ENCOURAGEMENT

I hold him dearest who aspires
To kindle in my heart the fires
Of best desires.

I hold the man of all most dear
Who, when I stumble, draweth near
With words of cheer.

I hold that man of best interests
Who giveth me not paltry pence,
But confidence.

For there are men who quick caress
Will give to laurel-crowned success -
To nothing less.

But, oh, how dearer far are they
Who help me on the upward way
When skies are gray.

If so it be that I attain
The mountain peak, and leave the plain
And paths of pain,
My prayers shall first be upward sent
For those dear frieds of mine who lent
Encouragement.
(Douglas Malloch)

SEE IT THROUGH

When you're up against a trouble,
Meet it squarely, face to face;
Lift your chin and set your shoulders,
Plant your feet and take a brace.
When it's vain to try to dodge it,
Do the best that you can do;
You may fail, but you may conquer,
See it through.

Black may be the clouds about you
And your future may seem grim,
But don't let your nerve desert you;
Keep yourself in fighting trim.
If the worst is bound to happen,
Spite of all that you can do,
Running from it will not save you,
See it through.

Even hope may seem but futile,
When with troubles you're beset,
But remember you are facing
Just what other men have met.
You may fail, but fall still fighting;
Don't give up, whate'er you do;
Eyes front, head high to the finish.
See it through.
(Edgar A. Guest)

TEAM WORK

It's all very well to have courage and skill

And it's fine to be counted a star,

But the very single deed with its touch of thrill

Doesn't tell the man you are;

For there's no lone hand in the game we play,

We must world to a bigger scheme,

And the thing that counts in the world to-day

Is, How do you pull with the team?

They may sound your praise and call you great,

They may single you out for fame,

But you must work with your running mate

Or you'll never win the game;

Oh, never the work of life is done

By the man with the selfish dream,

For the battle is lost or the battle is won

By the spirit of the team.

You may think it fine to be praised for skill,

But a greater thing to do

Is to set your mind and set your will

On the goal that's just in view;

It's helping your fellowman to score

When his chances hopeless seem;

Its forgetting self till the game is o'er

And fighting for the team.

(Edgar A. Guest)

AT THE DOOR

Children are at the door.
Shall I let them in?
If I let them in, I can do no more
The work I love;
If I bid them go, I then can work no more
For thinking that I should have let them in
And worked no more.

Duty is at the door.
Shall I let her in?
If I let her in, my life must change
Its course;
If I bid her go, my life will change itself
For thinking that I should have let her in
And followed her.

Love is at the door.
Shall I let him in?
If I let him in, my heart's content may cease;
If I bid him go, I may weep bitter tears
For thinking that I should have to let him in
To wound me
With an arrow from his sheath.
(Lillie Fuller Merriam)

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO YOU

There's a sweet old story translated for men,
But writ in the long, long ago -
The gospel according to Mark, Luke, Matthew
And John -
Of Christ and His mission below.
You are writing a gospel, a chapter each day,
By deeds that you do, by words that you say.
Men read what you write, whether faithless or true.
Say, what is the gospel according to you?

"Tis a wonderful story, the gospel of love,
As it shines in the Christ-life divine,
And oh, that its truth might be told again
In the story of your life and mine!

Unselfish mirrors in every scene,
Love blossoms on every sod,
And back from its vision the heart comes to tell
The wonderful goodness of God.

You are writing each day a letter to men;
Take care that the writing is true.
"Tis the only gospel some men will read,
That gospel according to you.

LINES FOR DOUBTERS

I write these lines for doubting men:
Of self-timidity beware.
One never knows the moment when
A flash of pluck will banish care.
Hold fast and give no heed to fear;
Battle the stream until you sink;
Failure is never quite near
As frightened people seem to think.

If now disaster sweeps away
The little grain you thought to hold,
While still in health and strength you stay
Your history's only partly told
There still are left new goals to gain;
'Tis only those who cease to strive
For whom no future hopes remain.
Don't die while you are yet alive.

Grieve if you must a little while
O'er what has happened, but return
Head high and brave and with a smile
The lesson of your loss to learn
Forget the past and face today
With courage and with mind alert.
Who comes a victor from the fray
Remembers not that he was hurt.

Before you lies another year
And somewhere is your chance to win.
(Edgar A. Guest)

FAITH

The strength of a man is the faith he holds
And the courage that this faith gives;
It makes him true to himself, and moulds
The shape of the life he lives.
It keeps him steadfast and of good cheer,
And the road of his life is straight.
He moves with a splendid lack of fear,
As he laughs at the stings of fate.

He faces the future with calm clear eyes
And a purpose that naught can dim.
It seems that the distant starlit skies
Are near to the heart of him.
Though the rest be blind, yet he can see
By a faith that can never fail,
And patience will his watch word be
To the end of his earthly trail.

He fills his mission and will not swerve
Though a legion bar the way
He marches on, and will take no curve
Just because of what others say.
So give me that man whose faith declines
To be hostage to any fears.
For he sees that a radiant beauty shines
Down the slope of the changing years.
(Lyda Smathers Holtzclaw)

LIVING

If through the years we're not to do
Much finer deed than we have done;
If we must merely wander through
Time's garden, idling in the sun;
If there is nothing big ahead,
Why do we fear to join the dead?

Unless to-morrow means that we
Shall do some needed service here;
That tasks are waiting you and me
That will be lost, save we appear;
Then why this dreadful thought of sorrow
That we may never see to-morrow?

If all our finest deeds are done,
And all our splendor's in the past;
It there's no battle to be won,
What matter if to-day's our last?
Is life so sweet that we would live
Though nothing back to life we give?

It is not greatness to have clung
To life through eighty fruitless years;
The man who dies in action, young,
Deserves our praises and our cheers,
Who ventures all for one great deed
And gives his life to serve life's need.
(Edgar A. Guest)

AN INSPIRATION

However the battle is ended,
Though proudly the victor comes
With fluttering flags and prancing nags
And echoing roll of drums,
Still truth proclaims this motto,
In letters of living light -
No question is ever settled,
Until it is settle right.

Though the heel of the strong oppressor
May grind the weak to dust,
And the voices of fame with one acclaim
May call him great and just,
Let those who applaud take warning,
And keep this motto in sight, -
No question is even settled
Until it is settled right.

Let those who have failed take courage;
Tho' the enemy seems to have won,
Tho' his ranks are strong, if he be in the
wrong
The battle is not yet done;
For, as sure as the morning follows
The darkest hour of the night,
No question is even settled
Until it is settled right.

O man bowed down with labor!
O woman, young, yet old!
O heart oppressed in the toiler's breast
And crushed by the power of gold!
Keep on with your weary battle
Against triumphant might;
No question is even settled
Until it is settled right.
(Ella Wheeler Wilcox)

BETTER THAN GOLD

Better than grandeur, better than gold,
Than rank and titles a thousand fold,
Is a healthy body and a mind at ease,
And simple pleasures that always please.
A heart that can feel for another's woe,
And share his joys with a genial glow;
With sympathies large enough to enfold
All men as brothers, is better than gold.

Better than gold is a conscience clear,
Though toiling for bread in a humble sphere,
Doubly blessed with content and health,
Untried by the lusts and cares of wealth,
Lowly living and lofty thought
Adorn and ennoble a poor man's cot;
For mind and morals in nature's plan
Are the genuine tests of an earnest man.

Better than gold is a peaceful home
Where all the fireside characters come,
The shrine of love, the heaven of life,
Hollowed by mother, or sister, or wife.
However humble the home may be,
Or tried with sorrow by heaven's decree,
The blessings that never were bought or sold,
And center here, are better than gold.
(Abram Joseph Ryan)

THE MOST VITAL THING

When you feel like saying something
That you know you will regret,
Or keenly feel an insult
Not quite easy to forget,
That's the time to curb resentment
And maintain a mental peace,
For when your mind is tranquil
All your ill-thoughts simply cease.

It is easy to be angry
When defrauded or defied,
To be peeved and disappointed
If your wishes are denied;
But to win a worthwhile battle
Over selfishness and spite,
You must learn to keep strict silence
Tough you know you're in the right.

So keep your mental balance
When confronted by a foe,
Be it enemy in ambush,
Or some danger that you know.
If you are poised and tranquil
When all around is strife,
Be assured that you have mastered
The most vital thing in life.
(Grenville Kleiser)

SPEAK GENTLY

Speak gently; it is better far
To rule by love than fear
Speak gently; let no harsh word mar
The good we may do here.

Speak gently to the little child;
Its love be sure to gain;
Teach it in accents soft and mild;
It may not long remain.

Speak gently to the young; for they
Will have enough to bear;
Pass through this life as best they may,
"tis full of anxious care.

Speak gently to the aged one.
Grieve not the careworn heart;
Whose sands of life are nearly run,
Let such in peace depart.

Speak gently, kindly to the poor,
Let no harsh tone be heard;
They have enough they must endure,
Without an unkind word.

Speak gently to the erring; know
They must have toiled in vain;
Perchance unkindness made them so;
Oh, win them back again.

Speak gently; Love doth whisper low
The hearts that true hearts bind.
And gently Friendship's accents flow;
Affection's voice is kind.

Speak gently; 'tis a little thing
Dropped in the heart's deep well;
The good, the joy that it may bring
Eternity shall tell.
(G. W. Langford)

THE POWER OF LITTLE THINGS


The memory of kindly word
For long gone by,
The fragrance of a fading flower
Sent lovingly,
The gleaming of a sudden smile
Or sudden tear,
The warm pressure of the hand,
The tone of cheer.
The note that only bears a verse
From God's own Word: -
Such tiny things we hardly count
As ministry,
The givers deeming they have shown
Scant sympathy;
But when the heart is overwrought,
Oh, who can tell
The power of such tiny things
To make it well!
(Francis Ridley Havergal)

ON FILE

If an unkind word appears,
File the thing away.
If some novelty it jeers,
File the thing away.
If some clever little bit
Of a sharp and pointed wit,
Carrying a sting with it -
File the thing away.

If some bit of gossip come,
File the thing away
Scandalously spicy crumb,
File the thing away.
If suspicion comes to you
That your neighbor isn't true
Let me tell you what to do -
File the thing away.

Do this for a little while,
Then go out and burn the file.
(John Kendrick Bangs)

TAKE TIME TO LIVE

Take time to live;
The world has much to give,
Of faith and hope and love:
Of faith that life is good,
That human brotherhood
Shall no illusion prove;
Of hope that future years
Shall bring the best, in spite
Of those whose darkened sight
Would stir our doubts and fears;
Of love, that makes of life,
With all its griefs, a song;
A friend, of conquered wrong;
A symphony, of strife.
Take time to live,
Nor to vain mammon give
Your fruitful years.

Take time to live;
The world has much to give
Of sweet content; of joy
At duty bravely done;
Of hope, that every sun
Shall bring more fair employ.
Take time to live,
For life has much to give
Despite the cynic's sneer
That all's forever wrong;
There[s much that calls for song.
To fate lend not your ear.
Take time to live;
The world has much to give.
(Thomas Curtis Clark)

THE TONE OF VOICE

It's not so much what you say
As the manner in which you say it;
It's not so much the language you use
As the tone in whihc you convey it;
"Come here!" I sharply said,
And the child cowered and wept.
"Come here," I said -
He looked and smiled
And straight to my lap he crept.
Words may be mild and fair
And the tone may pierce like a dart;
Words may be soft as the summer air
But the tone may break my heart;
For words come from the mind
Grow by study and art -
But tone leaps from the inner self
Revealing the state of the heart.
Whether you know it or not,
Whether you mean or care ,
Gentleness, kindness, love and hate,
Envy, anger, are there.
Then, would you quarrels avoid
And peace and love rejoice?
Keep anger not only out of your words -
Keep it out of your voice.

A GREATER PLAN

There is a plan far greater than the plan you know;

There is a landscape broader than the one you see;

There is a heaven where storm-tossed souls may go.

You call it death - we, immortality!

You call it death, this seeming endless sleep.

We call it birth, the soul at last set free.

'Tis hampered not by time or space - you weep.

Why weep at death? 'Tis immortality!

Farewell, dear voyageur; 'twill not be long.

You work is done - now may peace rest with thee.

Your kindly thoughts and deeds, they will live on.

This is not death - 'Tis immortality!

Farewell, dear voyageur. The river winds and turns.

The cadence of your song wafts near me.

And now you know the thing that all men learn:

There is no death - there's immortality!

GUESTS OF GOD

From the dust of the weary highway,

From the smart of sorrow's rod,

Into the royal presence,

They are bidden as guests of God.

The veil from their eyes is taken,

Sweet mysteries they are shown,

Their doubts and fears are over,

For they know as they are known.

For them there should be rejoicing

For them, the festal array,

As for the bride in her beauty

Whom, love hath taken away;

Sweet hours of peaceful waiting,

Till the path that we have trod

Shall end at the Father's gateway,

And we are the guests of God.

(Anonymous)