A Noble Art

Once I retnembered among my friends a lady who had known many aíliictions, ares and heart-griefe, and yet, whose mghtness oí' demoanor and cheerfulnoss werc unflagging, whose very présenos vas a sunbeam. This lady talkod often of her art. Whcn praised i'or any strikng courso oí' aoiicn, shf would rcp!y, with tottehing simpncity : "Yes, Ilearn d that from my art." As a child, I often wondered what ;his art could be; growing older, I set uyself to work to find out. It was not ;ho art of imisie. paesionately fond as she was of that divine art, and on so1 loftly a pedestal as she placed it ; for, being soinewhat at home within its magie realnis ínyself, I knew that she was uot sufficiently skilled thercin to desígnate it as her own ; nor was it the art oí' painting, nor yet of goulpture. " 3Iiss Margaret," I inquirid one day, " what is your art f " A Bweet smile flitted aorosa her face, as she touohingly asked, for reply, " And have I so pooiiy exetupliried it all these years, that you need aak t ' ' "I am sure, now," cried I, "that it i?, after all, what has often BUggested itseli' to iny mind," 'The art of 'niakiug the most of lifo.' " "You are right1" she answered, well pleased; "and this I consider the greatest of arts - all others are ü'jnt to uttrth to aid us in perfecting it." This made a deep iinpressioh üpon mö, one that I have never í'orgotten. Hinco then I have becomo an obfeerver in lile, and have fruqueutly had occasion to luarvel how fsircom ■ ax ._■■, ..mlive by this art Man y fiokls of science and art are open to thoso whose taloiits guide them into such din otiún but this ono field is open tü all, and they who best make use oí' thair own individual talonts are best fitted to enter iiobly upon it. To make the most of lit'e we raust eourt the sunshine. There is sorrow enough given i:ito cvory human lite without our needing to eling to eaeh separate grief, and gloat over its ïneiuory. By holding fast to tiio sunbeamS that stray acmss our puths, we can acoomplisli marvcis in tho way of lighting up the dark plaees of liie. There is much to enjoy, mueh to make one happy in this beautiful world, despite its carea and bitternes?, and our highest duty to ouiselvcs, as well as to those who surround us, is to make the most and the best of lifo, and to bc as happy as we can. The next stage of atkltence liea sfretched before us as an unknown sea ; that it nl bo f ulier, grandor, more complete than this overy instinct of our nature teaches us to believo - otnerwise we know nothing of its requiremontfl. The present, however, is ours; tve kttow its duties and needs ; we know that the more we strugerle to fulfill those tho strongor we i;row, the more good we can nccomplish. Ve know. too, that the good God never gave us intellect without purposing tliat we should use it and make tho best of it as of all else witfa whieli Itc lias endowed us. Undoubtedly, therefore, they who bost grasp " The art of making the most of Life," will be best fitted for the reqniremeuts of another state of boing when calied to euter upon