Leaves of Life Part 44

My Father, as I pause this day to think of the brave men and women who have given their lives for the sake of others, may I be thankful for them. May I remember that n.o.ble deeds and kind words are never lost, but that self may block the way to justice. O Father, make war to cease! and lead us to victories that are won through peace. Amen.

MAY THIRTY-FIRST

Ludwig Tieck born 1773.

Joseph Haydn died 1809.

Walt Whitman born 1819.

Pa.s.sage, immediate pa.s.sage! the blood burns in my veins!

Away, O soul! hoist instantly the anchor!

Out the hawser--haul out--shake out every sail!

Have we not stood here like trees in the ground long enough?

Have we not groveled here long enough eating and drinking like mere brutes?

Have we not darkened and dazed ourselves with books long enough?

Sail forth--steer for the deep waters only, Reckless, O soul, exploring, I with thee, and thou with me, For we are bound where mariner has not dared to go, And we will risk the s.h.i.+p, ourselves and all.

--Walt Whitman.

Be strong and of good courage, fear not, nor be affrighted at them: for Jehovah thy G.o.d, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.

--Deuteronomy 31. 6.

My Father, give me joyful courage to squarely face my life. Help me to know that I cannot vanquish life by evading duties, nor encircling myself with indulgences. If I may be blind to my situation, restore my sight that I may make ready a worthy pa.s.sage with thee. Amen.

JUNE

There lives a glory in these sweet June days Such as I found not in the days gone by, A kindlier meaning in the unclouded sky, A tenderer whisper in the woodland ways; And I have understanding of the lays, The birds are singing, forasmuch as I Have learned how love avails to satisfy A man's whole heart, and fills his lips with praise.

--Percy C. Ainsworth

JUNE FIRST

Nicolas Poussin born 1594.

Sir Christopher Marlowe died 1593.

Sir David Wilkie died 1841.

Hugo Munsterberg born 1863.

In every act of ours, in every feeling and every volition and every thought, we are conscious of a self which expresses its aims and meanings. Every idea of ours points beyond itself, every volition binds us in decision, and every experience gets meaning by our att.i.tudes. The most immediate task which life demands from us in the understanding of ourselves and of others is, therefore, to interpret our ideas, to draw the consequences of our will, to appreciate the att.i.tudes, to measure them by higher standards.

--Hugo Munsterberg.

And G.o.d said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness.

--Genesis 1. 26.

My Creator, I pray that I may not only have the desire to know life, but the a.s.surance to live it. Help me to understand that my earthly possessions are not the measure of my life, nor my body the boundary of my living. May I reach for the high standards that are free, without limit, to all. Amen.

JUNE SECOND

Ethelbert baptized 597.

John Randolph born 1773.

Thomas Hardy born 1840.

In battle or business, whatever the game, In law or in love, it is ever the same: In the struggle for power, or scramble for pelf, Let this be your motto: "Rely on yourself."

--John G. Saxe.

Labor is necessary to excellence. This is an eternal truth, although vanity cannot be taught to believe or indolence to heed it.

--John Randolph.

But let each man prove his own work, and then shall he have his glorying in regard of himself alone, and not of his neighbor.

--Galatians 6. 4.

Almighty G.o.d, I regret the hours of indiscretion and waste; through thy forgiveness may I have thy help over past wrongs. May I have a deeper conception of a profitable life, that I may hereafter live by it. Amen.

JUNE THIRD

Sydney Smith born 1771.

Dr. John Gregory born 1724.

Richard Cobden born 1804.

Jefferson Davis born 1808.