The Optimist's Good Morning Part 20

_There is no storm but this Of your own cowardice That braves you out; You are the storm that mocks Yourself; you are the rocks Of your own doubt; Besides this fear of danger there's no danger here And he that here fears danger does deserve his fear._

RICHARD CRASHAW.

Thou knowest, O Lord, the weakness of our human nature, and how p.r.o.ne we are not only to shrink from the difficulties and to tremble at the dangers which lie in our way, but to allow imaginary difficulties and dangers to hinder us from living as Thy children should. Help us, we pray Thee, to be free from all such fear today. Be Thou our refuge from whatsoever may threaten us, either without or within. Deliver us from faint-heartedness and enable us to stand fast in the glorious liberty of those who fear nothing but to offend against Thee and to wrong their own immortal souls. We ask it as disciples of Christ. Amen.

EDWIN C. SWEETSER.

May 29

_Whichever way the wind doth blow, Some heart is glad to have it so; Then blow it east or blow it west, The wind that blows, that wind is best._

_My little craft sails not alone: A thousand fleets from every zone Are out upon a thousand seas; And what for me were favoring breeze Might dash another, with the shock Of doom, upon some hidden rock.

And so I do not dare to pray For winds to waft me on my way, But leave it to a Higher Will To stay or speed me; trusting still That all is well, and sure that He Who launched my bark will sail with me Through storm and calm, and will not fail, Whatever breezes may prevail, To land me, every peril past, Within His sheltering heaven at last._

CAROLINE At.w.a.tER MASON.

O Lord let us know that we do not sail life's seas alone. Thou art the G.o.d of the storms. Thou goest with us whithersoever we go. Grant us, our Heavenly Father, that we may not suffer s.h.i.+pwreck of our faith. Grant us that the voyage of our lives may be prosperous, and that at last, whether soon or late we shall find some harbor of rest and peace. Amen.

GEORGE L. PERIN.

May 30

_Our Memorial Day celebrations will be but a hypocritical play-acting unless they shall remind us of the cause and the country for which our brave soldiers gave their lives. It is not enough for us to recall their names and sing their praises. We must love the country they loved and in our turn be ready to do the hero's part._

GEORGE L. PERIN.

_But what is it to love one's country? Is it to carry a banner in a procession? Is it to shout as we see the flag? Is it to fling bunting from the tops of the buildings, and send off sky-rockets in the evenings? Vastly deeper than that is love of country, deeper than any soldier's uniform, deeper than any pictures of battles.h.i.+ps with which we adorn our walls._

W. H. P. FAUNCE.

G.o.d of the Nations, we thank Thee today for every heroic deed of every heroic soul. We rejoice that in every hour of real emergency there have ever been men who were ready to die for their country. O Lord, may the memory of their sacrifice ever remain to us and to the children of coming generations a sacred heritage. Yet, O Lord, let us not be satisfied to glorify their deeds with a memory. Let us do them the higher honor of consecrating our lives to the service of the country they loved. So shall we, in the honor we render them find the t.i.tle to our honor. Thus in _our_ land and in _our_ time may Thy Kingdom come and Thy will be done. Amen.

GEORGE L. PERIN.

May 31

_To be glad of life because it gives you the chance to love and to work and to play and to look up at the stars; to be satisfied with your possessions, but not contented with yourself until you have made the best of them; to despise nothing in the world except falsehood and meanness, and to fear nothing except cowardice; to be governed by your admirations rather than your dislikes; to covet nothing that is your neighbor's except his kindness of heart and gentleness of manners; to think seldom of your enemies, often of your friends, and every day of Christ; and to spend as much time as you can, with body and with spirit in G.o.d's out-of-doors--these are little guide-posts on the footpath to peace._

HENRY VAN d.y.k.e.

O Thou G.o.d of peace and of love. How shall we come to Thee? How shall we share Thy strength and know Thy life? Let us commune with Thy gracious spirit and so learn Thy way. How beautiful the vision which prayer unfolds to us when we wors.h.i.+p in spirit and truth! We see the virtues which enn.o.ble and sanctify other lives. Sweet and tender patience appears and in her light ruffled and distorted tempers are subdued and clothed in their right mind. Faith is seen and as irresolution and doubt take their flight, confident trust and cherished conviction appear in magnetic power. So, O Lord, would we read the signs which other lives present. So would we strengthen our own aspirations and make real the vision. So, O Father, would we find Thy peace. Amen.

AUGUSTINE N. FOSTER.

June 1

_A season for simple living with the kindly sun and the blue sky, days of keen delight in little things, of joyous questing after beauty, days for the making of true friends by being a true friend to others, days when we may enlarge our little lives by excursions to strange places, by friendly a.s.sociation, by the companions.h.i.+p of great thoughts, days that may teach us to live n.o.bly, to work joyously, to play harder, to do our labor better. So should each June bring us indeed a golden summer._

EDWIN OSGOOD GROVER.

Heavenly Father, Thou givest all good things. We thank Thee for life and hope and cheer. In grat.i.tude we consecrate this day to blessing Thy children, and so to serving Thee who hast said, "Inasmuch as ye have done it unto these, ye have done it unto Me." Teach us the gladness of a life responsive to Thy messages through Nature. Grant us the joy of making friends by being friendly with our fellow men. Whatsoever we may do, at work or at play, may it be in the spirit of the Saviour. We begin this day with Thee. By its ministries may our comrades be helped and our lives together be made n.o.bler, stronger, and well-pleasing in Thy sight.

Amen.

MAURICE A. LEVY.

June 2

_Over the shoulders and slopes of the dune, I saw the white daisies go down to the sea, A host in the suns.h.i.+ne, an army in June, The people G.o.d sends us to set our hearts free._

_The bobolinks rallied them up from the dell, The orioles whistled them out of the wood, And all of their singing was "Earth, it is well,"

And all of their dancing was, "Life, Thou art good!"_

BLISS CARMAN.

O Thou, who art the Father of Light and Love, from whom cometh down every good and perfect gift, we thank Thee for this new born day, which Thou sendest us, for the splendor of Thy presence in the sunlit sky above us and the blossoming earth beneath; for spring-time flowers that border our paths with loveliness and happy bird song, lifting our hearts to responsive joy and praise. We thank Thee for life and health, for home and friends, for opportunities and duties, for temptations and trials, yea, for the very sorrows and bereavements which bring us to ourselves in penitence, to others in sympathy, and to Thee in faith and adoration. Thy will be done! Thy kingdom come! Amen.

CHARLES W. WENDTE.

June 3

_One small life in G.o.d's great plan, How futile it seems as the ages roll, Do what it may, or strive how it can, To alter the sweep of the infinite whole!

A single st.i.tch in an endless web, A drop in the ocean's flow and ebb!

But the pattern is rent where the st.i.tch is lost, Or marred where the tangled threads have crossed; And each life that fails of its true intent Mars the perfect plan that its Maker meant._

SUSAN COOLIDGE.

O Thou, the heavenly Father, in whom we live and move, whose life-giving spirit is ever around us like the air we breathe,--we lift our thoughts to Thee in reverence and gladness at the coming of the new day. We are glad for the quiet hours of the night, while the stars s.h.i.+ne over us.

May we be ready now, with willing and obedient hearts, for the work, the cares, the joys and the friendly converse of the day. We know how small our lives are; may we share the thoughts of Thy infinite mind, may Thy power and beauty, Thy justice and goodness possess us. May our feeble wills be strong to carry the current of the one Good Will that sways the universe. Amen.

CHARLES F. DOLE.

June 4

_I have lived, sir, a long time; and the longer I live, the more convincing proofs I see of this truth, that G.o.d governs in the affairs of men._

BENJAMIN FRANKLIN.

_All I have seen teaches me to trust the Creator for all I have not seen. Whatever it be which the great Providence prepares for us, it must be something large and generous; and in the great style of His works. The future must be up to the style of our faculties, of memory, of hope, of imagination, of reason._

RALPH WALDO EMERSON.