That’s the wise thrush;
    He sings each song twice over,
    Lest you should think he never could recapture
    The first fine careless rapture!

    —­Robert Browning.

    And these things we write, that our joy may be made full.

    —­1 John 1. 4.

Lord God, help me to keep the things under my feet that are inclined to destroy happiness.  Show me clearly the line which divides right and wrong, that I may not fear the censure of the world.  Help me to act with good judgment and be calm in obeying thy laws.  Amen.

AUGUST TWENTY-SECOND

John B. Gough born 1817.

Warren Hastings died 1818.

G. W. De Long born 1844.

    I never saw a moor,
      I never saw the sea;
    Yet know I how a heather looks
      And what a wave must be.

    I never spoke with God,
      Nor visited in heaven;
    Yet certain am I of the spot
      As if the chart were given.

    —­Emily Dickinson.

    I don’t want to possess a faith; I want a faith which will possess
    me.

    —­Charles Kingsley.

    Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, saith Jehovah of
    hosts.

    —­Zechariah 4. 6.

My Father, may there be no room in my soul for doubt.  Help me to be cautious and careful that my own neglect and carelessness may not cause the loss of my faith.  May I be trustful as I look for the great light that guides me over the uncertain way.  Amen.

AUGUST TWENTY-THIRD

Rowland Hill born 1744.

Louis XVI born 1754.

William E. Henley born 1849.

    Out of the night that covers me,
      Black as the Pit from pole to pole,
    I thank whatever gods may be
      For my unconquerable soul.

    It matters not how strait the gate,
      How charged with punishments the scroll,
    I am master of my fate,
      I am the captain of my soul.

    —­W.  E. Henley.

    A man who has borne himself honorably through a whole life makes an
    action honorable which might appear ambiguous in others.

    —­Goethe.

    Wherefore, my beloved brethren, be ye steadfast, unmovable.

    —­1 Corinthians 15. 58.

Father of mercy, I beseech thee to protect me in my endeavors as I try to live my ideals.  May I not choose unnecessary burdens, and when I most need to be strong find that I have lived in that which has weakened my life.  I ask for a clear mind and a strong heart that I may be “Captain of my soul.”  Amen.

AUGUST TWENTY-FOURTH

William Wilberforce born 1759.

William Thomas Moncrieff born 1794.