over all these things with gratitude and
with confidence toward the God of love. Do not try to preach in
your prayers. Many prayers have been ruined by preaching, just as
some preaching has been spoiled by praying to the people. Usually
four or five sentences will do for the one day. Better a single
thought simply expressed than the most brilliant attempt to inform
the Almighty on all the events of the world that day.

A prayer in which all can join is always desirable. The Lord's
Prayer never wearies us nor grows old. Children enter into it with
some new meaning every day; it covers all our great, common, daily
needs.

TUESDAY

1. A few favorite memory verses repeated by all (from either the
Bible or other literature).

2. Read a very brief passage from the Bible.

3. Prayer, ending with the Lord's Prayer.

Many excellent selections will be found in Dr. Dole's book
mentioned at the end of this chapter. Encourage children, however,
to make their selections from the poems and passages they already
know.

The passage of the Bible selected to be read should be one which
first of all incites to worship, and should be chosen for its
inspiration and literary beauty. A few lines from the great
chapters of Isaiah (e.g., chaps. 35 and 55), from the Psalms (e.g.,
Pss. 61, 65, 145), from the Sermon on the Mount, from 1 Cor., chap.
13, from the parables of Jesus, will be suitable.

The closing prayer may be extemporaneous or may be read from one of
the books of prayers. Many of the prayers in the Episcopal Prayer
Book are especially beautiful and quite suitable. Of course in
families of the Episcopal church the collect for the day would be
the right prayer to use. It is sometimes necessary to use prayers
prepared beforehand; some persons never acquire the ability to pray
aloud, even in their own families. But halting sentences that are
your own, that your children recognize as yours, may mean more to
them than the finest flowing phrases from a book. Use the prayers
from the book, not as a substitute, but as an addition.

WEDNESDAY

1. A good poem from general literature.

2. Prayer.

There are so many good collections of the great and inspiring poems
that one hesitates to recommend any collection. Remember that a