The Portland daily press., 1866-11-29
Thanksgiving.

Thanksgiving.
the pilgrims, the revered fathers OF New
England, and the founders of all those great
and noble institutions which we turn to with
such pride and tondness, were not people
greatly given to mirth and festivity. Indeed,
il must be admitted they were little grim as
general thing They cared little for gaieties,
AID holiday merry-makngs. Saints days
they ignored, as being among the devices of
popery; and even Merry Christmas with all
its dear and sacred associations, received the
cold shoulder from them from the fear they
had lest it too might be tainted in some way
with the thing they had such bitter cause to
dread. The sole and solitary occasion,
throughout the circuit of the year, when they
ventured to lay aside the stern severity of their
ordinary routine and give themselves up to
festivity, was on Thanksgiving day. When
they laid aside labor to thank the Almighty
for the abundant blessings with which he had
rowned the year, they allowed themselves
for just one day the unreserved enjoyment of
His bounties. Perhaps it is because il stood
for so much, because into it was poured in
one full draught all the concentrated mirth
and jollity which might have spread them
selves throughout the year, that it has kept
its flavor so fresh and vivid for us to-day
We celebrate it still, as nearly as possible,
with the homely ceremonies which they in
augurated. Always with its annual recur-
renee there seems waited down TO us faint
perfume of that far-of time, and the memory
of the pilgrims is as much part of the
THANKSGIVING feast as even his lordship, the
turkey.
What recollections cluster round the day T.
How fraught with mingled joy and sorrow are
the associations it awakens. What phantoms
out of dead past, and faces pale and still,
mingle with the merry living groups that
gather round the board. To ali who have
known enough OF life to feel the touch of the
finger Of change, the yearly return of this
cherished family festival brings with it sub
dued and thalf mournful pleasure, a joy sweet
and solemn and tender as the pensive bright
ness OF those mild autumn days in the midst
of which it comes. No harsh or unkind
thoughts have place to-day. The wanderers
from the home circle come back to it once
more, and hands long severed meet again in
greeting, the board groans with the weight OF
the feast laid upon it, old feuds are forgotten,
old animosities laid aside, and mems hearts,
filled with thankful3ess to God, have no room
for unkindness TO each other.
As on this particular Thanksgiving day we
cast our eyes back over the year which is
wearing to close, the first thought of all our
minds is likely to be that it has been for the
world in general and for us in particular,
year of unusual disaster. Iuto it have been
crowded a succession of calamities such as it
would be hard to find parallel for in the his
tory OF any year. War, and famine, shipwreclss
and hurricane, and food, and fire have all
been busy and almost every quarter of the
world is marked with desolation by one or by
another of them. But in the midst Of all
this we have been singularly favored. The
proclamation of our excellent Governor well
sets forth some of the blessings for which as
nation we have special cause to be thankful;
and it is not difficult to follow up his enumer-
alton with much longer list For that, how
ever, we will not pause here. Our present
purpose is but to touch upon point or two
which we as city and community cannot af-
ford to let pass out of sight
If ever people were favored with an OPP
portunity for seeing how Gods goodness
brings blessings out of calamity, good out of
evil, we are that people. Doubtless to many
persons the terrible misfortune which fell up-
on us in the summer seemed nearly incura-
Bile disaster. Yet six months have not gone
by, and already we begin to count the benefits
which are to flow to US from the.very great
ness of our misfortune. The beautiful city
which we saw vanish away 10 smoke and
flame is rising again, stronger, fairer, more
excellent than before. The various forms OF
trade and industry which we feared to see
languish and die, seem rather to have gather
ed a new impetus from their temporary re-
preston, and in all the circles OF business
never was there visible more intense and
vigorous activity than now. The pressure of
circumstances has forced out all that was hest
and strongest in our business community
and shown us degrees of energy, Of patience
and of steadfast courage such as we had not
dreamed of, and such as no misfortune can
crush and no difficulty can daunt. 1t was
worth something to learn what we were real
ly capable Of in an emergency. Then, too,
we have been taught in way most grateful
to our feelings what wealth of sympathy
and ready kindness there is in the world,
how promptly the great heart of the public
responds to the call of suffering and distress
Not the least among the blessings for which
we would thank God to-day should be reck-
oned some new knowledge of the generous
human sympathy that binds all men together.
and in the presence of misfortune ''makes
the whole world kin" And last, though sure
ly not least, shall we have quite learned the
lesson which our heavy sorrow, and its mani
fold consultations and compensauions were
meant to teach us if we fail to be reminded
BY it that Gods ways are not our ways, that
all our hopes and plans, prospects and pos
sessions are in the hollow of His hand and |
that with no more potent weapon than |
ehild's toy He can bring all to naught in an |
hour, sweep all our earthly props from be- |
meath our feet?
But we did not SET out to preach Thanks |
living sermon, and we leave that to those
no will speak from their proper place in the
arious pulpits of the land to-day, content