;»\vv\\\\\\.\\\\\\\\\\v.\\\\\.v>.vvv ^>V>- i > i i i I inii II niY i Y j VnV i ' i t^ -Si .)iiiiimiMiiS,MJI |i > i<< M l l l l l lll l l^ ' . ' MXAVi . Mn,ninT^ir f i r7^ i , ,, ^-MTr v!#^>^- ^>^ W S^ V>> ^ '<^ ^^ \^ ^^ m iiii rt> i l i iiii M -II I I...., ..■.,.,,.,,,„.,......., .777.>.. .y,. , ^ ^ . _ ■ liiittii^iNNMMMIMMMMI iiiiwuMiiiiiifliiiiiiiiii/niiliiiiillM^ LIBRARY OF CONGRESS. Shelf ..:./AA 1 UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. imi;: VI' Birthday Mottoes, SELECTED FROM THE .Writings of E. P. Roe. UV 9 LYMAN ABBOTT. I am not afraid to inform llie rc-ader that tliese books are written with tlie iionest, earnest purpose of helping; liim to February i. February 2. 37 February 3. But his nature was too sanguine and healthful for any continued morbid brooding, and he would soon throw off the burden of unhappy thoughts, and hope for better things. Near to Natiu-e'^s Heart. A household in which affection, allied to high- bred courtesy and mutual respect, made even homely daily life noble and beautiful. A Face Illumined. February 4. No principles are better known than the influences of soil, climate, darkness, and light upon a growing plant. If the truth could be appreciated that cir- cumstances color life and character just as surely, marring, distorting, dwarfing, or beautifying and developing, according as they are friendly or ad- verse, the workers in the moral vineyard, instead of trying to obtain fruit from sickly vines, whose roots grope in sterility, and whose foliage is poi- soned, would bring the richness of opportunity to the soil and purify the social atmosphere. Without a Ho7)ie. "She's becoming as good as she is beautiful. Every day increases my respect for her." A Day of Fate. 3S February 3, MendelssoJm, 1809. February 4. Mark Hopkins. 1S02, 39 February 5, " There is more of her than I thought." " A man's life without a hobby is a weak and wavering Hne of battle indefinitely long. One's life with a hobby is a concentrated charge." Opening a Chestnut Burr. February 6. His human nature at that time was of the old Saxon type, that went directly for what it wanted, without much thought or sentiment for those weak enough to lose. " When I was a harum-scarum boy," he mut- tered, " a girl with such a face could almost make me worship her. I don't believe boys have changed." Without a Home. 40 February 5. Fehruary 6. Madame Sevigne, 1626. 4-1 Februakv 7. " There are no stronger claims than those of hu- manity, and unconsciously you assert these in a way to make them most sacred." Neaj- to Nature's Heart. " It's asking a great deal to require that one should both preach and practise." A Face Illumined. February S. A brain that can direct the hand how to do one thing well, is like a general who has occupied a strategic point which will give him the victory if he follow up his advantage. A Face Ilhitnined. If good resolutions were only accomplished cer- tainties as soon as made, how different life would be ! What Can She Do ? 42 February 7. Charles Dicke?is. 1 8 1 2. February 8, 43 February q. More distress is caused by tliose troubles wliich never come, but which are feared and worried over, than by those which do come, teaching us, often, patience and faith. From yest to Earnest. " The idea of anything going contrary to his will or wishes !" A Day of Fate. February io. More potent than commands, threats, and their dire fulfilment, is love, which wins and entreats back to virtue the man whom even Omnipotence could not drive back. He was very miserable, and it is most natural, especially for the young, to wish to be happy. Knight of the Nineteettth Centu7'y. 44 P'ebruary 9. February 10, 45 February ii. But, while human kindness and consideration can do much to assuage this eager hunger of the heart, it cannot satisfy. The experience of Gethsem- ane is well-nigh universal, and there come to all hours of darkness when earthly friendship is as unavailable as that of the men who slept through their Master's grief when he was but a "stone's cast " away. Near to Nature's Heart. February 12. His face wore the soletnn aspect of one who felt himself charged with awful responsibilities. As he saw the thousands turning toward him in hope and trust, the burden of the nation's weal pressed heavier upon him. And yet there was not a trace of weak- ness or shrinking in view of his mighty tasks. Near to Nature's Heart. 46 February ii. February 12. Abraham Lincobi. 1809. La Motte-Fouque. 1777. 47 February 13. " God will bless us, if we will just simply try to do what is right and best every day. The blessing will come on doing, not waiting." Without a Home. Sunshine brought to a focus kindles even green wood. A Face Illumined. February 14. More hearts are broken into indefinite fragments before twenty than ever after ; but, like the broken bones of the young, they usually knit readily to- gether again, and are just as good for all practical purposes. Knight of the Nineteenth Cetitury. A woman's heart cannot be proof against reason, gratitude, and the sacred duty owed to those she loves best. At any rate, mine shall not be. Without a Home. February 13. Talleyraftd. 1754. February 14. Galileo. 1564. 49 February 15. "Yes, indeed," echoed the little boy. "Aunt Annie can manage anything or anybody." "That is a remarkable power," said Walter, with an amused look and side-glance at the young lady. " How does she do it ?" "Oh, I don't know," replied the boy ; "she sorter makes them love her, and then they want to do as she says." Openmg a Chestnut Burr. " I work for a living." " I am sure that is nothing against you." What Caji She Do ? February 16. He was humbled, and truth is ever ready to be the guest of humility. " Nature is a rare teacher, my little friend ; and she has taught you a truth which we sometimes forget, to our sorrow. Only the places which con- tain those whom we love can be homes." Near to Nature'' s Heart. 50 P^EBRUARY 15. February 16. Melanchthon. 1497. 51 February 17. " I'd rather be thought true than thought a genius.'' How sweet and luminous her face seemed in contrast with the vague darkness without I More sweet and luminous would her faith be in the midst of the contradictions, obscurities, and evils of the world. The home that enshrined such a woman would be a refuge for a man's tempted soul, as well as a resting-place for his tired body. A Day of Fate. February 18. * ' I did not know that there was a man in the world so noble, so generous, so honest." The human soul, however weak, is not like an exotic plant. It should be tended by a hand that is as gentle as it is firm and careful. Without a Home. 52 February 17. February 18. Charles Lamb. 1775. George Feabody. 1795. 53 February 19. A muddy pool, rippled by a breeze, will sparkle quite brilliantly while in motion ; but when quiet it is seen the more plainly to be only a shallow pool. The Lord from heaven breathed the breath of life into the first fair woman. A Face Ilhanined. February 20, Men may create philosophies, they may turn the Gospel itself into a cold abstraction, but the prac- tii:al truth remains that the Christ who saves, com- forts, and lifts the intolerable burden of sorrow or of sin, comes now as of old — comes as a living, loving, personal presence, human in sympathy, divine in power. Without a Home. 54 February 19. Copernicus. 1473. February 20. Voltaire. 1694. 55 February 21. 1 would rather die a thousand deaths by torture than lose my faith that there is a God who will bring order out of this chaos of broken, thwarted lives, of which the world is full, and that those who seek a *' happier shore" will eventually find it. We are endowed with intelligence to choose carefully our paths and companions ; and I cannot help thinking that the majority might choose wisely enough to make life an agreeable journey in the main. A Face Illumined. February 22. Though Saville could not understand the source of Washington's strength, still the calm, noble face quieted him. Half unconsciously he was taught the difference between mere enthusiasm and per- sonal ambition, and a resolute purpose combined with unselfish devotion. He was generous and noble enough himself to appreciate the heroic qualities embodied before him, and to be won to something of the same spirit for the time being. Near to Nature's Heart. * ' She has never teiiipted me to aught save good deeds and brave work." A Day of Fate. 56 FeBPUARY 21. John Hcjiiy Newtnan. 1801 February 22, WasJmigtoti. 1732. James Russell Loiuell. 18 19. 57 February 23. " I love such fresh young life, unshadowed by care or experience " " I believe you ; and your sympathy with such life will always keep you young at heart. I can't imagine you growing old ; indeed, truth is never old and feeble." " Now thee's sensible.'* ** For once," I added. A Day of Fate. February 24. " He is singing songs of Heaven." A Face Illumined. Her moodiness was gone, but in its place was not her old levity. When Moses came down from the presence of God. his face shone so that he was compelled to veil its brightness ; and it has ever seemed true that nearness to God and his truth gives spiritual light and attractiveness to the plain- est features. From yest to Earnest. «;S February 23. February 24. Hajidel. 1684. George William Curtis. 1824. 59 February 25. But with increasing pain she thought, " He who says he is not a Christian, acts more hke one than he who claims the character." Is it strange that God saves men through other men, and that he carries on his work through our weak hands ? Even he himself best served man in human guise. It is because Christians pass by on the other side that many perish by the way. Opening a Chestnut Burr. February 26. While he had the heart and courage of a man, he also had the quick, supple hand and gentle bear- ing of a woman. Barriers Burned Away. " Thee's honest, Richard." " If I wasn't I'd have no business in your soci- ety." A Day of Fate. 60 February 25. February 26. Victor Hugo. 1802. 6t February 27. In the depths of my heart I respected a faith that was so simple, genuine, and full of sunshine. But for songs of nature and ballads I have never heard so sympathetic a voice. It suggests a pow- er of making music a sweet home language instead of a difficult high art, attainable by few. Deference, personal attention, and compliments — these are the irresistible weapons. Openitig a Chest ?tut Burr. February 28. The sun would often light up the face of the precipice, as a smile might illumine the rugged features of one who seemed harsh and cold in na- ture, but who, on closer acquaintance, would be found to possess traits that are kindly and gentle. Near to Nature's Heart. 62 FliBRUARV 27. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. 1807. February 28. r.-^ February 29. Already he seems to have won a place in that ancient and honorable order established so many centuries ago, the members of which were entitled to inscribe upon their shields the legend, " He that ruleth his own spirit is better than he that taketh a city." Knight of the Nineteenth Century. Still she may love and yet be able to see his foibles and failings clearly. A Day of Fate. 64 February 29. Kossint. 1792. 65 Ittarcf). March, so universally inveighed against, is to me one of the most fascinating months. Its dark- est days are full of hope, and the knowledge of the near approach of spring. We laugh at winter's gloomiest frowns, since the old tyrant cannot long maintain them, and must soon abdicate in favor of a gentler sovereign. Already spring, like a young queen consort, tempers his harshness, and soon she will occupv the throne alone. Increasingly often there are bright, warm, suggestive days, when the decrepit tyrant cannot appear, and she, unchecked, sways the sceptre, all sweetness, grace, and be- nignity. Play and Profit in My Garden. 67 March i. The flowers seemed an embodied strain from Chopin's nocturne that she had played, and the different shades of color the rising and falling of the melody. Near to Nature's Heart. Many a man has loved and waited in vain ; and some out of this long adversity that touched their dearest interests have built the grandest successes of life, and the loftiest and purest manhood. Without a Ho?ne. March 2. " Be true to your God and your faith ; be true to my poor teachings and your own pure, womanly nature. Let the Bible guide you in all things, and then you will always have peace in your heart, and find sympathy in nature without." Near to Nature's Heart. "You're the kind of man that would thaw an icicle. Your nature is large and gentle, and I don't mind letting vou know." A Day 0/ Fate. 68 March i. Chopin. 1809. March 2, 69 March 3. "Let her teach you the harmony of noble, un- selfish living-. Follow her in thought, feeling, and action, as those stammering, untuned tongues do in melody, and the blight of evil will pass from your life." Opening a Chestnut Burr. He had not much indulgence for any one's weaknesses save his own. Barriers Burned Azvay. March 4. God's greatest, dearest, most godlike prerogative is to forgive, and man's noblest act is to forgive a great wrong. ' ' The thought of you alone has kept me from utter unbelief, and I would be glad to believe that there is some kindly power in existence that watches over such beings as you are, and that can reward your noble life ; but as far as I am concerned it's all a mystery and a weariness. Vou are near — you are merciful and kind." Without a Home. 70 March 3. March 4. 7r March 5. He had acted naturally, and in accordance with his defective character ; he had been himself, and that was the secret of all his troubles. Knight of the Nineteenth Century. Oh. the <^entle, inexorable woman! Satan him- self might well tremble before her. A Day of Fate. March 6. If a beautiful statue can ennoble and retine, a beautiful woman can accomplish infinitely more. She can be a constant inspiration, a suggestion of the perfect life beyond and an earnest of it. From Jest to Earnest. J'.Thee's a true gentleman." A Day of Fate. 72 March 5. March 6. Michael Angela Buonarofd. 1475. Sir Charles Napier. 1786. 73 March 7. There is a principle in our nature that leads us to enjoy conquering and subduing. The civilized state of our society prevents our doing this on the Coesar and Alexander plan, and that phase which modern belles often push to such extremes is scarcely a manly recreation. But the subduing of a wild stony piece of land still affords true scope for masculine energy, and surely there is a keen satisfaction in taking a i-ough field, a tangled, thorny thicket, a jumble of rocks and stumps, and by the dint of honest toil, like a hard-fought bat- tle, changing all into smooth', yielding fertility. Play and Pro/it. M.VRCH S. *' Your face is full of sudden gleams. Tell me what you are thinking about." Ail are beautiful to those they help. A man finally gets justice at the bar of his own conscience, but it is extorted gradually, reluctantly, and with much befogging of the case. Opening a Chestnut Burr. March 7. E. P. Roe. 1838. March 8. 75 March q. A starved soul and heart seem to me infinitely worse than a starved body. Genuine beauty is a rare and wonderful gift, and, like genius, triumphs over adverse circumstances, and is often enhanced by them. Without a Home. March io. There is no isolation more perfect than that of a man of the world aniong people of his own kind, with whom manifestations of feeling are weak- nesses, securing prompt ridicule. Reticence, a shrewd alertness to the main chance of the hour, and the spirit of the entire proverb, " Every man for himself," become such fixed characteristics that I suppose there is danger that the deepest springs in one's nature may dry up, and no Arte- sian shaft of mercy or truth be able to find any- thing in a man's soul save arid selfishness. A Day of Fate. 76 March 9. Mirabeau. 1749. William Cobbett. 1^62. March 10. 77 March ii. When good influences are felt in a man's soul, evil seems to become specially active. The king- dom of darkness disputes every inch of its ill-got- ten power. Winter passes away in March storms. It is the still cold of indifference that is nearest akin to death. Opening a Chestnut Burr. But like the clear surface fringed with shadows that sank far beneath the water, there were traces of many thoughts in her large blue eyes, A Day of Pate. MaRCJI 12. Angry with himself, out of humor with all the world, the latent obstinacy of his nature began to manifest itself. Though everything went "con- trairy," there was one thing under his control — himself — and he would make that do the bidding of his will. Barriers Bicrned Away. Under the magic of her good -will, both eyes and minds kindled, and even commonplace persons became almost brilliant and eloquent. A Face Illuviitied. 78 March ii. March 12. Bishop Berkeley. 1684. 79 March 13. Her nature was too simple and direct for dis- guises, and when slie attempted tliem they were often so apparent as to be comically pathetic. "Indeed, sir, I like your modesty, your self- depreciation." A Day of Fate. March 14. "She's a jolly good girl. T like her." A Day of Fate. lie came to believe that he had only to put his hand to a thing to give it the needful impulse to success. What Can She Do ? 80 Makch 13. Makcji 14. 81 March 15. When one wishes to reform, everything does not become lovely in this unfriendly world. The first steps are usually the most difificult, and the earliest experience the most disheartening. God never designed that reform should be easy. As it is, people are too ready to live the life which ren- ders reform necessary. The ranks of the victims of evil would be doubled did not a wholesome fear of the consequences restrain. Kftight oj the Nineteenth Century. March 16. When we receive our slight cuts and bruises through life, there is usually outcry and abundant sympathy. But when we receive our deep wounds that leave scars, often only God knows ; and it is best so, for He can heal, but the world can only probe. From yest to Earnest. " I never knew a truer, kinder lady.*' A Day of Fate. 82 March 15. Andreiv Jackson. 1767, March 16. James Madison. 175 1, 83 March 17. Tlie religion of mere negation, expulsion, and restraint is too often presented to the mind. Dykes and levees are very useful, and in some places essential ; but if low malarial shores could be lifted up into breezy hills and table-lands, this would be better. This is not only possible, but it is the true method in respect to the human soul ; and one should seek to grow better not by sedulous effort to keep out an evil world, but rather to fill up his heart with a good pure world such as Ciod made and blessed. ^■1 Face Illumined, INlARCii 18. ]le was brave ; he was manly in his appearance and bearing ; frank and affable in his manner ; and more than all. possessed tact, and the power of adapting himself to the moods and characters of his associates. He could be most fascinating when he chose to exert himself. No mountain stream could be more transparent than this child of nature, who had learned none of •art's disguises. When, from instinct, she mani- fested maidenly reserve, the cause was as apparent as the effect. Near to Natme's Heart. 84 March 17. T. Chalmers. 1 7 80. March 18. John C. Calhoun. 1782, 85 March 19. As the eye of artist and poet catches glimpses of beauty where to others are only hard lines and plain surfaces, so strong religious temperaments are quick to see providences, intimations, and leadings. From yest to Earnest. "Whatever your faith is, I believe in it, for I've seen its fruits." A Day of Fate. March 20. " Moreover. I am told that girls who dote on love in a cottage all marry rich men if the chance comes." '•Well, why shouldn't they, if the rich men are the right men ? You are too hurried, too eager for temporary success, too taken up with details, to form calm, philosophical opinions of the great events of your time, and thus be able to shape men's opinions. A Day of Fate. 86 March kj. Livingstone. 1815. March 20. 87 March 21. It is our duty to make every effort of which we ourselves are capable ; but this is only half our duty. Since our tasks are beyond our strength and ability, we are equally bound to receive such human aid as God sends us, and, chief of all, to ask daily, and sometimes hourly, that his strength be made perfect in our weakness. But there are some lessons which are only learned by experience. Knight of the Ninetee/ith Cetitnry. March 22. She won attention, not because she sought it, nor on the ground of eccentricities, but because of her own intense vitality. From her dark eyes a close observer might catch glimpses of a quick, active mind, an eager spirit, and, well — perhaps a passionate temper. Though chastened and sub- dued, she ever gave the impression of power to those who came to know her well. Opening a Chestnut Burr. He is both natiu'ul and consistent. Barriers Bur7ied Awav, 88 March 21. Robert Bruce. 1374. Jean Paul Ric liter. 1763, March 22. Vandyck. 1599. Rosa Bonheur. 1S22. 89 March 23. She had been singularly strong and very weak ; but the weakness had left no stain on her crystal truth, and her strength had been of the best and most womanly kind. As in the twilight, so in the white moonlight, she again made perfect harmony in the transfigured garden. Two things that a man can't be a man without- hope and courage. A Day 0/ Fate. March 24. " T can't see what it is that people find so attrac- tive in that plain-looking girl." " Well, for one thing, she has a mind. Beauty without mind is like salad without dressing." A Face Illumined. " Why do you think him better than other peo- ple ?" " By what he does." Barriers Burtted Azvay. 9D March 23. March 24. 91 March 25. I>ife blossomed and grew bright about her from some innate influence that she exerted uncon- sciously. Our need and our consciousness of it form our strongest claim upon Him and the best preparation for Him. Without a Home. Marcit 26. v\ father helps his children through their troubles, and so Ciod is tlesirous of helping us. There are some things which we cannot do alone — it is not meant that we should. God is ever willing to help those who are down. and. Christians are not worthy of the name unless they are also willing. Knight of the Nineteejith Ccfitury. " Conscious that I am not in the least heroic, I do not wish to be imagined a hero," A Dav of Fate, 92 Marcji 25. March 26. 93 March 27. Her hand was not one that a sculptor would care to copy, though he would find no great fault with it. It reminded one of silk drawn over steel, and all electric and throbbing with life. You felt that it could give you the true grasp of friendship — that it had power to do more than barely cling to some- thing, but could both help and sustain, and yet its touch would be gentleness itself around the couch of suffering. Opening a Chest nut Burr. March 28. One may live in a palace, and yet not be a slave to the palace. Our home should be as beautiful as our taste and means can make it ; but, like the nest yonder, it should simply serve its purpose. leaving us the time and means to get all the good out of the world that we can, A Day of Fate. 94 March 27. March 28. 95 March 29. She seemed a radiant, living portrait. Baniers Btiriied Away. • Men and women in good society may be very polished and refined, and yet their souls in God's sight and their own be shameful, "naked." wear- ing no robe of righteousness, bound by no laws of purity and right, and " always, night and day, cry- ing and cutting" themselves in the unrest of re- morse. Opening a Chestnut Burr. March 30. Her influence was like that of a warm day in spring, undemonstrative, not self - asserting, but most powerful. ' ■ Please do not expect much from me. I fear I shall disappoint you." Without a Home. c,6 March 29. March 30. 97 March 31. What language can portray your feelings when you are awakened some mild morning in March by the wild minstrelsy of a party of robins and blue- birds that, coming from you know not where, have taken possession of your garden. The long op- pressive silence of winter is broken, and now we shall have trills, solos* duetts, and choruses that can only be imitated in the Academy of Music. Play and Profit. " It's a little strange, but I doubt whether there is anything in the universe that so inspires a man with awe as a thoroughly good, large-minded woman." A Day of Fate. 98 March 31. Haydn. 1732. 99 april. This season, so uncertain and variable, now smiling and gentle, now harsh and forbidding, re- minds one of coy, cold Beauty about to yield to Love's suit in spite of herself. She tries, but can- not maintain her frowns, for love softens her heart like the subtle south wind relaxing the frozen earth. Though her moods are abrupt and trying in their changes, they are followed by remorseful tears, just as rain one day seeks to banish the frost and snow of the preceding. Her temper is often high and uncertain, her words a little sharp and blustering, like March winds ; but wait patiently till all has blown over, and see how softly and sweetly she will smile on you. But don't presume ; don't felicitate yourself too highly ; there will prob- ably be a change. Patient wooing and waiting shall be rewarded by the tearful penitence and sunny smiles of April, and warmer affection of May and June. Play and Profit in My Gaideti. lOI April i. The spring-time had come again, and the beauty and promise of her own future seemed reflected in nature. Where in history do we read — who from a ripe experience can give — an instance of a happy Ufe developing under the deepening shadow of evil. Knight of the Nhieteenth Century. April 2. It became his favorite dream that he might be one of the founders of a fepublic in the new world, in which liberty and equality should be the corner- stones, human reason the sole architect, and nature the inspiration. Near to Nature's Heart. * ' For so tender-hearted a girl thee is very strong." A Day of Fate. 102 April i. Bismarck. 1815. April 2, H, C. Andersen. 1805. 103 April 3. He was an example of the truth that good comes from without and not within us. It is heaven stooping to men ; heaven's messengers sent to us ; truth quic^^ened in our minds by heavenly influence, even as sunlight and rain awaken into beautiful life the seeds hidden in the soil : and above all, impulses direct from God, that steal into our hearts as the south wind penetrates ice-bound gardens in spring. opening a Chestnut Burr. April 4. To me, the desperate earnestness of people who imagine it their mission to set the world right is excessively tiresome. "You have a comfortable habit of putting all perplexing questions into the Lord's hand and borrowing no further trouble. Perhaps that is the wisest way after all, only one is a long time learn- ing it." Opening a Chestnut Burr. 104 April 3. Gear yashi E. •ge Herbert, ngtoji Irving. E. Hale. 1 1593. ■ '783 822. x\rRiL 4. 105 April 5. He best deserves a knightly crest Who slays the evils that infest His soul within. If victor here, He soon v^ill find a wider sphere. The world is cold to him who pleads ; The world bows low to knightly deeds. Knight of the Nineteenth Cetttury. She was like a child that had dwelt in a tropical oasis, the flowers and fruits of which had seemed as limitless as its extent. She had supposed that the whole world would be like this oasis, and the only necessity ever imposed on her would be that of choice from its rich profusion. A Face Illumined. April 6. "He is the greatest artist that ever lived, and there never were such pictures as he paints." A Face Illumined. She fought and won a battle which, if never known on earth, would never be forgotten in heaven. For the victors in such battles, the brightest crowns of glory are reserved. She mastered self and selfishness, in the very citadel of their strength. From jtest to Earnest. 106 April 5. General H. Havelock. 1795. Appxl 6. f07 April 7. ' ' How many hungry people have you fed ? How many strangers (I do not mean distinguished ones from abroad) have you taken in and comforted ? How many of the naked have you clothed ? And how long is your list of the sick and imprisoned that you have visited, my luxurious little lady?" Baniei's Burned Away. Whatever might be said against his philosophy, it produced good cheer and peace. A Day 0/ Fate. April 8. She was quick, original, and did her own think- ing — in repartee she hit back unexpectedly, in flashes, like as the lightning leaps out of the clouds. ' ' Children can do by nature what we should do from intelligent choice — turn away the mind from painful subjects to those that are pleasing. You don't catch me brooding over trouble when there are a thousand pleasant things to think of." Opening a Chestnut Burr. 108 April 7. Willi a m Wordsworth . 1770. W. E. Charming. 1780. April S. 109 April 9. The wholesome and tonic influence of a few hours of positive and unalloyed enjo3^ment in a busy or burdened life is properly estimated by a very few. Multitudes would preach better, live better, do more work and die much later, could they find some innocent recreation to which they could often give themselves up with something of the whole-hearted abandon of a child. Without a Home. April 10. ' ' For your mother's influence and that of nature have made you the sweetest, purest woman that ever breathed." Ne»r to Nature's Heart. "You pride yourself that you are not narrow, unconscious of the truth that you are spreading yourself thinly over the mere surface of affairs. You have little comprehension of the deeper forces and motives of humanity." A Day of Fate. no April 9. April 10. ^ Tir April ii. " She will be unchangeable amid all changes." " He is a Christian gentleman, in the truest and strongest sense of the word." Near to Nature's Heart. April 12. Only God can give to the whole of his creation the all-seeing gaze that we bestow upon some familiar scene. His glance around the globe is that of a mother around her nursery, with her little children grouped at her feet. Opening a CJiestnut Burr. As for himself, he had no peculiarities. He was a practical, sensible man, with no nonsense about him. Knight of the Nineteenth Century. 112 April ii. Ediuard Everelt. 1794. April 12. Henry Clay. \1']1' "3 April 13. Few can be more miserable than those who hold their fortunes and good name on sufferance — safe only in the power and disposition of others to keep some wretched secret. Ktiight of the Nineteenth Century. "People will be the better for being with you." A Day of Fate. April 14. There are thousands of very pretty girls who have no love for beauty save their own, which they do their best to spoil by self-homage. The causes which start men upon their careers are often seemingly the most slight and casual. Without a Home. 114 April 13. April 14. "5 April 15. As humanity goes back to its first occupation it may also acquire some of the primal gardener's characteristics before he listened to temptation and ceased to be even a gentleman. When he brutally blamed the woman, it was time he was turned out of Eden. Success with Small Fruits. April 16. " Yonder is a man who is not afraid of work." On her was imposed already the most painful experience of war — woman's helpless waiting and watching for those they love. Near to Nature's Heart. 116 April 15. Aprh. 16. Sir /. Franklin. 1786 "7 April 17. But you are as true as steel. Her evident sympathy put every one at ease, and gave people the power of such happy expres- sion that they were surprised at themselves, and led to believe that they not only received but gave something better than the average. A Face Illumined. April 18. He often wondered at her ability to enchain his thoughts, to awaken questionings in regard to mat- ters which he had considered settled, and uncon- sciously to arouse misgivings concerning his doubt and unbelief. Near to Nature^s Heart. Almost as many are ruined by undue and unwise repression as by equally unwise and idiotic in- dulgence. Without a Home. 118 April 17. April 18. G. H. Lewes. 181 7. riQ ArRiL ig. A merely pretty face is like a line of verse of musical rhythm, but without sense or meaning. A Face I Humified. The light which can banish the oppressive, dis- heartening shadow of guilt must come from beyond the sun. Knight of the Nineteenth Century. April 20. It is often not so much what a man does as the state of the heart that prompts the act. In com- mon parlance, Walter was as good-hearted a fellow as ever breathed. Indeed he was quite inclined to noble enthusiasms. Opening a Chestnut Burr. But the first dawning of a woman's love is more like the aurora with its strange fitful flashes. The phenomena have never been satisfactorily ex- plained. Barriers Burned Aivav. 120 April 19. April 20. 121 April 21. If penitent tears could be crystallized they would be the only gems of earth that angels would covet, and perhaps God's co-workers here will find those that they caused to flow on earth set as gems in their "crown of glory that fadeth not away." She was one who lived in her affections rather than surroundings. The latter would matter little to her could she keep her heart-treasures. Opefimg a Chestnut Burr. * April 22. She was not an advanced female, with a mission ; she was simply a young and lovely woman, capable of the noblest action and feeling should the occa- sion demand them, but naturally luxurious and beauty-loving in her tastes, and inclined to shun the prosaic side of life. Knight o/the Nineteenth Ceiittiry. "Your appearance did not comport with your deeds." A Day 0/ Fate. 12: April 21. Bishop Heber. 178.3. Charlotte Bronte. 1816. April 22. Madame de StaeL 1766. 123 April 23. Moreover she had the two grand books of the world, the Bible and Shakespeare ; and often as she watched in the corner of the wide fireplace, she half read and half brooded over their glowing pages, until her own mind was full of thronging thoughts and fancies, which, in their beauty and character, were at least akin to those she read. Near to Nature's Heart. " O Will Shakespeare !" I at last murmured, " you knew the human heart, if any one ever did." A Day of Fate. April 24, One may delve in the earth so long as to lose all dread at the thought of sleeping in it at last, and the luscious fruits and bright-hued flowers that come out of it, in a way no one can find out, may teach our own resurrection more effectually than do the learned theologians. Success with Small Fruits. 124 April 23. William S/iakspcare. 1564. April 24. 125 April 25. He had an abundance of intellect, great shrewd- ness, vast will force and organizing power, but not much ideality or imagination. The light and gladness of that blessed future seemed to have come into her sweet womanly face. A Day 0/ Fate. April 26. We can no more scold people into loving us than Nature could make buds blossom by daily nipping them with frost. What Can She Do ? The April sun shone brightly and genially into the apartment. In all its appointments it appeared as fresh, inviting, and cleanly as the wholesome light without. The spirit of the housekeeper per- vaded every part of the mansion, and in both fur- niture and decoration it would seem that she had studiously excluded everything which would sug- gest morbid or gloomy thoughts. Knight of the Nineteenth Century, 126 April 25. Oliver Cromwell. 1599. April 26. 127 ArRiL 27. Flesh and spirit, however, are not wood and stone, and she might learn in deep surprise that her light cesthetic touches, while producing pleas- ing changes in externals, had also awakened some of the profoundest motives and forces that give shape and color to life. Without a Home. " Thee's a strong-minded, sensible man." A Day of Fate. April 28. She was by nature an advocate rather than a judge. Not the spirit of the disciples, that would call down fire from heaven, but the spirit .of the Master, who sought to lay his healing, rescuing hand on every lost creature, always controlled her eventually. Human desert did not count as much with her as human need, and her own sorrows had made her heart tender toward the sufferings of others, even though well merited. Knight of the Nineteenth Century. 12S April 27. April 28. 129 April 29. But then people will judge the world by their own experience of it, and some natures are more easily warped by evil and wrong than others. No logic can cope with feeling and prejudice. A young man is far on the road to evil when he loses faith in woman. During the formative period of character, of earthly influences, she is the most potent in making or marring him. Opening a Chest7itit Btcrr. April 30. People's instincts are quick in discerning the hidden springs of action ; and her influence was all the more effective because she gave them the fruits of faith rather than stems of exhortation on which they were required to develop fruit of their own. Much good fruit was eventually pro- duced, but more through her example, her spring- like influence, than from any formal instruction. Without a Home. Reason and judgment act slowly, but imagina- tion takes fire. What Can She Do ? 130 Al'RlL 29. April 30, I"iT iHag. " Look at us," said the violets, blooming at her feet. "All last winter we slept in seeming death, as your mother is sleeping now ; but at the right time God awakened us, and here we are to comfort you." " Look at me," said the bubbling spring. " The black ice shut me in, as the black earth will cover your mother, but it did not hurt me ; and, spark- ling again this morning as brightl} as ever, I am here to comfort you." " Listen to us," said the birds over her head *' We did not sing here last wmter, but we were singing where the cold winds never blow. So your mother has only flown away to a sunnier clime, and we are here to comfort you." '"Look at me," cried the sun, rising in uncloud- ed splendor over the eastern hills. *' Do T not come back to you after the darkness of the night ? So will He, whose light I reflect, shine away your sorrow, and he has sent me to comfort you." Near to Nature's Heart, 133 May I. God hfears prayer when his children cry to him — when his faithful friends speak to him straight and true from their hearts ; and such know well that they are answered. It was a voice that stole into the heart and kept vibrating there long hours after, like an leolian harp just breathed upon by a dying zephyr. Opening a C/icstnnt Burr. May 2. But she was gifted in a peculiar degree with tact, a quick perception and power of interpreting the language of nature and the heart. She read and estimated character rapidly. Almost intuitively she saw people's needs and weaknesses, but so far from making them the ground of satire and con- tempt, they awakened her pity and desire to help. In other words, she was one of those Christians who in some degree catch the very essence of Christ's character, who lived and died to save. Opening a CJiestnut Burr. "How noble and expressive of varied feeling his face is." Barrier!; Burned Aivay. 134 May I. May 2. 135 May -x. " I heard your laugh this morning while you were at breakfast, and it filled all the old house with music. It seemed to become a part of the sunshine that was shimmering on the elm-leaves that swayed to and fro before my window, and then the robins took it up in the garden." A Day of Fate. Everything he does seems marked by unusual good taste and intelligence. Barriers Bur tied Away, May 4. He had proved such a true and helpful friend. Near to Nature's Heart. With such companionship, . . . .life would never lose its ideality, nor the world become a mere combination of things. Her woman's fancy would embroider my man's reason and make it beautiful, while not taking from its strength. A Day 0/ Fate. 1*36 May 3. May 4. W. H. Prescott. 1796. 137 May 5. Her teachers were not such as the fashionable would choose or desire — sickness and sorrow at home, and the solitude of wintry mountains with- out ; and yet these stern-visaged instructors made their pupil more sweet, imselfish, and womanly every day. They endowed her with patience, and, at the same time, inspired her with hope. Near to Nature's Heart. " You are my true and trusted friend." What Can She Do ? May 6. One weakness, one wrong prepares the way for another as surely as when one soldier of Diabolus gets within the city he will open the gates- to others. It is the curse of conscious deceit to breed sus- picion. Only the true can have absolute faith in the truth of others. Opening a Chestnut Burr. rsS May May &. 139 May 7. He was taught by them the magnetic power of sympathy, 'and that he who in the depths of his heart feels for his fellow-creatures, can help them. Knight of the Nitieteetith Century. " Do you know that there is not a lady present that for a moment can compare with you ?" What Can She Do ? May S. Where a precious stone will take a lustre a pum- ice-stone will crumble. What Can She Do ? "There is nothing certain, assured. There is no test by which I can at once know the truth." ■ ' That does not prevent the truth from existing. Because some are blind is no proof that color does not exist." Barriers Burned Awav. 140 May 7. May S, 141 May 9. A flashing gem may seem real at first, but as its meretricious rays are analyzed, they lose their charm because revealing a stone not only worthless but worse than worthless, since it mocks us with a false resemblance, thus raising hopes only to dis- appoint them. A Pace Illumined. "Only the noble in deed and in truth can reach high and noble art." Barriers Bunted Awav. May 10. " A lady's dress is like the binding of a book — .it ought to be suggestive of her character. In- deed she can make it a tasteful expression of her- self. Neither you nor I believe in the people who value books for the sake of their covers only. A book must hav^e a soul and life of its own as truly as you or I ; and the costliest materials, the wealth of a kingdom, cannot make a true book any more than a perfect costume and the most exquisite combination of flesh and blood can make a true woman." A Day of Fate. 14c May May T04 r4; May II. It is the fashion to inveigh against the "cold and pitiless world ;" but the world has often much excuse for maintaining this character. Knight of the Nineteenth Century. " I predict for you a happy life, and, what is more, you will make others happy." A Day of Fate. May 12. Sorrow and watching had brought unusual pallor to her cheeks ; but her eyes were so large, so dark and intense, that they suggested spirit rather than flesh and blood. Knight of the Nineteenth Century. '' I've been led to believe that you cherish a high and scrupulous sense of honor, and that trait counts with me far more than all others." A Day of Fate. 144 May II. May 12, US May 13. Feeling is sometimes so intense that it is like the lightning, and burns its way instantly to the con- sciousness of others. In addition, she had manifested the most beauti- ful and Godlike trait that can ennoble human character — the desire to save and sweeten other lives. Opening a Chestnut Bicrr. May 14. " I did not know that faith and sorrow could make a-human face so beautiful." Near to Nature's Heart. " Does thee realize the sin and folly of over- work ? If thee works for thyself, it is folly. If thee toils for the good of the world, and art able to do the world any good, it is sin ; if there are loved ones dependent on thee, thee may do them a wrong for which there is no remedy. Thee looks to me like a man who has been overdoing." A Day of Fate. T46 May 13, May 14 M? May 15. "There," he said, "is the miracle — a gifted, magnetic, unselfish woman devoting herself wholly to the enjoyment of others. She has created more sunshine this dismal day than we have had in the house since I've been here. Is not that face there a revelation ?" A Face Ilhwiined. Are we ever guided by reason, will, deliberate choice ? Are there not often strong half - recog- nized instincts that sway us more profoundly, even as the plant unconsciously turns its leaves and blossoms toward the sun, and sends its roota groping unerringly to the moisture ? From Jest to Earnest. May 16. It would seem that mutual kindness is a common ground on which all the world can meet and add somewhat to each other's welfare. Knight of the Nmeteenth Century. To wait and trust is often the latest lesson we learn in life. Barriers Burned Away. 14S May 15, May 16. 149 May 17. In her ready tongue she carried a keener weapon than the swords that dangled and clattered at the sides of the incipient warriors on whom she waited ; and when provoked she gave thrusts which brought the hot blood at least to their faces. But while she inspired a wholesome respect, she was generally bubbling over with good humor and arch repartee, and so was a general favorite. Near to Natttre's Heart. " You don't know the world very well yet, my little man." Barriers Btirned Away. May 18. The repressed and unhappy are in tenfold more danger from temptation than those who feel they are having their share of life's good. The stream that cannot flow in the sunshine seeks a subter- ranean channel ; in like manner, when circum- stances or the inconsiderate will of others impose unrelenting restraint upon the exuberant spirit of youth, it usually finds some hidden outlet which cannot bear the light. WitJiout a Home. " Nature is full of hope, and the promise of coming life. So ought I to be in this my spring- time." Barriers Burned Away. 150 May 17. May i8. 151 May ig. There are times when the mind is almost evenly balanced between good and evil. Some powerful appeal or startling providence has aroused the sleeping spirit, or some vivifying truth has pierced the armor of indifference or prejudice, and quivered like an arrow in the soul, and the man remembers that he is a man and not a brute that perishes. " If I would be like my Master, I must help him." Openhig a Chestnut Burr. May 20. " I am driven to one of two alternatives : either you regard your God as so kind and good, so merci- ful, that you can trespass on his forbearance to any extent, and treat him with a neglect and indiffer- ence that none would manifest toward the pettiest earthly potentate, and still all be well ; or else you have no real practical belief in your religion." Barriers Burned Away. Therefore she was a sudden beautiful revelation to him, as vivid as unexpected. What Can She Do ? ]=;2 May 19. May 20. Balzac. 1799. Johi Stuart Mill. 1806. 153 May 21. Christ proved centuries ago that the sympathetic touch is heahng. He was almost predestined to succeed, for his unusually strong will would not drive him into use- less effort or against obstacles that could be fore- seen and avoided. Withotit a Ho7ne. May 22. And she did sing with a tenderness and feeling that Walter had never known before. In render- ing something that required simplicity, nature, and pathos no prima donna could surpass her, for though her voice was not powerful and had no un- usual compass, it was as sweet as that of a thrush in May. " The world would move but slowly if all men were content with ' good dinners and a quiet life.' ' Opetiing a Chest )iut Burr. 154 May 21. Elizabeth Fry. i'j^q. May 22. Alex. Pope. 1688. 155 May 23. He was naturally generous and sympathetic, and his heart overflowed with pity and tenderness. " She is not a child ; she is capable of becoming, if she is not already, a heroic woman." Near to Nature's Heart. May 24. But there is that about every truly refined woman with a large loving heart which is irresistible. The two things combined give a winning grace that is an "open sesame" ever)^where. The trouble is that culture and polish are too often the sheen of an icicle. Unless the causes are removed, the bad moods ' of one day are apt to follow us into the next. Opening a Chestnut Burr. 156 May 23. Thomas Hood. 1799. May 24. Queen Victoria. 1819. 157 May 25. Like the ancient Hebrew leader who climbed Sinai's height to the presence of God, he also had been prepared above the clouds to lead the people who tarried on the plain below. Near to Nature's Heart. "Who can hide anything from such women? They look through us as if we were glass." A Day of Fate. May 26. No nature that is human is self-sufficient in every emergency of life ; for even the pure and perfect human nature of our. Lord, though allied with Divinity, pleaded with the drowsy disciples, " Watch with me." This request was not a mere form, nor a test of their loyalty, but the inevitable appeal for support which ever comes from suffer- ing. The larger and more perfect the nature, the more deeply is this want felt. Near to Nature's Heart. 158 May 25. J^. W, Ej?ierson. 180- May 26. 159 May 27. Her charity was wide enough for all. Wher- ever she could discover gloom, despondency, dul- ness, or pain, there she tried to shine like a sun- beam, as if that were the primal law of her being. She rarely sought to "do good" in the ordinary acceptance of the term ; still more rarely did she speak of her own personal faith ; to cheer and to brighten appeared to be her one constant impulse. "You seem to have the ability, not only to take care of yourself, but of others." A Face Illumined. May 28. This is sorry progress. A man must indeed have lived radically wrong when he looks backward for the best of his life. Opening a Chestnut Burr. She was keenly alive to beauty, and she saw it on every side. Barriers Burned Away. 160 -May 27, Bafite. 1265. May 28. Thomas Moore. 1780. L. Af^assiz. 1807. rfii May 29. "You are going to make a genuine man." ' ' You seem to go from the kitchen by easy and natural transition to regions beyond the stars, and to pass without hesitancy from the companionship of us poor mortals into a Presence that is to me supremely awful." A Day 0/ Fate. May 30. "I will trust you, for your words and manner are those of truth and purity." Near to Nature's Heart. A woman's love is like the grace of heaven — a royal gift ; and the spirit of the suitor is more re- garded than his desert. Moreover, I do not pro- pose to soil her life with the evil world that I must daily brush against, but through her influence to do a little toward purifying that world. Since this is but a dream, I shall dream it out to suit me. A Day of Fate. 162 May 29. Patrick Henry. 1 >^T^(i. May 30. Peter the Great. i6j2. 163 May 31. The greater number of forceful American citi- zens are recruited from the ranks of just such young men — strong, comparatively poor, some- what rude in mind and person at the start, but of such good material that they are capable of a fine finish. Without a Home. 164 Mav 3i. 165 \illliliillil,l fi 'iikmMllMii nil niAmuh, Ilk \!S!SSt\^'^\'^^i'H di Look at that magnificent glow in the west. So assuredly ended in brightness the lives of those we loved, however clouded their day may have been at times. This June evening, so full of glad sounds, is not the time for sad thoughts. Listen to the robins, to that saucy oriole yonder on the swaying elm-branch. BcN'ond all. hear that thrush. Can you imagine a more delicious refinement of sound ? Let us give way to sadness when we must, and es- cape from it when we can. A Day of Fate. 167 June i. And yet she did assert herself ; but he was com- pelled to admit that it was as a summer breeze might, or the perfume of a rose. " 'Duty ' seems to me a good solid road on which one may travel safely. One never knows where the side paths lead ; into the brambles or a morass like enough." Openittg a Chestnut Burr. June 2, Tn her sweet tones there was not the faintest suggestion of the effect or style that a professional singer would aim at. She thought no more of these than would a brown thrush swaying on its spray in the twilight of a June evening. As un- affectedly as the bird she sang according to the in- ward promptings of a nature purified and made lovely by the grace of God. Opening a Chestnut Burr. "I'm the champion blunderer of the world." A Day 0/ Fate. 168 June i. June 2. 169 June 3. In brief, to my kindled fancy, her youth and loveliness appeared the exquisite human embodi- ment of the June morning, with its alternations of sunshine and shadow, its roses and their fragrance, of its abounding yet untarnished and beautiful life. A Day of Fate. " How delightfully frank he is." What Can She Do ? June 4. There was, in truth, great need that her mind should be awakened and her whole nature radically changed, if it were a possible thing — a need shown by the fact the fair June morning, with its fragrance and beauty, could not light up her face with its own freshness and gladness. The various notes of the birds were only sounds ; the landscape, seen for the first time, was like the map of Switzerland, that, in the days of her geography lessons, gave her as vivid an idea of the country as a dry sermon does of heaven. Although her ears and eyes were so pretty, she was, in the deepest and truest sense of the word, deaf and dumb. A Face Illumined. ' ' You know very well that I am not a society man." Ffom yest to Earnest. 176 June 3. June 4. 171 June 5. But the Divine love is ever seeking to win our attention by messengers innumerable : now by the appalling storm, again by a summer sunset ; now by an awful providence, again by a great joy ; at times by stern prophets and teachers, but more often by the gentle human agencies of which Annie was the type. Opeumg a Cliestmit Burr. " I will compel the world to give me a place at least entitled to respect." What Can She Do f June 6. Fragrant June roses were opening on every side, and it appeared to me that all the sin of man could not make the world offensive to heaven that morn- ing. Her laugh rang out like a chime of silver bells. A Day of Fate. 172 JUNE 5. Socrates. .^68 B.C. ■Schumann. 1810. June 6. P. Cortieille. 1606 1/3 June 7. All the best things of the garden suggest refine- ment and courtesy. Nature might have contented herself with producing seeds only, but she accom- panies the prosaic action with fragrant flowers and delicious fruit. It would be well to remember this in the ordinary courtesies of life. Success with Small Fruits. 1 will dub you truest knight that ever served de- fenceless woman. Barriers Burned Away. June 8. " It's little the world cares for any one, and the absurdest of all blunders is to live for its favor." Knight of the Nineteenth Century. Now she appears like a June morning, and I pray the weather holds. Near to Nature's Heart. 174 June 7. June 80 175 June 9. In accordance with one of his characteristics, the more difficult the project seemed, the rhore obsti- nately fixed became his purpose. A Face Illummed. " But I am inclined to think that you have be- come womanly during this long year, rather than angelic." Near to Nature'' s Heart. June 10. But he did not understand her influence. A man seldom does when he first meets the woman whose words, glances, and presence have the subtle power to fill his thoughts, quicken his pulse, stir his soul, and awaken his whole nature into new life. He usually passes through a luminous haze of congeni- ality, friendship, Platonic affinity, or even brotherly regard, till something suddenly clears up the mist. and he finds, like the first man, lonely in Eden, that there is but one woman for him in all the world. Opening a Chestnut Burr. " I propose to do my duty." Knight of the Nineteenth Century. 176 June 9. George Stephenson. I'jSi June 10. 177 June ii. Men of mind rarely are captivated by a face merely, however beautiful, but what it represents, or what they imagine it does. Woe be to the beauty who has no better capital than her face. " Now, if I were a man, I'd certainly be a doc- tor." Opening a Chestnut Burr. June 12. Beyond even the word of sympathy is the touch of sympathy, and it often conveys to the fainting heart a subtle power to hope and trust again which the materialist cannot explain. Knight 0/ the Nineteenth Century. In times of perplexity it is our part to do what seems right, asking God for guidance, and then leave the consequences to him. Knight 0/ the Nineteenth Century. 178 Junk ii. Ben Jonson. 1574. June 12. Harriet Martineau. 1802. Cation Kingsley. 1819. ^9 June 13. " For a time you may be able to serve me best by serving others." There was, withal, a trace of quaint Shakes- pearian stateliness in her words and manner, which, to one of his tastes, was far more pleasing than the artificial graces of the prevailing mode. N^ear to Nature's Heart. June 14. " Are you an advocate of woman's rights ?" " Not of woman's, particularly. I would be glad if every one had their rights." A Face Illumined. '* But serve you I must." What Can She Do ? 180 June 13. 7^/1 mas Aniold. 1795. June 14. Harriet Beecher Stowe. 1812. 181 June 15. "' Women are different from men ; they know almost immediately whether they like a person or not. I liked thee in half a day." "I'm impressed with the truth that peace is the chief need of the world — the chief need of every human heart. Beyond success, beyond prosperity, beyond happiness, is the need of peace — the deep, assured rest of the soul that is akin to the eternal calmness of Him who spake these words." A Day 0/ Fate. June 16. Beauty that was so unconventional and so utterly self-forgetful. The blooming clover, before it fell at a sweep of the scythe, was the fit emblem of her then, she looked so young, so fair, and sweet. A Day 0/ Fate. The motive that led Hemstead toward the min- istry was that he might employ all his energies in fostering every germ of good, and in sowing the seed of truth where otherwise there would be hope- less barrenness. From yest to Earnest. 182 June 15. June 16. 183 June 17. Not with any chivalric, uncalculating impulse did he reach a conclusion, but by the slow, deliber- ate reasoning of a cool-headed, sturdy race that would hold to a course with life-long tenacity, hav- ing once chosen it. Without a Home. " Oh, she's kind and sympathetic toward every poor mortal." " Very true ; but she's intensely womanly ; and a woman is incapable of a benevolence and sympa- thy that are measured out by the yard — so much to each one, according to the dictates of judgment." A Day of Fate. June 18. Christ washed the feet of fishermen in order to give us an example of humility, and to teach us that we should be willing to serve any one in his name. Knight of the Nineteeitth Century. She realized more and more vividly that he was sustained and animated by some mighty principle. Barriers Burned Away. 184 June 17. John Wesley. 1703, Junk iS. T85 June 19. This June air, laden with the odors of these sweet old-style roses and grape-blossoms, intoxi- cates me. These mountains lift me up. These birds set my nerves tingling like one of Beethoven's symphonies, played by Thomas' orchestra. In neither case do I know what the music means, but I recognize a divine harmony. A Day of Fate. June 20. " You are more than many princesses have been — a lady." May gales from heaven spring up and carry thee homeward. Fear not even rough winds, if they bear thee toward the only true home. A Day of Fate. 186 June 19. June 20, 187 June 21. ' ' Do you know the lady well ?" " Yes, I fear I do." Except as we master and hold our own in the world, it informs us that we are of little account — one of millions ; and our burdens and sorrows are treated as sickly sentimentalities. A Day 0/ Fate. June 22. I cannot conceive of a grander victory than that of a debased nature over itself. There is no memory that we cherish so sacredly and tenderly as that of our parents' kind and pa- tient love. K7iight of the Ntnetee7ith Century. 188 June 21. June 22. 189 June 23, " Remember now and always that the only true strength comes from Heaven." " Happy will the home be in which that laugh makes music." A Day 0/ Fate. June 24. " Well, I have listened to your sermon and un- derstand it, and that is more than I can say of many I have heard. It certainly was pointed, and seemed pointed at me, and I have heard it said that it is proof of a good sermon for each one to go away feeling that he has been distinctly preached at." Frorn yest to Earnest, Every purple - tipped strawberry runner, every bud forming at the stem of the leaf, every ripen- ing seed, should teach us that it is God's will that we should live and be happy in the future as well as in the present. P/ay and Profit. I go June 23. June 24. Empress Josephine. 1763. Henry Ward Beecher. 1813. 191 June 25. "Truth has become the warp and woof of your nature. Ah ! here is your emblem, not growing in the garden, but leaning over the fence as if it would like to come in, and yet, among all the roses here, where is there one that excels this flower ?" And I gathered for her two or three sprays of sweetbrier. A Day of Fate. " It is a pity that noblemen are compelled to aught but noble deeds." Barriers Buriied Away. June 26. I have imagined that to create a lovely home, and to gather in it all the beauty within one's reach, and just the people one best liked, would be a very congenial life-work for some women. " That man talks right to one, and not fifty miles over your head. I'll come here every Sunday if you will." Without a Home. 192 June 25. June 26. P. Doddridge. 1702. 193 June 27. It was her philosophy that outward surrounding's impart their coloring to the mind, and are a help or a hinderance. She was a disciple of the light, and was well aware that she must resolutely dwell in its full effulgence. Thus she sought to make her home not gay or gaudy, but cheerful and light- some. Knight of the N^ineteenth Century. While courtly, polished, and refined in externals, he lacked in tact and nicety of discrimination. A Day of Fate. June 28. Only weak natures fume at the inevitable. There is a certain dignity in silent, passive despair. Opening a Chest 7iut Burr. The whole of her strong womanly soul, thor- oughly aroused, was in her face, and it shone like that of an angel. Barriers Burned Away. 194 June 27. June 2S.. Rubens. 1577. Rousseau. 1 7 1 2. 195 June 29. Many a one has condemned himself and sunk into the apathy of death, but He who came to seek and save the lost has lifted him with the arms of forgiving love, and helped him back to the safety and happiness of the fold. Satan only, never the Saviour^ bids the sinner despair. Opening a Chestnut Bur?-. This world is evidently sadly out of joint. We all know of the most gentle, lovely, unselfish spir- its, beautiful to Heaven's eye, that are enshrined in painfully plain caskets. From yest to Earnest. June 30. She had long before passed beyond sobbing and tears, and now possessed the strange, unnatu- ral calmness of those who are lifted by some great emergency of sorrow far above their ordinary moods and powers. Near to Nature'' s Heart. But what human soul can dwell alone? The true hermit finds in communion with the Divine mind the perfection of companionship. What Can She Do ? 196 June 29. June 30, 197 Julg. The sweet, low monotone of the summer wind was playing still among the maples. I do believe that it was the same old bumble-bee tnat darted in, still unable to overcome its irate wonder at a people who could be so quiet and serene. The sunlight flickered in here and there, and shadowy leaves moved noiselessly up and down the whitewashed wall. Only the occasional song of a bird was want- ing to reproduce the former hour, but at this later season the birds seem content with calls and chirp- ings, and in the July heat they were almost as silent as we were. • A Day of Fate. rgg July i. I am decidedly under the impression that Eve helped Adam, especially as the sun declined. I am sure that they had small fruits for breakfast, dinner, and supper, and would not at all be sur- prised if they ate between meals. Even we poor mortals, who have sinned more than once, and must give our minds to the effort not to appear unnatural in many hideous styles of dress, can fare as well. Success with Sttiall Fruits, You have -cause to be glad, for she can be a friend that will make life richer. A Day of Fate. July 2. I do not think that a man, who has been absorbed by a love for a pure, good woman, can ever make a beast of himself, unless there is something essen- tially gross in his nature. Near to Nature^ s Heart. One thing I know to be true — the burdened in heart or conscience would instinctively turn to you. A Day of Fate. 200 July i. July 2, 20T July 3. The old g^arden, half hidden by trees, looked cool and Eden-like in the light of the July moon, athwart whose silver hemisphere fleecy clouds were drifting like the traces of thought across a bright face. A Day 0/ Pate. Endowed with youth, health, and . . . more than usual ability, ... he would achieve success. Knight of the Nineteenth Century. July 4. To her, he embodied the Declaration which he was to read, and was a synonym for liberty. In her fancy, she compared him to the youthful David of Bible history, and the loftiest Shakespearian heroes ; and her heart overflowed in gratitude to God that he had raised up such a friend. " Your thoughts are as crystal as yonder spring," he said ; ' ' and yet you are enshrouded in mystery. How came you so conversant with the two great books of the world ?" Near to Nature's Heart. 202 July 3. July 4. Nathaniel Hawthorne. 1804. 20- July 5. The spent years had been filled with continuous and varied activity. What had she accomplished for herself or any one else ? Were not all her past days like water spilled on barren sands, producing nothing ? She had been receiving homage, flattery, and even love, all her life, and yet now her heart had no treasures to which she could turn in solid satisfaction. The adulation received was now empty breath and forgotten words, and nothing substantial or comforting remained. From Jest to Earnest. He is a brave fellow, and I had no idea that there was so much of him. Knight of the Nineteenth Century. July 6. As he worked patiently at his noble calling, his smaller ambition was gradually lost in the nobler, broader one, to be a true artist and good man. Barriers Burned Away. He would expect her to be like the July days now passing — warm, bright, cloudless, and in keeping with his general prosperity. A Day of Fate. 204 July 5. July 6. J. Flaxjuan. 1755. 205 July 7. She had fine conversational powers, and her keen intuition and her controlHng passion to give pleas- ure enabled her to detect and draw out the best thoughts of others. A Face Ilhcmined. For a few moments the music was of a forced and defiant character, loud, gay, but no real or rollicking mirth in it, and it soon ceased. Then in sharp contrast came a sad, weird German ballad, and this was real. In its pathos her burdened heart found expression, and whoever listened then would not merely have admired, they would have felt. One song followed another. All the pent- up feeling of the day seemed to find natural flow in the plaintive minstrelsy of her own land. Barriers Bur?ied Away. July 8. Her capability of loving was large. His mind was cultivated, versatile, ever full of bright, fresh thoughts. Near to Nature'' s Heart. 206 July 7. July 8. La Fo}iiai)ie. 1621 F. Halleck. 1790. 207 July 9. There are encouraging possibilities in the fact that from those windows of the soul, his eyes, a troubled rather than an evil spirit looks out. Opening a Chesttiut Burr. Hope is a hardy plant in the hearts of the young. Without a Home. July 10. In every field of life those who seek the fruit too rashly are almost sure to have a thorny experience, and to learn that prickings are provided for those who have no consciences. Success with Small Fruits. 208 July 9. H. Hallam. 1777. July 10. 2og July ii. " To hold one's ground at times requires more courage, more heroic patience and fortitude, than any other effort we can make. Soldiers can charge against any odds better than they can simply and coolly stand their ground." Knight of the Nineteenth Century. At last the skies are clear again. Along the eastern horizon the retreating storm sends up oc- casional flashes, that seem like regretful thoughts of the past. Then night comes on, cool, moonlit, breathless. Not a leaf stirs where an hour before the sturdiest limbs bent to the earth. This must be Nature's commentary on the " peace that pass- eth all understanding." Play and Profit. July 12. Nature can do much to render a countenance attractive, but character accomplishes far more. The beauty which is of feature merely catches the careless, wandering eye. The beauty which is the reflex of character holds the eye, and eventually wins the heart. Knight of the Nineteenth Century. "Thank Heaven," she said, "I know of one more true man in the world, if he is a strange one." What Can She Do ? 210 July ii. J. Q. Adams. 1767. July 12. yuliiis Ccesar. 100 B.C. H. D. Thoreau. 1817. 211 July 13. We may gather more than berries from our fruit- gardens. Nature hangs thoughts and suggestions on every spray, and blackberry bushes give many an impressive scratch to teach us that good and evil are very near together in this world, and that we must be careful, while seeking the one, to avoid the other. Success ivitli Small Fruits, July 14. A deep abiding liking for any pursuit is not the growth of a night. We do not wake up as in the fairy tales and find ourselves or everything around us changed. However general may be the taste for rural life, a most decided predisposition and love of it, as of anything else, must either be in- herited or developed by peculiar circumstances. Play and Profit. 21: July 13. July 14. 213 July 15. The power of truth can scarcely be overestimated, and the mind that earnestly seeks it becomes noble in its noble quest. If this can be said of truth in the abstract, and in its humbler manifestations, how omnipotent truth becomes in its grandest cul- mination and embodied in a being capable of in- spiring our profoundest fear and deepest love. Knight of the Nineteenth Century. Little acts and tokens of kindly feeling .... like glints of sunlight on her shadowed path. What Can She Do ? July 16. It seemed as if he could make life one long gal- lery of beautiful objects. Knight of the Ni7ieteenth Century. The cloud scenery has all changed. The sun is setting in unclouded splendor. Not the west but the east is now black with storm ; but the rainbow, emblem of hope and God's mercy, spans its black- ness, and in the skies we again have suggested to us a life, once clouded and darkly threatened by evil, but now, through penitence and reform, end- ing in peace and beauty, God spanning the wrong of the past with his rich and varied promises of forgiveness. Play and Profit. 214 July 15. Rembra 71 dt. 1606. July i6. Sir J. Rey7iolds. 1723. 215 July 17. Skill and industry can wring from reluctant Nature a fair return. Sour, cold, unyielding soil, like a churlish disposition, can be greatly im- proved by kindly treatment. It wants mellowing up, as so many people do. Though in both cases we like to go into the improving business where it can be done readily, and effort goes a good ways ; still, when driven to it by conscience or necessity, we find much improvement possible, even under the most adverse circumstances. Play and Profit. July 18. I aim to be just what I seem — neither more nor less ; and I am very much afraid of people who do not speak the truth, especially when they are dis- posed to say nice things. A Day of Fate. Gooseberries are like some ladies that we all know. In their young and blossoming days they are sweet and pink-hued, and then they grow acid, pale, and hard ; but in the ripening experience of later life they become sweet again and tender. Be- fore they drop from their places the bees come back for honey, and find it. Success with Stnall Fruits. 216 July 17. July 18. IV. M. Thackeray. 181 1. 217 July 19. Small fruits, to people who live in the country, are like heaven — objects of universal desire and very general neglect. Success zvith Small Fruits. The world has power over your fate only as you give it power. You need not lie like a helpless worm in its path, waiting to be crushed. Get up like a man, and take care of yourself. The world may let you starve, but it cannot prevent you from becoming good and true and manly. V KnigJit of the Nineteefith Centu?'y. July 20. Her life is like a glad, musical mountain stream, while I am a stagnant pool that she passes and leaves behind. I wonder if it is possible for one life to be awakened and quickened by another? Opening a C/iestfiut Burr. I am one that the fickle goddess has rarely smiled upon, and hard work »has been the only Aladdin's lamp of my experience. Play and Profit. 218 July 19. July 20. Petrarch. 1304. 219 July 21. The western bank with its deepening shadows was like a happy face passing from thought into revery, which, if not sad, is at least tinged with melancholy. Near to Nature's Heart. In a sincere and deep affection there are great possibilities of good. Barriers Burned Away. July 22. "No, as a woman I liked thee. Thee isn't as bad as thee seems," A Day of Fate. He looked, not only like one who could fight for liberty, but lead others in the conflict. Near to Nature'' s Heart. IIQ July 21. Matthew Prior. 1664. July 22. Garibaldi. 1807= 221 July 23. The free, strong, mountain spirit breathes in her every word and act. Old Greek mythology would certainly make her a nymph of the hills. Opening a Chestnut Burr. Science has taught men how to build ships with water-tight compartments, so that if disaster crushes in on one side, the other parts may save from sinking. There are fortunate people who are built on the same safe principle. They have wealth or the ability to win wealth, strong family ties, and genuine friends. They have cultivated minds, and varied resources in artistic and scien- tific pursuits. Above all else, they have faith in God and a better life to come ; such possessions are like the compartments of a modern ship. Few disasters can destroy them all, and in the loss of one or more the soul is kept afloat by the others. A Face Illumined. July 24. That same manhood which is at once so strong, and yet so unselfish and gentle, had stood out be- fore her distinct and luminous in the light of a knightly deed, and she saw with the absoluteness of irresistible conviction that such a manhood was above and beyond all surface polish, all mere aes- thetic culture, all earthly rank — that it was some- thing that belonged to God, and partook of the eternity of his greatness and permanence. Knight of the Nineteenth Century. Taking the sweet with the bitter, as ever must be done in this world, the sweet predominated, and the garden gradually and surely took its place in that warm corner of the heart that we reserve for the things we love. Play and Profit. 222. July 23. Charlotte Cushman, i8i6. July 24. J. G. Holland, 181 9. 223 July 25. She did not fail him, but, with heightened color and voice that trembled slightly at first, ' ' started the tune." It was a sweet, familiar air, and she soon had the support of other voices. One after another they joined her in widely varying degrees of melody, even as the example of a noble life will gradually secure a number of more or less perfect imitators. Openifzg a CJiestnut Burr. ' ' I said you were a gentleman ; I now say you are a man." Barriers Burned Aivay. July 26. ' ' I like the expression of your face now, for in it I catch a glimpse of the divine image. Many think of God as looking down angrily and frown- ingly upon the foolish and wayward ; but I see in the solicitude of your face a faint reflection of the * Not willing that any should perish ' which it ever seems to me is the expression of His." A man who was good enough and brave enough to face any danger to which he felt impelled by a chivalric sense of duty. Knight of the Nineteenth Century. 224 July 25. July 26. 225 July 27. There are wealthy people who are the most skil- ful of alchemists, and refine their money into books, pictures, and intellig-ent travel, and thence, by a mystic process, into the golden warp and woof of their minds. Modest diamonds may sparkle on their persons, but richer gems drop from their mouths. More truly, they are like the fruits in my garden, that from the gross abundance and materi- ality at their roots select with delicate precision and exquisite choice that which makes the melting rasp- berry and luscious grape. Play and Profit. July 28. Christ's words seemed addressed directly to her while she looked up into His face with rapt atten- tion. Instead of 7-eading her Lord's familiar say- ings, she seemed to liste^i to them as did the early disciples. After a little time she would close the Bible and go back to her hard practical Hfe with an awed yet strengthened hopeful expression, like that which must have rested on the disciples' faces on coming down from the Mount of Transfiguration. Barriei's Bttrfied Away. 226 July 27. Thomas Cainpbell. 1777. July 28, 227 July 29. The artist seemed to her princely, regal even, in his strong cultivated manhood, his lofty calling and ambition, and his high social rank. A Face Illumined. God had a right to curse the ground, but I doubt whether we have. And yet I can assure the reader that one thriftless gardener or amateur, whose en- thusiasm July has withered, can do more cursing or weed-seeding than half a generation can eradi- cate. Play and Profit. July 30. How omnipotent girls imagine themselves to be with those who swear they will do anything under heaven to please them, but usually go on in the old ways. " Men are so strange," she said, half vexedly. "they fall in love without the slightest provoca- tion, and hate each other forever, when a woman would have sharp words and be over with it. They never do what you would naturally expect." Ope7iing a Chestnut Burr. 228 JlLV 29. Hiram Powers. 1805. July 30. Samuel Rogers. 1763. 229 July 31. She suggested to him a life in which simplicity, truth, and genuine goodness might bring peace and hope to the heart. But there is that in genuine goodness and no- bility of character that always humiliates the bad and makes them feel their degradation. Opening a Chestnut Burr, 230 July 31. 231 august. Sometimes we have three or four showers a day, and the cloud scenery resulting is often marvel- lously beautiful ; but usually they make their ap- pearance some hot afternoon about three or four o'clock. At first, in the distant west, a cloud rises so dark that you can scarcely distinguish it from a blue headland. But a low muttering of thunder vi- brates through the sultry air, and we know what is coming. Soon the afternoon sun is shaded, and a deep, unnatural twilight settles upon the landscape, like the shadow of a great sorrow on a face that was smiling a moment before. At last the vanguard of black flying clouds, dis- jointed, jagged, the rough skirmish-line of the advancing storm, is over our heads. Back of these in one dark, solid mass, comes the tempest. For a moment there is a sort of hush of expectation, like the lull before a battle. The trees on the dis- tant brow of a mountain are seen to toss and writhe, but as yet no sound is heard. Soon there is a faint, far away rushing noise, the low, deep prel- ude of Nature's grand musical discord that is to follow. There is a vivid flash, and a startling peal of thunder breaks forth over head, and rolls away 232 with countless reverberations among the hills. In the meantime the distant rushing sound has de- veloped into an increasing roar. Half way down the mountain-side the trees are swaying wildly. At the base stands a grove, motionless, expectant, like a square of infantry awaiting an impetuous cavalry charge. In a moment it comes. At first the shock seems terrible. Every branch bends low. Dead limbs rattle down like hail. Leaves torn away fly wildly through the air. But the sturdy trunks stand their ground, and the baffled tempest passes on. Mingling with the rush of the wind and reverberations of thunder, a new sound, a new part now enters into the grand har- mony. At first it is a low continuous roar, caused by the falling rain upon the leaves. It grows louder fast, like the pattering feet of a coming multitude. Then the great drops fall around yards apart, like scattering shots. They grow closer, and soon a streaming torrent drives you to shelter. Gradually the roar of the thunder dies away down the river. The thickly falling rain contracts your vision to a narrow circle. The steady, continuous plash upon the roof slackens into a quiet pattering of rain-drops. The west is lightening up ; by and by a long line of blue is seen above Cro' Nest, The setting sun shines out upon a purified and more beautiful landscape. Every leaf, every spire of grass is brilliant with gems of moisture. 233 August i. The world will pay no heed to any amount of self-assertion, and will remain equally indifferent to appeals and upbraidings ; but sooner or later it will find out just what you are in your essential life, and will estimate you accordingly. Knight of the Nineteenth Century. August 2. The Adams and Eves of every generation can have an Eden if they wish. Indeed, I know of many instances in which Eve creates a beautiful and fruitful garden without any help from Adam. Success with Small Fruits. " I am the most practical, matter-of-fact creature in existence, and you will find no one in this place more sharp on the question of dollars and cents." What Can She Do ? 234 August i. August 2. 235 August 3, There is as much diversity in the character of hands as in faces. Some are very white and shapely and a diamond flashes prettily upon them, but having said this you have said all. Others suggest honest work and plenty of it, and for such the sensible will ever have real respect, Openmg a Chestnut Burr. "Will you not let me be your humble, faithful friend, serving you loyally, devotedly, yet unob- trusively ?" What Can She Do f August 4. " The thought has passed through my mind that you might be so preoccupied in wishing good things for others as to quite forget yourself," A Face Illumined. It was impossible for the young man to be a cool advocate, or to be satisfied with halfway measures. Near to Nature'' s Heart. August 3. Earl Stanhope. 1753. August 4. Shelley. 1792. August 5. *' You are a mulish fellow when you get a pur- pose in your head." A Face Illumined. It is a good deal with seeds as people, the most showy and taking at first sight are not the best. In both cases the most showy are the most costly. But I never could resist the "novelties," though some of them turned out to be old acquaintances dressed up in new names, and more of them prove like many of the distingue people one meets at a watering-place who will not bear investigation. Still I expect I shall go on buying costly novelties to the end of life. There is an innate passion for speculation in human nature. Play and Profit. August 6. It is this living, loving, spiritual Presence that uplifts and sustains the sinking heart when the whole great world could only stand helplessly by. " Not as the world giveth, give I unto you." Yes, thank thee. Lord, "not as the world." A Day of Fate. What a chemist Nature is ! How in the name of all that is wonderful can she manage to give every kind of flower and vegetable a different perfume ? Some of the most homely and useful products of the garden give out odors that are as grateful as those of choice flowers, just as some human lives that are busiest and fullest of care have still the aroma of peace and rest about them. Play and Profit. 238 August 5. August 6. Malebranche. 1638. Feneloti. 1 65 1 . 239 August 7. If human experience proves anything it is that every life needs the personal and practical help — the direct touch and word of one who is Divinely powerful and Divinely patient. A Day of Fate. Never did a maiden live who had greater power to win and keep affection. Near to Nature's Heart. August 8. She was not adoring the Creator, nor paying homage to a king ; but, as the perfume rises from a flower, so her voice and manner seemed the natural expression of a true, strong affection for God himself, not afar off, but known as a near and dear friend. Opening a ChestJiut Burr. He abounded in virile force and good sense, and so gradually passed from self-complacency and conceit to the self-reliance and courage of a strong man who, while aware of his ability and vantage- ground, also recognizes the fact that nothing can take the place of skilfully directed industry in well- defined directions. A Face Illumined. 240 August 7. August 8. 24T August g. Her influence was making him a better and truer man, and bringing a strange peace and hope- fulness into his soul, that hitherto had been full of unrest, and was at times embittered by impotent resentment at his destiny, and again weighed down by deep despondency. Near to Nature's Heart. We take memory and character with us from land to land, from youth to age, from this world to the other, from time through eternity. Barriers Burned Away. August io. He was not one who could be carried away by a sudden and absorbing passion. In any and every case, reason, judgment, and taste would offer their counsel, and their advice would be carefully weighed. ' ' I thought how many roses and lives would be more perfect were it not for some gnawing ' worm i' the bud.'" A Face Illmnined. 242 August 9. John Drydtn. 1631, August 10. Count Cavour, 1810. 243 August ii. Who does not despise the man that invariably reminds you of his wealth rather than himself? Who can measure the contempt which that woman inspires who invariably secures attention to her dress, while graces of character are tardily, if ever, discovered. Such big, showy, useless plants are called weeds in the garden. Play and Profit. Of all spells, that of truth is the strongest. From yest to Earnest. August 12. To a certain extent, Gcd gives to the prayerful control of Himself, as it were, and becomes their willing agent ; and when the time comes when all mysteries are solved, and the record of all lives is truthfully revealed, it will probably be seen that not those who astonished the world with their own powers, but that those who quietly, through prayer, used God's power, were the ones who made the world move forward. From yest to Ea^'nest. 244 August ii, August 12. Robert Southey. 1774. Jeremy Taylor, 16 13. 245 August 13, If there is true metal in them, and they are not perverted by exceptionally bad influences, they out- grow the idea that to be fast and foolish is to be men as naturally as they do their roundabouts. Opening a Chestiitit Btirr. As has been hinted, it is the time-honored custom of story-tellers to marry off some of their principal characters in their closing chapter. I have already united my corn and beans in the de- lightful combination of succotash. Single beans and single corn are very well, but they are much better together. Good marriages always improve character. Play and Profit. August 14. Her lips, however, were so exquisitely chiselled that they made, for the time, any utterance agree- able, and suggested that only tasteful thoughts and words could come from them. A Day of Fate. Without the spur and incentive of hope we be- come perfectly helpless in evil. Kf light of the Nineteenth Century. 246 August 13. August 14. 247 August 15. " My castle in the air would be the counterpart of those which Scott describes, ... in that day there were knights sa7is peiir et sans rcproche. But now a gentleman is a gentleman, and all made up very much in the same style, like their dress-coats. I would like to have seen at least one genuine knight — a man good enough and brave enough to do and dare anything to which he could be im- pelled by a most chivalrous sense of duty." . . . " You are satirical to-day. In my opinion there are as true knights now as ever your favorite author described." "With God's help daily sought and obtained, you cannot fail. You can achieve that which the world cannot take from you, which will be a priceless possession after the world has forgotten you and you it — a noble character." Knight of the Nineteenth Centm-y. August 16. Your Bible teaches that the Being who controls completely the destiny of every person will be in the midst of those gathered in His name, to hear and answer the petitions. If this is true, then no earthly ruler was ever so neglected and insulted, so generally ignored as this very Deity to whom you ascribe unlimited power, and from whom you say you receive life and everything. Baj-ricrs Biirtied Aivay. Human faces can shine, although the sun be clouded. A Face Illumined. 24S August 15. Napoleon Bofiapartc. 1769. Walter Scott. 1771. August 16, 249 August 17. The gentle but steady light of mother love, and through her a pale, half-recognized reflection of the love of God, illumined all these years ; and his father's strong, quiet affection made a background anything but dark. Opening a Chestnut Bun-. ' ' The very sight of you inspires hope and cour- age." Bar?-iers Biit-ned Aivav. August iS. It is not strange that the distressed in body or mind turn away from a religion of dreary formali- ties and vague, uncomprehended mental processes. Instant and practical help is what is craved ; and just such help Christ ever gave when he came to manifest God's will and ways to men. Knight of the Nineteerith Century. I will dub you truest knight that ever served defenceless woman. Barriers Burned Away. 250 August 17. August 18. 251 August ig. The world is phosphorescent to the eyes of youth, and even engulfing waves of misfortune will sometimes gleam with sudden brightness. What Can She Do ? Her voice was singularly girlish and natural, and there would often be a tone in a plaintive and minor key that vibrated like a low, sweet chord in his heart rather than in his ears. It must be admitted that he gave little heed to the sacred words she read ; but the flexible music of her voice, mingled with the murmur of the brook, the rustle of the leaves and the occasional song of a bird, all com- bined to form the sweetest symphony he had ever heard. A Face Ilhanined. August 20. And he did possess decided talent, if not genius. But his artistic gift accorded with his character, and was controlled by judgment, correct taste, and intellectuality rather than by strong and erratic im- pulses. His aims were definite and decided rather than vague and diffusive. A Face Illufnified. " I am just as sincere as you are." Near to Nature's Heart. 252 August 19. Mendoza, 1398. Ber anger. 1780. August 20. Robert Her rick. 1591 253 August 21. A woman who was to him a new and beautiful revelation of the rarest excellence and grace. His standards were so high that, thus far, he had scarcely attempted more than studies that were like the musician's scales by which he seeks to ac- quire a skill in touch that shall enable him to ren- der justly the works of the great composers. A Face Illumined. August 22. In my soul I know that I would be a better man if she is what she seems, and could be to me all that I have dreamed ; and were I tenfold worse than I am, she would be the better for making me better. Did not Divine purity come the closest to sinful humanity? A Day of Fate. He seems a good genius — equal to any emer- gency. Barriers Burned Away. 254 August 21. August 22. 255 August 23. Sympathy from one's own kind is one of the deepest and most instinctive wants of the heart ; and there are times when it must be had, or the consequences are disastrous. Near to Nature's Heart. For some reason or other those about her always seem to be having a good time. A Face Illiiniined. August 24. " Though it is a King that speaks, he does not speak as a king. He is talking to his friends ; he is serving them with a humility and meekness that no sinful mortal has surpassed. He is proving, by the plain, simple teaching of actions that we are not merely his subjects, but his brethren, his sisters. He is proving, for all time, that serv- ing — not being served — is God*S patent of nobility- We should not despise the lowliest, for none can stoop so far as he stooped." A Day of Fate. " I have great faith in her tact and genuine good- will." A Face Illumined. 256 August 23. G. C. L. F. D. Cuvier. 1769. August 24. W. Wilberforce . 1759. Theodore Parker. 18 10. 257 August 25. As with little jets of silvery laughter, and but- terfly motion she hovered round him. the very em- bodiment of life and beautiful youth, she would have made, to an artist's eye, a very true idealiza- tion of the far-famed mythical fountain. A man can hardly be a man without exercising the right of independent thought. What Can She Do ? August 26. ' My reason," he often resolved, " shall be like a judge upon the bench, and neither pride, preju- dice, my wishes, nor an unfair hearing, shall bribe or dispose it to a false decision." Near to Nature^ s Heart. The light of a great joy dawned in his face, and made it look noble and beautiful, as indeed almost every human face appears, when the light of a pure love falls upon it. What Can She Do ? 258 August 25. August 26. Sir i?. Walpole. 1676. 259 August 27. In human strength there is generally a trace of arrogance. Only Divine strength and purity can say with perfect love and full allowance for all weakness and adverse influences — " Neither do I condemn thee. Go, and sin no more, " Opening a Chesttiict Burr. When I hear or read of some such noble deed, I catch glimpses of a life infinitely better than the one I know, like the sun shining through a rift in the clouds. Barriers Burned Azvay. August 28. There are few larger-hearted, larger-souled men. "What can I do?" " That which nearly all women can do ; be kind and winning ; make our safe, cozy parlor so attrac- tive that he will not go out evenings to places which tend to destroy him. \'ou feel an interest in him ; show it. Ask him about his business, and get him to explain it to you. Suggest that if you were a man you would like to master your work, and become eminent in it. Show by your manner and by words, if occasion offers, that you love and- revere all that is sacred, pure, and Christian. Laura, innocent dove as you are, you know that many women beguile men to ruin with smiles. Men can be beguiled /"r^w ruin with smiles." Knight of the Nineteenth Century. 260 AUGl'ST 27. B. G. Niebuhr. )7 76. August 28. Goethe. 1749. 261 August 29. The world will never cease witnessing the wrongs that men commit against each other ; but perhaps if the wrongs and cruelties that people inflict on themselves could be summed up, the painful aggre- gate would be much larger Opefii'ng a Chestnut Burr. You would make a man laugh in the face of fate. Barriers Burned Away. August 30. " St. Peter will have to open the gate wide when she comes in with her crowd. 'Pears to me some- times that I can fairly hear Satan a-gnashin' of his teeth over that woman. She's the wust enemy he has in town." Knight of the Nineteenth Century. He was like a ship that had been driven hither and thither tempest-tossed and in danger, but which, on reaching a clear skv and smooth water at last, finds its true bearings, and steadily pursues its homeward voyage. Barriers Burned Aivay. 262 August 29. Oliver Wendell Hobnes. 1809. Johti Locke. 1632. August 30. 263 August 31. With reviving hope and faith, her strength and vigor returned ; for. in her case, the spiritual and physical organizations were so closely allied that one could not suffer without keen sympathy from the other. But in both she was naturally healthful, having been nurtured in the atmosphere of truth, and the bracing air of the mountains. Near to Nature's Heart. And his smile was broad and genial enough to have lighted up a dungeon. A Day of Fate. 264 August 31, 265 September. Look around this lovely autumn evening. See the crimson glory of those clouds yonder in the west. See that brightness shading off into paler and more exquisite tints. Look, how those many- hued leaves reflect the glowing sky. The air is as sweet and balmy as that of Eden could have been. The landscape is beautiful in itself, and specially attractive to you. To our human eyes it hardly seems as if heaven could be more perfect than this. Opening a Chestnut Burr. The autumn winds of early September were again prophesying of winter ; but only in plaintive suggestion, for summer yet lingered in their mild breath. Near to Nature'' s Heart, 267 September i. " What an unusual voice she has," he thought. ''Truly the spirit of David's harp, that could banish the demon from Saul, dwells in it. I won- der if she is as good and real as she seems, or whether, under the stress of temptation or the poi- son of flattery, she would not show herself a true daughter of Eve ?" Opening a C/iestnut Burr. " If I mistake not, thee'U change our duty into pleasure." A Day of Fate. September 2. " I love my calling. There is such a deep satis- faction in relieving pain and rescuing life, or at least in trying to do so ; and then one often has a chance to say words that may bring lasting com- fort." Without a Home. " And T have lived long enough to know that what people intend and what they do are two very different things." Barriers Burned A'vay. 268 September i. Skftember 2. John Howard. 1726, 26() September 3. But when through all experiences she has kept a young heart, it will often show itself in a sprightli- ness. a spring-like, youthful manner, just as many days in September remind you of May. Man is a queer animal to boast of reason ; for, go the world over, Ciod's best gifts are generally the most slighted. Play and Profit. September 4. Nothing in Nature seemed to turn away from her, any more than would Nature's God. What Can She Do f Make the most of September, for you will have nothing like it till May comes round again. Alas I May comes but once in human life, and even to the bravest and most beautiful, autumn must grow sere and sad painfully fast, when there is no hope of the " glory that fadeth not away." Such may well cling to September. Play and Profit. 270 September 3. September 4. Pindar. 520 B.C. Chateaubriand. 1769. Fhcebe Caiy. 1824. 271 September 5. Never before had he met a woman who had seemed endowed with so many attractive qualities. She was not beautiful — a cardinal virtue with him — but her face often lighted up with something so near akin to beauty, as to leave little cause to re- gret its absence. And the conviction grew upon him that the spirit enshrined within the graceful and fragile form was almost perfection itself, A Face Illumined. " Well may the purest and strongest pray to be ' kept from the evil of the world.' " Opening a Chestnut Burr. September 6. " I have found a man not only able to gratify all my tastes — and you know that many of them are rather expensive — but he himself satisfies my most critical taste, and even fills out the ideal of my fancy." Knight of the Nineteenth Century. "You would not be afraid of shot and shell, only the noise of a battle.'' A Day 0/ Fate. 272 September 5. Richelieu. 1585. September 6. Lafayette. 1757. Horatio Greenoiigh. 1805, 273 September 7. One may accept of religious forms and philos- ophies, and be little changed thereby. But the man that accepts of Jesus Christ as a personal and living teacher, as did the fishermen of Galilee, that man begins to grow large and noble, brave and patient. Kiiight of the Nirieteenth Cetitiiry. " She's genuine." A Day of Fate. September 8. He had narrowed down his life to little else than business. He had never acquired a taste for art and literature, nor had he given himself time for broad culture. But we meet narrow artists, nar- row clergymen, narrow scientists just as truly. If you do not get on their hobby, and ride with them they seem disposed to ride over you. What Can She Do ? She still looked like one who had but just de- scended from a lofty spiritual height A Day of Fate. 274 September 7. Elizabeth. 1533. Buff on. 1707. September 8. L. Ariosto. 1474. John Ley den. iTJS- 275 September 9. A faithful servant, speaking for Him whose coming was God's supreme expression of good-will toward men. A Face Illumined. The fitful waywardness, the April skies of youth, the intense feelings and passions of midsummer life, are passing into the calm and content of early autumn. She is, like the season, in a borderland between two dissimilar states, and having some of the characteristics of both. Play and Pi'ojit. V September 10. Few men prided themselves more on a profound knowledge of the world than he; A Face Ilhivilned. There is a beauty of Autumn as well as of Spring ; of age, as of youth. I have great hoper, of that boy who is enamored by a lady "old enough to be his mother." lie has an aspiring soul. Play and Pro/it. 276 September 9. /t*. C. Trench. 1807. September 10. Mungo Park. I'jji. 277 September ii. We do not like to share a supreme friendship. There are some in whose esteem we would be first. Opening a Chestnut Burr. Flecks of gray in the ' bonny brown hair" may awaken regretful thoughts of the approaching frost- iness of age, just as in early September there comes sighing through the trees a wind that speaks so plainly of the fading year that we are saddened in spite of ourselves. Play and Profit. September i2. She was not, and never could become, a great singer. But within the compass of her voice, she could pronounce sacred words in a manner that sent them home to the hearts of the listeners like rays that could both cheer and melt. A Face Illumined. *'You are a stranger, sir, but I perceive from your noble courtesy and bearing — your power to appreciate and bring out the best there is in us, that you belong to the royal family of the Great King. Your Master will reward you." prom Jest to Earnest. 278 SkP'IEMBKR II. September 12, 279 September 13. But God dwelt in her to that degree that she yearned toward a sinning, suffering soul, found in any guise. It was not in her woman's heart, filled with heaven's spirit, to pass by on the other side, and leave sin-robbed and wounded creatures to their fate Ofeninga Chestnut Burr-. *' Yes, you are very much alive." A Day 0/ Fate. September 14. There is nothing like religion lived out to open a heart closed against it. Even the statistics and statements of political economy seemed to fall from her lips in musical cadence, and yet there was no apparent effort and not a thought of effect. opening a Chestnut Burr. 280 September 13. September 14. H. Coleridge. i7o( 2S1 September 15. Her conversation was piquant, at times a little brusque, and utterly devoid of sentimentality. But now her choice of poetic thought and her tones re- vealed a wealth of womanly tenderness, and he was compelled to feel that her religion was not legal and cold, a system of duties, beliefs, and re- straints, but something that seemed to stir the depths of her soul with mystic longings and over- flow her heart with love. Ope?tjng a Che si nut Burr. "I predict for you success." From yest to Earnest. September 16. "I'd give all the world if I could be young. strong, and hopeful like him." A Face Illumined. There are hearts to whom life seems to promise one long, hopeless struggle to endure an incurable pain. Can there be peace for such unhappy ones? To just such human hearts were the words spoken, "Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you." A Day of Fate. 282 September 15. J. F. Cooper. 1789. J. G. Percival. 1795. September 16, 283 September 17. As the witch-hazel is believed to have the power of indicating springs of water, however far beneath the surface, so she, by a subtle affinity, seemed to become speedily conscious of the sorrows and troub- les of others, even when sedulously hidden from general observation. " I have a great fancy for paddling my own light canoe, and such small craft will often float, you know, where a ship of the line would strike." A Face Ilhimined. September 18. " You could take the wickedest cuss livin' to heaven in spite of himself, if you would stay right by him all the time." He did not realize, as so many do not, that the petty vexations of life will often sting one who has the courage and strength to be a martyr, into the most humiliating displays of weakness. Opetiing a Chestnut Burr. 284 September 17. vSeptemher 18. S. Johns on, 1769, 28s September 19. Too much water in land is like selfishness in character. There is no chance for real improve- ment till selfishness is reduced to a judicial regard for self-interest ; and the land that persists in hold- ing water, instead of giving it to the air above and springs below, is past praying for. Draining is a prime necessity. Flay and Profit. September 20. There is no more cruel mockery than to give one all save the very thing one wants, and in seeking to grasp that I have brought down upon myself this wretched blighting experience. There was not a particle of weak sentimentality about her, and her energetic spirit would make her a leader. Barriers Burned Away. 286 September 19. Lord Brougham. 1779. September 20. Alexander the Great B. C. 356. 287 September 21. Strong souls — once wholly unconscious of their power — at the touch of adequate motives pass into action and combinations which change the charac- ter of the whole world from age to age. Without a Home. With her brilliant eyes and exquisitely clear and delicate complexion, she seemed as beautiful, and at the same time as frail and ready to vanish, as the snow-wreaths without. From yest to Earnest. September 22. " You have the bearing of a gentleman." ' ' Yes, sir ; and the character and standing of one.'' She who was ready to attack a man-of-war, turned and fled before that which a true woman fears more than an army — the appearance of evil. Near to Nature's Heart. 288 September 21. Savonarola. 1 45 2 . September 22. Lord CJiesierfield. 1694. G. S. Hillard. 1808. •89 September 23. "She is both shy and reserved, but not diffident or awkward in the least. Indeed her manner might strike some as being peculiarly frank. But there is something back of it all ; for young as she un- doubtedly is, her face suggests to me some deep and unusual experience." What an unknown mystery each life is, even to the lives nearest to it ! A Face Illumined. September 24. "As people are born blind or scrofulous, so I suppose others can be born devoid of heart or con- science, inheriting from a degenerate ancestry sun- dry mean and vile propensities in their places. Hu- man nature is a scale that runs both up and down, and it is astonishing how far the extremes can be apart." A Face Illumined, 290 September 23. September 24. 291 September 25. A woman who could face what she saw before her, and utter no words of repining or reproach. Knight of the Nineteenth Century. He had an acute, active mind. Abundance of intellect and fire flashed from his dark eyes, and we have seen that he was not without good and gener- ous traits. From yest to Earnest. September 26. Indeed, modern skill — the alchemy of our age — has wrought such wonders, that Eden is possible again to all who will take the trouble to form Eden- like tastes and capacities. Success with Stnall Fruits. 292 September 25. September 26. 293 September 27. While she saw Nature in her rarest and purest beauty, she had also been given a glimpse into the more beautiful world of truth, where God dwells. It was a tendency of his nature and a necessity of his calling, that he should forget himself for the sake of others. From Jest to Earnest, September 28. One of the supreme rewards of human endeavor is a true home, and surely it is as stupid as it is wrong to neglect some of the simplest and yet most effectual means of securing this crown of earthly life. Success with Small Fruits. 294 September 27. Bossuet, 1627, Epes Sargent 181 2. September 28. 295 September 2g. He felt himself adamant in his stern resoluticn. He at least had the death-like peace that follows decision ; the agony of conflict was over for a time : and, as he thought, forever. Barrier's Burned Away. History and biography show that beautiful women, if true, gentle, and unselfish, have great power with their own sex, and almost unbounded influence over men. From Jest to Earnest. September 30, There is just as much difference in the character of ground as in that of people, and before enter- ing into intimate relations with either, some little investigation is necessary. It is said of some per- sons that the more you do for them the worse they treat you. There is the same grain of truth in this remark when applied to certain kinds of land. There are soils justly termed " hungry ungrateful." It is next to impossible to make them rich, still more so to keep them fertile. Play and Profit. 296 September 29, Horatio Nelson. 1758. September 30. Euripides. 480 B.C. 297 ©ctober. He walked down the aisle out into the sunny noon of a warm October day. Birds were twitter- ing around the porch. Fall insects fill the air with their cheery chirpings. The bay of a dog, the shrill crowing of a cock, came softened across the fields from a neighboring farm. Cow-bells tinkled faintly in the distance, and two children were seen romping on a hillside, flitting here and there like butterflies. The trees were in gala dress of crim- son and gold, and even the mountains veiled their stern grandeur in a purple haze, through which the sun's rays shimmered with genial but not oppres- sive warmth. Opening a Chestnut Burr. 299 October i. The country was a wonderland of many and varied delights. In the eyes of children the Gar- den of Eden survives from age to age. Alas ! the tendency to leave it survives also, and to those who remain, regions of beauty and mystery too often become angular farms and acres. Without a Home. But too often his mood was that of cold, hard skepticism, the frost of mid-winter. The impetus of his evil life would seemingly be long in spend- ing itself. Opening a Chestfitct Btirr. October 3. A haze had spread over the sky, increasing in leaden hue and density toward the west. The chilly wind moaned fitfully through the trees, and the landscape darkened as a face might with the shadow of coming trouble. Opening a Chestmit Burr. It is only commonplace people whose heads are turned by a little prosperity. Barriers Bur7ied Away, \oo October i. Lord Bolingbroke. 1678. Rufus Choate. 1799. October 2. 301 October 3. "There!" he said, "I have but crossed her steps in the hall, and she has stirred me and set my nerves tingling like an October breeze. She is a witch." Thought and feeling in some emergencies will do more than the grandest pulpit eloquence quenched by a Sunday dinner. Opening a Chestnut Burr. October 4. The restless woman who has no home-hunger, no strong instinct to make a place which shall be a refuge for herself and those she loves, is not the woman God created. She is the product of a sin- ister evolution ; she is akin to the birds that will not build nests, but take possession of those al- ready constructed, ousting the rightful occupants. Without a Home. At last, nestling in a wild, picturesque valley, he saw the quaint outline of his former home. His heart yearned toward it, and he felt that next to his mother's face no other object could be so welcome. Opening a Chest mit Burr: 302 October 3. George Bancroft. 1800. October 4. 303 October 5. " I.eft to myself I should be the most unbal- anced man in the world." A Day of Fate. A woman endowed as you are can always do with a man one of two things : either fascinate him with her own personality, so that his thought is only of her ; or else through her beauty and words and manner, that are in keeping, suggest the diviner loveliness of a noble life and character. Fioni Jest to Ea?-nest. October 6. We were all under the spell of that exquisite melody which can fitly give expression to the deepest and tenderest feelings and most sacred aspirations of the heart. A Day 0/ Fate. " May Heaven's richest blessings go with you and follow you through a long happy life." Barriers Burned Away. 304 October 5. Horace Walpole. J 7 1 7 . October C. Jenny Lind Goldschtnidt. 1821, 305 October 7. " Tough old world, isn't it, for sinners like us?" he remarked. "Well, Mr. Growther. I've got rather tired of inveighing against the world ; I'm coming to think that the trouble is largely with myself." Knight of the Nmeteetith Century. "With all her faults and follies, she had never been a pale shadowy creature, full of complex psychological moods which neither she nor any one else could untangle. She knew w^hom and what she liked and disliked, and it was not her nature to do things by halves. A Face Illumined. October 8. " All that I see speaks to me of death," lamented a lachrymose moralist standing in a frost-bitten garden on a crisp, brilliant October day. This re- mark had been suggested by a shower of maple leaves, dropped around him by a sudden gust, that went ruthlessly through the grove, stripping the trees of their summer glory. And half the world sighs with him. Why do they not note that the leaves are so rich and gay in coloring that they seem like rainbows falling in fragments ? Why do they not see that every point where a leaf has parted from its spray, a bud has formed that will develop into other leaves, as large, green, and beautiful as were ever those now dropping away ? Play and Profit, 306 October 7, Wilhelm Miiller. 1795, October 8, 307 October 9. " He wouldn't risk the spoiling of his clothes for any woman living." She possessed a simplicity and unity which made it impossible for a part of such moral nature as she possessed to stand, if another part were under- mined or broken down. The whole fabric would Stand or fall together. -j- A Face Illumined, October 10. And when she gave him her hand at the sacred altar, it was not a helpless hand. From yest to Earnest. " You are very much in earnest. I never saw greater fideUty to conscience before." A Face Illutnined. 303 October g. Cervantes. 1547. October 10. B. West, 1738. 309 October ii. He is a high-toned pagan and worships beauty ; but with this outward perfection he also demands spiritual loveliness, for with him mind and honor are in the ascendant. She is continually giving up her life for Christ's sake, and as often lands it coming back to her in some richer, sweeter form. A Face Illumined. October. 12. "I've always heard that the peculiarly gifted were full of unaccountable moods." A Face Illuviined. How beautifully I learn from your face the differ- ence between dignity and pride. Barriers Burned Away, 310 October ii. October 12. Hugh Miller. 1802. 3" October 13. " An' ye pay me in the coin I loikes best. Faix, ther's nothin' that goes furder wid man nor baste than a koind word. Though I'm a bit rough and reckless loike, I'd ruther have ye spake to me as ye does than a hatful of crowns." Near to Nature's Heart, " There is not a morbid, unnatural trait in you." Fro7)i Jest to Earnest. October 14. "Well, I guess thee's a pretty square sort of a man," A Day 0/ Fate. A woman may, at times, have no pity on herself, but it rarely happens that she is pitiless toward others, and it is said that she is often the most gen- erous and merciful toward those who have wronged her. A Pace Illumined. 312 October 13. October 14. William Penn. 1644. 313 October 15. "It is a rare and precious thing- to see outward beauty but the reflex of a more lovely spirit. Keep that spirit, my dear, and you will never lose your beauty, even though you grow old and faded as I am. I wish I could see you again, for your full sunny life has done me more good than I can tell you." From Jest to Earjtest. He was a man of thought and fancy rather than of decision and action. A Face Illumined. October 16, He's a true, good man. "Apart from your other gifts, you abound in personal magnetism, and almost instantly gain con- trol of those around you." From Jest to Earnest. 314 October 15. Virgil. 70 B.C. Paul Fleni7ning. 1609. Dannecker. 1758. October 16. 315 October 17. She was positively beautiful, as she sat at the piano, radiant with her purpose to cause gladness in others. She had created sunshine enough to en- liven the dismal day, and had quickened a hundred pulses with pleasure. A Pace Ilhanined. " Unlike most of the world, you are so much bet- ter than your creed as to be utterly inconsistent." Fi-om yest to Earnest. October 18. There is this somewhat mean tendency in human nature, that when we have got about all out of a person or thing that can be hoped for at present, 01 when persons are so committed, like a crop nearly- matured, that they will give what is expected any- way, we are apt to flag in our attentions. •Here is where the short-sighted fail, for neither persons nor gardens will continue to commit themselves in our favor under such treatment. Play and Profit. He has intrusted to you the richest and rarest gifts, and every day that )'ou ha\-e misappropriated them is a burden upon your conscience. From Jest to Earnest. 316 October 17. October 18. 317 October 19. You have imagined a creature of unearthly per- fection, and expect your impossible ideal to be real- ized. Were she all that you have dreamed, she would be much too fine for an ordinary mortal like yourself. A Day of Fate. He would learn anew that the cool, well-balanced reason on which he had once so prided himself was scarcely equal to all the questions which complex human life presents. A Face Illumined. October 20. * I was awed by the beauty I saw, and it seemed as if the Great Artist must be near. I wished to call your attention to the truth that, like all His work, the least thing is perfect. That little tree with its red berries is beautiful as well as the moun- tain." Few days pass in which she does not lay up in memory some good deed, though she never stops to count her hoard. But, in gladness, she will learn in God's good time that such deeds are the riches that have no wings. From yest to Earnest. 318 October 19. Jofm Adams. 1735. Leigh Hu7it. 1784. October 20. Sir C. Wren 1632. Tho7?ias Hughes. 1823. 319 October 21. The storm we witness from our safe and shel- tered homes is often grand beyond description. A.t first, in the distant west, a cloud rises so dark that you can scarcely distinguish it from a blue highland. But a low muttering of thunder vibrates through the sultry air, and we know what is coming. Soon the afternoon sun is shaded, and a deep, un- natural twilight settles upon the landscape, like the shadow of a great sorrow on a face that was smiling a moment before. Play and Profit. If people persist in cherishing some worm of evil, they cannot expect to be held in the same esteem as those who are aiming at a more perfect development. A Face Illumined. October 22. He expected esteem, respectful courtesy — and even admiration — as a matter of course. They were in part his birthright and partly the result of his own achievement, and he received them as quietly as his customary income. Their presence was like his excellent health, to which he scarcely gave a thought, but their withdrawal would have affected him keenly, although he had never con- sidered the possibility of such a thing. "She is gifted with a mind, and she uses it for the benefit of others instead of tasking it solely on her own account, which is the general rule." A Face Illumined. 320 October 21. 6". T. Co/e?'idge. 1772. Lama rtine. 1792. October 22. Sir P. Francis. 1740 '^21 October 23. * ' I could not speak civilly to a lady that I had just seen giggling and flirting through one of Beethoven's finest symphonies." A Face Illumined. He had the bearing of one gifted with unlimited natural daring, rather than the calm, patient cour- age which would lead a man to die at his post. Near to Nature^s Heart. October 24. Men who meet great disaster with courage and fortitude, and hopefully set about retrieving it, possess an inherent nobility such as no King or Kaiser could bestow. Barriers Burned Away. The peace and hopefulness of nature were breathed into her heart. Near to Nature'' s Heart. 322 October 23. OcTOHER 24. 323 October 25. Self-respect does not depend upon the opinion of the world. The world has nothing to do with the matter. You certainly do not expect I am go- ing to misrepresent you before it. Openi7ig a Chest fiut Burr. " If I had skipped all the chapters which treat of woman's heroism, in doing and suffering, I should, indeed, know little of history. She has proved herself the equal, and at times the superior of man." From yest to Earnest. October 26. ' ' As the wise men from the East travelled stead- ily across arid wastes with eyes fixed only on the strange bright luminary that was guiding them to Bethlehem, so we should regard this world as a desert across which we must hasten to the presence of our God." From Jest to Earnest. She was simply herself, bright and exhilarating as the October sunshine, but as pure and strong. She was ready for jest and repartee. She showed almost a childish delight for every odd and pretty thing that met her eye. Opening a Chestnut Burr. 324 October 25. Macaulay. 1 800. October 26. 325 October 27. So the Divine Friend waits and watches, even till the dews of morning fall, while we, in ignorance and unbelief, pay no heed. Stranger far, He waits and watches when we know, but yet, un- relenting, ignore His presence. Barriers Burned Away. If she took it into her head that anything was "duty," all the world couldn't change her. From yest to Earnest. October 28. "Well, she is the freshest and most unhack- neyed lady I have ever met for one who knows so much." Opening a Chestnut Burr. Shame on you, therefore, men and women of the world, who expend your whole strength on the passing hour on this first stage of the journey, this first crude phase of life, with no thought or pro- vision for what is coming. Play and Profit. 326 October 27. October 28. Eras7?ius. 1467, 32: October 29. In early life he had breathed the very atmo- sphere of truth, and his tendency to sincerity ever remained the best element of his character. His was one of those fine-fibred natures most suscep- tible to serious wounding and injury. Opening a Chestnut Burr. Her features were so perfect that I could not help looking- at them, and the more I looked the more annoyed I became to find that, instead of being blended together into a divine face' by the mind within, they were the reluctant slaves of as picayune a soul as ever. A Face Illumined. October 30. Young enthusiasts of every age are going to turn the world upside down, but I note it goes on very much the same. From yest to Earnest. The development of the soul, under the in- fluence of a Divine, ever-present Spirit, was a truth concerning which he had little knowledge and no faith. Near to Nature's Heart. 328 OcroHER 29. John Keats. 1796. October 30. Sheridan, 1751. 329 October 31. It seems true, as she said, that she draws her life from nature, and will never grow old. Opening a Chestnut Burr. Religion doesn't do us much good until we learn to know our Lord as " good and tender-hearted," and so near, too, that we can speak to him, when- ever we wish, as the disciples did in old times. A Face Illumined. 330 October 31, 331 TSIobemter. All summer long your leaf has rustled and flut- tered joyously over the certainty that a richer and fuller life would come after it, a life that it was providing for all through the sunny days and dewy nights. There is no death here, only change for the better. And so with everything that has bloomed and flourished in this garden during the past season, provision has been made for new and more abundant life. When a king exchanges old and worn apparel, even though regal, for new and more royal robes, would we sigh over the old cast- offs, as if the king were dead, when in a few hours he will be upon his throne grander than ever ? All these bright but falling leaves and fading flowers arc but (^ueen Nature's cast-offs, her mere orna- ments that she is throwing carelessly aside as she withdraws for a little time from her regal state. Wait till she appears again next spring, as young, fresh, and beautiful as when, like Eve, she saw her first bright morning. Come and see her upon her throne next June. Nature full of death ! Why, she speaks of nothing but life to those who under- stand her language. Opening a Chesftiiit Bur)-. 333 November i. ' ' Any common man may have kingly power, and the meanest have cursed the world with it. But the power to win men from evil is godlike, and only the godlike have it." From yest to Earnest. " I can trust her — she is true." Opening a Chestnut Burr. November 2. The human heart is ever the same — wilful, pas- sionate. With many it is often like the wild storm that will spend itself to the end, no matter how much wreck and ruin is wrought. With such as Miss Martell, it is like the storm which, at its height, heard the words of the Divine Master — " Peace, be still." From yest to Earnest. " It is your nature to be good and noble." Openitig a Chestnut Burr. 334 Nov EM HER I. Sir Matthew Hale. 1619. NOVEMIJER 2. 335 November 3. His face was aglow with earnest, elevating thoughts. From yest to Earnest. When such a woman grows old gracefully, sweet- ened and ripened in character by the action of time, she is a most charming companion for all. The infirmities of age have not come, but she knows that they are near, and her sympathies instinctively go out to those who are (as she soon will be) bend- ing under the burden of years. Play and Profit. November 4. Her face shone with an inward light, and, even in the midst of sorrow and wet with tears, reminded one of a lantern on a stormy night which, covered with rain-drops, still gives light and comfort. Opening a Chest fiut Burr. He has listened to and helped multitudes of others in every kind of trouble and wrong. A Face Illumined. 33^ November 3. WilHa?n Cullen Bryant. 1794. Ntn'EMHER 4. James Montgomery. 1 7 7 1 337 November 5. " God is the Divine Artist, and is furnishing themes for all other artists. God is the author of landscapes, mountains, rivers, of scenes like that we saw this morning, or of a fine face and a noble form, as truly as of a chapter in the Bible. He manifests himself in these things. Fine paintings, statuary, and music, bring out the hidden mean- ings of nature, and therefore more clearly God's thought. From Jest to Earnest. " Had I my way, you should have rare good fort- une every day in the year." A Face Illumined. November 6. The world is very prone to call every man who is possessed by a little earnestness or enthusiasm a fool, but it is usually an open question which is the more foolish — the world or the man ; and perhaps we shall all learn some day that there was more of sanity in our rhapsodies than in the shrewd calcu- lations that verged toward meanness. A Face Illumined. ' ' The simple truth is, we hold our own lives in trust from God, to be used according to his will, and we have no more right to destroy the life he en- trusts to us than the life he gives to others." From, yest to Earnest. 338 November 5. Hans Sachs. 1494. Washington Allston. 1779. November 6. Gregory. 1638. 339 November 7. Providence had given to her the chance to live the life of ideal v^'omanhood — the life of love and devotion — and she did not mean to lose it. Like the Marys of the Bible, who were loyal to the lowly Nazarene, her awakened and renewed nature was capable of consecration to what the world regarded as a humble phase of Christian service, and while her high spirit would often chafe with a little whole- some friction, it would yet grow sweeter and more patient under the trials of the hardest lot. Fro7n Jest to Earnest. " God bless him for his hearty, hopeful words." A Face Illumined. NOVEMRBR 8. " Feeling varies so widely and strangely in vari- ous circumstances and with different temperaments that many a true saint of God would be left in cruel uncertainty if this were the test. My creed is a very simple one, but I take a world of comfort in it. It contains only three words — Trust : follow Christ — that is all." Knight 0/ the Nineteenth Century. " But I am a man of the world." A Day of Fate. 340 November 7. November 8. William Wirt. 1772. 341 November 9. ' ' After all, the highest art is the bringing out on the living face all we can of God's lost image. How beautiful the changes in these faces, and the best part of it is, that they are the reflex of changes going on in the soul, the imperishable part." Barriers Burned Away. " Ah, Richard, there are some things in life that thee hasn't learned yet, and all the books couldn't teach thee." A Day of Fate. November 10. " My belief is the same substantially as that of Paul, Augustine, Luther, and the best people of my own age ; and Luther, who did more for the world than any mere man, said that to ' pray well was to work well.' " Opening a Chestnut Burr. " He is a true, noble-hearted fellow. He shows his worst side at once, but you would discover new and good traits in him every day." The darkest clouds that shadow our paths are not the vapors that rise from the earth, but the thoughts and memories of an unhappy and a sinful heart. A Face Illumined. 342 November g. November io. Mitrtin Luther. 1483, O. Goldsmith. 1728. Schiller. 1759. 343 November ii. She would as soon have planted in her flower- bed the seeds of tender annuals on the eve of au- tumn frosts, and have expected bloom in chill December, as to enter upon a course that God frowns upon, and look for happiness. " I can appreciate your nobleness, courage, and fidelity to conscience. I thought such heroism be- longed only to the past." Opening a Chestnut Burr. November 12. In a world like ours there is but one place where continued peace and the absolute assurance of safety can be maintained — tjie depths of a soul stayed on Christ. Opening a Chestnut Burr. With all her strength and fearlessness, she had kept her woman's heart gentle and tender. A Day 0/ Fate. 344 November ii, Alfred de M us set. 1810. NOVEMHEK 12. Richard Baxter. 1615. 345 November 13. In fighting- and subduing the evils of one's own nature a man attained the noblest degree of knight- hood. He had already learned how severe was the conflict in which he had been led to engage. Knight of the Nineteenth Century. " I suppose love transfigures the one we love, and that this is the only way we can ever meet our ideal in this life. But sometimes we see one who it seems might approach even the ideal of our un- biassed fancy." From Jest to Earnest. November 14. He was learning to trust in Christ as an all-pow- erful and personal friend ; he was daily seeking to grasp the principles which Christ taught, but more clearly acted out, and which are essential to the formati^Dn of a noble character. He had thus com- plied with the best conditions of spiritual growth. Knight of the Nineteenth Century. Just as the sun follows the night that it may bring the day, so the Sun of Righteousness seeks out all that is dark in our lives that he may shine it away. Gladness, then, should be the rule of our lives. Nothing to him is so pleasing as gladness, if it comes from the heart of pilgrims truly home- ward bound. A Day of Fate. 346 NOVEMHER 13. St. Augustine. 354. November 14. Jacob Abbott. 1803. 347 November 15. Could I be a true man and be silent, believing what I do ? Could I hear the name of my Best Friend thus spoken of, and say not one word in his behalf ? Barriers Burned Away. Your philosophy of life is wrong. You still be- long to that old school who would have it that sun, moon, and stars revolve around the earth. Opening a Chestnut Burr. November 16. Rugged, rocky steeps rose on either side, one shimmering in the moonlight, and the other lying in the deepest shadow. Glades and vistas opened here and there, with strange effect, among the giant trees of the valley. The closely ranked cedars and hemlocks concealed every vestige of the little log hut, and the inmates, as they then appeared, were so unlike ordinary people, that he felt that they and the whole scene were more like a creation of the fancy than a part of the real world. But to him, who was weary of the platitudes and hollowness of conventional life, the picture had an unspeakable attraction. Near to Nature'' s Heart. She seemed to me the Gospel embodied. A Day of Fate. 348 November 15. Cowper. 1 73 1. Her sc he I. 1738. Lavater. 1741. November 16. John Bright. 181 1. 349 November 17. To the millions who are suffering in mind or body there certainly come in this world moments of repose, when pain ceases ; and the respite seems so delicious in contrast that it may well suggest the "rest that remaineth." Opem'ttg a C/iesttiui Burr. It seemed to him that the half-effaced, yet still lingering image of God rested upon her beautiful face more distinctly than he had ever seen it else- where. From yest to Earnest. November 18. " Tho' I'm a little mon, I sometimes ha' great tho'ts, an' I have learned to ken fra my gude wife there, and this sweet blossom o' the Lord's, that woman can bring a' the wourld to God if she will. That's what she can do." What Can She Do ? The garden, of all places, is the place of peace, where the true mystical heart's-ease should grow. Play and Profit. 350 November 17. NOVEMKER 18. 351 November iq. It was the look of a man who had discovered something divine and precious beyond words. Opening a Chestnut Burr. "You believe truth to be absolutely binding ?" she asked, in a low voice. "Yes. In science, religion, ethics, or human action, nothing can last — nothing can end well that is not built squarely on truth." A Day of Fate. November 20. To the true and simple children of nature, who, without thought of self or the public eye, are quietly doing their duty in their own little niches, these moments of peace with strange thrills of joy are constantly coming. From yest to Earnest. Her face had that indescribable charm which suffering, nobly endured, imparts. I could have knelt to her like a Catholic to his patron saint. A Day of Fate. 352 November 19. Thorwaldsen. 1770. November 20. 353 November 21. She is a modern and fashionable Undine, and has never yet received a woman's soul. The ^ood Lord deliver me from trying to awaken it, as did the knight of old in the story, by swelling the long list of her victims. I can scarcely imagine a more pitiable and abject creature than a man (once sane and sensible) in thraldom to such a tantalizing semblance of a woman. She would no more ap- preciate his devotion than the jackdaw the pearl necklace it pecked at. A Face Illumined. She is a child with those children, looking and acting like them. A moment later she will be a self-possessed young lady, with a quick, trained intellect that I can scarcely cope with. Opening a Chestnut Burr. November 22. All I can do is just cling to my hope in God, while I cry like a child that has lost itself and all it loves in a thorny wilderness. A Pace Illumined. As he entered the pulpit that morning his face was radiant with the purest human love, as well as love to God. So far from being inqpngruous, the one seemed to kindle and intensify the other. Though his sermon was simplicity itself, he spoke as one inspired. His message now was a gospel, and came to his hearers as the angel's announce- ment (which was his text) to the shepherds. From yest to Eartiest. 354 November 21. November 22. George Eliot [M. Cross.) 1820. 355 November 23. When people are " out of sorts," and things are going- wrong, the disposition to blame somebody or something is almost universal. But we think that it will be found a safe general rule, that the nobler the nature, the less worthy of blame, the greater tendency to blame self rather than any- thing else. Barriers Burtied Away. I am not in the least like a heroine in a romance. I live on the most substantial food rather than moonlight, and usually have an excellent appetite. What Call She Do ? November 24. You have the best and kindest heart of any woman in the world. If sorrow comes, oh, turn not to the world, for the best thing in it can give no peace, no rest. Simply do right, and leave the results with Him who said, even under the shadow of His cross, " My peace I give unto you," A Day of Fate. 356 November 23, November 24. Spinoza, 1632. Grace Darling. 1805. 357 November 25, The frosts of autumn therefore do not mean death. They merely put Nature to rest when her proper bedtime comes, and winter soon after tucks her away under a fleecy blanket until the call of spring awakens. But when disease attacks tree or plant, they may die even in the midst of spring showers and sum- mer sunshine. It is sin, not death, that destroys man. All that death need mean is sleep, and a change for the better. Sleep then, my garden ! I know you will awaken, like some dear friends whose ej^es I have seen closed, and their bodies, like the precious seed, covered deeply in the grave. Play and Profit. " Well, this is a time of thanksgiving, and never before in all my life has my heart seemed so full of gladness and gratitude." A Day of Fate. November 26. She was the type of multitudes of her fair sisters, who, with sparkling eyes, look out upon life in its morning to see only what it offers to them, and not the tasks it furnishes them for others. Only by ex- perience — only by God's logic of events do they find that their happiness is in these tasks — in un- selfish giving and doing. From Jest to Earnest. He was an honorable man. He is exceedingly shrewd in business, but I never heard of his doing anything that was not square. A Day of Fate. 358 November 25. November 26. Cowper. 1731. 359 November 27. Her profile was finely chiselled, and was lumi- nous with mind. The slightly higher forehead, the more delicately arched eyebrow, the deeper setting of her dark, changing eyes, that were placed wide apart beneath the overhanging brow, the short, thin, tremulous upper lip, were all indications of the quick, informing spirit which made her face like a transparency through which her thoughts could often be guessed before spoken ; and since they were good, noble, genial thoughts, they en- hanced her beauty. A Day of Fate. " I greatly wish to form a character worthy of respect, but I don't know how to set about it." " Commence by living simple and true." From Jest to Earnest. November 28. He was soon satisfied that she was more than pretty — that she was beautiful. Her features, that had seemed too thin and colorless, flushed with ex- citement, and her blue eyes, which he had thought cold and expressionless, kindled until they became lustrous. He felt, in a way that he could not de- fine to himself, that her face was full of power and mind. Knight of the Nineteenth Century. He is becoming his former self, and winning re- spect by acting like a true gentleman. . A Face Illumined. 360 November 27. November 28. 361 November 29. It is comparatively easy to suggest good and generous action, but it is harder to perform. It is one thing to preach, and quite another to practise. You have had the hard part — the practising, and yet have done it as if it were not hard, as duty seldom is when performed in the right spirit ; and therefore deserve the greater credit. Fro7n yest to Eai-Jiest. She is very, womanly, but she is singularly strong. A Day of Fate. November 30. He felt, at times, like one consumed with fever- ish thirst, and that her conversation, at once so childlike and intelligent, so natural and yet tinged with the supernatural, was like a cool mountain rill, sweet and sparkling, as it issued into the light from its mysterious source in the heart of the hills. Near to Nature's Heart. "Your philanthropy is very wide." A Face Illumined. 362 NOVEMHER 29. Sir Philip Sidney. 1554. November 30. Dean {^ Jonathan) Swift. 1667. 363 The severe north-east storm had expended it- self during the night, and its fine, sharp, crystals had changed into snow-flakes. As an angry man after many hard, cutting words relents somewhat and speaks calmly if still coldly, so Nature, that had been stingingly severe the evening before, was now quietly letting fall a few final hints of the harsh mood that was passing away. Even while he looked, the sun broke through a rift over the eastern mountains and lighted up the landscape as with genial smiles. It shone, not on an ordinary and prosaic world, but rather one that had been touched by magic during the night and transformed into the wonder-land of dreams. The trees that in the dusk of the previous night had writhed and groaned and struck their frozen branches together as despairing anguish might gesticulate, now stood serene, and decked more daintily than June would robe them. Whiter even than the pink-tinged blossoms of May, was the soft wet snow that encased every twig, limb, and spray. The more he looked, the more the beauty and the wonder of the scene grew upon him. The sun was dispersing the clouds and 364 adding the element of splendor to that of beauty. It became one of the supreme moments of his life when in the vanishing beauty of an earthly scene he received an earnest of the more perfect world beyond. "With the exception of the broad dark river," he thought, "this might be the millennial morn, and Nature standing decked in her spotless ascen- sion robes, waiting in breathless expectancy." From yest to Earnest. 365 December i. She was a pale, delicate little lady, with a face sweetened rather than hardened and embittered by time. If, as some believe, the flesh and the spirit, the soul and the body, are ever at variance, she gave the impression at first glance that the body was getting the worst of the conflict. But in truth the faintest thoughts of strife seemed to have no association with her whatever. vShe appeared so light and aerial that one could imagine her flying over the rough places of life, and vanishing when any one opposed her. Opening a Chestnut Burr. Women usually idealize the men they love into something very different from what they are. Heaven knows that I was not a saint. A Day 0/ Fate. December 2. As, with the lightness of a fawn, she bounded through the newly fallen snow, she would exclaim with an ecstatic thrill of hope, " My robe, one day, will be as white and spark- ling, and the gems in my crown brighter than the icicle's gleam hanging over yonder ledge of rocks, God teaches me, even in winter, by such pretty things, what He is preparing for His children." Near to Nature^s Heart. But God will not let a life of prayer and true love be wasted. Barriers Burned Away. 366 December i. December 2, 367 December 3. A heart aglow with gentle feeling and genial good-will, like a maple-wood fire on a hospitable hearth, that warms all who come within the sphere of its influence. A Face Illumined. She felt herself to be a true priestess of Nature, capable of understanding and interpreting her voices and hidden meanings — of catching her evanescent beauty and of fixing it on the glowing canvas. Barriers Burned Away. December 4. ' ' Nothing can compensate for the absence of a warm, kind heart, and the nature that is without it is like a home without a hearth-stone and a fire ; the larger and more stately it is, the colder and more cheerless it seems." Knight of the Nineteetith Century. " She could be a true artist, perhaps a great one, for she can feel. She has a heart. She has a taste and skill in touch that few can surpass." Barriers Burned Away. 368 December 3. December 4. Thomas Carlyle. 1795. 369 December 5. Never did a day open with fairer promise. There was a cloudless sky and a crystal earth. The mystic peace of Christmas seemed to have been breathed even into bleak December. From Jest to Ear ?z est. We often never know ourselves or our need until after we have failed miserably under the stress of some strong temptation. A Day 0/ Fate. December 6. Every rustling leaf that fluttered in the gale, but did not fall, called to her with its tiny voice : "Cling to your place, as we do, till the frost of age or the blight of disease brings the end in God's own time and way." A Face Illiitnined. He was not one who could calmly meet an emergency and manfully do his best, suffering patiently meanwhile the ills that could not be averted. He could lead a cavalry charge into any kind of danger, but he could not stand still under fire. Without a Home. 370 . December 5. Marie Stuart. 1542. December 6. Caroline B. Sou they. 1787. 371 December 7. When at times every branch, spray, and twig was encased with snow, and the evergreens were bending beneath their iieecy burdens, she would be half wild with delight at the beauty of the scene, and would cheer her mother by saying, " See what God can do in a single night. Won't our mansions in heaven, which we so often read about, be beautiful, mother? for he has had ever so many years in which to prepare them." Near to Nature's Heart. General good-will is as cold and thin as moon- shine. One ray of sunlight that warms some par- ticular thing into life is worth it all." A Face Illumined. December S. Her face was a beautiful transparency, through which shone those traits which made her, to me, pre-eminent among women. A Day 0/ Fate. Though the face of nature was so white, it was not the face of death. There was a sense of move ment and life which was in accord with their own spirits and rapid motion. Snow-birds fluttered and twittered in weedy thickets by the way-side, breakfasting on the seeds that fell like black specks upon the snow. The bright sunlight had lured the fox-squirrels from their moss-lined nests in hollow trees, and their shrill bark was sometimes heard above the chime of the bells. From yest to Earnest. 372 December 7. December 8. 373 December 9, " I struggled vainly and almost hopelessly against my peculiar weaknesses and temptations and sorrows until I heard God saying, ' Come, my child, let us work together. It is my will you should do all you can yourself, and what you can- not do I will do for you.' Since that time I have often had to struggle hard, but never vainly. There have been seasons when my burdens grew so heavy that I was ready to faint ; but after ap- pealing to my heavenly Father, as a little child might cry for help, the crushing weight would pass away, and I became able to go on my way re- lieved and hopeful." K7iight of the Nineteenth Century. "Oh, you are very gentle, very delicate, and you will be misunderstood ; but you have the strongest strength there is — a kind of strength that will carry you through everything, though it cost you dear." Without a Home. December 10. "You have been truth and honesty itself." Without a Home. The touch of her words and manner, if we may so speak, had in it a kindliness and regard for others to which even the most callous respond. Patient self-forgetfulness is the most God-like and the most winning of all the graces. From yest to Earnest. 374 December 9. John Milton. 1608. December 10, William Lloyd Garrison, 1805. 375 December ii. This was my only chance to live beyond the brief hour of my life. If I could only have won for myself a place among the great names that the world will ever honor, I might with more content let the candle of my existence flicker out when it must. Ba7-riers Burned Away. The ever-greens still bent beneath their beauti- ful burdens, some straight cedars reminding one of vigorous age, where snowy hair and beard alone suggest the flight of years. From yest to Earnest, December 12. "It would be a very foolish thing for me to listen to any more of such monstrous flattery. Or perhaps you are satirical and take this roundabout way of telling me that I'm human like yourself." A Face Illumined. "She seems so real and substantial, and yet so intangible. Her defensive armor is perfect, and I cannot get near or touch her unless she permits it. The sincerest compliment glances off. Out of her kindness she helps me and does me good ! She bewitches and sways me by her spells, but I might as well seek to imprison a spirit of the air as to gain any hold upon her. I wonder who or what she was thinking of, that such dreamy, tender smiles should flit across her face ?" Opening a Chestnut Burr. 376 December ii. Berlioz. 1803. December 12. 377 December 13. The most effective sermons, after all, are those which are embodied. The Word of God was a living person — a Divine Man. Near to Nature's Heart. "I tell thee what it is, Richard, I'm one that sticks to my friends through thick and thin." A Day of Fate. December 14. The sun had sunk so low as to fill the forest with a sombre shade ; the happy life that had sported around her was hushed and hidden, and the wind now sighed mournfully through the trees. Gloom and darkening shadows had taken the place of the light and joyousness she first had seen. In the face and voices of nature, as in those of earthly friends, the changes are often so great that we are tempted to ask in dismay, are they — can they be the same ? A Face Illumined. 378 I December 13. Dean Stanley. 181 5. Heinrich Heine. 1799. December 14, 379 December 15. "You have become a genuine woman. The ex- pression of your face has changed, and it has be- come a fine example of the truth, that even beauty- follows the law of living growth — from within out- ward. Higher thoughts, noble principle, and un- selfishness are making their impress. I see the change distinctly, and I feel it still more. You have won my honest respect. A Day of Fate. He was as kind and considerate as possible, but she saw from the old and well-remembered expres- sion of his eyes that he would carry out his own will nevertheless. Knight of the Ni7ieteejith Ceiitu7-y. December t6. You all need the kind, patient, faithful Friend that I found so long ago. No evil, no misfortune can come into any human life that is beyond his power to remedy and finally banish forever. A Face Illumined. His bearing was manly and erect, and marked by a certain quiet dignity which inevitably char- acterizes all who are honestly trying to do right. Knight of the Nineteenth Century. 380 December 15. December 16. Jane Austen. 1775. 381 December 17. A few moments later and we were all under the spell of that exquisite melody which can fitly give expression to the deepest and tenderest feelings and most sacred aspirations of the heart. "If a message is given to me I will not be silent ; if not, it would be presumptuous to speak. But my prayer is that the Spirit whom we worship may speak to thee, and that thou wilt listen." "But kindness and charity are omnipotent." " Yes, if thee turns to Omnipotence for therri." A Day of Fate. December 18. If he had spoken of duty, obligation, of truth in the abstract, his tones would have been like the sound of a wintry wind. But he had spoken of a Friend, as tender, patient, and helpful as he was powerful. What was far more, he spoke with the strong convincing confidence of personal knowl- edge. She seems to have learned the art of making every day of our lives a blessing. A Face Illumined. 382 December 17. Beethoven, 1770. Sir H. Davy. 1778. JoJm G. Whittier, 1807. December 18. C. Wesley. 1708. C. M. von Weber. 1786. 3S3 December 19. "Could God have made a nobler woman ?" The love of God is ever best taught and best understood, not as a doctrine, but when embodied in some large-hearted and Christlike person. Knight of the Nineteenth Century. December 20. ** A man who understands the beauties of a landscape so well that he could make them visible even to my dim eyes." A Face Illumined. Her character had the exquisite beauty and fragrance which belongs to a rare flower to which all the conditions of perfect development have been supplied. Knight of the Nineteenth Century. 384 December 19, December 20, • 385 December 21. "He has exceptional opportunities, and might be the knight-errant of our age. If in earnest, and on the right side, he can forge a weapon out of public opinion that few evils could resist." A Day 0/ Fate. " Your frankness is certainly as transparent as those snow-crystals there." From yest to Earnest. December 22. Not that he was ever rude to any one in any cir- cumstances, but he could politely freeze objection- able persons out of a room as effectually as if he took them by the shoulders and walked them out. There was so much in his surroundings and ante- cedents to sustain his quiet assumption, that the world was learning to say, "By your leave," on all occasions. Knight of the Nineteenth Cetitury. She had inherited her mother's gentleness, she also had her readiness to suffer anything for the sake of one she loved. Near to Nature's Heart. 386 DeCEMBKR 21. Jean Racine. 1639, Disraeli. 1805. December 22. 387 December 23. He managed to keep the even tenor of his way, but it was often as the soldier makes his weary march in the enemy's country, fighting for and holding, step by step, with difficulty. Knight of the Nineteenth Century. " Don't be superstitious and sentimental. The life of a Christian means honest, patient work." A Face Illumined. December 24. He was already winning a place among men on the ground of what he was and could do himself. It were hard to say which were the stronger mo- tive, his ambition or the love of his art. A Face Illujnined. The extraordinary graces of her person were but the reflex of her richly cultivated mind. From yest to Earnest. 388 December 23. R. Arkivrig/it 1732, Champollioti. 1790. December 24. Matthew Arnold. 1822. 3^9 December 25. Christmas comes at the darkest and dreariest season of the year, making short, cold days, and longer, colder nights the holiday season, just as He, whose birth the day commemorates, comes to hu- man hearts in the darkest and coldest hours of des- olation. Even in the great city there were few homes so shadowed by poverty and sorrow that they were not brightened by some indications of the hallowed time. Without a Ho}7ie. We value that gift most which we receive from the friend we value most. From yest to Earnest. December 26. Peace sat serenely on his brow. " She had become true to nature," he thought, ' ' and like nature is full of mysterious changes, for which we know not the cause. At one time it is a sharp north wind, again the south wind. This morning there was a sudden shower of tears, and before it was over the sunlight of smiles flashed through them." Near to Nature's Heart. 390 Decemhf.k 25. I)EcEMni:R 26. T. Gray. 1716, 39^ December 27. He cned unto the Lord .for strength and help, and almost lost consciousness of the service in his earnest prayer for true manhood and courage to go forward. And the answer came ; for a sense of power and readiness to do God's will, and withal a strange hopefulness, inspired him. Barriers Burned Away, She lives near to heaven, and knows its mind. Opening a Chestnut Burr. December 28. 1 would like him for a friend very much. What Can She Do ? " How piquant she is ! I do not fear her quick, flame-like spirit, when it is combined with so much conscience and principle." Opening a Chestnut Burr. 392 December 27. John Kepler. 157 1. December 28. 393 December 29. "You have the courage that a veteran general most values in a soldier. You might be half dead from terror, but you wouldn't run away." A Day of Fate. She did not hold, as many seem to, with the old colored exhorter, that the right method was to " fust make 'em feel drefful bad, and next make 'em feel drefful good, and you've got 'em." To her, no matter what the burden, it was simply lead- ing the heavy laden to the strong Divine Friend as people were brought to Him of old, and establish- ing the personal relations of love, faith, and fol- lowing. Opening a Chestnut Burr. December 30. " In the grand consciousness of right, and in his faithful performance of duty, I believe his face was as serene as the aspect of Mr. Yocomb when he looked at the coming storm. As far as peace is concerned, his heaven began on earth. I envy him." A Day of Fate. Her words proved that she was a thoughtful woman, and could be the intelligent companion of any man. Opening a Chestnut Burr. 394 Decemuer 29. December 30, 395 December 31. I have been in sore temptations and deep dis- couragement. My heart at times has seemed break- ing with sorrow. Mine has been the common lot. But when the storm was loudest and most terrible, His hand was on the helm, and now I am entering the quiet harbor. There has been much that was dark and hard to understand ; there is much still ; but there is plenty to prove that my Heavenly Father is leading me home as a little child. Opening a Chestnut Burr. ?9& December 31. 397 Name. Index to Birthdays. A B Page. Name. Page. Index to Birthdays. C D Name. Page. Name. Page. Index to Birthdays. E F Name. Page. Name. Pace. Index to Birthdays. Q H Name. Page. Name. Page. Index to Birthdays. \ J Name. Page. NaiME. Page. Index to Birthdays. K L Name. Page. Name. Page. Tfidex to Birthdays. M N Name. Page. Name. Page. Index to Birthdays. O P Name. Page. Name. Page. Index to Birthdavs. Namk. Page. Nasie. Page. Index to Birthdays. S T Name. Page. Name. Page. Index to Birthdays. U V Name. Page. Name. Page. Index to Birthdays. W X Name. Page. , Name. Page. Index to Birthdays. Y Z Name. Page Name. Page. fj \J