Leaves of Life Part 74

Charles James Fox died 1806.

And thou, O river of to-morrow, flowing Between thy narrow adamantine walls, But beautiful, and white with waterfalls And wreaths of mist, like hands the pathway showing; I hear the trumpets of the morning blowing.

It is the mystery of the unknown That fascinates us; we are children still, Wayward and wistful; with one hand we cling To the familiar things we call our own, And with the other, resolute of will, Grope in the dark for what the day will bring.

--Henry W. Longfellow.

Behold, happy is the man whom G.o.d correcteth.

--Job 5. 17.

Almighty G.o.d, I pray that thou wilt help me to correct my life to-day that I may know a better way to-morrow; and may I be mindful and try to do right. Grant that I may be patient and kind if I may be sick or in need, and always keep uppermost the faith of deliverance and eternal care. Amen.

SEPTEMBER FOURTEENTH

Alighieri Dante died 1321.

Alexander Baron von Humboldt born 1769.

Julia Magruder born 1854.

Charles Dana Gibson born 1867.

Since it is Providence that determines the fates of men, their inner nature is thus brought into unison. There is such harmony, as in all things of nature, that one might explain the whole without referring to a higher Providence. But this only proves the more clearly and certainly this higher Providence, which has given existence to this harmony.

--Wilhelm von Humboldt.

The good mariner, when he draws near the port, furls his sails and enters it softly; so ought we to lower the sails of our worldly operations, and turn to G.o.d with all heart and understanding.

--Dante.

Thy righteousness is like the mountains of G.o.d; Thy judgments are a great deep: O Jehovah, thou preservest man and beast.

--Psalm 36. 6.

My Father in heaven, may I hear thy voice to-day! May I be quiet as I listen to thee. Above the clamor of the crowd may I hear thee calling me. May I hear thee in my joys and in my sorrows; in my work and in my leisure. May I listen to thee oftener, that I may be familiar with thy ways. Amen.

SEPTEMBER FIFTEENTH

James Fenimore Cooper born 1789.

Louis Joseph Martel born 1813.

Porfirio Diaz born 1830.

William Howard Taft, Ohio, twenty-sixth President United States, born 1857.

Friends.h.i.+p is one of the cheapest and most accessible of pleasures; it requires no outlay and no very serious expenditure of time or trouble. It is quite easy to make friends, if one wants to... There is surely no greater pleasure in the world than to feel one is needed, welcomed, missed, and loved.

--Arthur C. Benson.

"Friends.h.i.+p is love without his wings."

--William H. Taft (from Byron).

Without sympathy, in the highest sense of intellectual penetration, kindness may be a folly, and intended aid, oppression.

--John Ruskin.

He that maketh many friends doeth it to his own destruction; but there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother.

--Proverbs 18. 24.

My Father, may I know the delight of true friends.h.i.+p which is responsive and sincere. May I never feel so secure in myself that I will cease to want friends, or be so dependent on others that I will be continually seeking them. May I understand the value of having a stanch friend and of being one. Amen.

SEPTEMBER SIXTEENTH

Gabriel D. Fahrenheit died 1736.

W. Augustus Muhlenberg born 1796.

Francis Parkman born 1823.

Yes, to this thought I hold with firm persistence-- The last result of wisdom stamps it true: He only earns his freedom and existence Who daily conquers them anew.

--Goethe.

For thee hath been dawning Another blue day; Look how thou let it Slip empty away.

--Goethe.

Happy the man, and happy he alone, Who can call to-day his own: He who, secure within, can say, "To-morrow, do thy worst, for I have lived to-day."

--John Dryden.

Arise, s.h.i.+ne; for thy light is come, and the glory of Jehovah is risen upon thee.

--Isaiah 60. 1.

Gracious Father, help me to be alert this morning and select the n.o.blest that is in to-day. May I be diligent and not find in the evening that I have been unworthy of the day. Amen.