WILLIAM CHANNING BROWN.
April 14
_The man without a purpose is like a ship without a rudder; a waif, a nothing, no man. Have a purpose in life, if it is only to kill and divide and sell oxen well, but have a purpose; and having it, throw such strength of mind and muscle into your work as G.o.d has given you._
THOMAS CARLYLE.
_Neither a borrower nor a lender be; For loan oft loses both itself and friend, And borrowing dulls the edge of husbandry.
This above all: to thine own self be true And it must follow, as the night the day, Thou canst not then be false to any man._
SHAKESPEARE.
Almighty G.o.d, at the commencement of this day"s work may we look on high, and measure everything we are about to do by the scale of eternity. Keep us from all littleness; may we not be turned aside by things that are insignificant and unworthy. Help us, we beseech Thee, to make the glory of our life commensurate with the splendors of our privileges. May we live life in a great spirit, realizing that there is no duty so simple, no position so humble, but that we may show forth the grandeur of trust, and obedience toward Thee. May the great and holy purpose we cherish find its expression as we cooperate with the divine purpose. Amen.
J. H. BARKER.
April 15
_"Twas one of those charmed days When the genius of G.o.d doth flow, The wind may alter twenty ways, A tempest cannot blow; It may blow north, it still is warm; Or south, it still is clear; Or east, it smells like a clover farm; Or west, no thunder fear._
RALPH WALDO EMERSON.
Father of Lights, from whom cometh every good and perfect gift, we thank Thee for the morning and for the sunshine. We rejoice in the light, but when it is hidden from us, we are thankful that in the upper air above our clouded morning it still fills Thy heavens. Thou gavest us good things while we slept, and now, refreshed by Thy Spirit, may we go forth to our appointed tasks with cheerful obedience and joyful expectation.
If trial and trouble await us, or if, in the heat of the day the burden seems too great, may we still be comforted, because we put our trust in Thee. Amen.
GEORGE BATCHELOR.
April 16
_But spring-wind, like a dancing psaltress, pa.s.ses Over its breast, to waken it, rare verdure Buds tenderly upon rough banks between The withered tree-roots and the cracks of frost, Like a smile striving with a wrinkled face; The gra.s.s grows bright, the boughs are swol"n with blooms Like chrysalids impatient for the air, The shining dors are busy, beetles run Along the furrows; ants make their ado; Above, birds fly in merry flocks, the lark Soars up and up, shivering for very joy; Afar the ocean sleeps; white fishing gulls Flit where the sand is purple with its tribe Of nested limpits; savage creatures seek Their loves in wood and plain--and G.o.d renews His ancient rapture._
ROBERT BROWNING.
O Lord, who givest to mankind liberally, and upbraidest not, we thank Thee for the blessings Thou bestowest from day to day. We thank Thee for this material world, now clad in its garment of Northern beauty, for the great sun which all day pours down his light upon the waiting and the grateful world, and for the earth underneath our feet. We bless Thee for the gra.s.s, bread for the cattle, its harvest of use spread everywhere, and for the various beauty which here and there spangles all useful things which Thine eye looks down upon. May we use this world of matter to build up the being that we are to a n.o.bler stature of strength and of beauty. Amen.
THEODORE PARKER.
April 17
_O brothers all! come near And hear A bird"s Melodious dreaming set to words, and flung The spring"s new leaves and tender buds among, For very joy of life, and hope, and love In a world made broad enough For all G.o.d"s creatures to be merry in, With joyous clash and din, And yet too small For any greed at all!
Lo! deep and sure Is cut this truth in heaven"s book of gold: Out of one mother in the garden old Were born the rich and poor._
MAURICE THOMPSON.
Our Father, may we begin this day with a song in our hearts,--a song as rich and full and free as the bird sings at the earliest dawning of the sun"s light,--a song so attuned with infinite life and hope and love that it must be sung. Thou giver of abundance unto the rich and poor alike, help our souls to mount unto the highest reaches of living thoughts and generous deeds, that we may give unto others as Thou givest. Unfettered by unholy pa.s.sions and freed from the spirit of greed, may we feel the unity of the bonds of a universal brotherhood, and be just and true, honest, and helpful in all our dealings with all men this day. Amen.
HENRIETTA G. MOORE.
April 18
_O spring, of hope and love and youth and gladness Wing-winged emblem! Brightest, best and fairest!
Whence comest thou when with dark Winter"s sadness The tears that fade in sunny smiles thou sharest?
Sister of Joy! thou art the child who wearest Thy mother"s dying smile, tender and sweet: Thy mother Autumn, for whose grave thou bearest Fresh flowers, and beams like flowers, Disturbing not the leaves which are her winding-sheet._
Sh.e.l.lEY.
G.o.d unchanging, and still the creator of the seasons, we look up to Thee, as the springtide works out the miracle of the resurrection from the sleeping forms of the past season, in confidence and in trust that ever Thou wilt bless us with a n.o.bler, holier, sweeter, more wholesome life, as the seasons come and go. The resources of trusting hearts are always reinforced and reinvigorated by contact with Thy life, Thy power, Thy goodness and Thy love. Out of the winter of our discontent, we enter the springtime of love, that leads us forward in confidence through the glad summer of growth to the soul"s fruition and the place of rest and peace in our Father"s Home beneath Thine everlasting Love. Amen.
FRANCIS A. GRAY.
April 19
_One sound always comes to the ear that is open; it is the steady drum-beat of Duty. No music in it, perhaps,--only a dry rub-a-dub.
Ah, but that steady beat marks the time for the whole orchestra of earth and heaven! It says to you: "Do your work,--do the duty nearest you!" Keep step to that drum-beat, and the dullest march is taking you home._
GEORGE S. MERRIAM.
O Thou great impelling Spirit, whom we see manifest in all the world, as we open our eyes to the light of another morning, may we be as responsive to Thy influence as the sun and the flowers which brighten our way. May we be very sensitive to Thy promptings as we go about our day"s work. May we be very quick to do the things Thou wouldst have us do. May we give ourselves to Thy service without reserve. When again the night shades draw about us, may our hearts be filled with deepest grat.i.tude for all the experiences of the day, and, deep within, may our spirits be conscious of Thy approving benediction, "Well done, good and faithful servant; enter Thou into the joy of Thy Lord." Amen.
FRANK LINCOLN Ma.s.sECK.
April 20
_Thyself and thy belongings Are not thine own so proper as to waste Thyself upon thy virtues, they on thee.
Heaven doth with us as we with torches do Not light them for themselves; for if our virtues Did not go forth of us, "twere all alike As if we had them not. Spirits are not finely touched But to fine issues, nor Nature never lends The smallest scruple of her excellence But like a thrifty G.o.ddess, she determines Herself the glory of a creditor, Both thanks and use._
SHAKESPEARE.
Father, with faith and confidence in Thee we begin the day"s duties, with a blithe song upon our lips, expressing the melody of our souls, thanking Thee for opportunities for work, and thought and love. We ask not for more blessings but to be more worthy of those we have, using and not abusing them. May our minds be open to Thy truth, and hearts to Thy love, and when received may we be almoners of both to the waiting world.
May we keep by giving Thy love abundantly, and grow through the glory of self-sacrifice. Give us the heart, O G.o.d, to sanctify our work and to lift it above drudgery into the divinest service, and give us strength to perform it. Amen.
U. S. MILBURN.
April 21
_A man is simple where his chief care is the wish to be what he ought to be; that is honestly and naturally human. We may compare existence to raw material. What it is matters less than what it is made of; as the value of a work of art lies in the flowering of a workman"s skill. True life is possible in social conditions the most diverse and with natural gifts the most unequal. It is not fortune or personal advantage, but our training them to account, that const.i.tutes the value of life. Fame adds no more than does length of days; quality is the thing._
CHARLES WAGNER.
Heavenly Father, our eyes are ever toward Thee. We do not pray for the things of the world. Teach us to walk in Thy truth. Though our days be few, may our lives be hopeful and cheerful. Though our bodies be frail, may we be invincible in spirit. All Thy children are immortal, but it is for us to attain the eternal life. May we know Thee through Jesus. Then days and hours and minutes will disappear in the liberty and glory and peace of the life eternal. Then poverty of worldly goods will be forgotten in the riches of the Spirit. Then the cares of the world that now is will be lost in the joy of the life that is to be. Amen.