The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1869-11-25


Dear FTccmGn-Giving thanks is no great
shskes-the way it is done. The President
| says to himself, "Now, if don't appoint a
Thanksgiving day, l'll be very unpopular" !"
80 he writes little speech and puts it In
the papers. He makes it just like the ones
bis predecessors made. The Governors of
the various States say. "Now. if we don't
proclaim a thanksgiving day. the President
will be one trick ahead" So they write lit
tie speeches, modelled just like some other
made ears age. and get them printed. The
peopls say. Now, let's have some fun."-
So they get their friends together, eat turkey,
drink wine. lager. ale, ETC., and that's the
way they give thanks. The saloon keepers
say, 'NOw. let's have . little profit" So
they 90 and lay in a good stock Of whisky.
brandy and gin, and with the eye Of one
window half open. and the door ajar, just
enough to let people see that they can get
in. they all give thanks. The boys say,
Now, let's have some fun" So they lake
their slsds and skates and put in one entire
day swearing like soldiers. and that's :he
way they give thanks. The young msn say.
"Now, let's have some fun" So they hire
sleiRhs aud 20 out few miles to some neigh
boring village, and, when coming home
whooPipg and ballooing, you can tell that
they ara giving thanks. The older young
men say, Now. let's have some fuD."-
Where 7" A hunch at your elbow indi-
Gates trump. and they slip of and are not
seen till after night. They wers giving
thanks at the card table. Some people 60
to church and give thanks in :heir own way.
but when al the thanks of forty millions Of
people are bottled up. it doesn't take = big
bottle to hold thanksgiving day. In the
city of "Brotherly Love" the sermons were
NaG n~ifh al
free Cuba. Tammany Hall, etc. So it is not
at all difficult to give tharks in q certain
seetarian. semi-Political way, but giving
thanks acceptable to the Lnrd is quite diff
ferent thing. Certainly we should all be
thankful for the blessings We sni,y, but
swearing. gambling. drinking. and playing
the cunning. low, political demagogue and
trekster, is not giving thanks. The old
fashioned fast day was a model Thanksgiving
day. There is humiliation and penaoce in q
fast, but feast is quite different affair
And yet feast might be accompanied with
true, real. genuine Thanksgiving. Yet this
is not always the case. But we orbear. We
kept thanksgiving ourselves. We played
the 6fe all day-all the musical instrument
We had. We had q reason for this. We
cannot sing bit. but we can look at the
words In q psalm Of thanksgiving (David's)
and thinG the words over while our old 6fe
says the notes. and that comes as near Civ
ing shaBks on the psaltry need be. IF
these remarks subssrve no other purpose.
they constitute q spleodid example of cyni-
eisNs, and even the cynic is useful 10 his
place. You had no turkey and neither had
I, and if others wha had felt morose on that
day, why shouldn't yOu aud feel Rsorods-
ter. or no-roGSteT f-especially after the
trouble We went 60, to get something sub
stantiAi 70 give thanks en-.
Soms Of our business men, on Thanks
giving, sat with elused doors and some did
aOt. In fact, 1t il almost impossible for
business men to shEt up when the materials
for Thanksgiving are demanded by two-th:rds
Of the eommunity. People must have thank
ING material II thanks came from the heart.
folks could give thanks without going to the
storee, but these stomach thanks, like stom-
Ach bitters, must come from the place where
they are kept regularly for sale. Who could
give thanks in these days without turkeys,
chickens, butter, eggs beef. sausage, pies,
cakes, rsisiDs, mince meat. apples. peaches,
sugar a:d coffee. Il is folly to think Of it.
IF the boys didn't get . good dinner, they
would get tired swearing before the day
would be half over. and il the stores close
up. where would the good dinner come from.
People who starva . day or two beforehand,
like the ancient Romans did, in order TO give
thanks fally, would be lnissrably of with
eat double portion on this day. So that
groesrs and provision men are excusable for
disobeyiBg the mandate. Wa don't know
how 1t is about dry goods and job-printing.
The big mill didn't stop neither. There's
al sxease here also. You must strike when
the iron il hot. and it dossn't do to let 1t
cOol Fer the same reason We work here
sometimes on that weekly thanksgivins DAY,
ycIsped Sunday.
Nov. Mr. Editor, don't like these STRIFE
tures myself. and II other people don't they
aeedn't read them. But have no local
Nothing bat sundown has happened here
fer . week, and one must write something.
Greece had its snorting DieSenes and every
age is the better Of . little gall just 70 lnaks
the sweetness Of life aPPreciA6is.
Years, &C., RoB RsI.