Part 15

Thou that art bold to fly Through tempest, flood and fire, Nor dost not shrink to try Thy heart in torments dire--

If thou canst Death defy, If thy faith is entire, Press onward, for thine eye Shall see thy heart's desire.

--Robert Bridges.

Doubt indulged becomes doubt realized. To determine to do anything is half the battle. Courage is victory, timidity is defeat.

--Nelson.

And thou, son of man, be not afraid of them, neither be afraid of their words, though briers and thorns are with thee, and thou dost dwell among scorpions.

--Ezekiel 2. 6.

Gracious Father, try me again by the courage I have to-day, if thou art judging me by the fear I held yesterday. Help me to see that wavering is misleading and temperament is deceptive. May I learn self-control. Amen.

OCTOBER TWENTY-FOURTH

Hugh Capet died 996.

Sir Moses Montefiore born 1784.

Daniel Webster died 1852.

Exceeding peace made Ben Adhem bold, And to the presence in the room he said, "What writest thou?" The vision raised its head, And, with a look made of all sweet accord, Answered, "The names of those who love the Lord." "And is mine one?" said Abou. "Nay, not so," Replied the angel. Abou spoke more low, But cheerily still; and said, "I pray thee, then, Write me as one that loves his fellow men."

The angel wrote, and vanished. The next night It came again, with a great awakening light, And showed the names whom love of God had blessed-- And, lo! Ben Adhem's name led all the rest!

--Leigh Hunt.

Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and will show thee great things.

--Jeremiah 33. 3.

Lord God, may I keep within my heart that secret sympathy that adds to the power of life. Help me to seek the things that are real, and not be deceived by the things which only appear to be. May all with whom I have to do feel the better for my companionship. Amen.

OCTOBER TWENTY-FIFTH

Geoffrey Chaucer died 1400.

William Hogarth died 1764.

George W. Faber born 1773.

Thomas B. Macaulay born 1800.

Wav'ring as winds the breath of fortune blows, No power can turn it, and no prayers compose. Deep in some hermit's solitary cell, Repose, and ease, and contemplation dwell. Let conscience guide thee in the days of need, Judge well thy own, and then thy neighbor's deed.

--Geoffrey Chaucer.

To every man upon this earth Death cometh soon or late; And how can man die better Than facing fearful odds, For the ashes of his fathers And the temples of his gods.

--Thomas B. Macaulay.

Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.

--Matthew 20. 28.

Heavenly Father, help me to remember that I am to cover life's journey, even though I may go the way carelessly and aimlessly. May I make an estimate of what I am losing, by waiting so long at the resting places, "For the road winds up hill all the way to the end, and the journey takes the whole day long, from morn to night." Amen.

OCTOBER TWENTY-SIXTH

Dr. Philip Doddridge died 1751.

Count Von Moltke born 1800.

Elizabeth Cady Stanton died 1902.

One of the notable eddies of the present-day world currents is what has been loosely called the "Woman Movement." The sensitive and vicarious spirit of womanhood has been enlisted for service in behalf of those who have been denied a fair chance, or who are the victims of oppression, greed, and ignorance.

--William T. Ellis.

And whether consciously or not, you must be in many a heart enthroned: queens you must always be: queens to your lovers; queens to your husbands and sons; queens of higher mystery to the world beyond, which bows itself, and will forever bow, before the myrtle crown, and the stainless scepter of womanhood.

--John Ruskin.

O woman, great is thy faith: be it done unto thee even as thou wilt.

--Matthew 15. 28.

Lord and Master of all, I pray that thou wilt make me see through my prejudices and beyond my desires to the very "top of my condition." May I not wait for places or circumstances that are dimly in the distance or that are near at hand, but accomplish the work I should do to-day. Amen.

OCTOBER TWENTY-SEVENTH

James Cook born 1728.

Nicolo Paganini born 1782.

Theodore Roosevelt, New York, twenty-fifth President United States, born 1858.

The vice of envy is not only a dangerous, but a mean vice; for it is always a confession of inferiority. It may promote conduct which will be fruitful of wrong to others, and it must cause misery to the man who feels it.

--Theodore Roosevelt.

Of all the passions, jealousy is that which exacts the hardest service, and pays the bitterest wages. Its service is to watch the success of one's enemy; its wages to be sure of it.

--C.C. Colton.

Dear to me is the friend, yet I can also make use of an enemy. The friend shows me what I can do, the foe teaches me what I should.

--Schiller.

Let us not become vainglorious, provoking one another.

--Galatians 5. 26.

Almighty God, I would ask thee that my days be filled with aspiration, and that my heart may know no envy. Help me to love humanity. May I be so glad of the success of others that I may never know what it is to be envious. Amen.

OCTOBER TWENTY-EIGHTH

Desiderius Erasmus born 1465.

John Locke died 1704.

Georges Jacques Danton born 1759.

Not so in haste, my heart! Have faith in God and wait; Although he linger long, He never comes too late.

Until he cometh, rest, Nor grudge the hours that roll; The feet that wait for God Are soonest at the goal;

Are soonest at the goal That is not gained by speed; Then hold thee still, my heart, For I shall wait his lead.

--Bayard Taylor.

It is good that a man should hope and quietly wait for the salvation of Jehovah.

--Lamentations 3. 26.

Lord of life, may I pause to remember that rest may not be obtained with wretched thoughts, nor can it be enjoyed in discontent. In my moments of rest wilt thou show me how to relax, and with tranquillity may I gather hope for renewed ambition. Amen.

OCTOBER TWENTY-NINTH

Sir Walter Raleigh beheaded 1618.

James Boswell born 1740.

John Keats born 1795.

Thomas Bayard born 1828.

Thomas Edward Brown died 1897.

Rise, O my soul, with thy desires to heaven, And with divinest contemplation use Thy time where time's eternity is given, And let vain thoughts no more thy thoughts abuse; But down in darkness let them lie: So live thy better, let thy worse thoughts die!

--Sir Walter Raleigh.

The great elements we know of are no mean comforters; the open sky sits upon our senses like a sapphire crown--the air is our robe of state, the Earth is our throne, and the Sea a mighty minstrel playing before it.

--John Keats.

Ah Lord Jehovah! behold, thou hast made the heavens and the earth by thy great power and by thine outstretched arm; there is nothing too hard for thee.

--Jeremiah 32. 17.

Almighty God, I thank thee for the power that gives me the breath of life. May I be willing to be controlled by its guiding care. Amen.

OCTOBER THIRTIETH

Rev. John Whitaker died 1808.

John Adams, Massachusetts, second President United States, born 1735.

Adelaide Anne Procter born 1825.

And yet thou canst know, And yet thou canst not see; Wisdom and sight are slow In poor humanity. If thou couldst trust, poor soul, In Him who rules the whole, Thou wouldst find peace and rest; Wisdom and right are well, but trust is best.

--Adelaide Anne Procter.

The heart to speak in vain essayed, Nor could his purpose reach-- His will nor voice nor tongue obeyed, His silence was his speech.

--John Quincy Adams.

But still believe that story wrong Which ought not to be true.

--Richard Brinsley Sheridan.

Blessed is the man that maketh Jehovah his trust.

--Psalm 40. 4.

My Father, may I not be given to unkindly speech. Deliver me from a critical spirit; and may I not encourage mistrust, but cultivate the kindly considerations in which life abounds. Amen.

OCTOBER THIRTY-FIRST

All Hallow's Eve.

John Evelyn born 1620.

Christopher Anstey born 1724.

Ere, in the northern gale The summer tresses of the trees are gone, The woods of autumn, all around our vale, Have put their glory on.

The mountains that unfold, In their wide sweep, the colored landscape round, Seem groups of giant kings, in purple and gold, That guard the enchanted ground.

Ah! 'twere a lot too blessed Forever in thy colored shades to stray; Amid the kisses of the soft southwest To rove and dream for aye;

And leave the vain low strife That makes men mad; the tug for wealth and power, The passions and the cares that wither life, And waste its little hour.

--William Cullen Bryant.

Let the field exult, and all that is therein; Then shall all the trees of the wood sing for joy.

--Psalm 96. 12.

My Father, may I have an appreciation of the wonderful creations of the earth. Give me a discriminating eye, that I may know the precious things that thou art growing; and throughout my life may I love the beautiful, and choose that which will make my life worthy of growth. Amen.

NOVEMBER

Who said November's face was grim? Who said her voice was harsh and sad? I heard her sing in wood paths dim, I met her on the shore so glad, So smiling, I could kiss her feet! There never was a month so sweet.

--Lucy Larcom.

NOVEMBER FIRST

Sir Matthew Hale born 1609.

William M. Chase born 1849.

Sir Robert Grant died 1892.

O worship the King, all glorious above, O gratefully sing his power and his love; Our Shield and Defender, the ancient of days, Pavilioned in splendor, and girded with praise.

Thy bountiful care what tongue can recite? It breathes in the air, it shines in the light; It streams from the hills, it descends to the plain, And sweetly distills in the dew and the rain.

--Robert Grant.

Ye shall walk in all the way which Jehovah your God hath commanded you, that ye may live, and that it may be well with you, and that ye may prolong your days in the land which ye shall possess.

--Deuteronomy 5. 33.

Almighty God, help me to make my life refulgent while I have the abundance of summer, that I may not find the November of life bleak and barren. Help me to live in the realities of life, that I may gain energy and repose, to use for the lonesome and anxious hours. May I be watchful for the conditions that thwart life, and with patience wait for the awakening of truth. Amen.

NOVEMBER SECOND

Marie Antoinette born 1755.

Field-Marshal Radetzky born 1766.

James Knox Polk, North Carolina, eleventh President United States, born 1795.

Overmastering pain--the most deadly and tragical element in life--alas! pain has its own way with all of us; it breaks in, a rude visitant, upon the fairy garden where the child wanders in a dream, no less surely than it rules upon the field of battle, or sends the immortal war-god whimpering to his father; and innocence, no more than philosophy, can protect us from this sting.

--Robert Louis Stevenson.

My hopes retire; my wishes as before Struggle to find their resting place in vain; The ebbing sea thus beats against the shore; The shore repels it; it returns again.

--W.S. Landor.

Yet Jehovah will command his loving-kindness in the day-time, And in the night his song shall be with me.

--Psalm 42. 8.

Loving Father, I bless thee for thy goodness and tender mercy which is over all. May I trust thy provision and love through all circumstances, and as I trust myself to thee may I have faith to believe that thou wilt give me strength for what I may have to endure, and believe that thou wilt care for me, as thou dost care for all. Amen.

NOVEMBER THIRD

Lucan born A.D. 39.

William Cullen Bryant born 1794.

Francis D. Millet born 1846.

John Watson (Ian Maclaren) born 1850.

Pearl Mary Teresa Craigie (John Oliver Hobbes) born 1867.

Whither, midst falling dew, While glow the heavens with the last steps of day, Far, through their rosy depths, dost thou pursue Thy solitary way!

Vainly the fowler's eye Might mark thy distant flight to do thee wrong, As, darkly painted on the crimson sky, Thy figure floats along.

He who, from zone to zone, Guides through the boundless sky thy certain flight, In the long way that I must tread alone, Will lead my steps aright.

--William Cullen Bryant.

For Jehovah your God dried up the waters of the Jordan from before you, until ye were passed over.

--Joshua 4. 23.

Almighty God, help me to guard against gratification that leads to disappointment, that I may not miss the true way. I pray that thou wilt lift me in my weakness, and carry me over the rough and discouraging places, that I may be made strong in thy loving care, and be able to continue alone. Amen.

NOVEMBER FOURTH

Guido Reni born 1575.

James Montgomery born 1771.

Edmund Keane born 1787.

Ernest Howard Crosby born 1856.

Eugene Field died 1895.

Keep me, I pray, in wisdom's way, That I may truths eternal seek; I need protecting care to-day-- My purse is light, my flesh is weak.

--Eugene Field.

No one could tell me where my Soul might be, I searched for God, but God eluded me. I sought my brother out, and found all three.

--Ernest H. Crosby.

In all thy ways acknowledge him, And he will direct thy paths.

--Proverbs 3. 6.

My Father, may I not face the going down of the sun to-day, looking at life, in a mirror that reflects my own privileges and prejudices, but may I see it as it is, known to those who are living to make it better. May the days to come prove my sincerity in wanting the truth that I might live by it, and help to do good with it. Amen.

NOVEMBER FIFTH

Hans Sachs born 1494.

Dr. John Brown born 1715.

Benjamin Butler born 1818.

The thing that goes the farthest Toward making life worth while, That costs the least, and does the most, Is just a pleasant smile. That smile that bubbles from a heart That loves its fellow men Will drive away the cloud of gloom And coax the sun again.

--Anonymous.

One whom I knew intimately, and whose memory I revere, once in my hearing remarked that, "Unless we love people we cannot understand them." This was a new light to me.

--Christina G. Rossetti.

Oil and perfume rejoice the heart; So doth the sweetness of a man's friend that cometh of hearty counsel.

--Proverbs 27. 9.

Lord God, I pray that I may be worthy of my friends. May I not fear to go where I am called, and may I go cheerfully, even though the way be dark and lonesome. Amen.

NOVEMBER SIXTH

James Gregory born 1638.

John Bright born 1811.

Sir George Williams died 1905.

Look full into thy spirit's self, The world of mystery scan; What if thy way to faith in God Should lie through faith in man?

--John Bright.

Blessed are they who have the gift of making friends, for it is one of God's best gifts. It involves many things, but above all, the power of going out of oneself and seeing and appreciating whatever is noble and loving in another.

--Thomas Hughes.

Be perfected; be comforted; be of the same mind; live in peace: and the God of love and peace shall be with you.

--2 Corinthians 13. 11.

Lord God, I earnestly entreat thee to show me if I may be cramping the happiness in another's life by forcing in my selfishness and demands. May I understand that perfect gifts are those that come through loving sacrifice. Make me ashamed to ask for what I refuse or prefer not to give. Amen.

NOVEMBER SEVENTH

Sir Martin Frobisher died 1594.

William Stukeley born 1687.

Friedrich Leopold, Count von Stolberg, born 1750.

Once to every man and nation comes the moment to decide, In the strife of Truth with Falsehood, for the good or evil side; Some great cause, God's new Messiah offering each the bloom or blight, Parts the goats upon the left hand, and the sheep upon the right; And the choice goes by forever 'twixt that darkness and that light.

--James Russell Lowell.

We cannot command veracity at will; the power of seeing and reporting truly is a form of health that has to be delicately guarded, and as an ancient rabbi has solemnly said, "The penalty of untruth is untruth."

--George Eliot.

Behold, this only have I found: that God made man upright; but they have sought out many inventions.

--Ecclesiastes 7. 29.

My Father, help me to speak the truth and guard the truth, that righteousness may be an abiding influence in my life. Amen.

NOVEMBER EIGHTH

Edmund Halley born 1656.

John Milton died 1674.

Owen Meredith (Bulwer Edward Lytton) born 1831.

The morning drum-call on my eager ear Thrills unforgotten yet! the morning dew Lies yet undried along my field of noon. But now I pause a while in what I do, And count the bell, and tremble lest I hear (My work untrimmed) the sunset gun too soon.

--Robert Louis Stevenson.

I fear Life's many changes, not Death's changelessness. So perfect is this moment's passing cheer, I needs must tremble lest it pass to less. Thus in fickle love of life I live, Lest fickle life me of my love deprive.

--Owen Meredith.

And Jehovah said unto Joshua, Get thee up; wherefore art thou thus fallen upon thy face?

Up, sanctify the people, and say, Sanctify yourselves against to-morrow.

--Joshua 7. 10, 13.

Almighty God, help me in these fleeting days that I may not use my time to consider and hesitate, but be positive in my desires and pursue them. Grant that I may have the strength to hold each day precious, and live it more than consistently. Amen.

NOVEMBER NINTH

Mark Akenside born 1721.

William Sotheby born 1757.

Charles F. Thwing born 1853.

The victor's road is the easy way. Straight it stretches and climbs to where Fame is waiting with garlands gay To wreathe the fighter who clambers there. There's applause in plenty and gold's red gleam For the man who plays on the winning team.

The loser travels a longer lane; Level it leads to a lonely land. There's little glory for him to gain The voices mock him on either hand; But the man who wins in the greater game Is the man who, beaten, fights on the same.

--G. Rice.

The hero is not fed on sweets, Daily his own heart he eats; Chambers of the great are jails, And head-winds right for royal sails.

--Ralph Waldo Emerson.

He thanked God, and took courage.

--Acts 28. 15.

O Lord, I pray that whether I may be successful in the sight of the world, or whether I may be successful in my own sacrifices, I may have the freedom of courage, and be master of my life. Amen.

NOVEMBER TENTH

Martin Luther born 1483.

William Hogarth born 1697.

Oliver Goldsmith born 1728.

Johann von Schiller born 1759.

Joaquin Miller born 1841.

Henry van Dyke born 1852.

As faith, so is God.

--Martin Luther.

Learn the luxury of doing good.

--Oliver Goldsmith.

Love is the ladder by which we climb up to the likeness of God.

--Johann von Schiller.

And who will walk a mile with me Along life's weary way? A friend whose heart has eyes to see The stars shine out o'er the darkening lea, And the quiet rest at the end of the day-- A friend who knows and dares to say, The brave sweet words that cheer the way Where he walks a mile with me.

--Henry van Dyke.

And whosoever shall compel thee to go one mile, go with him two.

--Matthew 5. 41.

My Father, may I not dwell in the appearances of life, where I may grow selfish; but live in the realities of simplicity. May I not only seek those who may return me pleasure, but may I find delight in brightening the walk of a weary friend. Amen.

NOVEMBER ELEVENTH

Alfred de Musset born 1810.

Thomas Bailey Aldrich born 1836.

Rev. Joshua Brookes died 1821.

I'll not confer with Sorrow Till to-morrow, But joy shall have her way This very day.

--Thomas Bailey Aldrich.

Shall we have ears on the stretch for the footfalls of sorrow that never come, but be deaf to the whirr of the wings of happiness that fill all space?

--Maurice Maeterlinck.

This day is a day of good tidings, and we hold our peace: if we tarry till the morning light, punishment will overtake, us; now therefore come, let us go and tell the king's household.

--2 Kings 7. 9.

Loving Father, I pray that thou wilt help me to overcome unhappiness. May I not let depression overpower me, but claim the promises of joy that are open to every life. May I be blest by my own cheerfulness and encourage others to possess it. Amen.

NOVEMBER TWELFTH

Saint Augustine died A. D. 354.

Richard Baxter born 1615.

Amelia Opie born 1769.

Elizabeth Cady Stanton born 1815.

Thomas Lord Fairfax died 1671.

In life it is difficult to say who do you the most mischief--enemies with the worst intentions or friends with the best.

--Edward Bulwer.

The friends thou hast, and their adoption tried, Grapple them to thy soul with hooks of steel.

--William Shakespeare.

Where persons who ought to esteem and love each other are kept asunder, as often happens, by some cause which three words of frank explanation would remove, they are fortunate if they possess an indiscreet friend who blurts out the whole truth.

--Thomas B. Macaulay.

Yea, mine own familiar friend, in whom I trusted, Who did eat of my bread, Hath lifted up his heel against me.

--Psalm 41. 9.

Lord God, help me to consider more carefully what I offer to my friends; and may I not be critical of what I receive from my friends. May I not be a hindrance instead of a help to those who would have my companionship. Amen.

NOVEMBER THIRTEENTH

Sir John Moore born 1761.

Robert Louis Stevenson born 1850.

Sir John Forbes died 1861.

Little do we know our own blessedness; for to travel hopefully is a better thing than to arrive, and the True Success is to labor.

--Robert Louis Stevenson.

Whether thy work be fine or coarse, planting corn or writing epics, so only it be honest work, done to thine own approbation, it shall earn a reward to sense as well as to the thought.

--Ralph Waldo Emerson.

Nature gives to labor; and to labor alone. In a very garden of Eden a man would starve but for human exertion.

--Henry George.

But let each man prove his own work, and then shall he have his glorying in regard of himself alone, and not of his neighbor.

--Galatians 6. 4.

My Father, make pure living clear to me, that I may not be deceived in my work; and may I not use my working hours searching for more suitable work, but may I be sure in what I am that I may feel secure in what I undertake to do. Amen.

NOVEMBER FOURTEENTH

Bishop Hoadley born 1676.

Fanny Mendelssohn-Hensel born 1805.

Robert Smythe Hichens born 1864.