Chapter C: Ellwood Nash

July 5

_Far up the crag, 'twixt sea and sky,
Where winds tempestuous, blowing by,
Leave giant boulders swept and bare;
Where forked lightnings fitful flare,
And petrels sound their stormy cry._

_A dainty bluebell, sweet and shy,
Lifted its head complacently,
As guarded by the tenderest care,
Far up the crag._

_And now, whenever fear draws nigh,
In thought I stand 'twixt sea and sky,
And, as of old in my despair,
I bless the Power that set it there--
That tiny thing with courage high,
Far up the crag!_

FLORENCE E. COATES.

Eternal Presence, may we now speak to Thee? or, consciously within Thy presence, should our lips be still? Art Thou the Infinite Mercy, and shall we say, be merciful? Shall we persuade the love that can not once withhold itself? We would not ask, were prayer to change established law. But, we will open here our hearts, and so receive the blessedness that seeks us and has sought us,--sought us as the sunlight sought us early,--seeks us as the raindrops seek us in the storm. Not more canst Thou withhold the goodness from us. We wait receptively, unbarring all our rust-hinged doors to welcome the true favors that now find us. In sweet trust, asking or unasking, we abide ever in Thee. Amen.

PERRY MARSHALL.

July 6

_God is a kind Father. He sets us all in the places where he wishes
us to be employed, and that employment is truly "our Father's
business." He chooses work for every creature which will be
delightful to them, if they do it simply and humbly. He gives us
always strength enough and sense enough for what He wants us to do;
if we either tire ourselves or puzzle ourselves, it is our own
fault. And we may always be sure, whatever we are doing, that we
cannot be pleasing Him if we are not happy ourselves._

JOHN RUSKIN.

Father Divine, Thou art indeed kind. Thine are the ways of kindness, of wisdom, and of love,--the ways of pleasantness and the paths of peace. In simple and humble spirit as becometh Thy children, may we walk with Thee accomplishing the work to which Thou dost call us. Our work is Thy work, our business the Father's business; the business of justice, mercy and truth. When loyal and true, we are what we are, and do what we do by Thy grace. So help us to honor Thee in all the duties of life,--"Not slothful in business,--fervent in spirit,"--pleasing Thee and therefore happy ourselves. Amen.

ISAAC P. CODDINGTON.

July 7

_Threefold is the form of Space:
Length, with ever restless motion,
Seeks eternity's wide ocean;
Breadth with boundless sway extends;
Depth to unknown realms descends._

_All as types to thee are given;
Thou must onward strive for heaven,
Never still or weary be,
Wouldst thou perfect glory see;
Far must thy researches go
Wouldst thou learn the world to know;
Thou must tempt the dark abyss
Wouldst thou prove what Being is._

_Naught but firmness gains the prize,--
Naught but fulness makes us wise,--
Buried deep, truth ever lies!_

PROVERBS OF CONFUCIUS.

Our Heavenly Father, help us this day to make good our privilege to feel and think of Thee as we do. Help us this day to make ourselves part of our brotherhood, and our brotherhood part of Thee. We know not what the day hath in store for us, but we pray Thee to help us have in store for it our better heart, our better hands. Send Thy holy spirit into our life to calm and to strengthen; that we may be steadfast and true; that we may give and be forgiven. Bless all Thy children this day, and may our labor end as it began, in Thee, with Thee, for Thee. Amen.

LOUIS H. BUCKSHORN.

July 8

_O Impatient Ones! Do the leaves say nothing to you as they murmur
to-day? They are not fashioned this spring, but months ago; and the
summer just begun will fashion others for another year. At the
bottom of every leaf-stem is a cradle, and in it is an infant germ;
and the winds will rock it, and the birds will sing to it all
summer long, and next season it will unfold. So God is working for
you and carrying forward to the perfect development all the
processes of our lives._

HENRY WARD BEECHER.

O Eternal Father, giver of all spiritual grace, we thank Thee for Thy presence in our hearts. May we realize that Thou hast the best possible plan for every human life. Help us to be patient and joyful in the consciousness that Thou art carrying forward Thy blessed work in us. Thy love, O Lord, is equal to Thy wisdom, and Thou wilt always do what is best for us. May Thy holy will be our delight, so that we may each trust in Thee at all times and cheerfully say, Thy will, O Lord, not mine, be done. Thou who dost care for the birds and the lilies art ever mindful of us, Thy children. Deliver us from worry and may Thy peace guard our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.

GEORGE H. CHENEY.

July 9

_Let us hope that one day all mankind will be happy and wise; and
though this day never should dawn to have hoped for it cannot be
wrong. And in any event, it is helpful to speak of happiness to
those who are sad, that thus at least they may learn what it is
that happiness means. They are ever inclined to regard it as
something beyond them, extraordinary, out of their reach. But if
all who may count themselves happy were to tell, very simply, what
it was that brought happiness to them, the others would see that
between sorrow and joy the difference is but as between a gladsome,
enlightened acceptance of life and a hostile gloomy submission;
between a large and harmonious conception of life, and one that is
stubborn and narrow._

MAETERLINCK.

O Lord, we thank Thee for the special providence which is over everything which Thou hast created, and wherein Thou residest with all Thine infinite perfections. We thank Thee that Thou carest for us all, that in our day of joy we know it is Thou who fillest our cup, by giving us the faculties which make it run over at the brim. We thank Thee that Thou art with us in our days of hardship and of calamity, that when our own heart cries out against us, Thou art greater than our heart, and, understanding all things, blessest us in secret ways; and when we are cast down and go stooping and feeble, with hungering eyes and a failing heart, that Thou still art with us, and leadest us from strength to strength and blessest us continually. Amen.

THEODORE PARKER.

July 10

_Were any of us really disappointed or melancholy in a hayfield?
Did we ever lie fairly back on a haycock and look up into the blue
sky, and listen to the merry sounds, the whetting of scythes and
the laughing prattle of women and children, and think evil thoughts
of the world or our brethren? Not we! Or, if we have so done we
ought to be ashamed of ourselves, and deserve never again to be out
of town during hay-harvest._

THOMAS HUGHES.

Dear Heavenly Father, we devoutly thank Thee for the beautiful open face of Nature shining upon us; for the splendor of the fields where the birds wing their merry flight; for the breath of the flowers and the grass beneath the scythe, like the odor of incense; and most of all, for the merry shouts of women and children and men in the meadow, in the heyday of happiness, as they fill their souls with the freedom of the children of God, and live in the open where no evil breath can come. Grant that we may live spiritually forever in the fragrant hayfields of life, where the birds sing and the children shout, and where no covering or roof can ever shut out the sunshine of life's eternal bliss. Amen.

ROBERT S. KELLERMAN.

July 11

_A story is told of a king who went into his garden one morning and
found everything withering and dying. He asked an oak that stood
near the gate what the trouble was. He found that it was sick of
life and determined to die, because it was not tall and beautiful
like the pine. The pine was out of heart because it could not bear
grapes like the vine; the vine was going to throw its life away,
because it could not stand erect and have as fine fruit as the
pomegranate; and so on throughout the garden. Coming to the
heart'sease, the king found its bright face uplifted, as full of
cheerfulness as ever. Said the king, "Well, heart'sease, I am glad
to find one brave little flower in this general discouragement and
dying. You don't seem one bit disheartened." "No, your majesty. I
know I am of small account; but I concluded you wanted a
heart'sease when you planted me. If you had wanted an oak, or a
pine, or a vine, or a pomegranate, you would have set one out. So I
am bound to be the best heart'sease that ever I can."_

WILLIAM MOODIE.

Like the wise King of old, I pray Thee, gracious Lord, give unto me wisdom. May Thy Pillar of Light guide my footsteps so that I go not astray in the wilderness of sin and selfish ambition. Help me to acquire a pure heart and a contented spirit. Amidst all the vicissitudes of fortune, let faith induce me to say, "Whatever God doeth is well." Amen.