A Calendar.
Volume 4, 1893/4, pgs. 932-934
[Probably by Julia Firth. For an explanation of how this calendar works, see the first article in the series.]
February.
1st.
2nd. Candlemas Day. Presentation of Christ in the Temple, and Purification of Virgin Mary. Collect. Epistle and Gospel.
3rd. St. Blaise. Add verse to hymn as above.
Of good St. Blaise, the brave and kind, we think with praise to-day,
The savage beasts were loved by him, and owned his gentle sway;
Woolcombers now remember the way in which he died,
And painters place an iron comb, as emblem, by his side.
4th.
5th. St. Agatha. Add verse to hymn as above.
With Agatha, majestic maid, the knowledge may we find
That will is free, and God is near, tho' men may scourge and bind;
That all the heart's reliance may ever stedfast be
On Christ the Rock which stands for aye. Lord, grant us constancy!
6th. St. Dorothea. Add verse to hymn as above.
For Dorothea's radiant soul, our song we now sustain,
Who for the heavenly roses, endured the thorny pain.
Give us her patient spirit, and grant Thy fruits and flowers
To bless the garden of out lives, for others' needs and ours.
7th.
8th. Birthday of John Ruskin. Read the following extract from his Works:--
"First, simply obeying the orders of the Founder of your religion, all grace, graciousness, or beauty and favour of gentle life, will be given to you in mind and body, in work and in rest. The Grace of Christ exists, and can be had if you will. Secondly, as you know more and more of the created world, you will feel that the true will of its Maker is that its creatures should be happy; that He has made everything beautiful in its time and place, and that it is chiefly by the fault of men, when they are allowed the liberty of thwarting His laws, that Creation groans or travails in pain. The dove of God exists and you may see it, and live in it if you will. Lastly, a spirit does actually exist which teaches the ant her path, the bird her building, and men, in an instinctive and marvellous way, whatever lovely arts and noble deeds are possible to them, Without it you can do no good thing. To the grief of it, you can do many bad ones. In the possession of it is your peace and your power.
And there is a fourth thing of which we already know too much. There is an evil spirit whose dominion is in blindness and in cowardice, as the dominion of the spirit of wisdom is in clear sight and in courage.
And this blind and cowardly spirit is for ever telling you that evil things are pardonable, and you shall not die for them, and that good things are impossible, and you need not live for them; and that gospel of his is ever the loudest that is preached in your Saxon tongue. You will find some day, to your cost, if you believe the first part of it, that it is not true; but you may never, if you believe the second part of it, find, to your gain, that also, untrue; and therefore I pray you with all earnestness to prove, and know within your hearts, that all things lovely and righteous are possible for those who believe in their possibility, and who determine that, for their part, they will make every day's work contribute to them. Let every dawn of morning be to you as the beginning of life, and every setting sun be to you as its close--then let every one of these short lives leave its sure record of some kindly thing done for others--some goodly strength or knowledge gained for yourselves; so from day to day, and from strength to strength, you shall build up indeed, by Art, by Thought, and by Just Will, an Ecclesia of England, of which it shall not be said, 'See what manner of stones are here,' but 'See what manner of men.'"
9th.
10th.
11th.
12th.
13th.
14th.
15th.
16th.
17th.
18th.
19th.
20th.
21st. Cardinal Newman born. Sing "Lead, kindly Light."
22nd.
23rd.
24th. St. Matthias. See printed hymn. Collect. Epistle and Gospel.
25th.
26th.
27th.
28th.
Proofread by LNL, May 2021