Living the Radiant Life: A Personal NarrativeJames, George Wharton
Religion
Living the Radiant Life: A Personal Narrative
James, George Wharton
Conduct of life
A beautiful stream is the River of Rest;
The still, wide waters sweep clear and cold,
A tall mast crosses a star in the west,
A white sail gleams in the west world's gold:
It leans to the shore of the River of Rest--
The lily-lined shore of the River of Rest.
The boatman rises, he reaches a hand,
He knows you well, he will steer you true,
And far, so far, from all ills upon land,
From hates, from fates that pursue and pursue;
Far over the lily-lined River of Rest--
Dear mystical, magical River of Rest.
A storied, sweet stream is this River of Rest;
The souls of all time keep its ultimate shore;
And journey you east or journey you west,
Unwilling, or willing, sure-footed or sore,
You surely will come to this River of Rest--
This beautiful, beautiful River of Rest.
And elsewhere he says:
I go, I know not where, but know I will not die,
And know I will be gainer going to that somewhere;
For in that hereafter, afar beyond the bended sky,
Bread and butter will not figure in the bill of fare,
Nor will the soul be judged by what the flesh may wear.
Here is the spirit in which he describes and meets death:
Come forward here to me, ye who have a fear of death,
Come down, far down, even to the dark waves' rim,
And take my hand, and feel my calm, low breath;
How peaceful all! How still and sweet! The sight is dim,
And dreamy as a distant sea. And melodies do swim
Around us here as afar-off vesper's holy hymn.
This is death! With folded hands I wait and welcome him.
Thus, in very deed, and very truth, would I await and welcome him. And
so I would radiate, now and ever, being sorry for my failings and
failures, but thankful beyond measure for any small degree of
helpfulness, joy, happiness, blessing I may have brought to others, and
with only one great desire towards the earth and its inhabitants, viz.,
to be remembered as one who loved and sought to bless his fellow men.
BOOKS BY GEORGE WHARTON JAMES
PALOU'S LIFE AND APOSTOLIC LABORS OF PADRE FR. JUNIPERO SERRA,
Founder of the Franciscan Missions of California. 372 pages, limited
edition, 1000 copies only printed. $10.00 net.
HEROES OF CALIFORNIA. 515 pages, with eighty illustrations. $2.00
net; postpaid, $2.16.
THE GRAND CANYON OF ARIZONA; HOW TO SEE IT. 265 pages, with maps and
48 pages of pictures. $1.50 net; postpaid, $1.63.
IN AND AROUND THE GRAND CANYON OF THE COLORADO RIVER IN ARIZONA. 346
pages, with 23 full-page plates and 77 illustrations in the text.
Crown 8vo. $2.50 net; postpaid, $2.70.
THE INDIANS OF THE PAINTED DESERT REGION. 268 pages, with 16
full-page pictures and 50 half-page illustrations from photographs.
Crown 8vo. $2.00 net; postpaid, $2.18.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account