Chapter V: Part 5

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.

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.

My Father, I pray that I may have the sympathy that responds with consideration and devotion. May it be a joy for me to give comfort and render service where I may help. Grant that I may not linger too long in happiness and miss thy blessings, but remember that to "travel hopefully is a better thing than to arrive." Amen.

AUGUST NINETEENTH

Augustus Cæsar died A.D. 14.

James Watt died 1819.

Robert Bloomfield died 1823.

Honore Balzac died 1850.

It is written not, "Blessed is he that feedeth the poor," but
"Blessed is he that considereth the poor." And you know a little
thought and a little kindness are often worth more than a great deal
of money.

--John Ruskin.

So pity never leaves the gentle breast
Where love has been received a welcome guest;
As wandering saints poor huts have sacred made,
He hallows every heart he once has swayed,
And, when his presence we no longer share,
Still leaves compassion as a relic there.

--Thomas Sheridan.

If a brother or sister be naked and in lack of daily food, and one
of you say unto them, Go in peace, be ye warmed and filled; and yet
ye give them not the things needful to the body; what doth it
profit?

--James 2. 16.

Tender Father, help me to consider those who receive the crust of bread at my door; for if it be needed it is asked for by sad and desperate lives. Make me conscious of thy mercy and help, that I may be considerate for the one with the outstretched hand. Amen.

AUGUST TWENTIETH

Saint Bernard died 1153.

Robert Herrick born 1591.

John and Cornelius De Witt killed 1672.

Francis Asbury born 1745.

Henry P. Liddon born 1829.

Benjamin Harrison, Ohio, twenty-third President United States, born 1833.

The busy world shoves angrily aside
The man who stands with arms akimbo set
Until occasion tells him what to do;
And he who waits to have his task marked out
Shall die and leave his errand unfulfilled.

--James Russell Lowell.

Awake, arise! the hour is late!
Angels are knocking at thy door!
They are in haste and cannot wait,
And once departed come no more.

--Henry W. Longfellow.

Boast not thyself of to-morrow;
For thou knowest not what a day may bring forth.

--Proverbs 27. 1.

Gracious Father, grant that I may not tarry so long, that when I arrive I will hear, "Too late, too late, ye cannot enter now"; but may I be so persistent with every day that when I arrive I may be ready as well as on time. Amen.

AUGUST TWENTY-FIRST

Lady Mary Montagu died 1762.

Jules Michelet born 1798.

John Tyndall born 1820.

Let us never be afraid of innocent joy; God is good and what he does
is well done; resign yourself to everything, even happiness; ask for
the spirit of sacrifice, of detachment, of renunciation, and above
all, for the spirit of joy and gratitude.

--Amiel.

That's the wise thrush;
He sings each song twice over,
Lest you should think he never could recapture
The first fine careless rapture!

--Robert Browning.

And these things we write, that our joy may be made full.

--1 John 1. 4.

Lord God, help me to keep the things under my feet that are inclined to destroy happiness. Show me clearly the line which divides right and wrong, that I may not fear the censure of the world. Help me to act with good judgment and be calm in obeying thy laws. Amen.

AUGUST TWENTY-SECOND

John B. Gough born 1817.

Warren Hastings died 1818.

G. W. De Long born 1844.

I never saw a moor,
I never saw the sea;
Yet know I how a heather looks
And what a wave must be.

I never spoke with God,
Nor visited in heaven;
Yet certain am I of the spot
As if the chart were given.

--Emily Dickinson.

I don't want to possess a faith; I want a faith which will possess
me.

--Charles Kingsley.

Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, saith Jehovah of
hosts.

--Zechariah 4. 6.

My Father, may there be no room in my soul for doubt. Help me to be cautious and careful that my own neglect and carelessness may not cause the loss of my faith. May I be trustful as I look for the great light that guides me over the uncertain way. Amen.

AUGUST TWENTY-THIRD

Rowland Hill born 1744.

Louis XVI born 1754.

William E. Henley born 1849.

Out of the night that covers me,
Black as the Pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.

It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll,
I am master of my fate,
I am the captain of my soul.

--W. E. Henley.

A man who has borne himself honorably through a whole life makes an
action honorable which might appear ambiguous in others.

--Goethe.

Wherefore, my beloved brethren, be ye steadfast, unmovable.

--1 Corinthians 15. 58.

Father of mercy, I beseech thee to protect me in my endeavors as I try to live my ideals. May I not choose unnecessary burdens, and when I most need to be strong find that I have lived in that which has weakened my life. I ask for a clear mind and a strong heart that I may be "Captain of my soul." Amen.

AUGUST TWENTY-FOURTH

William Wilberforce born 1759.

William Thomas Moncrieff born 1794.

Theodore Parker born 1810.

Give me, Lord, eyes to behold the truth;
A seeing sense that knows the eternal right;
A heart with pity filled, and gentlest ruth;
A manly faith that makes all darkness light:
Give me the power to labor for mankind;
Make me the mouth of such as cannot speak;
Eyes let me be to groping men and blind.

--Theodore Parker.

Love's hearts are faithful, but not fond,
Bound for the just, but not beyond;
Not glad, as the low-loving herd,
Of self in other still preferred,
But they have heartily designed
The benefit of broad mankind.
And they serve men austerely,
After their own genius, clearly,
Without a false humility.

--Ralph Waldo Emerson.