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LESSON LXV.

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HELP ONE ANOTHER.

A

TRAVELER who was passing over the Alps was overtaken by a snow-storm at the top of a high mountain. The cold became intense. The air was thick with sleet, and the piercing wind seemed to penetrate into his bones.

2. Still the traveler, for a time, struggled on. But at last his limbs were quite benumbed; a heavy drowsiness began to creep over him; his feet almost refused to move: and he lay down on the snow to give way to that fatal sleep which is the last stage of extreme cold, and from which he would certainly never have waked up again in this world.

3. Just at that moment he saw another poor traveler coming up along the road; the unhappy man seemed to be, if possible, even in a worse condition than himself; for he, too, could scarcely move, and he appeared to be just at the point of death.

4. When he saw this poor man, the traveler who was just going to lie down to sleep made a great effort. He roused himself up, and crawled, for he was scarcely able to walk, to his fellow-sufferer. He took his hands into his own, and tried to warm them. He rubbed his temples, his feet, his whole body; and all the time he spoke cheering words in his ear, and tried to comfort him.

5. As he did this, the dying man began to revive; his powers were restored, and he felt able to go forward. But this was not all; for his kind benefactor, too, was recovered by the efforts he had made to save his friend. The exertion of rubbing made the blood circulate again in his own body. He grew warm by trying to warm the other.

6. Soon the snow-storm passed away; the mountain was crossed, and they reached their homes in safety. If you feel your heart cold towards others, and your soul almost perishing, try to do something which may help another soul to life, and make his heart glad; and you will often find it the best way to warm and restore and gladden your own.

Alps, high mountains in Eu- penetrate, to go through.

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THOUGH

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PRAYER.

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HOUGH you can not see Jesus, you can speak to him. You can pray. God has permitted and even commanded us to do this. How great a privilege to be allowed to speak to God. "Call upon me in the day of trouble." "Watch and pray." "Pray without ceasing."

2. Prayer requires no fine, well-arranged sentences. The simplest utterance of your heart's desire is prayer. Those desires themselves, unbreathed, are prayer. You need not wait until you can enter a church to pray; you may pray'everywhere. And Jesus is always waiting for the prayers of poor sinners; so that not one ever escapes his notice. His ear is always open.

3. It is difficult to speak to kings and princes; they can only be seen sometimes, and then only a few persons are permitted to come near them. But all may come with their petitions to Jesus, however poor and despised, and at all times too. Whatever good things you want for the soul, pray. For pardon, for a new heart, for faith, for holiness, for comfort, pray.

be sure

4. You can not pray in vain. You may of such prayers being answered. There are some things which even God can not do. He can not sin, and he can not refuse to listen to a poor sinner's prayer, for he has promised. "Ask and it shall be given you," said Jesus; and his word declares, “He can not deny himself." Be then encouraged to pray.

5. However vile and helpless you think you are, you are not too bad to pray. Pray, if you can only utter such a petition as this, "Save, Lord, or I perish." Make a habit of prayer. Find some place where you can be alone. "When thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and shut the door."

6. Rise before the work of the day begins, that you may have time to pray. Lay open your heart

Tell

before God. wretched you are.

him how vile and helpless and Confess your sins, and cry for pardon. Read the Bible, and ask for that holiness which is commended there. Say, "Lord, I am ignorant; teach ine. My heart is hard; soften it. Convert me by thy Holy Spirit. Help me to come to Jesus, to believe, love, and obey him."

7. And let your heart throughout the day often ascend to God, even while engaged in your necessary labor. "Pray without ceasing." If the answer does not seem to come at once, pray on, and success is certain. A praying soul can never be lost You can not perish while you are sincerely calling upon Jesus, saying, "Lord, have mercy upon me a sinner."

LESSON LXVII.

PRESIDENT LINCOLN AT GETTYSBURG

This address was delivered by Mr. Lincoln at the dedication of the National Cemetery on the battle-field at Gettysburg, Penn., Nov. 19, 1863.

FOUR

OURSCORE and seven years ago our fathers brought forth upon this continent a new nation, conceived in liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal. Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure.

2. We are met on a great battle-field of that war. We are met to dedicate a portion of it as the final resting-place of those who here gave their lives that that nation might live. It is altogether fitting and

proper that we should do this; but, in a larger sense, we can not dedicate, we can not consecrate, we can not hallow, this ground.

3. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here have consecrated it far above our power to add or detract. The world will little note nor long remember what we say here; but it can never forget what they did here. It is for us, the living, rather to be dedicated here to the unfinished work that they have thus far so nobly carried on.

4. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us; that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to the cause for which they here gave the last full measure of devotion; that we here highly resolve that the dead shall not have died in vain; that the nation shall, under God, have a new birth of freedom; and that the government of the people, by the people and for the people, shall not perish from the earth.

1.

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LESSON LXVIII.

whis-tle yel-low al-though
man-age sur-face to-geth-er
win-ter weath-er

O-ver-head

DAFFY-DOWN-DILLY

DAFFY

AFFY-DOWN-DILLY came up in the cold,
Through the brown mold,

Although the March breezes blew keen on her face,
Although the white snow lay on many a place.

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