The Portage County Democrat. [volume] (Ravenna, Ohio) 1854-1868, 1863-12-23

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Nop 70 1865 .sfsaaEszs xsE
| Text-Psam 1oo 4, S. Enter into his gates wit
anainto his courts with praise be thar
his mercy is sssasting and his truth sndureth to Al
L Allcreatures have some mode of express
ing their gratitude. feetion itself, ,sis but tn
hum sof grateful voiees, giving autterances Q
csaseless ptaise. @ eas..s iss
The feathered songsters that make melody
in the wild and uncultiyated forests; tht
shrek OF tie eagle as she stands perched or
the dizzy height of some mountain crag the
fiocks that sport on the hillside; the low
ing herds that feed on lawns Or grassy mead.
|ows the fnuy tribes that sport in their bri.
ny element; the quadFuped that roam,
amid wild and untrodden Jungle; the iinsecl
tribes that float and fintter on the evening
breeze, or dance in the light Of the morning
sun; the, dashing river that bears ON its bo.
som nations wealth, and whose channel di.
vides continent; the mountain heights
whose elevated peaks reach into heaven ths
cultivated vale teaming with life and beauty
the hmpid stream gurgling from the hillside
the budding trees with flower and fragrance
standing out at the touch of Spring the
clouds that gathers on the sky the tempest
that autters sstorp, and sruin from behind sits
dark crest; the stars that gem the. night
the rooling spheres that lie far out amid the
wonders of creation, or plunge their world,
'of peopicd life through the range of truckless
space. - Z s'A5ss5s : - - 'ssssss
Mahis not left,to stand idlelin the midst o,
so much melody song Standing outas the
browning act of creation, his gratitude swell.
out in intelIgeit aeceptsln the aetof seeking
To- pour the, remembrances of past n,ercies
into the ears Of his God, While other things
are moved BY the power Of instinct. mans
expressions are are The natural conclusions Of ex.
perience ansa observation s. -5s<ss
To psrvert this feeling or destroy its power
in the hear, is to dethrone one of the high.
es. excellenees of our, nature. and sink hui
manitx beneath the level of brutesv,
The term ungrateful wretch, when ap.
piled to human being, carries with it .
meaning more than volume would convey
and is one of those laconic expressions, thai
utters M brief, what cannot be written in full
1 have often thought o.. the ten lepers whe
were cleansed by the Savior, nine of whom
went their way, while only one returned to
give vent to his thank full feeling, and show
his appreciation of the good work done fol
hims 9Isisto be hoped that in this instance
we do not hassa fair average of those whs
appreciate the mercics and blessings of a
thoughtful and all.wise Parent
This is 1asdays in which thanksgiving and
praise ought to well up from every heart il
this land s1ssesS. sEx3
/ In making this declaration, I do not FORGE
that We arein che midst Of war. Such wa
as gives to all other wars, the character Of in.
SO that in their comparative di
minutivencss, they appear as the inpulsiys
feuds of children.
Il do aot forget the thousands of familie.
clothed ip the draperysof mourning. and lef
with sad and bleeding hearts. do not, for,
get the multitude of those who weep ant
sigh in widowhood. some Of. whom had jus
sighted their faith at the sacred shrneof mar
rage. = dosnot forget the orphan that will
pitiful accent tehs yep that her father fell pr
the bloody field of Shilohv4lies buried j,
the. .swamps of the Chickahomany, or breath
cd his las on the banks of the Chickamauga
do not forget. the pnlfituds Of lame, ans
espplsa Sffblhd. .sand .dsformed, that 20,
wiz meet along the thorpughfare Of futur
travel I do not forget the unrecorded suf
ferings of the past and present-the thousand
whom the bullet has spared only to ~becom
the victims of weeks and months of linger
ihgdeath 7 make tho dsclsfstieu IL viev
Of general results, and not from the stand
point Of psfsonal sorro1 No great GOO
comes 70 sn1ankind Without some persona
sorrow and suffering the personal sufferin,
however, always bears az very small proper
ltion p ths gehsEa good achieved,
When the sons of Jacob came back from
Egypt and sfoldsth hsher that Benjamin
his ycu6g 6gestq qbofns hads 6eensleft behind as
pledge ofs their return. it ssemsd fhe fnishin
touch of sorrow His mind already file
with the recollection Of numerous disaster
terushing and dispiriting cried out. in the bi.
terpessA Of his soul all these things ar
against mex Ssa = sas~sR -
What is the special ground OF gratitude i
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