to get a foothold in his profession or occupation, he is meanwhile building up in himself the qualities of a noble manhood which will endure the severest tests. Never in a costly palace did I rest on golden bed, Never in a hermit's cavern have I eaten idle bread. Born within a lowly stable, where the cattle round me stood, Trained a carpenter in Nazareth, I have toiled and found it good. They who tread the path of labor follow where my feet have trod; They who work without complaining do the holy will of God. Where the many toil together, there am I among my own; Where the tired workman sleepeth, there am I with him alone. I, the Peace that passeth knowledge, dwell amid the daily strife, of life. I, the Bread of heaven, am broken in the sacrament Henry van Dyke. CHAPTER XXII What to do with Our Unequal Chance OME people feel that they do not have a fair chance in the world. They look at others who seem to have more advantages and fewer hindrances, and they conclude that the allotments of providence are not just and equal. Some young people let their minds run in this unwholesome channel. They have to work hard and live in the plainest way, without luxury, not enjoying opportunities for pleasure and for education that they long for. They see other young people in easy circumstances, wanting nothing, with no hardships to endure, called to no self-denial, living in ease, with every opportunity for study, travel, and recreation. It is not easy for them to avoid a feeling of envy in such circumstances. Nor is it easy to accept the limitations of con dition complacently, without any feeling of being unfairly treated. Yet the problem to be worked out by those who appear not to have an equal chance is to accept their place with its disadvantages and its inequalities, and to live just as sweetly and cheerfully as if they were in the most luxurious circumstances. The danger always is that we may be hurt by life in some way. Yet nothing can really hurt us so long as we keep love and peace in our hearts. No hardship of any kind can do us actual harm if we meet it victoriously. But when we allow ourselves to chafe and fret because things are hard, or to complain because things seem unfair, or to grow bitter because we do not have a fair chance, that moment life is hurting us. The worst mistake anyone can make in such a case, is to brood over what seems to be unfairness in his lot in life, indulging the feeling that he has not been justly dealt with. The result is that his heart grows bitter and hard, that he begins to pity himself and to look upon others, more highly favored, with |