Almighty God, grant that I may be spared the allurements of deceptive happiness which leaves weary days. I ask for wisdom that I may not speak foolishly, think foolishly, or act foolishly; and may I not be detained by the foolishness of others, but pursue my work, whether it be far or near. Amen. APRIL SECOND Charlemagne born 742. Thomas Jefferson, Virginia, third President United States, born 1743. Hans Andersen born 1805. Frederic A. Bartholdi born 1834. Emile Zola born 1840. When a man assumes a public trust he should consider himself public property. --Thomas Jefferson. We hold these truths to be self-evident--that all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. --Declaration of Independence. Breathes there the man with soul so dead Who never to himself hath said, This is my own, my native land! Whose heart hath ne'er within him burned As home his footsteps he hath turned From wandering on a foreign strand? --Sir Walter Scott. Render therefore unto Caesar the things that are Caesar's. --Matthew 22. 21. My Lord, I thank thee for the wisdom and love that is spoken through the lives of strong men and women. Grant that I may be willing to learn of them, and gladly serve where I am needed, remembering that thou art Lord of all. Amen. APRIL THIRD George Herbert born 1593. Washington Irving born 1783. Edward Everett Hale born 1822. John Burroughs born 1837. Sum up at night what thou hast done by day And in the morning what thou hast to do: Dress and undress thy soul: mark the decay And growth of it; if with thy watch that too Be dowl, then wind up both; since we shall be Most surely judged, make thy accounts agree. --George Herbert. To look up and not down, To look forward and not back, To look out and not in, and To lend a hand. --Edward E. Hale. There is a healthy hardiness about real dignity that never dreads contact and communion with others, however humble. --Washington Irving. I put on righteousness, and it clothed me: My justice was as a robe and a diadem. --Job 29. 14. My Lord, I pray that I may always be found clothed in love and kindness. Make me worthy to minister to those who may be dependent on me, and whether they be rich or poor, high or low, may I try to help them. Amen. APRIL FOURTH Oliver Goldsmith died 1774. Dorothea Dix born 1802. James Freeman Clarke born 1810. "The greatest object in the universe," said a certain philosopher, "is a good man struggling with adversity"; yet there is still a greater, which is the good man who comes to relieve it. --Oliver Goldsmith.