hip. Seed which can come to fruition under no other
conditions springs into vigorous life under the power of warm
friendship. Many a seed which might have developed and borne rich fruit
has shriveled and dried in the chill of unfriendliness and
misunderstanding. These cultivators of the heart soil must learn very
quickly the value of sunshine. Young life needs the rain and has it, but
young life loves the sunshine, it blossoms in the presence of hope and
expectation, it droops in the atmosphere of distrust.

If one obeys the law in the sowing of the seed and follows the direction
in its nurturing, the Lord of all harvests will himself give the
increase.

"God's Word should be sown in the heart like seed;
Then men's hands must tend it, their lives defend it,
Till it bursts into flower as a deathless deed."

Somewhere in the religious training of a girl there must be a large
place for the feeding of the soul; for unless food which is able to
sustain life and expand it is supplied the girl can never become a power
in herself. Hers will not be an invigorating religion; there will not be
in her that vitality which will make it possible for her to banish fear
and fret, to rise above discouragement, to endure suffering, to triumph
over sorrow, to forget self. But if she can gain this energizing power
she will not join, in womanhood, the ranks of those spending their days
in search of inspiration; she will have it in her own soul. If she lacks
this vital power she will become one of the multitude of Christians who
are dependent upon circumstances for their happiness, upon the words of
others for their encouragement, upon the pleas and persuasion of others
to move them to service. From this sort of woman, who is kindly and
pleasant when things go smoothly, who courageously attacks a problem as
long as another stands by to brace up and urge on, who gives time,
thought or money when some strong appeal is made and then loses interest
and forgets, until another "prod" is given, from this sort of expression
of religious life all who are interested in girls would save them and so
are seeking the means of nourishing their souls that power may be
generated from within.

It is not possible to get inspiration from a source with which one has
no connection and the whole task of those attempting to give to the girl
a workable religion, is the task of making connections with the Source
of power.

Some weeks ago I observed the wor