Part 82

"We live not in our moments or our years-- The Present we fling from us like the rind Of some sweet Future, which we after find Bitter to taste, or bind that in with fears, And water it beforehand with our tears-- Vain tears for that which never may arrive: Meanwhile the joy whereby we ought to live, Neglected or unheeded, disappears. Wiser it were to welcome and make ours Whate'er of good, tho' small, the present brings-- Kind greetings, sunshine, song of birds, and flowers, With a child's pure delight in little things; And of the griefs unborn to rest secure, Knowing that mercy ever will endure."

Archbishop TRENCH.

"The secret of the joy of living is the proper appreciation of what we actually possess."

Causes of Thankfulness

NOVEMBER 20

"I sleep, I eat and drink, I read and meditate, I walk in my neighbour's pleasant fields, and see the varieties of natural beauties, and delight in all that in which God delights--that is, in virtue and wisdom, in the whole creation, and in God Himself. And he that hath so many causes of joy, and so great, is very much in love with sorrow and peevishness, who loses all these pleasures, and chooses to sit down upon his little handful of thorns."

JEREMY TAYLOR.

"Where much is given, much shall be required. There are never privileges to enjoy without corresponding duties to fulfil in return."

PHILLIPS BROOKS.

"Thou that hast given so much to me, Give one thing more--a grateful heart."

GEORGE HERBERT.

Causes of Thankfulness

NOVEMBER 21

ON LEAVING A HOME FOR INCURABLES

"It didn't seem much to be able to walk away, to look back, to remember what we had seen; and yet how is it that we are not on our knees in gratitude and thankfulness for every active motion of the body, every word we speak, every intelligent experience and interest that passes through our minds?"

Miss THACKERAY.

"Nothing raises the price of a blessing like its removal; whereas, it was its continuance which should have taught us its value."

HANNAH MORE.

"O God, animate us to cheerfulness! May we have a joyful sense of our blessings, learn to look on the bright circumstances of our lot, and maintain a perpetual contentedness."

CHANNING.

Grumbling

NOVEMBER 22

"His eyes were bright with intelligence and trained powers of observation; and they were beautiful with kindliness, and with the well-bred habit of giving complete attention to other people and their affairs when he talked with them. He had a rare smile ... but the real beauty of such mouths as his comes from the lips being restrained into firm and sensitive lines, through years of self-control and fine sympathies.... Under-bred and ill-educated women are, as a general rule, much less good-looking than well-bred and highly-educated ones, especially in middle life; not because good features and pretty complexions belong to one class more than to another, but because nicer personal habits and stricter discipline of the mind do.... And if, into the bargain, a woman has nothing to talk about but her own and her neighbour's everyday affairs, and nothing to think about to keep her from continually talking, life, my dear child, is so full of little rubs, that constant chatter of this kind must almost certainly be constant grumbling. And constant grumbling makes an ugly under-lip, a forehead wrinkled with frowning, and dull eyes that see nothing but grievances."

A Bad Habit, Mrs. EWING.

Grumbling

NOVEMBER 23

"Cultivate the habit of never putting disagreeables into words, even if it be only the weather which is in question; also of never drawing other people's attention to words or things which will irritate them."

LUCY SOULSBY.