Suppose your task, my little man, Is very hard to get, Will it make it any easier For you to sit and fret? And wouldn't it be wiser Than waiting like a dunce, To go to work in earnest, And learn the thing at once? Suppose that some boys have a horse, And wouldn't it be nobler To keep your temper sweet, And in your heart be thankful You can walk upon your feet? And suppose the world don't please you, The wisest, bravest plan, Whatever comes, or doesn't come, To do the best you can? PHOEBE CARY 191 ALL THINGS BRIGHT AND BEAUTIFUL All things bright and beautiful, Each little flower that opens, The rich man in his castle, The purple-headed mountain, The cold wind in the winter, The tall trees in the greenwood, The meadows where we play, The rushes by the water We gather every day; He gave us eyes to see them, Who hath made all things well! CECIL F. ALEXANDER 192 THE CREATION Come, child, look upward to the sky, Come, child, and now behold the earth The product view of six days' work,— The fields, the meadows, and the plain, The waters, too, the mighty main, Come, then, behold them all and say, How came these things to be, That stand in view, whichever way You turn yourself to see? 'Twas God who made the earth and sea,To whom the angels bow; That God who made both you and me That God who sees us now. ANN TAYLOR 193 THE WAY TO BE HAPPY How pleasant it is, at the end of the day, But reflect on the past, and be able to say: When I've finished my task with all patience and care, And been good, and obliging, and kind, Instead of all this, if it must be confest Then, as I dislike all the trouble I've had, For I never am naughty without being sad, JANE TAYLOR 194 FORBEARANCE Why should we pluck the dewy rose That scents the early morn, Or strive to snare the happy bird We'll leave the flower to woo the sun, And walk through pleasures, grasping none, When scorners scorn, or foes revile, We'll neither give them scorn for scorn, Nor pass them coldly by; We'll check the storm of rising pride, And should the foe who did us wrong We'll think no more of evil done, To shame him where he stands; We'll strive to act a nobler part,— We'll pity-hear, and spare;— And win an entrance to his heart By all that we forbear. CHARLES MACKAY 195 QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS Who showed the little ant the way And spend the pleasant summer day |