good deeds hast thou sent on before thee? The righteous will be held in everlasting remembrance." Give, though thy store be scant or full; Scatter thy blessings wide On every outward going wave; And each returning tide Perchance a double meed; The harvest heads shall glisten white From thy full cup of blessing, give, Oh, every gift of God is free! The sun, the dews at even, The cooling wind, the fresh'ning shower, The river fills its channels vast, And hurries to the sea, Yet not one cooling drop is missed By either you or me. The fountain tide is ever full, So purer for its flow, In blessings thro' the thirsty land Its mighty waters go. More blessed far to give than take- And never from our stores shall miss May save some fainting soul from sin, So let us learn to value most, Nor mourn if light returns should come But give and hope for nothing back, As Christ the Master said. -Libbie L. Hall. Precious and priceless are the blessings which books scatter around our daily paths.-Edwin P. Whipple. ގ rooms, beautifully furnished, in the library building. Surely, this is the right way to obey Jesus, when he says: "Freely ye have received, freely give." It seems to be very hard for some rich men to execute their wills in their lifetime. It makes them miserable to ask, or even to suggest to them, to spend some of the money which they do not need, in doing good in the community. Many ways of benefiting mankind may be shown to them; but their conscience is not powerful enough to make them generous and useful. Destitution and struggling genius and worth appeal to them for help in vain. You may tell them that worthless relatives are wishing for their death, so that they may waste the hoarded treasure, that no one could spend their money as wisely as themselves, that they should learn to enjoy doing good, and that they are injuring their own souls by refusing to answer the calls of God and humanity; but you cannot open the fountains of love within them. You may tell a man that he should plant trees around his house and along the highway. You may show him that the place is bare and that the rays of the summer sun and the winds of winter make it hard for people to live or walk there. He will say to you that there is an item in his will providing for the planting of trees after his death. You cannot make him see that it would be better for him to plant them now and to have the pleasure of watching them growing and to behold them doing good with their beauty and shade. His god has blinded his eyes. One of your neighbors planted trees many years ago. They are now large and beautiful. He sits beneath them in summer, and enjoys their shade and hears the birds singing in their branches, and in the evening looks up through the leaves at the moon and stars, and feels the influences of the holy mysteries of the night upon his soul. Or he sees with pleasure the traveller with dusty feet resting upon a seat in the shade of his majestic trees. Is not this man a much wiser and happier man than the other? He has learned to do good and to enjoy the good he does in his earthly life. He is a wise and happy man who knows how to utilize his superfluous means for the benefit of others, while he is living, and who does not leave it to others to execute his will after his death. He plants trees of life along the highway of struggling humanity that give fruit and shade to weary toilers. He provides seats for the tired wayfarers and fountains of water for the thirsty. Every one that comes near his home feels the influences of his wisdom and love. His love has made it possible for him to receive the love of others. Make channels for the streams of love, To fill them every one. But, if at any time we cease The very founts of love for us Will soon be parched and dried. For we must share, if we would keep Ceasing to give, we cease to have, Such is the law of love.-R. C. Trench. |