to our unseen destiny; but to have lived so that one less orphan is called to choose between starvation and infamy, to have lived so that some eyes of those whom Fame shall never know are brightened and others suffused at the name of the beloved one-so that the few who knew him truly shall recognize him as a bright, warın, cheering presence, which was here for a season and left the world no worse for his stay in it-this, surely, is to have really lived and not wholly in vain.-HORACE GREELEY. We Live in Deeds. We live in deeds, not years; in thoughts, not breaths; P. J. BAILEY. "None of Us Liveth Unto Himself." God has written upon the flower that sweetens the air, upon the breeze that rocks the flower on its stem, upon the rain-drops which swell the mighty river, upon the dew-drop that refreshes the smallest sprig of moss that rears its head in the desert, upon the ocean that rocks every swimmer in'its chambers, upon every penciled shell that sleeps in the caverns of the deep, as well as upon the mighty sun which warms and cheers the millions of creatures that live in its light-upon all hath He "None of us liveth unto himself."-JOHN written: TODD. A Well-Spent Life. Oh, happiest he, whose riper years retain "Good Morning" in Another Clime. Life! I know not what thou art, But know that thou and I must part; And when, or how, or where we met, Life! We've been long together, Through pleasant and through cloudy weather; 'Tis hard to part when friends are dear. Perhaps 'twill cost a sigh, a tear. Then steal away; give little warning; Choose thine own time. Say not "Good night," but in some brighter clime Bid me "Good morning.” ANNA L. BARBAULD. The Loom of Life. All day, all night, I can hear the jar Busily, ceaselessly goes the loom In the light of day and the midnight's gloom. And the woof is wound in the warp of fate. Click, clack! Click, clack! There's a thread of love wove in. And another of wrong and sin. What a checkered thing will this life be When we see it unrolled in eternity! Time, with a face like mystery And hands as busy as hands can be, When shall this wonderful web be done? Ah, sad-eyed weaver! The years are slow, But each one is nearer the end, I know; And some day the last thread shall be wove in— God grant it be love instead of sin! Are we spinners of woof for this life-web-say ANONYMOUS. Good Life, Long Life. He liveth long who liveth well. Of true things truly done each day. Then fill each hour with what will last; Sow love, and taste its fruitage pure! Sow peace, and reap its harvest bright! And find a harvest home of light! ? HORATIUS BONAR. What We Live For. What live we for but this? Into the soul to breathe the soul of sweetness; The stunted growth to rear to fair completeness; Drown sneers in smiles, kill hatred with a kiss, And to the sandy waste bequeath the fame That the flowers bloomed behind us whence we came. JOHN STUART BLACKIE. The Tapestry Weavers. Let us take to our hearts a lesson No braver lesson can be From the ways of tapestry weavers, Above their heads the pattern hangs; The while their fingers deftly move They tell this curious thing besides It is only when the weaving stops, That he sees his real handiwork, That his marvelous skill is learned. Oh, the sight of its delicate beauty! |