When Day is Done Part 19

"Carry On"

They spoke it bravely, grimly, in their darkest hours of doubt; They spoke it when their hope was low and when their strength gave out; We heard it from the dying in those troubled days now gone, And they breathed it as their slogan for the living: "Carry on!"

Now the days of strife are over, and the skies are fair again, But those two brave words of courage on our lips should still remain; In the trials which beset us and the cares we look upon, To our dead we should be faithful--we have still to "carry on!"

"Carry on!" through storm and danger, "carry on" through dark despair, "Carry on" through hurt and failure, "carry on" through grief and care; 'Twas the slogan they bequeathed us as they fell beside the way, And for them and for our children, let us "carry on!" to-day.

Life's Single Standard

There are a thousand ways to cheat and a thousand ways to sin; There are ways uncounted to lose the game, but there's only one way to win; And whether you live by the sweat of your brow or in luxury's garb you're dressed, You shall stand at last, when your race is run, to be judged by the single test.

Some men lie by the things they make; some lie in the deeds they do; And some play false for a woman's love, and some for a cheer or two; Some rise to fame by the force of skill, grow great by the might of power, Then wreck the temple they toiled to build, in a single, shameful hour.

The follies outnumber the virtues good; sin lures in a thousand ways; But slow is the growth of man's character and patience must mark his days; For only those victories shall count, when the work of life is done, Which bear the stamp of an honest man, and by courage and faith were won.

There are a thousand ways to fail, but only one way to win!

Sham cannot cover the wrong you do nor wash out a single sin, And never shall victory come to you, whatever of skill you do, Save you've done your best in the work of life and unto your best were true.

Learn to Smile

The good Lord understood us when He taught us how to smile; He knew we couldn't stand it to be solemn all the while; He knew He'd have to shape us so that when our hearts were gay, We could let our neighbors know it in a quick and easy way.

So He touched the lips of Adam and He touched the lips of Eve, And He said: "Let these be solemn when your sorrows make you grieve, But when all is well in Eden and your life seems worth the while, Let your faces wear the glory and the sunshine of a smile.

"Teach the symbol to your children, pa.s.s it down through all the years.

Though they know their share of sadness and shall weep their share of tears, Through the ages men and women shall prove their faith in Me By the smile upon their faces when their hearts are trouble-free."

The good Lord understood us when He sent us down to earth, He knew our need for laughter and for happy signs of mirth; He knew we couldn't stand it to be solemn all the while, But must share our joy with others--so He taught us how to smile.

The True Man

This is the sort of a man was he: True when it hurt him a lot to be; Tight in a corner an' knowin' a lie Would have helped him out, but he wouldn't buy His freedom there in so cheap a way-- He told the truth though he had to pay.

Honest! Not in the easy sense, When he needn't worry about expense-- We'll all play square when it doesn't count And the sum at stake's not a large amount-- But he was square when the times were bad, An' keepin' his word took all he had.

Honor is something we all profess, But most of us cheat--some more, some less-- An' the real test isn't the way we do When there isn't a pinch in either shoe; It's whether we're true to our best or not When the right thing's certain to hurt a lot.

That is the sort of a man was he: Straight when it hurt him a lot to be; Times when a lie would have paid him well, No matter the cost, the truth he'd tell; An' he'd rather go down to a drab defeat Than save himself if he had to cheat.

Cleaning the Furnace

Last night Pa said to Ma: "My dear, it's gettin' on to fall, It's time I did a little job I do not like at all.

I wisht 'at I was rich enough to hire a man to do The dirty work around this house an' clean up when he's through, But since I'm not, I'm truly glad that I am strong an' stout, An' ain't ashamed to go myself an' clean the furnace out."

Then after supper Pa put on his overalls an' said He'd work down in the cellar till 'twas time to go to bed.

He started in to rattle an' to bang an' poke an' stir, An' the dust began a-climbin' up through every register Till Ma said: "Goodness gracious; go an' shut those things up tight Or we'll all be suffocated an' the house will be a sight."

Then he carted out the ashes in a basket an' a pail, An' from cellar door to alley he just left an ashy trail.

Then he pulled apart the chimney, an' 'twas full of something black, An' he skinned most all his knuckles when he tried to put it back.

We could hear him talkin' awful, an' Ma looked at us an' said: "I think it would be better if you children went to bed."

When he came up from the cellar there were ashes in his hair, There were ashes in his eyebrows--but he didn't seem to care-- There were ashes in his mustache, there were ashes in his eyes, An' we never would have known him if he'd took us by surprise.

"Well, I got it clean," he sputtered, and Ma said: "I guess that's true; Once the dirt was in the furnace, but now most of it's on you."

Trouble Brings Friends

It's seldom trouble comes alone. I've noticed this: When things go wrong An' trouble comes a-visitin', it always brings a friend along; Sometimes it's one you've known before, and then perhaps it's someone new Who stretches out a helping hand an' stops to see what he can do.

If never trials came to us, if grief an' sorrow pa.s.sed us by, If every day the sun came out an' clouds were never in the sky, We'd still have neighbors, I suppose, each one pursuin' selfish ends, But only neighbors they would be--we'd never know them as our friends.

Out of the troubles I have had have come my richest friendships here, Kind hands have helped to bear my care, kind words have fallen on my ear; An' so I say when trouble comes I know before the storm shall end That I shall find my bit of care has also brought to me a friend.