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No word was written on the vase of earth;
But still the youngest prince advanced his claim:
He oped the urn amid the courtiers' mirth,
And nought was in it save God's holy name.

The sultan to the throng of courtiers turned,
And asked which of the vases weighed the most.
Various the thoughts that in their bosoms burned,
And came to speech among the glittering host.

The warriors said, "The golden vase of might;"
The poets said, "The amber vase of fame;"
The sages said, "The vase emblem of Right, -
The globe is lighter than God's written name."

Then said the sultan, "Sons, remember well
The meaning of the lesson read to-day:
When the scales tremble betwixt heaven and hell,
The name of God will all the rest outweigh."

T

Alger's Oriental Poetry (altered).

XII.

AGREED! - A CREED.

O make the most of life and health,

To take the safest road to wealth,

Agreed!

To live upon the temperance-plan,

To do a kindness when I can,

To help my neighbor in his need,

Agreed!

To envy not the rich and great,

To be content with my estate,

Agreed!

To early sow if I would reap,
To quench my wrath before I sleep,

To others' wants and wishes heed,

Agreed!

To guide the footsteps of the young,

To let not slander stain my tongue,

Agreed!

To daily earn what I shall eat,

To strive in dealing not to cheat,

To do my best in word and deed,

Agreed!

Mrs. Kidder.

XIII.

SOWING.

RE we sowing seeds of kindness?

Are we sowing seeds of discord ?
They shall ripen into wrong.
Are we sowing seeds of honor?

They shall bring forth golden grain.
Are we sowing seeds of falsehood?
We shall yet reap bitter pain.
Whatsoe'er our sowing be,
Reaping, we its fruits must see.

We can never be too careful

What the seed our hands shall sow:
Love from love is sure to ripen;
Hate from hate is sure to grow.
Seeds of good or ill we scatter
Heedlessly along our way;
But a glad or grievous fruitage
Waits us at the harvest-day.
Whatsoe'er our sowing be,
Reaping, we its fruits must see.

S

XIV.

STRIVE, WAIT, AND PRAY.

TRIVE: yet I do not promise
The prize you dream of to-day
Will not fade when you think to grasp it
And melt in your hand away;
But another and holier treasure
You would now perchance disdain
Will come when your trial is over,
And pay you for all your pain.

Wait: yet I do not tell you

The hour you long for now
Will come, with its radiance vanished,
And a shadow on its brow;
Yet far through the misty future,
With a crown of starry light,
An hour of joy you knew not
Is winging her silent flight.

Pray: though the gift you ask for
May never comfort your fears,
May never repay your pleading;
Yet pray with hopeful tears.
An answer, not that you long for,
But diviner, will come one day:
Your eyes are too dim to see it;
Yet strive and wait and pray.

Adelaide A. Procter.

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Give thy heart's best treasures;
From fair Nature learn:

Give thy love, and ask not,
Wait not, a return.

And, the more thou spendest
From thy little store,

With a double bounty

God will give thee more.

Adelaide A. Procter.

Sow

XVI.

SOWING AND REAPING.

OW with a generous hand; Pause not for toil or pain; Weary not through the heat of summer, Weary not through the cold spring rain; But wait till the autumn comes

For the sheaves of golden grain.

Scatter the seed, and fear not:
A table will be spread.
What matter if you are too weary
To eat your hard-earned bread:
Sow while the earth is broken;
For the hungry must be fed.

Sow: while the seeds are lying
In the warm earth's bosom deep,
And your warm tears fall upon it,
They will stir in their quiet sleep,
And the green blades rise the quicker,
Perchance, for the tears you weep.

Then sow; for the hours are fleeting,
And the seed must fall to-day:
And care not what hands shall reap it,
Or if you shall have passed away
Before the waving corn-fields
Shall gladden the sunny day.

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