Sifting.

150

Mrs. R. W. HINCKLEY.
JAMES L. ORR.

1. Sift well the seed that you may sow,
Sift cleanly as you may,
Sift out the bad and save the good,
To scatter by the way;
Sift all the books you chance to read,
Sift thoroughly and well,
And at the final summing up,
This sifting work will tell.

2. Sift out fair virtue, love and truth,
From envy, hate and strife,
Write deeds of love and charity
On each fair page of life;
Sift to the right, Sift to the left,
Sift backward too as well,
Sift up and down and forward sift,
And make your sifting tell.

3. Sift ev'ry word and act of yours,
Sift ev'rything complete,
Sift all the dirt and chaff away,
And save the solid wheat;
Sift out the gold refined and pure,
From dross and sordid pelf,
And while you're sifting don't forget
To always sift yourself.