My Little Book of Prayer - Scholar's Choice Edition

by Muriel Strode

This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore, you will see the original copyright references, library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world), and other notations in the work. This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.As a reproduction of a historical artifact, this work may contain missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.

78 pages, Paperback

First published August 11, 2015

Reviews

[Gaia1muse · Rating 5 out of 5]

Get this book. Keep it on your bed side. Know when you open it to a great quote that Muriel, some 100 years ago, was creating a trail for many of us who are searching right now -- and I would say it may appeal particularly to women who will recognize a member of "the fairer sex" from that era struggling to break free of the bonds that had been placed on her. Though the book has "Prayer" in the title, her references to God are on a broad scale, referring to a power, sometimes inside her and sometimes outside, to whom she calls for help and answers on her journey.

I love this book and over the 15 years I've owned it I have referred to it on a regular basis. It's full of wonderful inspiring quotes written with an early twentieth century sense of kindness -- in support of individuality, self-discovery and sometimes the spiritual journey- all by an early female seeker in the early 1900's. Some examples:

"If the populace marched in file, 'twere my signal to break from the ranks. If a thousand generations did thus and so, "twere my cue to do otherwise."

"I will ask no other anointing save this -- to draw very near to my own soul."

"I will not follow where the path may lead, but I will go where there is no path, and I will leave a trail."

The one directly above is the best known, but generally mis-credited. (see below)

Muriel Strode seems to have been a remarkable woman, though there is very little info on her. And she was forgotten (after four books in the early 1900's) for nearly a century until someone re-found this book. Somehow I did too about 15 years ago, because of this quote: "I will not follow where the path may lead, but I will go where there is no path, and I will leave a trail." Even though this is found in a poem she published in 1903 and in this book, the quote is (still) most often attributed to Ralph Waldo Emerson. But the quote isn't found anywhere in his work nor is it credited to him by anyone who knew him. Since it is found in her work, it should be her credit, but I suspect they didn't know what to make of Strode. (Who was she anyway? He would get it much wider press, wouldn't he?) So over the years I've slowly alerted and corrected the sites that mis-credit it (it's still running 4 to 1 hits in Emerson's favor) so slowly she's catching up. Get this book and you'll know why....