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Retir6 de
de ia Bi
d0
1-1
--'lection
rUnlMrM ^
i:
J
i
M»^
S ; ^
» •• #.
THE SILENT BEACON.
■V. • l-ai;, /j,j.
m -^MF Paths of ?EMt
^-HY E. r. HAHR
Y
A-TH fl ,^,^^^,.,^^ ^^
'^ , G . Ha V Y
^ ^ s"ja
■: AN* L A ^
■":^
II
^s*^;v% 5^" ■^
Ii TIE Patis of Peace
■Y
LILY E. F. BAB BY
WITH ILLUSTRATIONS BY
A. G. HAC£Y
3 7/^
MONTHCAL
THE CANADA ENGRAVING 4 LITHO. CO. L.
1901
MITEO
p
Entered according to Act of Parliament of Canada
by LILY EMILY FRANCES BARRY, in the OfBce
of the Minister of Agriculture, In the year 1901
INDEX.
The Message ok Peace '■^"
Real Joy of Christmas...
" Yeab Before Us
Be Noble
Our Mark
Sklf-Help ...'....."
The Pow^r ok Kind Words. '
•' Secret of True Skili
DcTv OF Resting
"VaLUK OF COL'RTESV
" DouBTi.vo Heart
Love is All
Mine E.vemv
Contentment
True Distinction
Mental Dignity
The Trie Values of Things '!!
Intellectual Like
God's Good Gifts
Revenge
The Child's First School-Room
" Nearest Duty
Cause and Effect
Provocation
A Rich Inheritance
The Motive Power of Love . . . . .
On the Heights
Searching fob Pearls
The Perfect Rose
Mildew of Monotony ....
Relative "Values
Self-Complacency
The Imperative Dutv
JeaIX)U3Y
Perseverance
Nature's Healing Touch...... ...
The Seeds We Scatter
Greatest Names
Enjoyme.vt of Virtue
Great and the Small...
Ik We Had But a Day
Solitude
9
U
13
to
17
19
•21
24
26
28
»t
32
ai
38
40
43
44
46
47
49
52
55
57
(iO
63
66
68
72
75
77
79
82
84
m
89
92
96
99
102
r'
^
VI
lNDEX-(a,«/,««^^.)
The Skchet of Holiness..
iMOKtsa Ui'Wakd
Thk Fokmatiov ok Cuhactkb .
Want oi Motive...
■■ TKar OK Kduc.atio.v
JiNCOUKAOEMENT
SVMI'ATHV IN Joy
Hidden Beahtv
Toleration \
KA.STER Thoiouts ....
An Kastkh Mystery
The Soul's Standard
'■ Family
" Best Way..... ..'.'
■ Art ok E.njoyment
J< LOWER or Fruit ...
JuiwE Not
SKLK-nKLIANCE.. . . .
I'OTENTIAL VlHTUfiH
riiK Tell-Tale Countenance.
LTnpROKITAHLENESS ok Gripp
Shining at Home '
Ix)OK Forward. ...
Family Strike.....
Artikioial Deeos.
Benekhent A( tivity
*»RA1ITUDE
Hospitality
The Value ok Great Ideas
PeRKECTION IN TltlKLES .
The Prior Claims ok Duty
^VMPATHY IN Failure...
Ked- Letter D.ws...
The Silent Beacon.
" Force of Example!.
Wm, Hammer and Chisel..
iv Harvest Time. ...
The Wrong Way
Mistakes ok Altruism
Just Cri. icism . . .
Unmst Criticism.
The HioHT Kind OF Rivalry..
ART. THE JiDlXWTOl!
Weariness
Sklk-Love
A Firm Footiiold
•TWIXTD..WN and Dark
Orowino i.v Wisdom
105
108
111
114
117
121
12.3
128
131
134
13S
141
143
145
148
lijO
133
155
l.W
159
160
1(>2
164
167
168
170
173
175
177
173
182
184
186
188
190
193
196
199
201
204
206
209
212
215
217
219
222
234
227
229
231
INDEX— ( Confhiucd.)
COXVKTIOX OK CimOM
HuivEss ,\xi> Faihre.
TlIK PlIILOsOl'lllC Hl-IKIT
OUK I)K8KKT.-<
SSKUVINt; O.Ni: M ASTKK ■ ■ . . ....W.^. ., .
Tick Unrkkok.mki. Hkkihmkh
Dlti.Vn V Ol-' L ABOl R
Mka Cui.i'a
TlIK W'KAK Ml.NI) ......
■• DiCNITV OK KoOI. ,, '
I.V.VO<-KNCK
Hkkoi.«m IX Smai.i, Tiiixos..!.
.SOHKOW's SWEKT IsES
TlIK Two Clas.ses of Hi.MA.vnv ...
Limit ok Asi'iu.vnox
Mv Oariikn
The Highest Kn()Wi.ki>oe
■■ BOKK
i*Ei.K-RKSTKAIXT
Uki.a.xatiox
The Place ok i^iietxess
CHAIN.S OK HAHIT
The Ekkkacy ok Wokk
Dkiktino
.Sl'XNV SCOT.S
JUriLDINO KOR KtkKMTV
ACQlriESCKXCE
Modesty
The Pre(iol-!s.\e.ss ok Oi-couti xhy!
SWEKT AXI> SeRVICEAIII.E '
Xatukk'8 i^cllOOI..
VII
•£«
:.'4I
n:i
i'4.>
•-'J:
•-Mit
iil
2r.4
LV>7
2.-.!(
2(ii
■i^-A
2iifi
-'CO
•>::\
27.5
278
2S1
2><1
287
2<H)
•J!i:{
2!l)
2!>7
2!l<t
;«rj
;«)4
:««
*V^«^
TO MV FATHER.
Across the years, I seen to see
Mmelf, a chUd, upon thy knee,
mth eager hand, close held in thine.
Tracing the first laboHons line.
Ah! loving teacher, patietU guifle.
Long have I missed thee from my side,
Grieving and grateful, let me come
To lay this token on thy tomb.
L. E, F. B.
I / }
ill
I
THE MESSAGE OF PEACE.
Peace on earth, good-will to men,
Christ IS horn in Bethlehem.
"5^E want no sweeter nie^.a^e for tl.e week of
^ Christmas than the old, joyous refrain with
angels "«^i ^^u T-'",' ^«"S' ^^hen the " herald
tTwaitin. T'l"* '}^ ^'''\ "^ '^' ^°^«"t S«^'iour to
the uaiting shepherds, on the first CMiristraas night
How triumphantly its pure, unrestrained gladness
refutes the theory that Christianity is a sad reli^on
Those notes and words of cheer, ringing dol the a"es
with undaminished clearness ever sin^, Zve liSd
humanity, year afte. year, believers and unbel eve:^
abke from the depths of despair in which their own
ha': fiTd he" ^1^^^^"^-- ^^^ Pl-^ed l.Z, Zl
have failed them with sweet repentance, new hope and
high aspirations Who shall calculate'the num'bl of
mas. And it comes so graciously at the death of the
W' "" ^.r""^^"^ ^"d silent nature must othenvise
inspire us with sadness. ' umerwise
But neither the frost bound, snow-sheeted landscane
he spectral trees, the inclement skies, nor the wintry
bias s, howling and shrieking like baffl;d spirits of evf
avail when the spirt of Christmas is abroad let
mcTvy A\ho cares for the cold and bleakness out of
2
'^ ''IK r^v-nis or .-kaik
- •''•''-- of i'';;.;;;-7,'' ^''"i.|.v> n.......
•--'•-i '--tiji: '•:;';;. 'rTT !' -'^-
77vis.nofp,i,,,,,: ,,;'-7-''-'':.n,.lnmin;,o,.r
, •^"•'"ii tiM-zi..'; ;^: ^ r'"'- "•'^ "'m.v . „, j^^^^^^
•>'".i<-tio sfr.ins of tT^ ' /""" "^"- ^il<.' »1...
"'^/'.oir (^l.risrn J , ;^ ^''-^ "'^ »'- '•'•il.l.VM si,...
"<^;lm..^s. a„ ,,,,,, ,,„^;;,3 ^'^"'^ l>^<';v the s„rfa,ps
«'"^ -v.vf .>nifi.,,„.;. Vv" .:7r'^' 't^f--ro.u.|,in..
^%.Iuooxcoodin^Mhatof f!' ;>'''^"'^ " '^'^''^'t. have a
<^roppod at the shnW f rn^T; r/'-rl "'•^•^'•^'' ^^^^
THK MKssa«;k ok l-y.M.K
3
A !.....« .. r„ HH...r <Ih. lo,H.y an.| poor u„.| nml ..t
one ,N ».. .... ,1 , '"''^"' '"'loii^s jiH rime, t„
ll r» „ lillinc l«^li.'f ntHi „„., wl,i,.|, inM.t ■ .11 l,ri„„
f". h u frhul |„,,,t f,„ Chnsfmus .nornin^- !
-ks nr. . ,11 w;.t .1,1. toar. f.-on. ^^ne m-o^ | L^^l
, ; -has. hearts am still son- with bitter disap-
Zfv r /''''•'' ^'"' ^''^ '"•'^" ^'f ti.e littlo one.
fo the sako of those who love nnd live with you Ts
^vell as for .your own. I>„t off th. vesture of Ifef ind
re yo h,ve worn so ion. and put on a holiday '^
mcnt lust for the day. You are not forgotten Z are
not alone, even though you cannot see yo^paVt in t}^
?oTSnn:dlh?f;> ^^^" though t-Lgif^trind ;
Toasting and the lights seem not for you There arr.
"veet„e. set' ^o^^i^ ^: t:^ ::^TC!:.
IN THE PATHS OF PEACE
«<■ 1.0 „f ?owl n ' ""■ »P'»"<'»'"-- Whether
Christinus." °* "^ -»^ Alorry
*^^^^
f!|
II
THE REAL JOY OP CHRISTMAS.
Christmas comes but once a year,
And to all it brings good cheer. '
'^ yc^IZT""" "ncommon, at this season of the
fhev " t "'" Ti r "^^" ^"^"^^^ '^""^'^ that
iney hate and " dread " Chrio ^ TKn
oxpla„ar.on of this singular attitude tolTr;^, a festha
^^l^ch, of all others, should be most favourable o a
S in . I' T^ .'^""^ ^^« «««««" brings to the
"^ V^^^^^S of b.towing^.luall^
bir if ^^r r edi, t^^„, ^r^oZ^ciet
but It surely does not improve the situation to look
afc t?^T"' "^'' ^^'^ ^'"^ ^^"«*™«« spirit i an
affair of the heart, not of dollars and cents, and VI
for Jho^ outade one'a immediate family. NoLe L
from the „bi,vf,f •'■^.Pr/'^' '""ong us are not exempt
way and at T^ttl. ^ ""^ "^™' '" ' ^<^ P-»<=efnl
devces for proving . kind remembrance of^e.?
6
IN THE PATHS OF PEACE
^vo possihiv can. 1^. or Poor 1 ? '' '"'""^^ P^"^P^« ««
Jikeuise. Even i ' \2T ^T"" ""^ ^^ ^"^ ^^o
'"^« -e not fill I to oZZ ""'^ '^' ''"'^^^^'« «*«^k-
l^ar<l, v-e can a Jo Jt !»• of! T^ ,^"''""^^ *""«« ««•«
co.la; and hollv Jive hf "' '^'' ^'""^^ ^^^^'^ ^^^s of
--.y a Lapp, ShS:; ot p::t^ tijir t'' \1
storj...., s neiiiff ,|,c ol,? ^„„, 1 , . •* ""'8 "'o »''
our ,],-.„■ ,„„., |,p,,|,,,„ „,„,,■ •" ","•" """'> "-0 liiiv,.
'viti, „.. \o., v' tl" '''7 "'"'<"■ "'" '""'" ■■""*■
if o,„..n.„. ■ \:;;:;: • s -
'•amiot make moro of ,> ^*' ''""'''•^ ''^^«"se yon
I mi^ht I.avo done .o n" 1^^ "Vj^'V' !'^ '^''^ ^''^'
;"any a I.eart nt tlK^reZ-onc. ' of t^'f ' ^* ''^'^''''
kept no more oa earth ill ' , ,^'''' ^''''^^ ^^'^^ be
parent. Yon t i Xl 'V '"''"^ '^"'^'' '"'^^'>''nd, or
Hn-ldren, C ^')j^ "Tl^^' ^^ to ,-ive ^nr
dear and pre.W ZL 1 ' ^-^'r^ «" I^'"'^"^^ «>•- ^he
an.l cdK-erf'!:" -VroTV ' ^^^^^^/'.'^ed by love
tl.0 nnmher and natnre of thl' T T"" '" '«^^'- ''f^'
dHfchtfnl nivsterie. . , d 1' '''"'' ^'^''^'^^'^ *he
Eve, the earlV wak;,;'' 1 ^'"^'-Pat.ons of (^hristmas
^lay toi; oC%-:^ZtT '""T'V''^ '^^-^'^"^
.voars after, and lend: Vot J'chr.';'"' ''""^ ''^'' ^^"^^
t>on and si,nifieanee wholl,'^^ rn::i.^nr«-
->^^ir^'
Ill
THE YEAR BEFORE US.
Discourage fanciful ideas, abstract notions, and all
ttl-cons,dered attempts to reach ends, which, however
desirahle ,n fhnmehrs, are not placed vithin the
compass of your abilities or duties Perform those
duties ivhich ore present, plain and positive.
— Daniel "Webster.
OWEVER little one may be jjiven to the habit
ot introspection, a backward glance or two at
the opening of a Xew Year is almost inevitable.
Ihey are not agreeable, these backward glances Often
thev make onr cheeks bum with shame, our brows
darken with self-contempt. The vista they reveal lie.
tlirough a long valley of humiliation, through wiiieh
arc flitting, like accusing spirits, the ghosts of our dea.l
sms. bo many for pride, so many for selfishness, f..r
extravagance, malice, hatred, jealousy and covetousness,
Jor impatience, anger and recrimination! So manv
ala^, ! for wasted hours, and unheeded opportun.tico for
niisapplied energies, unworthy ambitions, neglected
duties, breaches of trust and it mav be, other lances
from our ideal which we hardly .larc to na.ne, even to
ourselves.
Truly, a disheartening record which might well
induce despair were it not for the white stone here and
there marking a duty faithfully performed, a sorrow
nol)ly borne, an injury forgiven, a temptation resisted
a ministration of mercy, a soft answer, a word in season.'
lliis much at least, remains— in the mid^t of the
2
■ \
II
■ll
8
I !l
t ••
^:i
IN THK I'ATir.S OF I'KAOE
ano.l,er o^eal whiot L^" g ^rknl " ^ '"'''
Kind of iWpS:i:^,'L"[Sv:':";rr ^'■"'
surface i ^" "^ immaculate
overlooking. i„ „, ,„ ™' ''"P"' '""' aspirations,
tainnl,I.e,rds;, :''.■: Zt^iZ"'"" '° "='"^'' ""»'■
pnsifivo." It i. rio-l.t to? • , " P"^*"'- P'"'" and
service. ' *^ "^""P'*" »PP»rt..nities of In.mUer
.elf fro,; /;\.r7 ,f;'l™'nfion of freeing .y„„r.
sniee yon ninst do it whv not nJ' "' ^°"' '"<>
.-aH^cation. ,, p„.f„;„i;'^ i^tr^per jaT,:::-?
»^.^^^
••>^^
IV
BE NOBLE.
Better not he at all than not be noble.
— Alfred Tennyson.
OBILIT\ of ch^.acter and of purpose gives to
the humblest life a dignity that raises it to the
level of the highest. Not what we do, but how
and why we do it, determines our rank and status in
the order of true merit. To serve faithfully is more
honoral.le than to command badly. True nobility
adapts itself courteously to the exigencies of time,
place, and circumstances, concerned not with what is
due to itself, but intent rather on supplying the needs of
others. In reading the lives of great men and women,
one cannot fail to be impressed with at least this one
point of resemblance in which they all met — namely, a
readiness to accept existing conditions with equanimity,
to submit cheerfully to hardships, limitations and
hindrances, rising above them all eventually by sheer
patience, steadfastness, and determination. With a
great end in view, it is wonderful how quickly one can
surmount the most threatening obstacles, counting as
nothing the toil, pain, or privations that must be
endured. But when the heart is set only on small
selfish aims, when it is greedy of pain, pleasure, praise,
and every little passing gratification, the merest trifle
becomes a means to the end, and thus may prove a
source of disappointment or irritation as well as of
satisfaction.
To discern true nobility, mark the attitude of any
i i
10
'N THK rATiis OF l-KACK
^'"•"^^^ that to-nt>m.. .1 II Z '"'■'■'•'''. '•^' ""^^^^•'"•'1
proves tho sUnU^:iJ^VZ:r rr'rr ^'^ ^"''
I'ovond thorn, to riso , ■ ^^'^^ "'•'''t.v to soe
nnotod .houM help to din.h h ; L'.t t' I"*' "'"'^■•"
^ '^^ "•l"M-ont woaknoss of tho ties . " ? ./ """''T
«t all tlian not ho noble." ^^'"^^'"'' "^'
1)0
':i i
-^5^^^
y
OUR MARK.
Let our livcf hr purr ns snowfldda, where our foot-
steps leove a iu<irk hut not a sluiu.
— Miulaiiio Swotcliine.
tS clear and iininistakcabk" as the prints of Iniiiian
feet on tlie unsullied surface of new-fallen
s: i-, is the impression left by the personality
of each one of us on the minds of those with wiiom wo
come in daily contact. All unconsciously, it may be, we
reveal with extraordinary distinctness, the exact trend
and limitations of our moral nature, the size and shajie,
so to speak, of our souls, as well as the directir.n in
which thev are travelling.
It is well sometimes, by reflection, to retrace our
steps and consider the character of these impressions.
Stand for a moment, as it were, outside of yourself,
and look dispassionately at your own life, as at that of
a stranger, overlooking nothing, but regarding yourself
with the same unbiassed and scientific curiosity as you
w.aild an inhabitant of the planet Mars suddenly
brought under your observation. How terrible the
truth would seem to some of us, viewed in this cold and
critical fashion, which, nevertheless, is the fashion of
the world in which we live. W-^ are apt to credit our-
selves with all the good intentions which we have never
succeeded in carrying out, the generous impulses to
which we have not yielded, the kind thoughts about
others which have never found expression in words, the
tenderness which has concealed itself beneath a coM
exterior. We know all about our own secret emotions
of gratitude, love, repentance, religious fervour, and we
I •
IL'
i 3 i^
'•^ iUK I'.WUS ,)|.' ,.|,;.^,.K
'^'tz^Z-"\^rJ"'^'""' -■'"" -■■'
""■m» ,„ „r,. ,l,,.„„.,l ]„v„l,l,. ' I ; '" ", "'"' '""""-
p.'Hi u„„;, u r, I :r'''s ''r' '- ""' «"■ ""'
"'"■'.vs ,„.i,h,T .n„r,. „.:'•„, '^:':;'' "" ;■'"■ •■• ■- -
i«.«i,v un.i,iv ,,,",•■• ,. '"-y i'";-""«"i." •• .. I,,.,,,..
''•■'H'iir.iiur/;;.,.,j^,:::;::;'-:;;;;-p' f"..-
.■as., mav I,,.. '■ '>""'• •■'".•lfi.l,"as(k,
.lifllioiiw from willinnt „. I ■.■• ""'"<^- iMscvprv
■■..<-.t,t! .rsr;:; ,„?"'• '"■™"''"'' "-■'■■■'"v
'1..' citsido ;„ ,M ' i;^'°S"; "' "'" »"■" li™ tvo,;,
le..!.,al crowtl, ,,,37^ ■„,;'■•""■ """••■'' ■■""' ""<•■■
accmlane. , ■ tl> ? ho " "/ ' •T"^" " P"''""''" *».• .>*. in
'l.at wo„M mark ■"";/" r''.,^^"'r"-'^bol,i,,,| ,,3
eiideavou
r?.
nt not stain tlio fair fi
eld of
our
VI
SELF-HELP.
The ttnlif sound mid /iralllii/ (Icsrrivlinn nf tissisliinr<>
is thitl V'liirh Icnrhrx l)nI('i)fii(lt'H(T avd srif-lirlp.
— W. !-:. (Jlii.l-fonr..
nlp^KOM the time that a child Ix-f^iris to h-ani the ii-«-
^K£ (if his fcf't, tlic tnolhcr gnuliially ;^ivi's up \\i<:
)»ra(',ti('(' of carryiiif; him in her arms. 8h(; feel •:
110 (h'crcaso of toiMlci'Ticss towards the littlo one that
toddles l»y licr side, hut fllio knows lliat for his ri^'ht
physical dovclopmcnt lu- needs to exercise the unused
inuHclos that are called into play only wlien he is erect
and active. Xo intellifient person would accuse her of
unkindness when slie resists tlio appeal of the little out-
stretched arms aii<l ^'cntly insists that " Bahy will
walk." If she followed the inclination of hr-r own
heart she woidd keep the child in her arms as lon^' as
her stron,i?th permitted her to do so, but knowing this
woidd n«»t 1)0 for his ultimate good she coaxes or evfu
commands him to use his feet, and thereby teaches him
his first lessons in independence and self-help.
How much or how little we should, in later life,
assist otliers weaker or more unfortunate than ourselves
is a problem that confronts us all, and is by no means
easy to solve. We have hasty impulses of genero>ity
which move us to ^ive of our surplus wherever it
appears to be needed, or we even deprive ourselves of
some accustomed comfort in order to bestow food and
raiment on a suffering' fellow-creature. We do not
immediately perceive the liarm that is frrquf-ntiy
wrought by the indiscriminate sharing of our substance
u
'''^' '•"^: I'M IIS ..!• ,.,.:,^,.,,
i.ii
r
7;""'^ "•'"•- o„,. ,„„„,,. . : ' •;V"'".(Hv. „ ,i„,
:''^""-'-' ''.v .1... .lis, .;',„;;" ""'^ i-" i^ n,.i..,v
Vn-:;::jr:;!:;;;::\rrr^ n
.•'(hrn,..I. II,,, , I,,,..,.' " ■^•""'•''' " ".n.v I„. ,,,-.|v
^^'V'"^"''''- '",„v UMfor ,' / '""""•«•'•"■•'">.•.• who,,,
'■'^••>'"v 1.0 n,..,v ho si , ';"" "'••'" '•'"••^"'v-s. WI..M, i,
'^'^-r'"-'- ''-'"rlh.M. proof n.i, "'" •,ir'-<>'"ify tl.,,s
. ^ ';" >'-- nil 1„, Ll of h :. '"""••^'"'-- '•« wi.nfo.1.
'•'T^^"['^^" of his I,,,,,. I '';:•; '''^7'' J'opin,,^ f,>r a
";f <^'' '^•vi,.^. ,11 tho hon , V o' ,/''''■' r''^''''^'-' ^"'<l I.o
«'^^;<>i;p..n„nHosthnMj:;;v;;;--'<K^
^-"-o„si;;.o;;:;i,;;^|;,:;;";; i^-ons who ,ro o„<.o
'^--'^ 'i'->. a„.i;i;oi'u:"r^--''--o..t..o„3>io
^^•>tl. rho other wo do no '. "*^ ""^^ ''^"^ ^^ «^n-e that
"^ "'^eoii.seiou8iy destroy.
VII
THE POWER OF KIND WORDS.
ffnp,,i„rs. is „ ,,rrnl ,,n,rrr of /,n/inrss. ThuH, kind
'""■.Is, In, /„•„• ,,o,rrr of ,u;.l„n,u, hnpplnr.s, ha,, also
' /";"•'•'■ "/ pn.lann;, l,„linrss, ,n„l so of uuLhn, m.u
'" '""'• ~~V. W. Fal..r.
,^:Fin'r()nS ,„.,-o,H who ,,hhum,p ;, r,.„Horio,H or
•,% n.|.iM,u.|ifi,l i,|ii(,„|,. (owi.nis (|„: vvcjik and
<Tn.,;,r ,„,^. |„. ,H„„„..| l.y (|,„ |„,,f, i„f,.„fions,
'"'< 1... MH.r,. „„«or(„„.,f.. „„,,„s co„l,| Ik. n.lopf,..] to
-•-MT tlu. ,.,Hl flu-y l.av.. i„ vinw. TIm- firs,, nl„|,, of
- v..n(.v or „„„„to,st ,|is..,p,,rovHl is ..nhappi,,,.., to its
"''•'"'•' "•"' "'•/•'•'"'"'••■n is |c.sM fnvoun.M,. ,luu. thin fo
......v. ln.|onn....,.,n. ()„,.'s |„n,H.M.o for , I over on.'s
l.llmv-,.r..ntnr,.s IS ,„ a .hn..,, ratio to one's powr-r ..f
«-"f.-rnM^r |M,pp„H.Hs o„ tin.ni. A ki.nl, ^.,,ij, .„„.„^.
'"■^'" -'••""••<' »l-^ lov<-.s the si.uu.r whii; l.ati,,;ttl
'.H ...any n.or,. cl.aneos of survoss i„ movin^r waywanl
-r s to .j.p.,.t„nc. than tho aust.rHv n-H.^ionlTo
<i.. has only a froNvn or a rehnk. for hnrnan frailtios.
'"•I<'''<1, It rnn hm-.liy l,o donl.tr.j that amonrr tho
H.rpn.s..s o the J„d^nu.nt Day, not iho h-a^t will 4 to
'i.-«,vor- that n.Mlt.tnclfvs of sonis wr-ro driven haek
fn.n. th. paths of virtne l.y .h. ropolh-nt aspect o t h^e
who wont hoforo thojn. i -- ^J uiose
The kind of porfoetion which makes anv man or
wo,„an Hisa^Tooahlo to those uronrul them shonid ho
roirardod with suspicion. Real virtue is not ]oJ)Z
^•ven more allnrin^r than vice in any shape. Tho'holi-
c.t man 1 have ever known was also the kindest and the
i
k;
IN TIIK I'ATlis OK I'KACK
fi
most ni;r«>(>ahIo OnN- ♦ . i •
a« Ncrlal.lo .Ml.Mir of sanc-titv. Tl... ,„„«f, irr..|.Vio,H
an. „oton,>..s .sinM.-rs i,. „... ,,,„, ,,,„ ,..„ ,,^
k oM.nu .av. win, -vsp,.., ,n<l a.ln.in„io„. ,
••f">r . Uu't, paf.nuv an.l p.Mtl.-.u.ss, h. ncvor ,.,.,
»"iH<Ml l.i.nsrlf to iiU.TfVro uifl. H ' ^
«innM, to I.„n «s to a ,„afru..t. II,. niti,.cl tlu- orrii l I .
:;o:;:i;;;:, "':^^' '''\ I'r- r^''- --^-i it^-o;
-nistrations l.a,l rcfl-osl..! and .^nf!^-,'! '" '"*'
lovor'tvp o/ !r'"''" "" ^]'^^ ^'^•'"^' -^-'»P'«rs of this
untu t\i)o of tho saviour of sonls. Most of us wiH,
P.t. n, p,>s„nH.ion, rato o,„. own virtues shH. .r
^^e hold oursolvos ah.of fro.u thos,. who falter ml f 1' 1
m ho upward path or, wo n,ako thoir " ,! ' '
^Znf^^^t ''' ^^'' disapproval o. birds'"
n gm^ rebuko. and ovon ooca..ionallv by nnoallod-for
and thoroforo nnportinont ron.onstranoo. Thi. i' n
our part m l.fo. Wo aro not tho jud:,os of on noth '
actions or niotivos. That is tho divi.io r;^ ' ^
Can wo doubt that it is safo in God's hand > K n . '
poor sinnors, and sorry failures that wo aro at tho bo '
1 IS most booonn-no: that wo should olos- ou ■ < vo. n i
nr^uithl 1 TT""^ ^"^^" '''"-' ^'y '^-'"d words, and
npl ft h„n l^v a noblo oxamplo, .vo o:m at least lot h
jp l„s way ,n poaco. AVo can nohold tho hoj,
dv^ni<.v and beauty and loveablono.s of true o i.: o
by refraining from the slightest word or aot unwoPhv
of one who aspires to tho name ox Christian ""''^'''^■^
VIII
THE SECRET OF TRUE SKILL.
I'jfirh mi,jhl his srrrral prnrhin- null. n„niii,n„L
Would all h„l sl„„i, l„ whnl Hir,j umlnshnul.
^^ — Alcxiiiuhr I'ojtc.
'IpIIK (•on.s(-i...iHn.-ss of i,.,wcr i< ;„■ unfailing s.,nr,....
^ «>t plouHiin! to its poHscs^ur. Kimwlclj.,. is power,
and theroforo wli(..so(,vcr jic(|uircs rojil kiiowlfdm!
in any dop«r(„u.nt of Hrwun-, art or i.id.istrv, l,n<.o„„M
ly m nmrii the inaHtcr of hi,,, who ivmairis J^aioraiit ..f
the same suhjct. Thc-o is prolml.ly no livin- l„„„an
bon.K who iH not fitted in .'xeel in .son.e partin.h.r kind
of work, hut not all take the rijrht n,.-as,„-e fo,- aseer-
tainin^r the real Lent of their natures, and the limit of
their capacity for useful achievement. The avera-c
girl lacks thoroughness in her methods of workin- and
studying. Slu! ehoos(,s a calling often at random, or
for the sake of some slight social or <,ther trivial
advantage, which has n..thing whatever to do with her
spcc-ial fitness for it. Then she strives for the kind of
prornmeneo which is achieved l,y outward appearances
and IS satisfied if she makes a decent living and wins a
few agreeal.Ie friends. But she knows nothing of the
sweet satisfaction that grows out of the conscious
mastery of a subject, through serious and concentrated
eflort to overcome its (linicltics. 0„e yirl thinks she will
be a pianist, not l)ecause she is "moved l»v the concord of
swot sounds," and becaus.. her love of "music surpasses
every other love she has hitherto felt, but because a
certain degree of proficiency in piano-plaving will
ensure her popularity and bring her into prominence
wherever she goes. She will not succeed, because one
80 vain and shallow will never .nderstand the exquisite
IS
'^ TIIK lAiiis ,,K l'i:\( K
-ir,.H„, i„„,,,„ti,v ,.,''''' ^\''«;/^';m'':% <-
v;iiiitv iiii.l ..u: i" . ••i"«'<r iMiilf upon
i"v„i,M i,„i„i„,iv ,„,„.,,; i"'' ';."'" "f " f'-,"'/"ii.-s
"^'v.''X'::,,!;i,t:: """ ri", "-'■', "■"•""■•"' •■" "-
.>!, .,11 '"""""' '" "I'K'li "n,. I,,,s iKvri l,„rn or
o ■• ■ r"'T' ■■"■■■"-'"■"•- Ti„. i„„n, ', ,;
"^-■>";i:.:;:!;:\:;,';:r':;'z:,:::'''^;'; -r'
• • . -^' "-'^N ^^"on von do not i ii-r von rnfi...;,,
:;:';:;;;r",'rf ' "'•::■"'■■"• '''•■ "- '^••^' '^i..' tin- ™
.1 S: ;, : Z'l-f : i"'^ "" f"-\ i-T'"-^ -rvc. like
. »; o,„. ,.,.,.,, i, ,,„„„,,, ,,.!'::,";„;:;--
- -a.!. ..PP. to ..ppi.v It to liumble tasks.
«v '^*i.-4riP
THE DUTY OF RESTING.
n/n„ yoH havr found a d,nj lu h, nl/r, hr Ulr [,„■ a
day. , . '
^IVKN n favMural.N. op,K,rt„r.ity, iIh- ....jority of
If^ ''."nkn,.! rc..,..in. littl., ,H.rs„asi,M. .,, ,ak.. a
holMlay. I{y ,„a„v, in<|..,..|, tli.. li^^M.-sf, ,,n.|..xt
f..r I,ll,.^,.s.^ ,.s ..../rcl „,,o„ all t..o .aK-rly ; |,„f, lluro
arr o„ 11... ..(l,,.,. j,,,,,,!, ,„„„|„.,.s of won,..,, to ^vl,o,M f|.,.
art, ot r...Hf„,^. a,.<| »ak,„K n.-natio,, i, a wholly
nnk.HHvn Ho,„y,. of p|,,,s„r.. and profit. To huH. an
.<-• tlM| w..nls of tl.„ Chin-s. p,.,,, ,„ay l.n approp,i-
atcly atlilrcsscMl. « i i
Ah a n,l<., it is tl,n wonia,, wl.o has tl,„ ^roatf-st n.-..|
ot a nuh.la.y who is most avrs,. f,. ,akir.- one- TIm-
^nsy |.o„s,.krrp..r, tlu, tin-.l ,„oth..,- of a yonn^ lamilv,'
wor ...,. tl... t....a.l,n II of h.r „,...,..linK .lily tasks fr.,;,!
«n..k.s .....I t., w....ks ,.,„|, ...o.v.s at, last to h.-liev.. th.t.
for l,or, lM.yo„.l tl... „a,-,-.,w .-in-l.. of h.-r home, th.,
u-orl. no l..n^n.,. ..xists. S., ..fr....t„ally .I....s .sho ,.„t
H-..s,.|f ofT from all .ntomsts not i.nn.o.liatdv afr....tin«
!.«• ^^'v\Un■v .,t h.r fa,„i|v, that if you w..u'l,| .sn^r^ost
t- l'«'r to ak.. a holi.h.y, sh,- w..nl.l I... at a loss to know
vvhero or how t., .sp..n.l it. Sh., .,von takes mneh omiit
o herself for h.,,,^. „o devote.l to her l.on.e ar..| family
hat she ,s unal.lo to spare a n...ment from th.. labours
her dov.,t.on nnp..ses. It .lo..s not oceur to her that
>y thus wilfully shuttin^^ her eyes on the brightness and
.oauty ^,at l,elon^..s to her as n.ueh as to any one else,
sfie IS ofTerin- an aflFront to Provi.lenee who placed her
here am surround.-d her with so many evid.u..es of
watchful care and love.
:'^r
20
JN' THE PATHS OF I'EACK
plate but wifh 1 ^ '"^' '° ^"^"^^ ^'^ contem-
heroine after a S^L ""t t '"'' "'" ''" ""» ••■
!.«• persistent reS tVre , ! f T"'*"" ''"^'""•y-
nuu4 «ss,„„e "tl^ee 3 a"ebS.%Tr°*r'',"''';
.-.nd children, and tl.ev too LT ctn 11. T, f ""'
...a".v „n innocent relaxation ,h„',d'''K'" ,^''8''
"."nent va „e to ti.eir bodies and ^Z ' ""■
aek otvW e "tlnl'VefZ '"-T"*"^ ^""O ""' ""-
H... .-eas;U''tttTe\hoHS :? 1;.^ "^ -";?"
_™nde,,r of the universe, her liWeTai.y ta ks are of.t
, ^^orse, but a thousand t mes hcttar- if +u u '
s|K.ceed,ns honsehold cares, and filling Ae heartThi:
fresh eom-ase to face ne«- difficulties. If !,,"?„ „' i
only a ,lay to be idle, be idle, at leas, for a day
^u*y
X
THE VALUE OF COURTESY.
Manners sometimes count for more than morals.
Most of us would rather pass an evening with a well-
hred highwayman, than an hour with a clownish saint.
— From "Guesses at Truth."
.»IK"'^^^7 courtesy, is so closely allied to real virtue
^I that It IS well-nigh unpossible for the one to exist
independently of the other. The foundation of
good manners being an unselfish desire to please the
practice of them necessarily entails the cultivation of
<dl the most amiable virtues. The proud, the covetous,
the envious, the malicious, the vindictive, the irritable,
or the slovenly, never aftain perfection of manners.
On the other hand, the truly upright, generous, modest,
oan scarcely fail, be their means of education ever so
iniitod to acquire a charm of manner which renders
them eligible for companionship with the most culti-
vated people.
A "clownish saint," is therefore in reality a
paradox. No one who has scaled the heights of
Uinstian perfection can have failed to perceive that
the great precept of charity, " love one another "
('ujoms on all men the same gentleness, forbearance
mid thoughtful consideration for their kind, as are
<onimanded by the unwritten laws of politeness. There
has never been a more perfect gentleman than the
Pounder of Christianity. How, then, can any pretend
i>e like Ilim. whose rude clownish manners inspire
ineir fellow-creatures with abhorrence and contempt
'r'
•ri[
1.
•)•)
IN THK PATHS oi- I'KACK
r(m„ „„|,.s,.„,jj Cliris,,,,,,, „.|,„ ,,r,..e,„i,„.,„rv
^^homoot. on tho snbim of J^^^^
affairs. Ilor visit, aro-c ovo K ,L t Jl"? ^"•■"•'
. M^wiw '; ,«iir
' ^..t--:
TIIK VALHK OF TIM i; ('(UnnKSV
23
cfficiont, auxiliary of tlic zc-al.niH Christian. WitluMit
it tho l)c.«^, directed efforts are likely to rcHiilt in more
harm than good, but by its aid 'mountains may be
mov<.d. Politeness, like tho lever Archimedes longed
for, can move tho world.
; ■(
>LVV^-
fi\^ V
1
w
^■^
•-«
^K«
-^m
^.■m
K
XI
THE DOUBTING HEART.
At every irifk, scorn to take o/fence,
I Hal always shows groat pride or little sense.
— Pope.
(UKL J kiunv lives in a i.crpott.al turmoil because
j 1.0 «h,«I.ts sl.o in.a.^n-,u..s her friend, pnt upon
li«i. Jl(>r egotism is jw-sitively a disease She
.^ooms to tlnnu she o.eupies 'so large a lace in ^ In
MiUo uord or perform a single action without the
a oued or cover antc>ntion of wounding her feelinj
ciiarit.% to harbour such unkmd and generally uniust
suspicions of really woll-moaning persoi, , o ^ha her
"mversa distrust of others is equivalent to rconfe Jon
o ogregioiis ^^nity, which suffers unless cons antir ^d
1 St "; "'T''^ '"'r''''''- ^ ^"«"^' '^^-orbed
in thought, It may be, or perhaps deeply worried about
^^ome private matter, passes hej on tL^treet wil
seeing her, or bows with less than usual cordialiTy and
straightway, she flushes ^nth indignation ; teZ'Joi
Scrert;:^irrf •^'". ^7^^ ^'?^-^^ - "
to .av " A V f "Vrf ^' ^'^"^^ "^* «^^"^ t« her
to sa.v . .Afy friend looks anxious to-dav, I fear she
n;ny have received bad news," and to pas^ ^n tmd
turbed save by a kindly impulse of sympathy. '
far .T ''"''T ""^"^^'ered, a visit is not returned
for a few weeks and the unconscious offende^ls
bitterly accused of rudeness or inconstancy, while a
MC • .mar,- - ^-^V-
•^S?
THK [M)lJirnNfJ IIKAKT
25
tlie titrio t\w. oiinHHiOn of the expenfed courtesy may ho
due to illtirsa, pressing engagfimcnta, or other important
causes not always easily exphiine<| to one outside tho
family circle.
Similarly, in countless ways, one who goes ahout
seeking for causes of offence, may find them, real or
imaginary, on every side. How more than foolish thus
voluntarily to emhitter one's life with fancied griev-
ances, when with a little less pride and a little more
sense, one can readily learn to overlook trifling vexa-
tions, and to suppress feelings unworthy of onesself
and imjust to one's friends.
The hahit of distrust, if suffered to take root in the
heart is difficult to dislodge ; young girls should there-
fore guard against it as one of the most formidable
obstacles to their future happiness. It is better to bo
generous and believing, even if we are sometimes
deceived, than from too great caution, to go through
life with doubt, like a canker worm for ever gnawing
at our hearts.
*^^^'
I ■
r.
r
\l
u
XII
LOVE IS ALL.
The worldy amhiUom, empty cares,
Its small disquietudes and insect stings
DMed her neur. She was one m!de up
Of feminine affections, and her life ^
^^as one full stream of love from fount to sea.
, — Henrv Tavlor.
.HE poet wlio.0 linos I have quoted has taken U-
f then.o -V Perfect Wonmn," and even in t
and tn:^^tr "' '' ''' ^'^'^ ^ « -'^ ^-tS
^tlnsu repining, these are what make the ideal wom-m
dormant, the most endearing trai^ of hpf.l? '
T-nsuspected imtn th^ *^, u J , ^^ character are
them forth It it f^ '^' ^''^' ""^'^^^ ««"«
be loved t th ;;;\rp"oe'riIkeV^^T \'''' ^"^
"aj' me poets like to write about, but
''i^[^aeis^^smammmm^-n%^!^mm^\p
LOVK IH ALI,
27
there are other ways hardly less swnet and satisfying,
in which each of us may find an outlet for our
** feminine affections."
Perhaps it is an aged paront, or a helpless infant, or
invalid, who leans upon our love. Be it husband,
parent, child or friend, let our devotion be but unselfish
enough, and it will prove the highest source of happi-
ness to ourselves as well as to its object. Without this
foundation, no woman can make a success of her life.
She will build with cards upon shifting sands, and some
day will sit weeping among the ruins, realizing when
too late the cause of her failure. Let Lo, -, then, be our
watchword, the end and aim of our existence here; as
it also will be in the world to come.
^.^^^e^
•\;f'
|C'5
XIH
ii
MINE ENEMY.
He who ha/h a /housnud friends
llaih not a friend to spare,
^^nd he who hath an enemy
Wi/l meet him everywhere.
— Omar Khavvani.
. '"^'"^^fi^es on the immun tv thov hivo <fnur.^A
m«ki„, ,„d keopi,,, «o„d. is'; oitd tr™;/
ombnrras^en^ 1 ei' fri nd"^: T'" J" ^T' °*
-V"ht o„gcr,v'b,v alllho ™tt';L„'.™*^ ''^^"'^^•' ""<!
Other, are „„d.r ,I,e ncc«,i.,- ,,t ,„„ki„g constant
. -SB: f-^'-T^^cst '---■■
MINK ENKMY
2U
efforts to vin jukI retain tlio ostecm of (Ifsirablc
ncciuuintanccH, and a hick less few jw^ver snecju'ci at all
in really inspiring their fellows with sincj-re feelings of
atfeetion.
To make enemies is nn easier matter. It is <liffieult
for the most amiahly disposed perso.i iti I he world U> go
through life without ex«Mting jealousy in some rpiarter,
and from this unhai)py viee, <piarrels and hitter hatreds
spring all too readily.
Great is the ])ower of an enemy to poison one's daily
peace, for, as Omar says, we meet hitn everywhere, it
is then^fore wf>rtl» while to exereise sonu; <;are and self-
restraint in order to avoid giving offence to any with
whom we may have dealings. lint for this, it is not
m'eessary to take refuge in the ignohle safety of eom-
])leto isolation, whieli must ultimately generate a
narrow, selfish, suspicious nature. Tluf hotter plan is
to meet one's fellow-creatures in an open, friendly
spirit, making careful selection here and there of such
as are worthy to grapple to one's soul with hooks of
steel, and exercising tact and judgment in keeping at
arm's length those who are likely to ^ rove troublesome
or dangerous.
True friendship, resting on a basis of mutual affec-
tion and esteem, is inspired by individual worth alone,
and thus is not susceptible of change ; but, if made to
depend on outward circumstances, such as convenience
or temporary' advantage, friendship is indeed but a
name, and destined to vanish before the first real test
put Tipon it.
Enmity is often the fruit of a false friendship. Tf
you would have no enemies, be hostile to none. Love
begets love in the wide as well as in the more limited
V' ,
ti .
sense
. msmfs^'Jsr-a.-
TTSSP-^^
■>.J-ir7^^if>.Sf^Z^J
XIV
CONTENTMENT.
If the sun shines on me I mm ««/ / n
^n me, I care not for the moon.
—Italian Proverb.
ouo ,„ „Wi„„<y devoid oilLl Y.tZy"""'' °"
IS not, at timos miilti- nf „ i;i T ,• . ^"° ""'O'isst us
'vilfu Iv in,„ri„^ ;, ' ° ''V" f'."*''""!«! How often,
-ss, that?, "L't tf ,, "■"^". r"-« "f happi-
<lo wo no, doliboratoTv .lM,t o "''«'" °" "^"--^ »'''<>.
wondor l>ecau.c "me t . '' °-™' ""'' grieve and
bevond onr roaol. '"■' ^ S™'ifi<'ation ,3
thought, for in^fnnnn . *k ' ^^ ^^^® barely a
tions of whid, »),„,. ™"et.v of ap^eable sensa-
dailv t Jks/we foil rrelT L"*/"'"™""'^'' °f »"
«ro ,,nablo ,0 find Uric ♦fd^ n ^?^"'. °^ ""•«■ '''■»
idtiring family affect
ion, we cry for
'»/^:j^-
CONTKNTMKN'r
tho moon of frmtitlrd vanity, of nn empty popularity,
of passing social j)rominenco. There are women who
take a far keener delight in exciting the admiration of
strangers than in tightening the bonds of love and
respect that unite them to husband or children. In a
vain attempt to outdo a neighbour, they will spend time
and money that they grudge to bestow in an effort to
amuse a fractious little one or to increase the comfort
of home.
There is some streak r.f perversity in human nature
which causes it to view with indifference the blessings
actually within its reach, while attaching a quite ficti-
tious value to those that appear to be inaccessible. This
pecidiarity often develops into a real mania. There
are women who cannot possibly feel contented while
<k'nied any privilege or possession accorded to other
women. The better fortune of a friend or neighbour
is to them only a constant and mortifying reminder of
the restrictions which prevent them from sharing in
the coveted joy or gain. Such an unhappy disposition
reveals a discreditably low mental and moral level,
which, as long as the possessor makes no effort to rise
above it, neither commands nor deserves sympathy.
If, instead of counting up enviously the superior
advantages enjoyed by those around us, we would give
the same time to estimating at their true value the
blessings vouchsafed to ourselves and denied to so
many, we would not often be guilty of the absurdity of
crying for the moon while the sun is shining brightly
over our heads.
^L*
I
c-
XV
TRUE DISTINCTION.
From lowest place where virtuous things proceed,
The place ts dignified by the doer's deed.
^v . — Shakospp^irt'.
^O ITMANITV ,„av l,o divi,],,,! i.itu two cl .s.c.s
Ci.,1 mnwW, those wl.o borrow ,,r.st,> from theif
surroundiiip* an,l those who lend it to thom
Ihe chstmction is plainly perceptible, whe eter me n
and women conp-epue in any numbers, whether
iny hamlet or in the erowded metropo is. There are
a ways some who shine only in reflected li^h whi e
ot .e. car-, the source of illunnnation witLn' tl^lt
solves. , former are not greatlv to be envied
because their temporary prominenc-e, 'beinff dependent'
precanous. Tlie latter, on the contrarv suffer no
depreciation in altered conditions or surro^i'ndi ^7 , ^
are welcomed wherever they po and in whatever i,"
being readily recognized a. valuable additions to f^^
mienor ty— or of mediocrity, at least,— to make one's
ncco.^ in any direction, hinge on purelv exten al co„di
tions or circumstances. What we are. not what wo do
nor where and how we live, must ever be ?he mo't
obvious and interesting fact concerning us.
if we make the most of such opportunities for self-
TKIIK DISTINCTION
33
improvcmont as am within our reach, wc cannot fail to
achieve a kind of personal distinction tfuit will
announce itself to all who meet us.
If we arc nnabht to win admiration, cfltccm or popu-
larity, in our native hamlet, it is extremely unlikely
that prcater success will atten<l us, in that sensr-, in the
crowded city. Iluiiian society, the world over, is
comi)oscd of the same elements. Men and women of
evei\y prade are subject to the; same emotions, the same
passions, the same jealovmies and ambitions. The
MUiiliticH that c.iikf Dw. \voikiM._r-^M,.i ,i favourite amoii"
Imr liunihie .•niii|.iu.i(.i,.s. an, I.iu. sli-l.t.ly, if at iilF
(lifler.:iit from iIkk,. that mmmit.- iinpiiJarity tr. th.-
Avoman of rank and fashion. Personal dislikes in high
life as well as low, si)rin^' from much the same cau.-^eH.
The l.iuKraplii.'s ..f ^w.M uh-u and woiiic,, fiiniish
numlH-rlesH mstann^s wlnCt, ,„uv<. »hat. inlicnMit
nobility of character will proclaim itself, no matter how
narrowly it is hedged in by unfavourable cirrvyristances.
How many once obscun; villages and humble home-
steads have won world-wide celebrity from the fact that
this or that great poet or artist, statesman or philan-
thropist once lived, or first saw the light within their
limits ! And in the great capitals of the world to-dav,
how often do visitors from distant countries pass coldly
by the greatest triumphs of modem architecture, to
penetrate to some obscure street where they pause
reverently before some shabby house front which is
pointed out to them as the birthplace or residence of
a man of genius.
It is plain enough that a place, however humble, mav
be " dignified by the doer's deed." So, when we are
tempted to carp at our surroundings and lay upon them
the blame of an inferiority which chafes us, le<- us
rather turn the searchlight' of criticism inwards, and
with proper humility confess that the defect is one of
t!
i
Hi
il
■*l*5^-'
34
IN THE PATHS OF PEACE
deTonr'/. *^'^ "^ opportunity. If there be any
element of true greatness within us, we shall uncon-
seiotisly nnpross it on our work, and reflect it in ox^r
personality. When wo fail to do this, it is because of
our own unfitness, a sense of which 'should suffice to
keep us silent whenever the temptation to rail at our
opportunities is uppermost in our hearts.
m
^^^^^tx'
r. «r A ::
XVI
MENTAL DIGNITY.
If any one should set your body at the mercy of every
passer-by, you would be indignant. When, therefore,
you set your own mind at the mercy of every chance, to
be troubled and perturbed, have you no shame of this ?
— Selected.
?0 be vexed or disturbed over affairs that are
entirely the concern of others is, we must regret-
fully admit, a purely feminine characteristic, as
harmful as it is ridiculous, and that is saying a good
deal. Every woman will acknowledge that the
startling piece of intelligence about a neighbour, which
has filled her thoughts for a day to the exclusion of
every other, is apt to be received with perfect stolidity
by the men of the family who will probably dismiss
the subject with a non-committal "Humph," and
straightway plunge into the discussion of one quite
foreign to it, but in which thoy take a more legitimate
interest. This sensible attitude of the masculine mind
to matters without its jurisdiction assumes the aspect
of a fault in the eyes of the woman to whom gossip is
as the breath of life. John's provoking indifference to
the extravagances and eccentricities of his neighbours,
instead of being a rebuke for her lack of sense and
dignity, becomes merely a source of irritation that
reacts to his prejudice in various wave.
For the wrinkles and gray hairs produced by needless
,1 1
'i
'. 1
r*
!(
■if
hi
m
""*%«■-
S^ii
36
IN THK PATHS OF PKACE
i.l
is
11
i (
patronzzes the most expensive milliner? or ufc'
who has a young family, spends more time ouTof her
house than m it ; or Miss Y., of uncertain age^^ assumes
^le airs of sixteen. What, then ? Each of the el only
pkying her part in the great human comedy, ryou
and I are playing ours, all of us being equally unfus
picious of the impression we are makinfon the disb er
ested spectator. Shall I fret and fume or look sour
matr' ""Vt"'' ^'' ""'' ^^^^ ^«ked as to Tar ous
matter which are quite without the range of my
interest or sympathy ? How obviously absurd to allow
^.^equanimity to be disturbed b/such ir^LtnT
" '-{^^^^^est flower of true courtesy as well as the rinest
fruit of common sense is the tact which recognL7the
prescriptiye right of every individual to manSrhis or
her own peijonal affairs, free from interferenT d rect
or tacit, on tlie part of mere outsiders. It may n^t beTn
the power of all of us to command consideTaln of thS
exercise it oureelves m favour of others. Not oJy
hall we contribute largely by so doing to the happine^
of our family and friends, but we shaU also effect a vas^
eere'f^JlaT""" Z' ^^^"^"^^ ^^^ tot heVt
reserve for later expenditure in a worthier cause A
woman who made no effort to shield t bX' from
MENTAL DIGNITY.
37
tion to the exclusion of what is really fine, helpful and
uplifting. If we be not as scrupulous in regard to our
minds as to our bodies, our sense of modesty and
dignity is but half developed. A commendable degree
of fastidiousness in both directions is necessary to
produce the perfect flower of true womanhood.
1 1
^^:^^^
M .
! £
■::\iv
/ 1 il^
I: i
nii;
^
XVII
THE TRUE VALUES OF THINGS.
To call things by their right names and to know
their rtght value is half the science of life. Their Z
names are the names God calls them by ; th7r true
value ts the value He sets upon them.
2.^ — F. W. Faber.
OTHIN-G is more repugnant to us than the idea
that v;e are being deceived bj others, though a
very httle reflection will convince us that we
7hfrZ/""' 7^?/^"b^« «^°tive is not hard to find at
the root of nearly all our actions. The plausible, credit-
secret, selfish ami which we would die rather than
acknowledge. It has been well said that hypocrisy '^
the tribute vice pays to virtue. Most of us have the
grace to be ashamed of our weaknesses, and we instinc-
tively seek to cover them up with at least the appear-
ance of a good intention. Unfortunately the habit of
striving to seem better than we are becomes, in time a
second nature and, at last, we find a difiiculty in deter-
mining whether we have any sincerity in us at all.
Until we are wihng to drop the mask of conscious
virtue which It pleases us to wear, and to summon up
sufficient courage to look at the true likeness of our
souls m the mirror of absolute honesty, we shall not
comprehend ever so faintly the nature of the obliga-
tions iaid upon us as servants of Christ.
-W-j;^^:
THE TRUE VALUES OF THINGS
;;9
It is a mcK'kcry to mako our reli.i'ioii consist in certain
formal acts of outward (iovotion, pc.-tornied at state<l
times and in ways prescribed for us by rule or custom.
It is in all the acts of our daily life th:it our faitli and
love must show forth as ruling and guiding principles.
If we truly love God and our neighbour as we profess
to do in church, why that sudden pang of envy and
resentment when we see another preferred Ixjfore lis ?
If, indeed, our hearts are set on spiritual things, how
can wo explain the passion of anger that invades them
when some injury has bee!' done to our property ? We
claim to bo humble, yet the merest shadow of a slight
inflicted on us agitates us for days. We say, " What
doth it profit a man to gain the whole world if he lose
his own soul ?" Yet nothing delights us more than to
see that we are growing rich or advaaciag to a position
of greater prominence in the world. We are told
" Judge not," and we cannot let the smallest short-
coming of our neighbour pass unnoticed without
presuming to censure him as though we were better
than he.
Had we the honesty and the courage to call all our
sins by their right names, the names God calls them by,
we would indeed often be humbled and horrified at the
indictment drawn up against us by conscience. To
avoid the species of self-deception which prevents us
from seeing ourselves as God sees us, it behooves us to
study the right values of things, to measure them by the
divine standard only. So long as we are earnestly
intent on the pursuit of all that is valuable in the sight
of God, we cannot falter nor go astray.
I--,
' ' ' 1
■ '■ !
^ 1 i
^^H
1' i''
ill ';
^^H
r i' J
II
' ■ 1
I ' ' '
i ■
. .. ,
^m I
■ 1 i'
^ ■■
■^
- ->_; *-.'!►.*
5'^^
*mMi-
XVII I
THE INTELLECTUAL LIFE.
bJilTn'r'^f"" ^{''K'^f'' ^^'« intellectual man,
tauttful thinhmg, just as moral virtue delights in
rigorous and beautiful conduct. ^
^ —Philip Gilbert Hamerton.
F ,^„^.^^^"^7^,^^^^^^ whose oppor-
t tumties of self-culture are limited, to excuse their
in^s nf/r'-'i'; '^% P^ ^^ unfavourable surrounT
boSs T.T''"l.^^ '\ ^^^^"^*^ «f «««««« to good
.W • .• ^ "^'^^^"^ ^^^'^ i« certainly a severe
depnvation, but not so severe as to involve thp TnT
plete sacrifice of the intellectual li^e/ ^Jllurf heS
f nes'''":V"'.Pt"^-^^^ ''' ^^- mind^-^eLonnn
stones and "books in the running brooks "-that
with eyes to see, and ears to hear, n!t one amonf i
.?e::to^^- '' ''''''''''''' ''^-'- *^ - --^
-betoSerl^ ^"^ ■''"'''' ^'''^ '^ Shakespeare would
St ^en t U f^^^^«P^«^^'« time, some of the
rrnufaZ ^T'i^ ^''' "^'^ ^'""^^" ^^^"^^ immortal
r^utat ons wh.ch have not suffered from comparison
/ .• T , ^ '^''"^^^ 't"^ent of our time eniovs
So^r^^atrpTaf '^'"ir^-^' ^"^^"^^ *^ *^- "^-^
the 3^.T l\ '^"-^^ command, yet how few take
the .ame delight m '• vigorous and beautiful thinking"
THE INTELLECTUAL LIFE
41
as did the ancient philosophers at whose feet the world
still sits to learn ^v^sdom. It is therefore no proof of
a superior intellect to be familiar with the names and
works of the greatest authors.
Intellectual power may exist without any such know-
ledge, and a refined taste can feed itself as well on the
wonders of Mature, as on merely human masterpieces,
and even, no doubt, a great deal better.
Your intellectual status can be pretty accurately
gauged by the degree of interest and attention which
you bestow on the beauties of J^ature, and the workings
of her laws.
If the greatest scholar or poet in the world should
come to visit you he would not care about any of your
book-lore, which he would already have learned by
heart, but he would be greatly interested in learning
from you some facts about the natural history of your
neighbourhood, and any romantic or historical associa-
tions connected with it. If he should find you perfectly
acquainted with every kind of flower and tree growing
thereabouts, and with the habits of insects and birds,
with the nature of the soil and the rQcks, with the
origin of every stream, and knowing accurately the best
seasons and localities for taking interesting observa-
tions of various kinds, he would carry away with him
a pleasant remembrance of every moment spent in your
society, and a feeling of real respect for the resources
of your mind.
Metaphysical speculation also offers an unlimited
field for the exercise of the mental faculties. Medita-
tion on the great problems of existence elevates the
thoughts above low and common things, and prepares
the mind for the intelligent discussion of philosophical
subjects.
^ High thinking is generally the precursor of noble
living, and this has frequently been exemplified within
'i !
■, t
;
I'!
r:?-ffl^BF'-V>i '
i
M I
11.
42
IN illK PATHS or PKACE
tlioroforo, hhZfZt/^'''^'^r''''''- ^o not,
ipnoranco of wL h v ^'*"' «"/"-«»ment for the
before y^ur ey Id wl rll'? '^^''^^ ^''' «P«"
von wiil find -onrso f '''" '•'"'" ''""^ 'mastered it
knowledge "lu'rwHlfi^rT'-" "' ""^ ^"^^""* ^^
M
r!
3 .
.»' *^m
■-^fS^'s
XIX
GOD'S GOOD GIFTS.
God's gifts put man's best dreams to shame.
— Mrs. Browning.
jftyE find a singular satisfaction in counting our
worldly possessions, and knowing, to the frac-
tion of a cent, their precise value, whether
intrinsic or relative. But we rarely think of the good
gifts God has lavished on us, which are beyond price,
and which, if we were rightjy constituted, would in a
great measure, if not completely, satisfy our wants and
provide us with a deep and unfailing source of happi-
ness. Try to enumerate them all, and you will find the
list practically endless. But if you had no more than
your five senses to be grateful for, are not these alone
incomparably more precious than all the wealth of the
Indies ? What endless avenues of delight they open up
to you! What a tremendous misfortune it would be
to lose even one of them! Yet are we so much the
slaves of habit and routine, that many of us cease to be
conscious of the pure joy of living, and disregarding
all real possibilities of happiness of which the germs
are within us, waste our days pursuing shadows which
we shall never overtake. As a powerful and pleasant
antidote to the feelings of envy and jealousy which so
frequontly assail those who are not favorites of fortune,
I strontrly recommend the practice of counting up
God's gifts. A little reflection will suffice to show that
they do indeed " put man's best dreams to shame."
^1
A
!
1 ' ,
f j
5
f j^,«iap.i»ni':^?^^:^~-^ .
XX
REVENGE.
Wo,nania-e, ^"^«. «.„,. fo„ ,,,, ^„, „ „.^„^. „^
i,.„, . ''• -"Maud."
or apparent °^:S^' ^a^^rj::' I^hS '*"~'
average woman's breast »„J^ f^ and long in the
tinitTfor "pavWoff'-t^ « freqnentl.y au oppor-
of character, Ving a fn.it?,,? ""/""""ate defect
well to its pcsessfr a tlln T''^ °^ -nhappiness as
ler. It is of c™^r ^ "''!; """'' '" «»■""<" with
of intel igence Ttewr"""",""" T* " '>■«'' '■^d^''
cannot faU tTperl^VZt^ ^"' J/^^ ""^ "^"^""^
effectual destroyer of 1.-. .1^ disposition is an
'■r fntr?"r^^^^^^^^^^ -ae her hoth
she kno.. that there a'eTh!rrf!'"^'"f"''? ^^ "'^""^^
of seeking an exnl»r,»«! ""disposal rational means
How ofte^ ^e hsti„„ f " °f ,'^" ?»«™% attitude.
and oali„"dTs:uS ^of r'^:','*;^;^'"!;" " ^"""^
nuarrp] f P„* j?* ,. ' ^'^ fancied cause of
wholly nnpremedifated orTo trffliT tl T ""T' '.'
notice : also, that life ;, J ., * ? ^ '™''"'y »*
' "*^ '= '"o short and precious to be
RFAENGE
45
wasted in strife or contention, and that real sorrows
and irreparable losses being inevitable, it is childisji to
expend on insignificant ones regrets disproportionate
to their importance.
If it is womanlike to take
"revenge too deep for a transient wrong "
we must strive to unsex ourselves to the extent of
refuting the poet's accusation. Let us not be above
appealing to masculine wisdom in cases open to doubt.
The injury or affront which fails to impair the appetite
or destroy the sleep of an affectionate parent, husband
or brother can scarcely be as grievous as it at first
appeared from a feminine point of view. It is wonder-
ful how much happier and light-hearted one becomes
as soon as the resolution is taken and acted upon of
dismissing all thoughts of resentment and revenge, and
betaking one's self in moments of mental perturbation
to some useful occupation or agreeable pastime. It is
not precisely easy at first, no more than it is to ride a
wheel or paint a picture, but with practice, the difficul-
ties quickly vanish, and the exercise becomes a positive
pleasure. Try it.
.■A
I
III
■^i:
XXI
THE CHILD'S FIRST SCHOOL.ROOM.
The molhcr^s heart is the child's school-room.
"^,,, . —II- W. Beecher.
heart, M-hosi rece^os vl 1^ T"'' "'^T^^'' ^^ y^^'
i« .your child's Xorom Tho'T''' ^ -'^ .'^"' ^^^^
infuuny can ,,icTco t ,n , . i ^I''"''' ^tuitions of
tlao soul. ^ *''" '"^'^^ fornndable barricade of
meet, and wheu it is a ' 'ntr \ "'^^^rthj daro not
pity of it! See the for"t Jtr",^ -worthy-the
and garnished • thllT-' "" school-room is swept
«lnno^; thatlh^ t" ^l^erTr ^e'et'lfd' ^^'^' 4
in^irlious disf^'are lo^ Vl^ '^'' ^^^^« ^^ ^^n^e
disinfect the scLorroZbor './"''*' '' ^""^.^ ««<!
to the precious little one Ind ' ''""'^'"^ '^P^^«^«
"lovhor , but Avho n.v T i""''? ^^" ^^''^ "^^ not
lifted to to ho "ate ;i; ^'-i " ^'^"'^^ ^'^^^hy to be
selves. ■ ^''^'- ^"^'" ^^'^-^ "»«tto also to your-
in some Juay^n futi're tin^p'"-' ^^^^^e^'^^'^™ ^t will be
PraL.e a„.l honour 2/ S,T /',"". ''"^ ''""''^'y ^^ "»
of the highest Z;av i^^' '''^' '^ ^^^ ^"^^^"-"t
■^,;jf-tV:
S.
XXII
THE NEAREST DUTY.
''Why look for duties Ihrough a telescope f" asked
Conscience of a man consulting her. '7 wish to see
only the one beyond my reach," he replied.
— M. S. Beeson.
jJJ^ I STANCE lends enchantment, truly. The fad-
ing past has Its romance, the approaching
future its mystery, but the present seems ever
commonplace and irksome sometimes passing endur-
ance. Who among us does not grow impatient at times,
of the daily routine, the common task, the perpetual
rolling of stones up-hill only to see them roll down
a;;ain, calling for a fresh application of strength and
energy. ^Ve sigh for change and cast envious glances
over the boundaries of our own narrow existence into
some wider and fairer provinces of human endeavour.
We witness the triumphs of those who are prospering
there, and are filled with the conviction of our own
capai'ity for similar achievement.
If only the way were open, we think, how we should
astonish the world! And in secret, we grieve with a
quite pathetic sincerity, over the meanness of oppor-
tunity which supplies no adequate outlet for the slum-
berinir heroism in our breasts. Alas ! when the aspiring
mortal, humored by Fate, is transplanted to the desired
sphere, wh.°.t happens? The glamour fades as he draws
near, the rungs of the ladder leading to glory are found
■:#'■"
&-|
I
t •
ii :
48
IN THK I'ATUS OK |-KA<I.:
to be Wider apart than they .oe.ned in the deceptive
hstanre, and, t<.o often, a backward glance reveZ the
tantahzuig certainty that the real chances for heroic
aclnev.n.ent have been left behind in the pur^uiPof ^
adoLt.!cri.-f"V''° "•^'^^^^^""We opp<.rt„nitie8 of
hn : • •: . * ''" J""""'^ i'^y' «^ childhood, aro bv
the niajontv^ of human beings, recoinu.ed onlv in
nd.vnlual to be able to see at the start, his tn"e place
in the Creator's plan, an<l to shape his 1 f e accordiSv
nchly content to work in hannony with the l3
Iftt: ,;;!f '^--.tl-n l.is own. Let us not^^lsj
any time, then, searching through a teh^scope for duties
fitted to our capacity, but be satisfied to perform t^L^
winch ho nearest our hand, and to do them with all our
^^miS^
XXIII
CAUSE AND EFFECT.
Shallow men bclirvr in luck, hfJicve in circumslaiu-es.
, . .strong men believe in cause and effect.
• — Emei-oou.
MONG the articles of fail ^ most essential to
success in life is a belief in one's own power
to control circnmstanees. Trusting to luck, in
nine cjises out of ten, is deliberately to court failure.
There are timid and indolent natures, to whom any-
thing in the shape of an obsUicle is a not unw«'lconje
signal to turn back, to relinquish all further effort in
a given direction. Needless to say, it is not among such
that one may look hopefully for useful or honourable
achievement of any kind. The sturdy soul, on the con-
trary, is ever prepared for opposition or hostility, and
even enjoys having its own powers of determination and
resistance put to the severest test. Like the skilful
engineer who cuts his way through the very heart of
the mountains, bridges the roaring torrent and treafh-
erous chasm, hews down the forest and builds up the
valley to make a short, sure road to his distant goal, so
the valiant spirit meets the chances and changes of
fortune with unmoved serenity, accepting each now
rebuff or defeat as an invitation to still greater exertion.
To attribute the successes of others to luck, is to
accuse one's self either of a defect of intelligence, or of
an envious reluctance to acknowledge their superior
,
50
'ii
P
if
t
uiii
IN THE PATHS OF PEACE
merit or ability. With rare exceotion, fh.
easily explicable if traced back LT „„rce t "
otW de,i.b,i' i'SC'SSerTeTv::^'^
pWe "^ °^''' " "■' "^l" »"'' to fill the vae^
wolfwh?sh?,honw'r' r™"*"' »■"* ■"' fr--i«
fbev? Ifc b7,!l J °™ ^^ ^ """=1' l"eiler than
Al7l,./„ I u "'^ '"""' '"""« '■>«" «». heart-free
All had equal chances in his eyes In tl.« JT t^'
choice he m,„t have disco4Tsome specS „ha™
other he had h.tberto met. Give her the credit dueT
5>:;ti„f:fi5i::,!r::^^r " "'"--• "'■- - -
.entZnfe-bi^tS: X ^tilLf^r!'-^' '""""■
W. in life prove a'crcdil To tiSrl'ZaZC
h^^l".;;^":^,'*"™-';"' "■" '?■"■" '">'' -™- ^^
_„ reared son= tu disnoiiuur their father's name.
CAUSE AND EFFKCT
She wonders despairingly why the first has had better
luck than herself. Would it not be kinder and fairer
to admit in all humility that the successful mother is
the one who understood her duties best and applied her-
self most strenuously to their fulfilment?
Two girls are thrown penniless on the world. One
becomes a burden to herself and her friends, forever
bemoaning her fate, and making half-hearted, fruitless
attempts to secure her independence. The other goes
resolutely to work to find a secure foothold, and before
long you hear of her filling some position of trust and
quietly settling down into her new sphere of useful-
ness with the determination to adorn it as best she can.
One is not luckier than the other. She is simply braver,
more steadfast and persevering.
If we want luck," we may all have it if we are
willing to work hard enough to secure and keep it. Let
the world that knows nc;hing of our labours and self-
denial mar\'el at our good fortune. "We shall personally
have the deep satisfaction of recognizing in the measure
of success we may achieve, the reward of our ability
and honest endeavours.
m
*^.^^^iV
ii
i
III I ,
lilt
XXIV
PROVOCATION.
To be able to bear provocation is an araumeni nf
great reason, and to forgive it of a great ZZ ^
^ROVOCATIOX is regarded by the average
■^ human being as a quite sufficient excuse forT
ebullition of temper. One would like to a^k of
the man or woman who reasons in this way : " Is^here
;roU:rto^S"^ ''-' "°^^^^ ^'^- - ^« -
but^ivThi'-^'T"' V?* ^^' i°in^"^ity from temptation
attlc^ of tW "7'^' i^""' '' ^'^'^^ t« the fierces
for !»,- f -^ "P*r\ ^ *"" ^°"^^ not praise a hermit
for mamtammg an habitual serenity of mind sincT^o
one comes to disturb or interfere Jth hTm 1 blind
maji gets no credit for remaining unm^ed win an
unfeehng person mocks him with an insulting Xre
ne^er' rtlZf'"^. 1 '^ ^^'^''y bonestX ha^
never, m the moment of extreme need, been confronted
a n_ar . an-, th,, reasonable mmd. It is when the
:i f
PROVOCATION
53
enemy is lying in wait, to torment and exasperate you,
that you need to be most wary, to keep a cool head and
to put a bridle on your tongue. To yield to a feeling
of irritation caused by a thoughtless, or even a
malicious word or act, is to abdicate the throne of
reason and become the slave of ignoble passion.
The true Christian attitude towards one who seeks to
annoy us, is one of pity for a soul darkened by
unworthy sentiments and warped by mean motives.
Whenever we come in contact with an inferior nature,
the obligation is laid on us of revealing by example the
beauty and charm of a higher one.
This end is easily secured by the "soft answer," or
by a discreet silence, or an aJroit change of subject
An effectual reply to a sneer, a taunt or a reproach may
take the form of a good-natured admission that it is
deserved. This removes the possibility of argument
or recrimination, and affords an opportunity for divert-
ing attention to some other topic. With practice one
may become quite as expert in parrying a thrust as an
ill-natured person is in dealing it. It is an art and an
accomplishment well worth acquiring.
While reason suffices to make provocation harmless,
a great mind goes farther still, and freely forgives the
author of it. This is not so difficult when we bear in
mind that there are moral as well as physical infirmities
and deformities. It is scarcely consistent to expend all
our sjTupathies on the lame, the blind and the deaf,
and keep none for the narrow-minded, the jealous, and
those who are obviously incapable of noble, generous or
refined sentiments. The eyes of the soul are often
blinded in youth, by prejudice, or inherited predilec-
tions. The heart contracted by selfishness, covetous-
ness, or distrust is deaf to all appeals for affection,
mercy, gentleness. We owe some consideration to
those who are so afflicted, and when they falter or
I !
'' '1
i 'n
•|l n
itu
h
ityi
54
IN THE PATHS OF PEACE
Stumble on the way, it is our part to help them forward,
by - 7ord or example, as we would lead a blind man from
a threatened danger which his infirmity prevents him
from suspecting.
To forgive the mistakes of others, even though we
have suffered from them becomes easy enough when
we have learned to view them in the light of true
charity. Readily enough then can we repeat the dying
Saviour's prayer for His persecutors : " Lord, forgive
them, for they know not what they do."
ii
^^.^^-^SV
'K.
XXV
' Lit ■ .
A RICH INHERITANCE.
They are rich who possess God, hut they are richest
v:ho possess nothing hut God. All creation helongs to
him to whom God is his sole possession.
— F. W. Faber.
ROM the lips of a little child I learned a lesson
once which has left an indelible impression on
m^' mind. The passage above quoted recalls this
incident. We were walking along one of the lovely
paths that thread the more secluded portions of our
beautiful Mount Royal. It was a day in early summer.
There was a delicious mildness and freshness in the air.
Spring's tender green was still on every leaf, and wild
flowers blossomed about our feet in generous profusion.
My little companion, though not yet five years old, was
keenly alive to the charms of the surroundings, and
clapped hei hands for joy as we penetrated further and
further into the sweet solitudes of the mountain side.
Suddenly she stopped and asked me eagerly : " Who
does the Mountain belong to?" After a moment's
pause, I answered : " To you, my darling." I shall
never forget the look of rapturous incredulity on the
baby face. " To me !" she repeated ; " is it my Moun-
tain?" *• Yes, dear," I replied, " God gave it to you for
a playground." " Oh, isn't He good?" she exclaimed
impulsively, and with a wholly new interest in the fair
scene before us, she silently studied the trees, the
rocks, and the sweet flowers blooming at our feet.
6
u
m
it!
t
1
56
IN THK PATHS OF PEACE
i.3»r
I, too, was silent, aud asked myself if, indeed, I
shared the love aud gratitude of the child towards the
Creator for the great and wonderful possessions He had
made mine.
Alas! when we cease to be children, we cease, too
often, to care about the gifts of God. The treasures of
the fields and woods appeal to us no longer. Our hearts
are filled so full of greed for the common things that
pass away, there is no room in them for the sincere
enjoyment of the eternally good and beautiful. We
take no delight in the marvellous manifestations of
dmne power and beneficence that enrich our great
dwelhng-place and play-^ound, the earth, because we
are too much occupied in cramming as many objects
as we can lay hold of within the four walls we call our
home. Our idea of contentment, of success in life, goes
not much further than the possession of countless
thmgs, which, once within our reach, we discover to
be absolutely useless, if not cumbrous, appurtenances.
It is m the crucial moments of life that our various
belongings stand revealed at their true worth or worth-
lessness. When the heart is swayed by any strong emo-
tion, love, grief, resentment, pity or noble enthusiasm,
the only influences that can attune themselves to the
soul and fill it with peace, comfort, or serenity, are
those that our Mother Nature wields in her own sanc-
tuaries away from all the artificial restrictions and
-complications of conventional life. But such influences
are withheld from those who have habitually ignored or
■despised them. We cannot " possess God " by a mere
momentary impulse of will. We must first dispossess
ourselves of all that is useless and unworthy of our
solicitude. When we can truly say that we are satisfied
with Him alone, we will realize with more than
common thankfulness that all creation belongs to us.
XXVI
THE MOTIVE POWER OF LOVE.
Love is a higher intellectual exercise than hatred.
— ^Thackeray.
!UST as the infinite love of the Creator for the
works of His hands is a corollary of the divine
omniscience, so the human capacity for loving cor-
responds with the degree of knowledge attained by each
incUvidual. So great a perfection resides in every
created thing, however humble, so marvellous is the
fitus-js of each for the functions assigned to it, so ines-
timable its value in its relation to its surroundings, that
a knowledge of the same cannot fail to inspire the intel-
ligent observer with those mingled sentiments of deep
admiration, interest, curiosity, and sympathy, which
constitute love.
Hatred, on the other hand, is equivalent to a confes-
sion of ignorance. It is a senseless negation, a denial
of the inherent good in persons and things ; a revela-
tion of the contracted horizon which bounds the hater's
mental vision. One feels the futility of appealing from
the verdict of a hater. He hates because he knows no
better, because of some blind instinct of self-defence
which awakens within him w^hen he is brought in
contact with superior strength or skill. Sometimes it
is merely the sense of being baffled by the unknown or
unknowable — someone or somewhat that he cannot
understand, and therefore fears, dislikes or distrusts.
Ignorant persons frankly confess to " hating " men and
':l
1
'hi
58
IN THE PATHS OV I'EAf K
• > ii .
' : 1; •,
|l|.
1 f'lfi' '
women to whom they have never sp<.kcn a word, and
who have never harmed them ever so slightly X"v
on he grounds of some physical pecrdiarity or eccen-
tZV- TT' '''^^''^' irrifntosby its L^larity.
The trained observation is not similarly affected for
he reason that it is accustomed to refer alMhin' to
8 submerged in the interesting mental process of
inquiring into its wherefore. ^
evid?nl*^^"'''^ "'''^^^'*^^' ^''""^' ^^^ ""'^t repellent
evidence of disease, possess for the student of medicine
aereTal • "'""* "i?'^'*' ^""^^''^^^'-^ effaces the X
Se w'w r""i '"* .^"^'"^^^^ '^•>' *'^^ «I-«tacle.
l^ero would Lo no horror in such sights for any of us
we are'TJil ? T.T ^^-^^-^^-^V It is because
we are ignorant of the reason of their being that we
hudder at the mere mention of them. That le art Til
Busceptible to the influence of knowledge to the exten
of being made to love things that we once hated I
proved by some part of the experience of nearly every
human being. As our knowledge of things and per^S
Wtlfr^rl*^ '7 'r-^ widens^and d~
^v ery wife and mother, for instance, learns to conquer
old aversions and repugnances in the discharge of her
domestic duties. The dainty maiden who onfe shr^k
from contact .vith an unwashed child, marri^and e^ds
by eheerfully performing the most iienial services ?or
half a dozen little denizens of the nursery. Tnother
8ing, the duties of a nurse unthinkable, ultimately
finds her highest happiness in ministering to sufferW
humanity m a hospital ward. suuering
It is then sufficiently clear that whatever or whoever
18 knowable is also in a certain degree loveable and It
THE MOTIVE I'OWEIl OF LOVE
59
This view Ls as consoling to a troubled heart as it is
acceptable to a philosophic mind. It converts what
was once an object of hatred into one of mystery,
merely, from which the former element of irritation is
removed. Even a declared enemy, who robs and
despoils, persecutes and calumniates one, becomes a
psycholofi^cal study of surpassing interest rather than
a target for useless vituperation, or a subject for ignoble
revenge.
The sublime passion for knowledge, havin^, its source
and ultimate end in the eternal and infinite, inevitably
submerges every temporary or private interest, and
lifts him who is possessed by it to a plane of thought
and feeling in which no pettiness or selfishness can
survive. All who attain this level enjoy a god-like
immunity from common, trivial cares, a serene sense of
lasting separation from whatever is base and ignobly
disquieting. In knowing and loving, their noblest
attributes find adequate expression, their most passion-
ate desires, complete fulfilment.
Into these rarified regions we are all privileged to
penetrate, and there we may dwell our lives long at
peace with ourselves and with every other. Yet there
are always some who find the height too steep to scale,
and who are weakly content to dwell in the darksome
vale below where ignorance, contention and hatred
abonnd, where true love, knowledge and joy are things
unknown.
XXVII
ON THE HEIGHTS.
Peopled and warm is the valley, lonely and chill the
height,
But the peak that is nearer the storm-cloud, is nearer
the stars of light. . —Selected.
ANY men and women, conscious of a call to a
liiphcr life than the one they are leading,
lack the necessary courage and firmness to
break away from old habits and associations, to set their
feet in new, untried paths, and, unsupported by the
sympathy of human companionship, to attempt to scale
the somewhat forbidding heights that lead to the
desired goal. Looking at virtue in the abstract, it seems
eminently beautiful, desirable and attainable by a mere
effort of the vnll In hours of soUtude, meditation and
prayer, it is easy enough to assume the mantle of holi-
ness, to shudder at the thought of sin, to spurn tempta-
tion and to draw up a rule of life which would not dis-
credit an angel. But, in practice, the average human
being finds that the pursuit of the higher life involves
numerous and painful struggles with nature, separates
bim more or less from others of his kind, and shuts off
many comforting sources of sympathy and support.
It is not given to every one to stand alone on the chill
height of Duty without casting backward and regretful
gianees on the warm peopled valley, called Do-As- You-
ON THK HRKillTH
61
Ploaae. Down thcro, familiar forms are gatheretl
tofjethor in friendly comnuloship, eating, drinking and
making merry. They seem to have no care for the
lonely climber of the heights, or, if they look his way
at all, it is with a oirious disdain. Few, even among
those who loved him best, are willing to follow him into
those cold upper regions. He must perforce press on
alone. Sometimes, indeed, he turns and falters. A
liand he loves beckons to him from below. It would be
so easy and so swot-t to retrace his footiitcps, to seek tb-
warm shelter that awaits him thtire, to relinquish . l'
further effort, to be satisfied with the common level "♦"
virtue attained by the great majority. But be ^;
yielding to the fatal temptation, his eyes once moi»^
seek the heights, and lo! they are crowned with stars
of light that shed a divine effulgence on the towerir.g
peaks. Ilis heart quickens within him. The spell of
common things is broken. The mystery, the grandeur
of the eternal enthral his spirit anew and give wings to
his feet. He is saved.
But the same struggle repeats itself over and OTer
to the end. Storm-clouds intervene between him and
the heavenly vision that beckoned him on, and at such
times his wistful glance strays down to the valley, and
something within him urges him to go back. Many a
traveller, weary and faint-hearted, thus returns to ri?e
no more to the same heights. Only the dauntless few
arrive at last on the Alpine summit known as Final
Perseverance. And even from that glorious eminence,
if they look with pity on the lower worlds they have
forsaken, it is often with the pity that is akin to love.
The merely human in us dies hard. "NVe are loth to kt
go of hands that hold our own in a warm and friendly
clasp — to forsake the companionable fireside, and set
out alone on a dark and solitary road.
But this is life, indeed, and we are powerless to order
.1"
m^^'^F^
11:1 ^
62
IN THE PATHS OF PEACE
It Otherwise Happily, the hope siustains us, through
the never-endmg struggle, that our earth is merely the
> eshbule of heaven and that in the greater life beyond
nl uncer amty shall be changed into certainty, promise
into fulfilment, and mutability into the , .nnanence of
everlastmg happmess.
"^^
XXVIII
SEARCHING FOR PEARLS.
Errors, liJcr. straws, upon the surface floiv,
lie who would scare., for pearls must dive below.
— Addison.
r^EC^AUKE of a certain <]ni('knpss in dotoctins; flaws
^ and shortcomings where others diseern perfec-
tion, or a near approach to it, there are persons
who flatter themselves that they are endowed with
pnpcrior wisdom, which it is their pleasure and duty to
disseminate among their too trusting neighhours.
They delight in pointing out the clay feel of otlier
folks' idols ; they shake their heads and smile pityingly
when anyone ventures, in their presence, to exy)res8
unstinted admiration, or enthuriasm for any object,
cause or T)er8on whatever. To them, nothing or no one
is wholly good or worthy of resi)ect. In this nil
admirari attitude they go through life, deriving little
pleasure or benefit from any source, and grudging the
satisfaction which more generous natures reap from a
willingness to give honour and credit where both are
due.
As a matter of fact, it is the superficial observer who
sees only the defective side of an object or of human
character, and fails to discern the true value that lies
hidden beneath a deceptive exterior. No remarkable
degree of insight is required to detect errors that float
like straws on the surface of a stream. But he whose
' » 'f
SiP'"
It
is?
I
64
IN THE PATHS OF PEACE
mental gaze penetrates to the deep below, and who—
like a diver— can discern pearls in the very slime of
the nver-bed is the one whose judgment of men and
tilings IS to be respected.
r^'"". "u" /^'°^"»^«'- tl»at beautiful legend of the
Uinst which relates how, one day, a dead dog lying in
the street m Judea evoked expressions of contempt and
disgust from aU the passers-by. One called attention
to his draggled coat, another to his sightless eyes,
another to the flies that swarmed round his open mouth
a fourth to the stench that arose from his decaying
body. Suddenly One stood in their midst, who, looking
with compassion on the offending beast, said with
infimte gentleness, in a voice divinely sweet, "Pearls
are not equal to the whiteness of his teeth."
The carping crowd was silenced, and each man went
his way musing on the lesson that had been conveyed
m those simple words pronounced by Jesus of Nazareth,
for all knew that none other could have spoken them.
Ihe habt of criticising and fault-finding is easier to
acqmre than that of bestowing a just appreciation where
It IS due ; but with the right dispositions, the latter
may be cultvated until it becomes a second nature.
Once acquired, it becomes to the possessor a source of
positive happiness of a kind which remains for ever
unknown to the captious critic who has eyes only for
errors and flaws, and who thereby misses all the beauty
and goodness that exist in the world. It also becomes
a power for good, by diffusing hope and courage in
timid breasts, and inspiring affection and gratitude in
hearts that would, failing such help, be heavy with mis-
givings or resentment. No weapon is more effectual
for the disarming of hostility than a word of praise or
appreciation judiciously bestowed. No moral stimulus
acta more powerfully on the human soul than the desire
to live up to the high estimate formed of it bv others
^^'ir':
■r'-fr:
^^ ■■''
-%?t^^'<
SEARCHIGN FOB PEARLS
65
When you think little of a fellow-creature and his
work, and permit him to sec i , you thereby diminish
hia incentive to improvement, and relegate him, perhaps
permanently, to an inferior status. Show him, on the
contrary, that you respect his motives, that you believe
in his capacity to overcome the difficulties lying in l>is
path, that you recognize the good that is in him, and
you have helped him to brace himself for a fresh effort,
you have brightened his outlook, and perhaps given him
a foothold that will ultimately lead him to the highest
point of success.
When we are tempted to repine because we lack the
means to relieve the material necessities of our poorer
neighbours, it is well to pause and ask ourselves how
we are dispensing that richer store of love, sympathy
and kindly encouragement which is locked up in our
own breasts. There is always somebody quite clwe to
us — sister, brother, husband, parent, child or friend,
who needs them.
^f^^^i^
^BBEsamai:
nmm
-I
r
m
XXIX
THE PERFECT ROSE.
A hundred different and sweet smelling leaves are
needed to form a rose, and the hundreds of pu ous no
to make up perfect happiness. — Cannea Svlva.
wr ^'^^^^'*^l^ P'«J^ F'tal lies in your path. Only one.
It was dropr>t>,l from a ro.se that some one
earned ean-les.ly. Do you pass it by, unhoed-
in?. trampling: ,t nithlesslyumler foot, perhaps, or do
.vou stoop to pick It up, lay it tenderly in your palm,
and contemplate its exquisite beautv. Surely you can
spare a moment to feast your eyes on the lovelv deli-
ca e colour ; to note the fine curving outline, the
velvety, cool surface, the heavenly fragrance it exhales.
Ao human hand ever fashioned anything so rarely
perfect as this. As you gaze you are filled with wondeV
and ^leMt. with humility and rev.rence. This little
piece of CmkIs hundnvork brings you so close to Ilim !
lou wonder how any one could ever doubt His infinite
power, His love, His very existence
tK '^T T/'f' P^**' **'«^ '^'»" "^^^^'^ ^>« "'isscd from
the hundred that make up the perfect rose, but to you
who look upon It with seeing eyes, it comes as a message
straight from Him who made it, and you will go your
jay cheered and strengthened because of that fragment
of beauty, of divmity-nlmost-which you picked out
of the dust because you knew its value and did not
despise the chance of pure joy which a moment's atten-
tion to It could not fail to bring you.
In the same manner, every daV and all day lontr iov
waits upon our footsteps, lurking in unexpected places.
THE I'KKFECT ROSE
67
gleaming like a ray of liglit here, radiant like a rose
there ; now emitting a delicious perfume, again salut-
ing our ears with a sweet sound, caressing our cheek
with a touch of divine tenderness or irradiating our
heart with an unlooked-for happiness. It mav be the
glory of a sunset or the unfolding of a leaf, the song
of a bird or the freshness of a breeze ; the light of love
in the eyes of a friend ; a word of prai.-*.' from one
placed over us ; it may be a task accomplished, a doubt
removed, a prayer answered. For, Proteus-lik.s joy is
ever changing its shape, and has as many varying
aspects as there are moments in time or moods in human
hearts. But one thing we know beyond all peradven-
ture. It is ever with us and do wo but choose to look
for it we can not fail to find it.
Yet there are malcontent?^ who car<> nothing for the
petal, and are ever clamouring for tlie perfect rose.
Their eyes see only the joys that dazzle, their hearts
take no account of happiness save such as makes them
objects of envy to the whole world. How poor is the
life that rejects all the minor chances of happiness
while watching and waiting for the great pri/^es of
earthly existence. To lose these, then, is to lose every-
thing. ^ But no kind or degree of sorrow, suffering,
deprivation or disappointment has power to overwhelm
the soul that is wont to accept in glad and thankful
spirit, the "hundred pure joys that go to make up
perfect happiness."
This is what we must strive for, therefore, the
superior insight, the trust, the love that will help 'us to
recognize the beneficent designs of Providence, and to
rejoice in all the manifestations of Divine love and
power that enrich the world. This is the only way in
which we can secure to ourselves a lasting immunity
from the disquiet and endless longings of dissatisfied
souls.
i«?i
k >
XXX
THE MILDEW OF MONOTONY.
The mildew of monotony destroys the keenest pleasure.
— Sir Herbert Maxwell.
JO the hungry and sick and sorrowing ones of earth
it must appear well-n gh incredible that the
conditions which woul< bring them permanent
relief from their troubles, be .me, at times, so irksome
to those with whom they art )rmal, as to appear well-
nigh intolerable. The stan ng wretch at the palace
gate cannot conceive the satiety of the prince ; the
helpless cripple believes that earth would be a paradise
indeed, if he could but walk a be strong ; the pale
mourner beside the grave of a k nfi one feels passionate
envy of the lot of her whose ircleof beloved ones
remains unbroken ; yet, so curiously constituted is
human nature that possession of a coveted object, or
fulfilment of the most ardently desired hope, soon
converts the most intense longing into a placid, if not
indifferent acceptance of the greatest favours and
blessings.
The most discontented persons in the world are found
among those who have never experienced the sensation
of hunger, who are in full possession of their health
and faculties, and whom the greater sorrows of life have
passed by untouched. The cause of their dissatisfac-
tion is simply a weariness of what, in the estimation of
some, might be regarded as ideal conditions. The
», i
THE MILDEW OF MONOTONY
69
mildew of monotony has fallen upon their pleasures
and destroyed them.
It i3 useless to blame or denounce this universal
human liability to chafe under too long a continuance
of even the greatest blessings. It is there and it cannot
be disposed of by words of censure or remonstrance.
The wiser plan is to regard its signs as symptoms of
a diseased condition of the mind, calling for tender care
and judicious treatment.
As in the case of oth^r maladies, prevention is better
than cure, but oftenest, the eflfects of monotony on the
human subject are not apprehended or suspected until
they have made inroads on the patient's mental con-
stitution which only the most suramarj' and powerful
measiires can effectually resist.
The "mildew of monotony" is responsible for a
greater number of wrecked souls and desolate homes
than may be traced to any other malign influence that
militates against the security of individual or domestic
happiness. No power is more insidiously effectual in
alienating the affections of husbands from their wves,
of children from their parents. To escape from its
influence how many young men and maidens yearly
take the broad and flowery path that leads to destruc-
tion, how many husbands and wives forget the solemn
vo"^ made at the altar, how many rash unions are
formed, and loving ties thoughtlessly sundered?
The magic prescription for the malady produced by
monotony is "change." It is wonderful how persist-
ently some persons set their faces against the merest
suggestion of change in the home. They insist on the
same programme, week in, week out. They keep the
same hours, eat the same food, wear the same kind of
clothes, express the same opinions year after year. The
slightest attempt to introduce an innovation on the part
of any member of the family is met with a determined
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70
IN THE PATHS OF PEACE
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resistance. "We have never done it before, why
should we bepin now?" is supposed to settle the ques-
tion beyond all dispute.
The world would soon come to a standstill if peopled
entirely by such narrow-minded, unprogrcssive and
selfish tyrants.
In a hundred little ways it is possible to vary the
monotony of home life without upsetting the estab-
lished order of things to any serious extent. The
mse woman, perceiving little signs of dissatisfaction
in her husband or children, makes a duty of planning
some pleasant diversion or change of routine which
awakens new interest and* distracts attention from
recognized causes of irritation.
In one family that I know, the annoimcement that
every one may sleep late the next morning, if so
inclined, put.s the whole household in the highest good
humour. Of course a holiday is chosen for this little
indulgence.
Special privileges granted now to one, now to another
child, " just for a change," have a wonderful effect in
brightening up the spirits of the 3'oung people, and
reconciling them to the disagreeable tasks of life. To
promote the general comfort of the home, it is neces-
sary that certain restraints be put upon the individual
inclinations of separate members of the family, but it
is of equal importance that sxich restrictions be removed
at intervals to counteract the cramping influence they
would otherwise exercise on the mind and character.
A man, especially, is apt to feel at times, a strong
desire, almost a need, to break away from his usual
routine and enlarge bis experience of life by eontaefc
with some of its less familiar aspecTs. There are wives
who deeply resent such a di>ipos.ition on the part of their
husband? and wiio take no pains To eoneoal their dis-
pleasure over the least evideace of it. On the other
i^ f-W
THE MILDEW OF MONOTONY
71
hand, there are not a few husbands of the crank
species who are intolerant of change, declining to recog-
nize that the average woman's natural cravings for a
little pleasurable excitement now and then, are not
wholly satisfied by her daily privilege of ordering his
dinner, sewing on his buttons, and studying the back
of his head while he peruses the evening papers.
An occasional effort of unselfishness all around is
needed to keep the mildew of monotony from settling
on the pleasures of the home.
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XXXI
RELATIVE VALUES.
May no one be able io say of us that tre are too busy
io be kind. — Selected.
T'l/'JIATEVER be our limitations in other direc-
tions, there are few among us who have not
acquired a fatal facility in the art of excusuig
ourselves from the perforniimcc of certain im|)ortant
duties. The validity of our excuses is, as a rule, less
obvious to others than to ourselves. When we say, in
explanation of some regrettable omission of an expected
kindness or courtesy, " 1 was too busy to attend to the
matter," we may, in a measure, salve our own con-
science with the conventional plea, but we seldom
succeed in impressing our hearers with the sincerity of
our statement. The weakness of the argument lies in
the fact that, too often, when we believe ourselves very
" busy," we are expending time and energy on objects
less worthy of our attention than those we j> ^lect-
inrr. The relative importance of the varion as on
ou}' affection and interest that arise from day to day,
should be carefully weighed in our mind before any are
dismissed on the plea that we lack tlie time to consider
them. Unhappily we are often so much the slaves of
eircumstancea, so blinded by vanity, selfishness, and
foolish ambition, that wo fail to discern the true values
<if anparontlv couflictinir duties, nwi] *.h\\A we choose to
KELATIVK VALUES
73
devote ourselves to those of lesser importance, while the
greater ones suffer neglect at our hands. Some day
we are sharply awakened to the truth by the sudden
snatching from us of th- opportunities we so long failed
to profit by. Thenceforth we are haunted by bitter
regrets and self-accusings that come too late to bear
useful fnut. How cruelly do our empty excuses mock
us, for mstance, in the hour of bereavement, when one
whom we dearly loved has passed for ever bevond the
reach of our help or sympathy! We had not time to
be kmd— to pay the expected visit, or write the
promised letter— alas ! we have time enough, when too
late to weep useless tears and upbraid our own hearts
with ceaseless sclf-reproaehings.
h is well, then, when tempted to evade the claims
of any who love and trust us, with the excuse that we
are ' too busy " to question ourselves seriously as to
the true value of tlie efforts we are engaired in, and to
ascertain whether our eagerness to sueoe'ed in certain
directions is prompted by an unworthv or a legitimate
ambition. Are we striving for great and pennancnt
result^ or only for those that are in their nature triflimr
and transitory? Are we sufferinsr our hearts to ho
dmyn away from the sacred and beautiful obligations
of kinship or old affection, in the emptv pursuit of some
wiil-o-the-wisp of success, pleasure or fame?
This life is indeed too short to permit the accom-
plishment of all that we would do for ourselves and
others, and there must be times when superior obli.-a-
tions hinder us from assuming oth^r^ of less importnum
J he solemn duty laid on us is to learn to distimrnish
between the real and the apparent claims on our time
and energies, to dismiss as idle those which have their
tonndation in vanity and seltlshness, to apply ourselves
«'>riuu«ly and steadfastly to the secnrinir of such aims
as will increase the happiness and welfare of others
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IN THE PATHS OF PEACE
reflect honour on our own hearts, and be to us a comfort
in days of sorrow and trial. With this lofty purposo
before us, we shall indeed lead useful and busy live?,
but they shall be so well-ordered that time will always
be found to be kind as well as busy.
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XXXII
SELF-COMPLACENCY.
A man who cannot mind his own business is not to
be trusted with the king's. Savilie.
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JljT is no uncommon sight in this world of mysteries
:, and anomalies to see men and women who have
been notoriously unsuccessful in the management
of their own affairs, assuming, without hesitation and
even with alacrity, responsibilities of the most serious
character, which, neither by experience, education nor
inherent ability, they are in any sense fitted to
discharge in a manner profitable to others or creditable
to themselves.
There are practically no limits to the self-complac-
ency which is the usual accompaniment of certain kinds
of ignorance, of which the worst is probably that which
results from a superficial knowledge of things. The
spectacle of fools rushing in where angels fear to tread,
appeals in a good many instances, to one's sense of
humoiir, but often, too, by reason of the earnest though
misguided zeal of those who insist on playing such a
sorry part, it becomes pathetic. In any case, the conse-
quences are wholly mischievous if not positively disas-
trous to all concerned.
The injury that is constantly worked to good causes
by the mistakes of fervent but ill-advised champions of
the same, is simply incalculable. Of course, only a
rare degree of modesty will reveal to a man his own
unfitness for particular roles, or will persuade him that
he can best help on a cause by refraining from identi-
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I\ THE PATHS OF PEACE
P'i
fying himself with it in any way. Women, too, as a
rule, are lacking in the commendable diffidence which
arises from a recognition of their own shortcomings.
The fi edom which is now enjoyed by our sex in the
matter of participation in affairs outside the home has
multiplied the temptations that delude mediocrity with
their dazzling promises of easily-won triumphs in one
or another province of effort hitherto untried. We
must needs be on our guard against the flattering iiJu-
sions through which we see ourselves occupying a
position of prominence in some sphere outside our own
accustomed one. Especially should we cultivate
humility with regard to our special fitness for work that
has a professedly religious or philanthropic object. A
sudden access of zeal counts for nothing in the matter
of equipment for a new function. Enthusiasm is the
first lamp that goes out on a 'difficult road. Before
presuming to teach, exhort, guide or govern others, let
us ask ourselves a few questions. Am I Avorthy ? Does
my own life bear testimony to the sincerity of my con-
victions? Have I earned the respect, the admiration,
the affection of those who know me best, and therefore
most truly? Are my own personal affairs in such a
successful condition as to inspire confidence in my
ability to accomplish greater things?
Honest replies to questions like these should deter-
mine the course one ought to pursue when in doubt as
to the wisdom of launching into a new field of effort.
And if the verdict of conscience is unfavourable to
one's self, the only rational and dignified course open
to one is humbly and faithfully to apply one's self to
the performance of the modest duties of one's station,
content to achieve perfection in small things rather
than court failure in those beyond one's capacity.
!l
XXXIII
THE IMPERATIVE DUTY.
ire viusi ever he Injing to know more and more wl^t.
are the things to he helieved and done.
^ — W. E. Gladstone.
f,F one would live a well-ordered and happy life, it
. is of primary importance to realize exactly Avliat
one'-s place is in the world, and how best one can
fit one's self for the duties one is expected to perform
in it. Many women waste valuable years between their
youth and maturity, waiting, like Mr. 3ilicawber, for
something to turn up. Others, even when their life
work has been plainly marked out for them, put no
heart into their tasks, because their lines have not fallen
in pleasant places. Their eyes are always wistfully
straying into paths which their feet can never tread.
Happily, examples are not rare, of the really sensible
and capable woman who determines to make her life a
success, no matter how scanty the materials at her com-
mand. If she can be no more than an instrument in
the hands of others, she sees to it that the instrument is
well constructed, always in order, and warranted to give
perfect satisfaction.
If she is placed in authority, she makes tho?c und^r
her glad of her sway, so wisely, yet so gently, does she
exercise it for the good of all. ' One definite aim is
always before her eyes, and she moves straight for it,
heedless of interruption or hindrance.
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IN THE PATHS OF PEACE
Vi
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Every year of her life is represented by some useful
achievement, some forward step in the direction of
knowledge or virtue, or philanthropic effort. For her
there are no regrets over golden opportunities missed,
and, better still, so deep is the satisfaction that springs
from the consciousness of duties faithfully performed,
that she feels no jealousy of the performances or
rewards of othei-s. There is no room for envy or any
kind of bitterness in a heart that is filled with the joy
of doing, and doing well. There may be, — indeed, in a
noble-minded woman's soul there must be — some long-
ings that will ever remain unsatisfied, some lofty ideals
unattained, but these only prve as a beacon of hope
and an inspiration, not as an excuse for vain repinings,
and unfaithfulness to other claims. They keep alive in
her breast a laudable ambition to prove worthy of the
highest honour that may come to her, but pending the
happy time that may mean release from irksome condi-
tions, she is bravely determined to make the best of
those conditions, and is often astonishpd to find how
much real satisfaction they can De made to yield her.
So, though she may be neither lucky nor rich, in the
common acceptance of those terms, she is envied by
many who come under both categories, because she is
busier, happier, and more resourceful than they. If
young girls could realize the importance of discovering
early in life, " what are the things to be believed and
done," they would suffer no temptation to come
between them and the faithful performance of their
plain duty. The fruits of perseverance, after a short
trial, will convince them that this is one of the simplest
and surest methods of attaining happiness, and, of
earning the respect and good-will of their fellow-
creatures.
ri I
XXXIV
JEALOUSY.
— trifles, light as air.
Are to the jealous confirmation strong
As proofs of Holy Writ.
^ —Othello.
j^jT. EALOUS Y is the thom on the rose of love. Even
<(^i while the the beauty and perfume of the flower
are filling the eyes and the heart with gladness
the unsuspected thorn pierces the tender flesh and
leaves it bleeding, and quivering with pain unspeakable.
The wound is one that heals slowly, if at all. Some-
times the soreness remains through life, and oh, the pain
of it! It is like the torment of a lost soul that has
gained a glimpse of Heaven and then been hurled into
outer darkness. The radiant and triumphant happiness
of a heart revelling in undisturbed possession of a love
most highly prized is on a sudden changed t • bitter
disappointment, to an overwhelming sense oi injury,
defeat and humiliation. Under the influence of
jealousy the gentlest souls become the most implacable,
and in an undisciplined nature its effects are indeed
terrible. The daily press teems with the tragedies
brought about by the workings of this devouring
passion. Few are safe from its ravages, for if some
escape its actual pangs, they are all the more likelv to
be objects of jealousy on the part of others and thus
voluntarily or not to be drawn into complications more
or less disturbing, if not positively dangerous.
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It is useless to reason with a jealous person. The
feeling is too deeply rooted in the heart to yield to
argument. Pride and generosity may help to conceal
and control it, but no power on earth can wholly eradi-
cate it. Therefore we should be very kind and patient
with the jealous, not severe or scornful. Because of
their weakness we should show them an increasing ten-
derness and refrain from the least word or act that
might disturb their trust in a beloved one. Is it not
better to sacrifice an hour's amusement or the vanity of
some idle conquest, than, for the sake of such an empty
satisfaction, to inflict lasting pain on the loving and
faithful heart of a wife, husband or lover ?
In the less serious relations of life, however, jealousy
is a purely detestable fault, and one which may and
must be corrected if one would win the respect and
good-will of one's fellow-creatures. The woman who
hates another merely because that other is her superior,
morally, socially or intellectually ; who is irritated by
the prosperity or popularity of her neighbours ; who
perpetually accuses her acquaintances and friends of
neglecting and slighting her ; who even attributes
their proiTcu-cd hospitalities to a spirit of ostentation ;
who is never thankful for a small kindness, but alwavs
covetous of greater ones — such a woman is less a
subject for pity than contempt and dislike.
There is nothing more ridiculous and undignified
than an attitude of resentment towards the society of
which one is a member. If one is lovable, one will be
loved, and if the contrary is true, the fault is in one's
self, not in those who have a perfect right to avoid
disagreeable or tiresome persons. The less one adver-
tises one's owm unpopularity, the better. Instead,
therefo-"e, of looking for causes of offence in " trifles
light as air," a sensible woman, recognizing the
deficiencies in her o^vn character, or the drawbacks of
JKALOUSY
81
her position, accepts the fact that she was not born to
shine like those who are more fortunately situated.
Having reached this point of view she \vill be a thous-
and times happier than if she allows her existence to
be soured by constantly reflecting on the superior
Jii vantages of her neighbour. The double resolution
to refrain from exciting jealousy in loving hearts, and
to reject its suggestions in the ordinary relations of life,
is one that, faithfully followed, wilfbe productive of
much happiness to oursolve? and others.
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XXXV
PERSEVERANCE.
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Shalt thou he faint-hearted and turn from the strife,
From the mighty arena where all that is grand
And devoted and pure and adorning in life.
Is for high-hearted spirits like thine to command f
— ^Moore.
jPj^ UCH has been written about the isolation of
44$^ royalty and of genius, that terrible loneliness
which falls to one who has no equals among his
fellows, none with whom he can speak familiarly, who
are competent to counsel him in difficulties, or to
sympathise with his high aspirations. This condition is
not confined to royalty ; it governs to a certain extent
the life of every man or woman whose ideals are loftier
and motives purer than those of his or her daily asso-
ciates. When we are young, enthusiasm keeps the
heart warm and strengthens the soul for its constant
warfare against the impulses of our lower nature. It
is not hard m the darkest hour of temptation to follow
the pillar of fire that faith and hope sends on before us
to light the way, but after some years of conflict and
many disenchantments, our hold on our ideal, our belief
in human goodness, grows weaker. Some day, we
droop and faint beneath the burden we once so joyfully
assumed, and ask ourselves, " Is it worth while to carry
it any longer ?"
Well for us if in an hour of such despondency, some
PERSEVERANCE
83
fnendly remonstrance like the one quoted above is
recalled to our mind. Shall we be faint-hearted and
turn from " aU tb-* is grand," because on every side
we see others too wev : or too cowardly to keep up the
f al-"^? T^^^^ ^® * P°°^ ^®*^^°' «"'ely, and unworthy
of high-hearted spirits, fit to command." Rather
iJt us keep in view the power it is given us to wield
and the responsibilty that goes wth power. Every
individual, however humble, exercises power in a certain
degree over some other, who in a particular sense is
his or her mferior. The cook and the kitchen-maid
queen it over their respective realms as surely as the
lady in her drawing-room, or the sovereign on the
throne. The highest ambition of each should be to
know her kingdom and to rule it wisely that she may
be beloved and honoured by those who depend on her.
t't.
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XXXVI
NATURE'S HEALING TOUCH.
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It is impossible to walk across so much as a rood
of the natural earth tvilh mind unagitated and rightly
poised, without receiving strength from some stone,
flower, leaf, or sound, nor without a sense as of a dew
falling on you out of the sky.
— Samuel Johnson.
"XjJK^T'E arc for the most part unresponsive to the
^^r influences that bear upon us uncea8inj!;iy
through the medium of the external worhl.
'Hm is because wo seldom walk abroad '* with mind
unagitated and rightly poised." We are vexed with
trivial care^. elated over some petty triumph, apathetic
becau?e of the dull monotony of our existence, con-
sumed with restless ambition, or absorbed in some great
gratificatioi. Fnder theae conditions, we walk with
unseeing eyts amidst the loveliest scones, or seeing, we
are not moved, discovering no relation between these
things and the subject uppermost in our tlioxights. AVe
are wrapped in a mantle of selfishness which is imper-
vious to all sweetness, beauty and lig'^t.
Y>.t, by a slight et?ort, it is possible to detach the
mind from purely personal concerns, and to leave it
I'pon to the blessed influence of nature. No one can
feel poor in the sense of possession that comes from
looljinjr at mountain, sky, tree, and river, with appre-
ointive eves. The beautv of them is ours : while we
NATUHK's IIKALIN*; TOtTM
86
arc free to gazo upon thoir loveliness, no one can rob
U8 of that inehtimablc lurtlirij-lit. We uovil no bit of
yellow parchment lockc.l awa.v in a strong box to prove
our ownership ; a man may culicct titlo-.k-eds hy th.j
-xcore, but he can never have more tlian one pair of
e.yo3 ; therefore, he receives no richer impressions from
Nature's splendid panoramas than do I who, having no
l''gal rii,'ht to a r.x.d, claim ihf uliol,; ,,arth as niv
inheritance.
looking back over past years have wo not all cause
to regret the time we have wasted planning for idle
ends, and grieving over ephemeral troubles. Hut who
ever repents of the days spent near the heart of nature,
m the woods, on the mountain-top. or by the sea i
These are almost the only golden lioiirs, entirely free
from bitterness or self-reproach, that are entered on
the tablets of memory. AH the rest are streaked with
>elfishness or sordidness, tinged with sadness or disap-
pomtment ; a reflection to incite us to more frc(pi<>nt
• ommunion with nature, and v^iut our desire to under-
-fand her in iier most beautiful, solemn, and mysterious
aspects. Before suffering ourselves to be caught inex-
tricably in a network of small cares and worries, or even
"verwhelmed and disheartened by groat ones, it will
I'o profitable to keep the mind open and roadv to receive
-tretigth from any stone, flower, leaf, or sound, ave,
<*ven from " the dew that falls on us out of the skv.''
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XXXVII
THE SEEDS WE SCATTER.
So live, that when the sun,
Of your existence sinhs in night,
Memories sweet of mercies done
May shrine your name in memory's light
And the blest seeds you scattered hloom
A hundred fold in days to come.
— Sir John Bowring.
5t OMMON charity ordains that we speak kindly of
the dead. However little a man or a woman has
been loved in life, no words of criticism are
spoken over the grave that imposes eternal silence on
its victim. But often, a secret feeling of relief is expe-
rienced in a household, when one who, by excessive
severity, ill-temper, or other unamiable trait of char-
acter, habitually disturbed the peace of the rest, is
called to a last account.
Few of us, however self-willed and dominant we may
be by nature, like to think that our removal from the
earthly scene will be a subject of rejoicing to those who
are now compelled to live with us. There is one way
of discovering whether this contingency is likely to
occur. It might be profitable to all of us to have
recourse to it, with a view of increasing our amiability,
and adding materially to the happiness of others.
Examine the nature of your influence on the family,
TllK SKEKS WE .StATTEK
87
individually and collectively, and if you find that your
presence, under any circumstances, imposes an uncom-
fortable restraint on the others, resolve, in future, to
correct your tendency to be over-critical, or severe.
Respect for the rights of others, and a proper sense of
the fallibility of private judgment, (especially as
applied to matters that do not concern us), should help
us to overcome the temptation to interfere in matters
outside our jurisdiction. I would especially recom-
mend this suggestion to sisters and brothers'^who are
too ready to frown down and ridicule any proposals one
of their number may make, forgetting that all are
equally entitled to their own opinions, and subject only
to parental authority, in matters calling for supervision.
Those families are happiest in which the parents accord
to each child a fair hearing, and equal oi>portunities of
advancing their separate interest*. ITnfortunately,
much injustice is habitually done to younger members
of families, by the selfishness of older ones, who assume
the role of censor to their juniors, thus making them-
selves feared and disliked, where they ought to be loved
and trusted.
Much of the pleasure of life is forfeited by persons
of a carping or overbearing disposition, because as soon
as their unamiable weakness is discovered, they are shut
out from the confidences of those who would otherwise
naturally turn to them, when they have anything of
interest to communicate. " Don't tell Agnes, she
would be sure to make such a fuss," or " For goodness'
sake, don't mention it to Edward, or we'll never hear
the end of it," are little injunctions that frequently
form the peroration of some interesting story, confided
to one whose discretion has been tried and not found
wanting. How eloquent they are of the small domestic
tyrannies jiractiscd by Agnes aiul Edward in their
respective households.
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IN THE PATHS OF PEACE
We cannot all achieve greatness of a kind that
will bring us fame and honour, but with a little patience
and good-will, we can so live, that when the time comes
for us to bid a last farewell to our life-companions here,
none will sav in their hearts, " It is better so."
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XXXVIII
THE GREATEST NAMFS.
The greatest names are %ose which wen have made
for themselves. — H. S. Merriman.
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[HE conquest of the world is not reserved alone for
those who sit in high places, enjoying a heritage
of power or great renown, bequeathed to them
by illustrious ancestors. It is open to every individual
who is willing and able to give the best that is in hirn
to the service of humanity. There are endless avenues
leading to the same glorious pinnacle of fame and
honour. The scholar, the soldier, the statesman, the
poet, the inventor, the scientist, the explorer, the
orator, the philanthropist, the artist, the priest, the
physician, each in his own time and way by
" endless toil and endeavour,"
makes the long and diflScult ascent that leads to rest
and glorious reward. According to the measure of his
earnestness, fidelity, perseverance and unselfishness of
purpose, is his progress upwards. Every word and act
bom of pride, or vain self-seeking is a false step that
causes him to slide back from the height already
attained, and while he painfully recommences his
journey, those who faithfully resisted the same tempta-
tions are steadily rising far above him.
We are too fond of calling by the name of genius the
collective force of qualities which would not be denied
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IX THE PATHS OF PEACE
to any of us were we only willing to cultivate them by
constant and patient effort. Absolute sincerity and
singleness of purpose, a conscientious and thorough
performance of the tasks assigned to us, the concentra-
tion of attention and energy on one worthy object, a
wholesome contempt of trivial and temporary successes,
or cheap applause, of small rivalries and jealousies, of
criticism or censure from unimportant sources — these
are not characteristics peculiar to genius alone — they
are the fruit of honesty, fidelity, moral courage and the
sense of personal dignity whicli is enjoined by the
famous motto of the true aristdcrat: NohlcHtie oblige.
In the ranks of our owi^ sex we find a bright array
of names which shine with no borrowed lustre, but
only with the radiance of a justly acquired renown.
The fame of the brilliant Sappho survives even the
fruit of her wonderful pen, of which only a few frag
ments remain to establish her claims to literary
celebrity. Cornelia, after the Virgin Mary, stands as
the highest type of motherhood, and will so stand till
the end of time ; Joan of Arc emerged from the
humblest obscurity to save her country; Florence
Nightingale had never a thought of fame before the
Crimean war; the depths of her wotranly compassion
were stirred on reading of the terrible sufferings of the
British soldiers. '\ girding on the invisible armour
of a wonderfu^ -rag^j strength and sweetness, she
went nobl_\ to the rescue of her wounded countrymen,
with results the world still stands amazed to see ! Grace
Darling found a mission of heroic usefulness in the
isolation of a lighthouse. Frances Willard began her
career as a school-mistress. How many of us are more
favourably conditioned than any of these for gi-eat
achievement ! "VVe fail to emulate their efforts, not
because we cannot, but because we will not do as much
as they have done. AVe do not choose to be as brave,
THE GKKATErfT NAMKS
91
as patient, as self-denying, as high-minded as they.
Our hearts are set on smaller things, and we shrink
from encountering ol)stacles of serious dimensions. It
is easier and pleasanter to turn back and drift along
with the crowd.
But there are times when we cannot but pause and
ask ourselves, with heart-searching scrutiny that hum-
bles us to the dust : "What kind of a name am I
making for myself ?"
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XXXIX
THE ENJOYMENT OF VIRTUE.
TJie entire object of true education is to make people
not do the right things, but enjoy the right things.
— Kuskin.
, O do what is right, unless a proper motive inspires
the action, is after all no such difficult nor intrin-
sically creditable achievement. Any intelligent
person having a certain force of will may acquire the
habit of conforming to certain standards of conduct, or
may occasionally do violence to his or her natural incli-
nations with a view of earning public applause, or
furthering some other selfish and private ends. Others
may, '"'om a blind sense of duty, follow, "like dumb,
driven cattle," where they are led, never asking them-
selves why such and such actions are right and others
wrong, assuming that their teachers and leaders must
know, and rather stupidly accepting as inevitable the
most distasteful conditions imposed on them as essential
to a right life. Others again, moved only by a craven
fear of punishment, the " whip to keep the coward to
his track," are easily reduced to the kind of moral
subjection which removes even the temptation to inde-
pendent thought or action. There is, of course, no
real merit either in a conventional conformity to
accepted standards for selfish reasons, nor in the sheep-
like submission which precludes an intelligent appre-
ciation of the logical necessity of right living, nor in
the base subservience founded on an abject fear of
THE ENIOYMENT OF VIRTUE
93
future suffering. Xo man can appreciably grow in
virtue until he has arrived at the point of view whicli
reveals to him the ultimate desirability of virtuous
action, for its own sake, wdthout regard to prospective
rewards or punishments.
Many persons, aiming at moral perfection (while
ignoring its true nature), experience a certain gratifica-
tion, not to say self-glorification, from the conscious-
ness of having achieved a victory over the flesh in an
endeavour to obey a higher impulse. But, in fact, the
struggle that has taken place over a comparatively
trifling matter, is but a humiliating indication of the
distance yet to be traversed before the soul can attain
the heights of spiritual perfection. The philosopher
often reaches this altitude before the saint — so-called —
the former being in reality, more entitletl to the appel-
lation. For the philosopher, indeed, temptations of the
ordinary kind at least, soon cease to exist. He is not
compelled to wage a pitched battle with the powers of
darkness every time he becomes aware that his senses
and his soul are at variance. He brings a calm and
judicial spirit to the consideration of the case. If ho
chooses the wiser part, he does not become unduly
elated over what, after all, was merely the prudent
exercise of his reason ; nor would he dare to exagger-
ate the importance of such a choice by ascribing it to
a direct manifestation of divine participation in human
affairs. When he errs, he does it consciously, accept-
ing the blame and the risks, with a full knowledge of
his fault and its probable consequences. If repent-
ance comes later, it is not of the ignoble kind which
shields itself behind the plea of the weakness of the
fiesh and the violence of temptation. It is a frank
"onfession of wrong-doing, an honest regret that sense
prevailed over reason, a serious determination to avoid
a similar pitfall in the future.
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IN TIIK PATHS OF I'KACK
Education can do this much for us all. A great deal
of what IS called religious instruction is either utterl-
wasted or has a pernicious effect on immature minds.
Instead of developing noble qualities, it encourages the
growth of selfishness, cowardice and superstition. The
niind must first be opened before salutary and fruitful
Ideas can be mstilled into it. Learning moral law by
rote and practi.^ing it as a matter of habit or discipline
will never save a single human soul. We must first
learn to grasp its meaning, to comprehend its beauty,
and then we shall need no spur to urge us to do our
duty, because we shall have found our keenest enjoy-
ment m the pursuit of the loftiest ideals.
As the distinguished writoi- and thinker above quoted
(and now, alas ! no more), has wisely said, this is the
entire object of true education. He or she must be
accounted a false teacher who works Avith anv other end
m view.
a.-f '
^.5^^^
l<*
XL
THE GREAT AND THE SMALL.
/J. ^"^^j ^'*^ ^"^^^ surprises of existence seems to be
that of discovering in the power of doing a difficult
thing well, a developed grace for doing lesser thinqs
^'^^''' -Annie Fields.
JN Objection not infrequently raised against the
higher education of women is that in the
majority of cases, it is likely to unfit them
lor the ordinary domestic duties which are imposed on
tnem by marriage.
At first sight the objection would seem to be well
lounded. It is, of course, vastly more important that
the prospective ^vife and mother should possess a prac-
tical knowledge of cookery, be proficient with her
needle, and understand the care of children, than that
she should become a brilliant mathematician or an
accomplished linguist. But on the other hand, it has
ben abundantly proven, in many well-kno%vn instances
that the women who make the most perfect house-
keepers are those who are most diligent and successful
in following what are commonly called the higher
pursuits of art, literature, or science. The domestic
experiences of George Eliot, Miss Martineau, Harriet
lieecher Stowe, Mrs. Oliphant, and many other women
no less distmguished on the intellectual side, may be
cited as affording satisfactory evidence in favour of the
presumption that a woman's head, no less, if not more
I
11,
06
IN THE I'ATHS OK I'KACK
III
it '
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than hor heart, is a factor to be reckoned with
determining the limit of her lioi:sewifely cajuicity.
It is true that the Mrs. Jelljbys of real life are by
no means an extinct species, but the degree of inca-
pacity which assigns any woman to this category is
more often inherent, than the result of injudicious
training. There will always be some hopelessly
incompetent housekeepers among both the educated and
ignorant classes.
But given two women of equal intelligence and
general aptitude, the one whose mind has been devel-
oped and trained by study or wide reading, almost
invariably administers her housohold affairs with
greater success than the other whose experience is
limited to purely domestic matters.
The reason of the educated woman's supremacy is
plain. To the trained intelligence, all, even the com-
monest tasks of life, come within the domain of art or
science. They present desired opportunities for testing
the practical value of favourite theories, for the appli-
cation of great principles, and the observation of
immutable laws. Viewed in this light, the ordinary
household duties which an uneducated woman performs
mechanically and with a dreary sense of the endless
drudgery they entail, become in the eyes of her think-
ing sister so many interesting experiments through
which the theoretic knowledge gained from books or
in the lecture hall is supplemented by the more valu-
able experience of actual practice.
The enlightened woman looks at her life as a whole,
and plans its arrangement and government in conform-
ity with a certain ideal which, as a result of her superior
mental training is naturally a high one. Having ascer-
tained her true place in the world, and the precise
nature of the responsibilities which rest upon her, and
her alone, she proceeds to map out her future course
THE GREAT AND THE SMALL 97
with intclligenco and foresight. Ohstaolos she sees i„
plenty, but she regard, them as mere temporary,
though often vexatious oKstnu-tions, which must finally
yield before her invincible detennination to .succeed.
U all know how easy c.tf„rt becomes when inspired
by an eager <lesire t(» attain a particular object. No
amount of discomfort or inconveni.nco deters us from
toliowing a favourite pursuit, though we grumble
nnceasingly at the far easier conditions impost on m
by obligations not of our own seeking. Have vou
ever watched an amateur photographer at work and
noticed how she washes l^er negatives and prints over
and oyer again to secur the desired degree of perfect
cleanhness She is so i .ent on producing a good result
that she esteems the i .ost laborious process leadin- n
to It a mere detail. In the joy of succeeding, 3
scarcely perceives that her fingers are stained tdu y
brown ; she forgets the cost of plates and solutions,
and has no regrets for the time spent on preliminarv
experiments Having produced a good picture, hev
joy is complete. '
The woman of education follows the same plan in
the direction of her household aflFairs. In her mind's
eye there is always that perfect picture of the ideal
home which she is earnestly striving to produce. She
knows that time and patience and money must be
expended before her experiments can ripen into success-
ful achievement. In the dark room of doubt and
perplexity she must often sit alone developing by a
single red ray of love the sensitive negatives that
require such delicate manipulation. She is never dis-
heartened by small failures nor satisfied with small
siiccesses. There may seem to be overmuch washing
of dishes or dirty little faces to do ; it may not always
be_ clear to her tired brain how the scheme of the
Timverse is being helped out by her diligence in darn-
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IN TIIK I'ATHS OF PK.VCE
ing socks and making jam. But the conviction that
through those small things she will yet reach the goal
she is striving for infallibly sustainss her. She moves
steadily forward, with ever increasing ease and
rapidity, and evt-ry step gained is its own reward. She
experiences a subtle sen.se of pleasure in the knowledge
that uj)on the successful discharge of her particular
duties hinge far-reachin; consequences of tremendous
iniportanc(! to future gene tions. For her,
" Joy's soul lies in the doing,"
and when the time comes at last to lay do\vn her tasks,
she does it not gUidly but regretfully, as we close a book
whose pages we have perusec^ with pleasure.
This is the, secret of the highest human happiness,
of true union with God. It is to realize the divine out-
look which embraces all time and space. In such a
mighty sweep of vision all things pfreat and small
assume their true proportions, and there is no longer
any danger of mistaking the trivial and transient for
the sublime and eternal.
I*
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XLI
IF WE HAD BUT A DAY.
We should fill the hours with the sweetest things,
If we had but a day ;
We should drink alone at the purest springs
In our u^j. d vay ;
We should love with ^ lifetime's love in an hour,
If the hours were few ;
We should rest, not for dreams, hut for fresher power
To be and to do.
^ — Mary Lowe Dickinson.
Ji,F we had but a day ! Standing on the very threshold
:, of Eternity, with what piercing insight we should
see through the shams and delusions which sur-
round us in ordinary life, and of which, in the expecta-
tion of a long term of existence we are only too willing
to become the dupes. With what unerring instinct we
would range ourselves on the side of duty, of love, of
justice, of useful toil and honourable achievement!
Who could tempt us during the few precious hours
remaining to us to stray into the primrose paths of
dalliance, to occupy our minds with petty thoughts of
personal gain, to grovel in envy or jealousy, or to
breathe a blighting word of slander concerning a
fellow-creature. AVith ears alert for the fast approach
ing summons, how eagerly we would seek to fill our last
moments on earth with deeds of mercv! How
tenderly we would look upon those near and dear to us,
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100
IN THE PATHS OF PEACE
•• if* '!
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liow gently we would speak to them, gladly overlooking
such slight offences as tliey might have committed
against us, in our vehement desire to be at peace with
them, to bu remembered by them with love, and to be
spoken of by them praisefully when we should no longer
be in their midst. It would not be difficult at ^11. Nay,
we si ould marvel at ourselves that we ever spoke or
acted otherwise, and we would think in our hearts :
" Could I but live this life over again, it would be oh !
so different!"
Yet consider. There is no day that, but for the
providence of God would not be the last for each one
of us. We walk perilously near the edge of the
precipice that divides us from the unseen world. The
instruments of Death are many, and they take un-
dreamed-of shapes. They threaten us continually. It
is a miracle that we are saved. Others fall to right and
left of us, smitten by sickness or sorrow, by lightning,
sword, or plague, by whirlwind, accident or a treacher-
ous hand. Our turn will come — when? "We cannot
say, we only know for a certainty that it must come.
To-morrow! Why not? The thought is not, or should
not be one to terrify or sadden us. It need not shut
out the sunshine from our hearts. Eather should it
urge us to diffuse what light and warmth is in us, while
we may, to
" fill our hours with the sweetest things,"
and to
" love with a lifetime's love in an hour,"
thus making every passing moment yield us a full
harvest of lasting happiness.
We are so constituted, however, that the majority of
us would prove unequal to the strain involved by
constant fidelity to such a high ideal. It is a humiliat-
ing confession this, of the average human being, that
IF WE HAD BUT A DAY
101
he cannot maintain the maximum of virtuous living
for any considerable period of time. The occasional
apses mto selfishness, indolence, materialism, appear
to be mevitable. Well, even supposing this to be so,
It u-ould still be a profitable exercise, and one which
would immensely increaBe the sum of human happiness
It only from time to time we could awake from the
spiritual apathy which seems to be largely our normal
condition, and realizing the unceasing imminence of
hat last dread call, exeit ourselves to live the hours
between one sunrise and sunset as if, indeed, it was the
only day remaining to us on earth.
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m\
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SOLITUDE.
Every life should havp i background of solitude.
— Selected.
^T is not good for either man or woman to be con-
stantly alone, but occasional opportunities for
solitude are precious privileges which too often
are misused or entirely thrown away. The social
instinct is so strongly developed in some natures that to
be deprived of human company for a single day, or
even a few hours, appears to them an affliction hardly
to be endured.
This would indicate a poverty of individual
resources by no means flattering to the mental calibre
of a person so affected. There is something abject and
pitiful in the habitual dependence on others for ideas of
entertainment. Surely, we should all carry within us a
sufficient store of memories, experiences, and predilec-
tions, to supply us in hours of leisure with material for
thought or motives for action. The old saw runs :
" Tell me who your company is and I'll tell you who
you are." "With equal point one might say, " Tell me
what you do mth your solitude and I'll tell you what
you are."
Our real nature asserts itself much more strongly
when we are alone, than when we are on our guard in
the presence of others. If solitude induces in one a
sudden relaxation of the physical and moral fibres, a
tr^'r--^-
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SOLITUDE.
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SOLlTLItK
103
sense of liberation from the irksome necessity of keep-
ing lip appearance., and a tendency to indulge in selfiX
gravelling, or otherwise unworthy thoughts or actions
one IS thereby convicted of a weak and shallow or even
VICIOUS nature, and all one's .eeming virtues become so
many hypocnsies which have only this merit, that thev
make one endural;le to those who would shrink from
contact with one's real self.
A truly noble individuality, on the contrary, appears
at Its best m solitude. This is its time for reflection
for retrospection, for that calm scrutiny and impartial
judgmeiit of self which is essential to the right develop-
ment of character. Or, it isthe time for communing
with nature, who reveals her secrets only to those who
approach her as they would approach a shrine, in silence
and reverence ; or, it may be, the hour of solitude is
•esen-ed for that sweet and satisfying intimacv with
the greatest minds which is accessible to us all throu-h
the medium of books.
The richer one's nature, the more numerous and
pleasant the by-ways which invite one to stray from the
dusty road of routine in the golden hours of solitude.
A brush and box of colours for one, a needle and bit
of embroidery for another, a horse or a wheel for the
more active and exuberant, supply the desired occupa-
tion for solitary moments. Each in it^ way, becomes
to Its vota^, a source of serene and abiding happiness,
imdisturbed by those doubts and misgivings that often
wTtherT ^^'^''*^^ ^^^ memories of pleasures shared
« o^loT-^ ^^ S'^'T f.^^'* ^' ^^ ^^^^"^ that, without
a background of solitude " in one's life to encourage
reflection, one never can penetrate below the surface
of things. The deeps of experience, the highest aspira-
Uons, the sweetest raptures, the sacredness of sorrow,
the sublimity of the imiverse, will forever be to one as
ff
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IN THE PATHS OF PKACE
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so many scaled volumos. On the other hand, every
hour of solitude well spent, is a distinct step forward in
tho direction of intellectual and spiritual progress.
Not only does it deepen the character and strengthen
the heart, hut it eunohlos the countenance to a degree
that is obvious to all. It lends a light to the forehead
and eyes, and a beauty to the curves of the lips, that
you may look for in vain among the frivolous and
shallow-minded, who are incapable of reflection.
There is every reason, therefore, for cultivating the
precious opportunities for solitude that occur in daily
life. ;Make provision for them beforehand, if you
^\•ould not, when they come, be found aimlessly asking,
" AVhat shall I do with myself?" and manifesting an
undignified readiness to fall in witli any proposal, how-
ever foolish, for killing time.
Walk, sew, read poetry, look at pictures, copy a
beautiful passage from a favourite author, or learn it
by heart, make an imaginary journey ^vith the help
of a map to some place of interest, put yourself through
an examination in contemporary history or literature,
and note your deficiencies. These are but a few of the
countless interesting occupations that may beguile a
solitary hour and leave you the better for it. You may
discover many more, by giving a little thought to the
subject, and thus learn to put a value upon your hours
of solitude far above that of the time spent in the
society of ordinary men and women among whom your
lot happens to be cast.
^^^^^
XLIII
THE SECRET OF HOLINESS.
hJ!l '1"^' f ^;^ «*^'^ ^/'« did less than other people,
hut who d,d what they had to do a thousand times betir.
^^^ — F. W. Faber.
,NE is constantly surprised, in reading tlie lives
oi the saints, to discover how many trifles, so to
_ speak, went to compose the saintlincss that left
Its impress on an entire world. We are apt to imagine
that m order to become a saint a certain background
and conditions favourable to such an intention are
essential conditions to success. A good many of us
have a secret conviction that it would not be at all
difficult to live a samtly life provided we might choose
the desired setting and opportunities. This is of
course, an entirely erroneous impression. Holiness' is a
positive attribute that exists independently of chances
or changes, and that asserts itself unconsciously and
inevitably m the most unlooked-for ways, times and
places. It has its seat in the heart alone, not in the
habit one assumes, nor the house that shelters one.
ihe substitution of broadcloth for tweed, of a veil for
a bonnet, of a cell for an ordinary sleeping room, though
of apparently great significance in the eyes of the
world,, IS of surprisingly small account in the spiritual
balance sheet.
Human nature has an inveterate habit of cropping
out from beneath the most effective disguises. An
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106
IN THE PATllS OF PEACE
{-,
inclination to nin away from all the irksome and dis-
agreeable conditions of one state in life, with a view
of arriving at perfection in another, is an extremely
doubtful indication of sincerity. The girl who has
failed to exercise any influence for good in her own
home imagines that if she could go to China as a mis-
sionary she would be on the high road to perfection
and canonization. In her complete lack of experience,
she is unable to realize that she will encounter the same
stumbling-blocks in an Eastern mission as beset her feet
in her native village or under her father's roof. There
will be the same little disappointments, discomforts,
trials of temper, rivalries, temptations and humiliations.
Wherever grown men and women are forced to live
together and come in daily contact with one another,
a certain amount of unpleasant friction is inevitable.
The exception is when they are actuated by the spirit
of Christian charity ; when they have attained that
nobility of character which is proof against all petty
temptations and weaknesses of the flesh. To reach
such a high level, it is not necessary to cut adrift from
one's ordinary surroundings. The patient practice of
the common virtues of modesty, charity, loving-kind-
ness and fidelity in all things great and small leads more
surely and directly to the heights of spiritual life than
a violent sundering of old ties and uprooting of con-
firmed habits.
One who earnestly desires to lead a holy life has no
excuse for putting off the first step. The place is Here,
the time is Now. However light or trivial, however
onerous or distasteful the tasks of to-day, assume them
with the resolution of performing them as a Saint
Teresa or a Saint Frances would have done, without
complaint, without complacency, working not for the
applause of the world nor for private gain, but as a
faithful servant of the Master who has called you to
THE SECREr OK HOLINKSS
107
labour in His vineyard. Greater victories await you
here than you would ever secure in distant places.
Accept your allotted tasks not only with willingness,
but with gratitude, as those which offer the best oppor-
tunity for proving ycur devotion. In time the hardest
A , ,"" ? ^.'"'''''"^ ^''*^' ^^^ "io«* distasteful sweet.
And by that sign you will know that your growth in
holiness is assured.
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THE CAPACITY FOR HAPPINESS.
Thnr Is uolhing so great as to he capable of happi-
vrss, to pluci,- it out of " each moment and whatever
happens:' to find that one ean ride as gay and Itwupint
on the angnj, menacing, tumuli anus waves of life as
on those that glide and glitter under a dear s/cg ; that
xt ts not defeat and wretchedness which come out of the
storms of adrersity, hut strength and calmness.
^ — Anne Gilchrist.
f, KNOW wonion who, with nil their material wanta
, s;iti<^fic'(l, enjoyiiu;: perfect health, and Hurr.Minded
h.v kind friends an.l relatives, are in a iiionic
state of discontent and ill-hunionr. They are unhappy,
not because of any hard conditions or unfavourable
circumstances governing' their lives, but simply because
they are incapable of feel i no; happy. Their hearts are
obstinately clo.-=ed against all the most beautiful, joyous
and gracious influences surrounding thorn, while their
eyes arc ever perversely seeking out the most disagree-
able and unsatisfactory asj)ects of things. Other wo"nien
I know, who have been forced to endure every kind
and degree of sorrow, pain, privation, disappointment.
But an inherent nobility of character, an intelligent
apprehension of the real value of a hard experience, an
indomitable courage, a rare sweetness of disposition,
combine to counteract in them the effects of the
severest trials of love, faith or patience.
Jll
TIIK <AI'Ar|TV i n|t IIAITINK.ss
Iic.i
11.0 cnpnrify f.,r Im- pi,„.s., which Is insoparnhlo
fnm. th.. n,|f,vat,.,l n.i>..| aii.l -...mtoih lu,,rt, ...av 1...
tnMpuranlv ucakrno.l by the l.h.svs of adversity; !>..<
■ f M not ,h.tn,y,.,l. Lnh.,,), i,. ^ .ni,..! ri^^htlv .on.ti-
tuto.l, pam ha.s tho cinrt „f sharppni,,^. th,- in'n-.utluu.
and o.nphasizin^r tho pm-iou-sn.-s of all that plras...
<-'.'n.f..rls nr .ustaluH th<. h.uI. Tho.o who hav HNircn..!
«'.ost.h..pyhuv.. (!,.■ k...,...M.,,.,..v,.iatio,. ul tn,. In,.,,,
ness III whali'viT form it prcsiil- it.-df.
A fatal ohstad.. to the happiness of h'linian Iumiu-s i,,
perhaps tho majority of ,,,m.s, is tho fooli.j, and fa!.,,
oonviction that it cannot vxUt in.l.p, n.hntlv of certain
precoiuTivi.l conditions and coveted possessions Tho
man or woman who starts out in pm-snit of happines^
iu-hufr on such helief, is fore(h.ome<l to irrievons disi,,-
p...ntment._ D.-.-anse you are presently wei^d.ed down
with financial cares, or are physically overtaxed, or dis-
eournffod by protracted iilne.s, you are apt to imagine
that ho removal of any of these irksr.ine co„<|itions
would spell TFappiness in I.ij^ letters. This is a delusion
lis you may easily prove l>v (|nestio.r:;'; any numbor'of
persona who actually enjoy complete imn.unitv from
the woes that oppress you. Those only are happy who
want to be ho, who apply themselves to tho art of 'learn-
inp: how to be so, an<l who discover in the process, that
tho sources of true happiness, are not without, but
witliin us. A sweet reasonableness is the first essential
mpurement of a contented min<l. A dignified attitude
in the face of contradiction, loss, or disappointment,
helps powerfully to pn>serve the seronitv of one's dis-
Tfr7- ^? ^'''*' ^""'^ ^"'""^' '^"•^ •''"'^"i^ ^^^l>Je ami
cliildisli. The grain of common sense which informs us
that it is useless to
cry over spilt milk should also check
many a fit of ill-t(miper or disappointment
. ,.^* ? ^'"* ^^^^ "P '^"i* ""nds that our chief business
m life IS to be happy, and it will soon become a matter
■ 'if
J1.i
i ■ -'
, - ' ^
110
IN TlIK I'ATHS OF I'EACK
of pride to sec with what scanty materials we can
.'iuccessfully reach that result. It is far from a selfish
ami, because the happy person alone knows how to
<iitfuse happmess, while the melancholy or discontented
one casts a gloomy shadow over many other lives besides
his or her o^vn. It is, therefore, distinctly wrong and
unfair to yield to the depression of spirits that is
brought on by some unexpected or unavoidable stroke
of adversity, and we should bo as much ashamed of
pivmg way to that tem})tation as to any other that
incites to wrong-doing. To admit one's unhappiness is
tantamount to a confession that one has neither Faith,
Hope, nor Love, that— in short— one is not a Christian.
'fi^'
tr'^ff-'
XLV
LOOKING UPWARD.
^ vniy unen our lliouo/ifs no ni) that n,ir i;fo i
erect .■'. ' "'" '"^^ ''/^ becomes
—Alexander McKenzie, D.I).
f
ElIE most perfcctlv f„n„,,I body ,uav Imvo it.
%, ,y„„„o,r,v de.,ero,v,,I .ad >„«v lf„ So d ,4v
stoop. The cLst con ral' f "/"^^;'*"='^ ^^"'^^"^y to
n„t ;f ,11 ' "'^''' "■■ "'<' next-
"""*' «l.<-n,Mvos onlv wi, „„„„„ ,„„»;,;„, ™
i „
■ii
'is I
112
IN TUK PATHS OF I'KACK
l! :(!ti
fci
M ! .
If* !
% I
st'ltish interests and cares ; seeing in life only an oppor-
tunity for personal indulgence or advancement ; recog-
nizing as good only those attainments or possessions that
havo^ a commercial value ; ready at all times to barter
the intellectual or the spiritual for tlie material, the
eternal for tlie temporal.
When the thoughts ''go up" on the other hand,
"our life becomes erect." AV'^e need no other stay
nor brace than this to counteract the fatal tendency to
3toop.
The study of what is intrinsically high, noble and
beautiful, lifts us effeetually out of*^the commonplace,
the mean and sordid ruts of life. "We no longer grovel,
we soar. The things that occupy vulgar minds are
henceforth beneath our notice. From a narrow world
of dull fact and prose we emerge into a boundless uni-
verse made glorious with countless and sublime mani-
festations of divine power. We feel ourselves related
to all times, all persons, all places. The finite loses
itself in the infinite. Oiu sense of proportion is read-
justed. AVhat was once important in our eyes now
stands revealed as utterly insignificant — unworthy of
thought or effort. And what we formerly despised or
neglected as unnecessary, superfluous, we now recog-
nize and assiduously cultivate as the highest desiderata
of our earthlv existence.
This nuich cannot be acomplished for us by religion
alone, in the ordinary sense attached to the word, that
is, the purely devotional spirit. The real knowledge
of God, which comes to us as well through a study of
His works as of His word is the lever that lifts the soul
to its true altitude, and keeps it erect. In the pursuit
of every branch of science, art, or industry, this know-
ledge may be, in part, acquired and made our own.
As it grows, it changes for us the whole aspect of life.
"We learn, by degrees, to refer everything to God, to
^l^m
"^SSSSR?,
L0OKIN(; UPWAIU)
113
prertaZ „f"°™ "' ""'"' '"" '"™'«<1 ^"'h "><> divine
Thm V. r„ r"'" "'r'"'""'y ''^"■- '"■n.ar, affair,,
good watchword for the faint-heirtod M „ 1 ? ,"
for^those who .h„ffle and sloVrSu^^ ;S^'^"'^;1;
-^>5^^^
ii '
'-'*
i
't
!.;
It ' tj
fl
XLVI
THE FORMATION OF CHARACTER.
You cannot dream yourself into a character ; you
must hammer and forge yourself one.
— Froude.
,HE habit of dreaming — ^witli the eyes open — is
one to which most young girls and even women,
incline both by nature, and as a result of the
secluded and sedentary lives which the majority of
tliem lead. There is virtue in beautiful dreams, when
they are kept within proper bounds and not allowed to
usurp the mind to the exclusion of the more serious
aifairs of life. They serve to foster our ideals, and to
keep idle, frivolous, or other unworthy thoughts, at bay.
They are also a sweeo panacea against pain, disappoint-
ment, and other troubles that may thicken around our
path. Many a dull and sordid life is gilded for patient,
struggling souls, by dreams of what might be, under
less adverse conditions. These are some of the legi-
timate uses of dreams.
But it is against the abuse of the lovely and beguiling
thoughts and visions that haunt the mind persistently
in hours of solitude, that I would warn the growing girl
or the young wife and mother. Even when day-dreams
are not positively harmful, they are at best barren of
good results to ourselves or others, and thus the time
given to them is diverted from some more useful
purpose.
^jEII^»3S^
THE FORMATION OF CHARACTER
llo
of what you would likp tl kI j ""inkmg constantjy
you arc." If co„^iot%t %"r":Zl"''''^' J^""'
character, rouse yourself ,J Ijrfrom an id™
and "hammer an~ ^US " a „f O^^^^""'-'
When the ronn.1 r.-e ~j .f""f ^it a new one.
pens, includes rn/whz'hL?r"^' ^^ '^^^^^^^ ^«P-
I can think of no belter 1 J , ''^^*"^" «°^ «il^"-^>
than the habit of efrn^^^^^^^^^^^^^ «g-"«t idle dream.^
passages from the worb ^f i"f .*^ ^^"^^^^ favourite
exercise which conTribnte, ^^^^Poets. This is an
other to the adoZent of I ™''' f ^^«*"^"y ^han anv
of a sound liter^Haste '"'"^' '"^ *^^ «^^^*^^«tion
t- ^^T^t^SpSt:^: r ^^ ^"^^^^^ ^^^-
educated men and Tomen T.v IT T'"^^* *^« ^est
is easil,. acquired! Td hat T ^ f f^^'t^' " ^"^ *'^*
possessor with a PAv^+ai.i i ^"^ *^ invest the
be compa^d ^.rr" ,?r """^/i^'"""™. not to
V ordinary profici" ^^f .f '"'-« i-pired
but one-half of the timf „ .j 1 ' f"^ or science. If
ao piano, the tndr„?.t'' ^ 1^' «'"■' "^ '"-J^? "n
devoted to the sS „f ^^ '*''*''» of novels, was
>» a very'^noSbe'ttonVr™'"'''-"
rtandard of taste and condtT "" •'"•'™'''''»
of many. It ™ thereW „" ™1'"'*'=^' knowledge
to become a tSe„T ofsrA '™" *" f°P°^ ^ oneself
Wordsworth, Dante of f''''T' ^"'°"' ^rownina,
■"dtodevot^onesegl^Wvand" *'™""'' ™"'"
self-appointed task ^ ^ '"'^ perseveringly to this
A choice like this does no. exclude other write.
iu.
''kl
■': H
1r
Villi
m
< 1 1 j .
if 41
i
H''^' w
ml
htt^i: i.
116
IN THE PATHS OF PEACE
from one's attention or affections, but merely implies
a particular devotion to one whom it will be a matter
of pride and honour to make one's very own.
Young girls often write to me for advice on the
subject of home study. To none can I make a more
valuable suggestion than this : Eead and study the
best authors. This is education in the highest sense
of the word ; it costs little or nothing to acquire it, and
your o\\Ti conscientious application is the only essential
factor of success. All the professors and universities
in the world cannot do as much for you.
^:^^^
XLVII
THE WANT OF MOTIVE.
^nat makes life dreary is tke .ant of motive.
VtX -r. — George Eliot.
■ 'tS^'t'i*.^-. -------
talk fo,. 1^7' ^tfr''™ T ""' "-"'^ " «"le
'ife, I am JraW is " ITM" "'" ™'"' »'■<' "hose
one. There ie m.^^^ °- ?™ °™ '''"'^' " dreary
similar ofrlmstaTeef Tt'*""' "'■'"'S "y ^^''<J'='-. ™
what eouragHnd sSn J'7 "" "™SgHi.g on, with
their ^^^ypi':izt^^::::t7i::z ^''
theirVrronS'at^ h!' '°'"?''T' "'" °' *""''■> ^i*
I fear al™™ Tn??'* the people they meet, dreaming,
wbieh\hiXit fthe'rn,rfi'n?i;?r'-=°""\
now seems ever to elude thTm tW-e^ that
self rs'rc'tett' -7 you^« girl who finds her-
towards them alCTf -^ J ^ ?"!;''' '=" ''' ^J ^"ty
fr„„ ..„■",""' as a fr'end and adviser, if X refnii,.:?
M
.}
\-m
118
IN THE PATHS OF PEACE
II i
S!
tions which thej are apt to regard as the determining
forces of their lives.
First of all, they must cease thinking of themselves.
A young girl is too apt to look at life from a purely
perso >dl point of view. She craves love, sympathy,
appreciation. In her estimate of human beings, no one
counts who does not, in some way, exercise a direct and
agreeable influence- over her own life. '' What good is
that to mef is the test she applies to any beautiful or
good thing, or interesting fact brought before her
notice.
Surely this is an extremely narrow and ungenerous
attitude to assume towards the world she lives in, witli
its teeming interests, its inexhaustible resources ; or
towards her fellow-creatures, each of whom has the
same feelings, longings, hopes and need of sympathy
as she.
Another fault of youth is its impatience. Before
she is well out of her teens, a girl expects to have
reached the great turning-point in her life which is to
give definite aim and shape to her future. Such a
feeling of unrest is fatal to serious effort, or concentra-
tion of purpose in any direction. I should like every
girl to repeat often to herself the line above quoted :
" "What makes life dreary is the want of motive."
Have you a motive in life? or are you just drifting
along this way or that, as every breeze and current
may drive or lead you? Is your motive a good one,
worthy, unselfish, stimulating? If not, make haste to
provide yourself with one which wall furnish you with
a constant incentive to improve yourself and do good
to others.
Let us suppose you live among dull, unresponsive,
wholly uncongenial people. You feel that your
superior talent or education, your fine feelings and
THK WANT 01- MOTIVE ^ j ,,
your sleepy Lulo tuwnV Vo^.Uof ' '"T ^J-'^^^^ ^"
^lup with one whose everT word ^ '\^ ^'^'"P-'i-"
and inspiring ; ^-Jio innLZ ^ "^"^^ '''''' 8''»^'ious
.satisfied your deal ^f 1,^ ^ r'"'"' ^'"^^^ ^"^ ^'^^'n^^v,
woman? a4 tl j/otr^'r' ^"^"' ^'^ ^'^ I'-'^-t
such an inflnen e ov t o " T" '""^ '° ^^'^^'^^ J"^^
meet every dav^T; H^f' ^^'.'"'"^ ^^ '^ .^our lot to
it clccplv intere^^iini'^^B mirrd'^"' ^'^1^ '''' «"''
work, stndv, hnprove vo u elf f '"'"'"^ ^'"^^ '""^^
the smalle t detlilT of .t. , ''''''•>' ^^'-^^^ ^^-^'n t^
Above all, von 'ntt 1 ' '^''Tf '"'^ surrouiulings.
thotie, not^nl :V tht ^ ;S:tn VlS'^^''^ r ^-
above you, but to the hunZst of vn'' %'n *^'' ^"'^
tures as well. They are .1? J. f ' , "' ^^'^^^w-crea-
'-1-bere is a divine spark if tfT '"'''''*' «"^ '^'^^^r-
them. They haT TL 7 ""i ^'''^* ^"^ "^^'^^ ^"^ of
:ou have to the sylX "^^' '' ^^"/^ ^^^^P^^^-' -^
i- full of hope and 41, ' ^'^ " ^'°"'''<= "•'»<■!■
of your strons: vouno- Kfp .,, X' .\^ ^"^^^ o^ two-
<i T " J"-"'")^ Jiic to the service of r»fli«v. o
I am younff. T n^-n oflF...^ x. _. • i °^ ^*"^''^- Say.
tunity." Indulg,
•onn^, T can afford to wait for
e m no
not
more
mav
clav-d
my own oppor-
rfaTn=, trouble yo
at^all about wl,at „a, befalGou.' Dol:;^;
ur-
ine
120
IN THE PATHS OF PEACE
sinijjly to enrich by your help and sympathy, the lives
of ^oiiio more wretched than yourself. If you carry out
these suggestions as I should wish you to do, you will
soo:: find that you have no time to bo lonely or sad.
What right have you to be mooning when there is one
who needs your cheerful company ; wiien you can be
storing your mind with beautifid, helpful thoua'lits ;
when your fingers might be fashioning some simple
garments for the poor, when a bright sky invites you
to an invigorating walk? rorno, you are not the sort
of girl who is going to mope or shed idle tears when
things go wrong. You are going to brace up and make
tlicm go right again, or if that is hopeless, you will i)ut
them out of your tliought^ altogether, and address your-
self to some more promising tasks. There is too much
work waitiro" to be done to permit of useless grieving
over failure- "!• disappointuuMiIs.
'My promised Here it i.s. You will find in working
thus for otliers a secret of happiness which no one can
ever wrest from yon again. Your nature will be so
purified, strengthened, enriched, thnt love and appre-
ciation will be poured out on you witliout the seeking,
from the most unexpected sources. You will become a
power in whatever sphere of life you may be called to
occupy. Everybody will be glad tliat you have lived.
In the exercise of this power you will find a sweetness
which no words can describe. You will learn to regard
yourself, not as the centre of a little universe in which
you expect all rays from witliout to converge, but just
as a humble instrument of the Omnipotent Father, in
wliose hands tlio destinies of all are safe. You Avill
realize the wickedness of doubt, dissatisfaction, and
desiiair: the joy of faith, of hope, of charity. In short,
you will l)p happy in a decree that has never yet been
attained by any who build on the insecure foundation
of exterior conditiot''? and circumstances.
XLXlli
THE TEST OF EDUCATION.
successful manayvmtnl of a family.
— JJurinip.
HE family- i, tJ,o nation in epiton.e. Tl.o snecoss-
lac oi in the strengtii, ^.rcatnes. and prosperity
of tl e nation to which it boion^s. An u.^ncS
faa.% IS a point of weakne.. in the social structure
lable at any moment to crumble away and brined S
ireZ^i rrt """'"'-r '''^'•^^'^^^' ^^ -''^ -^ ^ -f
familv' '"'i^^^'""^^^" -' ^^^^'y than that of managing a
It is a difficult and complicated business, the numer-
ous ranufications of which can hardly be ^pprel ended
doubt'itt"., " "' P"^^"^^ ''^^^^•^^■^^•« thereof Xo
doubt t IS sheer ignorance of the extreme gravity of
the task_ before them that enable, so many women t
assume it with light hearts and without he smaHeS
at empt at preparation. Surely no one could gT.^p 1 e
r^ii iTnmo'T, '' 1'^'""' "^^ motherhood^^
aZZd" o" het L^r^^'^t^ ^ "' the responsibility
;^oss the fatefi^ 5?ubLn'5 ^^^^IT^:^
m^on'thr/'r' '"^ 1 ^-tified^anity or ^hatw
ambition that looks not beyond tl dav of small
nnmphs good only to excite the admiration :L^
•'x -.i-.e invulous and vain.
■■■■\"mi»fM'-n^
lL'2
I'
IX Tin: PATHS OF 1'kacf;
^loic and more dear is it becoming every day
tliat the rock on vhicli domestic liappiiiet*!* most
fre<.iientl_y founders k that fatal lack of preparation for
the werions duties of life tlial is the result of the wrong
educational mefliod.s adopted in the bringing up of the
modern girl. So firmly am 1 persuaded of this that I
would almost he tempted to advocate the substitution
of manual training in the useful arts in all the schools
for the ordinary curriculum of "studies" that do no
good to the students nor to any one else. Let a child
be taught to read and write, "indeed, and t<. cast up
figures, but instead of stufling the poor little brains
^yith (jueer facts and hard dates, with rules aiul excep-
tions ,vhich to the infant mind must appear so utterly
meaningless ; in>tead of making th" poor little arms
ache with ''practicing" useless accomplishments,
would it not be infinitely wiser, kinder and ultiimUely
more beneficial to all concerned, to give the same time
and attention to the training of the future head of a
family in those arts wliieh make for comfort, peace and
well-being in the home.
Is it not in the highest degree inconsistent, not to
Pay cruel, to set a growing gir! to accomplish certain
tiresome and difTicnlt mental feats which are held up to
lier, through the formative years of her life as the end
and aim towards which she must bend all her energies,
direct all her aspirations ; then wb.en the tasks are all
accomplished, the medals won, the certificates duly
framed and hung up on the wall, to place her at the
head of a household and expect her, at the risk of being
severely blamed, criticised and rendered generally
miserable, to develop a suddcni genius for domesticity
to exhibit a perfect familiarity with kitchen utensils'
to bake, and boil, and brew like an expert, to direct
inexperienced servants, to know the danger that lurks
in a defective drain pipe or a dirty dish cloth ; to cope
f»F-:-?f
TIIK TKsr or EIH-(;atI(i.\ j....
of .r„o o,„K.a„-,„', i,: ,1 :; :; r;;:.;, '" 'f '■'■''^''1'
li""cJ, when .h,. sl.onM f,,.! ^ "' "^ ^^"^ ^'"'l-
i^ now co,„pI,.te]v fo...;;;',;'''' "^^'^"^^ ■'^^^'^ I^^-*^^ that
anv souse i.rofif.,blo l-m ' ;.' ?'""" '^ ^^''" '^^' '»
family (lepcn.l.. This aftor mII ; \. • "^ ''"'
.;»« of t,,e ,i.„«,.„,.:',.t:- . "«•:;,;.":;; ™':"'r'
tile nursery witl. Im.. ,mi < i '* ""* ••'»o ih still in
she i„vc. bi ;; ' . ,:^': i !:, r k'^T f", '"' "'? '"^-^
show l„.r tl„. ,„.,.,„. "■ , '"'"■ ''"• "•'"•I'l" I"
it^ lit. / ward I , ■ ■ 'i" "T '"' '■" " '«'I'J' " «"'!
Z!:^^ .ni;o",;::;:. ;;^'„;",;;.;r •^-i'"' -^- "-''^
W ffradnal stem ll [ l" "* T"^"''"?? them. Thus,
-t ore.., her ri^i^rdoln ' ^'"^"^"^^ '^"^ ''""'^^-
commit faynnrit. n.LTe '- ''' P^"'''-^'' ""^ ^^
Of great men an //If '.'' ^"™^^^'.>'' to rea.l the lives
fereat men, and to trace back to their humble be-in-
ii !'
124
IN TlIK TATUS OF PEACE
nings the inventions and enterprises that have most
benefited the world. Teaeh her to observe and admire
the handiwork of God, and encourage in her a whole-
some curiosity regarding the wonders and beauties and
secrets of nature. Let her take daily exercise and
recreation in the open air, that she may be both healthy
and happy. Teach her to be gentle, modest, truthful,
kind. This is the sort of education that produces a
woman fit for any calling or position in life, the
capable, intelligent, sympathetic, sensible woman, who
is faithful in small things and in great, whoso hands,
heart and head have been equally cultivated. Educa-
tors the world over are waking up to the truth at last,
and in many directions systematic efforts arc being
made to do away with various fads and follies sanc-
tioned or encouraged by modern educational methods.
It is not too much to hope that radical reforms will be
carried out within the next few years. Common-sense
is destined to triumph over foolish vanity. There is
room for hope that the growing girl of to-day may be
given a fair chance to perfect lierself in those arts and
accomplishments that will render her indispensable to
the happiness and comfort of her family, instead of
being the expensive bunlen and ceaseless cause of
anxiety she is in too many households as a result of
present conditions.
'*VkV^<*
^^^^M^
XLIX
ENCOURAGEMENT.
When we lake people mrrrbj as the,, are we make
them worse; when we treat them as if they were what
they shonld be, we improve them as far as they can be
""P"'''^- -Goetho.
fllE defects or liniifations of those who live uikIit
, ,. the same roof with us are apt to excite in us a
_ cortflin iiDpatieiK e, which, if we yiei.i to it, must
inevitably warp our ju.lcrment in all matters relating
to them. Wo seldom stop to enquire to what extent
we ourselves are responsil,l,> for those same defect^
We are oeoasionally hurprised to discover that they
entirely escape the observation of stranirers, an(i that
outsi.le the family oird,., tho one whom we have accus-
tomed ourselves to regar.l as hopeles.sly stupid, awk-
ward or "provokinn:" ^in any sense it" may please ua
to attiich to that word), enjoys a certain degree of popu-
larity and esteem.
The tnie explanation of the surprising fact is so
iinflattenng to our self-esteem that not every one of
IIS IS willing to accept it with a good grace. It is simply
that our pr(.sence has an irritating effect on others,
bringing out the worst that is in them and suppressing
the very qualities we blame them for not possessing
(.racous and gentle attributes are the flowers of the
^'ou?, that bloom and diffuse their fragrance only in an
: t
■1
tt
120
IN TlIK PATHS OF TKACK
atmosplicre of H«rlit and warmth. It is impossihlo tc
?eo or know, at his or her best, a follow-crcaturc with
whom one docs uot sympathise. "When we assume a
censorious or fault-findinir attitude towards othcr«, we
instantly raise barriers between them and ourselves,
which make mutual aprcciatioii impossible. What
is the secret of the happiness of lovers if it is not their
fond,^ unshakable belief in one another's good and
pleasing qualities, and their persistent and loyal refusal
to believe ill of one another. Could we be eciually
generous with our friends and relatives, the world
would indeed be converted into a paradise for all.
There is no more powerful stimulant to self-improve-
ment than tlie knowledge that those who live with ns
have formed high expectations in regard to us ; but
the cotiviction that our best efforts Avill remain unap-
preciated is a profound source of discouragement and a
frequent Cf^nse of failure. -
In many large families there is a regrettable tend-
ency to poke fun at its individual members avIio make
efforts at self-improvement. By mimicry, satirical com-
ments, or openly nnkind allusions the aspirations of the
growing girl or boy towards something better than the
existing standard of manners and attainments in the
home are often rudely checked, if not altogether
cupprossed.
In the former case, the foundation is laid for antag-
onisms that must graduall.\ increase, and that will
eventually undermine the affection that binds together
even the most closely nnited families. In the latter
case a spiritual murder is committed, for which an
account must one day be rendered before the judgment
seat.
If tlic cliild who is sulky or nnruly at home is happy
and Avell-liehaA-ed among strangers ; if the silent,
reserved son or datighter is invnrinbly agreeable and
'•'>•'" Hi; A(.;kmkNT
ll>7
to dis,.over in thrw ^ "' , ''^ '''•^^""^' ''"ther
the cause whicl prevc L T^'if '"^ surroundings
from blossomint into S-^." "' -^ "'""'' ^'^^"^^^^'^^
the retarding S^^^^t^^^ '' '''''' '^^^ ^^^-
oi^!;:i^^Z%^^ -" fi"^ the canker worn.
ing at thc'^JooIf: S;'ctSr r"^.*->— ^ ^aw-
forn.ation. Perhaps fi't ^'^ '' ^^ P^^^^^s of
frank enon^^h to ow^'if iM " "'' ''"'"^''^ ^"'^"^li and
blame for the state of iv ^r' ^'''"'^''^^^' ^^'^'^ ^''^^ ^^
anee Changel-^rL^r.^tl^^^^^^
spoech, slower to find fault swifelv '-' ^'^^' "^
courage, Ie«s rpn.lv J •, ^^^"^'^ to praise and en-
..m4<'t :S„ts voS7*^ "f '■^■^' "- ■
Miracles can oe wroiiffirfn ti ™ '" ""= "»ng-
seem a l.ar-i ZTlTt, • T"^' ""<• "'»"Kh !' may
I
M
^^rtvi^"
■^ '•m;^^-
1 1
SYMPATHY IN JOY.
Grief can take care of itself, hut to get the full value
of joy you must have somebody to divide it with.
— Mark Twain.
[HE truest test of a generous nature is its capacity
for sharing the joys of others. It requires little
or no effort to sympathize by word or act with
sad or suffering humanity: Even when the' heart is not
deeply stirred, the lips are ready enough to utter con-
ventional expressions of condolence. But it is quite
otherwise when sympathy is claimed in the hour of
success. Too often, then, the demon of envy and
jealousy takes possession of the heart, making sincere
participation in the happiness of others impossible.
We have all experienced the chilling effect of a curt
"Eeally," or "Oh, indeed!" following the announce-
ment of some piece of good fortune that has come our
way, and this even from old friends or near relatives
to whom we naturally looked for the warmest
sympathy.
The ungenerous attitude which thus throws one back
on one's self, forbidding the anticipated pleasant discus-
sion of the various aspects of a joyful event, hurts far
more cruelly than a manifestation of indifference in the
hour of bereavement. In the latter case, a sensitive
nature craves solitude, and scarcely misses the word or
token of kindly sympathy withheld from any quarter.
SYMPATHY IN JOY J29
nns'hS" ""^'^"'' "■"' '°'^' '«'« i'^ «'«tnes, when
sorrow, ^fJu' ^ convinced that we pity the
nation o?the M^^XTSow'^Atr '"^'^ "T^
::trwt:trh^^^
let h Veier^Jh^ T ^"''" .'"™P''^? Dote
-lightly, even con* ity°S°J ™ -'°' '""'f'--
which we fear mav rf„,„i'f ^^ " Prominence
fullT must we admit th»t TlTr ! •^;- '^"'^ "■oR^ot-
sirter, or even a^o,h„ """', '""""'^ ^"oid, »
upon 'for ^:i:LX^:rz:^^^ ,'''"' f'.
.0 complete one. happiness .n"Thrhr ^f' tc™:'':^
.'f^
. I
I
m
C£%-.^
130
IN THE PATHS OF I'KACB
triumph. "Were all known, the history of many fami-
lies would reveal sad stories of bright prospects marred
and fond hopes blighted by just this defect of sympathy
on the part of near and dear ones. The opportunity
that to one, would have been the turning-point leading
to love or distinction, was, by the selfishness of another,
cruelly denied or appropriated to other uses.
Such selfishness is indefensible. A proper sense of
dignity and independence should preserve us from
coveting pleasures and advantages which we have not
personally earned or otherwise secured by our own
unaided efforts. "We should be generous enough to let
every one else be happy in his or her own way, and if
we cannot actually hasten the process, at least we
should scorn to take a shabby advantage of our propin-
quity or kinship to frustrate the kind intentions of more
liberal-minded persons.
Let us then beware of a too complacent belief in the
tenderness of our hearts until we have indisjiutably
proven ourselves sincerely sympathetic towards our
family and friends, not only in time of sickness and
sorrow, but more particularly when success, fortune,
or preferment has lifted them a degree or two above
our own level.
y^i/
^*fc "■*
LI
HIDDEN BEAUTY.
Things looked at mtienthi f^^
another, qenerall,, .J T 1 '"'''' ''"' *'^« «//"'•
heantiful '^ '"^ *^' ^/^o»...^ a side that is
Iv. L. Stevenson.
ting themselves to definite^ extension 7 ''"^"^*-
regarding matters coanin^. within H?.? ""P^"^^"
od as peculiarly their owS. ^ 1 tetrreri^rT^'^
or circumstances are presented fnlV f ' ^'^^J^^tions
must be carefullv wpEr V ^'" ^'''" ^-^amination,
factor, concSnTan't ;el:r^^^^^ "^f""'' ^ ^^^^^'-
mind, impatient oi Jnl '^^'''' \®^: ^"^ the untrained
absurdly sX;;fil^^^"to';;J-;"^^ -P^^^^^'-' -^
value of indisputable JnT J '* ^-^ipressions the
allv on theSnes orTl k"";^ Pronounces dictatori-
^'giiness, the worth or tl^' i""'"'' '^' ^^'^"^.^' °^ the
or^erso^ahder.^ n ;£T.^^^^^^^^^ '\''''^T' ''^^
moments been lightV Wsed Sn J"" ^T ^'' ' ^^^"
of course hav« focussed. feuch rash utterances
fhe Zwt'of rivi^: Z«'"."'"' "™«"g P«»ns, b„
able iW^r/to he LrnT''"" .'° ,""'."' '"""-^ ™''»'<-"l-
habit of ,1% I ^ °"' "■''"'> ""ev proMm] The
"M of ..reful observation, the faculty for seriom
•i
fi
132
IN TlIK PATHS OF PEACE
criticism, are of course, incompatible witli this grave
defect of superficiality, to all who may be accused of
which, the fountains of true knowledge must remain
forever sealed.
Perhaps nowhere is the truth of the lines quoted
above more strikingly illustrated, as regards material
objects, than in the studio. To the eye of an artist,
beauty appears in a thousand shapes that elude the
observation o an ordinary spectator. Forni and colour,
light and shadow, arrangement and expression in their
innumerable variations and gradations offer well-nigh
inexhaustible sources of enjoyment to one who perceives
their artistic value or possibilities. Such ])ower of per-
ception may be inherent tp some, but it is susceptible
of cultivation in all. A course of serious study at an
art school wonderfully dcvclo))s in an apt pupil the
faculty of recogiviziug beauty in the m'uht of tlio most
connnon-place surroundings. It teaches him that whai at
first sight appear to be uninteresting features are in
reality so expressive of ])ower, pathos, or sweetness as
to ji..<iify the most loving and painstaking reproduction
on canvas. It reveals to him the worthlessness of much
that was formerly admired, and inevitably establishes
in his mind a sense of the infinite superiority of natural
over artificial efl^ects. Soon he begins to manifest an
impatience of superfluous detail, as for instance, in por-
traiture, he rejects unnecessary draperies, and frivolous
ornaments as being unworthy subjects for a noble art.
The uninformed in nH will suspect him of lax morality,
because in some ii;s unces he appears to carry this
process of elimination beyond the bounds of modesty.
But in reality he is more often urged by an innate love
of beauty wliicli informs liim that the exquisite curves
of a woman's arm and shoulders are incomparably more
lovely than the meaningless puffs and furbelows of satin
or eliiffon with which the dressmaker disguises them
HIDDEN UKAUTV
133
into shapes that are often CTotesnuo ««.!
Ioveli„c». of created th!"^ ««„■„,„..„„„ „i,h the
The artistic temperament, more tljnn nn» „.i,
before tt'^WJei": fl^ST'thMir^fT- ™V "
arfiV it ic f sianation. To become a groat
oxtraordina^v gifts h it to n " i "^ ?^^'''"^' ^^''^^'
person is denied the !hH.. ""^''''-'H^ intelh>nt
nsio-ht into ho .1 \^' *^ ""'J'"'^ ^ ^"ffi^-'*«"t
entire^r t;r:^;^ir.^ ^^-^ -
of purest pleasure. The first "LTn ! V^ T'"'"'.
this most desirahle goal i. toTe^ .^e tll'.^ht'Tf 'Tj/
ing patiently at things from o\e side S \1ot ""
until the beatity of them lies ro.vo.UA t^,..-. J .'^
alphabet of art and the rest follow:
s in due order.
ins is the
i i
M ■
A^yti^,
ip
LIl
I
i^iiK^i; i:
!^l I
TOLERATION.
So many Gnds, sn many creeds,
So many paths that n'ind and wind ;
While just the ad of being kind
Is what the sad world needs.
< — Selected.
^^>1 ORE harm is done, perhaps, to the cause of
a^L religion every day throughout the world by
the attitude which profcosing CliristiLius
assume towards those who differ from them in belief,
than even by the callousness of tepid souls, or the hostil-
ity of the avowed enemies of the Church. Indeed, it
is more than probable that the Church would have no
enemies at all if its sacred character were not so often
used as a shield for the most deplorable human weak-
nesses and passions.
In our day, it is true, sectional strife is less violent
and bitter than it used to be, and the methods once
resorted to by religious bodies to secure conformity to
their forms of belief, would not now, thank Heaven,
be tolerated in any civilized community. But deep-
rooted prejudices and a dormant hostility still linger
in the breasts of many so-called Christians, inclining
them to regard with siispicion and even positive hatred
the followers of doctrines different from theirs. Worse
still it is made a part of the religious (?) education of
innocent little children, to plant the seeds and foster
m
TOLEKATION
Vo
oO
the growth in tlieir voiinf^ hoarf., nf ih^ . •
"epfon. of fulelltv ,„ an inherited ejeed ^ ^ "'""
tLe oh.Wren of such parent, „s tl.ese who forfo nil 1
-veet attract veness of childiiood l,y learn n-,^ der '
".d m,n,.e ,„ p„|,li.. ,|,o ,„i„isl„s or ";, .iJrT f
ehiirehes other than their o«ii Tl,„ '"'""<''*."'
s..o':r.^t»i!;,;:L:,'-„';;'-^";-.arh.np„
'And tliesp are Chri^Hnno?" ,*= *u
i« forPP.1 t« ^„ V nrihtians? is the eonunontarv one
1^ lorccd to make on witnessinrr this freonentJv Ln..r^
""f ^Poctaclo of religious, or father rS^ "rife
Biit no mdeed, these are not Christians ; tty have no
claim to the title of true followers of the lent^e
^ zarene who loved all sinners, Jew or Gentile wUh
llnZV ''T *-^— to which treteaW
effort of human love can but faintly approach The.e
^-.ind.^ed, narrow sectarians, who ehoo'e ?o plav the
Phar see's part, have nothing in common w Y he
1 road chanty and cenerous zeal for sonl. thll r
tmguishes the real disciples of the Master ^ ''''' '''-
\ ast sums of money are expended yearly to snnnnrt
fore,^ missions in distant countries,^ and it is to I
eared that many contributors to this enorl^ous f„n^
ihZ %"'"'^^''T T'^ ""^ ^"*^ ^"*fi"ed which absolve;
them from^^all further obligation to their neighbourl
136
IN THK PATHS OK I'BACE
They tlLsdain to work in the missionary field at thoir
own door. 1'liey profcst* to lovo tho heathen — who is
at a safe distance, and doea not expect to bo invited to
dinner — but thoy frankly hate, and avoid all contact
with the non-conforniinji^ multitude at their doors. The
Epiacopalian despises and ignores his Methodist neigh-
bour ; tho Presbyterian harbours suspicion and dislike
against the Koman Catholic element of the community;
tlie Unitarian is shunned by all members of orthodox
churches, and so on. Yet all are children of one
Father, and the soul of one is not a whit more precious
in His sight than the soul of another.
Especially in small towns and country places are
these lines of demarcation rigidly drawn, and held to
be sufficient justification for many i grave lapse from
charity, justice and trvth. In larger cities, circum-
stances often conspire to bring together under one roof,
or in daily business or social relations, men and women
professing a variety of beliefs, and invariably the
honesty of facts wins the day over inherited animosities,
and a more liberal, tolerant spirit is bred iu those who
had previously hated and distrusted one another. They
gradually learn that it is " just the art of being kind "
that " the sad world needs." Truly, there is no surer
indication of real spiritual progress than daily practice
of the religion of kindness. Its principles rest securely
on the golden rule. Its followers do not ask of every
new-comer " What belief do you profess?" before com-
mitting themselves to a friendly attitude, but rather,
'' In what way can I help you over the rough places of
life, my brother?" And whether by speech or silence,
by thoughtful action or the tactful "letting alone"
which is a more powerful agent for good than many sus-
pect, the generous heart is always ready to love and
-assist any fellow-creature according to his needs.
A large number of iiiv readers live in small nlaces.
m^-
TOLERATFON
137
where aortional differencos probably run h rr. £„ch
"& rt ofT' '"^" •--^'- «' hand to cultfvate
bevonHl ^'"^ ^'"^'. "^*""'^'"« ^«^ i^^d influence
beyond the narrow precincts of her own particular fold
"peitflr'it^Tr^n r'""^ *»'°^ wfthout it with
Let rlf^^ ^ ""/u^ well-meaning members of any
7sl'r^T ""l V "'. ^"'^^ ^^«"«^'« °^ ««Jvation are
•eii a Christian, nor presume to thank the Lord that
she 18 not like other women. *'
:f
«'•»!
•,n
*^^*^iV
Il 'i
Mil
ill '■- 4
III ^'
iri
; If
tfe., I
i;
li
EASTER THOUGHTS.
/ liold it truth, with him who sings
To one clear harp in divers tones,
That men may rise on stepping-stones
Of their dead selves to higher things.
— In Memoriam.
j^IIE joyful season of Kcsurrection is at hand. J a
the natural as well as in the spiritual world, the
time has come for the quicivcniiij; of new life in
all things, for the shedding of old garments, for emerg-
ing from darkness, cold and gloom, into brilliant sun-
shine and genial air. The most hardened heart is not
proof against the subtle tenderness and riant glad-
ness of Easter. We may or may not feel a desire \o be
clothed anew, like the flowers, l)ut even if we ciiurlisidy
resist for a time, the influences at work all around us,
we must eventually be shamed into doing our part,
when we see ourselves such sorry exceptions to the
universal law. It is better then, to recognize at once,
the necessity of a personal resurrection and to prepare
ourselves in humble sincerity to ''rise on stepping-
stones of our dead selves to higher things."
A sudden and radical conversion is an experience
not to be hoped for by the many. Human vices and
weaknesses have their roots too'^deep in the character
to be weeded out by a single day's work. We are apt,
on great occasions, to over-estimate our own moral
KASTKK THOUGHTS
13'J
Strength, to let ourselves ho carried away hv a kind of
iture looks all serene and impcrvions to temptation.
It Ks easy „„dc... s„,.h an inlhH.n..e, to nmko fine resolu-
tions. Alas ! ^^■o have harely crossed the threshohl of
our own peaeelul chan.her, when we are brought into
iH-hn.de contact with the workaday world that all onr
biautiful resolves vanish into thin air, and all the hate-
f old passions we thought wo had suhjugatcl com-
plo tely arc rampant onco nu.re. In the humiliation
hat fo lows a se,.so of <lofeat, we are apt to give up
trying to do hettr-r. W,- would he nmre successful if
^^•o could schoo ourselves to realize that the conditions
<.f yesterday will repeat themselves to-,norrow, and that
religious fervour is one thing and moral discipline
another . ong prayer in the solitude of one's cham-
ber IS of less avad than a l.rief invocation for help in
the moment of ten.p.a. .on. The most heroic res^lvo
has not a fraction of the vah... of the smallest as-surcd
victory over self. To bear one's self patiently when
n-buked or criticized ; to relin.,uish some cherished
purpose even a devout ,>r charitable one, with a good
grace If so re(,u,red ; to forbear from commenting on
an unkind act or spce.-h ; to perform a distasteful task
with simple courage and without hope of praise ; to
suffer others, less worthy, to be commended while one's
self IS forgotten or ignored ; these are surer proofs of
a new spirit than any of what might bo called the
professional pieties which, in the imagination of many
women, constitute the higher life. This process of
attaining perfection is necessarilv slow, but it is the
oiuy sure one.
"Heaven is not gained at a single bound."
We must beware then, of exaggerated religioin
fervour which blinds us to our real moral status, and
I -I
ii
5 4
14U
IN THE PATHS OF PEACE
retards, instead of forwarding our spiritual growth,
and rather strive in calm humilitj to determine what
shall be the first stepping-stone on which we may rise
to higher things. From stone to stone, we must be
content to advance year by year, until haply, we shall
have reached the summit of our aspirations before the
last call comes. The grave shall have no terrors for us
then, for our eyes shall see beyond it and discern only
the joy and glory of a happy resurrection.
*^.^^iv
LIV
AN EASTER MYSTERY.
Now when Jesus was risen early the first day of
the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of
whom he had cast seven devils.
— St. Mark, xvi., 9.
F surpassing interest to women is the fact set
down without comment in the Gospels, that
the glorious and stupendous miracle of the
Eesurrection was first revealed to one of their sex. A
subject for deep meditation, truly. Had it even been
the Virgin Mother, so loving and patient, so deeply
tried by suffering, or the other Mary, her faithful com-
panion and comforter, for whom this signal honour had
been reserved, there would be less matter for surprise.
But that of all women, the risen Saviour's choice of a
first confidante should have fallen on Mary Magdalene,
whose name had been a by-word among men, whose
only title to distinction was that she had " loved much "
and repented sincerely of sins which, to this day, the
worid never forgives in a woman — this other mystery
of Easter morning, subverted the social order no less
effectually than the Resurrection subverted the order
of nature.
These are things to ponder deeply in our hearta. Xo
doubt there were women in Judea who, having lived
blameless lives in the eyes of the worid, held them-
selves far above the converted courtesan ; who would
■r;-"')
H'
142
IN THE PATHS OF PEACE
I-
c TsneaS' ?'"' "'^"'^' ^^^^'*' covetousuLs and
1 «n ^ !? ^'l'^"'«^ "' "^•^^^ effectually from Ilhn
in? as the only unpardonable ones? "
lor oacu o± us to try and measure accurately our own
o th: S ir'-?'. r'' '^^'^^"^' not'accoXg
vvorhLw „ f P"deful standard of a mammon
humble «T,T X I ^'^^^our, who recognizes the
immble and contrite heart under hoxyevor lowly an
exterior it is concealed. " ^ ^
-N
'^J^^ex'
;ff^r
LV
THE SOUL'S STANDARD.
<?is
This is to live in iruth,
To plant against the passion's dark control
The sp^r^ts birthright of immortal yZth
The simple standard of the soul ^ '
, —Archibald Lampman.
y t^if ^ P'^T«^'"^«tly the festival of all others
a happ, ti^eT VXC ^Tfeil^^ 't\''
have found out that a generous i7r. T^' .?^^ "^^"^
Vretty, but generall/Sir^uW^^^^^^^^ L t" ''
affect our haDDinp«w h»f *^ ^""^^-s can, m the main
nient which the mere name „f ri ° ! °* ''=""*■
power to produce rurBufl.?^™' """^ ''"'
spiritnal significance Tr^T " "^ " ''"'P"
»«nal appeal to S if L We ". """! '""■""»' I^'"
o^nd our every thought ^odXtTl""^"-'"
-ching our^cfj^el-'L^rs: C rd-^""'='
fnl living. We ZIZT^'"'"""^'"- ^"^ P'"^^
»»ls which we jirink fZ, '"™ .''''* P'^ra in onr
I.- an uneas^l™' tT 0^;:?"^ MXtr ""
»ho,e, compare, ,„,t sorri,, «,th IXUnl-^^t^J^
144
IN THE PATHS OF PEACE
It
ii
of unselfishness and noble achievement that we know
of. The round in which we have been moving may
look pitifully narrow and mean beside the broader orbit
of a more generous and earnest life.
But is it not better to face the unflattering com-
parison, to acknowledge our vanity, our selfishness, our
usclessness, and for once, humbly realize that we have
sadly misused the splendid gift of existence, than to go
on forever shirking an obvious duty, perpetually excus-
ing ourselves on one plea or another from an effort at
sincere reformation, and so letting the years slip by
irretrievably without doing anything to prove ourselves
worthy of the priceless favours bestowed upon us ?
Shall we not, in this beautiful season of re-creation,
help our aspiring soul to' burst through the outer shell
of indifference, of conventionality, of bondage to habit
and custom, of servile fear of criticism, that has so long
cramped and confined it as in a narrow prison-house?
The spirit clamours for its " birthright of immortal
youth." The sap of a new season is rising in our veins,
and tender little buds of lovely new virtues are swelling
under the tough bark of our old habits and callous-
ness. Shall they not be permitted to blossom and bear
fruit?
" The simple standard of the soul," is, indeed, the
only one worth living by. Cease, then, to fret over the
complexities of laws which you are in no sense bound
to obey. Be nobly independent of those who would
seek to abridge your liberty of spirit by imposing arti-
ficial conditions or obligations upon you. Seek only
those things that fill the heart with enduring joy, and
leave the mind at peace with itself. The re«t is all
vanity. Let it go without a pang of useless regret.
Thus may the Eastertide be rendered glorious by a
new miracle of resurrection for each one of us !
LVI
THE FAMILY.
n/j'i^- '''^''^''J'^ f^^^ly is the most beautiful piece
tmportant. There xs nothing in the world thai renuires
more erecutrve ability and exquisite tact, andZlZZ
that IS more worthy of being well done. ^
— Selected.
^t3^^J '! ^ °^I^°" ^" ^P^*°°^«- I^ the virtue
and he s rength of families, lies the virtue
and the strength of the nation. When we
remember that the entire human race has sprung from
one single family, an approximate idea of the^mmer
importance of the family can be formed. The Tv^rage
mother does not realize this importance, nor the weight
mon to hear a wife and mother say that she has no life
of her o^vn, that she is cut off from participation In he
occupations and pastimes which make other women's
hves so interesting, by the fact that she has a frmSy
which absorbs all her time and attention. This sSS^
lortune, or a gnevance.
To the woman who has missed the high honour and
holy joy of motherhood, this attitude%f her more
fortunate sister must ever be a profound mysterv
ne^/rt "" "" «ot happy in her own familyVould
never be happy anvwhere. Her nature does not go
enough for rea happiness. She is unable to gralp
IS, to regard her life as a whole, as a something
deep
great
fii
140
IN THE PATHS OF PEACE
whereby she is related to all mankind, of past and
future ages. In her children she sees, alas! only so
many oktacles to the gratification of her own personal,
trivial, selfish aims. She loves them best when they
become instruments that minister to her vanitv, when
they attract notice in high quarters, or when they begin
to reveal the pos.se.-sion of powers and attainments that
will ensure them an honourable, or, in any sense,
prommciit place in the world. But in their society as
her children, simply, she takes no delight. It is her
pleasure rather to delegate as many of her maternal
functions as possible to hired strangers, or to any other
substitute who may be available.
The dawning of the infant mind, the gradual devel-
opment of the physical and moral peculiarities whic^h go
to produce a new individuality, somehow fail to inspire
her ^vith the absorbing interest they possess for the
woman who thinks and feels. A sense of the plastic
nature of a child, and of her own power and duty to
mould it in the loveliest shapes, is unfelt by her, ^r if
vaguely apprehended, it is seldom made a subject of
earnest thought or heartfelt prayer. The extent of her
influence in the home, the far-reaching results of her
educational methods, or her neglect of them, the won-
derful possibilities which the future holds for her off-
spring, or which it shall withhold, according to the
degree of their fitness, as they leave their mother's side,
these are not the considerations that occupy her
thoughts and exercise her judgment, and guide her
ambitions from day to day.
Obviously, it is little short of a crime for any woman
to assume maternal responsibilities unless she is pre-
pared to disci ,irge them in a conscientious manner ;
unless she can estimate the full value of the privileges
attached to the high office of maternity ; unless she
proposes to create a home and to found a familv which
THE FAMILY
i-i:
^vill be at onco a credit to Iipisj^K «„ i
Iff??'— ^^^^^
kind »„T ° ^'*°"'' 0- l"" "WW"'- the rishe
ttuhl d hv rr "V"r!'™ ""' »"<'""''" i n"v■
h^dmWw thin r'f -"^ ^'•■'■''■''"'■'J"' "'« ■"""<■ -I'i^'h
that of ,11 1 -1 1 f '^ '""ccessiblo to !,cr. She realize,
her ir thi hwlti'"""'" J"^'' ""' °»° vouchsafed to
fr^»iTt'L'\rdtrsj"
selves to bnng up their families on lines whioh will
Tr^^lZtT^r^^^n "'",'"* '"» '"' denied th^
i * •
^^^■i'i
III 'T'
^^B
111 iiil
^^^E
■31 fil
^^H
^si 4'^
H
HI
^^^^^K.
^■SjK 19
IHl
■*i !l
LVII
THE BEST WAY.
jTArre is always a best way of doing everything, if
tt be but to boil an egg. —Emerson.
** Mp ^^^' *« ** gi'ea^ bundle of little things," as the
i^ Artocrat of the Breakfast-Table wisely
..-sely
remark.>4. AVo are all apt, however, to grow
impatient over the very littleness of the things that go
to make up our separate lives, forgetting that the
measure of our faithfulness in small things is the surest
proof of our capacity for greater endeavour. The
girl who does not know how to boil an egg properly,
or make a good cup of coffee, though these simple
tasks are a fwrtion of her daily duty, sighs for wider
spheres wherein to exercise the latent talents of which
she believes herself possessed. She does not realise
that almost every function in life, however exalted,
calls for the identical qualities of exactness, thorough-
ness and method which make a well-ordered kitchen a
source of conifort and even happiness to the family
depending ok its operations. If a woman believes her-
self to be superior in intelligence to those around her,
lot her demonstrate the fact not by looking for impo»
sible worlds to conquer, but by doing those things that
lie nearest her hand in such a way that she becomes a
guide and an inspiration to others. We have nearly
all experienced something of the discomfort that is
\i^
TIIK IIKHT WAT
14'J
wrought in tho homo as a result of noglectod or care-
lesaly performed domestic dutien. If it bo only that the
porridKo w burned or the toa«t cold at breakfast, even
•o littlo a thing will get on tho nerves of an entire
tamiy, and often lead to most grievous results, all of
which would have been obviated by the neeessary
Hegreo of attention on tho part of the cook.
It should therefore be our ambition to do everything
well, however trifling it may bo, remembering that life
.s made up of lit^'o things and that to prodtce a fair
whole all the parts must be perfect of their kind, and
litted hannoniously one into the other.
A^^-
{ i
t ;
LVIII
THE ART OF ENJOYMENT.
Educailon is needed nol only h help us do our
work ; it is also needed to help us to enjoy our leisure.
^ — \V. E. jr. L('<;ky.
OTUN" a wc'll-ordorcd life a considornl.h' portion of timo
(§^ IS always »vt aparf for pure onjoymcnt. Aiiioiiir
the educated classes especial! j/ some form of
healthy recreation is recoj-nized as a daily nccessitv,
and provision for the same is made witli as much
pavitj as attends the ordering: of moaU or other lion«e-
hold matters of equal moment.
Pleasure, to be all that the name implies, must, in a
certain sense be taken seriously, that is, it should he
raised to the dignity of an art, and pursued with love
and pride. In the matter of the selection of particular
pleasures individuals must be guided by personal tastes,
qualifications, means and opportunities, but no man or
woman, in however straitened circumstances, is com-
pletely debarred from all sources of pure, healthy
enjoyment. An endless variety offers itself to those
who desire to make choice of a favourite pastime. The
regrettable fact, in this connection, is not the scarcitv
of materials or opportunities so much as the dulness
and apathy of the many who refuse to avail themselves
of either, and who are content to lead work-a-day, com-
mon-place lives, in which positive enjoyment, in anv
shape, is an absolutely unknown quantity. Men are
less open to reproach on this score than women. Out-
r'xc( e»lin;r in num-
•.»o on Mn; avorajLjo
' ' ■^''' , '', e<>Hain
'".''- i'.ii i'. tennis,
V. : ;!'. V, I- oIIk r irni of
'■'' '• "' " iijvo (lono
-'ijoviiifnt for
TIIK AItT OK KN.IoVMKNi ..,
<loor sports iuul irjinif^ ,,f ,.ll i ; i i
votaries amouK ti^ roni OS TI "■•' "" '""'^' ''^
well-to-do classes Ir f , ^ ';* '"'•'""" ^'f ^''«
di>iifvof plnv I ' ] '■' r"''*"">' '•"""^'"''^^- t»'"^
i><^M-.:^:!7ar.';;:,;:^::;/^lj'''"''^-''<--
reonrrin,. elain.H on tlu^ir tin.. '"""^ "'"' «"'^'"
J>fr ami iirpeney tlie dvumv..
housekeeper, contrive to ntt d
proHelenry in ri.jin^r, skatir •■ ,.
J'asket-I.Hll, rowin^^ pr.lT ,.,
healthy recreation ex.-it ,
Of lato years the hic' ', nn.
much to widen the ^ , .ILjliiU,
women who are more or les -r ^V . i
-joyod I,y „„.ir ,,o„l, i ,,;,:' jZ "-""vantnKo,
lars-c number, „„ t|,e fa^s „, , ',?''? """
who lc«,l hop,Ios,lv ,1„|, liv« b „„.„ , i ."'"1"""'
how to cniov tlmmaoKr^. I'liuu.e iney do not know
to learn -^^ t'^'n^^'Ivc, and apparently, do not care
tern,.' ^''ieei^iZlZtr^'^JZ'Tt .T"^'T"
prepare the next da/s lessons.
11
■B^'
152
IN THE PATHS OF PEACE
1'^
i
t
m
Some mothers need to realize that a sound and vigor-
ous physical constitution is a much more valuable
possession to the young than an abnormal development
of the intellect, or a surprising degiee of manual skill.
So both boys and girls should have their due allowance
of play-t* )e, and this should not bo suboendel as they
develop into young men and maids, nor even after they
have crossed the Rubicon of matrimony.
The frequent and melancholy cases of insanity that
occur among farmers' waves would soon diminish if
pleasant recreation was made a regular feature rvf life
on the farm. Some form of active exercise is most
highly to be recommended to those who need a whole-
some stimulus to enjoyment. This is the real invigora-
tor and rejuvenator. The woman who habitually plays
tennis or golf, who takes long rides or walks, or other-
wise spends much time in out-door exercise invariably
keeps her youth till long past the period which rele-
gates other women to the ranks of the middle-aged or
the old. And it is when this period is reached that
many a woman is found bitterly reproaching herself for
having nitLlessly sacrificed her most precious posses-
sions of health and comeliness to what, when too late,
she perceives to have been a mistaken idea of duty.
While there is yet time, let all who can do so, learn
to enjoy their leisure, and, if necessary, create leisure
where none has hitherto existed. This is the precious
and indisputable right of every living creature.
^^^m£^
LIX
FLOWER OR FRUIT.
/a5J/ "''"'* ""^ ''f'''^ "'^^^'^ *^«^> ^**^« i^ bee only
nature, /jfcg /Ae oras;,, seek only fruit.
—Jean Paul Richter.
JHE various opportunitios and experiences of life
have different value, for all to whom they come
The estimate placed on them, individually, by
men and women, are a nearly infallible indicat on of
wM tT^ u ^ intelligence, education and refinement
wh^h they have attained. The occasion which, to one
!r^- T'f ^°^ P^"''°^« ^^°°i« convertible ter^s
according to the tastes or moods of participante iH
particular occupation or pastime t^'^^^^P^^ ^n a
Some women fail to reap satisfaction or enjoyment
from any source which is not one of palpable Si^e
gam to themselves. These, like the w^ aS Cw
fragrant buds and blossoms of life. For the sake of «
material advantage, to assist at a fashional^e enterta „
ment, to make the acquaintance of some person socially
SesTfot '"'^^ 1'^""^^''^' '^ '''^^y *h'^' «-
Dreoi2\ '! * ^''^*'"' *^"^ ^'^^ «««"fi«e many
precious hours, undergo any nmounf of inconvenience
But ask them to walk half a mile to see a splendid view
to purchase a new book of poems, to attend an art exhl
^s^s^m^^^:^mi!Si!^B^^mmwm
154
IN THE PATHS OF PEACE
If
'Ml
Jil
fit. ■
!
-' i
bition, or a /?ood concert, or even to read a thoughtful
editorial in tlie daily paper, and you are told they have
no tune, they have no money, they are tired, they are
busy— always some excuse, unless they are frank
enough to own tlie truth— namely, that all these things
are to natures like theirs only a weariness.
There is something pitiful in a condition of mind
which recognizes no good in anvthing that does not
increase one's earthly possessions, or importance. To
keep out of such a fatal slough, one needs only to
observe all the beautiful sights and benign influenceb
that surround us in daily life, and to weigh the perma-
nence of the joy they yield us against the fleeting satis-
factions derived from the pursuit of purely temporal
and selfish ends. A woman to whom wealth, position,
and worldly pleasures are the sole objects in life — when
these fail her— is left truly destitute ; but she who has
learned to love and take her chief pleasure in nature,
art, music, poetry,- who shall deprive her of the thingi^
that make life in the highest sense rich, beautiful and
happy ?
It is well to keep this test of the real value of things
m mind from day to day, and apply it as it becomes
necessary to choose between two opportunities, one of
which offers a material, the other a purely educational
or spiritual gain. The former cannot always be
despised, more's the pity, but let us at least be on our
guard against a too constant readiness to barter per-
manent possessions and pleasures for those that are
merely temporary. Our real worth, remember, is
appraised not by what we have, but by what we are.
LX
JUDGE NOT.
Judge nol your fellowman^s condition
Until you he in Ins position.
tf^ . — Talmud.
ttkV'fr''"' *^^ ^ ^"^"^ «»• neighbour is a
task liiffh V conireni-il f^ fi h'-'^^nr is a
One mat trnvellS a d ^uU /7"'^' ^""^*"^-
less, I fear a Vomnn f i • *° ^""^ " "^a"' m»ch
a v^rdi"^ rrncta'o;"'' f '' *^ P^^^"—
refrain from exnresW In •""^^'"'' '''" "^'^^'««t^^'
she is scarcolv qmn^^^^^^ "^V""'.\ "'•^'"^ that he or
a matter. tL^"^^^^^^^^ ''''^' "".^hority i„ such
fo earn a reputatS '^^ ^ Sim ^r^"'"'-' '''• ^"'
18 too Strong for nio^t of n« U-fi • 'vr"''' '''"^"^
^ve are readv to nn«= ) '*^' incredible rashness,
prisoner at the larCl . f'^'-'''^"^ ^^"*^"^^^ -" the
at the evfdVnt Tol ^[/e'Snt"^' ^^ ""^' "^ ^>--^
ohristLs wi^ :,;:;:; retdv tThr ""^^' r^^-^-^'"^^
in horror at the merelt him of lol ' "^ *^^'"" '"^"^^
merest innt of delinquencv on the part
1
15G
IN THE PATHS OF PEACE
1 !
If
of a friend or neigbbour. It is not the Christ-like
prayer, " Lord, forgive them, for they know not what
they do," that comes most readily to their lips, but the
Pharisee's " Lord, I thank thee that I am not like unto
these." They quite forget that He whom they profess
to imitate, loved sinners and wept over them, but never
slandered or spumed them. How far removed from
this divine eh y is the attitude assumed towards an
erring sister h^, .he woman who holds herself, or thinks
she does, above reproach ! Let us, who have all our
lives been safe-guarded by the sweetest and holiest
influences against all knowledge of or contact with evil,
let us not be too stern in our judgments of our less
fortunate sisters. What do we know of the force of
temptation, of the hatefulness of some lives, from
which any kind of escape is dearly welcome? As we
are thankful for our own mercies, let us be pitiful
towards those unacquainted with similar favours.
However little, or however great, the fault cited to us,
can not we at least be charitably silent if we have not
the prayer or the tear ready that should rise to the lips
and eyes of perfect Christians at the thought of sin,
at the sight of a sinner. Taking the wise maxim from
the Talmud well to heart, let us resolve to practise that
beautiful discretion in speech, and eren in thought,
which respects the feelings and reputations of others
too sincerely to consent to inflict the least hurt on
either.
^^.^^i^
LXI
SELF-RELIANCE.
God has not created us to throw us away as a failure.
^ —George Macdonald.
m ^^^^^ i"- T^.' '^^^' ^" ^^^^^''^ ««P«<^'ty for doing
better than any one eL«e can do it, is the surest
foundation for 8ucce.s« in life. Any moderately ^te
hgent man or woman, «ur^•eying the whole broad M
resource Thl ''/'"'' f f ^^^' attainment, and
resources. Ihis pomt settled, ultimate success or
failure hmges largely on the amount of concentration
energy, enthusiasm and perseverance brought to £
on the work attempted The reason so f'w rise above
mediocrity, that .so many end in failure, is simplv that
11 Ihey are too eager to be done with it to cla'm
the promised reward. They do not realize that
" Joy's soul lies in the doing."
frJn\°*/''^-^'^.I ''"*"*'^^ ^ boot-black plying his
trade at a fashionable boot-maker'.. A humble catlinT
surely, and at first T folt a kind of pan.™ see such a
stalwart young fellow on his knees'bntshinrth dirt
of the streets from the shoes of his fellow-men. Bu
as I watched him perform his lowly task, systematic-
ally, thoroughly, even, as it neared eompletion ov-
158
IN THE PATHS OF I'KACE
11
i
m
ingly, the kind of contempt I had felt for his avocation
yielded to a feeling of interest and admiration, and
when I saw that because he detected one little dull spot
on the shming surface of the boot he had so carefully
polished, he of his o^vn accord, began the task all over
again, applying fresh blacking and wielding his
brushes and polishing rag with a light and dexterous
touch that told of the pleasure ho took in his work,
I conceived for him the kind of respect which one
always fools for those from whom one has learned
a valuable lesson. Th)is it is that the faithful perform-
ance of even the lowliest task may become a power for
goo<l m the world and an example to many who, with
all the advantages of superior ed.ication and oppor-
uuities, need ju.t such a^ object lesson to bring home
to them the innate beauty ami sacreduess of work and
tiie intrinsic value of the faithful worker. One would
^.joner trust a successful boot-black in an emergency
^ ling for care and conscience in work than the
bbler ,n art, music or letters who has attempted
iuipossibilities and failed miserablv. We all have it
m us to succeed. God has not created us to throw us
av • as a failure, but we must learn the measure of
on ipacity «ud be content with the success that comes
withiji its bounds.
*^-?>^^*
LXII
POTENTIAL VIRTUES.
^, *:«tf .ran':';" '"' - ^°"'- "tt'/^- »/
pih mere fact that certain qualities and virtues in
^ otlaers excite your admiration,' prm-os W tb^
least i'T r"r .^^ ^""^^*^- oxi;t^n emtl a
.-.«.-.Hi,..,.,, ;-jt».'U;-t
earch of tl ^'''" "^"^^ ^^^"^^ « "«t»re like her in
.gentleness, patience ?"X ^"^';^' •"'/^^"'^'
dealin<r hnnLt! 7' ^^^^a'^.S straightforwardness in
"JV^e have therefore made a very <rood starf ,'« ♦;,
■ nere tliat which la better than ourselves From
and r,ir """' '"™ '" ""'•"» *- """^ °f othe r
ti
■'"i;
^«*.
Mi:
LXIII
WHAT MAKES LIFE INTERESTING.
He never has a good time that lives only that he may
have a good time. —Lyman Abbott
«J5^,
!• i* * 7 ^"^^" ^*^^ *^** ^"«y people are never
J^ bored ; only those who have an abundance of
leisure and are free to choose their own occupa-
tions and pleasures ever suflFer from the distressing
malady of ennui, or not knowing what to do with them-
selves and their opportunities.
The majority of the women who are compelled to
live m the small towns and country places complain of
the mtolerable dulness of their surroundings, and long
to make their life more varied and interesting. Much,
1 fear, that the greater number of these discontented
ones lack energy and ambition to strike out in new
patlw that would broaden their mental horizon and
yield them high and lasting pleasure. They have a
vague longing for " a good time," as if all time were
not good, the better, because the more precious as we
grow older. We have only to bestir ourselves, and we
can have a good time all the year round. The reason
small towns are so dull is because the people are so
uninteresting, but the reason they are uninteresting is
because they are not interested in what is going on in
the world, and which should be of as miich concern to
them aa to the denizens of the largest cities. Eemote-
nesa f^om the great centres of civilization is no longer
^>^"
WHAT MAKES LIFE INTEnESTIN.; Id
Mtisfactory. Some of the most di.tingiiishod writers
and^ists of our daj have volnntarily elected TlTve
wo^fd "^^^ *^' ^'** *^'°^^»"g heart of the
thJ!!""^' w ^^J' *^\"^' ^h*'^'^'^' ^^^'•k, there jo„ have
othe« C • . '""''^ -^^'^ "°* ^"J.V intero;ting to
^ieTv till :"**'''^f "^ t« ^^"rself, «o 'that your ow^
jociety will never bore you, and no day or eveni,,.. will
be 80 long aa to exhaust the resources you will find a
lu8 wf^inL V t'* V ""'' T"'^^' "'^ «'™^^«« «» J Envi-
ous watching of other lives that seem more varied and
ncher m pleasant experiences than your own-this ^
ttatio^ "J"' '''!;''' '"^ ^"^ ^-' *-^«' t -t."
aspirations, and give them all a chance. Road what
others even more heavily handicapped than you have
done by industry and perseverance'"^ Then, on ti yZ
goal with a steady determination to win, ,^d you^"
be surprised some day to discover how much you Tre
enjoying your life and how little time you have to
yrt irb^'. '"^""^ "^"^"^ ^^'«h ^« -" —
Station ''^ ""''' ^"'•^"^ ^^ i'^^'^^y a«d
m
*^^^iV
11
as
LXIV
THE TELL-TALE COUNTENANCE.
hel^! '^"'^ '^ '''^ ^'"' *'""^^ ** *'' ^y "'' ^'«' of %
TT^VERY human boinpr carries about with him an
' open letter of recommendation— or of condem-
fin,-,n "f ""-^^-'"'^^ observant eyes are quick to scni-
tmizo before aceeptm^ any other credentials he may
have to ofrer. The charaet.^rs inscribed in it are so plain
hat a child, nay, even a dog, may read them. The
human face, especially when in repose, is indeed nearly,
if not quite, an infallible index to the soul. Each
separate feature reveals some inner grace and virtue or
accuses the owner of weakness or 'vicious propensity
IWver closely we may think w guard the secrets of
our heart, wo are, in fact, at the mercv of those too
h^ffible hues and tell-tale expressions of countenance
^^luch turn traitor to us in the very moments when we
most strenuously desire concealment.
»«1? w '\ ''"^ ?^ '''*^ *° «^^'*^ ^»ch embarrassing
self-betrayals, and that is to refuse to harbour senti^
ments or encourage tendencies in the secrecy of our
souls, which we would blush to acknowledge before a
censorious world.
In our youth we are much gi^^en to complain of the
niggardly enu '^nt of beauty which nature has
bestowed upon We think, could we but have
chosen our own lorm and features, how different the
result would have been ! We fail to realize, often until
It IS too late, that it is indeed in the power of each indi-
vidual to make his or her face beautiful or otherwise
Ti«K TKLL-TALK CcrNTKNANCE igy
nioutb have plain v" .IJ T """""' '''^' ^•>-^'^ «"^'
unrestrained anger "r^aTrv ^ ''''' . "^^^ ""'«'»
sorrow, or delLZlt'^^'J::',';^^^^^
unwelcome marks represent! P ' ''^ ""^ ^''^^^
because of a covetour«n ' '^'^ '^'"" "^ ^'»«™
selfish and Lqms .Ve or «f •'^•'"f . ^^'^^P^^^t'-^ of a
one. There il nivb; „ ?f '''" «"^ vindictive
which lends the f^ce a di « "m ' "'""' ""^ ^^« ^'P. too,
disguised even .' r^m^^:^^^^^^^^^ ^^r--"" not to bJ
xnaj have acquir S T abft of Trf''- ^'^ °"'- «^-
quickly from one oMect to «n. '"^ """"^"•>' ""^
Pieious or dishonest nat' re Or i^^'"' ?'"°'' "^ " ""
self-complacency, the affo;.n? f"^ ^' ^'^^ ^""'''^ of
or the obliteratL of alfLelli ""'"'". '^ '^^'P^"«^-'
the face, the result of guW^r ""^ T^-'"*^ ^'•^™
betrays us. In one fnfr? ^ ^"^ '''''''^'' ^'^'"ff which
past life will aur"; be ^-Httrf "'' ''" '^^^^^ ^^ °«^
Fortunate, indeed is tl^? " our countenance.
age of maturity a face tht Ttt'T "^' ^""^ *« *h«
tiful girihood. ^ The un Hnl^?^ ^ .'^'^^^"^ «nd beau-
eyes, the tender mouth he noV''"^' '^' '^'^^ *"^thful
ness that are stamped upon TllT/T^ ^"^ «^^*-
a kind of beauty before Thlh ^'*^"''^' constitute
of Physical Peictf Uetto^g^S^^^^^ ^^^
-nd STaf rt? ttt^?^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ com-
the formative period o^hri^T'irr '"""^
be beautiful, let all th^ir. 2 IT' ^^ ^^^^ would
be beautifu , and let tJ . "^ ' T''^' ""^' ^^^^«
influence othe« ?o foUoi I ' ' "" /"'* *" P^^'^^Ie,
following this^dvic: thev^^^^^ ^^ ^«'*^^""^
source of happine^wh fhley^TnoT 17'"^?^^°
themselves, but also H;ff»l "^ . °°* ^^^y enjoy
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MICROCOPY RESOIUTION TEST CHART
(ANSI and ISO TEST CHART No. 2)
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^g-^ 1653 East Main StrMt
~S1 Rochester. Ne<> York 14609 USA
^S (716) 482 -0300 -Phone
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LXV
THE UNPROFITABLENESS OF GRIEF.
A life without joy passes away unprofitably, shed-
ding around it only gloom and sorrow.
— Gold Dust.
^T is the privilege of those who are visited by some
great affliction, loss or disappointment, to retire
for a time into seclusion, and give themselves up
to the full realization of the misfortune that has
befallen them.
True sympathy will not intrude on them in those first
dark hours, when the soul must needs wrestle alone
mth its sorrow, but holds reverently aloof awaiting the
propitious time to offer its gentle ministrations to the
suffering spirit. No one of feeling will deny this much
kindly consideration to a brother or sister chastised by
pain or humbled by defeat. But when the night of
affliction threatens to prolong itself into a settled gloom
of months and even years ; when, regardless of other
claims, the grieving heart gives itself up to the contem-
plation of its own bereavement or deprivation, and
refuses to look above or beyond it for comfort and
cheer, then no longer does it appeal to the active sym-
pathy and forbearance of even the most faithful friend.
The most generous among us have not so much love
and sympathy to spare that we can lavish it incessantly
on one obieco, to the exclusion of others no less dear
and worthy. We must give now to one, now to another,
THE UNPROFITABLENESS OF GRIEF Igg
mt t'V'u '^"^P"*^^ °^ '"^^'^ a« ^'^" as of tears •
The mourner should not take it amis, when the
Tl°°T !f/* '^"P-^y •'^e'"^ "> ebl>:!ra her tu'
sign should be construed as a reminder that the' ti™„
for useless grieving is past, and that ht's Tnri tat.U™
be happy onee more should not be disregardrd " LiJ"
without joy passes away nnprofltably, sheddiW around
t only g:loom and sorrow." Who a^ng us wl cCe
s^rTni^Tth!.'" "v '"=5"'^ ^^ """""^^ f'-"t.W
sereemng the sunshine from other lives. Come wh.t
sz'^z'--'- - - "- ^'-t '; ft:
JtrhLSn^siSi^lttShrdt-aL"
to gave colour and zest to every life. There is the W
o beang, of doing of havingfof knowing, o loviig^
f being loved, of giving and receiving even S
renouncxng and denying one's self for othfs. There
Td of'th7;ofiJT\^?.' '' ^^' ^^ *^^ «-p^- fi-S
c^untrv « J f 1 r*'"'"' "°^ "^ ^''^^^' '^ ti^e swee
renol^ mV^" ^k'^ metropolis, of obscurity and of
renown We have but to claim our own and take it
our hearts and make the most of it,Towever Httle
It may seem compared with what is assigned rothe^
In this way only shall we live profitaWy, impartS
cheer and courage to hearts that look to us f orTenSh
and ^idance. Let it be said of us at l^t wK
i
166
IN THE PATHS OF PEACE
pass out of this life that, though we had neither gold
nor silver, yet of such as we had we gave generouslv
to all, scattering freely on our path the greater riches
ol joy and good cheor, the superabi;ndant sunshine that
warmed and brigLtened our own lives,
1
hi
mvi
^i^^^i^
LXVI
SHINING AT HOME.
sh^::h:oZ!''' '^ ^^^^ - P-^^- ^aa UUer ,y far
— Spurgeon.
'"^^i^:;^ 7--Kof all tribunal.
found wanting. It is in thl • " sometimes be
moral fibres most readily r^l^^TT "^ ^""^^ *^«t the
of the individual assert ^t .f/.f '^'' '^^ *"^^ ^^ture
the acquired virtues Tnl ua^ies'T\''^ ^^"^^ ^^
almost unconsciouslv to CT ^'f °^^ P^^s on,
applause. To " shine'at home' ' t'th'1^ ^"^ "^" ^^«
ment which calls for thp !^ • ^J^^^^^re an achieve-
which have their seat deen 7/'^^^ *^^"^^ ^^^t"«« only
stitute a noble na ure IV^ '^" ^T' ^"^ ^^^^<^^ ^on"^
Public, bj merely asiumini n' TI- ^ '''^"' *° ^^^ in
not, the temptation to do soto"^^ "'^''^'''' ^^^'«
enjoy immum'ty. But it is th. """^ ^-^^^^ ^^^ ^^ "«
should struggle most prstemiv'^LT"'^ "^'^^^ ^^^
It, means to undermin-J^tJi? /^ ^' *^ ^^^^ way to
ing foundations oflLce^M '"'P"'*^"* ^^^ «"^»-
and unsparing critS 'f ^K T '"^'^^ *^« ^^^^stant
truth to tell,lXrLri , to ""'Z ''''''' -^-h,
than exasperating ; yet that th' ^'^ ''^'^* ^^^^^ ^^^s
school for the fom^tn of u"'^ '' °^ "^^^« valuable
admitted by all whTwe undetoTetel" '^- ^"^^^•^'
good-humouredly swallow JT^t*^^ discipline, and
tionate relatives hive II^ ^^^ ^^^^s which their iffec-
Better, however, thl a dete^il'."'' "^^^ *^^"^-
^?m and rebukes wiTpLtc™'"^ *" '^^^P* «"tic-
-ns whicMead up ^1:^%^^ ::^o...-
;»i' t
LXVII
LOOK FORWARD.
Your real life is not behind, hut before you.
— Lyman Abbott.
^O err is human— so, it is not surprising that, for
the majority of mankind, the past becomes a
bugbear, a melancholy, humiliating record of
failures, disapointments, and blunders, the contempla-
tion of which induces the deepest despondency and
self-contempt. What comfort, then, lies in the thought
that our real life is not behind, but before us. We are
all born anew every day in the clean, pure atmosphere
of an untried future, teeming with possibilities of hap-
piness, of useful achievement, of honourable =>uccess»
But how many of us realize this important fact, and
take advantage of it to cast off the chains and shackles
of our old foibles and vices, to avoid the old tempta-
tions, and choose new paths, higher aims, and purer
pleasures? Try to think of it on waking and rising in
the morning. Life is just beginning for you. Yester-
day, with Its pains and sorrows is dead and gone
Banish the remembrance of all that was sad and dis-
couraging. Buckle on a fresh suit of moral armour
hope, courage, and high resolve, and go out to meet
what the day has in store for you, stout-hearted and
strong-handed, like Arthur's knights of old, determined
to wm, even through fire and flood and over the dead
bodies of your enemies; the soul's enemies whom it is
I-OOK FORWARD
1G9
more rea«>n for keeping a Zrnll?- ^ ™°'' 'h^
•to past take care of itsflf t2 ^^ "'"' ""i ''««g
«-d sighs, for hopeleL bL J'" " °° ""«= *<>■• 'ea,?
vain remote over 7^, Z^f'"? "^ST »" '""-ows, for
fet there be new tWlTt^^?*- u^"' '"^'^ »«- day
ment.. That is the waftf' T ,1°^' """ """^"^
and fascinating/ o eh J ,Tf ' ''^^ ™'' a"d fruitful
-ow„ntssing,i„t:vrb:4p;;: ""*- ■-'
*^>^^^^
■V, •
r.! -
'ki-
n
■y,3t
LXVIII
FAMILY STRIFE.
And will ye never know, till sleep shall see
Your graves, how dreadful and how dark indeed
Are pride, self-will and blind-voiced anger, greed.
And mahce with its subtle cruelty ?
— ^A. Lampman.
JO one habitually gentle and kind-hearted, there is
no spectacle at once more pitiful and incompre-
hensible than that of a family in which, though
all the elements of happiness are apparently assembled,
Me IS made well-nigh unendurable by the perpetual
strife and discord of its members.
Dreadful and dark, indeed, are the consequences of
even one ungovernable temper in a household, but
when two or three come into collision, well may Dante's
famous inscription be written over the portal : " Leave
all hope, you who enter here."
From the hour when the family assembles at break-
fast, until night brings enforced rest and peace, the
history of each day is a melancholy succession of bick-
enngs, angry recriminations, or passionate outbreaks
of temper, culminating too often in threats or deeds of
violence. It is not easy to explain how things have
come to such an unhappy pass, nor how intelligent
rational beings can be satisfied to live in such horrid
discord. Doub.;ess, each one, if questioned, would
blame the others and hold him or herself guiltless, or
fAMILV STRIFE
171
at most, plead that tJ
"pset the most angelic tem^^ Provocation sufficient to
^ust be traced back to the p«rl '"''' ^^ '^' ^''^^blo
^I^en the parente, criminallv if /'^' °^ °^«"^^ "^o
?nutual vows and so"emn 7 m ?' ""^« ^^ their
infant childro the fitt 11^^"^^^"^*^'^^' S^^^ their
tyranny. ''"'* ^^"^^ ^n domestic strife and
;;nrsery within atten^foVlodelT^, '?''''^ ^'^ '^^
been a sufficient reproach to thl 'Z ^^^'^^ -^^'""'^ ^«^«
^'hich, often as not, were L^L? f''''- "^^^^^' ^"t
smartness and precocit B ' H '] "' ^"^^^"«^« of
evil habits sprouted quickly i " ^'^^^1«"^« ^own, the
V degrees crowded on the to " ^^"'^^"^ ^^'^^''t^' and
gentleness and forbea lee CW T^^ '' '^^^^'^y^
an affectionate interestTl Cheerfu conversation, o^
gradually became more '"V^^^^^^'^ l^eas and plans
announcement made bv one 1 ^"1 •^'^^"^*- ^ny
envious retorte from t£ others ^^.1"*l^ ^"^^"^^ '^r
that should have bee7bound/ .i ^^ .^^ ^'^' ^^^^ts
t^es of love and s^pathv K^^ ' ^^ *^" ^^««««*
estranged, suspicious^/dr^rt r^TT "'''• ^"^ ^^-
'sweet home," and any excuTe 1 1 °''.'' °^ ^^"^^^
welcomed. The mrpr,+. .r *° ^^^^^ it is eagerly
and some day are^Lft l^^'''^"' '^'^' '^^rs too fate
tree wtieh thlv I^ "bXnV \T ""'^^ *^^ -^f'
to forsake. Eepentaip n I ^^^^ ^een only too glad
a eold world ono'Z^lu' U^jtV ^^"^^'^ «"^ ^or^n
once neglected an^d t pi e^^^^^ "'^"^. ^^ P^^^^eges
of the family would no doubt I a ''""^^^ "^^"^^ers
ened in spirit and shorn of ^1 "^ T '"^^^^^ chast-
^th unfeeling str^gers but I angularities by contact
permitted in this uncSn Se l^""-'"^ T '''^'"^
ojer again where we once eft off tV ^' ^'^"°'°^
172
m
IN THE PATHS OF PKACB
set of duties and cares. We can aflFord to lose no t-rao
therefore in setting things right that have gone awry.
i^ven this very day, each one of us mav offer a shining
example in her own household of that gentleness whose
grace
" Smooths out so soon the tangled knots of pain."
The soft answer, the discreet silence, the tactful
direction of conversation into pleasant channels, the
httle word of sympathy or approbation instead of use-
less lault-findmg, the unexpected service quietly
rendered, these are the secrets of a good woman's influ-
ence m her o^vn home, these the simple means by which
she may successfully combat the spirit of strife and dis-
cord threatening to undermine the happiness of the
household To graduate in such an art as this brings
incomparably greater and more real distinction on a girl
ban the highest honours achieved in class or studio
^^m^
LXIX
ARTIFICIAL DEEDS.
^AH^cial a.as^ UL. artificial flo^ers^ ,,, ^,^^,,^ ,^^
LAVFQ t — Selected.
, . then imni'^tZ'Z:T \" '""^ ^"^^ «"^i
doing what others^^j and ^ ^1 T'' ^"^'^"-^ ^^^^
secretly cherished eonvictions '/ ^^^^'^ ^^ ^^^^i"
earthly reason saveTn obe h" ^/"' ^^^' «"J for "o
tendency of hu^n Ltf ."I n^ -^r^-ep-like
do so many of us lead «rHfi • i , •"' '*' ^'°d- ^^enco
we have not, pretendL tf ^- '''' '''""^^°^ ^^^"es
for us that we would die i^i ^'i^''^ ^ ^^^^^^^tion
cultivating the sodetv of n '' *^^^" acknowledge;
but who L. us todfath TndT ''""'r^ "^^''^^^'^^
wfao are actually the elect of ''^'''1 "^""^ ^^°™ t^«^«
^th the usual'^eonLnW^^^^
somewhere without thp In ^^ ,r^^^ generally stand
by social or otherobsetan^f orbit marked out for us
borrow little mT\7.T^^\ "^ '^ °"- ^^e are, to
refreshing se't'/rumb':^^^^^^^^ ^-^ ''a
of us are dull and unint!^"p«t,- ? ""^ '' "^^^ '"> "^^"7
174
IN THE I'ATHS OF PEACE
ha[)p.v nature, and refreshed by the dews of sweet,
human sympathy, make fragrant the atmosphere in
which the doer lives, and cause others to long for her
society and presence.
If you would be truly loved and appreciated in thi.s
world you have only to be natural, .spontaneous, sincere.
I hai)pen to know a young married '"jman who appar-
ently possesses all the attractions and advantages a
woman could desire. She is beautiful, healthy, rich,
suitably married, and a happy mother. She has a
charming home and mixes freely in the best society of
the i)lace she lives in. Yet, though she is, in a way,
beyond criticism, she seems unable to inspire any of her
friends with real affection. I have frequently heard
her character discussed by those who know her best,
and though it is impossible to say anything unkind
about her, the verdict is always, " she is pretty and
charming and all that, but not foveable somehow."
The explanation lies in the fact that she is artificial
in manner and conduct. She never seems to be stirred
by real feeling, you cannot get a glimpse of her soul,
if she has any. You can always foretell exactly what
she will say and do under given circumstances. The
typo is not infre.,aent. We nearly all have met the
well-nigh perfect woman whose very perfections pro-
duce a feeling of irritation wherever she goes. It is
because she wears them on her sleeve, flaunts them in
your face, and soems always to invite comparison
favourable to herself and unfavourable to every one
else.
Goodness that springs from the heart i?, on the
contrary, modest and humble ; like the hidden violet
its presence is only betrayed by its exquisite perfume,
and it is all the more loved because it is only found out
hy accident.
LXX
BENEFICENT ACTIVITY.
It is heiter to fight for the good than to rail at the ill.
— Tennyson.
HERE are some delightful people in the worW-
and give a shining example to us all— who are so
mtich occupied in doing goo<l and pleasant things from
day to day, that they really have not time to notice the
W«"Tr-^^.*^"^^ "^^^^^--' nor to gamble
b cause life IS disappointing and others are bf^er off
uZ ,'^'TfT-. According to their wholesome and
hgl t-hoar ed philosophy, if this world is really a vale
hZtrolK 'T\ °^ "'"'' ^^^«"' sweet-smelling
handkerchiefs ready for prompt application whenever
Ho V m"! '*^r '' '''''' ^ "^^^ V the wayside
exerciSn? T" ^"^^T' '' ^^"^ «"^ ^«*^^^^d by the
rXllf 1 /r""* ^'"^""^"^ 'P^"t' ^^^^ by holding
Tin. 1 2/'"^, °"' ^ ^^"^ ^^ ««°"^ «^d bitterness!
eTamnlot/ •" "1"* '^' "^'" ^°^' ^ a depressing
example, irducmg others to sink into the same hopeless
nature linds grim satisfaction.
is IheVrr^^ T'^-^ .^"^ ^ *^^^^^«.^ t« P^«i°^i«m
vm r ^ beneficent activity in works of love Put off
naW^T .^.^ T'^ ""*^^"^ ^f ^ ^^^ or pleasant
nature is left to do, and it will be so long before you
170
IN TIIK PATHS OF PEACE
have a chance to indulge in it that you will forget the
u7J xt. . .^ ^'*''''' ^" ^^^ ^ w^ll as bad ones, and
half the battle of life is won when high thinking and
noble living become, through habit, a second nature.
Ihe process by which one attains this moral altitude,
does not involve, as some imagine, the sacrifice of one's
individuality. True goodness is not negative in char-
acter and neutral in shade. On the contrary, it is
instinct with life, colour, motion and poetry. It is
militant in the highest sense, and wears its colours
openly, and presents a sturdy front to its enemies. It
IS bold and picturesqu ; and carries a shining light upon
Its forehead before which the false glamour of sin and
error pales away like a candle in the noon-day sunshine
Cant and maudlin sentiment have nothing to do with
It. It dwells in the heart, not on the lips, and hypocrisy
^ even more hateful to it than vices openly practised,
bo do not be afraid to be " merely good," and do not
conclude that an attitude of criticism towards your
fellow-man and lifu in general indicates mental superi-
ority. Quite the contrary, as the study of the greatest
and wisest men's lives will show. " Goodness is great-
ness wheresoever found."
^^^^^^
Lxxr
GRATITUDE.
tufuture!'"'^" ^" ''" ^"' '""'P'"' 2/o^. rvith trust for
^E grateful and you will bo happy. The preserip-
%4 tioa IS simple enough, but son.ehow the majority
wy face ZZT '" "™,"°" 't ^^^ P"*" '<> ""ke a
wiy taoe, turn away, and go baek to our grumbling
sit doL" ""^ T'"' *""S ■"•" "" ^" SliberS
sit do™ and gloat over o,ir misfortunes, tell the^
recourse to the most ingenious arguments to prove that
no other person in the wide world is ,uite as m°™rable
ttem or if tlT" 't'"*''^'"' ^^ ^'^^"^ tWnk of
.S ' ,ll ■ ?°' ■"" '°™ '» •"'i'ttle them ; nay wo
their "rue'li^M X'^'^''^ 1" T"* "'^"' ">" *» "^ »'
ineir true light. It 13 a kind of mania that we have to
r.^S a^dT r'"""'' ?" P"'"'^«»' °" "pV.^
tl^l • ' r i? H ''■" «n"»"s'y looking away from
f^l teteighrr Ihe-T "' "" 4>'^ "o-
have moved f^^rand"otr.:^acTuirtrot^
t SeZfTiS •"''•^'-<='«"y «-<iV and to-morrT;
race, might be le.„ aggravating if it were not for tho
ITS
IN TIIK PATHS OK PEACK
luduTous uu-oi.si8toiu'.y with which WO fnlniinato
against tlioso who havo hocn ungrateful towards our-
solves. Our inemory is singularly tenacious of the
least favour hostowo.l on a follow-creatnro, and if our
unlortunato l.cneliciarics appear f,>r a moment to forgot
their indel.tedness to us, wo throw up our hands in
Horror and denounce them as monsters of ingratitude.
It IS not merely hy attending a Thanksgiving Day
service once a year that w,> are going to wipe out all our
obllgatlol^s to an all-bountiful Providence. It i. moot
of course, that w,> should unite on spe.-ial occasions, and
vith due solemnity offer formal praise and thanksgiv-
ing to the Civer of all good gifts. Hut it is in tho
heart, not on the lip.., that the searching eve of Cod
l(>oks for gratitude, and it is only iu the jovful heart
that the virtue is found, the heart which is' kept -lad
every day and all day long by the remembrance of'tho
infinite love and mercy of Ilim in whom we live and
move and have our being. A little fruitful medit^ition
every morning on the various blessings bestowed on us
should suffice to induce a deep and sustaining sense of
gratitude, as well as to inspire us with an unwavering
trust for the future. Thus safeguarded, tho demons of
envy and jealousy shall have no power over us, and
when misfortune comes— as come it must, to one and
all— our deep-seated serenity will not be moved. There
can be no doubt whatever about it, a grateful spirit
must eventually make a happy heart.
*^^1^
Lxxn
HOSPITALITY.
The meal unshared is food unblesL
— Wiiittier.
f o n cx.ms,ng the princely virtue of no.mtality
ui the degree that would please us best " Hut
ine Character of a host to the friend or strancer whom
chance may lead to his door. There is a 3e in he
kindly offer of a shelter and an invitatioTto break
nean whether it beats under the royal purnle or thn t«f
tared garments of the mendicant. "^CouX of .pe ^h
and i^anner count for far more in such opportuS
than he quality of the viands laid before one A
morsel of bread and a cup of water from the sprint
taZtoTLl f ^."'^^r^^'--^ -ile, have a sXtef
taste to a guest than the greatest triumphs of cookery
LTonfei^rcf ™^^' '-'' -^ --^ -^^^ obtu^
.Ja^ ^hospitality of the farm house is proverbial The
residents of towns and large cities are very far behind
^uJr^lr ' ""I*"' "^ ^""^^^ *^^* *be farmer's
Tk the LT Tu""^ .^'.f ^"^ ^^« ^«^ts at her door to
n^r wT' ir ^' ^T^'^" "^ "^^*^"g ^^ ^ «hady spot
near her dwelling, with a cordial smUe and an offer of
■^.i:^
180
IN THE PATHS OF PEACE
11;
m
refreshment The glass of rich milk or home-made
vnnc, the dish of berries, or cup of tea is always forth-
coming. *'
In town it is the exceptional housekeeper who wel-
comes an unexpected guest with a similar display of
friendliness. And the idea of offering refreshment to
a complete stranger would not be entertained for a
moment.
It is a pity that the good old custom of freely offering
hospitality to friends, at least, should be suffered so
frequently to fall into abeyance. There are homes in
which a guest at the table is a positively unknown
quantity, and in which it were vain to expect in any
emergency as much as the simple offer of a cup of tea.
^ Ihe inference is, of course, enther that the hostess
IS o on extremely niggardly disposition, or that her
iiou!.. n Id is administered in such a slovenly fashion
that sne is at all times unprepared to invite possible
criticism from strangers.
The simple family dinner which is considered good
enoiigh for those who are nearest and dearest on earth
to the provider, should surely be good enough for the
chance visitor or the stranger within her gates.
It is a false pride which makes any woman shrink
from revealing to one outside her family the fact that
her larder is not stocked with the best foods in season,
or lier table furnished with -he finest linen and china.
U± all foolish pretences su one is more foolish than
that of greater wealth than one actually possesses.
When reluctance to admit a guest 'to the table is
founded on the consciousness of deficiencies in respect
of the cleanliness of table appointments or of careless
ness in the preparation of food, then indeed is the
house-mistress self-convicted of a most serious derelic-
tion from duty.
The fact that a daintily laid table and the prepara-
nOSPITALlTV
181
repasts a" i^M Ltr'T"' '" T'"'"'' ""= "■'''"•'y
a»d children for whom .Lcv".r^ """^."^ *^ '""">"^
then necessariJy bl fl^fl. P™"''''.'' *"^ """y "ust
fuss or ceremTny Stra^l^hTr'' ""''°"" '«'''"'""«''
bo ^minded of L dm"r tJisXV"""" "^* '"
oJ:r:fe Tn.!LiTs^re r »-- « •'»
more general. **'® ''^^^^^ comer were
poet's word Cit Z ''°'P"«'"y' ^^'^^ taking the
" The meal unsha-ed is food unblest"
*^-^^S^
LXXIII
THE VALUE OF GREAT IDEAS.
Little ideas and big successes never go together.
,^ — Selected.
Hi- ^47^^ ^ praised for it, there is no tax on
^^^ ideas! We may not all dwell in marble halls,
wear purple and ' fine Unen, and live on
princely fare, but however "cribb'd, cabin'd and con-
tm d we may be by outward circumstances, we have
as a glorious inheritance and birthright, the accumu-
lated wisdom of ages on which to draw without stint
whenever it pleases us to do so. No power on earth
can prevent our minds from soaring to the loftiest
heights and kr ning company with the choicest spirits.
JSo poT.er except our own will. If we choose to
grovel, that is another story. So it is well to bear in
mind that " little ideas and big successes never go to-
gether," and that when we barter awav our spiritual
birthright for an ignoble Jiess of pottage, we cut our-
selv^ off irrevocably from all chances of future dis-
tinction in the honourable walks of life.
There are many cramping influences in a woman's
life, which, unless she is watchful and active, tend
inevitably to contract her mental horizon, and to con-
centrate her interest on trivial things.
It is perhaps the custom of those among whom she
lives to give anxious thought and eager discussion to
matters of the most ephemeral character. How Mrs.
THE VALUE OF GREAT IDEAS ^gg
last party who tl^^ ""* ^^ ^^« ^^^ite to her
-g interest that agitat^^^^^^^^^^ <>^ absorb-
munity for days af « strTi ?>"' ''^ ^ ^™«11 ^om-
thougilt and research St h'' 'I^'^ '"^^ «^ -"<^^
genesis of a grearpoem ^ r"^^* *° ^^"^ °^ the
colours, or ef n the be^; I f P^f^^^^^^ of the sunset
-ending, how effLtiLlt wTu d 'l^ °' t ^^^^^^^
and action of women be .ZJ i ^^^"^ ^^ thought
more interestin^S ?u„ T^' ^*^^^ "^"^h richer and
lives become '^ themselves and others would their
^ittten^e?S Toughl te^ry^f ^^ ^ *^ ^^^^ ^"
and beyond the nettv W . ""'^T' *^ ^^^k above
would hem us in f ro "^ ! ''^' ^°^ prejudices that
ideas ; t^ la^n T T*'^* ^"^*^ '^« ^^''^d ^^ g^ea
transi;nt and Ben., f^^'^"'^ ^^^^^^^ thing
Vanity Fa'r«r,r^!"*' ^'^''''''^ the illusions of
l^eep i"n fZl ^1 wLtrhth t^^f ^' r ^ ^^ > ^^
reading good books, fmUtbg^eValr'^^^^ '^
pure and beautiful Hfe Onl? U^X ^''^'^^^^^> ^'"^^S a
to attain real and greai succl " "'^ "^^ "^ ^^^^
-^^^^^
13
LXXIV
PERFECTION IN TRIFLES.
Trifles make perfection^ hut perfection is no trifle.
— Michael Angelo.
'ELL did the great builder know, who had him-
self brought three noble arts to their highest
perfection, by what methods man is com-
pelled to work in order to attain the object of a great
ambition. Contemplate the monuments of his genius,
examine carefully their composition, and even more
astonishing than the splendour of his conceptions and
the sublimity of hia finished master-pieces, is the care,
the minuteness, the exquisite attention to detail, which
stamped the most seemingly trifling portion of his work
with the seal of a mighty genius. He was never
blmded by the vision of an ultimate triumph, to the
impoi ance of fidelity and exactness in the execution of
the separate parts destined to make up the perfect
whole. Xot the least fragment of his famous frescoes,
his colossal statues, his magnificent paintings but, if
alone left to testify to his powers, is richly qualified
to fulfil that function.
We may not share his genius nor emulate his brilliant
achievements, but there is nothing to hinder us from
being actuated by the same spirit which ever urged him
on to a perfection which his superior insight enabled
him to see was made up of trifles. With equal deter-
mination and perseverance we can put the best tliat is
PBRFECTION IN TRIFLES jgg
«tall be on it, and men ahdl k„T k^ '" ^'P^"°« '^»<>.
we are made, and whether he 'um^ '' f ^^«t ^t"ff
,»^aBe or noble. We must nof I^ ^'^^ -^ °"' "^^ '«
littleness of things. ^ ^^' "»P«tient with the
" On e.t.;he broken ares; in noaven^
waS' nc^S:? ;;:,r|S^; - ^^^rt win seem to be
reach its perfect devel^^^^^^^^^ «« ^^Ser to
the hot-house or the t^^^^^ "^gl \l "^"T\ ^^°°°^ ^^
o«s towards our Creator hJ ''''' ^'^ ^^'^ ^^^e^"
siglited to perceive lit LT"'" '"", ''' *°^ ^^^ort-
we are ? ^ ^^'' intention m placing us where
Jf
*^.^^^£V
LXXV
THE PRIOR CLAIMS OF DUTY.
Knowledge is a steep that few may climb, hut duty
ts a path that all may tread.
t WOMAN who sincerely loves what is good and
right for Its own sake, should be richly content
to feel that she faithfully fulfils from day to
day the duties and requirements of her particular state
m life But vanity, with a very big V, is ever whisper-
ing m her ear that she shoidd seek some larger and niore
public career than the one which ties her to the narrow
precincts of the home circle. In her idle moments she
loves to dream of other possible spheres of action in
which aa the central figure of an admiring group of
spectators, she would shine by the exercise of talents
Which, under existing circumstances, she feels are hid-
den under a biishel. She does not realize that beyond
the threshold of her home lies a cold, indifferent world,
ready to carp at and criticise, and condemn, and push
aside, all who are so unwise as to attempt tasks beyond
their strength or talent ; that failure in the eyes of
unsympathetic fellow-beings means a terrible isolation,
which all the more bitter for having been wilfullv
courteu.
It is true the prizes of life must be fought for and
many are worthy of keen struggle against the most
despairing odds ; but the race is to the swift and the
Tim .■lUOIl clAIMfi OP UUTV ,37
the woHurdust, aid";':it: fX.r'"° '""'■ °"
•traced bo^„„d ^./frC rnrwenP "°"' °"° •-
over one's deflections f^' P"«»">''«to teare
Wight, Wtherto „" ,e5°' ITk?' '•'"^ /» ,■'"-4
purpose and relHzer;ir""'-°"' """""«'« '" '"mo
in 11.0 con,pIex "e enee „f ,1.-" " ■'"^"" P"' " Play^
n-ake earefnl con™ of our Z'" ^ ^""" "'"' "" ""«'
and onr dntie,, soe)ii„„ bv »? '<'»onrce,, onr aims
a multiplication of otlfe,^ .„ uT ^"T'"^ "' '<""'' »"<!
ledger „f life. When !«","? "'" ™'"'""« 'n "'-'
P%-.ical force ^^Z2y t ,"^°r'^'"^'"'"-'>f
retrenchment in the meTtS' ?, "^ ''"iKraent dictates
i» no cause ofrepro^h t i °^ ^^' '"^ """"'"ely- I'
one of regret to hT™J '."""""n. 'hough it may be
beyond ZlC L whTcH °,!?''"''^ "'""'•»' <="eer
shame to all To V^'ltt' 'u Z", '"'"' *"« '* « »
.hem, failed to .^afe^lTfnC^e It '^^""'
*^.^H^
LXXVI
SYMPATHY IN FAILURE.
^Ve are nof. much bound to t se that do succeed
But m a more pathetic sense are bound to such as fail
>j — Selected.
P^Lf '?*'°" ^^^^'"'■" '' °^ «" ^"™«« trial8 the
17V ^T""^^^- ^""^ °"^y i« the spirit
weiphed down with the sense of loss, disapnoin
ment or ma.pa..ity. but it writhes und r Zam
J^ho wil not fail to use this knowledge for the futuro
pathy with failure ; even the ties of blood are not
always s„ffle,.ntly strong to safeguard the unsucceJu
against the pitiless criticism of waited efforts. Brothel
and sasters will not spare their sarcasms when commen"
mg on one another's unlucky ventures. A husband
meet the eye of his wife. It requires a good stock of
SSL: T": T^'r^ ^" ^"^'« -'^ a^nd fac^one'
be wh r^ when from the very lips that should
be whispering words of comfort and hope there fall
e^Lt n? .r'''?'^^ of contempt and derision. The
extent of the mjuiy mflicted is probably not appre-
rli? ? T \" 1 '^' '''^''''- ^' ^ fr^uentlyTht
result of thoughtlessness rather than of a deliberate
desire to wound, but thoughtlessness that entails such
painful consequences becomes a grave fault, which
must be zealously guarded against.
BVMI'ATIIV IN fAILUKK
189
hoar, when .h;"dX '■ wi.i^L'rT"'""'"'' '" '"™
hwomcs nptual S^r^ , " '''"''>'= imminent,
vanquished. ^ ° ^^ ^'^^'''•s antl
diarwhich'mSL'r"*^!'^ V'"' ?"<'°' »' f»"-« or
friend , and evd"e th:r™^ "". '""'"'"'''' "' ker
» j"« in such cUn^tlL'^'ih:;''', """"'!"/'• ^"' ''
meet nff adverm'tv hn. "'"^'ves. uur manner of
impression fS t I'T ll'^'K'"'- ^« ^^'*^ ^^o
When we canTheerfnL / f^- °^ '^ seriousness,
to be snuffXut b^^^^^^ 'T^'f^^, ^-"-"^
that assails us, and fore'tamn^ 1\^ '^ '^^^"^*^
dignified refi,.«l *« /^'^f tailing unkind comment by a
its belief in us. ^ ^ *^^ ^'"* «"^ '^new
^n^rny^r/XrHe^;-:- fi-. we .ha,,
H
LXXVII
RED-LETTER DAYS.
No valley life hut hath some mountain days,
Bright summits in the retrospective view,
And toil-won passes to glad prospects new,
-hair sunlit memories of joy and praise.
— F. R. Ilavergal.
J HE value of a beautiful experience is not always
understood or appreciated at the time that it
takes place. As a memory it often becomes
immeasurably dear and precious, though mingled with
the emotion that stirs the heart while dwelling on cer-
tain past events that made red-letter days in an ordi-
narily uneventful life, there are apt to be keen regrets
awakened by the consciousness that the full beauty and
surpassing interest of the occasions in question were at
the time, more or less obscured by some trifling and
untoward accident, provoking an ungracious mood that
hindered a complete realization and enjoyment of the
moment's possibilities.
It is important, therefore, that one should be to a
<3ertain extent prepared for the joys that come, alas !
«o seldom, and that by wise foresight, one should be
enabled in the supreme moments that approach us,
freighted with some great happiness, to set aside all
minor considerations, and give one's self up wholly to
the e Wment of what may easily rank among the most
ijeautitul and soul-satisfying experiences of one's life.
RED-LETTER DAYS
191
?o'^:'in%7ir^^^^^^^ which are, of
ing the fact that there arP^.n.''^' °' ^^ '^^"^Sniz-
tarian values in life and ?hat "'''*'^ '' ^'^" ^ ^^^^i-
treasured recollections of jf ^ "'""''''•^ ^™^«^ ^th
precious possession than a n?^^ "^T^""'' '' ^ ^^re
account which ha' been inc'reStv tf^ " '. '^"^-
rare opportunities of pure e";?;;!'^ *^^ ^^^^"^^^ -f
Ttere are those who will not W.
gaze on the splendour nf o c ^^"^ ^ moment to
forsooth-it Tso near t^ ?^"''' 'r^"*' because-
mightbecold^ A walk, I l!T' tou^the soup
an hour's ramble on'tbe/^t *'' "'"^^'^ -°^^^' -
^oman who likes to sit ' ''*'. attraction for the
l^er muslin ruffles and d i ^il^ St? T^^^^*-^
even at the altar is {\]iJi •!? ^f*' ^"^^ an one,
thoughts about her annpT '''*^ ^^^^ ^"^ ^"^oIoub
she i^ making on otWsr'atr '.l^ ^^^ ^^^P^ession that
emotions thaf besneak «'/ *^'^ "^'"'^ *^« reverent
n^arriage and dUhat iL k' ''T-'^ *^^ ^^^^^^^^ss of
there afe no lf\Z' " bTst h af " ',f ' ^"^-^'
of vanity and selfishness IW T I, ''''" ''^"^"P^^
of enjoyment falls to one who 2 • ^''*? " "^^^^"^«
ness of an opportunity that. o ^""1"^^^°^ the precious-
-If gladly afd genet/s^^VpTth'e"L ^^^ Y
moment, even if hv «n ^/ ^ happiness of the
venience's in other dLr^ ''"'' '"'"^'^^ ^^^ ^^«^«-
In her eve^.r '^'''Pf'''''^ are mevitable.
o«P, or'a^CkiTd'emaTk' fro'" ^^^' ^ ^^^^'^ *-
person is far too triflinr !T 'T^ "nsympathising
the beauty o^an ofe W^W^^^^ ''''^'''l^ '^ --
world weighed in the baT nce^wkh h. 'I' ^^' ^^^^^^
a feather, which she p.1^^ J x ^"^ ^^PP^^ess is but
In this spirit we should r.'f^.^/ '•'' ""''' ^^ ^'^ way.
portion. Keerthem 11 H* *^,' ^^^^ *^^* ^all to our
^on-places and pett^trS^^ 'Y ^''""^ '^^ '^' ^<>ni-
and petty trivialities of everyday life. Take
192
IN THE PATHS OF PEACE
them up on our mountain top and extract from them all
the pleasure they hold for us. Then, looking back on
the dear red-letter days, we shall constantly re-live the
happmess that lent them that character. We shall not
have to reproach ourselves with having squandered
precious opportunities that return no more.
*^.^^^£^
•^/4^*^
IXXVIII
THE SILENT BEACON.
willing to (\n nprwi if • xi_ , . persons are un
admiration of appIaST^^'.;" ""^ ^T*' ""y »""> «"=
reason or another ,C,)°- "■»»» ^'t whom, for one
fa a prospect of 1 „if3 '"^'^"^ ''"" ' "' « tk^e
a resnit of the r effoS tZ"^ 'S*-"'"™ » ««>". «^
to find willing workS Jl' °''u'"-«J' ^'« 'h'»
thropie cause, prXweTitLT ■.""."''''' " P"'"-
womcn of wealth ~2.' ^T "» advocates, men or
are the,tlTL°"XrSa.'^\"^"^r<'.- ^™» «>«"
popularity, or to acquir? "^elitU ^"^"^ ^ '""'«™
Kom^ aati:£ "t~ --»
degreeV™^al":l?Uln^S V:''f "'•'° *"'
great actions solely from rJl Performance of
-r^i to «he ptobaMe eff«t^ it'^:,^ "'i-'^' '^«""'«
mnds of observers W -T?" V«>Awe on the
of devotionTu^r'n^ -T ^*^^- S"'='' ™'ances
are probaSy nofe aSS L"".™"' '""'Sh, yet there
'ea^t a fe/notabrZ^^ -—inUVt:
»i^ ^SBR^^y^-* " ^.ris:^
194
IN THE PATHS OF PEACE
faithful workers, who walk straight and steadfastly
along the path of duty, neither taking nor desiring
credit for the accomplishment of what they regard
merely as their personal share in the world's work, not
to be shirked on to other shoulders, nor left undone to
be a reproach to them through life. They do not ring
bells, nor fire off cannon to attract attention to their
achievements, but are amply content to shine modestly
m their own appointed time and place and way, as
unconscious, indeed, as the lamp in the lonely tower of
the strength and brilliancy of the rays they diffuse
through the darkness that surrounds them, or of the
many m sore stress who are cheered in moments of
diftculty by the comforting presence of such a beacon.
JXumberless little occasions arise in daily life for
exercising charity or dispensing sympathy in quiet ways
unkno%vn to any but those immediately benefited.
Willingness to profit by these humble opportunities for
doing good IS the surest indication of Christian sincerity,
if you would know just what progress you have made
as a good and faithful servant of One Master only,
count up what you have done for love of Him alone,
unmixed with human motives. Alas I the total will
be so small, it will be rather a source of confusion than
of satisfaction to any honest soul. How many women,
for instance, regulate their attendance at the church
services by the condition of their wardrobes ? How
often is the strict observance of Sunday a mere conces-
sion to public opinion ; the reading of the Bible an act
of ostentation ; total abstinence, purely a matter of
economy, or habit ; long devotions, an expadient for
passing time easily ? We deceive ourselves readily on
many of these points, taking a complacent view of
actions which in reality are an offence in the sight of
Him who is Truth itself, and who, therefore, abhors
hypocrisy and double-dealing.
■•'m£:.m
THE SILENT LEACON ,nr
actions. A too LTt i ? *^"^ • '°'P^'« °"r " good "
inevitably undernkfthi';''^^^ ^°/^^^ ^''''^'^ ^"
and charitj "'^''* foundations of faith
"^^•^vf
::JlaSfc£s2ffl'-=^,:^.
*^^=«=Jb
LXXIX
THE FORCE OF EXAMPLE.
No woman can be so insignificant as to he sure that
her example can do no harm.
— Lord Clarendon.
!HE influence of the spoken or written word is as
nothing beside the force of the living example.
The good books we read, the sermons and admo-
nitions we hear, no doubt affect the mind and character
to a certain extent, but it is for the most part with a
sense of effort, of unwelcome restraint that we accept
the suggestions conveyed to us through these channels.
The force of example, on the contrary, carries us along
irresistibly, gladly. What we see done by others, we
like to do, if only to test our powers and capacity for
similar achievement.
Unhappily, an evil example invites imitation no less
persuasively than a good one. Each individual is there-
fore burdened \vith a great responsibility in this regard.
Whatever we say or do while under observation by our
fellow-creatures, becomes a factor in determining their
moral standpoint. An intelligent mistress learns
lessons of honesty and fidelity in the performance of
difficult duties by watching a conscientious charwoman
or laundress at her day's toil. The humble boot-black
contributes his quota to the comfort and peace of
hundreds of his fellow-creatures by the thoroughness
with which he accomplishes his lowly task. Even the
THE FOHCE OF KXAMPI.K
197
beggar at the rich man's imt
acceptance of a stern ^Z XkeT', ^^ ^''^ P^*'«"'
who despised his povertv Won . ^ ^'""''»««« of him
is the power of examp e ihat^ ^ "' ""^ far-reaehing
A weU-bred vourl^^o^^^^^^^^^ '"''^ «"« «f "«
forced to live S a Wl ^''"""^ ^'"'"^'^ ^'^'^ « t™e
couth, and who^^l;'^ l^,r,t:nl """"7 "^^^ "-
repugnant to one of rcfiTr 1 % 7 ^ !"u^ ^"^'"^^ "^O'^t
admirable tact sho .nn i , ?*''' "°*^ ^^^^^s. With
eiscd the greaH oo2n f''^' ?^ P«'-«everingly exer-
her belongings daintilv r. . ^T ' ^''''^ ^'"'''"^^^ «"<!
time the ifll enol o \" ""^ ""T'*'^^"' ^^ « ^^ort
The men treated her wJr/J""^^ ^^^^" *^ b« f«It.
"ever bestowed on thdrmothr"'!^ '"'''' '' *''^^ ^^^^
unwilling to soorn inferior to tr 'h "'"'T '^^''''
^ciouslj to move or ritiS. '^'"V^"'^* ""««"-
and to pay more atfpn'fr . A • ^'''''**^'' gentleness,
she permitU W,f To eri".! • '""" .^H-rance. Had
dictate to them ir?nor.onnl !f "'^ ''^'""^« ^^'^^ or to
p% have ant^ni^Ttrem"^--^^^^^^^^^
example ineTtedtTem?;l'"^"f^/^^P^«*' «°d then by
attainments! She hTdlr^^f ^'' ^^^^ ^^^'^t^e^ and
order and b;auty in a ho^ ' ^'"' "^ ''^°°''^ '^ ^''''^
hitherto been unknown T ""^''^ *^'"^^ conditions had
the standard Z'TaT.l^ rZd 1 1 '^^^^^T
remained permanently fixed n T. - f ^^^'^ample
sciouslj instrument, of II •' ^ ,^''^ ''^*^" "ncon-
and alii it m^y be th«. r "^ '^^°^"*^ ^*^^«gcrs,
first downwlTLp of morTth '' ^'^ *^ "^^^ ^^ ^^^^
«-a btep 01 more than one who too willingly
^f
■msm.-
198
IN THE PATHS OF I'KACE
followed us when we had forsaken the straight path.
This is a thought to give us pause.
We cannot shield ourselves from blame by claiming'
that what we do or say is of no importance. One of the
overwhelming surprises of the Judgment Day will, no
doubt, be the revelation of the sum of our influence
for good and ill over all who have ever come in contact
with us.
^^^^^^
LXXX
WITH HAMMER AND CHISEL.
There is no .culpturl„, Uke that of character.
"^I^ni-y Ward Beeclur.
SpS""" "'^^' ^"'" ^^'' ^« ^^« °Ot POSSO.S but
block of m^bloTnto . .1 *' '^'"''•' '' "''•^P^^^^^
envy on the sculDtor . ?""""? '''*"'• ^" ^'^'^ ^^'•>''
achievement. Ye wea ' "r^'^T^^'ty ^or sinnlur
of unyielding stone but of ".afn? r ^' '"''^^"^^' ^"^'
touch and which mnv l.» j^eaaily to the ljp:hte8t
young personTin whTr' • *'""' <^''"''^<'". •■"■■I
pains to surround E ? ''' "" """^ '«*» ««
Yet why should we ex-nof.*- vo „i* -<•
lessness of youth th^ ^ w th" l,^" ''''■ ^'""^''^-
wisdom are <^o slow t« T i ' ^-^'Penence au.l
ourselves ometfmel IZ "I '""f'"'' ^^' »« ^J^'
that has iusr;lrd Vt :;^:,^-^^^^ in the year
new beauty we have added ';; ^^" .^''"^"^red ; what
of u« .eem to h^vr "'' ^'»«^«eter? Manv
-tLin lu lia^e come to a full stnn o. .v u • '
14 *'^"P> as if, having"
l|
?.U
200
IN THK PATHS OF PEACE
reacliod our fullest pliy-ical stature, the spiritual part
of us likewise refused to j^jrow any more.
But indeed, it is only after the body has attained its
perfect development that the soul is free to aspire to
the loftiest heights. It is when the hot blood of youth
has cooled somewhat, and the illusions that beckoned to
us in the spring-time of life have melted away in the
clear atmosphere of maturity that we begin to see
mental and moral vistas hitherto undreamed of. The
lives of many great men furnish us with convincing
proofs that intellectual activity may be prolonged far
beyond that of the body.
It is only mediocrity that remains satisfied with
itself on attaining manhpod or womanhood, recognizing
no necessity for further efforts at improvement. But
mediocrity is terribly widespread, and we must be on
our guard lest we, too, fall into its ranks. We have but
to keep an eye — the eye of the sculptor — on our char-
acter, and chisel in hand, be always ready to chip off
here or there, the useless material that hides the
imprisoned beauty.
It is an engrossing as well as an ennobling task. The
process is necessarily slow, but the result is sure. And
though the work will never seem quite complete it will
be fair enough, perhaps, some day, to earn for the
worker that praise, than which none can be sweeter or
more precious to human ears, ""Well done, thou good
and faithful servant."
-^:^^^
irt
its
to
th
to
he
ee
he
ng
:ar
ith
ng
(ut
on
)Ut
ar-
off
:he
'he
nd
nil
bhe
or
)od
^1
i' m
Bi^^^^^^p^
i ll
M
«
H
ul
>
<
z
i l\. ,ij..^.,„
iT TTMi;
V >rr.
r,.. .
prrtmi.^-t. .jf good cIk^
: : •!^'^ an.-
i.UJ ):>"■'•
>-•"
/ranfeji
T%f:
■0*
'«?;
-*if
ti'^'i.'^
I.XXXI
IN HARVEST TIME.
O favoun c,rn, y,.„. „,„^„ „„,,,,
77,, f * ■"•'•'■'■''"*■ our dm,
ll'c f nines. ./»„„„, „„, ,,.;^,,^^^^
course of tl,e year, h ?l"™K .^ ''"""S the whole
J'Sht of tl,e ioaflcs tree "L r^°'"J.'?: '^''^'^ " *''»
frost, recalls tl.o sweet ™m,^" ^"'^T '''«'"o<i with
beyond our reach CtcranT'" ^°^'' ","='' ^"^^ P-'^d
-or have felt discouraged o, iZ°f"l 'T ""= -"W
ahone so fair above us ^„H °, *'.™"'"='>'«i while skies
our feet. '' "™ " ™'ling earth was under
theXrrLV^Ji'rlri tS" '■•"«or regretfully on
recognise the In^;; th™T™-;' « »-' not f.fl to
promises of good chee nd halv W, ',''"'T'" "■=
autumn in one sense, tl,o rich?5 '''""'"^'"P that make
We should not need ,11 ™'°" °' ""= y^'-
Ri™^ Day is net, nor wait fo"'".?'"'''"' "■»' Thanks-
'o loan, the reasen's ":: wltr I'uT '" '^'"'-''
are written large all nm,,,,?! T '''""'<f»lness. They
"'now then " b^ i:':?;r''"' "f .aWut u.. We should'
'0 school chiltl
ren
saj.
202
IN THE PATHS OF PEACE
r •
But we are curiously reluctant to dwell on the
brighter side of our lives. Of our troubles, our needs,
our grievances, we could prate forever and a day, could
we find a willing listener. The theme appears to be
inexhaustible. But, when reminded of our compensa-
tions, how grudgingly we admit their existence ! How
readily we accuse those who enumerate them for us, of
a lack of sympathy for our misfortunes. And we are
ah\'ays firmly convinced that our trials are of a pecu-
liar severity which the unfeeling world shall never
understand.
One, who is tortured
health, only health, and
with pain, cries.
" Give me
I shall be happy." Are the
healthv then so fortunate, so passionatelv to bo envied?
If so, why do they ceaselessly grumble because other
things are denied them?
One who lives in luxury, yet leads a loveless life,
yearns, in the loneliness of her heart, for a crust in the
wilderness shared with one who vould be kind. And
another, who is tenderh' loved and cared for, is filled
with envy and discontent, because she cannot fare
daintily, wear purple and fine linen, and live a life of
ease and pleasure.
If we would keep the spirit of the Thanksgiving
festival in our heai-ts, not only for a day, but through-
out our lives, w^e have but to keep in mind the full
value of the blessings we are permitted to enjoy, and
which are denied to so many more worthy than we. It
will then be easy to accept with courage and dignity our
share of the rials of humanity. It ill becomes us to
question whether that share is a just one or not. The
very thought is blasphemous, when we know there is
One who fits the back to the burden and tempers the
Avind to the shorn lamb. How shall we excuse our-
selves then, for repining under every cloud of misfor-
tune that temporarily excludes the sunshine from our
^m
a i-
^m^-
IX HARVEST TIME
203
-0 Lave togivJhKc:,'"--""^' ""' """^- '■">^°-
-^.^^iV
LXXXU
THE WRONG WAY.
We often do riyht Ihings in the luroiig ic<iy.
— Selected.
'* ^^ OOD " people are not always loveable. Many
^^iJ of them, to tell the truth, are quite the
reverse. They have a faculty of making
those who live with them thoroughly uncomfortable.
Consciously or not, they develop a sanctimonious, or
censorious manner, which creates a feeling of restraint
wherever they appear. To live np to their standard
seems a hopelessly difficult undertaking. They fairly
bristle with virtues, chiefly of the self-denying order, to
emulate which the average human sinner feels com-
pelled to forego all the ordinary comforts and pleasures
of life. These are the people who do right things the
wrong way. The end they propose to themselves is a
good one. The fault lies in the means they take to
reach it. But they are not clever enough to discover
their own limitations. A defective sense of humour
prevents them from suspecting the excess and futility
of their zeal in many directions. Entirely satisfied
that their own little theory of life and the narrow ideal
they have proposed to themselves are before and above
those of all the rest of humanity, they are absolutely
iijipervioiis to new impressions, broader views, or any
salutary influence that might disturb their complacent
belief in their o\\'n infallibility.
'illK ni!ON(; WAV .,,,-
have <«seovorodt^^o ™:S,; r'''"''T' "'"''^ ""■->■
suffering, some tali„n.,rf ??"'"" *°'' *°™"- »■•
from the iZan w/ ™''''''''«''"^''' '<">dencie3
tl.ey are in halt V e",':,- ,rC,1 ''T'"'""" "'""''
the benefit of hnmnnftra larfe T "• ''°''?t',°'" ^"
many and Rrievon. Th! 2^' ^ m'sfak's are
Sratitude and praTsf^l™ '""'' """^ '""I"-"! f»r
thus miscarry it i« ti , 1 , ^^ ^°°^ intentions
-Ives. T ?'c„t ti « Z'?, *''T '''''?^' "" "■""'■
thin, sustains thll' Tl, i H 'Z, 't,;:; '^^i "'^ ">l"
never occurs to tl,™ Uiat tliev m v ''"I""-*- It
wrong way ^ '^ ''■■'™ '''>''>■ " '<<' ti,e
enlisting their svmnTw^ "^ ''''®'' '"^"^^^^ ^^
nnl^ 4; XI ^•>"^P^tnies in any cause. "We Ipnm
cannot do that, stand aside ond w ^'""^
s;Tnr*:rv:f^!!r''^^^^^^^^^^^^
diS.-r V • '^'^'°™"'ff yourself. It only Lrings
and unloveaWe pe's!;::. "'"" "■■^"■'™'«' ^^ '""'■'•-"^'^
-f
LXXXIII
MISTAKES OF ALTRUISM.
We are alt islands shouting lies to one another across
sens of misunderstanding.
— Rudyard Kipling.
'HERE is infinite pathos — as well as infinite
humour — in the fact that however close the con-
tact, however near the relationship which binds
liiiiutiu beings together, no single one of us ever did or
ever can truly know the other. Consciously or not, we
cloak our real selves in a disguise which is more or less
impenetrable. We have our reserves, our private
opinions of things and people ; (sur secret longings and
ambitions ; our unacknowledged sympathies and anti-
pathies ; also, that wonderful adaptability to circum-
stances, which, perhaps, oftener than any other cause,
makes us assume the virtues that we have not. In
daily life, our actions constantly belie our wishes, our
feelings, yet it is by the first Ave are judged in a world
wliieli takes no account of what it does not see. We
ourselves, though so well taught by personal experi-
ence that deeds often do violence to the desires of the
])('i-fornier, are nevertheless ready to form our opinions
of others from our observation of their actions, or inac-
tion, under given circumstances,
"J'o quote a familiar instance, a husband believes his
wife to be a quiet, sensible little woman, because she
coiiiiiiits none of the extravagances he is fond of
.t.^ftS. ■n'rM
MMmm
MISTAKES OF ALTRUISM 207
'" lord's illusions conccmiL^r' *'"'"« •" "i"'"^!'
■armless l„„gi„g, for tirof.L 'bfro?.' ^'"""« ""^
some mnoccnt Measure on Z-h;T>, ^ '"'">■• <"• for
ft. The two will dooeive on^ i" "'°™°''' ''""' ''
I' « the .„,„e with Serfrie » r '" "" ^'"'■^ »''■
l>arent and child, jill are "*!??' , '"'"^' "■<■" '"th
.cross seas of misnnd'^anding "'"^ '""' '" °"'' '"■°"'"
portronrfaeti^Sndl^ '"'/ '^'^'"=™"- "^ «-
elusive and dis urbinT your ^, ':>1r«»«. mysterious,
fHlow^eaturcs taVef akeenert^" """""''"» ^o"
reluctant to iudRo them w! ^^' ' -^O'' "x^ome
"lining up IZ yt a^rideTrT ""'' ^ ^^ ««
the hidden rirtues and ,r i. " °* "^Pocn'ation as to
and livewitl, ; rtoXr ■''1 °^ "■"''' y"" '"vo,
restraining influence on the rtrn T"' o'-™"^ ""^
•Tour responsibilities towan ^^11 t '^"'"'"^'^ i "s to
'>.v .your propinqui,;. tothet ° "'■"' """ '^"''^^
wLo°HvedIgeTher 'manff "' *^'" ■"»«- -'ors
One liked erfs. andTothriir.''"'' ""^ ''^™»y-
I'ave been easy enouri ,^ 5- -i^*"^ """""• I' ™'W
«tisfy both, h^d thevten SleT ■'"' 'f' ^° "' '»
who liked erust, assuminTfp!!f i ."""S"' ■"" ""e one
'hat portion, habittX 1 " ■' '"'" "''» P^'erred
chose the crU Th'e otlL''":'; °' '^"-''"egation,
sacrifleing, swaUowed the e u5 T-t^- ^^'T"^ "'^^-
her sister coyeted) Jth » T "'""^'"•^he hated and
men.. At last onU^^^JZZtClr "' "''"^■
nnder the necessity of deniil he t ^''I' "" '""S^"-
•nuch consolation in heln^® ^ ''fi "" ''•"''" f™"'l
favourite portion of "heS* bT" ^'"^'-^ "^ l""
■n the confidence of th 1 f ""^ ""^ '^''« ™s
-1 preference, could nottfi^rm S^^t^,^
208
IN THE PATHS OF I'KACE
to the survivor, whose feelings on learning the futility
of her self-denial of years, may be better imagined than
described.
And this is how we are all playing at cross purposes
and deceiving one another our whole lives long.
If only each of us dared to be absolutely true to our-
selves for a single day, the world would be revolution-
ized. Such a sweeping consummation is perhaps, not
to be wished, yet there is no doubt that we habitually
defer too much to public and private opinion, and that
a more frank and fearless policy on the part of every
individual, would ultimately result in a sturdier moral-
ity, and afford a more solid and enduring basis for the
real content and happiness of all.
-5^;^^^:^
a^v
LXXXIV
JUST CRITICISM.
ill?' "' '''" ^^'^^^^ ^^ - ^'^^^^ ^naiier said agaln.t
— Thomas-a-JCempis.
or physical,' tat :^n S ^ "i'" ^*'="°"> ■»"™'
«t least, the existenn» „f " f ' '" " S™oral wav,
limitations. Slr,v I '''•'." ^■'"""'^ •'°*«'^ "-d
we know we ^4 tal ■ h!,'""" '"":'='■», "''«» ^^ ^V
bear to have thL f. u ""^'^ " "'"« ^'o <^»™ot
other, ? Ifl L a Do^l""' r "r'' "^ """"ioned by
because some candirl f^L i' . , ■"■ ™^ furious
simple statement tola^^'e'Scct^Hr^^'T'™^ '""^'^ '
committed a similar Xnce t ,^7/,""'"' ""y^"^'^'
ph™ a.,-, :/i:4trr' stn i °£
<'an 1 e.^p]ain tiie resentment X fee^ towarrlo fi, t
-r.-e „e i„ like banner? By wS't ^^htta^TdS
tl
■rmM^mmm^: «"^^
210
IX niE PATHS OF PKACE
tlif freedom to discuss whom and what I will, while
sternly forbidding others to make me or mine a subject
of conversation?
A very Utile reflection suffices to show one the
egregious folly and unreasonableness of the anger that
surges in our breast whenever an uncomplimentary
remark made about us out of our hearing is repeated
to us by some officious friend. How much more consis-
tent and sensible it would be to say calmly : " Indeed,
it ir, quite true, I regret to say," and then dismiss the
matter from our thoughts, or retain it merely as a
wholesome reminder of a fault that must be promptly
cured.
Instead of indulging in bitter and revengeful feeling
against one who has discovered our weakness, we
siioiild, if we sincerelj desire to improve ourselves, feel
indebted to the frankra .^j which opens our eyes to fail-
ings we had not perhaps perceived, and certainly did
not imagine were perceived by others. It is naturally
depressing and humiliating to be confronted with an
image of ourselves totaily different from the one we
fondly believed we were presenting to the world ; but
surely, it is better to be undeceived and given a chance
to improve, than to be allowed to go on to the end,
hugging a delusion which only makes us ridiculous in
the eyes of all. Undoubtedly, if it were not for the
disagreeable truths that sometimes come to our ears, we
should all be victims of a colossal conceit, foolishly
imagining that everybody was delighted with us, and
seeing no necessity to restrain any of our caprices, or
to acquire any new virtues.
The best of us are only "children of a lai^er
growth," apt to run wild unless subjected to corrective
influences, more or less drastic. We no longer submit
to the rod, but we cannot hope to escape the rebuffs
that lie in wait for all who make themselves in any way
JrST CRITICISM
211
obnoxious to othcis; Tf ;wi
;o our „„.„ pS, X', tZ'""T' '" """ "'^■"
immiinitv in tho fntnil • "'■'' "■'■'■ '" '«•"»
*^.^i^
LXXXV
UNJUST CRITICISM.
In our relations with others we forgive them more
nndily for what they do which they can help than for
what they are, which they cannot help.
— Selected.
T^TIIETIIER we are conscious of it or not, it is
\^r a fact that in our social relations, our attitude
to one anotlicr is habitually critical and we
are apt to arrogate to ourselves the function of an
umpire, from whose decisions dissent is regarded as an
affront. Viewed from without, the situation is full of
humourous aspects, but the victims of it are not likely
to see so clearly where the fun comes ii^-
Bravely to bear the brunt of constant daily criticism
of one's every word and action, especially when the
criticism is for the most part unkind, supposes an
endowment of patience, pluck, and lofty indifference
to trifles, which not one man or woman in twenty can
truly claim to possess.
The disposition to retaliate grows on weaker natures
with fearful rapidity and the result is that we are
mostly a discontented, carping, cavilling lot, finding
little good in any one but ourselves.
Even if we confined our strictures to peoples' actions
which they can help, we might be justified by an appar-
ent desire to keep up a high standard of conduct, but
when we ungenerously extend our criticism to the
t^>iM
I'NJUST CRITICISM
213
in the last degree ' "^ ^"^ ^'^"^"«^ blameworthy
habits of the lower order nf'' -^'^ ^^^^''^'^ ^h^
process would yield us a inm.l. "^'^f^'^"' ^^e mental
«nd no one would ^.ffo frl 7 "'*'"^.° ^"i«^°^<'"t,
curious and constant. As f\Z^ scrutiny, however
untold sufferings from a con«^' ^'^' "'^"^' ^^ "« ^n^ure
-•I ""f--dly%spi: ay eSTr '' ^'" ^"^^"-^
«n'ong whom we live ^"^^'^^'^'-d over u. by those
far they may go without ton • "^ T"'*^''*^ i^-^ how
in the oxposed%uX U o ;r^ the sensitive places
attribute as rare as kt ende "^'^^^ ^'^^^' '^ «"
our own business, and let n" ^^ ■\l^''^'^ *« ™ind
a one, is too hard a lesson f or I ""'?^^°"r's severely
like to umpire every game ttV^ "^'•''"*-^' "^ "^^- ^^o
the flaws in every lltZ to ; •^'•"§ ^"' *" P^'"* <>«*
luckless feJIow-creature ' '" Judgment on every
provean'yeftivtanti-d^oteTor" ^^.^^^^^''^'^^^^ should
able meddlesomeness working ^°'''° °^ unwarrant-
we that we should Tetour^"fJ° """^ ''''^'^- ^o are
own life such a shiZ^Z^TiZ "' ""'^'^'^ ^' ^"^
put on superior airs tLaTotfe'r ?" a'^' ^"^"^^^ '^
conscious of many miserab^ f.Vl ^'^ '^^ "«* ^»
knows nothing about and wM/^-7f' '^^"^^ ^'^^ ^orld
!^s, perhaps, to bang^^^is ^^^^ "^"^^ --«
incompetency to the end niT r o^^"^^ «* our own
enough, Hea^ven ^z::^:zi'::t ^^"^ ^"^ ^^««-
^-ng.ithoneanotiie,;::^^^P^-«^^
214
1\ TUK PATHS OK PEACE
tunes, incapacity, or whatever other limitation ditfercn-
tiates mere men from angels. Would we but praotisti
the golden rule faithfully, instead of breaking it a
hundred times a day, as we now habitually do, all the
cares and vexations that presejitly afflict our spirits
would
" fold their tents like the Arabs,
And silently steal away."
I
1-
*^^^^tx=
LXXAVI
THE RIGHT KIND OF RIVALRY.
The silualion thai has not //,• ,luf>j if, :,h. ,j
never yd occupied by man. ^' ^'"^' ''""'
v-N ^ —Thomas CavlyhK
that mere,, l^ » off .rofX" ^Wl/T:' "'" r,^'
iiineamc ot the aims, interogts. voxatinn« nnd tri»mnl .
m >vl,u.., „„„.» „on„„l life i, bound" ..p;"''l['rit;;
:.. i
I
216
IN THK I'ATIIS OF I'KACK
I
enough to match one's own temperament among those
of the greatest women. Charlotte Bronte, Mrs. Stowe,
Florence Nightingale, Frances Willard, and others
even greater who preceded them, have shown, the way
to reach as many ideals, and in ways equally diverse.
Better than all is she who was " blessed among women,"
and in whom were combined in their highest perfection,
every sweetest and most desirable attribute of maid,
wife, and mother. Xo one need feel the lack of a suit-
able prototype who has not given some thought to the
Virgin Mother, whom Tennyson has so beautifully
described as
" Our tainted nature's solitary boast."
A woman who has a marked individuality, with great
force of character, may feel a reluctance to accept any
other as a model, but the average woman cannot fail to
appreciate the moral stimulus furnished by the contem-
plation of a loftier nature than her own. It keeps alive
in her heart the wish and determination to attain the
same high levels of thought and achievements as those
in which the elect of her sex habitually dwelt — and
brings her into honourable emulation with them. How
much nobler to engage in a contest of this nature than
in a pitiful rivalry \vith one's neighbours in the matter
of vulgar display or passing popularity! Mere material
or worldly satisfactions are necessarily of a superficial
and ephemeral nature, whereas, a gain in mental or
moral power is a permanent and fruitful source of hap-
piness and distinction.
':^^
LXXXVIl
TRAINING FOR A GREAT CAREER.
In Ws small things he resolute and great
I find thee worthy ; do this deed firneP
J ■ — Lowell.
dn M ix }'T^ "■ ^^S^'^ '^ tliose public
care Ja^^cluZ^n^^^^^^ '''V" P^^-- wit^
down to Seritv witr f, -^^^ ^'' ^"™« ^^' ««™e
attached to i U W . ' ^^'^^'^^ ' " ^he Unready "
"SiiS^tlln IS fortunate for many of us that fhe
fierce iigjit wlueh beats upon a thrnnr. '' a^ j. i •
on our lowly lives for if iV rL ^? ''''* '^'"^
a great army of "unreal^?! -J^?"^^ ^"'"^'•^^ ^'
of women tLuglZ t^f/lorr"""' '"" *'^ ^^^^^
-.. ^^nen called upon to asawt, but it is in a slip-
218
IN THE PATHS OF PEACE
ebod, get-it-over-and-bc-done-with-it manner which
gives little joy to herself or others.
There can be no hannony, no dignity, nor useful
purpose in such a life. A wise woman uses reflection
and judgment even in the lea^^t important affairs, for
the smallest act often has wide-reaching consequences.
By being " resolute and great " in small things, keep-
ing her nuiscle trained she is ever ready for the highest
decrees of fate, and there is little fear that a call will
not come, soon or late, bidding her do some noble deed
for which she has been found v/orthy.
^:^^^
im
LXXXVIII
ART, THE EDUCATOR.
^-1^ — John P. Weir.
lum 01 tlie lower scholastic trrado^ Th^ ^„_*i i ,
oir public schools are incompetent to instruct their
S^i' "' ft," '•'"' *""' P™"'?'"- "f «rt, b W them
selves woefully .gnorant in this respect ^
„»I?'7, ■■ '>°'-»°«'' i' not so reprehensible as the
tterly false conception of art enferta ned by tl>e ma,"r!
»d°v '£?"■*•;'','' ''"",""•" ">•")" " a^„bj« of
P acfnoy ,viM, 'I, ■' f ™" "^ '"<"'=™''' '» »'=^ ^e com-
placency with which some persons, otherwise fairly
educated, exhibit for the admirationof their friend, a
220
IN TIIX, PATHS 01- PEACE
ffe
Staring chroitio, or p:liastly crayon portrait, a *' Storm at
Sea," done in oils by tlie daugliter of tlie house, who
has never seen the ocean, but who in " so clever " that
she can reproduce tho most difficult subject from u
Christmas card, or a handkerchief box! The same
type of young woman is responsible for the impossible
" hand-painted " satin panels, that disgrace the parlour
walls, the " decorated " drain-pipe in the hall doing
duty as an umbrella stand, the sofa pillows fearfully
and wonderfully daubed with "scenes," or floral
designs. These and similar horrors only too common
in the average home, proclaim to all comers in what
depths of Cimmerian darkness, as far as knowledge of
art is concerned, the perpetrators, their aiders and abet-
tors, are plunged.
Some will say, " If we like these things, why should
we not have them ? Why not, indeed, just as the
Indians have their war-paint and feathers and glass
beads. Xo doubt one would find it diflicnlt to prove
to the savage intelligence that these are not things of
beauty. Similarly, there are degrees of barbarism in
taste, even among civilized nations ; there are persons
who live and die happily enough in the most benighted
condition. But those who are in the light cannot hel[)
feeling a benevolent wish to extend their privilege to
others less fortunate. Every tnie lover of art is a born
missionary.
It is regrettable that parents and teachers display <o
much indifference in a matter which is really of prime
importance. By a slight effort, they might open uj) to
the children undo'- their care, the endless avenues of
purest pleasure which can be reached through a know-
ledge of the elements of art. They should at least cor-
rect every tendency to admire vulgar eflfects, and endea-
vour to train the tastes of the little ones by educating
their eyes to the close observation of beauty in every
AKT, TIIK KIUCATOR
221
for,,,, ^o aftcmpf, at pictorial rrpro(l„otion sl.o„M ho
praiso,! or oxl„l,ite,l to stran-or. unless if .li... ?
-rk.l m,,y to tl.o roul ol^ct ; ^^ s^e o '^H,:
brst modolH sho„M l.o rcffanhnl n.orely a^ uJnlV -
CHOH or Bt„<lio.s, },avi„.. i„ ,o sense the value of ,n
ori^nnal piece of work.
Onl.y one in a Ihousan.l ehihlren, perhaps fewer will
sl-ow a n,ark<.,l talent for drawin,:, an,l nedioer v o
porforn.anee is hy no n.c-ans to he eneonraj- ' h"
;s< • ;'' tor"''''^ ^^-''^ ^^ -■*»" ^ ^'- ---'
er"o;Zod work '"'""" ^^ -o.^-C appreeiate, and
Oood taste, which eomes with a knowled^.e of art
. a mnversal passport to the society of the n.o^t enliH.t:
ene,l a,.d charnnn^ p(>o,,lo the wo,-ld over ; l,v ren'der-
nff sele..t,on easy it surrounds us in our homes with
tho e evidences of culture which are a source of 1 '
hip:hest pleasure to others as well as to ourselves V
lea^e ,t without a suspicion of your i^^norance of Jo-
Sraphy mus,c, or mathematics, hut a^^lance at ^ u.
surroundings enahles hin. to determine whether vou re
a person of taste and eultivafion. To those who bv
tra.nm^- and assocation have become fastidious in sn,),
matters, notlung can .p,ite compensate for an u^lv or
vulvar environment There a,-e blunders in furniture
and interior decoration that afflic-t the educated eve
quite as painfully as a fla-ant violation of the rule« of
odour affects the sensitive olfactorv nerve. All three
are nqually serious interruptions 'to a.irreeable inter-
course and should be ,^uarded a.i^ain.t with equal c-ai-e.
The cultivation of a fine taste is an object worthy of the
be followed than a con«eientinu. study of the pn-p.-iple..
.--I»,;^.V^7^
LXXXIX
WEARINESS.
It must oft fa I ovt
That one whose labour perfects any work
Shall rise from it ivith eye so worn that he.
Of all men, least can measure the extent
Of u'hat he has accomplished.
— Robert Browning.
?]IE tnitli of the poet's words will come vividly
home to every woman who knows the meaning
of work. In the freshness of the morning, when
the sun is shining and the pride of strength and skill
is strong within us ; when we are warmed with love,
and cheere._ by the vision of success, how hopefully,
how fearlessly we undertake our daily stent of toil and
trouble, how alert are brain and hand to meet the
exigencies of the hour, however numerous or perplex-
ing ! In the evening, we say, we shall rest, looking
back Avith triumph on the difficulties vanquished, on
the fine results we shall have achieved ; a blessed
idleness, riciily earned, shall be our portion until the
dawning of another day.
Alas ! long before the setting of the sun, our strength
and spirits begin to flag, wo grow listless, and lose heart
for the tasks we engaged to accomplish. We labour
on, perhaps, but no longer with love, or pride. The
elation of the volunteer has subsided, and our progress
is that of the treadmill. When the wheel stops we
WEARINESS
223
stop, but mechanicallv ; too tiror] tn L-,,^,.
much we have achievo.l Ila X 1 7 ?' '^'" ^'"'^^
our release. Others mlV mnsl "l ,''' ^'' ""^ •'"•^^ ^'^
our labours, to ZlZJT ? ""'"'^ ^^^'^^ "^^"^^ ^^
our faithfukl: "Tu l: as^isT r",f ^P' ^ P^^^^^
our eves anrl n..^ J i^ • i " *^ ^''' allowed to shut
undS, bed "to Zf:^''' '^"^ """^^^' *« »>^ «Jone,
tI^e..HdJp^-^,^-tastret^^^
of nKr^t"ant;i'';l "'''''' '"^ l'^ ^^ ^^^ *--' ^^-T
a-day M^rld ' ^'""^'^ ^'^^ ^"'^^^^^ this work-
tiJp 'ir'*^' "'''""• Thi.s is a question which from all
time the earnest, ^reat-sonl^d wo-lc-n-- ha V-Mfn S !
consider. The work of fl.^ , i j V ' ^''^"'^^^ ^o
it alwavs ^vill be done bv tL "^ ^'i "^^'^^ ^'^^°' ««
the salt of the earth t iL tt "'''' ?^ '^'''^^^ ''^"^ ^'^
«it in iVllnJ ! ' . * *^® eumberers thereof may
TT. ^1 ^ attempt, or powerless to accomnli^li
tr;; thetrof f,'!' If"" '"^ ""'' '"'" - '»
ow„ secret thi^, ,«'""'«''« poneration, is tlieir
ever hop^l fa't,r"' "" "'^•- ""'^ *"' '<»<' <•»
to ^rltriorit''" """' ^'<'" *°°Rl' it impels thorn
4ht iSv L i'- -"f""-"™ I'd by the reward that
xc
I
SELF-LOVE.
Self-lore is not so vile a thing as self-neglect.
— Shakespeare.
[E(!LECT is one of the first symptoms of decay.
It has naturally a depreasing effect on the
beholder. A neglected garden o/ house is
always a sad spectacle. What then shall be said of a
neglected human being? In the case of a child, the
sight inspires pity for the sufferer, and indignation
against those who are responsible fur its well-being:
But when neglect becomes self-neglect, as in the case
of men and women fallen from their high estate of
beings made in the likeness of the Deity to one more
nearly resembling that of the lower animals, the only
meed they receive is contempt, sometimes aggravated
into extreme repulsion.
Self-neglect is therefore not only a crime against the
individual, but also a serious offence against society,
wliich justly condemns and ostracises those who are
found guilty of the indictment. In an enlightened age
like ours there is no excuse for an intelligent adult who
fails to bring both mind and body up to those standards
of cultivation to which the majority of educated people
conform. A man or woman is a sorry failure indeed,
who, with health and strength to draw upon, lacks the
energy and self-respect to keep him or herself in good
condition, in everv sense of the wor*!.
.SELF-LOVE .>.,-
The danger of self-nogloot increases with a^^o and
and progrcive of hircon. ^^-^o^frifs rTt^uTf
preserved a wonderfnilv ercctXure . L i ? "
clear iia . n.;,i>. J ngure, a complexion a3
v«on>«, b^Lg T /°tS V "S'.'lar and
clothes of tl,« m^.! ^onthtul octogenarian wore
ciotnes 01 the most approved cnt, and was evidentiv not
Wv cleanshaven. hL'lL'n^a^lract:-: bTrr
L dl"l i t°* ""'""^ ""^ "•'=""■>■'' Proprietv in™ I
companion, being well abreast of the times and ,lw
opinions „^rth hearing „„ „n topics of genml ;nS«^
.nnnf r? '"^ ^'^^'^' ^"^^ ^^'^^n finally, his well-
spent life came to a close, he was univer«iv anZ^i
cerely mourned as on^ who., lii,. "rnl 1 7f T
again in a generation. °"^^ ''"^ ^' ^^*'^"
')•!
c
IN TIIK I'ATHs OK I'KACK
T«) take care of one's liealtli, appearance and facnl-
ties, with a view of reachin/^ u beantifiil and honourable
old a<,'e, is an entirely praiseworthy object, and one
which shonhl never be made the subject t»f ridicuhf or
reproach. It is, of course, possibh- to overdo the thin^,
and become tiresome and fussy about one's self, but
witlioiit exceeding the bounds of good taste or infring-
ing the rights of others, it is easy enough, in a (piiet
way, to bestow a reasonable amount of care on one's
self.
1^1
rsmm
Hh.
*»>^^e^
XC'I
A FIRM FOOTHOLD.
And thereby cleared firm fooling for to-dau
Whoever clouds make darktoJJroVssln
Thou shall nol miss Ihy solitary way. '
,• — Goethe.
retrS'r' '"""V -"l"' "'>^'"' "PP-l-nsions
us, for irood or ;il io • '"*''• ♦>"atis to befall
consequences ThlT ?^i^",.*""g« the weightiest
P^ve, a step toward, an inet.irabTe b S ' TLU
IS the history which reoeate it.»lf ; "'*'"'«■ J"'*
'2'JS
IN TIIK I'ATIIS (IK I'KACK
nil gotxl gifts of (3<k1 to iimii, is the most hcuiitiful and
valuahjo.
Mvt'M if tho worst nuist ooine to pass, is thoro not all
tlu) nioro urj^ont rcaaon to fill tho intcrvcninjj; time with
all tho gladness that nin Ix! crowded into hi At least
then wlu'ii the dark eloiid lowers, thcsn? will be 8W<'et
memories to begiiile the spirit and fortify it against the
sombre inlliienee of nntoward eireumstanees. But be
these ever so unfavourable, they will not avail to crush
the spirit of one who has "cleared firm footing for to-
<lav " l»v the faithful performance of duty vesterdav.
She nujy have to travel far and painfully along a weary
roail; but she " shall not miss her solitary way."
-v;^^*^
iOm''
Xcil
•TWIXT DAWN AND DARK.
L.-fm, lo.nighl look hack across the span
JvHxt iawn and dark and (o my conscience vr/,/--
yWvc ./ son,r good act lo bcasl o'r man, ''
J he world is heller that I lived to-day:^
(-.^ , —VWa. \Vhool(T VViI<!()x.
(.i^X So,,,,., ot HU..I, apparent iimi^rnifi^an.u,, that
llioy an, „<,t ,.aMil.v .Jo.scrib,.cl i„ words. II„t
ono ^renora tern. „.ay l,, „.a.l. to covor theni all
u.-Hympa hy. Give, every other goo<l th ngto a
hu„,an bon.« „n,l take this away-he n.u.st anZvi l.o
i ve h^ H,ir 'T"'"' 7'^'^' "^"^•^^'"■"« ^''- "-.>•' «-
Few f "-T ^'^"■""' "'"^ '^'"^'•^ ^''l '^'"vy him.
nnf 1 1 ' "'^ T'' '" ^'"''' ""^1 «'>^«'', hut if wo are
not neh ,„ sympathy it is heeause wo do not cho<..so to
pa Heal ^T''? V' '7 '""^^' ^''^ ^--"*- «"'"-
in bau T T '•" '^'^"r^ ""'• ••^"««»'-the w<,nn,le,l
111. r .^ ' f«"»no-«tr.ekon, the widow and the
o 'writer " ''l.V'*«^^"«^)' f'- f "^^'Hn,. artist, nn^ielln
or writer. J ho second ia what we owe to those who
djreeUy anrronnd us, who«e claims upon us are s ron^
est, whoso need w greatest. For the first, wo have no
morit whatever. It is a simple emotion, 'not a virtue
Lteeni P™ r' T""^' ^f ''^f'^ ^ '««*^ '^"^ with self-
esteem. 1 raeti.al synipnthy, on the other hand, ia tho
\
230
IN THE PATHS OF I'EACE
greatest of all virtues. It is true charity. It enables
us to enter into the hearts of our nearest and dearest,
of those who serve us, or in any tapacity come in con-
tact with us every day ; it reveals to us their sorrows,
their deprivations, their hopes and needs, and prompts
us in the right time and place to bestow on them the
cheering word, or smile of encouragement, to champion
their cause, when others are hostile to it, to praise their
efforts when no one else observes them. This is what
helps and heartens a fellow-creature more than all the
gifts you might bestow upon him. You have not far
to look for an object for sympathy of this kind. Under
your own roof you will probably lind one. Lately, a
sweet young girl confided . to me the secret of her
unhappiness. She has a luxurious home, and no doubt
is an object of envy to many of her friends. But she
is oppressed with loneliness. Her father is immersed in
the cares of a great business. Her mother and elder
sisters are " advanced women." They belong to about
fourteen clubs," the poor child said to me pathetically,
" and they are always so busy writing lectures that they
have no time to make visits with me, or to let me enter-
tain my friends, and I am not allowed to go out alone."
So the younger daughter is left to her own devices
during many long days and evenings, craving for com-
panionship, for sympathy, while her elders occupy
themselves with the welfare of humanity at large —
they are philanthropists !
If we want to make the world better, let us at least
begin to work in the world at our elbow. If we would
do this, there would be no further need of missionaries
and philanthropists.
■{ ,
XCIIJ
GROWING IN WISDOM.
The
a
« mlw^'Ci'.W."' ''" ""' "'""• "■'■'" ""■"', .Ve»r. ;
:i'K popi.lar i.npnvssi,,,, (!,„, v,„,fl, :. ,1 ,■
'<■-,., «n.l tl,„, «.,,e„ school L'\'; '7,,'"
attract atten.iot ^-es I •?„,""' '° '•'™* »'' '"
fault, of „a„,„, ;.'■;" "nl Tfi ? ''"■■"'"' '° «""■«••'
their minds a„,l «<■ lire ,7 l„ ? '"^ '" '■"'"''■'"«
>.seful and cnterta nin?'. ''"^'.',"'P"'-fii--iall.y, certain
n.arri.Ko, how manv "!,'''"''""'"•''• '*'" "''er
e.lucatio„? W;l%V"'""!"','""=f"» "f ""■ir own
have nothing Zre tol'T"'""^' r'""'"" """ "'".^
im-h their !ar., alijfor, '„ ^ ^.f^.X a'''"^' T'T"
ments as thev har? hor.n of f . ' a^'eomplish-
h. gradual ^epr'th'rr'aeir'frneSnnhr;-""''
fene™'] inje" iCCoTo"":;; T" ^ """' "'
.n.on.he.,,fare„nheUe::drettiS^
232
IN THE PATHS OF PEACE
of parents. Later, when their children grow up and go
to sohool, ihe fathers and mothers who have failed to
keep their eyes and ears open to what was going on in
the world are likely often to be put to shame by their
inability to answer the eager questionings of their
youthful ofJspring, who, in time, are forced to consider
themselves as superiors in intelligence to their elders —
a conclusion which rapidly undermines the respect, and
even the aftection, in which, up to that time, their
parents were held.
So many and so easily accessible to all are the present
facilities for acquiring knowledge and for keeping well
abreast of the progress of the world, that no one, how-
ever poor, may be held ex^v.ised from this imperative
duty. The modern newspaper is the poor man's uni-
versity The diligent and faithful perusal of even one
good publication is a liberal education for the intelli-
gent human being deprived of other sources of infor-
mation. Then there is the actual world that surrounds
us, the beauties of nature, the wonderfiil inventions of
science, contact with our fellow-creatures, our daily
observations and experiences, from all of which we may
learn and accumulate wisdom, if we but keep our minds
in a proper state of receptivity.
A parent is dissatisfied with a child, who, in a year's
time, makes no visible progress in any direction. But
what of the parent? Has he, or she, improved or devel-
oped to a noticeable degree m the same period of time?
Why should the grown man or woman, in full posses-
sion of his or her faculties, be allowed to remain station-
ary, or perhaps to take a step backward, when the child,
but half-formed and always mon? eager for pleasure
than work, is expected to stride rapidly forward? Does
the mere fact of adolescence excuse ignorance, stupid-
ity or indolence ? Does it not rather increase the obli-
gation of the individual towards himself and towards
-*-^r
GROWING IN WISDOM
233
society to improve, to adorn the sphere in which he
man or wo^ '"" '^^ '" ^T' ^^^''' ^«^ never been a
man or woman so wise or learned that it could be said •
His or her education is finished. We must all b!rHn f^
learn something every day. It rests ^^o' rse^fes t^
determme with what degree of eamestne^ we Thdl
apply ourselves to our studies. The labour rnvolved
will be much lightened for us if we keep in mind th«
*^.^^^
XCIV
CONVICTION OR CUSTOM ?
It makes all the difference tvhelhcr we pui-ftuc a
certain course, because we judge it right ; or judge
it to be right because we pursue it.
— Archbishop Whately.
JLF, for a single day, every individual person in the
[ world would live strictly up to his or her idead
of right and justice, society would be revolu-
tionized.
The most upright and fair-minded among us arc
governed to a certain extent by influences which are
entirely independent of our convictions, and even some-
times antagonistic to them. We obey custom, we yield
to prejudices of race and creed and class. We humour
those we love, and fear, or whose favour and esteem
we are anxious to secure.
The man or woman who walks straightly and securely
in the path of righteousness, unmoved by any consid-
eration of gain or policy is indeed difficult to find.
Since this charge can be refuted by none, it is not easy
to defend the very common practice of trying to impose
on others opinions and standards which have a purely
selfish origin. The rule of life that appears to me satis-
factory cannot possibly be adjusted exactly to the needs
and aspirations of my neighbour. My conscience,
trained along certain lines with which he is utterly
unfamiliar, advises or perjnits me to follow a course
CONVICTION OR CUSTOM ? oyr
whieli to him appears to make for error and iniustice
meut to err, and tlie diffip,.I« J i • • '"*'' J"'^^'
"° ^-ncdo wth our own, especially when wrhavo
not l,eo„ able to determine " „l' etl>er-we pur^ra 'e7
1 . pursue It, or because our fnmilv tu^
pursued It. A little wholesome suspicion of one's own
. hon^y to speak will effectively check the mis^W^
the HW?e7„r '".'"""''k ™"""°"' '" !"«=■<"" "th
me iiDerties of one's neighbour.
rf
^^^^^^
w
I
xcv
SUCCESS AND FAILURE.
Not failure, hut loiv aim, is crime.
— Selected.
UCCESS in life, to the majority of human beings,
has but one meaning, namely, the acquisition
of wealth. This idea has come to be so com-
monly accepted, that few, in our day, have either the
wit or the courage to dispute it. The one great aim
of all is to become rich, and to this they ruthlessly
sacrifice any others, however desirable, which may
stand between them and the cherished goal. Health,
youth, friendship, family joys, even honour and reputa-
tion, in some instances, are held to be trifling considera-
tions weighed against the chances of a short and success-
ful race for wealth. Often, when it is too late, do men
discover the extent and irretrievableness of the error
into which they have fallen. The treasure for which
they have laboured so unceasingly, perhaps unscrupul-
ously, is found to be of no value comp tied with those
that have been bartered for it.
The richest old man in the world is poorer than the
poorest young one, and would be glad to change places
^ with the latter if the possibility were within his reach.
Money cannot purchase health, or youth, with its enthus-
iasm and almost endless capacity for enjoyment. With
years comes inevitably a diminished interest in the uses
to which money can be put, and the question ^^Cxii
SUCCESS AND FAILLHK
237
hono? 18 the one which confronts and humihates the
possessor. More than one famous millionaire has had
bitter moments of illumination in which his real self
was revealed to him with startling distinctne:^ as a
meJanchol.y failure.
The truly successful man is he whose hands are the
cleanest, whose record of usefulness to others is the
ongest, and whose mental and moral powers have been
the most highly developed. It is he who has enjoved
his life to the utmost, in a sense that places him bevond
reproach. Success, viewed from this standpoint, is
withm the reach of all. In no sphere of life, however
narrow, is a man or woman debarred from reaching out
towards the higher life in which alone, the pure heart
the aspiring mind, is content to dwell. Outward
circumstances are no cause of reproach to those who are
shut oif from the greater comforts and amenities of
iilo ; It IS the bareness and barrenness of the soul that
disgrace the human individual. One mav live in a hut
and yet be the peer of a prince or a poet. One mav
live m a palace, and be fit onlv for the society of the
stable or the pot-house. Failure is therefore a' relative
term to be applied with discrimination. So is crime.
Ihe fact that the one is often mistaken for the other
merely proves the shortsightedness of men. To succeed
ma low aim is an entirely discreditable achievement,
whereas to fail in a high one detracts nothing from the
honour of a man, but often leaves the impress of a
greater nobility on his character.
*^.^*^ev*
1
XCVI
THE PHILOSOPHIC SPIRIT.
To rule onr\s antjcr it* weU ; to prevent it Is hdtcr.
— Edwards.
JHE most childish of all defects is ill-temper. It
■^ is a fault }>eculiar to the undeveloped intellig-
ence. Many persons grow to manhood and
womanhood physically, while mentally remaining mere
children. Their reasoning facultios lie forever in abey-
ance. To attain the most serious ends of life they have
recourse to the tactics and tantrums of the nursery.
Give them what they want, they are pleased and quiet.
Deny them anything, circumvent, or disappoint them
i I the least or the greatest matter, and they fly into a
rage. The thought of the unpleasant effects on others
of this favourite proceeding never deters them. Even
their vanity is not disturbed by the reflection that they
are making themselves ridiculous;, that, while perhaps
outwardly appearing to be awed or subdued by their
display of temper, those on whom it is vented, or who
are simply witnesses of the scene, are secretly laughing
at and despising them. Nor do they ever suspect from
how much pleasant participation in the affairs of others
they shut themselves out by the indulgence of an irrit-
able disposition.
Some persons say they cannot help being angry.
This is the common excuse — which is no excuse at all
— given by every class of sinners when exhorted to for-
TIIK I'llU.osoi'lIlc si'iuiT
239
mip urinkmg , the profane ono "cannot liein » hi.
irrevercno., and so o... Others again by d^nt .?
earnest and persistent ertWt. at self^nt 'ol Jucc ed fn
obtannng a partial or complete n.a.tery of their temper"
^ tha few .suspect the turmoil excited in tl^^ir S
by untoward happenings. This, however ^ not a r^al
liioral victory, since the tem,)er is still ther^- a, d onTv
m outward signs are supprcLed. The act^l t^ph
of reason over passion come, only when ca2 of
trrST T" '%' r'' '^^'^^"'^ viewed rthdr
TvLS'of ni-l" r'^, ^""'''^^'^ ^"^ '^^y' 'o attain
"hatrbvlv^ f .r"7' '"'•'"'*^ which 'cannot be
frictns of Zv r ' '?^"'"'^' contradictions, losses or
ir ctions of dady hie. An impartial analysis of a situa-
tion, a frank recognition of the inevitable oi a slvinir
nLri «li ■'' '"'"P^" "'"^ difficulties of others
nearly always excite smiles or laughter, while onJs
own merely provoke one to ill-temper? Is'it not merely
hat one's sense of humour is outweighed by h^Sr^
ona discomfort or annoyance consequent J aVovZ'n
aocident or emergency? teriain
This need not be if a childish regard for one's own
t?lr roreT^'-V'i 'T '''''' ^' -^eXrvS
Tu the more dignified determination to take thimrs
coolly, quietly and with the certain knowledge that an^
teinporai,^ loss or inconvenience will be f frg^n in
The physical eflfects of anger constantly indulged are
llrTct^cT''"""^^ '^^" ''' "'^^'^^ -- Sa.s '?Po;u!
"Every time a man becomes 'White' or rA,l »!»i. , .
danger of his life. The heart and l.Tiin „r« « *^ ""^^ *'^" '" '"
when fitH of passion are in, ^ Jed in Not on v'.W^""' "'""" "^''''^
paralysis of the «man h!o«d vessel ,„f °* ^'^ J' ^<>«« an^er can., nartial
termittent; that is, every noJand then it .To "^"k '^''''° ^*^*"""'' «"•
thing as is e^perie^ced^yex^e^ste smoke?:"'''' " """'' '""^'^ '""^ «««»•
4
240
IN THE PATHS OP PEACE
There is every good reason, then, for controlling a
disposition to irritability. Controlling it does not
suffice. The complete cure is effected only by acquiring
a modicum of philosophy which enables one to perceive
the relation of causes and effects, and which hinders
one from over-valuing the trifling and transient things
of life, while attaching little or no value to what alone
is precious and worth seeking from afar.
^v^^^irx'
XCVII
r ,
OUR DESEriT?.
We may be pretty certain iJuit »■ /v <. ivh<nn the
world tnats til deserve ent'^pi - rnab- •/ c ^V get
The world is a looking glo .'anr ,ru. \> ' h every
man the reflection of his t w fn. > .„. ^ at d and
/•./'?. '"'"'* '*'''*' *''"^'2, 0' ,,. , l,unh at it
and mth tt and it is a jolly, kmd o^n n^n, . • and so
let all young persons take their choi,
— Vanity Fair.
;HE majority of us find an extraordinary degree of
satisfaction in fastening the blame for our mis-
♦;, * *v.- !1^^/''. '*^^"- ^^® ««l^on^ stop to think
that this attitude is childish and undignified. It is of
course, equivalent to a confession of weakness, or utter
incapacity. If we cannot direct our o^vn affairs succe.s-
luilj, If we have not suflicient intelligence and fore-
sight to steer clear of the diflSculties that beset our path,
If we lack the firmness and tact necessary to keep
intruders out of our way while we attend to our affairs,
then indeed, we are but sorrily equipped for the battle
of life, and it is high time we bestirred ourselves to
effect the necessary improvement in our character and
disposition. Nothing is more fatal to independent and
effective action than the habit of leaning on and look-
ing to others for assistance and support in the trials of
Me We must learn to stand on our own feet, to accept
with equanimity the consequences of our own actioi .,
242
IN THE PATHS OF PEACE
and to govern our lives without reference to the suc-
cesses or failures of those who may be more or less for-
tunate than we. There are persons who court poverty
by extravagance or wastefulness, who invite rebuffs by
their presumption, who earn contempt by their selfish-
ness, or inspire repu^, '^.ance by slovenly habits. But
while thus deliberately violating accepted canons of
taste and prin3iples of right living, they openly resent
the infliction of the punishment that suits their crime.
They demand, as a right, that the world shall treat them
with the same distinction accorded to the prudent, the
modest, the generous and the conscientious man or
woman, whom none can fail to admire and love.
There are always good grounds for suspicion regard-
ing the alleged grievances of the person who calls him
or herself misunderstood. A really loveable man or
woman is always beloved. A tiresome, exacting, dis-
agreeable one is disliked and avoided. So when we
meet with rebuffs, coldness, neglect or asperity on the
part of others, let us not be in haste to charge them
with ingratitude, unkindness or severity. Let us, first,
hold up the looking-giass to ourselves and ascertain
wherein we have displeased. Be sure, if wc look well
enough, we shall not fail to find that what we have had
to endiire has justly been merited by our own offences
or ."liortvjomings.
^^?^^'
.m^r^^mi^'^^^^^r^m ^1^
XCVllI
SERVING ONE MASTER.
— Selected.
«, however, „„,cl, dimi„i,l„.,l l,v the di^ovTrv ! in
mS t h r"'"' '''""''l"". -nd •■"f"«.' to bo
a" S-' i"J',:""lfiT'^ -.--iWli-y. T Jt "L«"L
a virtiit in unsolfiglmcas no one will .lenv. but tbnf if
perionn. To attempt tiisks bevond your atren^h or
^t nV«-/n- 1 "" ''^"'^'"^ task-master. It docs
not please n.m to see .vou toiling ineeasantly and to the
point of ntter exhaustion. You are doing more th a
i$n
244
IN THE PATHS OF PEACE
He wants you to do when you refrain from taking
needed rest and recreation. He has placed you in a
beautiful world that you may enjoy it. He has
ordained that you shall work, but He has placed the
seal of dignity upon labour. If you permit it to degen-
erate into slavery and degradation, it is because you are
straining after a false ideal, because you are consumed
by a misplaced ambition. Do we not see mothers on all
sides of us wearing themselves out in pitiably futile
efforts to compete with others more highly favoured
by circumstances? Does God want them to do that?
Think how many useless burdens would slip from
wearied shoulders if that single question were asked
of one's self over and over through the day, " Does God
want me to do it?" instead of , " What will the neigh-
bours think?" which is the criterion the average woman
seems feverishly anxioiis to live by.
Let us not complain too bitterly therefore when we
are weary and heavy-laden. We know the gracious
invitation, " Come to Me .... and I will refresh you."
It is our own fault if we do not lay down our burdens
at the feet of the Master, and pursue our way with a
lightened heart, freed from the distracting problems
that confront all who substitute worldly ambition for
the pure and earnest desire of serving one Master and
Him alone.
If we are satisfied to do what He wants us to do we
shall find strength enough for the divinely imposed
tasks. But if we persist in struggling to serve other
masters as well, let us be careful not to add to the
offence of a divided allegiance the still greater one of
blaming our Maker for misfortunes of our own deliber-
ate creation.
XCIX
THE UNREFORMED REFORMER.
We have no gratitude for those reformers who would
twn tC "^ " ^'^'T "''"■^^ ^«* ^'^ sweetened Zfr
w. ji,. Chaumng.
JO say we have no gratitude for those who would
like to reform us before reforming themselves
expresses very mildly the feeling excited n the
rJwd ^'^-^^--^ by the kind ^of int^^^rente
referred to. An uncommon amount of patience is
required to enable one to put up with the too ob^oi^
own moral deficiencies persistently loom large before
our eyes We are, perhaps, restrained by aVbIt of
cmhty from reminding the would-be reformer of his
ZolZ A T'^"'^"' *"^' '' '^ b«''« ^hat he envoys a
decided advantage over us. He has none of the delicate
of others. He is possessed with the idea that to be
virtuous means to keep a strict watch on his fellow-
creatures, and to let them know that his eye is on them
•''J.""'"^u'^''"^ "P ^b"P'-^ ^^he^e^er they sa^ or d"
anything that excites his disapproval. Xeedless to say
he (sometimes he is a she) is the most unpopular person
in an3, commumty and the least likely of all to accom-
plish any good work in the world.
The most effectual rebuke that can be administered
240
IN TIIK TATIIS OK I'KACK
to a .sinner is the " white flower of a blameless lite,"
growing daily in beauty under bis eyes. With this
before him, there will be no need to admonish or
reprove him. Actions sj^Mik IoikUt than words, and
are longer riineml>ered.
A liiunan life, goo<l or bad, is so nianv-sided, thut it
is not for the wisest of us to judge of the whole from one
or more of the facets turned towards us. A hypocrite
often passes for a sair nd goml men who have never
done a wrong or meai» action arc often scored as tin-
worst of sinners for failing to conform to some little
village standard of morality. A devout person fetls
troubled about another who h;is loss fre<]ueiit recourse
to prayer, yet it may well be that the latter leads the
larger, nobler life of the two. 1'here are women who
would not mish a singh* church service, week-day or
Sunday, yet who are known to be morbidly inciuisitive,
idle, greedy, given to gt)S8ip, worldlincss, and other
weaknesses of the Hesh. Those who have not the tem-
perament to enjoy or profit by conventional forms of
worship, may have a deeper sense of reverence for holy
things, and pursue ;i loftier ideal with far greater
earnestness.
But bounded as we all are by limitations that arc
onl}^ too obvious to the least observing, we should not
dare to assume the censorship of another's life. To
speak in the plainest terms, it is not our business to
improve our neighbours, but ourselves. Good sense,
good manners, and true charity should all combine to
restrain us from assuming a prerogative which belongs
to the Creator alone.
c
THE DIGNITY OP LABOUR.
Who sweeps a room as for Thy laws
Makes that and the action fine.
—George Herbert.
.0 bo able to dicmify and even ennoble the com
monest tasks by dedicafin.^ tl.„ * !. .
ni fi.„ Tir /' ^^"'^»""Pr them to the service
ChH.i.1 wo ,a,ru\'ier„:l£T'- °' "^^
n, cooking, washing dish« and floors, sweepinr d ist
spmtual v,d„e of over^ task faithfully aocompShS
.nd .h>s ^vos then, inrinciUe patieni to Tilt the
248
IN THK PATHS OF PEACE
constant demands on their time and strength. Yet they
cannot be called drudges or menials, because they are at
all times neat and dignified in appearance, and are
treated with kindness and respect by their superiors,
who call them " sisters," and see that, however onerous
their tasks, a certain part of their busiest days is allotted
to prayer and recreation.
What a contrast to their peaceful and happy livet,
are those of many housekeepers, who grumble at the
least as well as the greatest task imposed on them, who
for want of system, are always behindhand with their
work, and, therefore, unable to take needed rest and
recreation, who make their occupations an excuse for
personal neglect and untidiness, and who deeply resent
the immunity enjoyed by others from the cares that
press 1 their shoulders.
It if= possible to make all our actions fine if only we
have ifficient r^pect for ourselves and for the One we
serve Common work may degrade common people,
but a voman of native refinement, instea'l of being a
sla 'e to circumstances, rises superior t«' them, and
leaves ^^o stamp of taste and individual charm on
everytli • touched by her hands.
^^^^ft^iS'
CI
MEA CULPA.
JJjp ^T'"' ? ^''^ "^ f''^ carelessly, you do not
•xpect Providence to make it palatable.
— John Ru&kin.
■^ "r^"'* T °^'"'^ ^"^^°g °^ blasphemy
when we dare to attribute to the will of ¥vo-
vidence, results that have been brought about
Sr^ to"' '"" ^^"^^""^^ «^ deliberatf wrong*
doing. Women are mveterate sinners in this respect
quences of their mistakes. It is a purely feminine
prerogative to wring one's hands in presence^ of a cZ-
t?tlrnlaee""hT '^" ^^' ^^^ ^^^ -^VtC
to take place, whde a moment's reflection would suffice
to trace the seeming "accident" to grave n^gligrce
being. The mtervention of Providence, under the cir-
cumstances, would be equivalent to an iivitetlon to L
f^'lalti^?"' ^\T^r^- ^-° the ml dt'
ful penalties incurred by human rashness and incom-
petence do not always suffice to compel prudenceTd
fore bought. What then would be^theTmTt of our
recklessness if Providence stood ever beside us for the
pun>ose of saving us from its consequences ? '
failure loss and disaster, viewed logically, are in
reality valuable lessons permitted by Providence o
teach us humility, discretion, patience^ and [he proper
260
IN THE PATHS OF PEACE
exercise of our reasoning and administrative faculties.
We need just such rebukes to check our overweening
self-confidence and complacency. Our helplessness in
the face of a great catastrophe or irretrievable loss
reveals to us with startling clearness the limitations of
human power, and the urgent necessity of bringing all
the intelligence and conscience we are endowed with to
bear on the work we have in hand.
It is only when we have exhausted all the legitimate
means of helping ourselves at our disposal, that we are
entitled to look to Providence for a gracious intervention
in our behalf. It would be the highest presumption to
assume that the Creator should do the work assigned to
us, be it easy or difficult. ^Neither in the preparation of
a dish nor in the management of the affairs of a nation
have we any right to expect a manifestation of Divine
favour. When we have been furnished with the means
and the strength to accomplish our appointed tasks, the
part of Providence has been fully and perfectly per-
formed. It remains for us to do the rest.
There is such a thing as being ungenerous in our
relations towards God To avoid such an ungrateful
attitude we have but to refrain from shirking the blame
incurred by our own misdoing and throwing it on
Providence Let us have the honesty to own ourselves
at fault and to recognize the fact that Divine justice
is unalterable and unassailable
*^.^^^tV
CII
THE WEAK MIND.
be llTJf^^' v"'' "'' ^»<^icative of a weak mind, to
be sxlent when tt rs proper to speak, and to apeak when
ttjs proper to he silent. ^
JHK proper exercise and government of the rift of
speech 13 an art susceptible of a high deirree of
DPrsnn-'l r*'"""- T ^^ ", ""' *^^ '"^^^ ^^ ^^e highest
peraonal charm. It is, besides, the readiest and most
effective instrument for promoting good feeHng, and
diffusing happiness wherever its influence is felt. \me
pem>ns, like Tainmas Mitchell, of Drumtochty, labour
under a perpetual disability of speech, and when forced
by some dire emergency to give utterance to a mono-
syllable or two, convey the impression of being thor-
ougHy frightene<l at the sound of their own ^voices
]U^Ty.\^'''' ^''^T *''^-^' ^^^ ^ 8peak,--like the
ittle babbling brook-- go on for ever," so that peace-
loving mortals who are not indifferent to the value of
silence and repose at reasonable intervals, flee away in
iity and taciturnity, which are the Scylla and Charybdis
of oouversatiou, flows the silver stream of tactful
Ssilence '' '"'"'"'^' ^^ '^'' ^^'^^^ ^'"'^ '^ ^^
Fluency and versatility in conversation are not com-
mon, even where a certain degree of culture has been
attained ; yet one may entirely lack education and stiU
262
IN THE PATHS OF PEACE
be a most interesting and agreeable speaker. To this
end, it is only necessary to speak with conviction of the
things whereof one knows, leaving carefully untouched
those subjects which are beyond one's ken, To confess
ignorance of a subject introduced in conversation is a
proof of honesty and courage, but to plunge into a dis-
cussion for which one is disqualified, by previous educa-
tion and training, affecting a knowledge one has never
acquired, is to convict one's self of shallowness and
deceit.
" Conversation," says Anne Jameson, " may be com-
pared to a lyre with seven chords — philosophy, art,
poetry, politics, love, scandal, and the weather. There
are some professors, who, like Paganini, ' can discourse
most eloquent music,' upon one string only ; and some
who can grasp the whole instrument, and with a
master's hand sound it from the top to the bottom of its
compass."
Without aspiring to achieve distinction of this kind,
the average mortal may be content with acquiring a
certain ease in his ordinary conversational intercourse
with his fellows. Bo not be niggardly of speech. Say
as many pleasant words as you can in the day In many
families, words are spared to such an extent that con-
versation is never indulged in, except when strictly
necessary. The friendly morning salutation is omitted,
and breakfast proceeds in silence. If an announce-
ment of general interest is made, it is received with
grunts of approval or disapproval, but elicits no com-
ment. The varioi " tJembers disperse to attend to their
daily tasks withou; anging a word with one another.
How different frt j; ,ui8 gloomy silence and unsociable-
ness is the atmosphere of the home where pleasant
speech circulates freely, and where a nod, or a grunt,
is never permitted to do duty for a polite request or
expression of thanks I It is surprising how much good
THE WKAK MIND
253
feeling ig promoted in families by the free use of juit
the ordinary courteous phrases prescribed by politeness.
As regards intercourse with strangers, a kind, unsel-
fish interest in them and a desire to please, will greatly
facilitate pleasant conversation. Most persons are
responsive to a little sympathy, when it does not take
the form of impertinent curiosity. On the other hand,
discretion bids us be silent when a companion is
plainly disinclined for speech, or disposed to be argu-
mentative, sarcastic, or domineering. One must not
talk much in the presence of one's elders or superiors,
nor in a sick room, nor in the presence of great sorrow.
With a little reflection, it is easy to determine when to
speak and when to be silent, so as to avoid those mis-
takes of tact and judgment which, according to the
Persian sage, are indicative of a wedc mind.
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THE DIGNITY OF FOOD.
There is nothing better for a man than that he should
eat and drink. — Ecclesiastes ii., 24.
ISTORY repeats itself. " The woman gave me
and I did eat," was Adam's explanation of his
first sin. How many times since the fall might
not the same words have been used to palliate various
transgressions of the sons of men !
Philosophers and moralists have not hesitated to trace
an incalculable amount of the misery and wickedness
that darken the earth to the imperfect digestion, or
empty stomachs, of their perpetrators. A man is what
he eats, and in the majority of cases, he eats what some
woman gives him. Great, therefore, is the responsi-
bility that rests on the provider of meals, and strictly
shoidd she examine her conscience from time to time on
the subject of the dishes she prepares for the delectation
of her lord and master.
No woman should be allowed to marry who does not
understand the properties of different kinds of food,
and hov/ best to preserve them in the ordinary culinary
processes. Whether she expects to have many servants
or not, it is a shame to her if she cannot, in an emerg-
ency, take possession of her own kitchen, and prepare
such appetizing aad nourishing dishes for her husband
as shall make him rise up and call her blessed.
THE DIGNITY OF FOOD
255
iJ^' ^i'^^"f°*^7 ^^PPe^. a girl is promoted to wife-
Wd without having received any previous traininrTn
domestic science, it is her solemn duty tnpply Self
mmedia ely and earnestly to the tas/of niSnrthe
secrets of good cookery. She is not a wife in the true
Unfortunately, many women have such a depraved
sen.e of taste that they are themselves unable to dTcIm
between well and ill-cooked food
wonderf^rL"'"^'' T^ '^^PP^ vegetables, fearful and
wonderful soups and gravies, messy puddings and sod
den cake, boiled tea and half-baked bread afe some of
the delicacies regularly found upon their tables Even
TthesSrf """" '' ^''''^^ and tot 'appeal
m the strangest guise, generally burnt or cold, or both
The unhappy man who is expected to thrive on such a
diet grumbles, perhaps until he is weary of it but
finally resigns himself to the inevitable, with ^he
irneHr ^i>t:^twi tV"^^^^ "^'-^ -^
and he does eat! ' *^' """"^^ ^^'' ^^'
But every man is not in such evil case. The good
wife IS not rare who makes it a point of honour to place
on her table only the soundest and most carefully pre-
pared food. She knows how to keep the ju'ces in^e
m all, until the moment of serving. Her gravies and
the palate. She believes in an honest pudding of good
r^tW S H •' ' V "^'e *l!^^^ ''' ^''^^^' do- without
rather than dignify with that name a wishy-washy com-
crusf H?;. ) I ' %^^'^ol-<^"^e prejudice against pie
crust that IS fork-proof, and cake that is sodden, and tea
256
IN THE PATHS OF PEACE
of an hour's standing. In short, she knows that it is
good not only for man, but equally for woman, to eat
and drink only what is pleasant and wholesome, and,
acting on that convic an, she makes the providing of
meals the most serious business of life. Does it con-
sume all her time and energies? By no means. Good
judgment and system aiding, the task appears more and
more simple as experience grows, and ultimately it
becomes almost impossible for her to make mistakes.
She has leisure for lighter and more congenial labours,
and is never grudged the pleasures they yield her. Her
reward is in the health and contentment of her husband,
and the beauty of her children, as well as in the love
and pride with which they regard her.
It is in the power of almost every woman to achieve
this kind of success and popularity. That there should
be any without the ambition to secure it is a mystery
inexplicable save on the grounds of defective
intelligence.
CIV
INNOCENCE.
Know thou nothing that is base.
— Owen Meredith.
" ^ esTtTthl^^^^^-*^' '°" ^^^^^ ^""g« "« near-
est to the angels is innocence. A soul that has
«nn,.t>,-"'^'' ^-".^ '"^^'^ ^y *^« knowledge of e^li^
ST ^^^"^«^*«I^ l>eamiful to contemplate To
^d such an one, outside the ranks of childhood is a
but ST;- ^""^ '' °^^' ^°* ^^' ^ mothers would
but guard the precious innocence of their daughters
more jealously training them to close eve^ avenue o1
o hLTsf rf '" '^"°^* *^^ ^-^^^«"« poi^n that ;ry
apparently the most harmless. A girl also mt, Ac.
?'„^,^- "'^ »=?"«« of pride to her that she knows
STevfr „a!^f °'"™' 't" ""'^' P°'»' "tt™=«o^ *«
cm ever make her own. Bnt it is of all her treaai,rp«
t\TL^^:' -' ''- -'^ -^ whicCon^rt:
m,y^^'''*"f ^*^^^' ^"^ ^^ ^ ^^*^1 attraction for young
mmds and as it is impossible to screen it, in dHtf
manifold aspects, from their observation the task of
preserving the innocence of children be omes one ^
well-mgh msuperable difficulty. The most Dowerf^
counter-agent of unfavourable WencesTa moThS^s
2r.8
IN TIIK I'ATIIS OF TKACK
r.
love ami syminitliy. Constant vigilnnco I'casos Ut Im< a
nooo8sitv when thorc exists botwcon parent and cliild
that sweet and perfeet intiniaey which eonies of nintual
love nn«l trnst. I'ndne severity cheeks the confidenco
a child wonid like t<i repose in lier mother, and the
doubts and perplexities which have been awakened in
her mind by some s])e(>ch or action snijixestive of evil,
instead of beinj; explained and banished by discreet
coiuisel and pni<lance, stick jiertinacionsly in her
thoughts, to her ultinuite injury. A careful mother
will read in her child's face what is passing in her heart,
and at the first intimation of danger to perfect inno-
cence will take loving means to eflface any injurious
impressions received, and will endeavour to substitute
for them an increased interest in what is pure and
beautiful.
Teach a growing girl to love useful occupation,
healthy pastimes, goo<l books, flowers, trees, birds,
unisic, fill her with a desire to make other lives happy
and beautiful, and she will find so much fo interest her
mind and employ her energies, that she will be in little
if any danger of coming under evil intluences.
^^^^^i^
("V
HEROISM IN SMALL THINGS.
uiey rosl /nr more, blond and arjornj.
— I'll il lips iJrooks.
JIIK horo of a laiiHln.l IniitU-H whon., bravory in tli..
hour of dan«_er is HtU.stc,.! |.y „« umny Hears fro,,;
noH8 It condemned to (.ndure tl„, ,s,i,„o numUr
bardMh.ps ,H hk.ly to be the b-ant tolerant of small Zo.
J he aamc ,s not untn.o of our sox, but illustrations a7o
W frec,ucnt, n.ncc t in our usual Jot to be exposed orl
to he p,n-pr,ek.s, while duly safe-guarded a Jinst swo d
and cannon-ball. .N<, gl.ry attaches to tt7L7Zd
conquests of s.-lf made every day by the wf^l and
mother intent on the fulfilment o^f her "to hor
suffer ,n silence, knowing that only by a lapse from
duty on her part are others brought to realise the great^
ne^ of the demands made daily upon her time, strer gt.
and patience. It would not become her to spek of he
ever-recurnng trials and difficulties, she wo, Id, at best
wTff rt"' r. "'''^''•'"' ''^^""^ -^ -^ the' fruit of
for hp^ft" K r'/ 7''"^'' •^"^""'•- ^«<^hing remains
the rill 7 . '" ^'r "P ^'' "^•^^ «-i ^P'nts to
the point of heroic endurance in little thinL.s. tnistina
that one day the grand aggregate of all her efforts will
:'C0
IN TIIK PATHS »)F PKACK
I
be roproscntcd by a woll-rounded life, free from hatint-
inp doubts or bitter sclf-accusings.
This is real heroism in woman, more real than that
which sends the trained nurso to the battUifield or the
missionary to the land of the unfriendly heathen.
Indeed, without seeking to detract from the merits of
such as undertake these dangerous offices, it is not un-
fair to say, that often the exciting prospect of change,
travel, and adventure, is so much more attractive to a
restless woman than the alternative of staying at homo
under distasteful conditions, that her choice of the first
is less a prix)f of devotion or heroism than the selfish
jidoption of a desperate measure to retlecra a life unen-
durably circumscribed by thq common-place. The world
calls her a heroine, but the verdict finds no echo in her
own heart, for often, in the midst of her most brilliant
successes, the still small voice of conscience upbraids
her as a deserter, from the real post of duty. The
blame, however, is not wholly on such as are goaded by
intolerable conditions of life ai, home to seek new and
broader fields for their energies and enthusiasms.
Family life is often a species of purgatory for sensitive
women. They crave the light and warmth of love and
appreciation, but look for it vainly in a home where,
through the selfishness and tyranny of a parent or other
relative, all the sweet amenities of life are rudely
ignored. It is hard for anyone to stand alone in this
world. The forces that govern our separate lives are so
inextricablv intertwined, that to each of us falls a cer-
tain share of responsibility for the happiness of all. It
may not be in our power to avert great misfortunes that
Threaten our near and dear ones, but from the little
cares that eat the heart out we may lovingly shield
them in many a da k and crucial hour. How eagerly
we nish to the rescue of one who is physically hurtl
Shall we be less tender to those who are crushed in
lIKROrHM IN HMAM, TriINfJH
261
ooopor than a kinfo, and draws more h\nn,\ T, . • i
;..p wound, uuo t.,„»„, „„a .ii„yT.r«u^ ;,.„[' ;;::
^^.^^-^e-x-
!l
cvi
i
li
f
SORROW'S SWEET USES.
We cannol understand what we li'irii never experi-
enced; ti'c need pain, were it only to leyich us sympathy.
— L E. L.
JT^ ET a woman possess ovfry other gruee and virtue
^^^ she is capable of acquiring, but lack sympathy,
and she will never know the true meaning of
friendship. That subtle power which enables one to
enter into the soul of another, divining its most secret
sorrows and conflicts, belongs only to those Avho have
been tried in the furnace of affliction, and who have
con ! forth chastened, purified, with clearer vision,
larger patience, and a more tender charity for all
fellow-sufferers.
This is one of the sweetest uses of sorrow, that it
joins in one great brotherhood all the hearts that have
ever been buried beneath its weight. In the first dark
hour one does not realize this truth, nor appreciate its
beauty and value. But with the healing influences of
time comes the enlarged perception which lends to life
an entirely new aspect, and to our relations with others
a kind of intimacy which would have been impossible
before.
The veil of selfishness, of indifference, has been
removed from our eyes. We see our own affairs in
their true proportion to the affairs of others. Many
matters, which had formerly seemed to us of transcend-
ent interest and importance, now shrink into their real
insignificance, and we marvel at the childishness
which made us expend time and enthusiasm on them.
Now that the iron has entered into our soul, we are no
Nouifow's .s\vki:t iscs
::h:;
po\v«r
tlioughts of «|.|f u-,. I. .. ""« 'tVSH occiipu.,1 with
to look all ;: J r;,;: T ^"^.•"■'" ""-^ ^'•'-•••""'y
side Hour fi. , •^"'^'^"w ot flio world on cvrrv
"et; „ ,i /pi .,'■;;;" "" "•"■ '-t'.""' "■'"' "-•■■ -i--
trouWc. ' wTi, I ,! 'l "';';r''™' ""■"'""<y fro,,,
When other Jhomtrj'"'^''''''^-" ^"'"P^''*^-
«t life u„,„„XdX ;.fn '" """ ''^ '" ""^ '""8-
fruit of sympathy. -'^"'^ ^«.S bear golden
18
evil
THE TWO CLASSES OF HUMANITY.
The human race is div'uh'd info tiro claam's, those
who go ahead and do something, and those who sit and
inquire. " Why wasn't it done the other way f*
— Oliver Wendell Holmes.
i
j^J^lTH a glib tongue and a drop or two of envy,
malice or iincharitableness, any woman who
has a mind to, may, with very litle practice,
become an expert fault-finder. The recipe is so simple,
and the ingredients so common, that it is less a matter
for wonder than regret, that the number who choose to
place themselves under this category, so greatly exceed
that of their more progressive and practical sisters,
" who go ahead and do something."
These latter may not be unqualified successes in the
various lines of work they have taken up, nor can it be
pretended that thc'r are wholly free from the unami-
able weakness which makes the self -constituted critic
(of every one but lierself) such a delightful person to
get away from, but the mere fact of being intent on the
performance of their chosen task, however humble,
removes from them both the opportunity and the
temptation \o " sit and inquire " v/hy their neighbours
do not do their work another way.
One would think that a sense of pride and dignity
would preserve women from betraying too curious an
interest in the affairs of others, in no wav related to
THE TWO rr.ASSE« Of IIIMANITV 26J
rS tZ t :f """"..^ »l'.-»"''.v, tl,„ tl,ci.. own
it develop" info ? *'"f,.'"'^^^"«3^ '^ «''ecked in time,
/ t^i(t.>, btji i.s shut out from the confidence fri..,,,!
ship and even society, of all the best peop e h;'kno
and once having: incurred the penaltv of t?l ^ i'
Seit?, tl"'° ^^^^'^^' "-'''"^ °* '^^^"'"t
nnaers will have no power to diaturb our sorenitv
Wo cannot .To.d making mistakes, but when we S
e^^ bnti "'.r'-T"^ *^ ''^"« spectators of ^u'
t^A ' J ! , * ™'*'"" '""J «Perience of our master.
^^^^^S^
'■ - W ■ .:
CVIII
THE LIMIT OF ASPIRATION.
A friend ichose friend t<^'ip bids us cume up kUjher ;
A wife who wears Iter wifehood as a cvoivn ;
A mother whose home love no cares can down ;
To v:hat more coidd one himan life asinre !
— Selected.
J HERE is something pathetic in the blindness
which hinders most of us from seeing the
beaiitiful possibilities of happiness and praise-
worthy achievement that lie just within our reach.
The trouble is, they are too near us. It is only when
we are transplanted from our ordinary daily environ-
ment into one wholly different that we realize the value
of the opportunities we have lost. In perspective their
full dimensions stand revealed. Yet we used to feel
impatient when others tried to remind us of the high
prerogatives and sweet privileges attached to the state
that we despised and barely endured. We used to
think, " What can they know about it ; they see only
from the outside." Ah, but this critical survey from
without, is exactly what is needed to help us to a just
perception of things. Have you ever tried to look at
your own life from the point of view of an unprejudiced
spectator — one who would be strictly impartial in his
judgments and logical in all his inferences ? Or sup-
pose that a novelist was asked to depict your character
with absolute fidelity to life. Suppose that all your
THE LIMIT OF ASWIiATIOX 0157
oonTersation was to be printed and made Dublie ■ tl,„,
the changes of e.,pre.»ion in yonr face, and' the vary' "
for all that is good in jour life. <t"Kiuiness
According to some theologians it is a n«rt «^ *».
kind of earthly happiness, as thereby we learn to W
cwS t ^'r'^- ^"* ^^ -- tot?a*higre?
.nTT ^ '^^"^ ^ generous appreciation of the
good things we are permitted to enjoy in this Hfe I
confess I have never bppn nWo t« -f / ,
for the wiff ^r 1 ^"^ ^^^^ "^"^^ s:^rapatliv
Wi ! • , '^^'''^ ^^^^:^ tenderness towards her
husband IS replaced, in less than a year perhaps by fho
habit of ceaseless nagging ; nor for the young mother
acnuisitinn n^ f l,^ ''^'''^''"' "''^^ ^''^^ «"dden
aM satietv tfof.r^'^^ ^""^'^^' degenerates into
T?„ In fi "tI * ^^"'''''' ^^'^ ^"«h self-indulgence
ca" So if ' 'T "T^^^"^-^ ^^^ - --% the^ ame
ease. So, if you have been chosen from among many
268
IN THE PATHS OF PEACE
others to fill the office of a friend, a wife, or a mother,
do not forget that there is matter for lasting joy and
pride in the fact. Before you complain of an empty
and colourless life, before casting wistful eyes in the
direction of forbidden or inaccessible joys, be sure that
you have extracted all the sweetness possible from one
or other of those privileges which make you an object
of envy to many another woman. Study those heroines
of history or fiction whose circumstances bore any
resemblance to yours, and see in what respect you fall
short of their excellence. This kind of comparison is
not calculated to increase one's self-esteem, but it is
valuable in aiding one to detect certain blemishes of
character that otherwise might never have been per-
ceived, and in stimulating the determination to render
one's self more worthy of the free gifts one has received
at the hands of Providence.
14J^
CIX
MY GARDEN.
Go, muhe thy garden as fair as thou canst,
Thou workest never alone;
Perchance he whose plot h next to thine
Will see it and mend his own.
,_«^ — Selected.
H ^^^ ^.^*i^'' '^''"'^ ^° "^^ ^'•<^«^ y<>«"g girls and
4^ married women who reside in small towns, or
m the country, bewailinj^ the diilnees of their
surroimdmgs and the apathy of the people among whom
they hye. Sometimes, strange to say, two or three
let ers m this strain will come from one place, each
making the same complaint that there is no one of anv
taste or refinement in the neighbourhood, that to organ-
ize any kmd of club or awaken the interest of even half
a dozen people in any scheme making for mutual enter-
tainment and improvement would be a hopeless task.
-P'ow, I cannot help wishing to ask each of these
correspondents, "What do you, r^ersonallv, do, to rais.
the tone of your community, or to varv the monotony
of life m your village? Have you ever reallv tried to
improve the conditions of your own existence, and
shown others, by example, how to profit bv the oppor-
tunities and advantages within their roach? Have vou
not rather, folded your hands and contented vour^self
with idly protesting against the Fate that nlar^d von
where you are? You may fancy yourself hardly u=ed
27 V
IN TilK PATHS Ol' I'EACK
lii'ciujsp no one aniotii;' the firole of your nccinaintanccs
is quulilied to coutributo to your cntertainniont, or to
make your life in any sense, more interestiiij^.
Xow, suppose tliat instead of looking to others for
distraction and inspiration, you made up your mind to
be yourself a source of liplit and leading to the com-
munity, not in any vain desire to outshine tlie rest, but
with the sincere liope of setting the wheels of jirogress
in motion, would not this lend a new zest and meaning
to your life?
Tlie right way to set about it is to concentrate your
time, thoughts and energies on some worth}-^ object,
until through all hindrances and discouragements, you
attain success. The choice of an object will, of course,
be restricted to those which you have the greatest facili-
ties ' • pursuing. If you live on a farm, and have a
little - jure, and a plot of groimd at your disposal, you
might, for instance, cultivate roses, chrysanthemums,
or violets. Make a study of the conditions necessary for
]->roducing the best results, and aim as high as possible.
Send your choicest flowers to the local exhibition, and
if they arc not the finest in the show, inquire into the
reasons, and redouble your care and attention, until
your efforts are crowned with the highest success. Con-
sider the effect of this achievement alone, on all who
may witness it. The example of a refined taste and of
perseverance under difficult'-"* will excite many others
to similar endeavour. Y( rden Avill be a source of
local pride, and a new topic of conversation. Here,
then, is one break in the hopeless dulness, and there is
room for many more.
A young wife's forte may be the neatness of her
house and the completeness of all her domestic arrange-
ments. By continual attention to these details, she
may become a pattern to all her neighbours, and incite
thorn to a wholesome rivalry. A mother, by exercising
MV (JAUhKN
•27 \
v^Jnch all o horwiil .' ' "";'^'"«<-'0"sly, a stau.lard
for her offorT Tl n '"""'"'.^^a^' «"J a worthy fi.ld
oriKinali y b^^; «! Iv T ^'""r ^> ""' *" «^nvo after
nchor lif,. would I. u, , , „ f. ''r'f'^' '"'^ ""«<^l'
eminent in one lino of ^.l.e " "n" '"'"' 'T"
called dull or stunid wl.^ ^ , .^"^ ^"^^ ««" '>«
thogromd """''' "'"' ""=™ c<"nl«rers of
any commnnifv J», t^ • i valuable member of
inff herself an nnfli^r.-f • -y* ^°^ ^^ P^ov-
works of ovon o„/f™ • "^^'""'■■""y »"!, H,n
ShakcspoarrT„„ ko„ rCr' t' ""■' " ''''^''™^'
a covetablc in.o of 3' ■""■ ^""V*". Pvcs ono
ooe's self Ld'ftc/ "■■' """' " " """"' "^ '■''"'"■•o '»
™t note, a„ f,„ .„„.. ;x,a^ !:;™".l:; "^s
self
w
272
IN THE PATHS OF PEACE
from the favourite operas, ordinary dance music, and
the accompaniments of well known songs. To know by
heart the words of favourite songs and hymns is also a
very useful accomplishment.
The next time any one is tempted to -complain of the
stupidity of her neighbours I hope she will iirst ques-
tion herself as to whether she has "made her own
garden as fair as she can." Until satisfied that our own
personality is interesting and stimulating to others, it
will become us better to be silent about the shortcom-
ings of our neighbours.
^v.v*yiu^
ex
THE HIGHEST KNOWLEDGE.
/ do not hunger for a well-stored mind;
I only wish to live my life, and find
My heart m unison luith all mankind.
— Edmund Gosse.
:iIE most precious truths are not found in books.
Ihe greatest intellectual profit is not acquired
learned "thaTwe: ''^ ""' ^^^ '^' '^'^ ^' ^^^^ --
miv l!""^ ''i^"^"* *^^ *° '^^^ ^^°"t life, though to
Ss airier v'* *'^ "^^"^ '' *^-^ -tual expe-
riences and opportumties never becomes apparent until
they have been taught to see it through the eve of
some thoughtful writer. Therefore it is good to b1
acquainted with books, and with the opinions If lit
men, not wi h a view merely of becoming learned but
degref that r^ T? ^^T'^' f^^ perceptions to a
obTrvatiom """'''" *'^ "^^' ^^ independent
minds" thiT«^' ' relative term which conveys to no two
Sfpd w\. I impression. Some men are well-edu-
cated who have never entered a school, and others who
can display certificates by the score will rema n SvTne-
Lno^wST'r {'7"'- ^' '' *^^ P«-- ^f assimilating
in er!.v^- 7t ,^^^^^'"^^"^^ ti^^ degree of educatioS
m every individual.
. I
274
IN THE PATHS OF PEACE
Not what you learn by rote and rule gives you superi-
ority over the untrained mind, but the great principles
you have grasped and learned to apply to the practical
affairs of life.
To suspend a rule often argues a greater intelligence
than to observe it. To dismiss needless details and data
from the memory is a truer intellectual economy than
to retain them. Science is mighty, but there are times
when sentiment is of superior importance. Unless the
heart is " in unison with all mankind," one's conception
of life will necessarily be narrowed, one's relations to
one's kind restricted. It is easy to measure one's intel-
lectual and spiritual progress by this test. The man
or woman who looks with spom or indifference on any
class of humanity, thereby proclaims a defect in his or
her education. There is plainly a failure to perceive
the divine plan, to sympathize with the objects of crea-
tion, to apprehend ever so faintly, the relation of the
Creator to His creatures. As soon, however, as the
mind is capable of grasping these conceptions there is
a distinct advance in the direction of true knowledge,
the value of which is far above that contained * all the
books that were ever written.
The 'anity of those who dabble in arts and sciences
and deem themselves thereby the superiors of their
fellows, who are honestly ignorant of such high matters,
is a sorry sight compared with the humility of the truly
ripe scholar who knows that the end of human know-
ledge is but the beginning of that which is to come.
He, like the poet, learns, soon or late, that the " well-
stored mind " avails little or naught unless the heart be
" in unison with all mankind."
CXI
THE BORE.
ar7Hr7onf/'''':f'''' '" ^^"'^ "^'•^^' <^^^ ^^t of us
z t:z. to t!z^^^'- ''^^^y '^^ -- ^0 •:
^ — W. Pctt Ridge.
I^IVILIZATIO.^^ h,, i,s disadvantages. Not the
f«t;± these is the doom of being bored wh eh
nations.""''^'^^ ''''''' *^^ ^^'^^ of dl ages and
Deprived by the laws of civilized stnfp^ ^^..
01 speech and manner in which the ladia^ of fh^E^
perseoution,, in plain parlance, TZ ^t'JZo^l
toes when even this «ndignified-but effectual-
276
IN THE PATHS OF PEACE
Considering the numerical strength of the bore and
the unceasing imminence of his descent upon the just
and unjust alike, his facilities for poisoning the peace
of his fellow-mortals are indeed of a formidable char-
acter. Yet, evil as is the case of any one exposed to
his onslaughts, the situation in at least not wholly
desperate, since there is always an ultimate hope of
respite. The infliction must necessarily be of a
temporary character.
Not so, however, in the case of the man who is tire-
some to himself. Could any fate be more discouraging?
From this worst of all bores. Self, even the alternative
of running away is denied one. A craving for constant
companionship, good or bad,^ for any kind of excitement
that may temporarily obliterate the opjjressive self-
consciousness of the victim is the surest symptom of this
unhappy condition. Under its influence, every diver-
sion and change, even sorrows and reverses, are welcome
as preferable to the unendurable monotony of an exist-
ence which no effort of will appears to be able to
brighten or dignify.
The persoiu:! feelings, experiences, affairs, of the
man who is a bore to himself, appear to him always pro-
foundly uninteresting, while those of his neighbours,
or acquaintances, are invested in his eyes with a distinc-
tion, a character of novelty, which excite his curiosity
and compel his attention to an extraordinary degree.
Unfortunately, the disgust he entertains towards him-
self occasionally communicates itself to others, and his
too eager interest in his neighbour's affairs is liable to
be met vith coldness or suspicion. Thus gradually he
becomfcd a bore, not only to himself but to everybody
else, and truly the last state of that man shall be worse
than the first.
To avoid such an unpleasant fate, it is only necessary
to bestow a proper degree of attention on one's self.
THK IIOKK
277
by the world', apprii";' »*'°"=^' "' '"'^ '"sttly .„,
or her „™ tho>,gh^t=e„na^ 1°?^'''''''°'^'? '" >■«
who fail to rwilfe7;ir T J^' ""oemonea. Any
remain iZlr„f°'r,'''°'"'^ °* ™"^»<»' »d
ae.ee to thrh^pilTri,,!--^"^-'
*^.^^^
ex 1 1
SELF-RESTj VINT.
A good memory knows how to forget, a well-managed
tongue knows how to keep still, disciplined ears know
how to be deaf on occasions, and skilful hands can hang
idle, if necessary. One-half of knowledge consists in
not knowing; one-half of beneficial action in resting.
— Selected.
VEKY common and serious defect in Ui embers
of our sex who are striving to lead exemplary
lives, is the excess of energy, of zeal and of
nervous forco they bring to bear on the accomplishment
of ordinary duties. They acquire the habit of incessant
activity, and an alertness to improve every opportunity,
which may be eminently satisfying to their own con-
science, but which is apt to make them extremely im-
patient, exacting, and occasionally unjust towards
others.
Undoubtedly, much has been gained when one has
acquired a habit of industry, and brought all one's
faculties to a high degree of cultivation, but there is
such a thing as becoming a slave to one's perfections,"
and thus converting them into stimibling-blocks to our-
selves and to our neighbour.
The ideal life is the one which is kept unhampered
by conditions or customs not essential to its highest pur-
poses, so that the mind is free, at any moment, to exer-
cise a choice dictated by friendship or judgment.
mmm
HKF.r-ljfiSTKAINT
L':i»
«ven pvo nn^r,,.W„.i '^''^ ; "'" '^ ^\'"^-'' ^l^e will not
elan., , ,.^ -:;.;^; ^^^i';-. ;;;;;.. .m. . .,
d^^nt, nmv nt.n,, ; .V"! "^'M'ortune vi.it, an ac-ei-
obvicKsly inevitable cnlo; Zi^'7TT7'^ '" ^"^^''
unchristian. Tii.v ^honM " ' '"^Z'' ^''"'^'•^f' "''^'
which onr soparato 1 vp« „,. ''\'^^'^?f<^r '^ great plan, of
«ive Hio tl^ wo'nnn ./ ,"' "'^'^'^^^'^nt derails
when she ki^Z^al^l^^i 'T "'^ ^^^«"^-' -'"^>
attention to anothc am, "' "^"'7^'""' '''^^^y ^"rns ho-
rdes, makes H^C^'Z '""^'''"^'''^^'^'^^^^
needed rest or an opLtun k";'" ^^;. ^«king a much
of the higher nieanin^lfU ^"'^''''^°" °" '^^'^-
to forget in W\ndthl1rr '■''''''^' ^' P^-Pt
In its compan we Jn ^^ J^^tcoxnings of neighbonrs.
tongne, vvhicnefrl'ns^J '"^ ^"^ '^^ well-govemed
pains o bri„j;:fSotTnrtri^^^^^^ r ''n
malice lurks under an o^f Pn ^;i f ^ •" "^^ ^ '^^^P of
in season" to Te^nTS:^'' t^ '' T '' ' "^''^
ouslj ont of season when f' I ' ^ "^^"^ conspicu-
ber feelings. That Tin h "'^'n ', *"°^^^ P'«^^ in
-l^ose profLion t to "a "7 "' 1 H ^^^* ^'^ ^^o^e
and friends be "i L conee' f ^'- "^^^'^^bours
^-^^ are sincere OhSr^—r^^
280
IN TIIK PATHS OF PEACE
pied in correcting their own. In this respect, indeed,
" one-half of knowledge consists in not knowing,"
because such ignorance saves one from many sins of
the tongue ; therefore, it is profitable, in the highest
sense, " to be deaf on occasions."
A complacent belief in one's OAvn goodness is one of
the most fatal hindrances to spiritual progress ; those
who are in danger of laying such flattering unction to
their souls will find food for thought in the lines above
(iuoted. It might perhaps surprise tliem greatly to
discover that by suspending for a time some of their
imaginary virtues, including a self-imposed censorship
of their neighbour's conduct, and a passion for work
which admits of no consideration for the rights and
comforts of others, they would be making a distinct
step forward in moral jirogress as well as in the estima-
tion of tlieir long-sufforing friends and acquaintances.
-^^irx'
mt.^rMif^^m.
ex II I
RELAXATION.
— R. L. Stevenson.
,N one respect, if in no other, do men habitually
domonsti^ate then- superiority over our sex, and
that ,s in their readiness to take the fullest
measure of enjoyment out of every favourable oppor
tunity that presents itself. ^^
Outside of the Avorld that lives for amusement it is
let 1'' 1 ''''^''"* ^ '""^•^^ ^''^''''S ^f ^^"^«rse for
nLl T- , "^^"«^^' «P«"t on what seems to her a
urely frivolous purpose. Many even take credit to
themselves for tins attitude of mind, as if it were a
"t rint- ";• '^ "'^'^^' ? ^^ ^ ^^-- defect of Char-
acter indicating a warped and one-sided sense of duty
as wdl as a narrow and unjust conception of the Deity!
it IS not a hard, exacting task-master whom we serve
^^ ;t "''^r\ ^^'"^' '^''^ ^^^ surrounded ron
every .ide, with abundant material for the purest
e.,o,,nent To ignore this provision of Ilis lov'to
TZZ i'a- "^ '"^ '• ''^' "''^"''^ ^^'^ ™»«^'^ll 0"r duty,
and to look disapprovingly ou those who include happi-
ness among the auns of existence, is to announce our-
indeed, m the true religious instinct.
ms'mtw
ww?^?rii»m^;-
282
IX Tin: i-ATiis (»i' I'KAti:
To live a rijiht life wo amst work, it is true, hut in
Avork, as in pleasure, we must practice lenipi ranee,
rcnieinberiiifj; that tlio worker is greater than her task
and should never therefore he enshived by it. An over-
conseientions M'oniau iisually falls into this erri»r of
servile devotion to what she ignoranlly believi's to he
her duty, to the detrinieJit of all those sweet and joy-
ous instincts of the heart that plead for rest, refresh-
nient, and agreeable diversion from (oil and daily cares.
From long and systematic repression of these God-given
instincts, innny wives and moth, -a, in time, completely
lose the faculty of personal enjoyment, and when the
burden of their responsibility is at last lifted fn.m theii-
shoulders, they are be\v;ildered and even nnhappv,
being without inclination for the pleasures which their
new-fonnd leisure has placed within their reach.
The saddest part about a life thus i)erverted from its
noblest uses, is, that the husband and children whom a
wonnm falsely imagines can best be served by a kind of
slavery, are more often than not jiaijied and'humiliated
by the knowledge of her perpetual sacrifices to their
comfort. They would be more genuinely hapi>y if she,
too, were happy, and willing to enter generously now
and then into their plan for a holiday which might
include one for her.
Do not then grudge a day's postponement of some
common domestic diity, when there is a (juestion of au
excursion to the woods or on the river ; and even, from
day to day, do not deny yourself the little harmless
relaxations and pleasures that come in your way, that
will leave smiles instead of wrinkles on "your face, and
lend a cheerful, instead of a querulous note to your
voice.
You are sometimes disappointed, after a laborious
day, wlien your husband and sons fail to notice any
improvement in the rooms on which 3'ou have expended
Iti:i-A.\ATI()N-
L'8;!
so innch work. Loan, from (his fli-.f o. • i
c.\pi ri, noo, Tiii.y ihrw ,m„-\, l,|.,n.fi, fro,,, r<-ll,.,.fi„„
Ze.:X^nZ':r f ''-''' ^^^ '-^^^^^^^^^
a amy of bem^- l,i,p„v a. often and a^ lor.c^ ".s fj.plr
tlie poet : "" '"•>' ^^'"^'^'"i^-^ with
"O gift of Cod! Operfm. dav!
Whereon shall no man work, but plav
Whereon if, i.s enough for me
Not to be doing, but to be."
^^^^^^^
(JXIV
THE PLACE OF QUIETNESS.
Bread is good and knoioJcdge is hetlcry but best of
all is peace, and ihe place of qnictness has ever been
and ever will be a garden.
— Ian Maclaren.
HEN skios are fair on a summer day, what
bettor company oan be found anywhere than
awaits every comer in a beautiful garden?
The restful verdure of grass and shrub and vine, the
fragrant blooms in bed and border, the sheltering trees,
the fleecy, wandering clouds, the refreshing breeze, the
soothing hum of insect life, the sweet notes of birds,
the bees and butterflies chasing one another from
honeyed calyx to calyx, the mysterious and incessant
whispering and nodding of the leaves — where else can
one discover a scene so full of variety, animation,
beauty and surpassing interest?
Yet there are men and women so incredibly blind,
lazy, stupid or sordid, that they are content to go
through life without making the slighte&t attempt to
procure for themselves or their children th's pleasure,
which is scarcely surpassed by any other, and which is
within reach of all but the very poor.
It takes so little space and trouble to make a garden !
Not a formally laid-out and trimly-kept incl^sure with
showy beds of expensive annuals, such - ne looks for
around the stately homes of the rich, '.,..t a simple plot
THE PLACK OK t^UIKINKKS 285
inadf! swcot with old-faHhioiicd porcnninls, that .yciir
after .year come up with tho first hroath of Spring, 'hko
old frionds roturninpr from a lonp ahsoncc in a forei^Ti
Iniid. In some of tht^so favoured spots, each tree and
shrub has a history ; some wore planted by handB now
folded away forever ; some by the littlf. ojie.s who have
since grown to manhood or womanhood, nnfl gone to
distant homes of their own ; one stands for friendship,
one for love ; one marks the advent of a new life in
the homo, another the beginning of some important
onterpriae.
But even without this association of ideas which links
them to the fortunes of the owners, all these growing
things are beautiful and restful to the eye, full of con-
solation and peace for the heart. Tinder their soothing
mfluences, it is wonderful how (piickly the common
worries and vexations inseparable from indoor life melt
away and disappear. An hour of solitude that would
seem intolerably long in the house, is magically short-
ened to half its duration amid the delights of the
garden.
The first provision made for the perfect happiness of
man was a beautiful garden. The i>enalty infli(rted on
him for sin was expulsion from the garden. His chief
care thereafter was the cultivation of the wilderness
into which he wiis driven that it might become a sem-
blance at least, of the lost Paradise. Surely no further
argument is needed to prove that a garden is the ideal
/etreat, whether for rest, recreation, or prayer.
The garden should be close to the house, since the
exigencies of climate compel us to live under a roof
made with hands. However small, even if confined
within the cramped dimensions of a city back-yard, it
can easily be made a thing of beauty. A few slips' of
ivy or Virginia creeper Avill, in a short time, cover all
unsightliness of blank wall or unpainted fc.ice. Two
286
IN TlIF PATHS OF I'KACE
It 7^\"?j/^^™ tl;« ^^^'^^ will provide for future
sliade. A trifling outlay on seeds and cuttings will
vie d golden returns of bloom and fragrance. Sueh a
little breathing-plaee as this, where the tired house-
keeper or restless children can betake themselves for
rest and recreation, or for the lighter tasks that cannot
be put off excretes a most beneficent influence in the
fiome. Monotonous occupations, such as sowing, darn-
ng or ironing, when pursued out-of-doors, lose half
their wearisonieness and become almost a pleasure.
-The favourite book, road in a shadj arbour, leaves on
tlie mind an impression which is indelibly associated
^ihtho place and season, thus becon.ing a doubly
dehghtful memory. Yes, by all means, let us have a
cxv
CHAINS OF HABIT.
- — I^r- Johnson.
otTa's"„r/7o''; "'!r"»<'°>« force of habit,
■ awav frZ f, f'^ "" "P<^"">ent of breaking
>o the Sis i utinl^f ^rdinrSe"'^^"";™
for' ;orS„T'''r™Sr f't T^ ""-'"f "» °"'™
Before permitting onr^e ve. L ,u' 'T ""'''™"™ '
we have habit, SZ o^^SZiZ:tJ^
««f I. ^'^ "<^ ~^^ and succeeded it dopq
not become ns to lav dnwn ti!« i r ^^^^^^i, it aoes
brethren. ' '^ ^^"^ ^°^ o"^ weaker
Among the most reprehensible habits common to
288
IN THE PATHS OF PEACE
young girls, and even married women, is that of
dawdling. An incredible amount of time is wasted
every day doing absolutely nothing, or pretending to be
busy with some trifling occupation. The idle girl or
woman spends an hour or two hours over her toilet,
takes a whole morning to go to the dressmaker's, or the
dentist's, needs to rest an hour or so after luncheon,
pays a visit or two befoi'e dinner, and considers that she
has had an exhausting day. A woman of aflFaii's makes
a complete toilet before breakfast, does a full day's
work at her office, calls at the dressmaker's or dentist's
on her way to or from luncheon, pays a few visits on
her way home before dinner, and is none the worse for
having utilized every minute of a truly busy day. She
has learned the value of time and of system, and can
stretch a day to meet any exigencies ; she acquires the
habit of useful activity, and reaps more enjoyment
from the consciousness of having performed many
things well and quickly than is ever experienced by one
who is free to enjoy her time exactly as she pleases,
and who generally pleases to waste it. A sense of
personal dignity and of the preciousness of time should
surely suffice to prevent any intelligent girl or woman
from wantonly wasting the hours that might be given
to work, study, or healthful recreation. A strenuous
effort should be made by any who are so tempted, to
conquer the pernicious habit of dawdling. There are
literally no end of useful occupations and interesting
pastimes with which the longest days can be agreeably
filled up by any one who cares to exercise a little fore-
thought and discrimination in the matter.
To become enslaved by any habit is to lose the high-
est of all human prerogatives, the exercise of one's free
will. The habit may be harmless enough, yet we are
not less its slaves than the drunkard is to his intemper-
ance, or the miser to his avarice. We cannot speak of
CHAINS OF IIAHIT
289
these Without asperity, yet we are no more successful
Uian they in resisting the temptations that beset us.
We do not care for wine or cards, and we have no means
of accumulating money, but we do take an inordinate
pleasure m eating, in dress, in pleasant excitement, in
gadding about, in prying into the aflfairs of others or
making aspersions on their characters. Whatever our
favourite vice may be, we are just as much addicted to
It aa another is to the wine cup, the dice box, or the
secret hoard. If we were sincerely desirous of seeing
the world made better than it is we should be so intent
on correcting our own evil tendencies, that we should
have little time to observe the peccadilloes of our
neighbours. It will take all our vigilance to watch for
those dimmutive chains of habit ever forming around
Tifi 7°™ T^'""^' """^^'^ ^« ^^^^^ them in time, we
shall find It almost impossible in the future to wrench
ourselves free.
^^^^is^
(XVJ
THE EFFICACY OF WORK.
Thank God rvn-i/ morning that ynu have something
to do that daij, which must be done whether you like it
or not. Being forced to work and do your best wilt
breed ui you a hundrrd virtues which the idle never
^■"««'- ' —Charles Kingsloy.
fIRLD of our evcr-r^currin,:,^ ucvor-cnding daily
tasks, liow many tiiiios do not we women
fervently echo the poet's wish :
" O for a life of leisure and broad honrg,
To think and dream and put away small things,"
AVe believe that if time was our slave instead of our
master, life would bo an uninterrupted dream of happi-
ness. And so it might and should be, if we could bo
trusted to order our o\vn days in a manner that would
be worthy of, and beneficial to us. But looking around
us, we have not far to seek for instances of the dele-
terious, even completely demoralising influence of idle-
ness upon the majority of those women whose circum-
stances relieve thera from the necessity of working.
There is no truer proverb than that " Satan finds mis-
chief for idle hands to do." The girl or Avoman who
feels no call on the higher qualities of her nature, who
has not been trained to suffer and endure and deny her-
self for others ; whose sole aim in life is the gratifica-
Tin: Kill. ACV ,,!• \v,,|;k
L':»i
,■ , , ; '" ""■ "■'"■W wliidi .imk.s iUi,iH,.„i,.„i II,:.
~,r;i'''' ^™'; ';^, "'" ""■■""' "■'— i'H'-''
.1 n,L^f '" '■"'"'" '■'"""■''' '" "illi"!..!!.! 11,0
.».,mU, of .ov,.r,. to„,pf„li„„ „„lp„ ,,,. ,„.„ ','''
.i.j.pi,,,,^ ,„ „,o ,..,,„„„„„,„ „,. ,,„,,.„„ , -,.;;'-i7
houit'oS,;:! 1:1,":" "'r ''"""•"■' '■■ '-'• ''""■•- f-
ulh, „.cl.y .„d, a weakening „f „„„, «(, j ,,,™;|;^
worth are happ,ly by no means rare, but invaHab v
wo^ea ,rt,o bclon„. ,o neither of he™ wo c^^ Z
bn is not hill. r " ■ """"■ ■J"'-"'- '""i"! posi-
tion is not higli enough to impose on them tlic .em!
P«bl.e duties which fill so imwrtane a n, " of ' f a h
lonalle woman's day, and the major part^f ti;eir hout
292
IN THK PATHS OF VKACK
hold and maternal dutios aro iwrformod hy scrvantB.
TTnloss tlu'.v carcftjil.v plan some usefid dirtposition of
their plentifid leisuro, ono of two thing's is likely to
happen ; either they will develop auch a profound
interest in their own health that every little indisposi-
tion beeoines exa^'f^enited into a dangerous illness, 8^
that half their time is spent in hed, or reelining on u
eouch, where they like to consider themselveti objects of
romantic interest to others, or if an exuberant vitality
removes this contingeju-y, they become inveterate
gossips and padabouts, always keenly alert to hear
a('«'ounts of their nciirhbonrs' doitigs and sayings, an«l
having a mischievous tendency to scatter broadcast the
fruits of their insatiable curiosity.
In what noble contrast to such a shallow, purposeless
existence star is forth the life of the busy wife and
mother who is occupied daily with those loving tasks
which, faithfully p('rf<irmed, make her home a sanctu-
ary of rest and liaven of happiness for her husband and
children. Her hands may not be as white, nor he
gowns as modish, as those of her more fashionable sister,
but her heart is incom]iarably purer and nobler, and
those who live with her ,instead of being slaves to her
caprices, and disedified witnesses of her uselessness,
leani to admire, while they also reap the benefit of those
" hundred virtues which the idle never know."
*.**'i
CXVII
DRIFTING.
No young persons drift into an achieving numhood
or womanhood. j nnnnnoa
— >V. iioyt.
:iIK teiuptation to take life as it comes, to let Fate
have Its way with one, and to acc(*pt good
lortuno and reverses merely as tl..,> inevitable
chances of existence, is one to whi.h wo.nm are
pecuharly liable. Whether it is that we arc naturally
indolent, or that the traditional dependence of our sex
since the days when a woman could do nothing else but
stay at homo and «pin while :.er lord hunted and fo,.ght,
has unfitted 1,3 to take an active part in the battle of
+ :/, •/"f^"'^'""'"' ^'^"^ "^•''":^ a™o"ff "3 are content
to (iritt into womanhood, without anv particular
aim or purpose in view except to avoid fatigue or dis-
comfort. Probably another reason why girls are so
averse to_ making plans for the improvement of their
time, which would cover any extended period, is the
pleasant possibility of marriage, always looming in the
background of their thoughts. But the waiting policy
IS a very poor one, and I think the unexpected lover
who breaks m on a busy life and draws a woman away
in spite of herself from the most engrossing interests
or pursuits is apt to be much more appreciated than
the one whose approach has been eagerly looked for
and counted upon, perhaps, for years. Without ffoin-
to extremes and giving yourself airs about your mis-
294
IN Till' PATHS (11- PEAUi:
Pion m hfe, set quietly and systematically about achiev-
ing something, however small, so that it be useful or
productive of pleasure to others. In doing so your
matrimonial prospects will not be injured, but if anv-
thuig mcreased, and you will be saved many a pang of
envy and disappointment.
^^^H^
-,<*'™<W«l V
ex VI J I
SUNNY SPOTS.
•-iM^'r^. — Haliburtoii.
tEKY few lives are all sunshine, but there will
be sunny spots " in all our hearts, if wo tike
in to themTri ')' '1 ''f-''^''' '' '^^^-^ P--^tza1.
trmg cloud of doubt disappointment or sorrow. One
ot the mysteries of feminine nature is its tendency to
-agmfy and brood over trouble, one might a W'al
a preference for tears and melancholy. Quire yourfc:
I hey are 1 ke the people whom Mrs. Browning writes
of who " always sigh in thanking God." From coTtac
nth all such poor spirited, narrow-minded creature'
nay a kind heaven defend us ! Give us rather for our
s ngs and finds m the general contrariness of persons
and thmgs matter for harmless merriment rathHh n
for sepulchral views of life. The dulness of exi tence
IS, to thousands of women in towns and countrv places
a favourite peg on which to hang complaint. Biftwhy
ot: iitl 7^ '""' '^'^ most%ontLted lifniS
exquisitely humourous aspects, lying right on the
nna ujiuse others tn Inno-ii 0= ,..„iiv -n... • " ,
to laugh
aa weir^ But in order to
be
296
IX TIIK I'ATIIS OK PEAOK
{ible to see them the " sunny spots " in the heart must
be kept open to the light.
" It isn't worth wliile," I hear some moody girl
exclaim ; yet the same young person reads with delight
the annals of Drumtochty or Thrums or some other
httle hum-drum village, containing, if anything, fewer
elements of human interest, romance or passion than
her own, and yet never realises that the atmosphere of
cliarm which a cunning writer has succeeded in throw-
ing over the village in the book, is less the result of
tortunate circumstances or a poetic imagination than
of the author's superior insight, which has revealed to
him the under side of life, and opened up a world
undreamed of by many of those who moved with dull,
nnsiving eyes, in the very midst of it.
I recom.aend to those who are looking for an object
in life that of cultivating the sunny spots in their own
hearts for the benefit not only of themselves, but of
those with whom they live and who perhaps look up to
and depend upon them. It will be found an exceed-
ingly pleasant and interesting pursuit, and one which,
among other desirable results, will insure the wide-
spread personal popularity of the one who succeeds
in it.
*^.^^iV
ex IX
BUILDING FOR ETERNITY.
When we build, lei us think that we huUd for ever.
— liiiskin.
ac nevoment which calls for this' tribute,\ow weak and
valueless do oiir own humble perfoman'ces appear how
o stand" V^: T'' f '""^^ "^^"* ^^ wf'not 'seel
to standi Yet, if we but pause to reflect upon it we
shall see that we are all building for eternity hole
wS^r -r ^""^a* processes of construction by
ir^ ^n"'\ ^^"^^""ities and nations are formed
and held together. True, and it is an infinite S^l
vast amount of work is wasted, and leayes no See
u efS^^r """J' "" ''' ill-performed to serye an"
useful or agreeable purpose, and worse still, a great deal
re^mattf rf '^ ""''''' destro,ed,\ruse i
Dears marks of haste, mcompetence and sloyenliness
that constitute a standing reproach to the worker and
h^tlZr ^ --^- - ^^^ true loye. ^^^r:
It is well worth the effort then, while we are about it,
298
IN THE I'ATHS OF PEACK
to build With the slow and sure touch that ensures per-
manence, to leave our mark upon whatever we do and
to let It be a mark of which we are not ashamed. ' In
this way our whole pathway through life can be traced
by the good Ave have wrought and our persistent fidelity
Avill not only yield a rich reward to ourselves, but will
also be of incalculable benefit to those who follow in
our footsteps and who may read the lesson of our lives
in the solid achievements that endure after us.
*^.^^^
m^'
Ji
'^^R
,^W^ m
cxx
ACQUIESCENCE.
Order is Heaven's first Jaw ; and this confest
Some are and must he, greater than the res
More nch more wise; but who infers fom fence
That such are happier, shocks all common sense
- — Pope.
J.J.HE hardest riJdle life holds for some of us and
-^ that t: " "■"" "'"""'"^ ^0 '"-"^ f»' ^ u"n
»weetertrro„ro7,l?e -rthr tr ""/,"" f'
tunato than others? m'/h^sVch'ItlJ ^JZ
questioning goesLi/tea^a/dbSssSpiri::
al)"ness beL 7 ' 5 '^=«'^P!--«'"g secret, its inscmt-
attitude „fT ""' " ™'""<'°' J-s'ifi^ation for an
to this in,penet™ble ly^tV "' '""^ '"" "'"^
To solve the riddle for "yon, dear reader is quite
entirety^Me!" ^^""^ '° '° '°- ^''^ «"»« ^^ »»
2Zf T 7^ """' ''"' S^'"*^"- *» ">e rest,'
casting out all corroding envy and discontent from vour
■A^ -1
>y»-.-
l^sfSil^l^En¥
%!mk--i
300
IN THE PATHS OF PEACK
heart once for all— those you envy being indeed, often
less happy than yourself, set about considering, not
what you might do, in more favourable circumstances,
but what you can do with your present opportunities.
Mind. your arithmetic. This is really the most
important point of all.
So many hours in the day. So many tasks to be per-
formed. If the tasks are too many for your strength
and }our temper, then in the name of common sense,
lea-e some undone, and don't worry about them. If
you ,"re a struggling young mother with a husband and
five or sLx little ones to care for, single-handed, feed
and clothe your dear ones as well and as lovingly as
you can, and then be happy. Don't distress yourself
needlessly because the parlour has not been dusted, nor
the pantry shelves put in order, and don't suffer agonies
of shame if some fashionable friend comes in in the
midst of your toil and finds you a trifle disheveled, and
sees the hole in Johnny's stocking, and perhaps three
or four little unwashed faces peeping out from the
ambush of your apron. Be brave and independent
enough to feel that, having done your best, no more can
be expected of you.
A great many beautiful theories are always being
written up by people who have nothing else to do, on
the ease with which home can be made clean and
orderly by a woman of taste and intelligence, no matter
how heavily she may be handicapped as to means, time,
etc. But I have had occasion to see how absolutely
impossible it is for one woman to do the work of three
or ^ four servants, and yet always appear neat and
smiling ; so far from being shocked when I see signs
of neglect and disorder in a house > here a young
mother is trying to bring up a large family, my heart
goes out in sympathy to the mother, and I only wonder
if she ever finds time for the needed recreation to keep
v>afe,<!%:
ACQUIESCENCE
'501
her health and spirits up under the great strain that is
put upon ner.
AVhat she can do however, is to simplify and minim
i^e her tasks as much as possible. If she has to do her
own dusting let her put away all unnecessary' orna-
ments and dust traps about the house that call for a
daily expenditure of time and care. If she cannot spare
tune to dress the children more than once or at most
twice a day let her put dark frocks on them that will
not too readily proclaim their lapse from perfect clean-
mess ; if she must do all the cooking, let her avoid
the preparation of troublesome dishes, and the multi-
plication of pots anJ pans ; and if a thoughtless neigh-
bour or friend drops in at an inopportune moment, let
her have the courage to tell her so, just as men and
women engaged in business would do in similar circum-
stances.
Above all, I would ask her to be hopeful and cheer-
ful, remembering that kindness and love in the home
surpass all the benefits accruing from the greatest
^^^^V
ex XI
MODESTY.
Do you wish men to believe good of you? Then say
— Blaise Pascal.
fHE charm of perfect modesty is as rare as it is
resistless. The temptation to speak about one's
self, assuming tlie subject to be full of interest
to others, is one which assails the best of us in weak
moments. Our likes and our dislikes, our joys and our
pains, our successes, and our failures, are so manv end-
less themes on which we love to hold forth whenever
we can find a listener to victimize. Almost invariably,
the view we present of our case is flattering to ourselves.
We are always in the right. Every one else is selfish,
contrary, obstinate or stupid. The absurdity of our
self-deception becomes most apparent when, after
unburdening ourselves to some patient confidant, the
same person is compelled to listen to the other side of
the story, which makes us appear in a far less amiable
light.
The gift of seeing ourselves as others see us, has been
bestowed on few of us, and therefore wisdom cautions
us to be modestly silent about ourselves, being especiallv
careful not to plume ourselves on the possession of
virtues in which others may have reason to think us
lacking. Self-interest alone, apart from anv higher
motive, forbids the indulgence of a vain and"boa?tful
MODESTY
o03
spirit, because tliere i. no surer means than this of earn-
ing a wide-spread unpopularity. Empty vessels, we
nature is never more successfully revealed, than by the
process of blo^vmff one's own trumpet. While sdl '
mere prl a ve:y salutary impression was left on mv
n e nn I f ^ ^^i! ''^''' '' '^''' *^"^«' represented to
me all that was be.t and highest in human nature
He Avas greatly beloved by his flock, and on his appear-
onthu^aL' 7 '""' '^"■'•^'^ ^'"'''"^ ''^'^^ afFectionate
enthusiasm. I soon remarked that he invariably
shoumg the most wonderful tact and fertility of
resource in directing the conversation to some wholly
mpersonal subject, ^^o matter how many times you
t led to praise his sermons or to extol his charity he
always most adroitly turned your remarks to the adWn-
n upon all who knew him that the surest way to please
him was not to flatter him or in any way make peLnal
allusions His .^nmple, in this respect; proved a more
powerful sermon than many I have heard from pulpits,
as I have never been able to forget the lesson of perfect
modesty he taught us, and the memory of it often acts
as a wholesome check in too expansive moments. This
entire flock thus proving the value of the French phil-
osopher s advice. It is not enough to refrain from
praising one's self, one must even refrain from too
willingly lendmg an ear to the praises of others.
Une can always remember enough faults to keep
one humb.e, and without humility there can be no true
greatness or real amiability of character.
.^v^^^KS"
CXXII
THE PRECIOUSNESS OF OPPORTUNITY.
When we look hack at close of clay,
Whether it close in sun or rain,
We yet can say, "It is a way
We shall not have to walk again."
— C. H. Crandall.
JHERE is something very solemn in the thougiit
that each new day on which we enter may bo
fraught with most important conseqiiences.
How many dramas, bright or tragic, are enacted daily,
between the rising and the setting of the 8un, for men
and women who live m our very midst! Our turn
ir-ist come, though we know not the day nor the hour.
" The veil of the future our breath fitfully flaps,
And behind it sits ever the mighty Perhaps."
It would not be wise to indulge in too manv fore-
bodings about the future, but neither is it becoming to
be of those light-headed mortals who ignore all possi-
bility of momentous happenings, and who are
frequently overtaken by the most painful or solemn
crises in their lives, at a time, and in a mood least suited
to such deep experience. So it is worth while to
reflect, not at the close, but better still at the opening
of a day, that we are entering on a way we shall not
Lave to walk again. It would be well if, in the glow
of the early morning, some sense of the preciousncss of
THE l-RECIOUSNESS OK OPI'OKTUNITV 305
our opportunity might be borne in upon us. AVhatevcr
we are permitted to do for others will .e done with
more love if we keep m mind the possibility that wo
may be doing it for the last time. Indeed, every actiln
we perform is truly performed for the last time, fo
never sha 1 we do just such a thing in just the same\va>
aga^n. Ao two days are ever exactly alike, nor do our
rTlv n "'^^T''''''! '''.'' ''^^^' themselves accu-
rately. How often and vainly have we not counted on
to^l^r^TT ^'^ ''^'^' '^'"^ ""S^^«* °' nnkindness of
lur W ■r\-" ^ P^'-^.^f ^3^ ^^ fate which frowns on
our best intentions. The most unforeseen circum-
stances come between us and the execution of our plans
bometimes we are even denied the opportunitv of ofFer^
ing excuses for ourselves. All which points 'the moral
that the present only belongs to us, that it is of ines-
timable value, and that to squander it wilfully is to
prove ourselves destitute of sense or conscience.
(.TO den words and deeds make golden days. Let us try
to live so that at close of day," it will not be in self-
reproach for lost opportunities, but with the glad con-
sciousness of diiBcult duties faithfully perfomed that
we shall say to ourselves :
It is a way
We shall not have to walk again."
^^.^^^
CXXIII
SWEET AND SERVICEABLE.
The gcnllcr-hnrn the maiden, Ihe more hound
to be sweet and serviceable.
— Laiu'clot and Elaine.
fllK popular idea of a " hij^Wi-born lady" seems to
^^_^ be of one in silk attiro avIio does little the live-
long; da,v save preen herself in the presence of
imnierons adnurers, or give haughty commands to her
hired deiieiidents. You will often see her thus imper-
ponated by the little children in the street, who love to
])lay that they are " rich ladies." An assumption of
vanity, idlencf's, and a disdainful air, is supposed to give
the proper cachet to the actor of this favourite part.
This erroneous impression of the character of a lady
of high degree is no doubt due to the fact that youthful
ajid other inexperienced observers readily mistake the
vulgar ostentation of the newly-enriched — who most
frequently come under their notice — for the real
dignity and stateliness of the well-born, with whom
they are seldom, if ever, brought into actual contact. It
is a revelation to many, on their first introduction into
the higher social altitudes to find that life, here, is taken,
if anything, more seriously than by the toilers of the
earth, with the difference that the rich and great volun-
tarily assume the most onerous tasks, and discharge
them with a fidelity that is rarely surpassed, if even
approached, by workers in humble spheres.
"ailEr?!
SWKKT AXn SKItVICKAIir.K
:Ui
As a rilo, also, it ,s ,,,nto oxcoptim.al to hoar tho.o
n ugh phu-cs coniphnuing of the ch.,nan.Js nuulo on
t he. uiie and energies. They labour eheerfnljy and
stoad. V, with no thought of shirking their ta.ks often
Wr'n'/ >'"",? ^'^ •"•'^■'r "^ '''''^y' '•«^'-'' tl'an through
lack of ,t. Jiut, ,n the case of a well-born woman
espee.ally, whatever the work «he «ets lierself to do she
iTciiil^'toT'' t;"" t'"' ""' ''-' --'- -^' '^*--
peculiar to herself. She never ceases to be '' sweet "
while striving to be " servieenble." She di.tinguish<..
b ween honourable toil and ignoble drudgery, and
winch compels them to respect her
A omen who are content to sit idly and contemplate
^leir own white bejewelled hands while the work o he
They are the immediate descendants of poor and
hard-working parents, who, having eome into sudden
possession of wealth, are unacquainted with its useT
beyond those of supplying the material ne ds wh ch
nized. You find women of this type thronging the
summer hotels, sitting aimlessly aboift'in drawifg-Lms
and piazzas, usually over-dressed, and consumed with
curiosity concerning their fellow-boarders
^ Can any more dreary and undignified pastime be
^magined than this deliberate "loafing?" iTthinl
farther from the ideal Tennyson sets before us of hf
Unfortunately, sometimes, the mother of growing
prls sets them an example of indolence which ifCnd
trzr:zz ^^'^rvr *'! ^^^^^^^^^ ^^
• 11 ", "^^'"a^J nouacbnld tasks, she will even
res.gn all the comforts of a home in order to Tape "he
308
IN THE PATHS OF PR ;CE
attendant responsibilites. In a hotel or boarding-
house she finds absolute immunity from work of every
kind, and, without counting the cost, accepts this sorry
makeshift for a home. She neither reads, knits, sews,
nor indulges in healthy exercise, but is ignobly content
to sit with folded hands accumulating flesh and gossip
as if no other object in life existed for her, and appar-
ently unaware that her happiness and dignity would be
inestimably enhanced if she would only bestir herself
to learn some new accomplishment or usefiil art, to see
some new siglits or identify herself with some move-
ment of a progressive or benevolent character.
But if the habit of exercising all the faculties and
the desire of living to some purpose are not cultivated
in youth, it is almost impossible to acquire them in later
years.
Therefore it is imperative for the young to keep alive
and alert to all opportunities of self-improvement, not
striving for vain distinctions that depend on outward
appearances only, but with the ^vish to become " sweet
and serviceable " in their own homes, and of preserving
those attributes through life in whatever position they
may be called to fill.
**.^^i^
^-
CXXIV
NATURE'S SCHOOL.
^ Tune your ear
1 all the wordless music of the stars
And to the voice of nature, and your heart
Miall turn to truth and goodness as tJ^ plant
I urns to the sun.
^^ —Ella Wheeler Wilcox.
^TgETTERS come to me often from mothers in
^ remote country districts, on the lonely ranclie
or m the heart of the mountains, deploring the
impossibility of securing a good education for their
ciuidren, there being no schools within a radius of manv
mUes of the secluded farmhouse. I must confess that,
far from feeling sorry for those children, I alwavs
expenence a certain satisfaction in knowing that th^y
are quite safe from all the mischievous influences which
in too many public and private schools more than
oounterbalance the educational advantages enjoyed bv
those in attendance. Many a time, passing by one of
our city school buildings and seeing a crowd of rude
noi^y and untidy children swarming out, pushing and
jostling each other, calling each other ;ulgar names,
m loud, disagreeable tones, I have wondered if it would
not have been better for more than one among them to
have been brought up in the peaceful country, or
hidden aniong the mountains, with only a mother's love
to teach them the wonders of the glorious universe. It
IS a noteworthy fact that the country-bred girls and
young men who come to the city to earn a livelihood,"
are invariably many degrees more refined in their tastes
and instincts than their city cousins of the same class.
310
IN IIIE PATHS 01'" I'KACE
Loner and close contact with nature has alwavs tliis
effect on human character. It uplifts, purifies and
broadens the mind. A man or woman who enjoys tlie
beauty of lake, wood or meadow, who is affected by tlie
splendour of the sunset, or the glory of the dawn, who
sees in the majestic ocean and the everlasting hills the
sign manual of a power greater than human, who feels
him or herself in a manner related to every living thii)g
that grows or walks upon the earth, will never be
izreedy, selfish, untruthful, cruel, vidgar, or iu any
imworthy sense passionate. What higher education
than this should we hope to secure for any child ?
Whatever his future destiny, only let the background
of bis infancy be great nature herself, and his mother,
with the aid of a few good books, can give him a finer
training than any to be obtained in the best ecpiipped
schools or colleges.
the strength of England to-day, and the pre-emin-
ence of her sons in every part of the world to which
tliey have penetrated, is largely due to the fact that
country life is, according to the British conception of
comfort and happiness, the ideal one. With rare excep-
tions, every English gentleman is a practical farmer,
and his children are brought up for the most part out
of doors, Iu this country, there is an unfortunate
tendency to crowd into the cities, for the sake of the so-
called advantages, which in too many cases only cramp
and vulgarize the minds of the growing generation.
Any mother who has the true welfare of her children
at heart will keep them as near as possible to the great-
est of all teachers, Nature herself. Upon the founda-
tion laid in this model school it will be easy enough in
later years to lay a siiperstructure of special training
for any chosen art, profession or other calling.
tw/^
•r, ri"-^^^^^:-^-
\m