Manvotionals

From Lincoln’s Yarns and Stories, 1900 The President was bothered to death by those persons who boisterously demanded that the War be pushed vigorously; also, those who shouted their advice and opinions into his weary ears, but who never suggested anything practical. These fellows were not in the army, nor did they ever take any [...]

  He Done His Damdest By E. Bell Guthrey I ask that when my spirit quits this shell of mortal clay And o’er the trail across the range pursues its silent way, That no imposing marble shaft may mark the spot where rest The tailings of the bard who sang the praises of the West. [...]

The Roman Stoic philosopher Seneca wrote his friend Lucilius letters in which he espoused the tenets of a life aligned with Stoic ideals. These letters were compiled in Epistulae morales ad Lucilium (Moral Letters to Lucilius). In this letter, Seneca explores the way in which a man should deal with groundless fears. I know that [...]

While traveling in France, author William J. Lederer was so touched by the actions of an American Navy Sailor on Christmas Eve that he sent the following letter to the Chief of Naval Operations in Washington, D.C, Admiral David L. McDonald. Admiral David L. McDonald, USN Chief of Naval Operations Washington, D.C. Dear Admiral McDonald, Eighteen [...]

A Psalm of Life By Henry Wadsworth Longfellow What the heart of the young man said to the psalmist Tell me not, in mournful numbers, Life is but an empty dream! — For the soul is dead that slumbers, And things are not what they seem. Life is real!  Life is earnest! And the grave [...]

Aesop’s fables might seem like “kid’s stuff,” and certainly their short nature and anthropomorphic characters make them an easy read for the younger set. But reading through a book of them recently I was delighted by the quick kick in the pants they provide; their short, pithy messages can assuredly be appreciated by men as [...]

“Heroic Education” From Courage by Charles Wagner THE old stoics had this saying among themselves, Nihil mirari, — “Do not be astonished at anything.” The sense of it is plain; it means that we must not allow ourselves to be overawed by men or things, to be frightened or disconcerted. A man should retain his [...]

George Lorimer, an editor at the Saturday Evening Post, published a series of fictional letters in that magazine in which a father, John Graham, imparts advice to his son, Pierrepont, throughout the different stages of the young man’s life. The letters were then compiled in the hugely successful 1901 book Letters from a Self-Made Merchant [...]

Excerpt from Woodcraft by Nessmuk (George W. Sears) “With a large majority of prospective tourists and outers, “camping out” is a leading factor in the summer vacation. And during the long winter months they are prone to collect in little knots and talk much of camps, fishing, hunting and “roughing it.” The last phrase is [...]