Beautiful Thoughts. January 1. But now abideth faith, hope, love, these three; and the greatest of these is love.-I COR. xiii. 13 (R. V.). A HAPPY New Year to all! Happy may it be through all the frosty winter days, the breezy March, the budding spring-time, and the blossoming summer,happy through the golden autumn days, and happy through the Christmas month, to the very end! How can it be made truly happy? May it not by walking hand in hand with the beautiful angel, Love? Love will make us wish nothing so much as to please our kind heavenly Father who loves us and watches over every moment of our lives. Love will make us gentle and helpful to every one about us, and kind to every living thing. Let us ask God to send the Love-angel to walk at our side, and we shall surely have a happy year. 66 THE CHILD AND THE YEAR. Said the child to the youthful year, 'My seasons four shall bring Their treasures; the Winter's snows, The Autumn's store and the flowers of Spring, 7 "All these, and more, shall be thine "Would'st know this last best gift? Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might. ECCL. ix. 10. my "MOTHER," said Anna, on New Year's day, “ teacher wants me to choose a text to be my motto for the coming year; what shall it be?" "It is hard to choose among so many good texts," said mother; "how would you like Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might'? Whatsoever' includes everything, every duty, every kindness, every self-denial, everything that you are able to do." "That is just the thing," said Anna; "I will have the text printed and hung up, to remind me of my what "Here is one of my whatsoevers," thought she, the next day, as she saw a little lost child crying, and led her home. “Here is another 'whatsoever,' ," and she helped a poor lame woman to cross the street. She found her "whatsoevers," as she called them, every day, -helping mother, father, sister, brother, every one who needed her kindness. Boys and girls, try to find whatsoevers, with wide-open eyes, and to do them with your might, for Jesus' sake. LOVE'S GARDEN. There is a quiet garden From the rude world set apart; The tiny roots are loving thoughts,- Thus in our hearts the seeds of love And we show our love for Christ our Lord By loving His children here. ELLEN R. FIELD. January 3. The words of the pure are pleasant words.-PROV. XV. 26. ONLY a few sweet loving words, that is all; but, coming from the heart and going to the heart, they would brighten many a life, and comfort many a soul, as the speaker of them little knows. Let us not be so chary of them. MARY H. PERKINS. PLEASANT WORDS. If any little word of mine May make a life the brighter, If any little song of mine May make a heart the lighter,— And drop it in some lonely vale January 4. Children's children are the crown of old men; and the glory of children are their fathers.-PROV. xvii. 6. 66 I ASKED a little boy last evening if he had called his grandpapa to tea. Yes," he replied; "when I went to call him, he was asleep, and I didn't know how to wake him. I didn't want to halloo at grandpapa, or to shake him; so I kissed his cheek, and that woke him very softly. Then I ran into the hall, and said, pretty loud,- Grandpa, tea is ready'; and he never knew what woke him." " GRANDPAPA. Grandpapa's hair is very white, While the children come and go: Grandpapa's hand is thin and weak, "Kiss it tenderly," says mamma, " 'Let every one honor grandpapa." Grandpapa's eyes are growing dim. They have looked on sorrow and death; "You children, all of you," says mamma, ་་ Grandpapa's years are wearing few, Remember, my children," says mamma, DINAH MULOCH CRAIK. |