Southern standard. (McMinnville, Tenn.) 1879-current, 1884-12-06
Perseverance.
Home and Farm.

Home and Farm.
We want to hold out a banner be-
fore the eyes of two or three young
friends who have written to us this
week, with the word perSevere upon
it in very large letters. Perhaps more
of our readers than those who have
written need to be told that it is a
sign of weakness to allow oneself to
become crippled by Encouragement
over work that lies just before us and
is worth doing, because results seem
to be small. We have nothing to do
with results, it is our part simply to
render faithful service. When we
feel our courage getting weak it is
time to halt and to examine the quail
ity OF our work. Is it good? All
bad work is dishonest, and somebody
suffers for it. We must keep the
spirit of a true worker and never be
satisfied until we have done our best.
Socrates explained how useful and
excellent thing it was that man
should resolve on perfection in his
own line, so that if he be carpenter,
he will be the best possible carpenter,
or If a statesman, that he will be
the best possible statesman. 1t is
by such means that true success is
achieved. Few people live many
years without seeing, first or last,
times of great depression and discour-
agement, but we must not yield to
such feelings while we have strength
left to battle with them. We must
look to the loving Lord and resolve
by His grace, whatever happens, we
Will never lose courage. Let us be
strong in Him and in the power of
His might. Do you remember how
before Robert Bruce beat the English
and became the victorious king of
Scotland, he was very badly defeated
in several battles? Sitting in small
room respondent, he caught sight of
spider trying to fasten her thread
and make web. Again and again
-One account says, to the sixtieth
time-she failed, but kept on till she
succeeded. Bruce watched her
through, then rose, registering vow
that he would never despair of his
country's freedom till he won it or
persisted. John Brougham has put
the story into ryhme, and we give it
in the hope that some of our young
readers will memOrize it:
THE SPIDERS LESSON.
Robert, the Bruce, in his dungeon stood,
Waiting the hour of DOOM
Behind him the palace of Hollywood,
Before him a nameless tomb.
And the foam on his lip was fecked with
red,
As away to the past his memory sped,
Upcalling the day of his past renown,
When he won and he wore the Scottish
crown:
Yet come there shadow or come there shine,
The spider is spinning his thread so fine.
"Time and again have fronted the tide
OF the tyrants vast array.
But only to see on the crimson tide
Ny hopes swept far away.
Now a landless chief and a crownless king,
On the broad, broad earth not living thing
To keep me court, save this insect small,
Striving to reach from wall to wall :"
For come there shadow or come there shine,
The spider is spinning his thread so fine.
"Work work like fool to the certain loss,
Like myself, of your time and pain;
The space is too wide to be bridged across,
You but waste your strength in vain !"
And Bruce for the moment forgot his grief,
His soul now filled with the sure belief
That however the issue went
For evil or good was the omen sent;
And come there shawow or come thei e shine,
The spider is spinning his thread so fine.
As gambler watches the turning card
On which his all is staked-
AS a mother waits for the hopeful word
For which her soul has ached-
1t was thus Bruce watched with every sense
Centered alone in that look intense
All rigid he stood, with scattered breath,
Now white, now red, but as still as death:
Yet come there shadow or come there shine,
The spider is spinning his thread so fine.
Six several times the creature tried,
When at the seventh, "See, see
He has spanned it overW the captive cried /;
40 bridge of hope to me;
Thee, God, thank, for this lesson here
Has tutored my soul to PERsEvEREi"'
And it served him well, for ere long he wore
In freedom, the Scottish crown once more
And come there shadow or come there shine,
The anider is aninniny fbraad on 6na