Arrow and Bow

[Guest guest]

endless plaints and despairs. He came down over the borders, and Christ, too,

came along. They are looking the whole world over to see just what is wrong.

God has grown weary of hearing his praises sung on earth; And Jesus is weary of

hearing the story about his birth. And the way to win their favor that is surer

than any other, Is to join in a song, of Brotherhood and praises of one

another. No; God is no longer in heaven. He has come down on earth to see

That nothing is wrong with the world he made; the wrong is in you and me. He

meant the earth for a garden-spot, where mill and factory stand; Childhood, he

meant for growing-time--but look at the toiling hand! Woman was meant for

mother and mate--now look at the slaves of lust. And the good folks shake their

heads and say, "We must pray to God and trust." God has a billion books of our

prayers unopened upon his shelves, For the things we are

begging of him to do, he wants us to do ourselves. Jehovah, Jesus, and each

soul in space Are one, and undividable. Until We see God shining in each

neighbor's face And find him in ourselves and hail him there, Let us be

still-- What use is prayer? How can we love the whole and not each part? How

worship God, and harbor in the heart Hate of God's members (for all men are

that)? Too long our souls have sat, Like poor blind beggars, at the door of

God. He never made a beggar--we are kings! Let us rise up, for it is time we

trod The mountain-tops; time that we did the things We have so long asked God

to do. He waits for you To look deep in your brother's eyes and see The God

within; To hear you say "Lo, thou art He! Lo, thou art He!" This is the only

way to end all sin-- The difficult, one way. A prayer without a deed

is an arrow without a bowstring; A deed without a prayer is a bowstring without

an arrow. The heart of a man should be like a quiver full of arrows, And the

hand of a man should be like a strong bow strung for action. The heart of a man

should keep his arrows ever ascending, And the hand and the mind of a man should

keep at a work unending. By Ella Wheeler Wilcox