the valley grow and bloom to gladden my sight as well as
his. I would not take a fortune for my hands; my eyes are of more
value than all the precious stones in the world. I have food and
clothing, too. Am I not, therefore, as rich as the king?"

"You are right," said the king, with a smile, "but your greatest
treasure is your contented heart. Keep it so, and you will always be
happy."

So much of life's happiness depends upon one's immediate surroundings
that wherever it is a matter of choice they should be made to conform
as nearly as possible to the thoughts and tastes one wishes to
cultivate. As a matter of course but few persons can have just the
surroundings they would like, but it is possible that by pleasant
thinking all of us can make the surroundings we have more likable. We
can, at least, be thoughtful of the character of the friends and
companions we choose to have with us, and it is they who are the most
vital and influential part of our

ENVIRONMENT

Shine or shadow, flame or frost,
Zephyr-kissed or tempest-tossed,
Night or day, or dusk or dawn,
We are strangely lived upon.

Mystic builders in the brain--
Mirth and sorrow, joy and pain,
Grief and gladness, gloom and light--
Build, oh, build my heart aright!

O ye friends, with pleasant smiles,
Help me build my precious whiles;
Bring me blocks of gold to make
Strength that wrong shall never shake.

Day by day I gather from
All you give me. I become
Yet a part of all I meet
In the fields and in the street.

Bring me songs of hope and youth,
Bring me bands of steel and truth,
Bring me love wherein to find
Charity for all mankind.

Place within my hands the tools
And the Master Builder's rules,
That the walls we fashion may
Stand forever and a day.

Help me build a palace where
All is wonderfully fair--
Built of truth, the while, above,
Shines the pinnacle of love.

If we are to receive help and strength from our friends we must lend
them help and strength in return. And since the deeds of others
inspire us we should not deem it impossible to make our deeds inspire
them.

Helen Keller, who, though deaf and blind, has achieved so many
wonderful and beautiful victories over the barriers that have beset
her, says: "My share in the work of the world may be limited, but the
fact that it is work makes it precious..