When I was a little fellow my mother taught me this simple little
prayer:
Now I lay me down to sleep,
I pray thee, Lord, my soul to keep.
If I should die before I wake,
I pray thee, Lord, my soul to take.
Daniel Webster remembered this prayer when dying and repeated it with
his white lips as his last words. It is with all of us a prayer that
we cannot easily forget. It sinks into our childhood mind which is
plastic so that ideas stick. It holds its place on the throne of
memory even when that throne totters with the weight of years.
Now I want to give you a companion to that prayer as you begin your
day, as you older grow:
Now I wake myself to work,
I pray thee, Lord, I may not shirk.
If I should die before the night,
I pray thee, Lord, my work be right.
This is not only a prayer for the nursery, but for the work-shop and
the day's task as well.