Let us learn to laugh a bit

As the rapid seasons flit.

We are tangled in our troubles till they seem the whole of it.

But the world's a pleasant place,

With the sunshine on its face,

With the blossoms of the bosom of the garden and the meadow;

Daisy-clumps the pathway lining,

Honeysuckles vining, twining;

When the sun leaves off its shining, it is pleasant in the shadow!

WALTER G. DOTY.

O Lord and Saviour, Light of all our pilgrim way, do Thou dispel the clouds of anxious care, of doubt, of fear; give to us the glorious consciousness that Thy radiant Presence moves with us along the path of pleasure or of toil. May the halo of Thy divine compassion rest comfortingly upon the sufferer's brow, and the glow of Thine abounding life suffuse and stimulate our senses, dulled by carelessness and sin, till our whole being pulses with holy life and heavenly joy. Bid flowers spring up to deck the path where thorns have grown, while every wayside bush shall be aflame with God. Amen.

HERBERT S. HARRIS.

O bird, that comes to my door to sing,

As you swing and sway in the tree atilt,
It is more than your beautiful song you bring

And the lingering grace of your mellow lilt,
More than the charm of the welcome note
Of joy poured forth from your happy throat.

For blent with the cheer of your blithsome song
Is the spirit of faith and strength; and, when
I hark to your rapturous lay, I long

To visit the homes of my brother men
And sing at their doors a song divine,
O bird, as the song you sing at mine.

NIXON WATERMAN.

Our Heavenly Father, who hast given us the assurance that not even a sparrow falls without Thy notice, and that Thou dost count each of Thy human children of much more value than many sparrows, we ask, at the beginning of this new day, that Thou wilt be with us through all its hours. We trust Thee for strength for each duty, for power to resist each temptation, for the vision to recognize each opportunity, and wisdom to meet its obligations. Rejoicing in the beauty of the material world provided for our earthly habitation, in the delights of human friendship, in the privileges of service, may we live this day, and every day, in blessed preparation for the larger life and fuller service awaiting us. Amen.

HELEN G. RICE.

I must be strong of soul, stanch of heart,
No matter what the odds;

The long day's sturdy struggle is my part-
The far result is God's.

Not mine to wet the page of yesterday

With unavailing tears,

Nor strive to clear the mystery of a way

Far-leading through the years.

Mine just to meet and conquer, hour by hour,

The thing that men call "Fate":

Going from strength to strength, from power to power,
Rising from state to state;

Fighting, face starward, through the changing wars
With which a world is rife,

So that my soul may borrow from the stars

Courage and light and life.

NANCY BYRD TURNER.

Thou Great, Gentle, Almighty God Who art

nearer to us than the air we breathe: Who art Father and Mother in one: to Thee we deliberately, confidently come. We firmly believe in Thy presence, permeating our personality, filling the atmosphere we breathe with mysterious power, warm with love, tender with compassion, drawing us every moment nearer to Thyself. We WILL believe. And having firm faith we WILL rest. Confidently we ask Thee, for the hallowing, quieting, inspiring Energy of Grace, that our every effort may be charged with celestial force, gentle, gracious and effective. Amen.

JOHN H. VINCENT.

My creed is work; to follow duty's call
However far it leads across the plains

Through trackless woods, or ringing on the hills;
To seek for pleasure in the realms of toil
Still ever striving for a larger self

With which to do a service for the rest.

To lay a new path through the unknown way,
And leave some heritage e'en though so small
No other hand would love or care to leave.
Rejoicing ever in my brother's craft,
To follow system and the perfect law
Be what I am, and do my very best
To lead a life which towers above the hills,
And points the way across the plains to God.
R. H. WILSON.

O Thou, our Heavenly Father, Thou dost reveal unto us Thy purposes. We rise in the morning to do our Father's work. We labor by our Father's side. We are encouraged by our Father's voice. Thine, O God, is the work, and the joy of working we share with Thee. We pray Thee to help us this day that with a song in our hearts we may set us again to build the old waste places, be as the repairer of the breach and the restorer of paths to dwell in, and make level in the desert for all the children of men a highway to our God. Amen.

CHARLES F. AKED.

Simplicity, simplicity, simplicity! I say, let your affairs be as two or three, and not a hundred or a thousand; instead of a million count half a dozen, and keep your accounts on your thumb nail. In the midst of this chopping sea of civilized life, such are the clouds and storms and quicksands and thousandand-one items to be allowed for, that a man has to live, if he would not founder and go to the bottom and not make his port at all, by dead reckoning, and he must be a great calculator indeed who succeeds.. Simplify, simplify.

HENRY D. THOREAU.

Lord, help us in this busy world, with its manifold cares, temptations, duties, opportunities and privileges, to live lives of simple trust, love and loyalty. May we hold fast to the simple truths that we know, perform the simple duties that are clear, and follow the narrow path that is plain. In life's complexities and perplexities may we know that Thou art, and that Thou art the rewarder of them that diligently seek Thee. Help us daily to seek Thy guidance, and knowing Thy will, may we have the desire and ability to perform it. Thus may our lives be serene, strong, sympathetic and helpful. Amen.

CLARENCE A. YOUNG.