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H

XLVI.

APRIL-FOOLS.

E who mourneth day by day
That his youth doth pass away

Like the blossoms on the tree,
Sure an April-fool must be!
For the blossoms fade and die
That the tree may fruit supply:
So, youth fled, we e'er should find
Fruitful wisdom left behind.

He who lives to garner gold,
Selling what should ne'er be sold,
Bartering peace for dress, - why, he
Sure an April-fool must be !
Many who have mourned his end
Will rejoice that they may spend;
For the ingots he may save
None will bury in his grave.

He who spurns the horny hand
Throwing loom or tilling land,
Treating labor scornfully, -
Sure an April-fool is he!
Were the loom of toil bereft,
Spider would weave warp and weft.
Earth and labor are allied:
Thriftless groom makes thriftless bride.

He who thinks that time hath done
All for which time was begun,
Nor its onward course doth see,
Sure an April-fool must be!

Night but slowly melts away;
Daylight cometh ray by ray:
Time must work Creation's plan,
And man be victor over man.

XLVII.

HAPPINESS.

CHILDREN, would you here obtain

Pleasure unalloyed with pain,

Joy that suits your little sphere,
Gentle children, lend an ear.

Learn to relish calm delight,
Verdant vales, and fountains bright,
Trees that nod on distant hills,
Caves that echo tinkling rills.

If you can no charm disclose
In the simplest bud that blows,
You will ne'er the joys explore
Of the larger world before.

See! to sweeten your repose,
Blossom buds, and fountain flows;
See! that you may happy live,
Flowers and fruits their richness give.

Seek no more: the rest is vain, -
Pleasure ending soon in pain;
Pleasure that soon glides away:
Seek no more, but with me stay.

Shenstone. XLVIII.

THE HOLY SPIRIT.

UR blest Redeemer, ere he breathed
His tender last farewell,

A Guide, a Comforter, bequeathed,
With us to dwell.

He came in tongues of living flame
To teach, convince, subdue :

All powerful as the wind he came,
As viewless too.

He came sweet influence to impart;
A gracious, willing guest

While he can find one humble heart
Wherein to rest.

And his that gentle voice we hear,

Soft as the breath of even,

That checks each fault, that calms each fear,

And speaks of heaven.

And every virtue we possess,

And every victory won,

And every thought of holiness,

Are his alone.

Spirit of Purity and Grace,

Our weakness pitying see:

Oh! make our hearts thy dwelling-place,

And worthier thee!

PART IIІ.

TRUTH.

Talk between the Teacher and the Child.

GOD.

Who made the things that you see?

God. He made the sun, the moon, the stars, the rivers, the rocks, and green grass, the trees and flowers. He made also every living creature.

Did God make these things with his hands as a man makes a watch or a pen-knife?

No: he made the light, the air, the elements, and the powers by which all things came into form.

Who created you?

God.

Did the same God create your father and mother?

He did.

Did he also create your grandfather and your

grandmother, and all who ever lived?

He created all who have lived on the earth.

Did he create you as a man carves an image? No: he made the substance from which we were

made, and the laws by which it came into form. Can you see God?

Not with our eyes; for he has no body. How, then, can you see him, if not with your eyes?

God is seen with the eye of the heart.

What do you mean by the eye of the heart? The eye of the heart is purity. Jesus said, "Blessed are the pure in heart; for they shall see God."

Who are the pure in heart ?

They that are not vain nor proud nor selfish; the modest and the simple; they who do not think of themselves, but who love some others more than themselves, and goodness more than all.

What is God?

God is spirit: so Jesus said.

What do you mean by saying that God is spirit?

We mean that he is wisdom and love. The beloved disciple, who tells us that God is spirit, says also, "God is light;" "God is love."

Do you know God, then, when you are wise and loving?

We know God when we love wisdom and good

ness.

And when do you love God?

When we love to be true and just and kind.

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