the things that we desire. And is not the best of all our hopes--the
hope of immortality--always before us? How can we be dull or heavy while
we have that new experience to look forward to? It will be the most
joyful of all our travels and adventures. It will bring us our best
acquaintances and friendships. But there is only one way to get ready
for immortality, and that is to love this life, and live it as bravely
and cheerfully and faithfully as we can.

So my gentle teacher with the silver hair showed me the treasures of
her ancient, simple faith; and I felt that no sermons, nor books, nor
arguments can strengthen the doubting heart so deeply as just to come
into touch with a soul which has proved the truth of that plain religion
whose highest philosophy is "Trust in the Lord and do good." At the end
of the evening the household was gathered for prayers, and the Mistress
kneeled among her servants, leading them, in her soft Scottish accent,
through the old familiar petitions for pardon for the errors of the day,
and refreshing sleep through the night and strength for the morrow. It
is good to be in a land where the people are not ashamed to pray. I have
shared the blessing of Catholics at their table in lowly huts among the
mountains of the Tyrol, and knelt with Covenanters at their household
altar in the glens of Scotland; and all around the world, where the
spirit of prayer is, there is peace. The genius of the Scotch has made
many contributions to literature, but none I think, more precious, and
none that comes closer to the heart, than the prayer which Robert Louis
Stevenson wrote for his family in distant Samoa, the night before he
died:--


"We beseech thee, Lord, to behold us with favour, folk of many families
and nations, gathered together in the peace of this roof: weak men and