Only the sunny soul respects its God;
Since life is short, we need to make it broad;
Since life is brief, we need to make it bright.
Then keep the old king's motto well in sight,
And let its meaning permeate each day;
Whatever comes, THIS, TOO, SHALL PASS AWAY.

-ANON.

WHEN THE RACE FOR THE PRIZE IS THRU.

Last night you were weary, tired;

Worn out with toil and care,

Your courage flagged a little,

You thought you had much to bear.

You thought that for others the battle,
Which called for your every nerve,
Seemed easy and smooth and successful,
And you were inclined to swerve.

Inclined to relax your effort,

Inclined to show signs of fag;
Forgetting the last inch of fighting,
Was the one that won the flag.

Forgetting, that for all summer

You must fight along this line-
That the last throb of the engine,

Was the one that crossed the brine.

That thousands had been successful,

Had they driven home the nail

That the rabbit, on the finish,

Was beaten by the snail.

That all must needs the race begin,
With courage fresh and new;
But who'll be there at the battle's end,
When the race for the prize is thru?

Will it be he who says "I can't,"

Who'll the vital moment shirk, Or he who says with a zest "I will," And then gets down to work? -C. H. DODGE.

TODAY.

We dream bright dreams of tomorrow;
Our castles are built in the air;
And with hues sublime, of the coming time,
We paint us a picture fair.

But we never stop to consider

That the future flees away,

And that there is naught into being wrought
Unless it is wrought today.

To the cherished haunts of the old time
Our eyes are backward cast,

And a sweet voice calls through memory's halls,
To woo us unto the past.

But however dear are the visions,

We do not dare to stay.

From out of the gone, we must yet move or
To the duties' call today.

We've the "now" in which to labor;
We've the "now" in which to be!
And the "now" alone we call our own

Through all eternity.

The past and the future are shadows,
But the present is ours for aye.
To us 'tis given to build our heaven

In the kingdom of today.

-J. A. EDGERTON (New Age).

IF I CAN LIVE.

If I can live

To make some pale face brighter and to give
A second lustre to some tear-dimmed eye
Or e'en impart

One throb of comfort to an aching heart,
Or cheer some way-worn soul in passing by;
If I can lend

A strong hand to the fallen, or defend
The right against a single envious strain,
My life, though bare

Of much that seemeth dear and fair

To us on earth, will not have been in vain.

-HELEN HUNT JACKSON.