Rudyard Kipling's Words of Wisdom

by Rudyard Kipling

IF you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too;
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or being lied about, don’t deal in lies,
Or being hated, don’t give way to hating,
And yet don’t look too good, nor talk too wise:

If you can dream – and not make dreams your master;
If you can think – and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you’ve spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
And stoop and build ‘em up with worn-out tools:

If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breathe a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: ‘Hold on!’

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
’ Or walk with Kings – nor lose the common touch,
if neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,
If all men count with you, but none too much;
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds’ worth of distance run,
Yours is the Earth and everything that’s in it,
And – which is more – you’ll be a Man, my son!

Jesus Lover of My Soul - How It Was Written

ONE  day  Mr.  Wesley  was  sitting  by  an  open window,  looking  out  over  the  bright  and  beautiful  fields.  Presently  a  little bird,  flitting  about in  the sunshine,  attrac­ted  his  attention.  Just  then  a  hawk  came sweeping  down  towards  the  little  bird.  The poor thing,  very much frightened, was  darting  here and there,  trying  to  find  some  place  of  refuge.  In  the  bright  sunny  air, in  the  leafy  trees of the green  fields,  there was no  hiding  place  from  the  fierce  grasp of the  hawk.  But  seeing  an  open  window and a  man  sitting  by  it,  the  bird  flew,  in its extremuy,  ujwttrus  it,  and  with  a  beat­ing  heart  and quivering wing,  found refuge in  Mr.  Wesley's  bosom.  He  sheltered  it from  the threatening  danger,  and  saved it from  a cruel  death.

Mr.  Wesley was  at  that  time  suffering from severe trials, and  was feeling the need  of  refuge  in  his  own  time  of  trouble,  as much  as  did  the trembling  little  bird  that nestled so safely in  his  bosom.  

'Jesus, Lover of My Soul's' Inspiration

So  he took up  his  pen  and  wrote that  sweet  hymn :

"Jesus, lover of my soul, 

Let me to thy bosom  fly,

While the waves  of trouble  roll,

While the tempest still is  high." 

That  prayer  grew  into  one  of  the  most beautiful  hymns  in  our  language,  and  multitudes of  people,  when  in  sorrow  and danger,  have  found  comfort  while  they have  said  or  sung  the  last  lines  of  that hymn

Home Garden

EVERY family may have a home garden if they have four square feet of earth. The success attained depends not so much on the size of the home garden as on the way one relates himself to the task. A love for plants and flowers is the prerequisite. Health and happiness may be found in cultivating plant life, and the study of where and under what conditions each variety thrives is indeed fascinating. Happy is the man or woman who loves nature and whose life is enriched by lessons learned from growing plants and flowers. Health of mind and body may be found in seeking the acquaintance of plant life.

Preparation of Soil.—In planning for a garden, the first thing to consider is the preparation of the soil. This may be done with ordinary hand tools. If the soil is covered with a sod or is inclined to be heavy, a spade may be used. However, if it is mellow, a fork is very serviceable Care should be taken not to work the soil when it is sticky. Wait until it has dried sufficiently, so that it will crumble when it drops from the spade. This is - important, for soil that is disturbed when wet is likely to bake and become hard, and this greatly hampers production. After spading, the surface should be allowed to dry; for this will aid you much in preparing the seed bed, a most essential factor.

Don't let the surface become crusty. This hampers capillary attraction in furnishing moisture for the plants. An inch or two of dry earth checks evaporation and avoids loss of moisture, which is important in growing good plants. If you exercise care in keeping loose mulch over the surface, you will eliminate your water problem except in case of drouth. If the plants need added moisture, water them in the evening, but be sure to rake the soil the next morning to conserve the moisture.

Selection of Seeds.—When purchasing seeds, the best obtainable is always cheapest, for poor seed will produce inferior plants. It is advisable to purchase your seed from a reputable seed house. One should be familiar with the requirements of the seed he is sowing.

How to Plant.—The seed should be well covered (depth of planting varies according to size of seed). Many gardeners recommend tamping the soil lightly after planting to aid in surrounding the seed with earth and to conserve the moisture. But be sure the soil will not bake and become hard, or the seeds will not be able to break through the crust which may form. This practice should be followed only in soft, sandy loam.

When to Plant.—The time of planting depends upon the locality, but seed should never be planted until the weather is warm, so that the plants' growth will not be retarded by cold weather. Some seeds, such as sweet peas, garden peas, lettuce, radishes, cabbage, carrots, parsnips, and salsify, will thrive in cool weather and stand a few degrees of frost. Nevertheless, great care should be taken not to hurry in starting the more tender plants out in the open. These should be kept under glass until danger of frost is over.