—­Elizabeth Prentiss.

    What is your life?  For ye are a vapor that appeareth for a little
    time, and then vanisheth away.

    —­James 4. 14.

Loving Father, help me to realize that I am not living in the right way nor the right place if I am discontented, or happy in trifles and untruth.  Help me to find my place, and with thy help may I stand firm and confident.  Amen.

OCTOBER

    The morns are meeker than they were,
      The nuts are getting brown;
    The berry’s cheek is plumper,
      The rose is out of town. 
    The maple wears a gayer scarf,
      The field a scarlet gown;
    Lest I should be old-fashioned,
      I’ll put a trinket on.

    —­Emily Dickinson.

OCTOBER FIRST

Saint John Viscount Bolingbroke born 1678.

Pierre Corneille died 1684.

Rufus Choate born 1799.

    He speaks not well who doth his time deplore,
    Naming it new and a little obscure,
    Ignoble and unfit for lofty deeds. 
    All times were modern in the time of them,
    And this no more than others.  Do thy part
    Here in the living day, as did the great
    Who made old days immortal.

    —­Richard Watson Gilder.

    He who is false to present duty breaks a thread in the loom, and
    will find the flaw when he may have forgotten the cause.

    —­Henry Ward Beecher.

    For use almost can change the stamp of nature,
    And master the devil, or throw him out
    With wondrous potency.

    —­William Shakespeare.

And when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went into his house (now his windows were open in his chamber toward Jerusalem;) and he kneeled upon his knees three times a day, and prayed, and gave thanks before his God, as he did aforetime.

    —­Daniel 6. 10.

Heavenly Father, help me to get away from doubt that leads to despair.  Give me a vision of hope that is stayed on faith.  May I be conscious and appreciative of my privileges while they come to me and make them immortal.  Amen.

OCTOBER SECOND

Aristotle died B.C. 322.

Major John Andre hanged 1780.

William Ellery Channing died 1842.

    I am not earth-born, though I here delay;
      Hope’s child, I summon infiniter powers,
    And laugh to see the mild sunny day
      Smile on the shrunk and thin autumnal hours;
    I laugh, for hope hath a happy place for me—­
    If my bark sinks, ’tis to another sea.

    —­William E. Channing.

    The stars shall fade away, the sun himself
    Grow dim with age, and Nature sink in years;
    But thou shall flourish in immortal youth,
    Unhurt amidst the war of elements,
    The wreck of matter and the crush of worlds.