The Optimist's Good Morning Part 31

_It was only a glad "Good Morning"

As she pa.s.sed along the way; But it spread the morning's glory Over the livelong day._

CARLOTTA PERRY.

_Smile upon the troubled pilgrims Whom you pa.s.s and meet; Frowns are thorns, and smiles are blossoms, Oft to weary feet.

Do not make the way seem harder By a sullen face; Smile a little, smile a little, Brighten up the place._

ELLA WHEELER WILc.o.x.

Father, in this morning hour, we would look into Thy face and feel the sweetness of that transforming influence which is forever baptizing Thy world with light and gladness, adding beauty to beauty and glory to glory. Baptize us anew, with this all-pervading spirit and send us out into this day's work to meet its varied experiences with trusting hearts and smiling faces. May we each send forth a brightening, gladdening influence to cheer and strengthen and uplift every weary, troubled pilgrim whom we meet on this day's journey. So may it be ours to enter into closer and diviner fellows.h.i.+p with Thee, our Father, whose greatest joy is to impart joy and blessing to Thy waiting children. Amen.

ANNETTE J. SHAW.

August 17

_There are nettles everywhere, But smooth green gra.s.ses are more common still; The blue of heaven is larger than the cloud._

ELIZABETH BARRETT BROWNING.

_Flower in the crannied wall, I pluck you out of the crannies;-- Hold you here, root and all, in my hand, Little flower--but if I could understand What you are, root and all, and all in all, I should know what G.o.d and man is._

ALFRED TENNYSON.

O Thou, Who hast gemmed the heavens with round, revolving worlds, the earth with beauty and the coronet of our minds with royal faculties, we do not know what "the little flower is, root and all, and all in all"

and yet, dear Lord, through the clear and the convincing revelation of Thy dear Son; through the divine image which Thou hast implanted within us; through the mighty and the persuasive witness from experience, we do feel and believe that Thou art the great creator, preserver and benefactor; That Thou hast called us to do a n.o.ble, a specific work; that we ought not to neglect the gift that is in us; to this end wilt Thou help us to be pure, brave, faithful and strong, that we may fight the good fight, and win the crown of righteousness. Amen.

ALBERT HAMMATT.

August 18

_O ye, so far above me on the Height, I cannot hear your voices as ye stand Facing the vast, invisible to me.

But I can see your gestures of delight, And something guess of that wide, glorious sea, The glimmering isles of that enchanted land, The winds which from that ocean freshly blow.

And so your Vision lifts me toward the Height, Although ye have forgot me far below._

_But you, my brother, you, my near of kin, Who some few steps above me on the steep Look smiling back to cheer me ever on, Who lend a hand as I the chasm leap, And stay your haste that I the crag may win, Thinking it scorn for Strength to climb alone; You with your morning song when sings the lark, You, with unflagging purpose at high noon, And quiet-hearted trust when comes the dark,-- To you I owe it that I climb at all._

MARY FRANCES WRIGHT.

Spirit of the Infinite Life! We praise Thee that our visions of the Divinest rise far beyond the borders of our known and familiar fields, that the resources of our unwearied life are in those mysterious regions that we have not explored. And yet we rejoice that the shadows of these holy visions fall across our common ways, reporting thus from the Infinite and the unknown the possibilities of greater fortunes yet to be. In this life of Thee may we dwell, seeing Thee in the life about us and evermore seeking to lead the life toward those high places that are always waiting the coming of those who aspire toward Thee. Amen.

E. L. REXFORD.

August 19

_The flowers got into a debate one morning as to which of them was the flower of G.o.d: and the rose said: "I am the flower of G.o.d, for I am the fairest and the most perfect in beauty and variety of form and delicacy of fragrance of all the flowers." And the crocus said: "No, you are not the flower of G.o.d. Why, I was blooming long before you bloomed. I am the primitive flower; I am the first one." And the lily of the valley said modestly: "I am small, but I am white; perhaps I am the flower of G.o.d." And the trailing arbutus said: "Before any of you came forth I was blooming under the leaves and under the snow. Am I not the flower of G.o.d?" And all the flowers cried out: "No, you are no flower at all; you are a come-outer."

And then G.o.d's wind, blowing on the garden, brought this message to them: "Little flowers, do you not know that every flower that answers G.o.d's spring call, and comes out of the cold, dark earth, and lifts its head above the sod and blooms forth, catching the sunlight from G.o.d and flinging it back to men, taking the sweet south wind from G.o.d and giving it back to others in sweet and blessed fragrance--do you not know they are all G.o.d's flowers?"_

LYMAN ABBOTT.

Our Heavenly Father, in Thy sight, there are no nations, there is no north and no south, no east and no west; there is no black and no white; Jew and Gentile, bond and free,--all are Thine. O, Lord, give us so much breadth of sympathy that we shall be able to understand at least dimly the universality of Thy love. Amen.

GEORGE L. PERIN.

August 20

_Sound, sound the clarion, fill the fife!

To all the sensual world proclaim One crowded hour of glorious life Is worth an age without a name._

WALTER SCOTT.

_Do not pray for easy lives. Pray to be stronger men. Do not pray for tasks equal to your powers. Pray for powers equal to your tasks. Then the doing of your work shall be no miracle. But you shall be a miracle. Every day you shall wonder at yourself, at the richness of life which has come to you by the grace of G.o.d._

PHILLIPS BROOKS.

Our Heavenly Father, we thank Thee for the rest of the night and the joy and beauty of the morning. This day we accept as a loving tribute of Thy Love to Thy children. May we not mar it by unhallowed thoughts, unkind, hasty and regretful speech and shameful and evil deeds. May ours be the illumination which comes from moral and spiritual conquest. May we feel the ties that bind us tenderly to Thee and to one another; and work for that large human brotherhood, which holds in its strong embrace even the most distant and isolated member of the human family. May we go forth to our work with a deep and abiding faith in the power of good over evil and willing to do our share in the building up of Thy kingdom of love and righteousness, peace and good will here upon earth. Amen.

HENDRIK VOSSEMA.

August 21

_We learn wisdom from failure much more than from success, often discover what will do by finding out what will not do, and probably he who never made a mistake never made a discovery. Horne Tooke used to say of his studies in intellectual philosophy that he had become all the better acquainted with the country through having had the good luck sometimes to lose his way._

SAMUEL SMILES.

Our Father, in the strength of our nightly rest and daily bread we go forth to whatever needs us or awaits us. Nothing from Thee is too difficult for us to attempt; nothing too grievous for us to bear. Teach us how priceless is Thy gift of life, how close we are to the fountain of strength, how sure of success is every effort to bring good to pa.s.s.

Reverently and believingly would we hearken to Thee in our inmost souls.

Let not our failures dishearten us, or the delay of results cause chill of doubt or fear. May our presence have strength and peace for others, and our lives proclaim that Thou livest and art good to all. In the name of Christ we lift our prayer. Amen.

SAMUEL C. BEANE.

August 22

_At Bannockburn Lord Randolph Murray was being sorely pressed by a large body of cavalry. Sir James Douglas got leave from Bruce to go to his aid, but just as he came up he found the English in disorder, and many horses galloping away with empty saddles.

"Halt!" he cried to his men; "These brave men have already repulsed the enemy; let us not diminish their glory by seeking to share it."_

WILLIAM MOODIE.

O G.o.d of Hosts! On many a field of battle wilt Thy soldiers fight this day. Help them to be brave and true. Give them a glorious victory. Help us who watch to give them full credit for their valor. May we not diminish by seeking to share their glory. May we not render their deeds commonplace by insisting that "It is so easy, so natural, for them to be good," implying that their struggle has not been hard or that their victories had not been what ours have proven to be. Help us, O Lord, with valor to fight our own battles and run our own race and with grat.i.tude to be glad in others' victories. Amen.

J. FRANK CHASE.