Part 14
He speaks not well who doth his time deplore, Naming it new and a little obscure, Ignoble and unfit for lofty deeds. All times were modern in the time of them, And this no more than others. Do thy part Here in the living day, as did the great Who made old days immortal.
--Richard Watson Gilder.
He who is false to present duty breaks a thread in the loom, and will find the flaw when he may have forgotten the cause.
--Henry Ward Beecher.
For use almost can change the stamp of nature, And master the devil, or throw him out With wondrous potency.
--William Shakespeare.
And when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went into his house (now his windows were open in his chamber toward Jerusalem;) and he kneeled upon his knees three times a day, and prayed, and gave thanks before his God, as he did aforetime.
--Daniel 6. 10.
Heavenly Father, help me to get away from doubt that leads to despair. Give me a vision of hope that is stayed on faith. May I be conscious and appreciative of my privileges while they come to me and make them immortal. Amen.
OCTOBER SECOND
Aristotle died B.C. 322.
Major John Andre hanged 1780.
William Ellery Channing died 1842.
I am not earth-born, though I here delay; Hope's child, I summon infiniter powers, And laugh to see the mild sunny day Smile on the shrunk and thin autumnal hours; I laugh, for hope hath a happy place for me-- If my bark sinks, 'tis to another sea.
--William E. Channing.
The stars shall fade away, the sun himself Grow dim with age, and Nature sink in years; But thou shall flourish in immortal youth, Unhurt amidst the war of elements, The wreck of matter and the crush of worlds.
--Thomas Addison.
For with thee is the fountain of life: In thy light shall we see light.
--Psalm 36. 9.
My Father, I would pray that my sense of gloom may not be more than thy grace. May the glorious light of thy love break through my disheartened soul, and reveal the sincerity of thy promises, that I may be happy in thy care. Amen.
OCTOBER THIRD
Robert Barclay died 1690.
George Bancroft born 1800.
William Morris died 1896.
Come hither, lads, and harken, For a tale there is to tell Of the wonderful days a-coming, When all shall be better than well.
Come, then, let us cast off fooling, And put by ease and rest, For the cause alone is worthy Till the good days bring the best.
--William Morris.
Man's life is but a working day Whose tasks are set aright; A time to work, a time to pray, And then a quiet night. And then, please God, a quiet night Where palms are green and robes are white; A long-drawn breath, a balm for sorrow, And all things lovely on the morrow.
--Christina G. Rossetti.
And the ransomed of Jehovah shall return, and come with singing unto Zion; and everlasting joy shall be upon their heads.
--Isaiah 61. 11.
Heavenly Father, help me to see that before the night thou hadst planned the morning, and that thou hast never sent the night without the hope of the morning. Before I rest in the night may I be ready for the morning. Amen.
OCTOBER FOURTH
Francis of Assisi died 1226.
Edmund Malone born 1741.
François Guizot born 1787.
Jean François Millet born 1814.
Rutherford B. Hayes, Ohio, nineteenth President United States, born 1822.
M.E. Braddon born 1837.
We ought to rise day by day with a certain zest, a clear intention, a design to make the most of every hour; not to let the busy hours shoulder each other or tread on each other's heels, but to force every action to give up its strength and sweetness. There is work to be done, and there are empty hours to be filled as well.... But, most of all, there must be something to quicken, enliven, practice the soul.
--Arthur C. Benson.
Men's souls ought to be left to see clearly; not jaundiced, blinded, twisted all awry, by revenge, moral abhorrence, and the like.
--Thomas Carlyle.
But there is a spirit in man, And the breath of the Almighty giveth them understanding.
--Job 32. 8.
Spirit of life, I pray that thou wilt continually live within me. May my days be spent neither in waste nor idleness, but planned to use, with the best that is given me. Amen.
OCTOBER FIFTH
Jonathan Edwards born 1703.
Denis Diderot born 1713.
Horace Walpole born 1717.
Nancy Hanks died 1818.
Chester A. Arthur, Vermont, twenty-first President United States, born 1830.
H.R. Guy de Maupassant born 1850.
Earth gets its price for what earth gives us; The beggar is taxed for a corner to die in, The priest has his fee who comes and shrives us, We bargain for the graves we lie in; At the devil's booth are all things sold, Each ounce of dross costs its ounce of gold; For a cap and bells our lives we pay, Bubbles we buy with a whole soul's tasking; 'Tis heaven alone that is given away, 'Tis only God may be had for the asking.
--James Russell Lowell.
The free gift of God is eternal life.
--Romans 6. 23.
Gracious Father, may the world speak to me of thy gifts, and of the peace and power which it freely offers. May I not pass by thy great appeals, and prefer to purchase at a great cost my indolence and dissipation. Amen.
OCTOBER SIXTH
Jenny Lind Goldschmidt born 1820.
Harriet G. Hosmer born 1830.
Charles Stewart Parnell died 1891.
Alfred Tennyson died 1892.
The heart which boldly faces death Upon the battlefield, and dares Cannon and bayonet, faints beneath The needle-points of frets and cares. The stoutest spirits they dismay-- The tiny stings of every day.
Ah! more than martyr's aureole And more than hero's heart of fire, We need the humble strength of soul Which daily toils and ills require. Sweet patience, grant us, if you may An added grace for every day.
--Adelaide A. Procter.
Sunset and evening star, And one clear call for me! And may there be no moaning of the bar, When I put out to sea.
--Alfred Tennyson.
Fret not thyself.
--Proverbs 24. 19.
My Father, I pray that I may not be dismayed over life, and its trifles. Help me to master difficulties great and small, and give me patience through all until I reach the untroubled way. Amen.
OCTOBER SEVENTH
Sir Philip Sidney died 1586.
Edgar Allan Poe died 1849.
Oliver Wendell Holmes died 1894.
Mary J. Holmes died 1907.
Yet in opinions look not always back; Your wake is nothing, mind the coming track; Leave what you've done for what you have to do; Don't be "consistent," but be simply true.
--Oliver Wendell Holmes.
A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds, adored by little statesmen and philosophers and divines. With consistency a great soul has nothing to do.
--Ralph Waldo Emerson.
Speak unto the children of Israel, that they go forward.
--Exodus 14. 15.
Heavenly Father, I pray that I may not be so consistent in the small things of life that I will lose the great inspirations that come to the soul. Broaden my life, that I may have the freedom of heart and mind to pass over the failures and interruptions, and with vigorous energy continue in the progress of life. Amen.
OCTOBER EIGHTH
Caroline Howard Gilman born 1794.
Edmund Clarence Stedman born 1833.
John Hay born 1838.
He weren't no saint; them engineers Is pretty much alike-- One wife in Natchez-under-the-Hill, Another one here in Pike; A keerless man in his talk was Jim, And an awkward hand in a row, But he never flunked, and he never lied-- I reckon he never knowed how.
--John Hay.
He is brave whose tongue is silent Of the trophies of his word. He is great whose quiet bearing Marks his greatness well assured.
--Edwin Arnold.
The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as the rest of men.
--Luke 18. 11.
Lord God, thou knowest what I am and where I belong. Have mercy upon me and strengthen me, that I may not through weakness stay in the darkness. Lead me out into the light; and may I find my way and be contented with it. Amen.
OCTOBER NINTH
Michael Cervantes born 1547.
Jacques Auguste de Thuanus (De Thou) born 1553.
Charles Camilla Saint-Saëns born 1835.
I will not doubt, though all my ships at sea Come drifting home with broken masts and sails; I shall believe the Hand which never fails From seeming evil worketh good for me; And though I weep because those sails are battered, Still will I cry, while my best hopes lie shattered, "I trust in Thee."
--Ella Wheeler Wilcox.[1]
Cease every joy to glimmer on my mind. But leave, O leave the light of hope behind.
--Thomas Campbell.
Hope deferred maketh the heart sick; But when the desire cometh, it is a tree of life.
--Proverbs 13. 12.
Loving Father, help me to pass by my discouragements of yesterday and look into the hope of to-day. Make me more careful of my strength, and less forgetful of thy promises and of my trust. Amen.
[Footnote 1: Special permission W.B. Conkey, Hammond, Indiana. Copyright 1912.]
OCTOBER TENTH
Henry Cavendish born 1731.
Benjamin West born 1738.
Hugh Miller born 1802.
Giuseppe Verdi born 1813.
Fridtjof Nansen born 1861.
We cannot make bargains for blisses, Nor catch them like fishes in nets; And sometimes the thing our life misses Helps more than the thing which it gets. For good lieth not in pursuing, Nor gaining of great nor small, But just in the doing and doing As we would be done by is all.
--Alice Gary.
True, it is most painful not to meet the kindness and affection you feel you have deserved, and have a right to expect from others; but it is a mistake to complain, for it is no use; you cannot extort friendship with a cocked pistol.
--Sydney Smith.
Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.
--Matthew 22. 39.
Lord God, help me to understand that true affection is not that which as it gives feels it merits return. May I avoid being selfish and stubborn; and with my affections give peace and joy. Amen.
OCTOBER ELEVENTH
Sir Thomas Wyatt died 1542.
Dr. Samuel Clarke born 1675.
James Barry born 1741.
Ask God to give thee skill In comfort's art, That thou may'st consecrated be And set apart, Unto a life of sympathy; For heavy is the weight of ill In every heart; And comforters are needed much Of Christlike touch.
--Alexander Hamilton.
The man who melts With social sympathy though not allied, Is than a thousand kinsmen of more worth.
--Euripides.
Who comforteth us in all our affliction, that we may be able to comfort them that are in any affliction, through the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God.
--2 Corinthians 1. 4.
Heavenly Father, thou hast made sympathy divine. May I never make it commonplace. Grant that as thou dost bless and comfort me I may be willing to comfort others, and do whatsoever thou wouldst have me do. Amen.
OCTOBER TWELFTH
Columbus discovered America 1492.
Lyman Beecher born 1775.
George W. Cable born 1844.
Helena Modjeska born 1844.
One poor day! Remember whose and how short it is! It is God's day, it is Columbus's. One day with life and heart is more than time enough to found a world.
--James Russell Lowell.
An illusion haunts us, that a long duration, as a year, a decade, a century, is valuable. But an old French sentence says, "God works in moments." We ask for long life, but 'tis deep life or grand moments that signify. Let the measure of Time be spiritual, not mechanical. Life is unnecessarily long. Moments of insight, of fine personal relation, a smile, a glance--what ample borrowers of eternity they are!
--Ralph Waldo Emerson.
One day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.
--2 Peter 3. 8.
My Father, I pray that when the "sun sets to-day my hope may not set with it." Be with me earlier than the dawn, that I may plan with thee a new day. I pray that thou wilt release me from anything that keeps me from reaching the highest. Amen.
OCTOBER THIRTEENTH
Theodore Beza died 1605.
Murat, King of Naples, shot 1815.
Elizabeth Fry died 1845.
What stronger breast-plate than a heart untainted! Thrice is he armed that hath his quarrel just, And he but naked, though locked up in steel, Whose conscience with injustice is corrupted.
--William Shakespeare.
A man's accusations of himself are always believed, his praises never.
--Montaigne.
Justice needs that two be heard.
--From Goethe's Autobiography.
That which is altogether just shalt thou follow, that thou mayest live.
--Deuteronomy 16. 20.
Lord of justice, if I may be influenced this morning by doubt and am inclined to be resentful, wilt thou cause me to have a generous spirit and keep my faith. May I never descend to anything base or deceitful, but may I remember that if I lay down my life, I may have the power to take it up again. Amen.
OCTOBER FOURTEENTH
William Penn born 1644.
James Fenimore Cooper died 1851.
Duke of Wellington died 1852.
Do good with what thou hast, or it will do thee no good. If thou wouldst be happy, bring thy mind to thy condition, and have an indifferency for more than what is sufficient.
--William Penn.
The finest fruit earth holds up to its Maker is a finished man.
--Humboldt.
I considered Napoleon's presence in the field equal to forty men in the balance.
--Duke of Wellington.
What is man, that thou art mindful of him? And the son of man, that thou visitest him? For thou hast made him but little lower than God, And crownest him with glory and honor.
--Psalm 8. 4, 5.
Eternal God, may I know the value of the gift of life. May I think seriously of it, and not through abuse or neglect cripple it, remembering that it is mine to sow, to grow, and to reap. I pray that I may care more for the food and raiment of my soul than I care for the food and raiment of my body. Amen.
OCTOBER FIFTEENTH
Virgil born B.C. 70.
Evangelista Torricelli born 1608.
Edward Fitzgerald born 1763.
Being not unacquainted with woe, I learned to help the unfortunate.
--Virgil.
There are some hearts like wells green-mossed and deep As ever summer saw, And cool their water is, yea, cool and sweet; But you must come to draw. They hoard not, yet they rest in calm content, And not unsought will give; They can be quiet with their wealth unspent, So self-contained they live.
--Author unknown.
For out of much affliction and anguish of heart I wrote unto you with many tears; not that ye should be made sorry, but that ye might know the love which I have more abundantly unto you.
--2 Corinthians 2. 4.
Gracious Father, help me to understand that while I may be content to rest with what I have gathered, I cannot preserve the strength of my soul unless I share my possessions. Give me a passion for humanity that will advance gifts through love, and offer service without the need of an appeal. Amen.
OCTOBER SIXTEENTH
Bishop Hugh Latimer burned at Oxford 1555.
Albrecht von Haller born 1708.
Noah Webster born 1758.
Robert Stephenson born 1803.
As ships meet at sea--a moment together, when words of greeting must be spoken, and then away upon the deep--so men meet in this world; and I think we should cross no man's path without hailing him, and if he needs, giving him supplies.
--Henry Ward Beecher.
Nothing is more unaccountable than the spell that often lurks in a spoken word. A thought may be present to the mind, and two minds conscious of the same thought, but as long as it remains unspoken their familiar talk flows quietly over the hidden idea.
--Nathaniel Hawthorne.
And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others?
--Matthew 5. 47.
Heavenly Father, I pray that thou wilt give me a generous heart. May I not lose sight of the truth, that thou hast made others to have the same needs and wants that I may have. May I not through pride or egoism fail to help, and neglecting to speak, miss an opportunity to assist. May I be self-forgetful in friendly service. Amen.
OCTOBER SEVENTEENTH
Andreas Osiander died 1552.
Frederic Chopin died 1849.
Good name, in man or woman, dear my Lord, Is the immediate jewel of their souls; Who steals my purse, steals trash; 'tis something, nothing; 'Twas mine, 'tis his, and has been slave to thousands; But he that filches from me my good name Robs me of that which not enriches him, And makes me poor indeed.
--William Shakespeare.
Keep back your tears when a soul is untrue; "Sorrow is shallow"; and one can wade through The mud and the marshes, and still endure If he finds he has kept his spirit pure.
The rose near died when it fell to its lot To break its heart for forget-me-not; But after its heart was healed by the dew, Right by its side a sweet violet grew!
--M.B.S.
A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches, And loving favor rather than silver and gold.
--Proverbs 22. 1.
My Father, teach me the value of the possessions that can neither be handled nor seen; and may I not take them away from others. Help me to keep thy commandment "Thou shalt not steal," and interpret it in all its relations to life. Amen.
OCTOBER EIGHTEENTH
Matthew Henry born 1662.
Margaret (Peg) Woffington born 1720.
Helen Hunt Jackson born 1831.
Frederick Harrison born 1831.
Yet I argue not against heaven's hand or will, nor bate a jot of heart of hope;, but still bear up and steer right onward.
--John Milton.
Write it on your heart that every day is the best day in the year. No man has learned anything rightly until he knows that every day is doomsday.
--Ralph Waldo Emerson.
He mourns that day so soon has glided by: E'en like the passage of an angel's tear That falls through the clear ether silently.
--John Keats.
I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will counsel thee with mine eye upon thee.
--Psalm 32. 8.
My Father, if I may be living in bad habits, help me to get out of them. If I may be neglectful of good deeds, help me to get at them. May I reach for the highest purposes as I search for the realities, and may I not delay, but start to-day. Amen.
OCTOBER NINETEENTH
Dean (Jonathan) Swift died 1745.
Leigh Hunt born 1784.
Henry Kirke White died 1806.
Don't look too hard except for something agreeable; we can find all the disagreeable things we want, between our own hats and boots.
--Leigh Hunt.
Instead of a gem or a flower, cast the gift of a lovely thought into the heart of a friend.
--George Macdonald.
For the want of common discretion the very end of good breeding is wholly perverted; and civility, intended to make us easy, is employed in laying chains and fetters upon us, in debarring our wishes, and in crossing our most reasonable desires and inclinations.
--Jonathan Swift.
If it be possible, as much as in you lieth, be at peace with all men.
--Romans 12. 18.
My Lord, help me to adjust my life to what I ought to be, rather than be content in what I am. May I not spend my time in dreaming of obstacles, or searching for things that hurt, but may I be gentle and kind, and as I see the truth speak for it and follow it. Amen.
OCTOBER TWENTIETH
Sir Christopher Wren born 1632.
Thomas Hughes born 1823.
Charles Dudley Warner died 1900.
There has always seemed to me something impious in the neglect of health. I could not do half the good I do if it were not for the strength and activity some consider coarse and degrading.
--Charles Kingsley.
To keep well drink often, but water; Eat not that which makes life shorter; But first, with all your might and skill, Just chain your habits to your will.
--M.B.S.
I will be lord over myself. No one who cannot master himself is worthy to rule, and only he can rule.
--Goethe.
Know ye not that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit which is in you, which ye have from God?
--1 Corinthians 6. 19.
Lord God, may I not wait until I am afflicted and cannot use them to thank thee for my blessings. Guard me against infirmities that are brought on through indulgences, and help me to control my life. May I never forget that regret will not retrieve the life that is spent, even if it brings forgiveness and hope for the days to come. Amen.
OCTOBER TWENTY-FIRST
Samuel Taylor Coleridge born 1772.
Alphonse Lamartine born 1790.
Samuel F. Smith born 1808.
Will Carleton born 1845.
He prayeth best who loveth best All things both great and small; For the dear God who loveth us, He made and loveth all.
--Samuel Taylor Coleridge.
We thank thee, O Father, for all that is bright-- The gleam of the day and the stars of the night, The flowers of our youth and the fruits of our prime, And the blessings that march down the pathway of time.
--Will Carleton.
Thanklessness is a parching wind, drying up the fountain of pity, the dew of mercy, the streams of grace. For doth not that rightly seem to be lost which is given to one ungrateful?
--Saint Bernard.
O give thanks unto Jehovah; for he is good; For his lovingkindness endureth for ever.
--Psalm 136. 1.
My Father, help me to understand that I cannot have self-development unless the spirit of truth drills my character. Cleanse my heart from all impurity, and strengthen me for all usefulness: help me to daily live this prayer. Amen.
OCTOBER TWENTY-SECOND
Charles Martel died 741.
Franz Liszt born 1811.
George Eliot born 1819.
Sarah Bernhardt born 1844.
O may I join the choir invisible Of those immortal dead who live again In minds made better by their presence: live In pulses stirred to generosity, In deeds of daring rectitude, in scorn For miserable aims that end with self, In thoughts sublime that pierce the night like stars, And with their mild persistence urge man's search To vaster issues.
This is life to come, Which martyred men have made more glorious For us to strive to follow. May I reach That purest heaven, be to other souls The cup of strength in some great agony, Enkindle generous ardor, feed pure love, Beget the smiles that have no cruelty, Be the sweet presence of a good diffused, And in diffusion ever more intense! So shall I join the choir invisible Whose music is the gladness of the world.
--George Eliot.
And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish.
--John 10. 28.
My Father, I pray that I may be more generous with my smiles and gladness, and more saving with my tears and sadness. Amen.
OCTOBER TWENTY-THIRD
Anne Oldfield died 1730.
Robert Bridges born 1844.
Mollie Elliot Seawell born 1860.
O youth whose hope is high, Who doth to truth aspire, Whether thou live or die, O look not back nor tire.