pq HE CHEERY A BIT OF VERSE FOR EVERY DAY JOHN KENDRICK BANGS i\ THE CHEERY WAY The Cheery Way A Bit of Verse For Every Day By JOHN KENDRICK BANGS Author of "A House-Boat on the Styx" "The Pursuit of the House-Boat" etc. Decorations by J. R. FLANAGAN Harper fc? Brothers Publishers New York and London pi BOOKS BY JOHN KENDRICK BANGS THE CHEERY WAY THE BICYCLERS THE CHAFING-DISH PARTY COFFEE AND REPARTEE A DRAMATIC EVENING DREAMERS THE ENCHANTED TYPEWRITER THE FATAL MESSAGE THE HOUSE-BOAT ON THE STYX THE GENIAL IDIOT JACK AND THE CHECK-BOOK MR. BONAPARTE OF CORSICA OVER THE PLUM PUDDING A PROPOSAL UNDER DIFFICULTIES THE PURSUIT OF THE HOUSE-BOAT THE REAL THING THREE WEEKS IN POLITICS THE WORSTED MAN YOUNG FOLKS' MINSTRELS HARPER & BROTHERS, NEW YORK [ESTABLISHED 1817] THE CHEERV WAY Copyright, 1919, by Harper & Brothers Printed in the United States of America ^r*- CONTENTS THE NEW-BORN YEAR .... January First WATCH OUT! January Second THRO' THE DEPTHS January Third LTTCK AND PLUCK January Fourth PERSISTENCE January Fifth "VAIN January Sixth LOVE'S BLINDNESS January Seventh IMMUNE January Eighth THE STARS January Ninth THE SOURCE January Tenth THE EVER-YOUNG January Eleventh THE FURNISHINGS January Twelfth COMPENSATION January Thirteenth THE GUEST January Fourteenth POSSESSION FIRST January Fifteenth WINTER ROSES January Sixteenth A MATTER OF TASTE . . . January Seventeenth RADIATION January Eighteenth RICH AND POOR January Nineteenth THE PASSWORD January Twentieth THE GOSSIPER January Twenty-first MY PRAYER January Twenty-second EXPOSED January Twenty-third SHIPMATES January Ticenty-forth THE BLUES January Twenty-fifth GOOD AND EVIL .... January Twenty-sixth THE BORROWERS .... January Twenty-seventh THE RICH MAN .... January Twenty-eighth CHEER UP! January Twenty-ninth LIGHT AND SHADOW .... January Thirtieth THE TREASURE-CHEST . . . January Thirty-first THE DESIGN February First POSSESSIONS February Second A HINT February Third THE PLAN February Fourth THE SURE SUN February Fifth WANTED February Sixth EXCHANGES February Seventh To FEBRUARY February Eighth THE HEART op YOUTH .... February Ninth CONTENTS MY WORK PROFIT-SHARING . LINCOLN THE LONELY HEIGHTS A PROTEST TRANSFORMATION . . . . APPRECIATION MR. JOY AN ABSURDITY . THE UNFATHOMABLE . THE LADDER AND THE LIGHT GARNERED SWEETS WASHINGTON An EXPLANATION . A NEW BEGINNING A GOODLY GIFT THE SELF-MADE MAN DON'T WORRY ... THE EDIFICE THE DAY .... MARCH DEFIANCE .... THE DWELLING-PLACE MINE ENEMY . PARTNERS .... WEEDLESS .... IN PROPORTION A CHEERFUL INSTITUTION A LONG QUEST A MARCH DAY MY FACE .... MODELING .... A GOOD INVESTMENT . PROFIT . February Tenth February Eleventh February Twelfth . February Thirteenth . February Fourteenth February Fifteenth . February Sixteenth . February Seventeenth . February Eighteenth . February Nineteenth . February Twentieth February Twenty-first . February Twenty-second . February Twenty-third . February Twenty-fourth February Twenty-fifth . February Twenty-sixth February Twenty-seventh . February Twenty-eighth . February Twenty-ninth . March First . March Second . March Third March Fourth . March Fifth . March Sixth March Seventh . March Eighth . March Ninth . March Tenth . March Eleventh . . . March Twelfth March Thirteenth March Fourteenth UNREAL TROUBLES March Fifteenth FILL IT March Sixteenth FLOWERS March Seventeenth CONTENTED March Eighteenth REDEMPTION March Nineteenth COMFORT March Twentieth MELLOWING March Twenty-first No TRIBUTE March Twenty-second ALL IN ONE March Twenty-third CONCEALED TREASURE . . March Twenty-fourth A CALL March Twenty-fifth SAFETY March Twenty-sixth EVIDENCES March Twenty-seventh CONTENTS THE WISE FOOL March Twenty-eighth VALUES March Twenty-ninth Two RAILS March Thirticth THE SEQUENCE March Thirty-first 4PML,, April First HOLD FAST April Rccond A PREFERENCE Aprii Third THE FLOWER April Fourfh KEY-NOTES AprU Fifth CHANGED AMBITION April 8ixth IN HOURS OF GRIEF 'April Seventh THE GIFTS OF SPRING April Eighth THE PAST April Ninth ORIGINS April Tenth A WELCOME VISITOR April Eleventh ALWAYS AT HOME April Twelfth THE GIFT April Thirteenth THE SHIP April Fourteenth A PLEASANT THREAT April Fifteenth ALONGSIDE April Sixteenth A REALIZATION April Seventeenth STRENGTH April Eighteenth THE VERDICT April Nineteenth PICTURES April Twentieth BAD COMPANY April Twenty-first HOPE AprU, Twenty-second STRENGTHENING April Twenty-third ASPIRATION April Twenty-fourth THE HARVEST April Twenty-fifth TOLERANCE April Twenty-sixth MUNITIONS April Twenty-seventh SOURCES April Twenty-eighth A WISH April Twenty-ninth IMMORTAL! April Thirticth A MAY-DAY WHIM May First THE SEED May Second THE TREASURY May Third THE SINGING BREEZE May Fourth A TOAST TO EARTH May Fifth THE POINT OF VIEW May Sixth THE LITTLE BIRD May Seventh To HAPPYLAND May Eighth THE END AND THE BEGINNING . . . May Ninth PAGES OF LIFE May Tenth THE SINGING WAY May Eleventh THE LAUGHING SONG May Twelfth HOPES RESTORED May Thirteenth CONTENTS PROMISES May Fourteenth IMMUNE May Fifteenth THE DAILY BOOK May Sixteenth WIRELESS May Seventeenth THE MIRTH-CURE May Eighteenth A RESOLVE May Nineteenth UNDERSTUDIES May Twentieth To THE ROSE May Twenty-first IN PLAIN SIGHT May Twenty-second THE THIEF May Twenty-third THE HOMEWARD WAY . . . May Twenty-fourth THE LINK May Twenty-fifth YOUR SHARE May Twenty-sixth VISIONS May Twenty-seventh A RESOLVE May Twenty-eighth STUMBLING May Twenty-ninth MEMORIAL DAY May Thirtieth THE VICTOR May Thirty-first THE MESSENGER June First A FAIR IDEA June Second JUDGMENT June Third THE PROOF June Fourth ELATION June Fifth BLESSINGS TWAIN June Sixth A GOOD END June Seventh FISHIN' June Eighth MY FAITH June Ninth THE HATE THAT STEALS .... June Tenth FRIENDLY OFFERINGS June Eleventh A FREQUENT CURE June Twelfth THE POET June Thirteenth SPREAD IT June Fourteenth FORTUNE June Fifteenth THE DAILY WORD June Sixteenth THE TREE June Seventeenth OAK OR LILY June Eighteenth SIGH NOT June Nineteenth A GOODLY CHOICE June Twentieth THE DAY June Twenty-first THE TRIPLE HOLD .... June Twenty-second SHEER WASTE June Twenty-third ACHIEVEMENT June Twenty-fourth THE CLIMBER June Twenty-fifth THE OLD AND THE NEW . . . June Twenty-sixth THE BURDEN-BEARER . . . June Twenty-seventh EVER YOUNG June Twenty-eighth SAFETY-DEPOSIT VAULTS . . . June Twenty-ninth CONTENTS JULY .... FREEDOM WILL . . THE EXCESS THE TEST . . INSURANCE A PLEASANT GAME THE POINT OF VIEW THE ACCOUNTING July Second July Third July Fourth . July Fifth . July Sixth July Seventh July Eighth July Ninth July Tenth "•-— " July Eleventh INDEPENDENCE july Twelfth SATISFACTION Juiy Thirteenth OUT OF THE STORM July Fourteenth IHE IMMORTAL THING .... July Fifteenth A RESOLUTION Juiy Sixteenth AGE-PROOF July Seventeenth IN AND OUT July Eighteenth LlFE July Nineteenth THE THOUGHT-GARDEN .... July Twentieth THE CALL July Twenty-first THE OPEN ROAD July Twenty-second THE WORLD July Twenty-third EXTERNALS July Twenty-fourth THE BUILDER July Twenty-fifth SELF-APPROVAL July Twenty-sixth THE QUESTION July Twenty-seventh LOOK UP! July Twenty-eighth As TO QUESTIONS July Twenty-ninth IMPERISHABLE July Thirtieth WILLING TARGETS .... July Thirty-first AUGUST August First A LIBRARY OF DAYS August Second RATIONS August Third As TO NIGHTMARES August Fourth BROTHERS ALL August Fifth A SHORT CUT August Sixth WORTH WTHILE August Seventh A PARALLEL August Eighth ODDS AND ENDS August Ninth DEMAND AND SUPPLY August Tenth THE FAULT August Eleventh ETERNAL YOUTH August Twelfth FORTUNE August Thirteenth LOCKED IN August Fourteenth MIST ... August Fifteenth CONTENTS A FOOLISH PLAINT August Sixteenth GOOD-WILL August Seventeenth YIELD NOT August Eighteenth VAULTING AMBITION .... August Nineteenth SAILING August Twentieth IDLE August Twenty-first JOY o' LIVING August Twenty-second REACTIONS OF RHYME . . . August Twenty-third As TO CLAY August Twenty-fourth DEATHLESS August Twenty-fifth A DIVISION August Twenty-sixth WEATHER-PROOF .... August Twenty-seventh YESTERDAY, TO-DAY, AND TO-MORROW August Twenty-eighth MOLDING August Twenty-ninth THE BEE August Thirtieth SUMMER PASSES August Thirty-first SEPTEMBER FIRST September First SWIM OUT September Second THE DOCTOR September Third SUSPICIOUS September Fourth GHOSTS September Fifth THE RIVER September Sixth THE PHCENIX September Seventh A SUGGESTION September Eighth MY LOVES September Ninth As TO CERTAIN DOSES .... September Tenth THE WISE SPENDTHRIFT . . . September Eleventh THE INGREDIENTS September Twelfth THE WINNER September Thirteenth THE SAILOR September Fourteenth THE JOY OF BEING .... September Fifteenth FREE GIFTS . .... September Sixteenth THE STANDARD OF MEASUREMENT September Seventeenth MOTORS September Eighteenth A PLEASANT NOTION . . . September Nineteenth SOUL-SCULPTURE September Twentieth OVERLOOKED September Twenty-first TOLERANCE September Twenty-second KNOTS September Twenty-third As TO ENEMIES . . . September Twenty-fourth GOOD SAILING September Twenty-fifth A DREAM? September Twenty-sixth FOOLS AND SAGES . . . September Twenty-seventh WHAT'S YOUR HURRY? . . September Twenty-eighth TELLING TIME September Twenty-ninth ALL THE SAME September Thirtieth CONTENTS ?CT0^ER ......... October First obeT r> ...... October 1 hird R°AD ........ October Fourth COMPANY ....... October Fifth GREETINGS ......... October g^ F. REITION ........ October Seventh A ROBBERY ....... October Eim OAK OR ACORN ....... Octobcr Ninth TSTED ......... October Tenth THE BLIND MAN ...... October Twelfth ALTERNATIONS ...... October Thirteenth IHE BEST AVAILABLE . . . October Fourteenth THE PAINTER ....... Octobcr Fifteenth THE REAL GENIUS ..... October Sixteenth THE OLD THINGS .... October Seventeenth A USEFUL WHIM ..... October Eighteenth WAITING ....... October Nineteenth FRIEND AND ENEMY .... October Twentieth PRACTICE ....... October Twenty-first A RECEIPT ...... October Twenty-second POISON ....... October Twenty-third AN EPITAPH ..... October Twenty-fourth THE UNIVERSAL LANGUAGE . . October Twenty-fifth MY SONG ...... Octobcr Twenty-sixth A REFLECTION ..... October Twenty-seventh THE GAMBLER ..... October Twenty-eighth THE GIFT OF TIME . . . October Twenty-ninth GOOD TRAINING ...... October Thirtieth AN IMPROVEMENT ..... October Thirty-first GLAD NOVEMBER ...... November First THE SMALL POTATO .... November Second TRANSFERRED ROSES ..... November Third LANDS OF PROMISE .... November Fourth THE EXPLORER ...... November Fifth THE WHIMSICAL PHILOSOPHER . . November Sixth CO-OPERATION ...... November Seventh MORNING, NOON, AND NIGHT . . November Eighth UNIMPAIRED ....... November Ninth To THE UNKNOWN FRIEND . . . November Tenth THORNS AND ROSES .... November Eleventh THE SCHOOL OF LIFE . . . November Twelfth UP ........ November Thirteenth THE BETTER PLAN . . . November Fourteenth MOTHER EARTH ..... November Fifteenth IMAGINARY TROUBLE .... November Sixteenth CONTENTS A REVERSIBLE HEART . . November Seventeenth HEAD AND HEART . . . November Eighteenth IN DEFEAT November Nineteenth THE TRUER JOY .... November Twentieth THE SYMBOL November Twenty-first OUT OF THE DEPTHS . . November Twenty-second, THE DAILY HARVEST . . November Twenty-third THE JOY OF HOPING . . November Twenty-fourth PUZZLES November Twenty-fifth THANKSGIVING .... November Twenty-sixth ACTION November Twenty-seventh A PREFERENCE . . . November Twenty-eighth THE WISDOM OF THE MOTH November Twenty-ninth THE THING THAT COUNTS . . November Thirtieth THE ICY ROAD December First MIRRORS December Second THE HUMOROUS PHILOSOPHER . . December Third ALLIES December Fourth OUT OF THE MURK December Fifth THE CUP December Sixth AT SUNSET December Seventh THE WILLING WILL December Eighth A WAR IMPRESSION December Ninth EARNINGS December Tenth THE WEATHER-MAKER . . . December Eleventh A QUERY December Twelfth A RESOLVE December Thirteenth THE OVERBURDENED . . . December Fourteenth THE DANCE December Fifteenth THE THIEF December Sixteenth CLEARING THE WAY . . . December Seventeenth IN THE WTOODS .... December Eighteenth SANCTUARY December Nineteenth As TO HEAVEN December Twentieth SPACE AND TIME .... December Twenty-first STAR-LED December Twenty-second MY GIFT December Twenty-third THE CHRISTMAS SPIRIT . . December Twenty-fourth SANTA CLAUS December Twenty-fifth THE AFTERMATH .... December Twenty-sixth Now AND HERE .... December Twenty-seventh PLEASANT THINKING . . . December Twenty-eighth IF, BUT, AND WHY . . . December Twenty-ninth THE REFUGE December Thirtieth A PARTING GIFT .... December Thirty-first THE NEW-BORN YEAR now a smiling New-Born Year To fill to-day with goodly cheer — An infant hale and lusty. Upon our door-sill he is left By Daddy Time, of clothes bereft Despite the season gusty. If he be Churl or doughty Knight, A Son of Darkness or of Light No man can tell, God bless him! But be he base or glorious Time puts it wholly up to us To dress him! January First WATCH OUT! T OOK on the lovely things of life And gain Relief from ugliness, and strife, And pain, Forgetting not that things of stress Are there, And need your constant watchfulness And care. January Second THRO' THE DEPTHS /^\VERHEAD the winds are sweeping, ^>^ Underneath the fields are sleeping. Overhead the ice is gleaming, Underneath the rills are dreaming. Overhead the clouds are piling, But beyond the skies are smiling. Overhead the snow is falling, Yet I hear soft voices calling To my soul, thro' winter groping, Bidding me to keep on hoping, For that thro' such chill as this is, Thro' the arctical abysses, Nature leads her sons and daughters On to springtime's sunny waters. January Third LUCK AND PLUCK Luck and Pluck Lies but a letter — Right good is Luck, But Pluck is better. For Luck you sit And wait his wooing, But Pluck means Grit, And Something Doing. January Fourth PERSISTENCE A STURDY soul was that one who, By Fortune sadly tricked, Deep in the mesh of woe and rue Went smiling on and never knew Or guessed that he'd been licked: And, knowing not his evil fate, Just grinned when Fortune slammed the gate, And fearless of all slip or fall Won out by climbing o'er the wall! January Fifth VAIN VK7HEN coming face to face With sordid things and base, With trouble and with care, 'Twere vain to say In careless way That they're not really there. Yet it were vainer still To judge the whole world ill Because of sordid woes — The mire of earth Destroys nor worth Nor glory of the Rose! January Sixth LOVE'S BLINDNESS f OVE'S not so blind as he's supposed to be. There's precious little that he cannot see, And all his vaunted and much-talked-of blindness Is nothing more than his eternal Kindness. He sees our faults, nor fails to recognize them The very minute that his optic spies them; But being Love, he neither notes nor books them— He takes them as they are, and overlooks them. January Seventh IMMUNE HPHE weather? What's weather to me? 'Tis little I care for the rain, The turbulent wrath of the sea, Or tempests that beat on the pane. Right little care I for the storm With all of its roaring and din — My heart and my spirit are warm With sunshine I carry within. January Eighth THE STARS VKTHENCE come the stars, and where they go I must confess I do not know, And what is more I do not care — 'Tis quite enough to know they're there Like friendly spirits in the sky^ That smile and wink a merry eye On you and me, and with their gleam Make all the world more genial seem. January Ninth THE SOURCE TF there is not some Fount of Love Somewhere in this great Universe, Whence comes the joyous treasure-trove, As from some boundless open purse, That fills the heart of man with peace, And mitigates the sting of woe, And sends him smiling o'er life's seas Whatever adverse winds may blow? January Tenth THE EVER-YOUNG OINCE 1 have learned the fact so true That with each day I'm born anew, And with each dawn a day of cheer Begins another, fresher, year, I've felt as young as any boy \Yho greets the sunny hours with joy, And plod my path with youthful zest, And wait the end with interest. January Eleventh THE FURNISHINGS dwell within ourselves, and that is why 'Tis well that inner Self to beautify; To furnish it with kindly thoughts, and strive To keep the soul of Fellowship alive; To sweep out ugliness, and place Where'er we can such articles of grace That when we sit within our eyes will find On every side things of a cheery kind. January Twelfth COMPENSATION TUST as I know *^ When gripped by ice and snow Off to the south 'mid sunny hours Bloom lovely flowers, So in the cares that do beset There comes to ease days of regret The knowledge sure that in my pain Somehow, somewhere, I'll find some gain To compensate me and relieve The sting and smart of things that grieve. January Thirteenth THE GUEST HPHE happiest chap I ever met, The freest of all dark regret, Was one who deemed his days to be A gift of hospitality With God his Host; and as His guest Viewed everything with interest. And like a grateful visitor Who wished to even up the score, Did all he could both day and night To give his fellow-guests delight. January Fourteenth POSSESSION FIRST yOU have not You can't bestow, No matter what Of joy or woe. So if you'd be A fount of light, Your mind hold free Of thoughts of night. And if of cheer You'd be the source, You'd better steer The sunny course. January Fifteenth WINTER ROSES HPHE Rose-trees of the Garden sleep, And snowy drifts their vigils keep, But other Roses rare there be That never bloomed on any tree — The Rose of Hope, the Roses good Of Hearts that bloom in Brotherhood, And blossoms pure that scent the air With Sympathy and loving Care, And as their petals soft unroll Disclose the beauty of the soul. January Sixteenth A MATTER OF TASTE TF anything on all this earth Is useless past compare It is to waste one hour of worth On some stale bit of care. If Fate's to catch me in some mesh I hope at least it will be fresh. RADIATION '"PC fill the world with happiness, And ease it of the stir of stress, Begin Within— Make it your sure resolve and plan To be as happy as You can, And when your heart is brimming o'er, So full it cannot handle more, By radiation let it rise In word, and deed, and kindly eyes, Till others round about you share The fruitage of your jocund air. January Eighteenth RICH AND POOR 'IIT'HAT'S being rich but chance to share? What's being poor but naught to spare? Millions may lie in chests secure Yet leave the holder deadly poor Since he hath not the will to give That others may more fitly live, And empty pockets richer be Allied with love and sympathy. January Nineteenth THE PASSWORD VK7HAT is the password of the day? CHEER, be it sunny, dark, or gray. If cloud or sunshine, cold or hot; If bleak or smiling — matters not, For all is fair along the way When CHEER'S the password of the day. January Twentieth THE GOSSIPER would quite harmless be If the stories that we tell Were of virtues that we see In the folks that round us dwell; If the news we spread were of All the good things that we hear, Things of kindness and of love, Things of helpfulness and cheer. If a gossip I must be That's the kind, I'm sure, for me. January Twenty-first MY PRAYER T ASK not change of wind and tide To suit the course I'm sailing, But that the tempest I may ride With confidence unfailing; That spite of storm and hurricane, And all the sea's demurrage, Whate'er betide me on the main I'll meet with proper courage. January Twenty-second EXPOSED HPHE Wolf was standing at my door, Indulging in a fearsome roar, But when he knocked it pleased my whim To go outside and grapple him; And as we fought he gave a cough And shivered, and his skin came off, And who do you think he chanced to be? No one but OPPORTUNITY, Right there before my very eyes Hid underneath that wolfish guise! January Twenty-third SHIPMATES A S Life tells me to set my sail, "^ So shall my canvas e'er be spread, That through the hurricane and gale My sturdy craft shall forge ahead. If I have Hope to hold the helm, And Faith and Love to lay my course, No storm that comes can overwhelm, No seas o'erpower me with their force. And sailing onward, ever on, Whatever tempests fierce may rage, I know with these for Mates anon I'll come to Port and anchorage. January Twenty-fourth THE BLUES \/OU seek to know if I am ever blue, And I the truth will whisper unto you — I always am! I'm blue as summer skies That smile on me. I'm blue as those blue eyes That flash to other eyes the glint of joy That ever springs from love without alloy. I'm blue as any happy Bluebird there High in the radiance of the morning air Who sings The while he soars the sky on outstretched wings ; And mark ye, too, I'm blue As ever was a violet held close Unto the heart of some fair human rose January Twenty-fifth Sent by a lover to his Heart's Desire; And blue am I as the deep sapphire Of sparkling seas that glitter in the light Of some rare day emerged from stormy night. January Twenty-fifth GOOD AND EVIL T LOOKED about for Ugliness, And found it, sure enough — I truly did not have to press To find the sorry stuff; But I discovered everywhere I cast my eager eyes, Despite the uglinesses, there Were lovely things likewise. If there were weeds, some flower nigh Was always to be seen, And where some cloud obscured the sky The earth was lushly green; And tears had laughter playing round, And once amid the blur And murk of crime-rid hearts I found The gold of Character. January Twenty-sixth THE BORROWERS A LOT of good fellows I meet on my way "^ Rely on To-morrow to help out To-day. They squander the present and dream that somehow To-morrow will settle the debts of the Now. An easy old method to pay off a debt, But he is a person less prey to regret Who out of the future refuses to borrow And makes his To-day meet the needs of To-morrow. January Twenty-seventh THE RICH MAN T HAVE few pence, but stores of health. I hold no bonds, but hosts of friends, And that I deem the sort of wealth That never ends. I've love aplenty, and good will Enough the whole wide world to fill, So why should I be full of care Because I'm not a billionaire? January Twenty-eighth CHEER UP! OMALL is your place, unknown your name; You plod along your toilsome way With ne'er a hope of winning fame — And yet, who knows what coming day May crown your plodding and redeem The glories lost of which you dream? Rich prizes wait on high desires, And smallest sparks start greatest fires. January Twenty-ninth LIGHT AND SHADOW ACROSS the scene a shadow lay, A cloud obscured the loving sky, And all seemed cold, and dull, and gray To the despairing eye. But in my heart was song and cheer, And e'en though dark my day was fair- That very shadow eased my fear— 'Twas proof the sun was there! January Thirtieth THE TREASURE-CHEST VX/1IAT are the numbered years to me? Each one a golden treasury Of riches stored in Memory. A Treasure-chest of Hopes and Fears, Of Merry Laughter and of Tears, All mellowed by the passing years. A veritable treasure-trove Of Cheer, and fabrics fairly wove Of strands of Friendship and of Love. Jan nary Th irty -first THE DESIGN pEBRUARY, to my mind By old Chronos was designed As a sort of time in which Mortals very far from rich Might observe the truth that though All is murk and slush below, All is bleak and cold and mean, Still the Heavens are serene, And the sun shines just as clear As when summer's days are here, Giving light and promise of Life's abundant stores of Love. February First POSSESSIONS nnHOU hast no Art? The glowing pictures of the land and sea In all their beauty rich belong to thee. Thou hast no song? The madrigals of singing birds divine If thou hast ears to hear are wholly thine. Thou hast no lands? Thou hast thy space, and truly in the end Midas himself shall have no more, my friend. Thou hast no wealth? The sun by day, and all the stars that shine, The living light, and love of God are thine! February Second A CHAP I knew once waited for •^* A ship that never reached the shore, And Fame and Fortune failed to win Because his ship did not come in. But there was also one I knew Who had a ship he waited, too, And when she failed to come, why he Jumped overboard and swam the sea. He swam and swam and swam away, He swam by night, he swam by day, Until he reached the Port wherein Lay all the things he sought to win; And, 'stead of one, had several ships Engaged in making many trips To land upon his native shore What others lost by waiting for. February Third THE PLAN c "HANGEABLE the days may be, >"/ But what's that to you and me, Thirsting for variety? Little touch of spring to-day Hinting of the coming May — Then a snap of winter gray. Now it's hot, and now it's cold, Sullen skies, and skies of gold, Timid zephyrs, breezes bold. Hold your plaint, O Mr. Man! Can't you see 'tis Nature's plan Just to please us if she can? February Fourth THE SURE SUN "I/VTHEN days are dark I do not chide the sun With cavilings and carpings without end; But blame the clouds as I should blame the one Who tries to come between me and my friend. I know the sun is there, and shines as true As if no mists had risen to obscure, And soon or late will burst upon my view, Sure as the love of my true friend is sure. February Fifth WANTED please me much if I could see An accurate Geography That showed the City of Content, And how to reach the Continent Of Happy Days through Ports of Cheer, The Hills of Joy uprising near Whence streams of Human Love run down To meet the sea at Friendlitown, Where all men live in peace together, Regardless of the style of weather. February Sixth EXCHANGES to-day let's swap our cares — I'll take yours and you take mine; I your pitfalls, you my snares — Let's all do it down the line. Pauper take the rich man's woe; Serf assume the Monarch's crown; Magnate on the highway go Meek and lowly, trodden down. Not much gained? Well, maybe not — But it somehow seems to me On all sides we'd find a lot Of good healthy sympathy! February Seventh TO FEBRUARY may be full of mush and slush, O bleak old February, And Poets seldom o'er you gush, Your moods so often vary; Yet matters not how you behave I love you, for I'm thinkin' We all should bless the month that gave Us WASHINGTON and LINCOLN! February Eighth THE HEART OF YOUTH T LITTLE care how folks may laugh And cover me with sneering chaff, Because in these my latter days I fondly cling to childish ways, Since he who keeps childhood in view, And to its purity is true, And holds the high faith of a boy In things of laughter and of joy, Can ne'er grow old, and finds no fears Of age in his increase of years. February Ninth MY WORK TV/fY work is not mine enemy •*• That I must fight and put to rout, But rather friend in whom I see A comrade true to help me out. I meet it, therefore, as I would A cherished brother, and I try To prove it excellently good, And greet it with a smiling eye — And since I've made my task my pard I've never really found it hard. February Tenth PROFIT-SHARING TF so it be Life has been good to thee, And has filled up With golden joy thy cup, Let others share That teeming content there, And thus thy store Will be increased the more — Thy joys divide And find them multiplied. February Eleventh LINCOLN ''PHE good clean strength of one whose soul Held all the gold of self-control Amid the clash of fiery stress, Yet all devoid of selfishness. A mind of high resolve, and clear, That held no flaw, or dross of fear, When purpose true impelled the deed To serve his fellow-man in need. A heart of loving cheer and grace That nothing held of mean or base, And open as the heavens free To all who suffered misery. February Twelfth Time hath no measure, yet I dare Upon this day we hold so fair To measure it by Lincoln's fame As being deathless as his name! February Twelfth LINCOLN ''PHE good clean strength of one whose soul Held all the gold of self-control Amid the clash of fiery stress, Yet all devoid of selfishness. A mind of high resolve, and clear, That held no flaw, or dross of fear, When purpose true impelled the deed To serve his fellow-man in need. A heart of loving cheer and grace That nothing held of mean or base, And open as the heavens free To all who suffered misery. February Twelfth Time hath no measure, yet I dare Upon this day we hold so fair To measure it by Lincoln's fame As being deathless as his name! February Twelfth TRANSFORMATION T LIKE the man who takes the stones Upon his rocky road With smiling lips instead of groans, Whate'er his heavy load Who seizes each as on he goes, And neatly crumbles it, And turns his share of pebbly woes To stores of inner grit. February Fifteenth APPRECIATION TT may be true that beggars lie — But so perhaps would you and I If we were vexed with want as they Who wander on their hopeless way. At any rate, or false and true, I never look their stories through, But pay them for the tale they tell, And if forsooth they do it well Throw in an extra bit to show That, if it be romance or no, A moving tale I ever hold Worth its reward if fitly told. February Sixteenth MR. JOY Joy he is the strangest thing That ever I did see. He turns his back on Prince and King To dwell with you and me. To palaces he seldom goes, Where pomp and power strut, Yet often stops to warm his toes In some poor peasant's hut. For gilded halls he doesn't care, And rich foods leave him flat, But on the humblest sort of fare He blooms, and waxes fat. February Seventeenth AN ABSURDITY HPHE world's a school that teaches us Full many a lesson glorious. It teaches love, and how to bear The burden of oppressive care; How to forget, how to forgive — In short, it teaches how to live. Yet there be those who tell us that 'Tis all for nothing, stale and flat; That, having learned to live, we press From Being into Nothingness, And out of all our stress have won The blessing of — Oblivion! As if the grandeur of our days, And all the wonder of our bays, February Eighteenth And all the splendid things that Man Has built up since the World began Were just a bit of idle chaff To make some dullard Devil laugh! February Eighteenth THE UNFATHOMABLE T CAN'T explain the mysteries That bring fruition to the trees, But well I know their fruit is fair And seek the golden bounty there. I do not comprehend the hills That shield me from the Arctic ills, But when the blasts of winter press I seek their sheltering friendliness. So with my God. The mind of me Cannot unfold Infinity, Yet I can seize upon the good Of His immortal Fatherhood! February Nineteenth THE LADDER AND THE LIGHT TTOPE, Smiling Cheer, and Love, and Will- Four rungs upon my ladder are On which in face of every ill I wend my way up to my star. Each firmly fixed holds me secure As to the gleaming heights I rise, And makes my daily progress sure With Faith the light before my eyes. February Twentieth GARNERED SWEETS A S bees their honey store, So shall I store to-day Until the hive runs o'er The sweets that come my way, That I and friends of mine In days of gloomy weather May sit us down and dine Upon their joys together. February Twenty-first A NEW BEGINNING if yesterday holds mistakes, A record full of qualms and quakes? To-day hath come, a page pure white, Whereon your errors you may right. It lies before you clean and fair With smiling invitation there To start anew, and smooth away The sad mischance of Yesterday. February Twenty-fourth A GOODLY GIFT WERE I to pray for some rare gift To help me through life's varied shift, 'T would be the gift at once to say What things may cheer my brother's way, And hold myself completely dumb When sneers and biting phrases come To visit on my friend's distress, Just to display my cleverness. February Twenty-fifth THE SELF-MADE MAN 1LJE said he was a Self-made Man, And yet I fear he stole the plan, For truly, far as I could see, He differed not from you and me, Who've come to be As Much as he The things we are, for weal or woe, For good or ill, or high or low, By keeping ever in our view The things the ages point us to, And getting help from every one In every blessed thing we've done, And not afraid a little bit To gratefully acknowledge it. February Twenty-sixth DON'T WORRY "T^ON'T worry, Friend, because you are not great. The Road's more human in the vales below — More laughter, song, more hearts with joy elate, More freedom in life's ceaseless ebb and flow. Keep plodding on with smiling lip and eye, Nor vex your soul because you may not mount, And o'er your smallness neither weep nor sigh, For, after all, it's little things that count' February Twenty-seventh THE EDIFICE TN building up your Soul the plan prepare With watchful foresight and with proper care, That it may stand the storm and stress of life, And hold you safe from evil and its strife. Make Love the cornerstone, and that good cheer May hold you free from worry and from fear, Immune to all the terrors of the night, Keep every window open to the light. February Twenty -eighth THE DAY A N extra day from Time's full purse, •**• To use for better or for worse — A meed of minutes, gift of light, A pause, perhaps, in Time's swift flight Wherein we may redeem the cost Of wasted hours we have lost. February Twenty-ninth MARCH I'VE watched old March for many a year, With all her ways so dark and drear, And know full well her wild barrage Of bluster is all camouflage. She blows her blasts and ramps along, And sings a mighty war-like song, But underneath her flaunting wing She hides away the joys of spring. And all her temper melts away Into the smiles of April's day As on her wayward course she goes To flowers fresher for the snows. March First DEFIANCE \7X)U need not think, black- visaged Woe, that you Can take my soul and twist it to your whim. It may be you can force on me the brew Of bitter trial with your frowning grim. But never while my Heart holds true to cheer Can all your venturings in deadly care, Or your emprises in the realm of fear, Within that smiling Soul enthrone Despair. March Second THE DWELLING-PLACE HPHE Dwelling-place of Light Is not in yonder Sun, Nor in the Stars of night When day at last is done, But in the Human Soul It flames forever free And cheers the Road of Dole With Love and Sympathy. March Third MINE ENEMY HTHE only enemy I know, My one and only fearsome foe, I do conceive to be That curious old creature who Ne'er leaves my side whate'er I do, And all men know as ME — And him I fight Both day and night With all my strength and weight And do my best In every test To keep the fellow straight. PARTNERS TN all the rush and all the roar And all the turmoil and the war Of daily life, though 'tis not clear For what, and why, and how we're here, 'Tis good to be a part of it, To strive with brawn and brain and wit, And with our powers overcome The hazards hard and burdensome; Since all these burdens that we bear In things of trial and of care Must be for some objective high That we shall share in by and by. March Fifth WEEDLESS TF it be true "all flesh is grass," As we have oft been told, And that all withers and must pass Before the winter's cold, While I've my share I'm going to see To all my grassy needs, And hold it freshly green, and free From all destructive weeds. March Sixth IN PROPORTION T KNOW I'm not a statesman of the type of Washington. I know I cannot do the things that Edison has done. I know I cannot pen such lines as Billy Shakespeare writ, And when compared to old Mark Twain, God knows I'm not a wit. But with the tools that I have got — they're mighty small and few — I go about my daily stint, and all I can I do, And while I'm not renowned as those who wear the diadem I'm just as great for little me as they are great for them. March Seventh A CHEERFUL INSTITUTION TF I had old Croesus' wealth I'd found a University Where Souls could go to study Health, And Scientific Amity. I'd have a Chair On Handling Care, A dozen Teachers of Good Will; A two-year course Upon the Force Of Laughter as a Cure for 111 — Lectures on Love, and Sympathy, And How to Grin When Days Are Drear, And give a graduate degree Of Bachelor of Cheer. March Eighth A LONG QUEST I'M daily looking for a man As on my way I go — His features and his general plan I greatly wish to know. He's never very far away, And yet we've never met — He's been my comrade every day Since first my course was set. He is that man inside o' me That holds the most of good That I myself some day might be If I but understood. March Ninth A MARCH DAY day was dark and tearful, But I — I made it cheerful By thinking of some other days All full of fair and golden ways Whose memory had made my path Immune to things of woe and wrath, And turned the desolated scene Into a picture fresh and green, As any soft and springy time Praised by the poet in his rhyme. March Tenth MY FACE TF so you do not like my face To me it matters not. Perhaps it lacks all lines of grace, But it's the best I've got, And if I keep it lit with cheer, And always smiling-eyed, And unafraid confronting fear — Why, I am satisfied. March Eleventh MODELING \\7HEN Woe comes stalking near Imperiling my cheer, I bear it as I must, And view its painful thrust As might a marble block That bears the hammer-shock Of him who fashions there A bit of sculpture rare, And patient wait to see What's to be made of me, And what life's modeling Out of my soul will bring. March Twelfth A GOOD INVESTMENT INVEST yourself in smiling cheer, And you will gain rich dividends, Paid every day throughout the year In kindly welcome from your friends. Man's capital is but himself, And its return is joy or stress, So why not choose the sweeter pelf That one derives from friendliness? March Thirteenth PROFIT with the set of sun I find my duty done, Then can I rest in peace And find in dreams increase; The hours of night all gain, Un vexed by care and pain, And greet the new-born day That follows on their way Refreshed, and smiling view The things that I must do. UNREAL TROUBLES TF I must have an ill, may it be real, That I may meet it eye to eye and fight, And wheresoever it may strength reveal Get after it with all my main and might. The woe that but impends and wears the mind With worry deep and most vexatious care, Is harder fighting than the realler kind, For when you come to strike — it isn't there ! March Fifteenth FILL IT CING a little, laugh a little, your fill heart with cheer. Drop your worries and your troubles; drop your gibe and sneer. Joy in all the sunny hours in the morning light, And the starry wonders of the sparkling skies at night. Look for good in all about you — you will find it there. God has lavished gifts of wondrous beauty everywhere. Love and Life and merry Laughter — all of these are here Ready for the taking if you'll fill your heart with cheer. March Sixteenth FLOWERS TF flowers have no soul, as some do say, Deep in mine own I'll hide them safe away And let them share what beauty there shall be, Just as their loveliness they've shared with me. Their lack I shall supply, and when at last On through the Gates of Mystery I've passed I think I'll find my Paradise more fair Because I've ta'en my floral comrades there. March Seventeenth CONTENTED "\\7ISH you were a bird, do you? Well, I don't, and that's a fact. Soaring through the heavens blue doubtless is a thrilling act. But when I sit down to eat, bread and butter suits my whim — Bread and butter, pie and meat, not the worm that does for him. Flying — that would please my taste, swoop ing through the upper air, But a bed of straw and waste in a swaying tree somewhere, That is not at all the kind that would suit the bones of me. Sport of every passing wind flirting with that chilly tree. March Eighteenth Be a bird if so you will. Everybody to his choice. Soar aloft, and sing, and trill, with your piping birdy voice. I'll remain contented here, all according to the plan That has placed me on this sphere just a common garden man. March Eighteenth REDEMPTION S sadly true that what is writ is writ, Nor can you change a single line of it. Indelible it stands, your record there For good or evil, be it dark or fair. But true as that may be 'tis also true A clear to-morrow lies ahead of you, And if the die for evil has been cast It holds the story only of the past. The future yet remains, and if you will Its pages, all unsullied, you may fill With deeds of honor high to blot away The record of that evil yesterday. March Nineteenth COMFORT is a woeful measure hard to bear, And some there be who yield up to despair, Yet, looking back through the remembered years With all their portions full of scalding tears, I've known no grief that did not ope to me Well-springs of Friendliness and Sympathy; Nor failed to find in depths 'neath sorrow's frown The loving hand of Fellowship stretched down. March Twentieth MELLOWING ACCUMULATING years to some spell ^ age- To me each one is but a fresher page That opens up new prospects to the sight And shows life's loveliness in fuller light; And 'tis my prayer that as the years pass by I'll not seem older to the friendly eye, But riper grown and ever mellowing, Like the rich fruits that from young blos soms spring. March Twenty-first NO TRIBUTE ¥ SHALL not spoil a morning fair With any groans of mine, Nor dim with shadows of despair The glad sun's golden shine. I shall not add a note of woe To any stormy day, But rather seek with laughter's glow To drive the storm away. So whatsoe'er the weather be, Clear days or dark with rain, Old Master Care will ask of me A tribute all in vain. March Twenty-second ALL IN ONE pTERNITY Don't bother me The very littlest bit. I feel somehow This minute, Now, Is all there is to it. For Time is but An endless strut Of minutes such as this, Which, understood And used for good, Will fructify in bliss. March Twenty-third CONCEALED TREASURE "\\7HY brood on others' manners bad? Perhaps they were the best they had. And possibly they never yet Have even heard of etiquette. Just take them as they come, and find Relief by bearing well in mind That roughest ledges sometimes hold Deep veins within of purest gold. March Twenty-fourth A CALL THWENTY-FOUR hours are mine to-day For work, and rest, and thought, and play, And in each one of them I see A gift of Opportunity To carry on, if I've the bent, God's work of earthly betterment. The time is full, the way is clear, The tools to do the work are here. And few of us have need to ask The why or wherefore of the task, Such are the needs that round us lurk — So, Brother, rise, and get to work! March Twenty-fifth SAFETY AN atom in the Universe — That's all I am, I know, And yet for better or for worse I'm rather glad it's so, For Malice seeks the shining mark, And Envy shoots above, But in the light or in the dark There's naught too small for Love. March Twenty-sixth EVIDENCES A SMALL bird flying North to-day "^ Told me that spring was on the way, And paused upon my window-sill A little snatch of song to trill Which made me think of April showers, And sunny gardens full of flowers, And blossoms white upon the trees, And lyric whispers of the breeze, Of May and June, and then I knew The secret that he told was true! March Twenty-seventh THE WISE FOOL TT may be I'm the Fool of Hope, But when in mazes dark I grope And there's no light to show the way Into a brighter, clearer day, Hope in the stricken heart of me Serves to assuage perplexity, And Fool or not I forward fare Eased of a portion of my care. March Twenty-eighth VALUES T LITTLE care how tall you are, Nor if you're small how small you are. The thing that matters most to me Is not how big your body be, Nor how much cash you've stored away, Nor on the scales how much you weigh, But how much SOUL you've set apart, And what's the measure of your HEART, And in your share of stocks preferred What is the VALUE of your WORD. If these be always kept at par, It matters not how small you are, Nor on what lowly planes you press — YOU'VE WON SUCCESS! March Twenty-ninth TWO RAILS A RAIL was lying in the sun •^ Beside a highway dusty, And, resting idle, all it won Was but a coating rusty. Another, bearing every day The burden of stern duty, Took on a gleam of silver gay That shimmered in its beauty. March Thirtieth THE SEQUENCE "L^XIT winter, cheerless, cold, With its blasts all blustering, With its ways so braggart bold, Enter now the smiling spring. Out of all the dark and drear Of the frowning winter hours Come the loveliness and cheer Of the laughing skies and flowers. Thus ofttimes on woe and pain, On the trail of things of fear, Follows all the joyous gain Of a new-born day of cheer. March Thirty-first APRIL TTERE she comes with her beguiling ' Ways and sunny prospects smiling, Lovely April with her showers Freshening the lanes and bowers, Making ready for the flowers. She's perhaps a trifle tearful, But at heart she's warm and cheerful, And her tears are not of sadness, But the tears of joyous gladness To escape from winter's madness. Rain or shine, I'll not reprove her, For with all my soul I love her, Since she speeds me from the gray time Of black winter to the play-time Of the glad and blissful May-time. April First HOLD FAST '"PHAT man can ne'er grow old who keeps secure Within his heart and soul some of the joy All free of care, in character so pure, Of being, spite of years, a smiling boy. Hold fast to Boyhood, Friend! The hours will fly; Your brow will bear the mark of fleeting days, And Time may dim the luster of your eye, But hearts stay young that hold to youthful ways. April Second A PREFERENCE T DO not like the Owl because he hoots, And that's a sort of thing that never suits My optimistic mind, For hoots are nothing more than empty sneers, And sorry gibes, and mean and cynic jeers, Bespeaking thoughts unkind. I much prefer the happier bird that sings, And soars above the cloud on outstretched wings, And greets the golden morn With tuneful carolings that seem to show His heart within with joy is all aglow, And free from taint of scorn. April Third THE FLOWER TF it be true that man is like a flower That lives and dies in but one little hour, 'Twere well if, like the flower, he so gives Of beauty, life is sweeter while he lives. So in this span so brief how fine 'twould be If man could live his hour florally, And, like the Rose, whose span is Beauty's gain, Add to earth's joy and ease the sting of pain! April Fourth KEY-NOTES VI7HO would yield to black despair When sweet April's silky air Holds him in its kindly arms? Air that o'er the tree and bush Out of winter's icy hush Spreads a veil of leafy charms? Who'd give way to thoughts of night In the days of warming light That from out drab wintry woes Leads the earth to vernal bowers Gaily decked with fragrant flowers — Lily, violet, and rose? Who would dwell on things of wrong When the glad birds with their song April Fifth Make the golden morning ring? Fresh resolve and courage true For the tasks we have to do Are the key-notes of the spring! April Fifth CHANGED AMBITION T USED to think it would be fine To be a King of Royal Line, And hold the people of the land Obedient to my command. But, now that Kings are on the run, With that ambition I am done, And am well satisfied to be A common garden mortal, free To walk my way and win the pelf Of him who's Master of Himself. April Sixth IN HOURS OF GRIEF TN your grief for some one gone Put no garb of mourning on — Rather think of magic ways Leading into sunlit ways Whitherward his spirit strays. Think of him as gone before Through the new dawn's open door Into scenes of splendor rare, Into fields of service where Lies forgetfulness of care. April Seventh THE GIFTS OF SPRING O LOVELY springtide gifts— The golden light that lifts My spirit out of care; The soft and silken air That wraps earth round about And lures the flowers out; The welcome rains that speed The fructifying seed; The freshly vernal green That colors all the scene; The lovely blue of skies That rests the weary eyes; The music of the breeze, The magic of the trees That seem to whisper cheer To them that pause to hear — April Eighth For these, the Gifts of Spring, My gratitude I'll sing While I have voice to raise In thankfulness and praise.' April Eighth THE PAST ¥ VEX me not with trials that are past, And yet I'd not forget the years now sped With all the Bender memories that cast Their kindly spell upon the paths I tread. An heritage in joy, I'll hold it close, Unmindful of its stress and fevers hot, As perfect as some well-remembered Rose For beauty cherished and the thorns forgot. April Ninth ORIGINS T KNOW some souls of such rare grace They make me think the human race Sprang not from Apes, as Darwin says, Back in the prehistoric days, But from two Sunbeams blithe and gay Who on some smiling bygone day Strayed from the Fount of Light, and sped Off to the green world, there to wed, And gave us Love to rule the earth And people it with Souls of Worth. April Tenth A WELCOME VISITOR ''THAT little boy I used to be Comes back at times to visit me, And with his laughter helps me o'er Hard spots and difficulties sore; And by his ready scent for sham Sometimes he shames the man I am And turns me back unto the way From which I've wandered far astray; And certain tawdry things I prize, Seen through his penetrating eyes, Reveal their hollowness and speed My heart and hand to worthier deed. April Eleventh ALWAYS AT HOME T FIND it pays to love the world so much, And with my fellows hold so close a touch, That it small matter makes just where I be, There's just a bit of HOME surrounding me. Who loves his kind and sees the things of worth In such abundance throughout all the earth, Can never feel the sad and bleak distress Of Strangers overcome with loneliness. April Twelfth THE GIFT A THING that's older than the hills, Yet young as any new-born day; Light-hearted as the bird that trills, Yet stable as the mountains gray; In joy a measure full of song, In grief the surest treasure-trove, Boon to the weak, strength to the strong- The ever golden gift of Love! April Thirteenth THE SHIP T LITTLE care for things that buffet me. No more than ships that ride the stormy sea And sail undaunted on, and nobly brave The pestering of angry wind and wave. For I'm a ship upon the seas of life, And must sail onward through the spumy strife, And if I'm stanch and hold my courses clear, I know I'll find at last the Ports of Cheer! April Fourteenth A PLEASANT THREAT I'M going to take a gun to-day •*• And shoot at folks along the way With bullets made of joyous mirth, And hints of hope and peace on earth, And kindliness, and wholesome glee, And all the sweets of sympathy, And make the streets a shambles of Sheer Brotherhood and Human Love. April Fifteenth ALONGSIDE things my ways betide I'll seize what joys lie by my side, Nor risk the loss that waits anon In bliss uncertain farther on. Thus shall each day provide its share Of joyousness to ease my care, And if some dawn shall be all gray The hoarded light of Yesterday I'll use to brighten with its glow The path beset with present woe. April Sixteenth A REALIZATION I'VE given up the pleasant labor Of finding weakness in my neighbor, And sought to find what faults there be Hid deep within the Thing called Me; And I must say if there is fun In finding faults in any one, There's fun enough right there in sight To keep me grinning day and night From now until I leave this earth To visit realms of greater worth. April Seventeenth STRENGTH HHHE strongest man I ever knew Was not of that steel-fibered crew Who lift great weights or run for days Over the Marathonian ways, But he who in a day of woe, His heart with anger all aglow, His soul with rank injustice stung, Had the rare strength to hold his tongue And bear with patient fortitude The slings and arrows harsh and rude In fullest confidence that Right Would rise triumphant into light. April Eighteenth THE VERDICT T HOPE to live to-day In such a proper way That when To-morrow sits In judgment on it its Keen penetrating eye Will view it smilingly, And righteously conclude That it was pretty good. April Nineteenth PICTURES I'VE never seen old Tokyo, nor visited in Lhassa. I've never looked on China, or the forests of Mombassa, But I've no doubt that they exist, for I've seen pictures of 'em, Full of the beauties rich and rare that make the natives love 'em. And so it is with future things. Of Heaven I've a feeling We've pictures of it everywhere, its beauties rich revealing, In human love, and sympathy, and all the glorious leaven Of lovely things the Earth provides to prove the truth of Heaven. April Twentieth BAD COMPANY morning, Mr. Care," quoth I. "I thought I saw you passing by, And pause to say 'twould pleasing be If you would come and visit me. I like to pass away week-ends Surrounded by my pleasant friends, And I've invited Brother Cheer, And Mr. Unafraid-of-Fear, And Sisters Smiling-Face and Joy, And Love, the Springtide's little boy, To meet you if you'll come along And join us in a day of song." But Mr. Care just frowned on me. He didn't like my company, And ever since then, be it said, The poor old chap has cut me dead. April Twenty-first HOPE A REFUGE sure in days of pain •^ Which never yet has proven vain Lies in our Hope, and no Despair, However fortified with Care, Can penetrate the fastness strong Where Hope commands, nor any Wrong Win out, however great its might, Before the rich glow of its light. April Twenty-second STRENGTHENING A MOUNTAIN in my path? 'Tis well— •*• 'Tis good to climb and from the height Look o'er the distant vale and dell Into the countries of Delight. The smoother way is fair, no doubt, But yields no zest unto the chase, And obstacles o'ercome bring out Undreamed-of powers to win the race. April Twenty-third ASPIRATION CTRONG as the Oak, yet tender as the Rose! In storm defiant of the wind that blows, And facing wintry ills with eye serene Despite the travails black that vex the scene, Yet smiling as fair April's Garden Close When there's a call of any kind to me For gifts of Love and human Sympathy — That is the sort of human I would be! April Twenty-fourth THE HARVEST TF in each day we press Rich gifts of loveliness, And ever keep the light Of Brotherhood in sight, The harvest that shall be Will prove all amity, And life will render us A treasure glorious. April Twenty -fifth TOLERANCE [EN I cannot agree With those opposed to me I'll try at least to find With all my powers of mind Whatever may be true In others' points of view, Until there may be found A common vantage-ground Whence they and I may press Forward in friendliness. April Twenty -sixth MUNITIONS would I have in goodly store To fight the wolves outside my door And hold grim poverty at bay And drive substantial cares away. But even better than the dross That guised as gain is often loss, To battle with the hosts of fear Grant me the goodly gift of cheer, For gold's an evanescent pelf, While cheer well-spent renews itself. April Twenty -seventh SOURCES " IX/TAY it be mine, when storm-clouds 1V1 lower, To fill with peace some troubled hour Of one who in the depths of sorrow Looks forth with dread upon the morrow. May it be mine on some dark day To speed the stricken on their way With thoughts of cheer, and love, and light, And new-born courage for the fight." 'Twas thus I prayed, and from the sea Of night a star-beam flashed to me — "He best gives light who hath the wit First to fill self and soul with it." And that is why each passing day I drink in sunshine where I may, And from the Moon and Stars by night Exact some tribute of their light. April Twenty-eighth A WISH T DO not pine for Easy Street Where life is indolently sweet, And everything runs smoothly on To nothing much that lies anon. I rather like the busier way Where effort crowns the toil of day, Where I must dare and use my wit To do some kind of useful bit. I only ask that I may dwell Where I may serve my fellows well, And if I walk, or chance to ride, 'Twill be upon the sunny side. April Twenty-ninth IMMORTAL! is no Death! Man lives his day And passes on the unseen way, His deeds in days of peace and strife Forming the measure of his life; And every bit of good he's done Living forever, on and on, Part of the vast and splendid whole Of God's imperishable Soul. April Thirtieth A MAY-DAY WHIM T ET me go forth upon the sunlit way And revel in the beauties of the day, The greening trees, the zephyrs at their play. Let song of bird rout every thought ol care, And all the fragrance of the gardens fair Make sweetly odorous the morning air. Let me drink in life's beauty as the Bee Sips sweetness from the Rose's bounty free, Until I'm fairly drunk with ecstasy. And then when with the May-time's joys replete To toil-worn ways I turn my dancing feet, Let me transmit that joy to all I meet, May First That others sharing in that meed of cheer May greet me smilingly when I appear, And cry, "Hurrah! The Son of May is here!" May First THE SEED QEND out each day some pleasant whim Designed to make the hour less grim For some one in the grip of woe, And like a flower-seed 'twill grow Into a rich and fragrant bloom That yet may lighten thine own gloom, And into some dark hour press An unsuspected loveliness. May Second THE TREASURY T WOULD I could devise some way To store the loveliness of May For use in some far-off November Or in the days of chill December. A goodly plan it were to try To seize the gold from out the sky And in some sanctuary store A portion of its lovely score. What safer strong-box could there be Beyond the reach of thievery For all this wealth of gracious toll Than in the coffers of the soul? May Third THE SINGING BREEZE A BREEZE came by upon a city street •^ So filled with stress and onward-rush ing feet It did not seem that anywhere could be A touch of quiet and tranquillity, And as it passed along It seemed to sing a song Of dark-green woods, and richly verdured hills, And fresh-turned fields, and laughing moun tain rills, That danced by mossy banks with ferns o'ergrown Where weary feet might wander, not alone, But in the dear companionship so blest Of perfect rest. May Fourth And I — I thanked that little breeze because Into the city's rush that knows no pause It brought me dreams of byways passing fair Where one may woo forgetfulness of care, And hearts grown weary of the world's alarms May find sweet respite in dear Nature's arms. May Fourth A TOAST TO EARTH \7"E call me "earthy of the earth" As though I'd little of true worth, And are inclined to frown and sneer Because I sing of blessings here, And take a smiling attitude Of unremitting gratitude For "worldly" gifts of loving cheer. Well, sneer and jeer — I am content, For while in Earth's confines I'm pent It is the field God's given me In lavish generosity, To make the best I can of it, To seek and find the plan of it, And make it what He'd have it be. May Fifth So here's to EARTH — a gift of love For us to taste the sweetness of! A Garden fair with flowers gay That we may gather day by day! Its beauties, I shall sing of them, And sound the golden ring of them Till life itself hath passed away. May Fifth THE POINT OF VIEW T^HE world is here for what it is: A thing of pain, a thing of bliss; A thing of dullness or of wit, According as we look on it. If in my heart I dwell on woe, And on the weeds that in it grow, 'Twill prove a sorry sort of place Devoid of beauty and of grace. But if I spend my waking hours In thinking on its lovely flowers And all the blessings I have got, 'Twill be for me a garden-spot. Wherefore, whatever woes may press I'll think upon earth's loveliness And thereby win the gracious good Of its unbounded plenitude. May Sixth THE LITTLE BIRD "pEEP!" said a little bird one morn When I was feeling quite forlorn. I took a "peep" and saw arrayed In loveliness the world displayed. "Cheep!" said the little bird, and I The truth of it could not deny, For all earth's lavish beauty spent On me had cost me not a cent. May Seventh TO HAPPYLAND "T\OWN with all things melancholic! •^"^ Spring was made for joyous frolic. Music greets us everywhere, Flowers fragrant scent the air, Lawns for dancing feet are spread, Skies are smiling overhead. Sunlit vistas lure the eye Into golden prospects nigh. Sense of buoyant youth renewed Stirs the heart to gratitude. Wherefore, Brothers, let's be jolly! Fling away all melancholy, And with Nature, hand in hand* Hie us on to Happyland! May Eighth THE END AND THE BEGINNING A GE holds no fears for me. "** I face it cheerfully, For I've a faith sublime, And growing all the time, That when life's cruise is o'er I'll find another shore Whence I may forward press To scenes of loveliness, And far from being vexed By years, I think, "What next?" And smiling wait upon The mysteries anon. May Ninth PAGES OF LIFE TF from the page of some insensate book A cheery flower of Hope may sometimes spring, And into some dark-shadowed spirit nook A gleam of light to ease its sorrow bring, How much the more from out the living day Of human sympathy may there be borne A stream of radiance to light the way From woe to joy for travelers forlorn. May Tenth THE SINGING WAY T IKE to the winging bird I'd soar aloft Into the springy air so fairly soft, And on the topmost bough of some green tree Pour out in song the very soul of me, And with the breezes speed my singing way Rejoicing in the loveliness of day, With thanks for earth which holds in lavish meed Rich gifts of every kind to meet my need. May Eleventh THE LAUGHING SONG T 'D like to write a laughing song, A rollicking and chaffing song, So lively and so jolly 'Twould put a real quietus on The troubles that await us on Account of melancholy. I want to see a tearful world Transformed into a cheerful world, All full of happy hours, Where we can joy in May again, And little children play again Among the smiling flowers. So help me write my happy song, A brightly lilting, snappy song, May Twelfth To sing upon the morrow, When God's fair world set free again From strife and misery again Shall rise to joy from sorrow. May Twelfth HOPES RESTORED hopes may wane and fade away, And gloom attend the darkening day, But this I know: no gloomy hour Can hold me in its gripping power. For though all gray that hour may be Another soon will come to me Bright with the golden glow of morn, New Hopes upon its fleet wings borne, On which I yet may rise and find The lofty bays I have in mind. May Thirteenth PROMISES T SAW a blossom on a tree That told of fruit to come to me. I saw the sun all golden bright That promised endless stores of light. I heard a bird sing songs at noon That held the lilt of coining June. I glimpsed a light in some one's eye, A promise sweet of "by and by." On every hand, below, above, Are promises aglow with love That tide me over stressful things And give new strength to weary wings. May Fourteenth IMMUNE IJAMMER on, O Fate! Whack, and slam, and bang! Land with all your weight — I don't give a hang! I am here to-day And the skies are blue, And I'll joy in May In despite of you. All your bumps and shoves Can't destroy the flowers For the soul that loves May-time's happy hours. Slap and snap and sneer Every chance you see. Not a plaint or tear Will you get from me. May Fifteenth THE DAILY BOOK "C^ACH day I live is like a book to me, All full of pure romance and mystery, With love and laughter and some tragedy. I read it as I run, and try to find My place in it, a place of proper kind To suit my qualities of heart and mind. I cannot be its hero, but 'tis clear That if I smiling go in my own sphere My part in it will be a part of cheer — And that's a role that in the story's stress 'Tis well to play if when it leaves the press The tale shall end in love and happiness. May Sixteenth WIRELESS "V[OW wireless telegraphy •^ Is quite a wondrous thing to me, Although I must admit it's true There's nothing in it very new, For ever since the world began, And maid was maid, and man was man, Without the aid of earthly arts Hearts e'er have spoken unto hearts, And sent their messages of cheer Vibrating through the atmosphere. May Seventeenth THE MIRTH-CURE in the grip of a malign mischance, A victim of an evil circumstance, I thought of something funny, and I grinned, Forgetful of the woe that had me pinned, And all the ill that vexed my soul with care Went off like smoke and vanished in the air, And, freed of thoughts of it, I saw the way Out of the trials sore that spoiled my day, And soon emerged out of my chancy plight Into the golden glory of the light. May Eighteenth A RESOLVE T> A IN or shine, it's naught to me ** What the outer weather be, If inside a heart of cheer Routs all thoughts of irksome fear. Like a tree that stands serene In the midst of tempests green, Whatsoever winds are blowin' I shall smile and keep a-growin'! May Nineteenth UNDERSTUDIES Mr. Sun with all his power Thro' clouds can't make his way, And all the skies are dark and dour, And gloomy is the day, A twinkling eye, a friendly smile, Some action full of grace, Will help us for a little while To take the old boy's place. May Twentieth TO THE ROSE '"PHEY call you, Rose, a royal thing Because your lavish coloring Suggests the garb of reigning king — But I demur, O Rose, at that. To me you're no aristocrat, But just a simple democrat, Because, no matter who he be, King, peasant, clod, or royalty, You deign to nod at all you see. With one and all your beauties fair, Your lovely hues, your fragrance rare, Without reserve you freely share, And never ask if he be high, Or lowly placed, who passes by, And all stand equal in your eye. May Twenty-first IN PLAIN SIGHT "LJIAS any one e'er seen the Soul?" Aye — that have I, and often, too! So oft 'twould take an endless scroll To hold the record full and true. I've seen it in a Mother's eye; Perceived it in a friendly hand; In acts of grace and sympathy I've witnessed it in every land. Where love reveals its winning smile, Where Brotherhood the spirit is; Where living Truth hath conquered Guile, And Mercy tempers Nemesis; Where Faith and Honor dwell serene, And Service hath become the goal, E'en sightless eyes full well have seen. That splendid vision of the Soul. May Twenty-second THE THIEF T FIND that Unbelief Is nothing but a thief That robs me of my sense Of God's rich providence; That takes from me the light The Heavens hold in sight To lead my soul above To realms of endless love; That wrests from me the bays That urge to higher ways, And clouds the smiling face Of Everlasting Grace, To leave me in my stress A world of Nothingness. May Twenty-third THE HOMEWARD WAY V/"ES, life is a stormy journey, And the skies are sometimes bleak, And the rough-and-tumble journey Finds me weak. But I waste no time in fretting As my troubled way I roam, For I know each day I'm getting Nearer home! May Twenty-fourth THE LINK A DAY is short, and oft I think It counts but little in the strife, Yet each one forms a special link To make or break the chain of life. May Twenty -fifth YOUR SHARE \7"OUR place may be an humble place; You may not run the swifter race; You may be classed among the small Of whom the world ne'er hears at all; And yet the sun that shines above, And all the wealth of human love, Are yours as much as his whose might Has placed him on the topmost height — E'en more, perhaps, for some who climb For Love and Light have little time. May Twenty-sixth VISIONS \7"OUR dreams may not come true Just to the letter, Yet make a world of rue Brighter and better With hints of nobler heights That tempt to loftier flights; So dream away, my lad, Despite derisions, And keep your spirit glad With golden visions That open up new ways To fresher, greener bays And high ambitions. May Twenty -seventh A RESOLVE T SHALL not sing the bad, I shall not sing the wrong, I shall not let the sad Intrude upon my song. But all my singing days In scenes of peace or strife I'll chant in lines of praise The graciousness of life. May Twenty-eighth STUMBLING TF you shall stumble now and then, Don't let a fall your spirits balk. Rise up upon your feet again As when, a child, you learned to walk, And stride along upon your way, And there will come a time secure When, as in that far childhood day, You found your halting footstep sure. May Twenty-ninth MEMORIAL DAY T^OR them that died that men might be , Forever and forever free, This is the day of Memory. Fair Nature's self devotes her powers With all her golden sunny hours To spreading o'er them fragrant flowers. Where there shall fall a drop of rain Tis but the tear to prove their pain And sacrifice were not in vain. And if the skies shall be all blue Their azure is the flawless hue That stands for Honor tried and true. May Thirtieth THE VICTOR /^\NE grasped at stars, and seized but emptiness, The sheer vacuity of space, and then Out of the vales of failure, in distress, Bemoaned the blindness of his fellow-men, Because they could not see How truly great was he. Another grasped the nettle at his side, And never even dreamed to win a name, And sought the deed of Service without pride Or thought ambitious for undying fame, And wondered at the bays That crowned his later days. May Thirty-first THE MESSENGER "VTOW Summer opens wide her door And, with her gracious mien, She bids us pass the threshold o'er To prospects all serene. She offers us a wealth of hours, Of days that thrill with love, With lanes and pastures decked with flowers, And smiling skies above. Her Messenger is lovely June, All kindliness and grace, With light of sun and stars and moon, Illumining her face. With music soft and zephyrs sweet, And beauty all awake, She lays her treasures at our feet That we may freely take. June First A FAIR IDEA TF one should ask me my idea of Heaven I think I'd answer six times out of seven That 'tis a place where Love sits on his throne, Where fear and all mistrust are quite un known; Where care comes not, and life is all in tune, And from -year's end to end 'tis always June. June Second JUDGMENT T NEVER knew a man so good But I could find flaws if I would. I never knew a man so bad But that some virtue rare he had, And hence it is I cannot find A method certain in my mind By which to judge my brother's ways, In terms of blame, in lines of praise, And therefore feel no special call To judge my fellow-men at all. June Third THE PROOF T COULD not be an Atheist Unless my soul could quite desist From all belief in Love; For Love, I hold, is but a form Of Godliness, and peace or storm Streams o'er us from above. And Godliness could not well be — Or so my logic teaches me — If there were not some source, Some Godlike fount and center whence In all its rare munificence That stream began its course. June Fourth ELATION T WALK my way on earth elate Because my heart has banished hate; Because my soul's too occupied With things of love to think of pride, And all the vanities that lead The spirit of mankind to greed; And everywhere I go I plan To find the good that lies in man; And when night comes I feel as though, Despite life's worries and its woe, I'd spent a host of happy hours In meadows filled with lovely flowers. June Fifth BLESSINGS TWAIN things I find most helpful in This complex world of joy and sin By which I'm often carried through The clouds that evil chances brew; The first is GRATITUDE for things Of good in past adventurings, The other HOPE for good to be In days that lie ahead of me. June Sixth A GOOD END IF "Love's a sickness full of woe," As some old gloomy poet stated I'd be the very last to go To get myself inoculated; For if dear Love is a disease, A sort of miasmatic bubble, Since sometime I must die, 'twould please Me most to die of just that trouble. June Seventh FISHIN' ' fishin'? Yes, I be, But no hook ner line fer me, Fer I know a little brook Where ye don't need a line ner hook. Brook a-streamin' from above Full o' light and full o' love, Bringin' schools o' swarmin' cheer To us worried fellers here. Goin' to ketch a mess o' fun Swimmin' down from yonder Sun; Goin' to ketch a mess of air Makin* me fergit my care. Goin' to ketch a stock o' health — Finest kind o' human wealth — Fishin' in the waters free God's a-pourin' down on me. June Eighth MY FAITH J HAVE a Faith in things that are to be Which in all woes doth much to comfort me — A sense of an eternal Fatherhood That as a child I found supremely good, That held me safe from evil and alarms Enfolded in its all-protecting arms, And, tho' my stock of years is passing large, E'en as a little child I hold in charge That Faith that, whatsoever things may be, A Father's hand is still stretched out to me. June Ninth THE HATE THAT STEELS tell me not to hate, yet am I glad When things of evil rear their heads to do Such deeds as only worlds run wholly mad Could match for pain, and wickedness, and rue, That while my heart is still a heart that sings Of that fair love that holds the spirit strong, It holds deep hatred for those evil things That steel the righteous hand to grapple wrong. June Tenth FRIENDLY OFFERINGS HPHERE'S no such thing as loneliness in June If with the world you'll put yourself in tune — By day the laughing flowers Will nod at you for hours, And when the night comes on the beaming Moon Will offer you her comradeship, and far Up in the Heavens vast some little star Will wink a roguish eye at you, And grin upon the sly at you, As if unto the end He'd like to be your friend. So, Brother, hasten! Get yourself in tune With all these friendly offerings of June — The Stars, the nodding Flowers, and the Moon. June Eleventh A FREQUENT CURE AT five o'clock each day *"• I fold my cares away, And when the whistle blows Completely drop my woes, And into night I slip, As on a pleasure-trip, Forgetting all my pain Till morning comes again; And, marvelous to say, When on the coming day I turn to seek my care I find it isn't there. June Twelfth THE POET . BEE'S a jolly rover, Humming through the fields of clover, Working while he seems to play. I don't wonder he's so jolly, Seeming free of melancholy. I'd be that way, too, by golly! Making honey all the day. Possibly he doesn't know it, But to me the Bee's a Poet Bent upon an endless rhyme — Through incessant measures swinging, Humming, strumming, drumming, singing, From the Heart of Beauty wringing Liquid sweetness all the time. June Thirteenth SPREAD IT T in the Sunshine business, And spread your wares around, There's always some one in distress And darkness to be found — Some chap held in the grip of rue To whom a greeting warm Will seem like sunshine bursting through The evil clouds of storm. June Fourteenth FORTUNE VI/HO would not help if so he could a brother bear his pain And count that little deed of good a measure of pure gain? Well, there are Brothers waiting, yes, they're calling every day; Their name is Legion, and they press in hosts along the way. And if a deed of Sympathy adds to the profit score, A fortune vast for you and me lies waiting at the door. June Fifteenth THE DAILY WORD T ET'S choose some word to-day To help us on our way — Some word like Sympathy, Or Hope, or Charity, Or Faith, or Love, or Light, And keep it e'er in sight, And use our Mother-wit To LIVE the sense of it. Who knows but we shall find The word denotes our kind, And when the twilight falls And relaxation calls, 'Twill comfort us to feel That we have made it real. June Sixteenth THE TREE 'nniS nothing to be sad about Because you cannot gad about, And roam from place to place In search of things to wake you up, And possibly to shake you up, In an eternal chase. Yon Tree is anchored where she is — And, oh! how wondrous fair she is As motionless she stands! You never hear her maundering Because she is not wandering O'er distant seas and lands. She stays in her appointed place, She takes her own annointed place, June Seventeenth Tap-rooted to the sod, And does her task beguilingly, And grows, and grows, all smilingly Up, ever up, to God. June Seventeenth OAK OR LILY? T^HE Oak with endless length of days, The Lily passing like a flash of light, Both win from man a worthy meed of praise, The one for beauty and the one for might. Which would I be of these could I but choose? I cannot say, but this is in my mind, The lot of neither could I e'er refuse Could I, as they, be perfect of my kind. June Eighteenth SIGH NOT OIGH not for better worlds all full of bliss, But put your shoulder to life's whir ring wheel And try to make a better one of this, And let the future what it will reveal. We've sighs enough without your adding more, And tears enough, and amplitude of sin, But all the while Joy stands outside the door And only waits your call to enter in. June Nineteenth A GOODLY CHOICE TF I shall win my goal or lose I may not be the chooser; But if the crown the fates refuse One choice will be, and that I'll choose: To be a SMILING LOSER! June Twentieth THE DAY TV/fORN I rejoice in, since it brings me light, And sends me on my way with sense of power To do the things I must do ere the night Hath set an end unto the golden hour. Noon, too, I love with ardor, since the sun In full and mellowed glory gilds the blue, And shows the daily labor well begun, With goals in sight that I am speeding to. And night — the night is likewise dear to me Since with it comes relief from press and strain, With gifts of dreams through which the path I see Back to the vigor of the morn again. June Twenty-first THE TRIPLE HOLD things are going wrong And courage holds less strong, To win the bays anon — HOLD ON! When tempted to give way, Your purpose to betray, To win the day at last — HOLD FAST! When weariness descends, And weakness dire impends, To put Defeat to rout — HOLD OUT! June Twenty-second SHEER WASTE T^O hate an enemy I hold to be an idle whim That hurts me more, all said and done, than e'er it hurteth him. It clutters up my heart with wrath, and fills my soul with gloom, And wastes a lot of useful time on bitter thoughts of doom. It smears the bright blue of my skies with sordid tints of gray, And clouds with shadows dark the light of every passing day. So why should I give up my joys for hatred seething hot Of one who doesn't care a rap if I hate him or not? June Twenty-third ACHIEVEMENT 'M rather small, but I can do The biggest things on earth, And with small effort put 'em through Despite their wondrous worth. I For I can LOVE and I can HOPE, And hold a FRIENDLY HAND To mortals who in trouble grope Because I UNDERSTAND! And I can give a bit of CHEER, And brighten up the day For some poor traveler p ,le with fear Upon the darkened way. June Twenty-fourth THE CLIMBER T KNEW a man who used his chains To climb on up to liberty, And found his later stock of gains The sweeter for his slavery; And in his freedom won he found Not less but greater servitude, And passed to realms beyond us, crowned With bays of golden gratitude. June Twenty-fifth THE OLD AND THE NEW rPHEY say there's really nothing new upon this gladsome earth; That all the jokes we laugh at are of very ancient birth; That all the great inventions of this won drous age of ours Were known to the Egyptians and con temporary powers. They say that all the stories by our story tellers told Are but the variations of the narratives of old; That all the novel notions that we find in politics The Greeks and Romans tried out ere they journeyed o'er the Styx. June Twenty-sixth They say that Life and Laughter are as ancient as the hills; That there is nothing novel in our very latest ills; But when they say that Love is old — the oldest thing we see — I'm glad to say despite its age it's new enough for me! June Twenty-sixth THE BURDEN-BEARER \\7HEN burdens hard my shoulders Dear, One thing I know to ease my care — 'Twas God or I who placed them there! If by some act of mine they came, I know full well if I am game Some other act can lift the same. But if 'twas God that made of me The bearer of some burden He Wished carried forward sturdily, With heart and soul elate, and voice Upraised in thanks, I shall rejoice And strive to justify His choice! EVER YOUNG I'LL not be old until that day comes by When I shall fail to feel the fresh surprise That all the splendors of the morning sky Reveal unto my soul through waking eyes. I'll not be old until I cease to hear The music in the whispers of the breeze, And listen with a dull, unheeding ear To Nature's so abundant harmonies. I'll not be old until my heart shall find No sense of love that's wrapped up in the rose, And holdeth no response as to its kind In all the beauty of the garden close. June Twenty-eighth I'll not be old until the soul of me Ceases to joy in Faith and Hope and Truth, And though an hundred years my span shall be, With these to guide I'll hold always to Youth. June Twenty-eighth SAFETY-DEPOSIT VAULTS Midas keeps his bonds and stocks Hid in a Safe-deposit Box Where thieves may not break in and seize His fine gilt-edged securities. I keep mine in the Vault of Blue That none disputes my title to — Great stores of streaming golden light, And shares in all the Stars of Night. A Mine of Loving Kindness pays Rich dividends to bless my days, And all its wondrous stores of love I hold within those vaults above, And need no lock, and need no key Lest thieves shall steal that wealth from me, Since I can GIVE it all and still Find more those coffers vast to fill. June Twenty-ninth AS TO UNKIND WORDS T^HINK of all the unkind words in the dictionary. Add them, if you wish to, to your vocabulary. Keep 'em at your beck and call when you're feeling sneery. Have 'em at your finger-tips when you're sore and weary. Fit 'em to your angry mood — adjectives sarcastic; Words of overwhelming kind, trenchant, sharp, and drastic. Measure them with proper care, ponder them and weigh 'em. But no matter how you feel, don't you ever say 'em! June Thirtieth JULY SHOWERS TJERE comes sunny old July With a twinkle in her eye And her lovely smiling sky. Bids us turn to pleasant ways; Bids us think of playful days With her genial prancing rays. Dots the meadows with rare flowers, Thrills the eye with leafy bowers, Fresher made by cooling showers. Ah, those showers! To my mind They are gifts of Nature kind In our trials to remind Those of us beset by fears What rare loveliness appears As the aftermath of tears! July First BUILD TF you be expert or unskilled It matters little if you Build; And if in building you are true 'Twill make an expert out of you. Waste little time in tearing down — Destruction wins no lasting Crown — The Souls that win the sweetest cup Are Builders! Builders ! Builders UP! July Second JULY and song The whole day long! And soft starlight The livelong night! And breezes sweet To ease the heat; And glowing fields For harvest yields; And dancing rain To coax the grain; And skies the hue Of truest blue; And all things green With summer sheen — What wonder we Who truly see Are filled with cheer With July here! July Third FREEDOM HPHE independence that I seek Is that which leaves me wholly free To serve the lowly and the meek, And for the voiceless soul to speak Such challenges to slavery That soon. will dawn that perfect day When all men's chains have passed away, And Freedom is the portion fair Of Serf and Peon everywhere! July Fourth WILL \\71LL to be strong! It won't be long Before you really are. Will to be free From misery And Care will draw afar. Will to be brave And e'en the grave Will lose its terrors black. Will to have health, And spirit wealth, And neither shall you lack! July Fifth THE EXCESS I'LL not complain of surplus heat On country lane or city street, But store the same deep in my heart Where later it may do its part When needy souls demand of me An alms of geniality. July Sixth THE TEST ''THE test o' me Is just to make the best o' me, And if perchance that is not good At least I've done the best I could, And, after all, it can't be hid, That's all Bill Shakespeare ever did! July Seventh INSURANCE TF so be you'd insure your life Against the shafts of earthly strife, An easy premium to pay Is just a bunch of smiles each day. A smile at dawn to greet the sun, A smile at eve when tasks are done, And in between, from nine to four, Keep doling out the smiling score, And every bit of fearsome care Will vanish into thinnest air, For Woe forgets her cruel wiles Before the spirit armed with smiles. July Eighth A PLEASANT GAME DRETEND that you're a power-house, Irradiating joy — A sort of cheerful dower-house Which nothing can destroy; And that you're pushing trolley-cars Upon the tracks of earth — A lot of smiling, jolly cars All echoing with mirth, The which are toting weary folks To scenes of peace and rest — You'll fill your world with cheery folks, And dwell among the blest. July Ninth THE POINT OF VIEW AN apple with a worm inside "^ Is not to man a thing of pride, And yet I cannot help surmise To Mr. Worm 'tis Paradise. Whence I deduce that one can find, If he but have a searching mind, Somehow in everything some good If it be rightly understood; And what is joy, or what is rue, Depends upon the point of view. THE ACCOUNTING T STARTED in to count my cares, And lost the wheat for counting tares. I took a census of my woes, And, counting thorns, saw not the rose. 'Twas then I turned the thing around, A.nd, counting blessings up, I found That, dwelling on my stock of cheer, I hadn't any time for fear. July Eleventh INDEPENDENCE "\\/HATE'ER my forebears may have been, Ape, insect, bird, flesh, fowl, or fin, I am MYSELF, and, rain or shine, Intend to fill the place that's MINE. Say what you will, prove what you can, About the Origin of Man. No line of Monkey ancestry Can make a Monkey out of me. July Twelfth SATISFACTION JEST how this old world come to be *^ Hain't never been quite clear to me, But this I know — Fer weal or woe It's quite the best I ever see! July Thirteenth OUT OF THE STORM "1\7HEN tempests rage, what use to mope And look on life as void of hope, And just because the fierce winds blow Let all your nerve and courage go! Go out and let the gales so keen Sweep through your soul and make it clean, And let the rain that floods the day Wash all your gloomy thoughts away. Go out and face it, and as flowers Grow sweeter for the drenching showers, So let the storm, for all its rue, Refresh the heart and soul of you. THE IMMORTAL THING ''PHE world may change, and flowers fade, And Hope by evil chance betrayed Forever pass away. The fair blue of the skies may hide Behind the darkling clouds that ride Upon the wings of day. Our treasured plans may run askew, And desolation chill the view, Unto the mortal eye, But in the heart by sorrows wracked Remains the all-consoling fact That LOVE can never die! July Fifteenth A RESOLUTION I'M going to take my temper hot Into the hills to-day, And in some tangled wooded spot Where humans seldom stray I'm going to lose it once for all Far from the haunts of men, Where, 'midst the brush and timber tall, 'Twill ne'er be found again. July Sixteenth AGE-PROOF A\7HAT need, though years shall pass away, For any soul to yield to age, When coming with each brand-new day Life's story shows a brand-new page, With brand-new things upon it writ, Revealing brand-new veins of truth To stir the mind and edge the wit, And fill the heart with zest of youth? July Seventeenth IN AND OUT VK71TH ribbon, lace, and spat, and tie, Our outer Selves we beautify. We spend a lot of hours fair In fashioning fine things to wear The which shall make the Outer Us Splendiferous. And that's a right good thing to do, If only when we put it through We don't forget in outer pride To titivate a bit Inside, And make that hidden Inner Man As spick and span! July Eighteenth LIFE T IFE is a blooming rose *-^ Nurtured by Love's own fires, And all our little woes Are nothing but the briars. July Nineteenth THE THOUGHT-GARDEN A THOUGHT is but a Seed deep in the ri Mind That, if you cultivate it, you will find Will bloom in some achievement, ill or glad, According as the Seed is good or bad. A Thought of Joy will fill your day with Peace, And give your Soul from darkness quick release; A Thought of Meanness, or of Evil Deeds, Will fill your inner Garden full of Weeds, And choke the Bloom that might be blos soming Like fragrant bowers in the early spring. July Twentieth THE CALL all the sins that I detest In this old whirling world of hurry, Most useless in Pandora's chest That held so many a noxious pest, I deem the very worst is WORRY. It never cures and often kills; Of Ruin 'tis the own twin-brother; It sears the soul, the heart it chills, Destroys our hopes and fattens ills, More certainly than any other. Wherefore, I issue unto all My Brothers in these days of flurry, Who rest beneath its deadly pall With heart and soul the clarion call — Long live Good Cheer, and down with Worry ! July Twenty-first THE OPEN ROAD neighbors birds and busy humming bees; For roof the starry sky and leafy trees; For bed the soft, sweet slope of grassy sheen Or some refreshing spread of piney green; For cup of wine the stimulating cheer Of laughing mountain waters, crystal clear; For book those rarest tales of joyous love The breezes through the woodlands whisper of; For company the stars, and for my task Some daily labor, great or small, I ask Whereby my debt in thanks I may repay For all these blessings of the Open Way! July Twenty-second T"\ESPITE its sorrow and its pain I rather like the world we dwell in, And hope some day to come again its scenes to pass another spell in. I like its shape, I like its air; I like its pleasures and its labors. I like its people everywhere — my friends, my enemies and neighbors. I like the scheme of Age and Youth. I like such words as Sister, Brother, As Love, and Honor, Wisdom, Truth, and Faith, and Father, Friend, and Mother. I like its Rivers, Hills, and Dales; I like the broad sweep of the Ocean. I like its Light that never fails, its lovely seasons e'er in motion. July Twenty-third I like the plan of Night and Day — its coloring I deem exquisite, And after I have passed away I'd like to make another visit. July Twenty-third EXTERNALS ills beset me and my face Begins of Age to show a trace, And my bent form once lithe and bold Gives signs that it is growing old; When here and there a line appears On cheek and brow to prove my years, I do not sigh to find them there, Grim tokens of life's wear and tear, For deep within there dwells in truth The spirit of abiding youth, And in my soul lurks ne'er a doubt 'Tis but the case that's wearing out. July Twenty-fourth THE BUILDER TN childish mood I like to pla^ That I am building my own earth, And some new corner every day I fashion out of joy and mirth. A little nook to sing in here, A little spot to laugh in there, And over all a sky of cheer To lift the shadow of all care. July Twenty-fifth SELF-APPROVAL "DOOR mortal vain! He thought himself just right. In self -approval sat both day and night; And this strange circumstance soon came to be: That everybody round him grew, but he Stood stagnant there in body, soul, and mind, And in the onrush lagged so far behind That when he reached the place where bays are weft He asked for his and not a wreath was left! July Twenty-sixth THE QUESTION Vl/'HEN folks dilate on Ancestry And boast a chain of fine forebears That stretches back beyond B. C., I envy not that line of theirs, But look that chain so noble o'er And ask those wights of blood so blue In all their pride in things of yore — "What sort of Link in this are you?" July Twenty-seventh LOOK UP ! T OOK up, my friend, not down! *~* Why gaze upon the mire When up above a starry crown Of pure celestial fire Lies waiting for our eyes to see, And for our souls to win if we So ardently desire That every step's an upward flight Toward the sources of the light? July Twenty-eighth AS TO QUESTIONS WHEN it comes down to questions strange by which our minds are tasked I never bother over those that No One's Ever Asked! July Twenty-ninth IMPERISHABLE thing you love may pass away, Yet loss will still be gain If in your faithful heart for aye The love itself remain. July Thirtieth WILLING TARGETS T OVE'S archery is excellent, No matter where his bow is bent. His arrows speed through light and dark And seldom fail to hit the mark. I wonder if the reason's not We're all so willing to be shot? July Thirty-first AUGUST "VTOW cometli August with her brood Of joyous things in gracious mood — The smiling skies, the laughing streams, And from the sun the dancing beams Of golden light that seem to play Like pranksome elves along our way; And leafy lanes in shimmer drest Inviting weary souls to rest; And trees that spread their welcome shade O'er hill and dale, and forest glade; And silken breezes come to do The service God hath put them to; And happy birds at twilight nigh To sing some dreamy lullaby, August First Or at the dawn to tell us of Another coming day of Love — Ah! who can fail to find thee dear, Most gracious daughter of the year? August First A LIBRARY OF DAYS I'D like to bind all pleasant days ^ And keep them in my library, That when I come on sorrow's ways I may get at them handily; And as I open up some book That's eased some bit of passing pain, So on their pages I may look As tho' I lived them o'er again. August Second RATIONS T LIKE the way old Nature serves her rations day by day That all of us can count upon, so promptly doth she pay — A meed of light at early dawn, and plenteous stores of air, And miles of blue sky overhead to cheer away our care. She gives us soft refreshing rains to cleanse the atmosphere, And breezes singing music that enchants the weary ear; She feeds our souls with vistas fine, and, best of all, she dowers Each day we live in gifts of time in four- and-twenty hours. August Third AS TO NIGHTMARES T HAD a Nightmare t'other night, A vision fierce and gory, But 'stead of cowering with fright I seized her mane, and, holding tight, I rode the beast from dark to light, To honor and to glory — A rather pleasant way I find To handle creatures of her kind, No matter if they come my way In dead of night or light of day. August Fourth BROTHERS ALL A PLEASANT word to everybody— •^ The rich, the poor, the real, the shoddy — Somehow it does me good to greet Whatever folks I chance to meet. And tell 'em "howdy" just as though They all were people that I know; And wish 'em well upon the way, And hope they'll have a pleasant day. God made 'em all, and so you see I guess they're good enough for me. August Fifth A SHORT CUT A PLEASANT road to clearer skies •^ When things go wrong is to surmise How bright and gay 'Twould be if they Would only run contrariwise, As they will do, as sure as fate, Full soon if we in patience wait. August Sixth WORTH WHILE "\\7INNING, and sharing your gain; Grinning, and bearing your pain; Loving your friends and your foes forgiving Make any kind of a life worth living. August Seventh A PARALLEL lets a passing bit of woe destroy The wonder of a world replete with joy Is no more wise than he who would deny The smiling glory of the summer sky Because he'd got a cinder in his eye. August Eighth ODDS AND ENDS Odds and Ends that make up life Are mixtures strange of peace and strife In oft-amazing blends. The issues? These are with the Gods, But he who fears to take the Odds Is like to lose the Ends. August Ninth DEMAND AND SUPPLY VK7TIATEVER woes may chance to be You'll get no groans or frowns from me, For groans and frowns are sorry stuff Of which already there's enough And it were foolishness to try To sell an over-large supply, And turn one's hand To making things with no demand. August Tenth THE FAULT blame the world for this and that, In angry speech and lurid print, But let me tell you plain and flat The fault is with the people in't. If we who think we run the same Would do our part with smiling grace, We'd find the poor old world we blame A fine and dandy sort of place. August Eleventh ETERNAL YOUTH I'm seeming old. My locks are gray. The one-time springy step is gone for aye, And wrinkles chart my cheek and brow to show The paths I've trod in joy supreme and woe. But deep within, down in the heart of me, Where none but I alone the truth can see, No hint of Age appears upon the scroll That holds the written record of my soul. In spirit, thanks to Cheer, as ever young, My heart holds songs as sweet as ever sung, And to the future still I look with zest As to the coming of some welcome guest. August Twelfth FORTUNE