The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1857-12-01

: Advertssmeats Dor the Dsnkrca must % hand
"a IN by - sosaok h ~ sts~~@ss " orass 70 ap
pesr the sext day, Ne heavy pressure = aayee
aisAmsnts upon Ne oslsnAs OF ed pspH uns NOT
m a. sASsr rsSsplssa abtsr Ne hour nAshsd.
.-~~s~sS~s~sxssu-rz
~ vven,t Keep ThsnksGivtag Day.
The Massachusetts, newspapers, are In high dud-
s.on bs.sAuss the virgtnians DO not kssp Thanks-
stvtnr DAY, aud Indignantly sysf that the
rsasoa they do not keep Il IL, because the Sew
nssfasdsrs d. proceeding which the New Bag.
lAn,isrs aforesaid sssm 70 regard a. another Of
these southern ssgressions apoa Northern rights,
which have nearly driven the North 10 despers
ton, and TO which no brave and high minded peo-
Pile ought Any longer 70 submit The Baltimore
Patriot, We are sorry 10 see, copies thHse 'nss
the Governor Of this Commonwealth sss aetuated'
In his refusai 10 recommend apublie Tnsnkssivins
lag, by the fact that It 10 Observed IN New ENG
fsna. and thinks the allegation Of sufheient mpor
tanc. N axpres, the hope that Governor Wise
NAV h able 10 show other motives thar those attr
buted to him for acting he has done for neglect
ing the observance Of an occasion, inssituted and
sanctioned, not only by the patriotic Inhabitants
of New England, bat by the vsnersted Father Of
our Country
The Patriot then proceeds 10 make the follow.
ing extract from washington's proclamation for
day Of Thanksgiving, on the LIST day Of January,
1895 r&tN 4
= "Dscpiy penetrated With this sentiment" (allud-
fog to exemption from evils, Blessings bestowed,
10, II, George Warrington, President of tho
United States, do recommend to all religious So
cIeties and denominations, and to all persons whom
soever within the United States, to set apart and
observe Thursday, the 10th day OF February next.
~ day Of public Thanksgiving and prayer, and on
that day meet together and render their sincere
and hearty thanks to the Great Ruler Of Nations
for the manifest and signal mercies which distin-
suish our lot q nation; particularly for the
possession Of constitutions OF government which
unite and, by their union, establish liberty with
order; for the preservation OF our peace, for
sign and domestic; for the seasonable control,
which has been given to a spirit Of disorder in
the suppression Of late Instruction and generally
for the prosperous of affairs public and
private; ard at the same time humbly and fer
yentiy to beseeeh the kind Author Of these bles-
sings graciousiy to prolong them to us; to imprint
our hearts a deep and solemn sense of our obli-
cations to Him for them; to teach MS rightly to
estimate their immense value; to preserve us from
the arrogance of prosperity, and from haEarding
the advantages We enjoy by delusive pursuits, to
dispose us TO merit the continuance OF his favors
and by correspondent conduct as citizens and
Is men to render this eou.try more and more safe
and prosperous asylum for the unfortunate of all
countries, and to extend amongst us true and
useful knowledge to diuse and establish habits CT
sobriety, order, morality and piety, and finally to
tmpart all the blessings possess ask for our
sel.ss to the whole family Of mankind"
Now. we have no fault to find with this procla-
nation. IL the New Enelanders aforesaid can,
with clear consoienees thank God "for the pcsses-
sion of constitutions" and Of laws which they eve
ny day violate, as we'll as for the other blessings
above enumerated We trust they will not fail to do
10 upon all suitable occasions. They may thank
God in the most public and ostentatious manner
they may preach up the doctrine, ffty-two sun-
days every year, that lying, stealing perjury and
murder are all Justifable in certain well known
cases. and then they may have grand Thanksgiv-
ing day to praise God that they are not as other
men, especially as this poor publican, Virginia.
We have no objections to all this hut they have
no right to rise from their knees and their lips vet
warm with devout sentiments, curse Gov. Wise for
not keeping Thanksgiving, and make him the tar
get Of the pious wrath which their observance of
the holy festival seems to have engendered. The
present Governor, in his upon this subject,
has followed the line of Virgins presidents, whe-
ther that be right or wrong, and like all Virginia
Governors, has deemed It unnecessary that the
State should establish religious festival for the
church. His course In regard to an Executive re-
standardization Of Thanksgiving day is the uniform
eourss OF Virginia Executives, and has no refer.
sncs to sush absurd motives as are attributed to
him by the New England press.
30 Nor are the people of Virginia, any more than
their Governor, guilty of the grave offence charged
against them by the virtuous and exemplary con
duetors of the Massachusetts, newspapers. good
many OF our people in favor oft he general Oh.
servanee of Day of Thanksgiving, a public recog.
milton OF that Divine Goodness which crowns the
year with plenty, and to which we owe everv
blessing, both national and indv idual Even those
who do not favor such day, are probably as pro-
foundIy impressed with a sense of the dependence
Of man upon God, and Of the unspeakable obliaa
tions Of our race to that Infinite Sun of Mercy in
Whom We live and move and have our being
Whose light is life and Joy and hope to all created
things, A. the most sanctimonious of those aboli
ton Pharisees who, with the name of God foraver
on their lips, deny him daily In their actions who
when they pray, do not enter into their closets,
that they may not be seen of men who. when
they fast do not annoint their heads and wash their
fsces, that men may not observe and applaud their
sslfdsnial; but, on the contrary, who do stand
praying at the corners OF the streets that they
may be seen Of men who do enter into widows,
houses and, for pretence, make long pravers ::
who do make broad their phylacteries, and over.
spread their oountenances with artificial gloom
and austerity, that the world may know when
they fast, and see how deyout, how SANITY tbav
are, and what thick coat of fleece they carry in
their sleeps clothing
The people of Virginia reverence goodness and
religion as much Is the people of New England
and feel as sensibly emotions of gratitude to Hea
ven as ii they violated the tenth commandment
every day Of their lives and kept Thanksgiving
every Sunday. But thoy detest cant as much as
they revere virtue. They suspect, they profoundly
suspect that ostentatious and clamorous pietv
which Is profuse In professions, but imbecile in
practice; which sells Its neighbor goods, and
thinks 1t does God service In stealing them again:
which employs the pulpit as engine of sedition,
civil war; malice, hatred, and all ;tableness
and expects to compound for the accumulated in;
quites Of the whole year by keeping what it calls
Thanksgiving Day-that Is, by stuffing itself with
roast turkey and pumpkin pie, and cnrsinr the
South because it will not go and do likewise!
However, yirginians are not restrained from e.
sablishing this festival because 1t is ponuIar in
Yankee land. They have their customs-so ba.
Virginia Christmas IL the Queen of Southern Fes.
Myals, aud 10 observed with as much enthusiasm
IN Virginia as Thanksgiving In New England
Why is Christmas falling into disuse in Massachu.
sets! To 1t because 1t Is observed In Virginia,
We demand a categorical answer to this question.
and, in default Of q satisfactory reply, shall petit
ton the next Legislature to send squadron of
oyster boats to Boston, loaded with bivalves
and champagne bottles, and lombard that ancient
city on the 18th Of December next, till it adopts
tAs Virginia Christmas, In faith and practice.
James Barron Hope.
I The Lexington Valley Star pays the following
Just and graceful tribute 50 JAMES BARRON HOPE,