The Lancaster gazette. [volume] (Lancaster, Ohio) 1863-1886, 1865-11-09
aovernor,s ProclnmntIon.
Thank sgIving for Victory, Peace, and
Our Country Saved.

Ohio, in accordance with usage ofoul
dead fathers, older than the State its
elf, have been once again invoked, by
a joint resolution of their General AS
sembly, to unite in a public acknowl
edgement, as we'll of the existence
power, and goodness of God, as of His
!, interposing hand in all the works
ways and relations of men.
I And, now, upon full consideration
| of all the religious truths connected
| with this venerable custom, and with
la lively remembrance of all the events
of that past year, what ought thi:
whole people to feel and TO utter, al
their family reunions, in the greet
lings of friends and neighbors, and
around the affairs of the Most High2--
| Can it be possible, that any people
ever before could have had such caus,
es as ourselves, for thankfulness and
praises to God? Ifthe annually re-
Icurring seasons of the regular Jeai
and the varying climates Of our globe
with all their goodly fruits and health
| and other countless comforts and de.
! flights, have ever been and shall al
ways be, severally and in their due
SUGGESTIONS, fittest causes for grateful
homage to that benign Heart and
bounteous Hand, from which they ev-
Ter flow, what can we feel, what shall
we say, of our debt Of gratitude fol
| His works and mercies in this, the
most memorable of all the years? All
those natural and general blessings we
have fully shared with others. But a
great nation, desperately imperilcd,
has been gradually saved. And that
nation was--is-ours! Surely, surely,
if ever a State and Nation in all histo.
ry, had more than fittest and fullest
cause TO give thanks unto the Lord
for His wonderous benefits and for
bearances, very surely arc they these
of ours, here and nowl For, whereas,
at our former festivals, we were at war,
we are now in peace; we were divided,
We are one; wo were poor and weak,
We arc rich and strong; we were pitied,
or despised, by all the nations of the
earth, and are we not envied and hon
ored among and above them all?-
Then, slavery, like vast pail of night
shade, blackened our whole bright sky
and degraded and disgraced all our
fair land. Now, Liberty, like new
risen sun, with healing in his beams,
shines and glows, under all our heav-
ems, upon our whole earth and into
every American mind and heart
Wondrous, happy, glorious, change!
We'll may We sing in the words that
singer after Gods own heart amongst
his former chosen people: "Thou
hast turned, for me, my mourning in
to dancing; thou hast put off my sack
cloth, and girded me with gladness. I"
Let us then, fellow citizens, each
and all-all and each one of fus-"Giye
thanks unto the Lord, for he is good;
for his mercy endureth forever" at
is good thing to give thanks unto
the Lofd, and to sing praises to his
name" Nor Qet casuists and doubt
crs deny as they may) shall these, our
songs be vain thing; for, if we may
not, by our prayers and praises, bend
the Divine will and love to us, surely
we can raise onrs towards Him.
Now, therefore, |, CHARLES AMBER
SON, Governor ofthe State OF Ohio, do
hereby appoint the last Thursday, be-
ing the Both day of the present month
of November, as q day of general
Thanksgiving and Praise to that God
of Love who has so loved and blessed
this land and people. And 1 do, fur
thermorc, most respectfully, but ear
nestly, request all the people Of this
State, who love their country and their
God, upon that day to lay aside all
their customary cares and vocations;
to gather their scattered children
around tho frightened hearths and the
cheerful boards of thoir olden family
homes; to render thanks there. and in
the public temples, to the Heavenly
Father, for all his past benefits, and,
especially, for His amazing and glori-
Gus works fthc past year; to implore
a continuance and Increase of them,
and most especially, of that highest
and best Of all temporal blessings
Peace and Good Will amongst mon;
and, finally, that in the true spirit OF
that cheerful, Christian thankfuiness
to God, and Of good will towards men,
which is suitable to an occasion so ex.
traordinary, we SHALL, tor ourselves,
strive hencoforth, SO to live with our
fcllow.c .citizens and our fellow.men,
everywhere throughout our now re-
deemed and reunited land as to prove
ourselves worthy to be the common
citizens of such country, and the
common children Of such a God.
In testimony whereof 1 have here
unto set my name and caused
the Great Seal of the State of
Ohio to be affixed, at Columbus,
on this, the third day of No,
Ills, vember, in the year of our Loi d
ono thousand eight hundred and
sixty.fivc, and in the ninetioth
y year Of the Independence of the
United States OF America.
CHARLES ANDERSON.
By tho Governor:
WM. HENRY SMITH, Secretary of
State.