The citizen. (Honesdale, Pa.) 1908-1914, November 24, 1911, Page PAGE 6, Image 6
PAGB 0 TUB OITIZEN, FRIDAY, NOV. 24, 1D1J, IK Again God's bounteous hand has spread The tables of the poor with bread Again our grateful fervent songs Ascend to Whom all praise belongs! Accept. O God, our thankful lay To Tliea on this Thanksgiving Day. Ttie husbandman has sown the seed, And Thou didst bless his work indeed He trusted in Thy sacrad Word, And harvest great was his reward; So on Thy promises we stay On this our blest Tlianksgtving Day. Tlte cattle on a thousand hills, Tito wild bird with Ms thrilling trills, Fish of tho sea the Hon, bear. All yield to Tliy protecting care: May all creation own Tly sway. Thou God of this Thanksgiving Day, We thank Tliee for the sun's bright light, The silvery moon, the stars of night, For water pure for fragrant air, And for Thy tender watchful care For blessings all that with us stay On this our blest Thanksgiving Day. We thank Thee for the Gospel truth. For blest old age for hopeful youth, E'en troubles great for grief and care. Knowing they will our souls prepare. Straighten the path and clear the way For God's own blest Thanksgiving Day. Great God, accept our thankful songs. While hymns of praise swell on our tongues; Guide Thou our feet o'er life's rough path Teach us in mercy, not in wrath; Grant we may ever with Thee stay And join in heaven's Thanksgiving Day. John T. Wye. A DUTY AND A GRACE And let the peace of God role In your hearts, to the which also ye are called In one bodyi and be ye thankful." Ctl. 3t IS. IB ye thankful!" Bald an inspired npostlo, writing to a company of early Christians, who oven in Btormy times of possible or actual persecution were exhorted to be of good cheer and to "count up their mercies." Paul's words are not only hortatory, but also mandatory. It is the duty or tho Christian, amid all vicissitudes, to be thankful. A believer is never Justified in forgetting God's benefits o him. He is expected to figure out every now and then the sum of the divine favors that havo been shown to him, or what might be called tho Btatistics of salvation. It Is true that divine mercies have been innumer able, and cannot be tabulated with anything like completeness; yet tho Christian believer is exhorted to dwell upon these mercies In thought and to render vivid to his mind, by frequent reflection, so many of tho visitations of divine favor as ho can discern providentially unfolded in his past life. There is, tnen, a duty of thanks, giving. Praise is tho expected thlnjj gratitude is demanded. God is dis appointed, and even angered, when men receive his gifts without return ing thanks. The Lord is gracious, but that is no reason why tho chil dren of men should' bo ungraciously thankless. Thanksgiving is a part of the code of duty of a Christian, it Is an integral portion of the deca logue of moral action. It is not a kind of extra service, or superfluous activity added on to the body of duty otherwise complete, but is of the warp and woof of tho Christian's ob ligation. "Be thankful" was not the idle, chanco remark of a sentimental apostle, but is the New Testament In terpretation of the Old Testament burden of blessing. But if thankfulness is a duty, it is none the less on that account a grace. If it Is not optional, it may certainly be ornamental. The fact that a thing or a trait is demanded by tho moral law does not render tho sat 1 flee of that thing or the exhibition of that trait any tho less noble or lovely. Tho graco of gratitude in particular is a peculiarly lovely vir tue. There is even, wo may say, an aesthetic quality to thankfulness. "Praise is comely for tho upright," eald tho Psalmist, who was an au thority on the beauty of holiness. Even the world appreciates the aes thetic value of gratitude as well as Its earning power, acquisitive of fu turo favors, as a practical asset ol life and poets in all ages havo sung of ths charm of a grateful, spirit, the nobility of a responsive nature. Even the birds look up when they drink, as if in muto recognition of the heav enly source of tho bits of blessing which fall to them, and certainly man, much moro richly endowed and blessed, should do at least as much, and express his "Thank you!" both by tho testimony of tho lips and tho generous actions of tho life. Thanksgiving day is a proper and convenient occasion for considering both the duty and the graco of grati tude to the great Giver of all good. But Thanksgiving day Is not simply for tho abstract discussion of general ideas present in thought or stirring tho emotions. This day does or should havo a direct governing re lation to tho ministries of tho hand and tho unfolding of the wallet. . . . When it is celebrated in tho spirit ci the scriptural exhortation to thank fulness, it becomes a time of rejoic ing in tho truest, fullest senso, bo causo it joins praiso to God with prac tical ministry to the poor and unfor tunate. Thanksgiving should issuo in thanksgiving. Praiso should be come a practice. Gratitude must be come a temper and tendency of tho life. So will God bo glorified and gratified, and men, by their cordial and constant recognition of his good ness, bo lifted in the scale of being and be tho better fitted to renplvn from heaven moro favors still. Rev. C. A. S. Dwight. O turk, you who strutted the summer away. Abundant attention you're getting today, We praise you beyond all the bird or fowl kind; Our feelings to you are with favor inclined. We thanks, too, give for you, O creature of pride, And all the fruits of the season beside. Though slighted you were, in the days that are past. Attention long due you are getting at last. Arthur J. Burdlck,- in Sunset Magazine. For These Things We Give Thanks. Thanksgiving day we should all bo ablo to glvo thanks to our parents for these things: For a clean name, unsullied by ques tionable transactions, honorable in human relations. For an untainted birth, with siioh health as purity transmits, and for tho brooding tenderness that guarded and cherished us before birth careful preparation for our coming. ior wnoiesome rood, sufilclent cloth lncr. and comfortablo slipltpr until nnr coming of age, or during tho lifetime or our parents. For education, aer.ordlnir in tho host- standards of which they knew suited to our individual needs and possibili ties, and preparing us to earn our own livings. For such knowledcro of nnr hnrllps and minds, and such reverence for them as makes intemperance impossible. Forget Not His Benefits. Why not reiolce more? Count, tin your golden mercies; count up your opportunities to do good; count up your "exceeding great and precious promises;" count up your Joys of heirship to an incorruptible inherit ance, and then march on tho road heavenward. "Foreet not all hln honn. fits." "Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that ,1s within me, bless his holy name," is the declaration of an ap preciative heart Theodore I Cay- ler, D.u. Washington's Proclamation. Tho first Thanksgiving day procla mation ever issued by a president was signed by George Washington in 1789. The original Is said to be in the pos session of Rev. J. W. Wellman, who Inherited It from his grandfather, Wil liam Ripley of Cornish, N. H. This proclamation was Issued by request of both, houses of congress through their Joint committee. F YOU are grateful, say so. Thanks giving Is only half thanksgiving till it blossoms into ex pression. Learn a lesson from the noble-hearted Indi an, in whnno vll. lago the missionary, passing through, had left a few pages of the gospel in the Indian tongue. Our Indian read and rejoiced. Measuring the mission ary's footprint, ho fitted it with mag nificent moccasins, and traveled 200 miles to glvo them to the missionary as an expression of his graftltudo. Thus the missionary was enriched by the present, but tho Indian was en riched by tho thanksgiving. Tho best thanksgiving is a happy heart. Blossoms moan nothing on a dead stick. Once when the czar vis ited Paris tho ingenious French, it being winter, fastened to tho bare boughs of tho trees innumerable paper flowers, very pretty as a spectacle, but very unworthy as a symbol, since they were false. Our praiso will bo quite valueless unless it is rooted in tho daily life. Train yourself to bo grateful for tho common blessings. Thero had been a great cotton famine in Lancashire, England. For lack of material to work upon, the mills had been idlo for months, and thero was great dis tress among tho operatives. At last camo tho first wagon-load of cotton, Wljanksgtbtntr. HANKSGIVING day stands out by itself on tho calen dar. There is no other day with bo many delightful as sociations and tender mem ories, no day upon which the heart bo spontaneously pours out its grateful tribute to tho Father above for all his goodness through tho year. And this applies equally to our selves as a nation, as communities and as individuals. For peace within our borders, for generous harvests, for the health and welfare of our com munities, wo owe to God a debt of love and gratitude which finds expres sion in prayer, praise and tho festivi ties appropriate to the annual festival of Thanksgiving. We aro usually bo much engrossed with ths active busi ness of llfo as a nation that we leavo too little time for reflection on the divine goodness; yet every day we aro surrounded by blessings. Sleeping and waking, on tho farm, in the store, the office, tho workshop, we aro Btlll the' objects of his won drous bounty and care. Whatever ro th e earnest of returning opportunity to labor. With what new eyes did the people look upon that common place material! They met tho wagon In an exultant procession. They hugged tho bales. At last, moved by a common impulse, they broke out in tho noblo hymn, "Praise God, from whom all blessings flow." There are in every life a thousand blessings, now little noticed at all, of which If we were deprived, their return would bo welcomed with equal transports. But the going does not excuse us from the sending any more than send ing excuses us from going. If giving still went by tho rule of tho tenth, as in the scripturr.1 days, then ten av erage Christians could anywhere con stitute themselves into a church and support a pastor; and twenty could support both a pastor and a mission ary. No work is done at its best until it is done in an atmosphere of thanks giving. Beethoven understood this. He had his piano placed in tho mid dlo of a field, and there, under tho smiling sky, with birds singing around him, flowers shining and grain glisten ing in tho Bun, tho musician com posed some of his great oratories. Few of us can take our work into the fields, though all of us would carry lighter hearts if wo would live more out of doors; but wo can all of us sur round our work with cheery atmos phere which our Father has breathed into all his works. verses wo encounter, ho enables us to overcomo them. So, while the pass ing year has had its sorrows, wo feel that the joys havo outweighed them, and that wo are still God's debtors in thanks for multitudinous blessings. Let us show our gratitude for all of these mercies by reaching out a help ing hand to others who havo been less fortunate than ourselves. Re member the poor at Thanksgiving tho sick, tho destitute, tho hungry, tho unemployed. In every community thero aro those to whom a kindly word or a generous hospitality would bring a real touch of tho spirit of tho festival. Pass on your blessings. By bo doing, you wl,l make your own heart the lighter, your own home tho brighter and your own Thanksgiving table moro enjoyable to all who sit around it. Thank Him for All. "Giving thanks for all things unto God." Eph. v. 20. Thanksgiving la tho mark of a truly religious man. If wo aro always beg ging God for his mercies without ox pressing to him our sincere gratitude, wo become selfish In our demands. God delights to impart his mercies to us, but he also takes pleasure in our gratitude to him for his benefits. Only an appreciative heart is ablo to fully enjoy God's unfailing goodness. It Is certain that tho moro wo try to praise, tho moro we will see how our path and our dally way aro beset with mercies, and that the God of lov is over watching to do us good. Tipping Tips. The commercial travelers of the United States nre planning nn organ ized warfare on tho tip system in ho tels. Only a little organization on the part of Its millions of victims Is need ed to overthrow this un-American and undemocratic abuse. Now York Trib une. Tho announced intention of the com mercial travelers of tho country to be pin a campaign ngalnst hotel tlppliiK la tho best assurance tho tip mulcted public could have of possible relief from this form of tribute The drum mers are numerous and powerful enough to deal tipping n deathblow If they will. Now York World. Town Topics. Why aro they fussing so nbout gam bling in Chicago? Llfo at its best in that city is nothing but n gamble. Cincinnati Commercial Tribune. In New York thero aro fiO.OOO living rooms without a window. Hut, then, that's all right. The tenants needn't see how badly off they arc Detroit News. "The unaided eye" Is the choice eu phemism employed by the Boston Globe In remarking that the Brooks comet can be seen without n telescope. Nothing can excoed tho native mod esty of tho Bostonlans. Pittsburgh Gazette-Times. Fruits In England. Raspberries, strawberries and cher ries were unknown In England until the time of King Henry VIII. and of Queen Elizabeth. Advertise in The Citizen. G. We wisTi to secure a good correspondent in every town in Wayne county. Don't be afraid to write this office for paper and stamped envelops. When you feelss vous, tired, worried or despondent it is a sure sign you need MOTT'S NERVERINE PILLS. They renew tho normal vigor and make life worth living. Bo suro and ask for Mott's Nerverine Pills gX'J,?" WILLIAMS MFC. CO., Projt., Cleveland, Ohio STU SALE BY V. C. JABWIN. W. C. SPRY BEAOHLAKE. 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