Acknowledgments

The compiler desires to make her grateful acknowledgments to the publishers and authors who have so generously given their permission to use selections from their copyrighted publications. She is especially indebted to Dodd, Mead & Co., Houghton, Mifflin & Co., The Century Co., The Outlook Co., Small, Maynard & Co., McClure, Phillips & Co., for extracts from "The Simple Life" by Charles Wagner and from "The Angelus" by Edwin Markham; G. P. Putnam's Sons for selections from "Christus Victor" by Henry Nehemiah Dodge; to Doubleday, Page & Co. for extracts from "The Story of My Life" by Helen Keller, copyright 1902, 1903; also for selections from "Afterwhiles," copyright 1887, "Riley Farm Rhymes," copyright 1885, "Riley Songs o' Cheer," copyright 1883, "Pipes o' Pan," copyright 1888, used by special permission of the publishers, The Bobbs-Merrill Co., to Charles Scribner's Sons for selections from "Fisherman's Luck," "The Lost Word," "Little Rivers," "The Story of the Psalms," "The Toiling of Felix and Other Poems," by Henry Van Dyke, and a selection from "El Dorado" by

Robert Louis Stevenson.

Preface

Once family devotions were general, now they are rare. There are reasons for the change. One reason is that the simplicity of the old family life is gone. It is not easy to get all the members of the family together at any one time in the day. A part of this is due to less leisure now than formerly. Men must catch trains in the morning. In the evening they are distracted by manifold social engagements.

Yet the need of spiritual adjustment is ever the same. Rapid transit, the telephone, the telegraph, do not take the place of God. Indeed the more rapid pace involved in these modern pace-makers, renders the more necessary some pause in the day for prayer, some upward look, when for a moment the soul may find an open way between itself and God. But how and when? Why not the breakfast table? Surely one or two minutes may be spared. Thirty seconds of silence, then the reading of a noble sentiment from some one who has been thinking for us,—another pause,—and a few words of prayer, framed by some one with more leisure than we have, but who puts us in the mood of prayer and so starts us right upon the duties of the day,—this will bring the needed readjustment.

Such is the plan and purpose of this little book. It is made for busy men and women, who need to begin the day with God. The quotations for each day are brief, but they are gleaned from the great Masters of thought. The prayers are from devout men of all the denominations.

As the title will have suggested, both quotations and prayers are generally in the spirit of a truly optimistic faith. However life may look in the middle of the night, it is a good thing to start out to do the work of the day with hope and courage. I shall be glad if I can feel that this little book has helped some busy people to begin the day in this spirit. I shall be particularly glad if I can feel that it has helped a little to keep the candles lighted on the family altar.

[xi]

List of Authors of Selections

[xvii]

List of Authors of Prayers

[1]

[2]

The Optimist's Good Morning

[3]

January 1

Throughout the year, why not keep sweet? No frown ever made a heart glad; no complaint ever made a dark day bright; no bitter word ever lightened a burden or made a rough road smooth; no grumbling ever introduced sunshine into a home. What the world needs is the resolute step, the look of cheer, the smiling countenance, and the kindly word. Keep sweet!

George L. Perin.

God of the years, our Heavenly Father, whatever the message of the old year may have been, whether of darkness or light, joy or sorrow,—we stand this morning waiting expectantly and confidently for some message with glad tidings. May we therefore enter upon the New Year in the mood of hope and good cheer,—brushing from our faces every sign of care, let us go forth into the New Year with the spirit of a child who puts his hand into the hand of a Father to be led into a field where the flowers blossom and the birds sing. Not for to-day only do we pray for sweetness and light, but let us be glad and happy every day. Thou art with us today,—Thou wilt be with us through all the journey of the year. May our own daily gladness be born of the conviction that Thou art always near. Amen.

George L. Perin. [4]

January 2

To keep my health! To do my work! To live! To see to it I grow and gain and give! Never to look behind me for an hour! To wait in weakness and to walk in power But always fronting forward to the light, Always, and always facing toward the right. Robbed, starved, defeated, fallen, wide astray— On, with what strength I have! Back to the way!

Charlotte Perkins Gilman.

With this new day, O God, let some new strength be mine, to walk in patience, the way appointed for me. Let me be strong to battle with the ills that shall beset me, to toil with faith and honest heart, to keep myself untainted and make my life helpful to my fellowmen. Help me to be forgetful of myself, but thoughtful to do no evil to any man. Thy hand is strong and mine is weak. I need Thy guidance, let Thy strength be mine, that though I stumble I may not fall nor fail. And when the day is done, may happy memories be mine. Amen.

Almon Gunnison. [5]

January 3

Build on resolve, and not upon regret, The structure of Thy future. Do not grope Among the shadows of old sins, but let Thine own soul's light shine on the path of hope And dissipate the darkness. Waste no tears Upon the blotted record of lost years, But turn the leaf, and smile, oh, smile, to see The fair white pages that remain to thee.

Ella Wheeler Wilcox.

O Thou All-persuasive God, who dost speak within the souls of men in language which the heart interprets as its own! enlarge our trust in that better self which beckons us, that we may be led out of the lingering darkness of regret, out of the shadow of embittered memory into the brightness of a new resolve where we may see Thy face. Smile upon us in the smiling day; in the joy of strength renewed, and opportunity reborn; in the beauty of the promise each hour whispers to us as it passes by. So fill us with Thyself that each new day shall mean new life led by the glory of those hopes which do not fade at evening. Amen.

Charles A. Knickerbocker. [6]

January 4

We of our age are part, and every thrill that wakes The tremulous air of Life its motion in us makes. The imitative mass mere empty echo gives As walls and rocks return the sound that they receive. But as the bell, that high in some cathedral swings, Stirred by whatever thrill, with its own music rings, So finer souls give forth, to each vibrating tone Impinging on their life, a music of their own.

W. W. Story.

O living and loving One, brighter than the morning and fairer than the day, from Thee we come, to Thee we turn, who art more than Father and Mother to us all. Our times are in Thy hand. Thou, who hast set the sun and stars in the sky, hast appointed our place and part in this human world. May Thy light lead and Thy love win us into the harmonies of law and grace, that we may become responsive to every touch of nature, every whisper of truth, every appeal of humanity. So prepare us to serve our generation in the spirit of Him who has taught us to do Thy will on earth as it is done in heaven. Amen.

Charles G. Ames. [7]

January 5

All such as worked for love, not wages—some Who, painting for a perfect tint did drain Their hearts, or some to save their country slain, Or many who for truth braved martyrdom, Or more who, in what common days may come, Have toiled in hope, beyond the hope of gain, Of doing something well,—all such would fain Speak thus: These gifts more free than flowers from The earth are given. Good world, if to our need Ye offer bread and shelt'ring roof unsought, As guests our thanks we give, but not for greed, As if our gifts were bartered for and bought; And if, perchance, good world, ye offer nought, Ah, well, that were of life the lesser meed.

J. S. Jackson.

Father in Heaven, we thank Thee, as we enter upon another day, for strength with which to work. We thank Thee for our tasks; for our opportunities to work for Thee and for those we love, we thank Thee. May we know the joy, when night shall come, of having accomplished something worthy. Help us to see in that satisfaction a part of our pay. Make each of us faithful in his place; and help the humblest worker to understand that consecration and not rank is the all-important thing. Above all, may we not forget that living is giving, and may our desire either for rest or gain keep us from no helpful act. May we follow Him who came to minister, and live as sons and daughters of God. Amen.

Frank W. Whippen. [8]

January 6

The sculptor moulds his clay with reverent hand, That clay thro' which his fancy flashes free— Quick with an answer to his soul's demand, And pliant to his fingers' minstrelsy! Could ever bronze or marble so respond In wordless echo of the being's will? Naught but the clay, as to a rapture fond Could he with fire of genius thus infill! And so the common people are the clay, Swift moulded by Divine Deific hand, Until transfigured, in the glorious day, The statue of humanity shall stand! It knows no tinsel crown, this masterpiece. But all the sovereignty of God's release!

Mary Hanaford Ford.

Heavenly Father, we are of Thy plain common people: we feel ourselves of very little worth. For what can we do of ourselves? But, if Thou wilt graciously use us, shaping us to Thine ends as the potter his clay, it may be that we shall serve some worthy purpose. We therefore yield ourselves to Thee, and beg Thee to use us this day. Make us pliant to Thy purposes, make us a help to someone who needs us today. So take us into partnership with Thyself, and so may this day be a day of delight, and our plain common lives be made rich with the Glory of service. Amen.

C. H. Wheeler. [9]

January 7

And I, too, sing the song of all creation, A brave sky and a glad wind blowing by, A clear trail and an hour for meditation, A long day and the joy to make it fly, A hard task and the muscle to achieve it, A fierce noon and a well-contented gloom, A good strife and no great regret to leave it, A still night—and the far red lights of home.

H. H. Bashford.

Almighty God, we thank Thee that Thou art our Father, and that Thou lovest us as though Thou hadst no other children; we adore Thee for the beautiful world in which Thou hast placed us; for trees and birds and flowers and sky, for friends and music and books and all the ten thousand mercies which crown our lives. We thank Thee too, for hard tasks and severe disciplines, for everything that is intended to make us strong and brave and true. Thou art the Lord of the day and of the night also. Give us grace to trust Thee and to believe in Thy motherly solicitude at all times. May Thy goodness lead us to repentance and to joyous unselfish living and may we so improve our opportunities for service that we shall make others think of Him who went about doing good and trusted in His Father with a perfect trust. Amen.

Dillon Bronson. [10]

January 8

Have we not all, amid life's petty strife, Some pure ideal of a noble life That once seemed possible? Did we not hear The flutter of its wings and feel it near, And just within our reach? It was. And yet We lost it in this daily jar and fret. But still our place is kept and it will wait, Ready for us to fill it, soon or late. No star is ever lost we once have seen: We always may be what we might have been.

Adelaide A. Procter.

O Thou, whose goodness is new to us every morning and fresh every evening, we bless Thee for Thy patient and unforgetting care of all of us. Though we transgress Thy beneficent laws and frequently lose sight of our cherished ideals, our hunger and thirst for righteousness never dies, for we partake of Thy Divine Nature. O that we might always be animated with Thy spirit of disinterested Love. We thank Thee this day for the inspiration of light and joy of our gifted poets and pray that we may meet the daily trials of life with a sweet and courageous spirit, remembering that "no star we have ever seen will cease to shine." Amen.

William G. Babcock. [11]

January 9

The future is lighted for us with the radiant colors of hope. Strife and sorrow shall disappear. Peace and love shall reign supreme. The dream of poets, the lesson of priest and prophet, the inspiration of the great musician, is confirmed in the light of modern knowledge; and, as we gird ourselves for the work of life, we may look forward to the time when in the truest sense the kingdoms of this world shall become the kingdom of Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever, King of Kings, and Lord of Lords.

John Fiske.

All-wise and all-loving Father, we invoke Thy aid at the opening of a glad, new day. For the past we thank Thee, remembering that each day yielded its blessings. We rejoice that the victories of yesterday are the promise of larger successes today. Whenever during the day, we shall be conscious of our littleness, give us at that moment the vision of our possible largeness. Teach us, however tumultuous be the outward conditions, to maintain the inward calm. Today may Thy love work its miracle upon our pain and pleasure. So through faithful, hopeful work may we find Thy kingdom nearer at this day's close. Amen.

A. Eugene Bartlett.

[12]

January 10

Blessings on the man who smiles! I do not mean the man who smiles for effect, nor the one who smiles when the world smiles. I mean the man whose smile is born of an inner radiance, the man who smiles when the clouds lower, when fortune frowns, when the tides are adverse. Such a man not only makes a new world for himself, but he multiplies himself an hundred fold in the strength and courage of other men.

George L. Perin.

Blessed art Thou, O Lord, our Father in heaven and on the earth! Give to us of Thy blessedness that all this day we may rejoice in Thee. Incline our hearts to see Thy goodness and wisdom. Make the gladness of our hearts constant that it may illumine our presence, so that those who walk with us may walk in Thy light and give Thee thanks. Make Thy joy our strength, whether expressed in storm or sunshine, that we may consent to Thy will cheerfully. We ask these and all gifts in the name of Him who would have His joy abide in us, that our joy may be fulfilled. Amen.

Alexander McKenzie.

[13]

January 11

Talk happiness! The world is sad enough, Without your woes. No path is wholly rough; Look for the places that are smooth and clear And speak of those who rest the weary ear Of earth, so hurt by one continuous strain Of human discontent and grief and pain. Talk health! The dreary, never changing tale Of mortal maladies is worn and stale. You cannot charm or interest or please, By harping on that minor chord, disease. Say you are well, or all is well with you, And God shall hear your words and make them true.

Ella Wheeler Wilcox.

Heavenly Father, by whose mercy we are permitted to greet another day, we offer Thee this morning our grateful praise for all the blessings of this life. We take from Thee with thankful heart the gift of health, conscious that we shall never know how rich the gift until we lose it. Now, while it is ours, may we use it with abounding joy for the good of those we may meet this day. To be able to bring light where there is darkness, hope where there is despair, comfort where there is sorrow, and so to be the children of our Father which is in Heaven, for this we pray, with the pardon of our sins, in Jesus' name. Amen.

Francis H. Rowley.

[14]

January 12

The crest and crowning of all good, Life's final star, is Brotherhood; For it will bring again to Earth Her long-lost Poesy and Mirth; Will send new light on every face, A kingly power upon the race, And till it comes, we men are slaves, And travel downward to the dust of graves. Come clear the way, then, clear the way; Blind creeds and kings have had their day, Our hope is in the aftermath— Our hope is in heroic men, Star-led to build the world again. To this event the ages ran; Make way for Brotherhood—make way for Man.

Edwin Markham.

O Lord, make us like Thee. There can be no greater ambition, no loftier desire, no holier purpose, for Thou holdest the secret of Brotherhood. Like Thee, the only begotten of the Father, the essence of love, the joy of angels, the hope of the world,—make us like Thee, O Christ. Let Thy light be our light; thy service our joy; Thy peace our inheritance. Touch our lips that we may say no unkind word; touch our hearts that we may feel no wrong desires. May our living be for the world's good, our acts precious helps to Thy kingdom, our all consecrated to Thy blessed service. May we be satisfied when we awake with Thy likeness. Amen.

William H. Main.

[15]

January 13

If there be some weaker one, Give me strength to help him on; If a blinder soul there be, Let me guide him nearer Thee. Make my mortal dreams come true With the work I fain would do; Clothe with life the weak intent, Let me be the thing I meant; Let me find in Thine employ Peace that dearer is than joy!

John Greenleaf Whittier.

Heavenly Father! We humbly beseech Thee to breathe upon us Thy Holy Spirit, that we may be Thy true disciples, that we may be quick to see our brother's need, and quicker to relieve it. If he has lost his way, may we be aided to show it to him clearly. May we see our brother in the Master's "prodigal," and find in every needy soul our sphere of service. Forgive our weak excuses, and make the flickering embers burn to fervent heat, that the ideal Thou hast given in Thy Word may command every power of our lives. For Jesus' sake, Amen.

George Whitaker.

[16]

January 14

A German allegory tells of two little girls. They had been playing together in a strange garden, and soon one ran in to her mother full of disappointment. "The garden's a sad place, mother." "Why, my child?" "I've been all around, and every rose-tree has cruel, long thorns upon it!" Then the second child came in breathless. "O Mother, the garden's a beautiful place!" "How so, my child?" "Why, I've been all around, and every thorn-bush has lovely roses growing on it!" And the mother wondered at the difference in the two children.

Anonymous.

Divine Spirit and Soul of this day! We rejoice in its accomplished and its prophetic beauty and wealth which even our undisciplined hearts and minds may readily perceive, but may we increase the joy of its activities and its whole divine meaning by a deeper appreciation of its ministry to the disciplined life we bear. If there shall be fortunes in its passing which we would not choose, if there shall be encountered any experiences we would shun, may we remember that our reverses only emphasize our successes, that our sorrows intensify our joys, that even the humiliation and shame of the "far country" add divine meaning to the Father's House where wait the sandals and robes and rings for the comfort and beauty that are yet to be. May we learn that the thorn protects the rose, that the flaming sword turning in all directions protects the Tree of Life in every Eden of the world. May we remember that every great and good fortune of life is guarded by a seeming hostility which bears in its soul the secret of a lasting benevolence appointed for our own good. Amen.

E. L. Rexford.

[17]

January 15

We are haunted by an ideal life, and it is because we have within us the beginning and the possibility of it. God is our continual incitement because we are His children. So the ideal life is in our blood and never will be still. We feel the thing we ought to be beating beneath the thing we are. Every time we see a man who has attained our ideal a little more fully than we have it wakens our languid blood and fills us with new longings.

Phillips Brooks.