Character and Conduct Part 53

"We live not in our moments or our years-- The Present we fling from us like the rind Of some sweet Future, which we after find Bitter to taste, or bind that in with fears, And water it beforehand with our tears-- Vain tears for that which never may arrive: Meanwhile the joy whereby we ought to live, Neglected or unheeded, disappears.

Wiser it were to welcome and make ours Whate'er of good, tho' small, the present brings-- Kind greetings, suns.h.i.+ne, song of birds, and flowers, With a child's pure delight in little things; And of the griefs unborn to rest secure, Knowing that mercy ever will endure."

Archbishop TRENCH.

"The secret of the joy of living is the proper appreciation of what we actually possess."

Causes of Thankfulness

NOVEMBER 20

"I sleep, I eat and drink, I read and meditate, I walk in my neighbour's pleasant fields, and see the varieties of natural beauties, and delight in all that in which G.o.d delights--that is, in virtue and wisdom, in the whole creation, and in G.o.d Himself. And he that hath so many causes of joy, and so great, is very much in love with sorrow and peevishness, who loses all these pleasures, and chooses to sit down upon his little handful of thorns."

JEREMY TAYLOR.

"Where much is given, much shall be required. There are never privileges to enjoy without corresponding duties to fulfil in return."

PHILLIPS BROOKS.

"Thou that hast given so much to me, Give one thing more--a grateful heart."

GEORGE HERBERT.

Causes of Thankfulness

NOVEMBER 21

ON LEAVING A HOME FOR INCURABLES

"It didn't seem much to be able to walk away, to look back, to remember what we had seen; and yet how is it that we are not on our knees in grat.i.tude and thankfulness for every active motion of the body, every word we speak, every intelligent experience and interest that pa.s.ses through our minds?"

Miss THACKERAY.

"Nothing raises the price of a blessing like its removal; whereas, it was its continuance which should have taught us its value."

HANNAH MORE.

"O G.o.d, animate us to cheerfulness! May we have a joyful sense of our blessings, learn to look on the bright circ.u.mstances of our lot, and maintain a perpetual contentedness."

CHANNING.

Grumbling

NOVEMBER 22

"His eyes were bright with intelligence and trained powers of observation; and they were beautiful with kindliness, and with the well-bred habit of giving complete attention to other people and their affairs when he talked with them. He had a rare smile ... but the real beauty of such mouths as his comes from the lips being restrained into firm and sensitive lines, through years of self-control and fine sympathies.... Under-bred and ill-educated women are, as a general rule, much less good-looking than well-bred and highly-educated ones, especially in middle life; not because good features and pretty complexions belong to one cla.s.s more than to another, but because nicer personal habits and stricter discipline of the mind do.... And if, into the bargain, a woman has nothing to talk about but her own and her neighbour's everyday affairs, and nothing to think about to keep her from continually talking, life, my dear child, is so full of little rubs, that constant chatter of this kind must almost certainly be constant grumbling. And constant grumbling makes an ugly under-lip, a forehead wrinkled with frowning, and dull eyes that see nothing but grievances."

_A Bad Habit_, Mrs. EWING.

Grumbling

NOVEMBER 23

"Cultivate the habit of never putting disagreeables into words, even if it be only the weather which is in question; also of never drawing other people's attention to words or things which will irritate them."

LUCY SOULSBY.

"A cuc.u.mber is bitter--Throw it away.--There are briars in the road--Turn aside from them.--This is enough. Do not add, And why were such things made in the world?"

MARCUS AURELIUS.

"Patience under adverse circ.u.mstances will often bring about favourable results, while complaint only accentuates and fixes the cause of complaint. Avoid mention of the disagreeable things that may come into your life. If you cannot be patient you can at least be silent. The secret of success lies not so much in knowing what to say as in what to avoid saying."

Grumbling

NOVEMBER 24

"If you have not slept, or if you have slept, or if you have a headache, or sciatica, or leprosy, or thunder-stroke, I beseech you by all the angels to hold your peace, and not pollute the morning, to which all the housemates bring serene and pleasant thoughts, by corruptions and groans."

EMERSON.

"Walk thy way greatly! So do thou endure Thy small, thy narrow, dwarfed and cankered life, That soothing Patience shall be half the cure For ills that lesser souls keep sore with strife."

C. GREENE.

"Our personal interests, by the force of their importunity, exclude all larger sympathies if these are not already matured before the conflict begins. In the press of the world we lose sight of life, if the life is not within us."

Bishop WESTCOTT.

Grumblers

NOVEMBER 25

"There is a sect, unfortunately known to most in this land, under the denomination of Grumblers, whose fundamental maxim is--whatever is, is wrong. Wherever they are found, and they are found almost everywhere, they operate as a social poison; and though they contrive to embitter the enjoyments of everybody about them, they perpetually a.s.sume that themselves are the only aggrieved persons, and with such art as to be believed, till thoroughly known. They have often some excellent qualities, and the appearance of many amiable ones; but rank selfishness is their chief characteristic, accompanied by inordinate pride and vanity. They have a habit of laying the consequences of their own sins, whether of omission or of commission, upon others; and, covered with faults, they flatter themselves they 'walk blameless.' Where their selfishness, pride, or vanity are interested, they exhibit signs of boundless zeal, attention, and affection, to which those who are not aware of their motives, are the dupes; but the very moment their predominant feelings are offended, they change from April to December.

They have smiles and tears at command for their holiday humour; but in 'the winter of their discontent,' there is no safety from the bitterest blasts. Their grievances are seldom real, or if real, are grossly exaggerated, and are generally attributed to themselves; for, absorbed in their own feelings, they are wonderful losers of opportunities. In conclusion, I think it would be for their advantage, as it certainly would be for that of the rest of the world, if they were made subject to some severe discipline; and I would suggest for the first, second, and third offence, bread and water and the treadmill, for one, two, and three months respectively; for the fourth offence, transportation for seven years to Boothia Felix, or some such climate; and any subsequent delinquency I would make capital, and cause the criminal to be shut up with some offender in equal degree, there to grumble each other to death."

_The Original_, THOMAS WALKER.