ are planted; and they stand In view of all the quiet land.
Feeling the way--and if the way is cold, What matter? since upon the fields of gold His breath is melting; and the warm winds sing While rocking summer days for him.
--Elizabeth S. Phelps.
All the performances of human art, at which we look with praise and wonder, are instances of the resistless force of perseverance.
--Samuel Johnson.
But abide thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them.
---2 Timothy 3. 14.
My Lord, I would remember to ask thee this morning for that of which I seem to have most need. May I have the will to keep my patience and realize the untold power of my words and actions. Give me thy peace, not only to rest in, but that I may have it to give to others. Amen.
AUGUST FOURTEENTH
Dr. Meric Casaubon born 1599.
Dr. Charles Button born 1737.
Walter Besant born 1836.
Ernest Thompson Seton born 1860.
Florence Nightingale died 1910.
I count this thing to be grandly true, That a noble deed is a step toward God; Lifting the soul from the common clod To a purer air and a broader view.
We rise by the things that are under our feet, By what we have mastered of good or gain, By the pride deposed and the passion slain, And the vanquished ills that we hourly meet.
--Richard Watson Gilder.
No Apostle of Liberty much to my heart ever found I; License each for himself, this was at bottom their want. Liberator of many! first dare to be Servant of many; What a business is that, would'st thou know it, go try!
--Goethe.
Prove all things; hold fast that which is good.
--1 Thessalonians 5. 21.
Gracious Father, if I may be beginning this day with an unclean purpose in my heart, help me to clear it away; if I may be trying to avoid some urgent duty, make me ashamed to resist it. Keep away the desires that harm my life, and that withhold the enjoyment of my common work. Amen.
AUGUST FIFTEENTH
Jeremy Taylor baptized 1613.
Napoleon Bonaparte born 1769.
Sir Walter Scott born 1771.
Thomas de Quincey born 1785.
And do our loves all perish with our frames? Do those that took their root and put forth buds, And their soft leaves unfolded in the warmth Of mutual hearts, grow up and live in beauty, Then fade and fall, like fair, unconscious flowers?
O, listen, man! A voice within us speaks the startling word, "Man, thou shalt never die!"
--Richard Henry Dana.
I am drawing near to the close of my career; I am fast shuffling off the stage. I have been perhaps the most voluminous author of the day; and it is a comfort to me to think I have tried to unsettle no man's faith, to corrupt no man's principle, and that I have written nothing which on my deathbed I should wish blotted.
--Sir Walter Scott.
But concerning love of the brethren ye have no need that one write unto you: for ye yourselves are taught of God to love one another.
--1 Thessalonians 4. 9.
Almighty God, may I have that faith in eternal life which will make me careful of what I choose for my own and more careful of what I put in the lives of others. Amen.
AUGUST SIXTEENTH
Ralph Thoresby born 1658.
Dr. Thomas Fuller died 1661.
Dr. Matthew Tindal died 1733.
The secret of goodness and greatness is in choosing whom you will approach and live with, in memory or imagination, through the crowding obvious people who seem to live with you.
--Robert Browning.
Fair Nature's book together read, The old wood-paths that knew our tread, The maple shadows overhead--
Where'er I look, where'er I stray, Thy thought goes with me on my way, And hence the prayer I breathe to-day.
--John Greenleaf Whittier.
Shall two walk together, except they have agreed?
--Amos 3. 3.
Lord God, I thank thee for the delight of congenial companions and the memory of friendship. May I not be quick to lose my friends through misunderstanding and selfishness. May I be considerate and constant and be able to climb to the highest steeps of friendship. Amen.
AUGUST SEVENTEENTH
Dr. William Carey born 1761.
David Crockett born 1786.
Mary Abigail Dodge (Gail Hamilton) died 1896.
The destiny of nations lies far more in the hands of women--the mothers--than in the hands of those who possess power. We must cultivate women, who are educators of the human race, else a new generation cannot accomplish its task.
--Froebel.
In an old continental town they will show you a prison in a tower, and on all the stones of that prison within reach one word is carved--it is, "Resist!" Years ago a godly woman was for forty years immured in that dungeon, and she spent her time in cutting with a piece of iron on every stone that one word, for the strengthening of her own heart and for the benefit of all who might come after her, "Resist!" "Resist!" "Resist!"
--J.G. Mantle.
Then Mordecai bade them return answer unto Esther, Think not with thyself that thou shalt escape in the king's house, more than all the Jews ... and who knoweth whether thou art not come to the kingdom for such a time as this?
--Esther 4. 13, 14.
Lord God, give me wisdom to help relieve the ignorant and suffering. May I strive in every way to free thy people, that they may be uplifted in the progress of life. Amen.
AUGUST EIGHTEENTH
Virginia Dare, first English child born in America, 1587.
Dr. Henry Hammond born 1605.
Robert Williams Buchanan born 1841.
John Russell born 1792.
Pour out thy love like the rush of a river, Wasting its waters for ever and ever, Through the burnt sands that reward not the giver; Silent or songful thou nearest the sea.
Scatter thy life as the summer showers pouring. What if no bird through the pearl rain is soaring? What if no blossom looks upward adoring? Look to the life that was lavished for thee.
--Unknown.
Who is the happiest person? He whose nature asks for nothing that the world does not wish and use.
--Goethe.
Freely ye received, freely give.
--Matthew 10. 8.