Part 16
Give us, O give us, the man who sings at his work! Be his occupation what it may, he is better than any of those who follow the same pursuit in silent sullenness.
--Thomas Carlyle.
What doctor possesses such curative resources as those latent in a single ray of hope? The mainspring of life is in the heart. Joy is the vital air of the soul, and grief is a kind of asthma complicated by atony.
--Amiel.
I will sing unto Jehovah as long as I live: I will sing praise to my God while I have any being.
--Psalm 104. 33.
Loving Father, restore the spirit of gentleness and meekness if it may be withered within me, that I may be contented. May I make it a habit to be happy over my work and cheerful about my duties. May I never lose the view of the glory of thy kingdom. Amen.
NOVEMBER FIFTEENTH
William Pitt, Earl of Chatham, born 1708.
William Cowper born 1731.
Sir William Herschel born 1738.
Johann Lavater born 1741.
Richard Henry Dana born 1787.
Ida Tarbell born 1857.
The parting sun sends out a glow Across the placid bay, Touching with glory all the show-- A breeze! Up helm! Away!
Careening to the wind, they reach, With laugh and call, the shore. They've left their footprints on the beach, But them I hear no more.
--Richard Henry Dana.
Art little? Do thy little well: And for thy comfort know The great can do their greatest work No better than just so.
--Goethe.
But be thou an ensample to them that believe, in word, in manner of life, in love, in faith, in purity.
--1 Timothy 4. 12.
Lord God, grant that if I may be complaining of what Providence has not sent me, I may not be neglecting what Providence has given me. May I not pause too long over what I have done, or over what I might have done, but may I be appreciative of what thou dost expect of me and endeavor to accomplish it. Amen.
NOVEMBER SIXTEENTH
Tiberius born B.C. 42.
Gustavus Adolphus killed 1632.
Francis Danby born 1793.
Judge not the workings of his brain And of his heart thou canst not see; What looks to thy dim eyes a stain In God's pure light may only be A scar, brought from some well-won field, Where thou would'st only faint and yield.
And judge none lost; but wait and see, With hopeful pity, not disdain; The depth of the abyss may be The measure of the height of pain And love and glory that may raise The soul to God in after days!
--Adelaide A. Procter.
I am more afraid of deserving criticism, than of receiving it.
--William Gladstone.
Judge not, that ye be not judged.
--Matthew 7.1.
Lord Jehovah, judge of all mankind, forbid that I should set myself as a judge of another's life, and neglect to live for the higher judgment of my own. May I not be absorbed in that which thrives in darkness, but live in the light of honesty and gentleness. Amen.
NOVEMBER SEVENTEENTH
Queen Mary of England died 1558.
Joost van den Vondel born 1587.
George Grote born 1794.
There are evergreen men and women in the world, praise be to God!--not many of them, but a few. They are not the showy folk. (Nature is an old-fashioned shopkeeper; she never puts her best goods in the window.) They are only the quiet, strong folk; they are stronger than Fate. The storms of life sweep over them, and the biting frosts creep round them; but the winds and the frosts pass away, and they are still standing, green and straight.
--Jerome K. Jerome.
And he shall be like a tree planted by the streams of water, That bringeth forth its fruit in its season, Whose leaf also doth not wither; And whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.
--Psalm 1.3.
Gracious Lord, may I not spend most in equipment and forget the tides, which may desert me on the sands, or the rocks in the channels, which may crush the finest vessel. May I be prepared for the hard knocks if they come, but may I know how to keep clear of them. Amen.
NOVEMBER EIGHTEENTH
Sir David Wilkie born 1785.
Louis J. M. Daguerre born 1789.
Cyrus Field born 1819.
William S. Gilbert born 1836.
If e'er when man had fallen asleep, I heard a voice, "Believe no more," A warmth within the breast would melt The freezing reason's colder part, And like a man in wrath, the heart Stood up and answered, "I have felt."
--Alfred Tennyson.
Faith is the deep want of the soul. We have faculties for the spiritual, as truly as for the outward world. God, the foundation of all existence, may become to the mind the most real of all beings. The believer feels himself resting on an everlasting foundation.
--William Henry Channing.
And they said one to another, Was not our heart burning within us, while he spake to us in the way, while he opened to us the scriptures?
--Luke 24. 32.
Lord God, save me from a hard and doubting heart. May I be trustful and come to thee in faith. All the days of my life may my lips sing thy praise as I unfold thy love and purposes. Amen.
NOVEMBER NINETEENTH
Nicolas Poussin died 1665.
Albert Thorwaldsen born 1770.
James A. Garfield, Ohio, twentieth President United States, born 1831.
Mary Hallock Foote born 1847.
Count Lyoff (Leo) Tolstoy died 1910.
And son I live, you see, Go through the world, try, prove, reject, Prefer, still struggling to effect My warfare; happy that I can Be crossed and thwarted as a man, Not left in God's contempt apart, With ghastly smooth life, dead at heart, Tame in earth's paddock, as her prize.
--Robert Browning.
Be good at the depths of you, and you will discover that those who surround you will be good even to the same depths. Therein lies a force that has no name; a spiritual rivalry that has no resistance.
--Maurice Maeterlinck.
First of all, I must make myself a man; if I do not succeed in that, I can succeed in nothing.
--James A. Garfield.
That we may be no longer children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, in craftiness, after the wiles of error.
--Ephesians 4. 14.
Eternal God, I thank thee for all the sterling elements that greaten the individual life. I pray that I may not desire to be kept a small creature, but seek to grow in wisdom and love, and qualify for mighty purposes and achievements. Amen.
NOVEMBER TWENTIETH
Paul Potter born 1625.
Thomas Chatterton born 1752.
William Ellery Channing born 1818.
Sir Wilfred Laurier born 1841.
Then why, my soul, dost thou complain? Why drooping seek the dark recess? Shake off the melancholy chain, For God created all to bless.
The gloomy mantle of the night, Which on my sinking spirits steals, Will vanish at the morning light, Which God, my East, my Sun, reveals.
--Thomas Chatterton.
Lady, there is a hope that all men have-- Some mercy for their faults, a grassy place To rest in, and a flower-strewn, gentle grave: Another hope which purifies our race, That when that fearful bourne forever past, They may find rest--and rest so long to last.
I seek it not, I ask no rest forever, My path is onward to the farthest shores.
--William Ellery Channing.
He brought me up also out of a horrible pit, out of the miry clay; And he set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings. And he put a new song in my mouth.
--Psalm 40. 2, 3.
My Father, I pray that I may have patience to live through the difficulties of life. May I correct my faults, that they may not destroy my peace and take from me my strength; help me to center my life in brightness and hope. Amen.
NOVEMBER TWENTY-FIRST
Claude Lorraine died 1682.
Bryan Waller Procter (Barry Cornwall) born 1787.
Mary Johnston born 1870.
There is not a creature from England's king To the peasant that delves the soil, Who knows half the pleasures the seasons bring If he had not his share of toil.
--Barry Cornwall.
It may be proved, with much certainty, that God intends no man to live in this world without working; but it seems to me no less evident that he intends every man to be happy in his work. Now, in order that people may be happy in their work, these three things are needed: they must be fit for it; and they must not do too much of it; and they must have a sense of success in it.
--John Ruskin.
Let him labor, working with his hands the thing that is good, that he may have whereof to give to him that hath need.
--Ephesians 4. 28.
My Father, if my work seems hard to-day, may I not cease working if I grow weary, but may my strength be renewed to continue my work. May the aim of my work be to please thee, and to help in the progress of humanity. Amen.
NOVEMBER TWENTY-SECOND
Saint Cecilia martyred A.D. 230.
Sir Henry Havelock died 1857.
Justin M'Carthy born 1830.
Sometimes the sun, unkindly hot, My garden makes a desert spot, Sometimes a blight upon the tree Takes all my fruit away from me; And then with throes of bitter pain Rebellious passions rise and swell; And so I sing and all is well.
--Paul Laurence Dunbar.
Such songs have power to quiet The restless pulse of care, And come like benediction That follows after prayer.
--Henry W. Longfellow.
Songs consecrate to truth and liberty.
--Percy Bysshe Shelley.
David took the harp, and played with his hand: so Saul was refreshed, and was well, and the evil spirit departed from him.
--1 Samuel 16. 23.
Almighty God, I thank thee that thou wilt come to me as my heart cries for need. I bless thee that thou dost come to me as my lips sing thy praise. I pray that I may be saved from a cruel and cheerless heart, and be a sharer of the songs that are sung to the soul. Amen.
NOVEMBER TWENTY-THIRD
Thomas Tallis died 1585.
Franklin Pierce, New Hampshire, fourteenth President United States, born 1804.
Marie Bashkirtseff born 1860.
Asleep, awake, by night or day, The friends I seek are seeking me; No word can drive my bark astray, Nor change the tide of destiny.
The stars come nightly to the sky, The tidal wave unto the sea; Nor time, nor space, nor deep, nor high, Can keep my own away from me.
--John Burroughs.
If a man could make a single rose we would give him an empire; yet flowers no less beautiful are scattered in profusion over the world, and no one regards them.
--Martin Luther.
Let patience have its perfect work.
--James 1. 4.
My Creator, may I remember that after thou didst create the earth thou didst say it was good. May I love the fragrance and beauty of the flowers which were made to nourish the soul, and the fruits and herbs which were made to nourish the body. May my song of thanksgiving be new every morning, as I awake in the abundance of what thou hast prepared. Amen.
NOVEMBER TWENTY-FOURTH
John Knox died 1572.
Baron Spinoza born 1632.
Grace Darling born 1815.
Frances Hodgson Burnett born 1849.
I waited long until the sky Should give me of its blue To weave and wear, and share, and weave The very stars into. The days they went, the years they went, And left my hands instead Another thing for wonderment, The mending and the bread.
Ah me, and one must set a hand To burnish up the task, And hush and hush the old demand A wakeful heart will ask. But with a star's clear eye on me, O, I can hear it said, "What souls there be that only see The mending and the bread!"
--Josephine P. Peabody.
The riches of a commonwealth Are free, strong minds and hearts of health. And more to her than gold or grain, The cunning hand and cultured brain.
--John G. Whittier.
For the life is more than the food, and the body than the raiment.
--Luke 12. 23.
My Father, I pray that thou wilt help me, that I may not consume my life in preparing clothes and food for my body. Amen.
NOVEMBER TWENTY-FIFTH
Charles Kemble born 1775.
John Bigelow born 1817.
Paul Haupt born 1858.
John Kitto died 1854.
I will not kill or hurt any living creature needlessly, nor destroy any beautiful thing, but will strive to save and comfort all gentle life and guard and perfect all natural beauty on earth. I will strive to raise my own body and soul daily into all the higher powers of duty and-happiness, not in rivalship or contention with others, but for help, delight, and honor of others and for the joy and peace of my own life.
--John Ruskin.
They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain; for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of Jehovah, as the waters cover the sea.
--Isaiah 11. 9.
Lord God, I rejoice in the blessedness of peace. May I not try to force peace where cruelty has entered, but keep a watch for what may come into my life. I pray that if I may be in turbulence to-day, thou wilt quiet me with thy peace which knows no fear or wrong. Amen.
NOVEMBER TWENTY-SIXTH
Sir William Ware born 1594.
John Elwes died 1789.
John Loudoun Macadam died 1836.
I'd like a way To change the clouds that bring us sorrow, And build to-day a bright to-morrow; To banish cares that tarry long, And have the days like the blue-bird's song-- I'd like a way.
I'll find a way-- I'll set sail when the breeze is high, And calmly drift when pleasure's nigh; I'll steer a course afar from tears, And take in joy the coming years-- I'll find a way.
I've lost the way! Out through the gloom a beam of light Looks like a purpose looming bright! Up with the sail! I'll out to sea And bring that purpose back with me, Or go its way.
--M.B.S.
Unto the upright there ariseth light in the darkness: He is gracious, and merciful, and righteous.
--Psalm 112. 4.
My Father, I pray that I may not through indifference wander without a purpose, or through discouragement stumble through the darkness. May I be drawn to the light by the vision of hopeful and useful days. Amen.
NOVEMBER TWENTY-SEVENTH
Horace died B.C. 8.
Marquise d'Aubigné Maintenon born 16324.
General Artemus Ward born 1727.
Fanny Kemble born 1809.
Alexandra Dumas died 1895.
Be this thy brazen bulwark of defense, to preserve a conscience void of offense, and never turn pale with guilt.
--Horace.
Is life a noxious weed which whirlwinds sow? A useless flint o'er which the waters flow? Not so! A life well spent has not its weight in gold; It is the clearest crystal earth doth hold, A gem beside which suns seem dull and cold.
--Robert Louis Stevenson.
That they may lay hold on the life which is life indeed.
--1 Timothy 6. 19.
Lord God, I pray that my life may not be impoverished by neglect, nor burdened with indulgences, but that it may be kept in condition for high endeavors. Grant that I may never be content to rest in satisfaction and ease when I could struggle and accomplish a good work. Amen.
NOVEMBER TWENTY-EIGHTH
William Blake born 1757.
Anton G. Rubinstein born 1829
Washington Irving died 1859.
The sorrow for the dead is the only sorrow from which we refuse to be divorced. Every other wound we seek to heal, every other affliction to forget. Take warning by the bitterness of this thy contrite affliction over the dead, and henceforth be more faithful and affectionate in the discharge of thy duties to the living.
--Washington Irving.
Joy and woe are woven fine, A clothing for the soul divine; Every grief and pine Runs a joy with a silken twine.
--William Blake.
Ye shall be sorrowful, but your sorrow shall be turned into joy.
--John 16. 20.
Heavenly Father, grant that I may not lose the kindness that I may give and receive to-day. I thank thee for the memories of yesterday, the hope of to-morrow, and the wisdom of to-day. May I have a vision of immortality that will keep me through the closest sorrow. Amen.
NOVEMBER TWENTY-NINTH
Sir Philip Sidney born 1554.
A. Bronson Alcott born 1799.
Wendell Phillips born 1811.
Louisa M. Alcott born 1832.
Truth is sensitive and jealous of the least encroachment of its sacredness.
--A. Bronson Alcott.
Faith that withstood the shocks of toil and time, Hope that defied despair, Patience that conquered care, And loyalty whose courage was sublime;
Teaching us how to seek the highest goal, To earn the true success; To live to love, to bless, And make death proud to take a royal soul.
--Louisa M. Alcott.
Nor is it Wiser to weep a true occasion lost, But trim our sails, and let old bygones be.
--Alfred Tennyson.
In hope of eternal life, which God, who cannot lie, promised before times eternal.
--Titus 1. 2.
Heavenly Father, I pray that I may live in truth; and without fear of life or death live content in the faith of eternal life. Amen.
NOVEMBER THIRTIETH
Peregrine White born New England 1620.
Jonathan Swift born 1687.
Samuel L. Clemens (Mark Twain) born 1835.
Winston Churchill born 1874.
He gave it for his opinion that whoever could make two ears of corn, or two blades of grass, to grow upon a spot of ground where only one grew before, would deserve better of mankind, and do more essential service to his country, than the whole race of politicians put together.
--Jonathan Swift.
That man may last, but never lives, Who much receives, but nothing gives; Whom none can love, whom none can thank,-- Creation's blot, creation's blank.
--Thomas Gibbons.
Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, shall they give into your bosom. For with what measure ye mete it shall be measured to you again.
--Luke 6. 38.
My Father, preserve my soul from all selfishness. May I delight in thy teaching as I trust in thy word. I pray that I may not only speak truthfully, but that I may leave the door of my spirit open, that truth may always enter and abide continually. Amen.
DECEMBER
He comes--he comes--the Frost Spirit comes: You may trace his footsteps now On the naked woods and the blasted fields, And the brown hill's withered brow. He has smitten the leaves of the gray old trees, Where their green came forth, And the winds, which follow wherever he goes, Have shaken them down to earth.
He comes--he comes--the Frost Spirit comes! Let us meet him as we may, And turn with the light of the parlor fire His evil power away; And gather closer the circle round, Where the firelight dances high, And laugh at the shriek of the baffled fiend, As his sounding wing goes by.
--John G. Whittier.
DECEMBER FIRST
Dr. George Birkbeck died 1841.
Queen Alexandra born 1844.
R.W. Dale born 1829.
Ebenezer Elliott died 1849.
We would fill the hours with the sweetest things, If we had but a day: We should drink alone at the purest springs, In our upward way: We should guide our wayward or wearied will, By the clearest light: We should keep our eyes on the heavenly hills, If they lay in sight: We should be from our clamorous selves set free, To work and pray: And be what the Father would have us to be, If we had but a day.
--Margaret E. Sangster.
Whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honorable, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.
--Philippians 4. 8.
Gracious Father, help me to understand that my life grows out of what I put into my days. Forgive me for the unspoken words and the kind deeds which I kept for rare days, and had so few occasions to use. May I be as useful in kindness as I am in work, remembering that to thee every day is a golden day. Amen.
DECEMBER SECOND
David Masson born 1822.
John Brown hanged, Charlestown, West Virginia 1859.
Hugh Miller died 1856.
The solitude of life is known to us all; for the most part we are alone, and the voices of friends come only faint and broken across the impassable gulfs which surround every human soul.
--Hamilton Mabie.
To have an ideal or to have none, to have this ideal or that--this is what digs gulfs between men, even between those who live in the same family circle, under the same roof, or in the same room. You must love with the same love, think with the same thoughts as some one else if you are to escape solitude.
--Amiel.
The plans of the heart belong to man; But the answer of the tongue is from Jehovah.
--Proverbs 16. 1.
Lord God, help me to take in the glory of life, that my spirit may never be lonely, even though I may have to be much alone. I pray that thou wilt spare me the loneliness and the solitude that may be brought on by selfishness. Make me considerate of others. May I soar above the disappointments and losses that may come to me, and stay where I may have thy companionship. Amen.
DECEMBER THIRD
Samuel Crompton born 1753.
Sir Frederick Leighton born 1830.
Robert Louis Stevenson died 1894.
To know what you prefer, instead of humbly saying "Amen" to what the world tells you you ought to prefer, is to have kept your soul alive.
--Robert Louis Stevenson.
There is precious instruction to be got by finding we were wrong. Let a man try faithfully, manfully to be right. He will grow daily more and more right.
--Thomas Carlyle.
The hero is the man who is immovably centered.
--Ralph Waldo Emerson.
Let us draw near with a true heart in fulness of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience: and having our body washed with pure water.
--Hebrews 10. 22.
Gracious Father, grant that I may not be content to follow through ignorance and indolence and be led to the lowly paths of life. Make my Hie positive; and from my surroundings may I look out and struggle to mount to the highest ideals, that I may be qualified to select the best in life. Amen.
DECEMBER FOURTH
Cardinal Richelieu died 1642.
William Drummond died 1649.
Madame Recamier born 1777.
Thomas Carlyle born 1795.
John Kitto born 1804.
It is with a man's soul as it is with nature: the beginning of Creation is--Light. Till the eye have visions the whole members are in bonds. Divine moment, when over the tempest-tost Soul, as once over the wild-weltering Chaos, it is spoken: Let there be Light!
--Thomas Carlyle.
What in me is dark Illumine, what is low raise and support; That to the light of this great argument I may assert eternal Providence And justify the ways of God to men.
--John Milton.
For thou art my lamp, O Jehovah; And Jehovah will lighten my darkness.
--2 Samuel 22. 29.