William P. Pearce

“ Better far, however, to open the windows of the soul toward heaven, not merely that we may think of the hereafter, but that the invisible, at the present moment, may stream into our being.
Prayer is the soul’s voice. It is the aspiration of the highest part of man. It is the sublime confidence, that, though foreign, still it is within the range of possibility to hold communion with the Creator of us all. Every time we bend the knee before the Throne of Grace, we declare our belief in our own God-likeness and in our indestructible affinity for the divine. ”

“ WHAT DUTY IMPLIES. “Duty” may be defined as the thing that can be done, because it is the thing that ought to be done. To be dutiful implies a respect and reverence for others who are placed in authority in whatever capacity, parental, official or governmental. “It is,” said Gladstone, “coextensive with the action of our intelligence. It is the shadow which cleaves to us, go where we will, and which only leaves us when we leave the light of life.” Fortunate the boy who is not an orphan, and blessed is he who knows how to appreciate his parents. ”

“ Love is the greatest thing in the world, the pivot on which the commandments turn, the pillar of the Christian religion and the keystone in the arch of our salvation. It is a height without top, depth without bottom, and length and breadth without boundary. It will not yield to bribes or threats, cannot be burnt by fire, submerged by billows or restrained by castle bars, but shines in patriotism, bleeds in sacrifice and dies in atonement. ”

“ Cultivation of politeness is like putting the finishing touch upon the picture, it sets one off to the best advantage. Like a flower bed encircling the lawn, it beautifies character. Like a lamp in a dark room, it makes one’s presence cheerful. Nothing has greater influence, 26and as Matthew Arnold said, “It is three-fourths of life.” As honey on the skin is a protection from the sting of the bee, so politeness will be a safeguard from the stings of the world. ”

“ If my boy, a book helps one to die, it must be an excellent book by which to live. Make it your constant companion and study, looking for its precepts as well as promises, and determine to live up to every duty as you shall discover it. On the day of Queen Elizabeth’s coronation, a boy, skilled in athletic feats, was dressed as an angel, with wings on his shoulders and feet, and on the approach of the royal coach, he descended as if from heaven, from the top of Temple Bar, bearing an elegant Bible, expressly made for the Queen. ”

“ In choosing subjects you will not have to combat with the difficulties our forefathers met, for in these days of cheap paper and cheap printing the whole world of literature is open to you. But here, my lad, let me warn you against the worthless, the pernicious trash with which the literary market is flooded.
Study history with its descriptions of growth and decay of nations; science with its marvels and recent revelations, biographies of good and great men and nature whose pages are always open to view. Study everything which will lead you to look higher and feel nobler. ”

“ There is the so-called white lie of custom when a certain article is slightly misrepresented to make a bargain; the white lie of courtesy when one makes politeness the garb behind which he deceives; the white lie of necessity, when one would evade the truth by nodding the head, or giving a wrong impression. Some men, and even great men, have maintained that this is sometimes a necessity, but would it not be a fine moral precept to say, “You must speak the truth generally, but you may utter a falsehood when it suits your convenience?” ”

“ Frequently it happens in the business world and in social trials, if one shies around the court of conscience in selecting his tribunal, he may win a verdict that will bear no scrutiny thereafter in the Court of Error, Supreme on High!
Be just to self, unmarred by vice; just to parents as admonished by the words: “Honor thy father and thy mother;” just to brother and sister, and thus respect the home that sent you forth. The animals that serve us nobly should be treated justly. Shame and indignation rest upon the one who harshly treats the noble horse. ”

“ WHAT HOPE IS LIKENED TO. Like every other good thing hope has many symbols. Watson said: “Hope is like the cork to the net, which keeps the soul from sinking in despair.” “It is to man,” said Felthan, “as a bladder to a learning swimmer, it keeps him from sinking in the bosom of the waves and by that help he may attain the exercise.” “Hope,” says Howe, “is the engine that moves the world and keeps the intelligent part of it in action everywhere.” But in the Scriptures it is symbolized as an anchor: “Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul.” ”

“ Patriotism claims no mountain slope, no river bank, no range of hills, no village or town or city, but rather lifts the eye to a great continent, reclaimed from barbarism and illumined with the light of a Christian civilization. He who cherishes such a patriotism in his heart and feels its inspiration in the battle of life will have little cause to fear the onset or doubt the certain victory. ”

“ You make him a denizen of all nations, a contemporary of all ages.” “A good book,” said Milton, “is the precious life-blood of a master spirit embalmed and treasured up on purpose to a life beyond life.” “In the best books,” said Dr. Channing, “great men talk to us, with us, and give us their most precious thoughts. Books are the voices of the distant and the dead. Books are the true leaders, they give to all who will faithfully use them, the society and the presence of the best and the greatest of our race. ”

“ What one will be in manhood depends largely on what he is in boyhood. The loftiest attainments are nothing more than fruits of earnest study. There is no perfection, no great excellence without great labor. “It is the deepest soil,” said Dewey, “that yields not only the richest fruits, but the fairest flowers; it is the most solid body which is not only the most useful, but which admits of the highest polish and brilliancy; it is the strongest pinion which not only carries the greatest burden, but which soars to the highest flight.” ”

“ Greatly surprised and pleased at this reply, the sturdy old warrior lifted his own hat and said, “I honor the man or boy who is faithful to his duty, and who can neither be bribed or frightened into doing wrong. With an army of soldiers as trustworthy as that, I could conquer not only the French but the world.” Then handing him a glittering sovereign, the old Duke put spurs to his horse and galloped away with his companions, while the boy ran off to his master shouting at the top of his voice: “Hurrah! hurrah! I’ve done what Napoleon could not do. I’ve kept back the Duke of Wellington!” ”

“ Each day every boy is compelled to choose between two courses of conduct, duty and disobedience. The one, however great the cost, is accompanied by a sense of right; the other, which demands no effort, by anguish and peril. No boy need hesitate to be dutiful. Conscience dictates, reason approves, and though the triumphs of genius might be more dazzling, the chances of good fortune more exciting, yet he who heeds the counsel will profit thereby, daring nobly, willing strongly and succeeding admirably. ”

“ The bee said, “O glorious Jove, give thy servant a sting, that when anyone approaches my hive to take the honey, I may kill him on the spot.” Jupiter answered, “Your prayer shall not be granted in the way you wish, but the sting you ask for, you shall have; and when anyone comes to take away your honey, and you sting him, the wound shall be fatal, not to him, but to you, for your life shall go with the sting.” So is it to this day. He that curseth others, curseth himself. ”

“ The Bible is the only book in which the best literature of thirty centuries is incorporated, the only book which has been translated into more than three hundred languages and printed by the hundreds of millions. The only book which has stimulated invention, advanced education, given stability, order and prosperity to homes and nations, emancipated slaves, exalted virtue, and led lost souls to a knowledge of Christ and everlasting life. ”

“ The sands in the hour-glass of my life have nearly run out. In the far-off strange place to which you are going there will be no loving mother to give you counsel in time of trouble. Seek counsel and help from God. Every Sabbath morning, from ten to eleven o’clock, I will spend the hour in prayer for you, wherever you may be during this sacred hour. When you hear the church bells ringing let your thoughts come back to the chamber where your dying mother will be agonizing in prayer for you. ”

“ Politeness has been defined as love in trifles, courtesy as love in little things. In social standing it is another word for a real gentleman. “Gentleman” has been defined as a man who does things gently, with love. In its relation to God it is self-sacrifice. “To be great-hearted, for the love we bear to our Master, and in imitation of Him, is ideal Christianity, for it is the religion of Him whose life and death were self-sacrifice.” Such love lightens the burdens of other lives, sweetens their toils and imparts music with every step. Such love begets love. ”

“ In any race a man can well afford to miss applause at the starting-line, if he gets it at the goal. A slow but determined start is not incompatible with a swift conclusion. Experienced mountain-climbers seem almost lazy, so calmly do they put one foot in front of the other; but they stand well-breathed on the summit, while their comrades are panting at the halfway station. One must not swerve to the right or left, but, setting his face toward duty, like Marcus Curtius who rode to death in the Roman Forum, he must push forward, with an honest ambition to reach the goal of success. ”

“ The less we do through the week, the more rest we clamor for on Sabbath. ‘The church is so far away; it is too far to walk, and I detest riding in a street-car, and they’re always crowded on the Sabbath.’ This is, indeed, distressing! Sometimes when I think how much farther away heaven is than the church, and that there are no conveyances on the road of any description, I wonder how some of us are going to get there. ”

“ To enjoy a painting one needs more than to glance at it. It should be looked at from every point, the variety of shading noticed minutely, and then, taking a step backwards, one is better able to appreciate it, as its whole beauty stands out prominently. There is an ingenious engraving of the first draft of the American Constitution and the Emancipation Proclamation, so finely shaded that at a little distance one presents a perfect likeness of George Washington, the other an excellent portrait of Abraham Lincoln. ”

“ Books are wonderful things. They are companions and teachers. For their authors they cost much thought, time and expense; for the reader they are cheap and helpful. They carry the mind fast and safe the world over. “In the twinkling of an eye one can be exploring with Livingstone in Africa, or campaigning with Napoleon or Grant. One can meditate with Socrates, conspire with Cataline, steal the Stratford deer with Will Shakespeare, swim the Hellespont with Byron, weigh the earth with Newton, and climb the heavens with Herschel.” ”

“ Be Just Archbishop Abbot of Canterbury when preaching the funeral sermon of Lord Buckhurst, did not dwell on his merits as a statesman, or his genius as a poet, but upon his virtues as a man in relation to the ordinary duties of life. “How many rare things were in him,” said he, “one of which was justice.” The first and most essential exercise of love toward other persons is respect of their rights. It is a virtue that will govern one’s thoughts, engineer one’s actions, influence one’s life, and command the universal esteem of mankind. ”

“ To do well anything that is to be done is a test of power, a proof of efficiency, a criterion of character and a sure way to promotion. Just as the usefulness and value of a stamp depends on its ability to stick, so concentration of interest and effort is the boy’s only secret of success. A burning glass becomes powerful only when focalized on one object, and a boy becomes master of the situation only when he bends mind and body to each detail, never yielding to doubt or discouragement. ”

“ No matter how poor I am, no matter though the prosperity of my own time will not enter my obscure dwelling, if learned men and poets will enter and take up their abode under my roof, if Milton will cross my threshold to sing to me of Paradise, and Shakespeare open to me the world of imagination and the workings of the human heart, and 205Franklin enrich me with his practical wisdom, I shall not pine for want of intellectual companionship, and I may become a cultivated man, though excluded from what is called the best society in the place where I live. ”

“ This reminds us of Esau’s remorse when he lost his chieftainship, and the despair of Judas after selling his Master. Infidelity to trust is an awful sin. Unfaithfulness is inexcusable and often brings with it direst penalty. It is a gradually increasing sin. There is first a lack of love to God. Then, like Peter on the sea and Elijah under the juniper tree, disbelief creeps into the heart, earnestness is lost, unwatchfulness results, joy vanishes and unholy living follows. In the end, unless there is a returning to God like the prodigal son to his father, death becomes sad and eternity awful. ”

“ How much better and safer to speak the truth, for
“There is nothing so kingly as kindness,
And nothing so royal as truth.” Truthfulness is the foundation of character. It is the basis of true manhood. Its spirit pervades the closest relation and highest intercourse, its law holds the planets in their course, and it is the presiding principle of every true and noble life. ”