■•' BJ 1571 .K55 Copy 1 HOUGHTS on Life, I BALL KITCHEN, LIBRARY OF CONGRESS, (styaju.- ©njujrigfyt If a.— Shelf _d£j3J> UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. €$ou%W on life Thoughts on Life BY SARAH BALL KITCHEN NEW YORK ANSON D. F. RANDOLPH AND CO. 38 West Twenty-Third Street \ V Copyright, 1891, By Sarah Ball Kitchen Univebsity Press: John Wilson and Sox, Cambridge. \ TO tear anti onlg Sister, WHOSE GENTLE AND NOBLE LIFE HAS BEEN AN INSPIRATION FOB MANY OF THEM, THESE THOUGHTS ARE AFFECTIONATELY INSCRIBED. S. B. K. NOTE. Everything has been better said than ive can say it ; but our manner of say- ing it may touch some heart to which it has never appealed before. CONTENTS. PAGE Life ... 13 Love . . 19 Duty .25 Kindness 31 Happiness 39 Friendship 43 Consolation 47 Monitions „ . . . 55 Miscellaneous . 73 LIFE. THOUGHTS ON LIFE. LIFE. 1. He who hath placed thee here upon earth hath meant thy life should be of some avail. See thou to it that it be not in vain. 2. To those of us who realize the responsibility of living, it is indeed a solemn thing to have been intrusted with the great gift of life. 3. Doth thy past reproach thee, make thy future atone for it. 4. Thou canst live but once. What art thou doing with thy life ? It were sometimes well to pause and ask thy- 14 Life. self this question in the midst of thine affairs. 5. Have a purpose in thy life, — some noble aim, some blessed goal towards which thou strivest ever. 6. Let truth be the key-note of thy life's song. 7. Strive to make men better for thy daily walk among them. 8. Thou art rearing the structure of thy life day by day. Art thou making it fair and strong and beautiful, so that it will be a credit to thee when at last thou shalt have finished it and must account for it to the great Master Builder ? 9. Have thy moorings. Let not the bark of thy life be swept about by bitter-blowing winds. 10. Sit not thou with folded hands in a world where so much waits to be done. Life. 15 11. Let not thy life be wrecked by adverse circumstances. Rise above them, and show to the world that sub- lime sight, — an indomitable soul. 12. It is much to have beautified life for others. 13. If thou canst brighten another life thine own is not in vain. 14. In thy daily walk through life strive to dwell upon the beautiful and the good, rather than upon the un- sightly and the evil. 15. Every man must fight his own battle in life ; it is something which cannot be done by proxy. 16. If the lyre of thy life doth some- times fail to yield its accustomed sweet- ness, it may be thy soul is out of tune and not the instrument. 17. Human destiny is much the same for all of us : without our own 16 Life. volition we take up the struggle here upon earth. We toil, we hope ; we fear, we love ; we weep, we smile ; we die, we live at last. 18. No life is a failure that grows purer and nobler day by day. 19. Thou must die, but thou canst leave a legacy to the world. The record of a noble life is a gift to all time. 20. Though the conditions of thy life be unfavorable, yet mayest thou rise above them, creating thus for thy- self a better and a fairer temple of existence, into which thou mayest enter and dwell safely, and where thou wilt find a noble life to be a happy one also. L V E. LOVE. 1. The holy plant of love blooms best in the darkest night of sorrow. Then do its fair blossoms arise and shine and bless with a beauty and fragrance unknown to the dazzling daylight of joy. 2. If thou lovest and art loved, then hast thou quaffed the cup of earthly bliss. 3. Love setteth no bounds to the perfections of its adored object. 4. Love hesitateth not at sacrifice. 5. Love looketh not for return. 6. Love hath infinite patience. 7. Oh, blessed Love, that keeps our hearts from turning to worm-wood and gall ! 20 Love. 8. Sweet love doth offer blessed compensation. 9. Truly were life a barren waste did not love refresh us by the way. 10. Thou canst never do too much for those whom God hath given thee to love and cherish in life. 11. Hath a great gift of love been given thee, withhold it not : the world is starving for love. 12. To a very loving nature all philosophy fails with the failing of love. 13. A step that maketh the heart leap, a glance that pierceth the soul, a voice that blancheth the cheek, a touch that thrilleth the frame : these Love hath. 14. Love and Pain clasped hands long ago just outside the gates of Paradise. Since then no man hath Love. 21 been able to part the twain, who ever walk thus hand in hand. 15. Oh. wonderful mystery of love, well may we tremble in thy mighty presence who art at once the source of our purest joy and of our deepest anguish ! 16. The light of love in Love's eyes w T ill illumine the darkest night of woe. 17. Let the pure fires of faith and love burn ever brightly upon the hearth of thy soul. 18. There is something ineffably sweet in a sacrifice made for those we love. 19. Surmounting all things, Love soareth again to the skies whence it came ; for Love is of heavenly birth. DUTY. DUTY. 1. Not for thine own happiness, hath God placed thee upon earth, but that thou mightest be of some ser- vice to thy fellow-creatures. Pray ever, that thou mayest accomplish some- thing towards that great end. 2. Unto what sublime heights and depths of duty might we not attain, were we ever what we are in our better moments ! 3. A slighted duty will not fail to confront thee again, and to thy dis- comfiture. 4. The world is better for every worthy life that is lived in it, — for every struggle towards the right that any one of us is making day by day. 26 Duty. 5. Thou art a citizen of the world. Interest thyself in its affairs, and strive with all thy might to bring about a better order of things than that thou findest prevailing to-day. 6. Duty hath an honest eye. 7. In this or that circumstance do thy best : no more will be expected of thee. 8. It is brave to live and face thy sorrow, while to die and escape it were but cowardly. 9. An immortal soul hath been com- mitted to thy keeping. How solemn the trust ! 10. The wheels of the world's pro- gress move slowly, but each can do something towards helping them on. Friends, lend a hand ! 11. If the profound consciousness of fulfilling thy duty to the best of Duty. 27 thine ability be thine, thou hast noth- ing to fear from the reproach of men. 12. Dost thou long for work to do in life, — to accomplish something for the good of humanity? The duty ly- ing next thy hand is thy part towards that blessed consummation. Take it up and do it bravely and efficiently ; con- tribute thy mite with thy might and thy soul will find peace. 13. It will sweeten the bitterest of duties to feel we do it for Christ's sake. 14. If things in this world be as much out of sorts as we are sometimes inclined to think them, it behooves us all to do what we can towards straightening them out ; and be it ever so little that lies within our power, every little helps ; and perhaps our "jot and tittle" may make the 28 Duty. burden lighter somewhere for some- one to cany. 15. If Duty call unto thee, do thou arise and follow, though her voice be full of tears. 16. It is a fine thing to know one's duty in life, and to be doing it day by day. KINDNESS. KINDNESS. 1. Have it not upon thy conscience that thou hast been unkind to any living soul. 2. In a nature where kindness hath a sure foot-hold we are apt to find many other lofty attributes ; for kind- ness enricheth the soil of the heart for the growth of other virtues. 3. Be kind. It will increase thy credit with men and angels. 4. Do an act of kindness to some one every day of thy life ; if possible, more than one, and to many. Be am- bitious of numbers in this respect. 5. Let no harsh words fall from thy lips to add to the burden of the world's 82 Kindness. sorrow ; but rather let kind words add to its joy. 6. Be tender and considerate for old age, as thou thinkest to attain to it one day thyself. 7. A clay spent in earing for the comfort of others has been well spent, even though thine own affairs may have suffered in consequence. 8. Kindness proveth ever a better whip than harshness. 9. If thou be diligently occupied in seeking for virtues in others, thou wilt find the time shortened for dis- covering their failings. 10. Let not thine interest settle in self. Interest thyself in others, as much as possible in all humanity ; and if thou canst find but little to attract thee in thy daily intercourse with men, let love supply the deficiency : and Kindness, 33 almost every man needetli thy love, having a sorrow of which thou knowest not. 11. Neglect no opportunity of doing good. The joy of helping others is in- finite, and no man can deprive thee of it. 12. There is much nobility existing in natures where we little thought to find it, as the occasion often proves. In view of this fact, let us make it a rule to think the best of others until we know the worst. 13. A smile hath often dispelled a cloud which threatened an approaching storm. 14. Withhold not a word of cheer from thy toil-worn brother. It may be much to him. 15. None is so poor that he hath nothing to give. 3 34 Kindness. 16. Fellow-travellers through a vale of tears 5 let us comfort each other by the way. 17. Art thou extending the strong right hand of Christian fellowship to thy weaker brother whose feet are trembling upon the brink from which, it may be, thou hast only just been snatched thyself ? 18. Think thou each morning : Whom can I befriend this day ? Whose burden can I carry for a little space ? 19. Assuredly is sympathy a divine gift : a word, a smile, a tear, — what power, what encouragement, what sol- ace in these. 20. When thou art sadly interrupted in the midst of thine affairs seek to make such trial of thy patience yield some blessed fruit, that thy loss may be his gain who hath inter- Kindness. 35 rupted thee, and unto whom thou mayest, perhaps, be able to show some kindness, or to speak some word of cheer. 21. The needed wine of encourage- ment will often cause the drooping soul to revive. 22. The days are fleeting. Soon there will be no time left for tender- ness and love and trust, and all. the fair jewels with which we might have crowned our clear ones in life. Ah, what bitter tears we will shed at last, in realizing that such blessed possi- bilities exist for us no longer ! 23. There is a giving that impover- isheth not, but rather enricheth the giver. 24. In solacing another's woes thou wilt often heal thine own as well. 25. Thou mayest never meet this 36 Kindness. soul again in thy walk through the world. Grant it a smile ! 26. Be kind to dumb animals, who, incapable to care for and consider themselves, have been, by Providence, specially committed to man's care and consideration. 27. The time has not been lost which thou hast spent in doing good. 28. Oh, blessed mission to be kind ! HAPPINESS. HAPPINESS. 1. The happiest earthly life is that modelled after the heavenly plan. 2. Happiness will not bear pursuit, but often will she turn and seek us when we cease our quest of her. 3. In bestowing the blessed coin of happiness upon others, thou wilt often find thine own coffers overflowing with it as well. 4. Thou wilt find a busy day hath usually been a happy one also. 5. Make It thy constant aim to give, rather than to get, happiness. 6. Though great joys may not have fallen to thy lot in life, yet mayest thou ever rejoice in the joy of others. 40 Happiness. 7. Exult in the sun-light while thou mayest. It will not always shine for thee, and God wills thou shouldst have thy pleasures and rejoicings as well as thy wholesome disciplines in life. 8. Keep thy desires moderate, thy soul pure, thy heart true and loving, thy whole life single-eyed to duty, and thou wilt scarcely fail to be happy. 9. Happiness can ever fill the place of wealth ; but wealth, that of happi- ness, never. 10. Let thy smile brighten life for those around thee ; it is a blessed radiance which happiness doth impart. 11. To a great extent our happiness is in the hands of others. God hath made us thus dependent upon one another for much of the daily beauty of our lives. FRIENDSHIP. FRIENDSHIP. 1. Even in thought be thou loyal to thv friend. He who doubts his friend is a traitor at heart. 2. Be careful in forming thv friend- ships, as of a matter profoundly in- fluencing thy whole life. 3. To be estranged from the friend of my soul, — that were strange in- deed ! 4. Hath thy friend a grief ? Thou mayest help him to bear it. 5. Nor time, nor space, nor prison- bars can part my soul from the friend I love. 6. In vain strivings after the unat- tainable we trample under our feet 44 Friendship. the purer jewels of friendship and love. 7. Both deep and sweet is the water in friendship's well ; he who drinketh thereof is refreshed by the way.^ CONSOLATION. CONSOLATION. 1. Dost thou realize that God hath greatly exalted thee, in that he hath given thee a fiery trial to bear ? For so would He refine and purify thy soul, and make it meet for the matchless splendor of His abiding Presence. 2. Why shouldst thou mourn, if out of thy sorrow may be born some blessed hope for the world ? 3. Doth thy toil seem unavailing ? Remember that nothing is lost, even thine effort being accepted of God. 4. If thou hast sorrow and canst surmount it, then art thou happy in- deed, for the mournful tree of thy life hath brought forth the fair fruit of 48 Consolation. rejoicing. Of the travail of thy soul hath the beautiful child of Peace been born. 5. Doth thy path seem difficult? Remember Christ holds thy hand and will not suffer thee to fall. 6. Rest assured that the trials which have been sent thee are just those which thy soul needed for its purifying and exalting. 7. If thy fairest dreams have failed thee in life, thou wilt find a sure refuge in noble realities. 8. Earthly love may fail thee in thy greatest need, but heavenly love never will. 9. The harder thou workest for pos- session, the more apt wilt thou be to retain ; regret not, then, thy long- continued effort. 10. The painful toil of earth is short Consolation. 49 compared with the endless bliss of heaven. 11. It is when the deepest chasm yawns beneath us that we feel the support of the Everlasting Arms most precious ; for then, realizing our own insufficiency and incompleteness, do we commit ourselves to a strength not our own, and are safelv borne over. Ah, welcome the griefs bringing with them such blessed support and such sweet transportation across the dark valley which threatened to ingulf us ! 12. Alas, that we have done so little in life ! Yes, but so much still re- mains for us to do. 13. Doth thy burden sometimes seem heavier than thou canst bear ? Think of Christ who fainted not under the weight of the whole world's sin and sorrow. 50 Consolation. 14. Didst thou ever fathom the sweetness of the thought that all is known to God ? Why, then, shouldst thou take it to heart, though thine actions be misapprehended of men ? 15. Doth thy soul faint under the scorching rays of the toil of life ? Flee thou quickly to the Shadow of the Cross, where thou mayest rest and be refreshed. 16. Thine earthly house may crum- ble and fall, but thy heavenly home hath a sure foundation. 17. Thou must endure thy burden. Thou canst not shake it off; but Christ will help thee to bear it. 18. It is sometimes when we lie prone at God's feet, and make a com- plete surrender of our will to His, that He is pleased to give us our heart's desire. Consolation. 51 19. Walk thou ever uprightly, and the world will be apt to give thee thy dues in due season. 20. Each hath his allotted place in the great universal plan of God. When doubts perplex thee, remember all is in His hands who cannot err. 21. Though sickness may conquer my body, yet doth my soul remain free. 22. It is with the failure of all earthly things that we find out the preciousness of things heavenly. 23. When thou canst come to feel the utter dependence of thy soul upon God, then wilt thou find enduring peace. - MONITIONS. MONITIONS. 1. Be vigilant ! Each moment offers thee a possibility which may never exist for thee again. 2. Seek not to refresh thy soul in the shallow pool of the world's ap- plause. 3. Dwell upon lofty things ; let thy soul accustom itself to soaring ; thus will it be prepared for its final flight. 4. Be thou the master, not the slave, of thy passions. 5. Let deceit knock in vain at the door of thy heart, — be thou ever open and true. An honorable nature hath little to conceal. 56 Monitions. 6. Arrogate not to thyself those qualities which thou dost not possess : the world will soon find thee out for a pretender. 7. Fine actions are better than fine words. Put thy lofty-mindedness into practice. 8. Cease not to strive after a lofty ideal. Thou wilt fall far short of it, but the effort will be wholesome, and will lead thee up and on to better things. 9. If thy soul be sometimes in tears because of the possibilities which have escaped thee in life, take heed that no more are passing thee by while thou weepest. 10. If thy plot of endeavor in life be small, cultivate it well, and it will yield thee more abundantly than the larger field of thy neighbor who is less dili- gent than thou. Monitions. 57 11. Friend, I give thee counsel. Follow Truth : she will not mislead thee. Shun Doubt : she will undo thee. 12. Breathe thou this prayer to thy- self each day upon waking: Be thou noble 5 oh, my soul ! 13. Ask thou this question of thy- self each night upon retiring: What have I done this day that has been worthy of an immortal soul ? 14. Thou art never alone, but ever in the presence of the King of Kings : see that thy conduct be suited to such divine companionship. 15. Let our failures be our mentors as well, admonishing us to greater vigilance for the future. 16. Disparage not the value of an hour ; a good will, a loving heart, and willing hands will surmount almost in- 58 Moiiitions. surmountable difficulties within that short space of time. 17. Be thou ever a man among men, but a child before God. 18. Art thou a Christian ? Think of it and rejoice over it every moment of thy life ; but the longest life were too short for such thinking and such rejoicing. 19. Let thy spirit rule thy body, rather than thy body thy spirit. 20. Imitate no man : be thy true self. 21. Climb slowly, else, perchance, were thy fall great. 22. Crave only good : fear only evil. 23. Keep thy thoughts pure and thy life will be pure also ; for thy life is the outcome of thy thoughts. 24. Clasp hands with freedom every- where. Monitions. 59 25. Hast thou business to clo? Be about it ; time is fleeting, and night will be upon thee ere thou thinkest. 26. Though inaction be thy present portion, it may not always be thus with thee ; so keep thyself in training for the race in which, it may be, thou wilt soon be called upon to take thy part. 27. Knowest thou what thy beset- ting sin is ? See to it, then, that thou set out to conquer it. 28. All thou hast has been given thee. Thou art but a pensioner upon God's bounty. Let this thought keep thee ever in due humility. 29. Fail not to realize that in all the universe thou hast but God and thyself to depend upon. 30. Set thine earthly house in order, for thou knowest not how soon thou 60 Monitions. mayest be called to start upon the journey from which thou wilt never return. 31. By always remembering thine own imperfections before God, thou wilt be led to deal gently with the imperfections of others. 32. Espouse not thou the disputes of others ; thou wilt find it an un- profitable business. 33. Harbor no malice, even though others may have injured thee. Re- member that thine affairs are in the hands of a just God. 34. Ye who have lost earth through sorrow and disappointment, take heed that ye lose not heaven also by bitter- ness and repining. 35. Another man's springs of action may differ widely from thine : look not, then, for the same rapidity of cur- Monitions. 61 rent in the separate rivers of your lives. 36. Guard well the house of thy soul ; suffer not " envy, hatred, and malice" to mar the fair beauty of its walls. 37. Accept not another man's think- ing. Think for thyself ; for what else were thy powers of reasoning given thee ? 38. As a warrior seeks to know the weak places in his armor, that he may strengthen them for future service, so let us strive to find out and strengthen the assailable points in our characters, that we yield not to temptation in the daily warfare of our lives. We are warriors all ! 39. Wrap thyself so closely in the robe of nobilitv that none mav be able to snatch it from thee. 62 Monitions. 40. Force not thy convictions upon another, — remember he hath his own, which are as dear to him as thine are to thee, — but have thy convictions all the same, and be thou ever ready to stand up for them when the occasion shall demand it. 41. Condemn not another for yield- ing to a temptation to which thou hast not been exposed thyself. 42. Seek to know the bent of thy mind, and pursue it. 43. Let thine endeavor sleep when thou sleepest ; take it up with the dawn. 44. Set about thine affairs ; they will never accomplish themselves. 45. Rate not thyself above error ; thou art but mortal, and liable to err like the rest of thy kind. 46. Enthusiasm is a fine thing for Monitions. 63 thee to have, but see thou hast it in a good cause, else were the pain and error great. 47. Respect thou the silence of an- other soul ; it may be intent upon the eternal harmonies. 48. Let the pure flame of thy life's lamp give light unto those who wander in darkness. 49. Deem no toil too great which will ultimately bring thee success. 50. Pray thou be kept ever faithful to the sacred trusts which have been given thee in life. 51. Art thou a follower of Christ ? Be thou ever mindful of it, lest men should say that Christ were not suffi- cient to deliver thee from the evil. 52. Have patience with humanity ; it is hard pressed. 53. Beware of habits ; once formed, 64 Monitions. they will hold thee with a grasp of iron. 54. Each day cometh to thee spot- less and fair ; whatever it be at night thou wilt have made it. 55. Pray thou may est never be a stumbling-block to any other soul. 56. Be thou ever prompt to see and to acknowledge merit in others. 57. As a barren tree doth cumber the ground, so doth an idle, aimless existence intrude itself upon the happi- ness of others, sapping their strength and their usefulness, and appropriating to its own unworthiness much of the pleasant field of daily life. Cumber not the ground ! 58. Hold up thy head ; let thy body be as upright as thy soul. 59. Make it one of the unalterable rules of thy life never to have anything Monitions. 65 thou canst not afford ; for such having is dishonorable, and will not fail to bring thee bitterness in the end. 60. Dwell not in the shadow of a sin, but rather let its warning light direct thy steps worthily for the future. 61. Let not failure break thine heart, neither let success exalt thee over-much. 62. Learn to accept defeat bravely, but success timidly. Well-endured defeat will not fail to strengthen thee for new endeavor, while ill-sustained success will but weaken thee for future conquests. 63. Let thy soul's attitude be prayer- ful. Thou hast ever need to pray. 64. Endeavor to direct thy mind into wholesome channels of thought. 65. Men either do or do not im- 66 Monitions. prove upon acquaintance. Be thou one who doth. 6G. In the usual order of things, depart not thou from thy kind. Disre- garded nature will surely cause thee to shed bitter tears. 67. Since thou art powerless to change the inevitable, cease to repine at it. 68. Let not Fashion over-rule thee ; she is but a senseless tyrant. 69. Expect but little of thy fellows ; then wilt thou not be disappointed at receiving nothing. 70. Compel the respect of those who would demean thee. 71. A large proportion of the diffi- culties in life are the result of misun- derstanding in one form or other. See, then, that things are well understood before thou come to have bitter words Monitions. 67 with thy friend ; such words leave a scar behind which time cannot efface, — and the dearer the lips uttering them, the more ineffaceable the scar. 72. Earth's joys are soon past ; let us make the most of them while they are ours. 73. Do good because it is right, without any expectation of gratitude in return. 74. Hath God called thee unto " the holy estate of matrimony ? " See that thou glorify Him therein. 75. Wouldst thou succeed with the matter thou hast in hand ? Give it thine attention ; divided attention balks success. 76. Fail not to fulfil thy part of a contract ; then wilt thou have the satisfaction of upright-doing, though thy project may have miscarried. 68 Monitions. 77. Speak no word thou wilt ever live to regret having uttered. 78. Disappoint not the heart of a child, whose sorrow thereat may be greater than man thinketh. 79. Let not thy powers fall into disuse; thy life needs and demands their fullest activity. 80. Remember the sorrowful in thy prayers. Full many a heart is break- ing as thou kneelest. 81. Let thy work be of the best, though thou accomplish but little. 82. Think well before choosing thy life's companion, as of an act likely to prove, in a great measure, either the making or the undoing of thee and thy future. 83. Live up to thy convictions ; there are few brave enough to clo it. 84. Having nothing favorable to say Monitions. 69 of another, it were well for thee to lock the door of thy lips, and to throw away the key of speech altogether. 85. Though others may u cause thee pain, see thou cause pain to none. 86. Oh, the pathos of wrecked lives ! Do thou spare the world the sad spectacle of another such in thine own. 87. Fret not thyself at being unable to make others conform to thine own particular view of things. Do thy best and what thou believest to be right ; set a good example to those thou wouldst influence, and be happy in a sense of duty performed to the best of thy knowledge ; but repine not that others continue to see things in an- other light than the one thou deemest best. 70 Monitions. 88. Cultivate cheerfulness ; it is a plant that will well repay thee for thy care in fostering it. 89. Do right ; there is no hope or happiness or safety or salvation in anything else. MISCELLANEOUS. MISCELLANEOUS. 1. To some is the heavenly vision given to see beyond the blinding mists of earth, into the clear shining of God's love and mercy directing all the affairs of men, and evolving out of this present chaos the surpassing beauty of eternal order. 2. Because angels sometimes come to us in homely guise, we know them not until they are beyond recall. 3. Oh, foolish man who fearest the eyes of the world upon thine earthly affairs, but art unmindful of the eye of God penetrating the innermost recesses of thy soul ! 74 Miscellaneous. 4. Unless thou merit thine own es- teem, how canst thou look for that of the world ? 5. Having built thine house upon the sand thou canst not murmur at its fall. 6. If thou canst make much of small things then art thou rich indeed, for thou canst increase thy store at will. 7. May Heaven forgive us for the wounds we unwittingly inflict upon hearts already bleeding! 8. Where sweetest roses blow, There sharpest thorns do grow. 9. u No " hath often proved a kind- ness where " yes " would have been an unkindness. 10. Alas, that closing the eyes doth not always shut out what we would not wish to see ! Miscellaneous. 75 11. Unto the strong souls are the heaviest burdens allotted in life. 12. Selfishness is one of the most far-reaching of sins, destroying not only his happiness who yieldeth himself unto it, but also that of all around him. 13. The world is ever quick to blame, but slow to praise. 14. Men unthinkingly assume re- sponsibilities at which the angels might well tremble. 15. Who doth not respect the honest hand of toil ? 16. Slander wieldeth a deadly weapon, cutting clown alike both guilty and innocent. 17. The best gifts are those which cost us something in the giving. 18. Judgment followeth swiftly in the footsteps of crime. 19. Since thou canst not divine the 76 Miscellaneous. heart of thy friend, surely art thou but ill suited to judge his actions of whom thou knowest but little. 20. Love, labor, duty, kindness, patience, — this way lieth peace. Selfishness, idleness, enviousness, repining, distrust, — this way lieth unrest. 21. A wise man storeth up fuel for the winter of old age, when the fires of youth will have burned themselves out. 22. To make the best of things is one of the most important lessons we have to learn in life, and one from which the results will be the largest in the end. Thou wilt do well, then, to accommodate thyself to circumstances which thou canst not over-rule. 23. Moderation is the beautiful fruit of the fair tree of wisdom. Miscellaneous. 77 24. There is no more deadly dart for slaying the peace of home than an imperious temper ; yet, strange to say, men seldom set out to conquer it, but let it continue to blight to the end the lives of those whose happiness has been committed to them as a sacred trust in life. 25. If thy soul be noble thou wilt not stoop to do an ignoble deed. 26. Though thou mayest not always be able to choose thine associates from among the strong and wise, yet mayest thou often lead thy weaker compan- ions on to strength and wisdom, if thou possess these attributes thyself. 27. If, in this distracting world, thou canst at night record one worthy deed for each day, thou hast done well. 28. A dauntless soul soareth high 78 Miscellaneous. towards heaven, while a timid soul scarce riseth above the earth. 29. The strong curb of self-control alone can guide the dangerous steed of impulse. 30. Words spoken merely for the sake of speaking were better left unsaid. 31. A tender memory keeps the heart green ; where it dwells, there reigns eternal youth. 32. Much insistence placeth thy friend in a difficult pass, and one from which he would fain escape. 33. Art thou true and noble ? Thou art kith and kin to truth and nobility everywhere. 34. Perfection is a flower of heavenlv «/ birth ; thou wilt seek it here in vain, for upon all things earthly wilt thou find the blight of incompleteness. Miscellaneous. 79 35. A large nature soareth above the restricting bonds of prejudice. 36. The establishing of a home upon God's earth is one of the most solemn and important acts of a man's life. 37. A happy home is the nearest approach to heaven we will ever be permitted to make upon earth. 38. An injudicious man will often ruin the cause he seeks to further. 39. Success represents much dili- gent toil. 40. Diligence knoweth no night ; it waketh ever. 41. Tolerance doth ever increase with knowledge. 42. Wisdom is ever a mighty friend for thee to have at the Court of the World. 43. There are so many overwhelm- ing miseries in life that it seems a 80 Miscellaneous. pity men should devote so much time to inventing trivial ones. 44. Perhaps the blinding tears of remorse are the most bitter of all that mortals shed upon earth. 45. The man vrithout resources is usually as much of a bore to himself as he is to others. 46. Time will show of what stuff thou art made. 47. The past dieth not ; it liveth in us to-day, and such as we are it hath made us. 48. That thou hast not ten talents is nothing to thy discredit, but that thou dost not employ the one talent which hath been apportioned thee. 49. Joy passeth us with flying feet, but Sorrow hath a lingering step. 50. Man, upon thy knees ! this is woman, Mother of Our Lord. Miscellaneous. 81 51. To the woman who realizes the tragedy of her existence it is simply overwhelming. 52. A man of good intentions who fails to carry them out is one of the greatest of failures, his failure being in proportion to the good he purposed to do. 53. Every soul possesseth treasures of some kind, if, perchance, thou canst succeed in calling them forth. 54. The sordid struggle for exis- tence hath blighted many a flower of heavenly promise. 55. There are times when our souls are very near to the unseen, — rare mo- ments when glimpses into the blessed beyond are accorded us. From such holy contemplation, we return to our walk among men with hearts attuned 82 Miscellaneous. to heavenly lays, and find the earthly song the sweeter in the singing. 56. A well-ordered mind is an in- estimable gift ; its value is beyond computing. 57. In the battle of life nothing tells more than character. In view of this fact, which we all know, it is surpris- ing how little attention is paid to the forming of character in the rearing of the young. 58. Though we may not all arrive at greatness, yet may we all accom- plish something worthy in life. 59. The man who is courteous in the world, but neglects to be so at home, is far from being admirable, though the short-sighted world may deem him so. 60. The Christian religion is suffi- Miscellaneous, 83 cient for every exigency of life, did we but realize this stupendous fact. 61. We can rise above bodily pain ; it is the soul's agony that kills. 62. It is the beauty of thy soul that matters, not that of thy body. 63. Through reading are we ad- mitted to the companionship of noble souls of the past, who though dead to earth yet live for us again in the sweet communion our spirits hold with theirs. 64. There is a place in the world awaiting thee, but thou must prove thy claim to it. 65. To be good is the highest of aims and within the reach of us all ; but how few of us are really striving towards that great end. 66. With thy heart's blood, it may 84 Miscellaneous. be, wilt thou be called upon to pur- chase thine experience in life. 67. Courage will guide thy steps safely through many a difficult pass in the mountains of duty. 68. We are the guardians of our fate ; in our own hands we carry it day by day, unconscious of the sol- emn responsibility with which we are laden. 69. Thy place in the world, having been apportioned thee of God, is un- doubtedly the right place for thee to fill. Cease, then, to repine that thy station in life be not other than it is, but stretch forth thine hand to avail thyself of the noble possibilities it still hath in store for thee, and which, it may be, thy tears have thus far hidden from thy sight. Miscellaneous. 85 70. Thou wilt find occupation a cure for many ills thou art inclined to deem incurable. 71. Though thou may est not be able to lighten thine own burden in life, yet canst thou surely refrain from add- ing anything to the weight of thy neighbor's. 72. It is a magnificent thing to iden- tify thyself with the cause of the Right in life. 73. It rests with thee to make thy life a power either for good or for evil. 74. God will be our judge at last, and such as these our jurors : wasted opportunities, neglected admonitions, unheeded promptings towards the right, noble aims left to languish, kind words unsaid, kind deeds undone, the weep- ing train of ill-spent days, the silenced 86 Miscellaneous. voice of conscience, the stifled longings of the soul for the good and the true, the empty hands we might have filled, the loving hearts we might have blessed, the worthy lives we failed to live. 75. The utmost thou canst do for Christianity is to show men what it hath done for thee. THE END. LIBRARY OF CONGRESS f 021 899 073 3