INTO THE LIGHT. "Where are the snow-drops?" said the Sun; "Buried and lost! buried and lost, every one!" "They did not die; Asleep they lie,-every one,-every one, All clad in white,-every one, every one!" A. MATHESON. February 28. For our heart shall rejoice in Him, because we have trusted in His holy name.—Psa. xxxiii. 21. SPRING will come again, and under its warm breath the earth will be clothed with beauty. Have patience, little flower-lovers! God never forgets to send the delicate, sweet arbutus-blossoms to the hillside, and the daisies and buttercups to the meadow, and all the " "gentle race of flowers" to gladden your eyes and hearts. Trust Him, and be glad! BETWEEN WINTER AND SPRING. That weary time which comes between We know the sap is in the tree. Before the dawn,-the darkest hour! Ah, patience! ere we dream of it, LUCY LARCOM. February 29. In your patience possess ye your souls.-LUKE xxi. 19. PATIENT little plant, hidden in the damp dark ground, God will not forget you. His gentle spring rains will soon reach your tiny roots, His sunshine will warm you into new life, and you shall blossom in beauty by and by. Teach me your sweet lesson of patience. When things look dark and unpleasant, let me cheerfully and trustingly wait God's time, and the sunshine will surely come. THE CROCUS' SOLILOQUY. Down in my solitude under the snow, I will not despair, nor be idle, nor frown, My leaves shall run up, and my roots shall run While the bud in my bosom is swelling. Soon as the frost will get out of my bed, Then from my heart will young petals diverge, I, from the darkness of earth will emerge,- Gayly arrayed in my yellow and green, Many, perhaps, from so simple a flower, Patient to-day, through its gloomiest hour, HANNAH F. GOULD. March 1. And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily as to the Lord, and not unto men.-COL. iii. 23. THE thoroughly great men are those who have done everything thoroughly, and who have never despised anything, however small, of God's making. WHAT MARCH DOES. In the dark silence of her chambers low JOHN RUSKIN, March works out sweeter things than mortals know; Her noiseless looms ply on with busy care, She sews the seams in violet's queer hood, Out of a bit of sky's delicious blue, And from a sunbeam makes a cowslip fair, She pulls the cover from the crocus beds, "Come, early risers! Come, Anemone, My pale Wind-flower, awake, awake!"' calls she,— The world expects you, and your lovers wait She marshals the close armies of the grass, And all the blossoms of the fruit-trees sweet Within her great alembic she distils Nor does she err, and give to mignonette Nature does well whatever task she tries MAY RILEY SMITH. March 2. To everything there is a season.-ECCL. iii. 1. WAIT a little, wait hopefully! No matter how long the winter may have been, the spring comes at last, and its loveliness is all the more welcome to our eyes because they have looked so long on gray skies, and fields white with snow. ROBIN'S MESSAGE. Hastening northward, a message to bear, Robin is herald of spring; "Cheer up! he chants," be the winds e'er so chill, Spring-time comes soon over valley and hill, Cheer up, cheer, cheer up! he sings with a will; Bravest of prophets of spring. Under warm blankets the leaf-buds are hid, Sunshine will waken the sleepers below Spring-time and seed-time, and harvest ne'er fail, FANNIE L. HALL. March 3. Thou makest it soft with showers: thou blessest th springing thereof.—PSA. lxv. 10. HERE or there, in the full time comes the full blessing; the flower flashing out glory, the fields laughing with plenty. ROBERT Collyer. THE LITTLE SEEDS. "Tiny seeds, tiny seeds, under the ground, "Little one, little one, warm is our bed, Sometimes we dream of the birds and the bees, So we wait, little one,-so we wait." |