Wife, Children, And Friends
When the black-lettered list to the gods was presented
(The list of what Fate for each mortal intends),
At the long string of ills a kind goddess relented,
And slipped in three blessings—
Wife, children, and friends.
In vain surly Pluto maintained he was cheated,
For justice divine could not compass its ends;
The scheme of man’s penance he swore was defeated,
For earth becomes heaven with—
Wife, children, and friends.
The dayspring of youth, still unclouded by sorrow,
Alone on itself for enjoyment depends;
But drear is the twilight of age, if it borrow
No warmth from the smile of—
Wife, children, and friends.
Let the breath of renown ever freshen and nourish
The laurel which o’er the dead favorite bends;
O’er me wave the willow, and long may it flourish,
Bedewed with the tears of—
Wife, children, and friends.
—W. R. Spencer.
The Richest Man
The richest man on earth is the man who lives in the purest, sweetest and happiest home.
Alternate Reading: Acts 10:1-43.