journals: "At a great
meeting recently in Denver, Mr. Ira W. Sankey, before singing 'The
Ninety and Nine,' which, perhaps, of all his compositions is the one
that has brought him the most fame, gave an account of its birth.
Leaving Glasgow for Edinburg with Mr. Moody, he stopped at a news-stand
and bought a penny religious paper. Glancing over it as they rode on
the cars, his eye fell on a few little verses in the corner of the
page. Turning to Mr. Moody he said, 'I've found my hymn.' But Mr.
Moody was busily engaged and did not hear a word. Mr. Sankey did not
find time to make a tune for the verses, so he pasted them in his music
scrapbook.

"One day they had an unusually impressive meeting in Edinburg, in which
Dr. Bonar had spoken with great effect on 'The Good Shepherd.' At the
close of the address Mr. Moody beckoned to his partner to sing. He
thought of nothing but the Twenty-third Psalm, but that he had sung so
often. His second thought was to sing the verses he had found in the
newspaper, but the third thought was, how could it be done when he had
no tune. Then a fourth thought came, and that was to sing them anyway.
He put the verses before him, touched the keys of the organ, opened his
mouth and sang, not knowing where he was going to come out. He
finished the first verse amid profound silence. He took a long breath
and wondered if he could sing the second the same way. He tried and
succeeded; after that it was easy to sing it. When he finished the
hymn the meeting was all broken down and the throngs were crying. Mr.
Sankey says it was the most intense moment of his life. Mr. Moody said
he never heard a song like it. It was sung at every meeting, and was
soon going over the world."

When we open ourselves to the highest inspirations they never fail us.
When we fail to do this we fail in attaining the highest results,
whatever the undertaking.

Are you a writer? Then remember that the one great precept underlying
all successful literary work is, _Look into thine own heart and write.
Be true. Be fearless. Be loyal to the promptings of your own soul_.
Remember that an author can never write more than he himself is. If he
would write more, then he must be more. He is simply his own
amanuensis. He in a sense writes himself into his book. He can put no
more into it than he himself is.

If he is one of a great personality, strong in purpose, deep in
feeling, open always to the highest inspi