Room for me, all of you, make me room! Berton Braley. From "Things As They Are," Copyright, 1916, George H. Doran Co., Publishers. IS IT RAINING, LITTLE FLOWER? "Sweet are the uses of adversity." They bring us benefits not otherwise to be had. To mope because of them is foolish. Showers alternate with sunshine, sorrows with pleasure, pain and weariness with comfort and rest; but accept the one as necessary to the other, and you will enjoy both. IS it raining, little flower? Be glad of rain. Too much sun would wither thee, The sky is very black, 'tis true, But just behind it shines The blue. Art thou weary, tender heart? Be glad of pain ; In sorrow the sweetest things will grow As flowers in the rain. God watches and thou wilt have sun When clouds their perfect work Have done. Anonymous. GRADATIM In the old fable the tortoise won the race from the hare, not by a single burst of speed, but by plodding on steadily, tirelessly. In the Civil War it was found that Lee's army could not be overwhelmed in a single battle, but one Federal general perceived that it could be worn down by time and the pressure of numbers. "I propose," said Grant, "to fight it out on this line if it takes all summer. It took more than a summer; it took nearly a year— but he did it. In the moral realm likewise, "All things excellent are as difficult as they are rare." Character is not attained overnight. The only way to develop moral muscles is to exercise them patiently and long. EAVEN is not reached at a single bound; HEAV But we build the ladder by which we rise I count this thing to be grandly true: We rise by the things that are under feet; By what we have mastered of good and gain; We hope, we aspire, we resolve, we trust, We hope, we resolve, we aspire, we pray, And we think that we mount the air on wings Wings for the angels, but feet for men! We may hope, and resolve, and aspire, and pray; But our feet must rise, or we fall again. Only in dreams is a ladder thrown From the weary earth to the sapphire walls; Heaven is not reached at a single bound; From "Complete Poetical Writings," RULES FOR THE ROAD Ardor of sinew and spirit-what else do we need to make our journey prosperous and happy? STAND straight: Step firmly, throw your weight: The heaven is high above your head, The good gray road is faithful to your tread. Be strong: Sing to your heart a battle song: Though hidden foemen lie in wait, Something is in you that can smile at Fate. Press through: Nothing can harm if you are true. The earth is friendly as a mother's breast. Edwin Markham. From "The Gates of Paradise, and Other Poems," Doubleday, Page & Co. LIFE "What is life?" we ask. "Just one darned thing after another," the cynic replies. Yes, a multiplicity of forces and interests, and each of them, even the disagreeable, may be of real help to us. It's good for a dog, says a shrewd philosopher, to be pestered with fleas; it keeps him from thinking too much about being a dog. THAT'S life? A story or a song; WHAT'S A race on any track; A gay adventure, short or long, A grinding task; a pleasant stroll; A pit where fortune flouts or stings; With many any of these things; With others all in one. What's life? To love the things we see; And when at last the day is done To tumble into bed. Permission of the Author. From "The Philadelphia Evening Public Ledger." Griffith Alexander. HOE YOUR ROW We must not dream of harvests and neglect the toil that produces them. It is bad enough to cry over spilt milk. But many of us do worse; we cry over milk that we think is going to be spilt. In line sic such; 2, a' all; 3, nae no; 4, enow enough; 5, hae have; sturt-fret, trouble. UT human bodies are sic fools, BFor their colleges an' schools, That when nae real ills perplex them, |