Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1869-11-18
THANKSGIVING.
4 sermon for Ihe observation-disclosures.
Gus but Sensible.

THANKSGIVING
sermon for Ihe observation-disclosures
Gus but Sensible.
To-day has been designated by the
President of the United States and the
Governor of Tennessee TO he observed as
day of Thanksgiving. The following
humorous, but withal sensible ''sermon, y
which originally appeared in the Boston
Courier many years ago, viii be found
peculiarly appropriate TO the occasion:
merry heart dOeth good like medicine. but a
broken spirit drieth the bones.-Ir0UerbS rUG %.
The words of the wise man deserve
especial regard, for this is an occasion
when it is good to be merry and wise.
There are three hundred and odd DAYS in
the year besides this, when a man may be
melancholy without setting at naught the
Governors proclamation; but once in the
year there is reason in feeling comfortable.
The wise man is assuredly right in pre-
scribing his medicine for unhappy mortals,
sick of sin and sea cual, the pinch in
the money market, and the palpitation
in the price of bresdstuffs. Ho, every
one that thirsteth for a relief from the
cares that cash IS heir to, come We TO Doc
tor Solomon, and take a little of his balm
of Gilead in the shape of merry heart.
Ii is not 10 be 'tallen fasting, nor will If
make any person quake with fear, though
when taken it may be well shaken-not
under the cork stopper of a WY face, but
through the liberal tunnel of a broad grin.
a merry heart dOeth good like q medicine;
and who does not wish TO do good to him
self with such pleasant kind of DOCTORS
stuff! Verify, the faculty in old times
were wiser in their generation than many
of the modern NJ DIS. .- ..
There are three things under the sun,
yea, four, which, on Thanksgiving day,
are 10 be eSchewed of men: The small
soul of parsimony, and the grumbling
bowels of covetOusness, the broken spirit
of thankless repining, and the dry bones
of cold unchaTitableness. There is none
Of the right medicine in these drugs.
which deserve TO be all pounded in the
same mortar and worked up into a blue
pill of more infinitesimal Iittleness than
any quantity yet prescribed in a homeo-
pathic formula But to-day we are bid
den to be thankful; and whether we
we think of the bidding or not, it is to
be hoped we can all find cause to offer
thanks
To be thankful this day is a duty both
enjoined upon US by the executive author
ity and urged by our own feelings of
what is fit and becoming. Thankfulness
implies COntent-CUntent indicates good
humor-goOd humOT is cheerfulness-and
whose has a cheerful heart, has peTforce
merry one. 1t is, therefore, as clear as
preaching, that King Solomon and the
Governor are both of one mind as to the
proper way of keeping Thanksgiving,
and where is the son of man in this com
mOnwealth who will undertake to Contro-
vert their joint authority2 If there be
any such dry bone of a dOubteT among us,
let him suck the wooden spoon of adyer-
sity, gnaw the dry dTum-stick of his own
dogmatism, and sit down in skeptical
sackcloth and ashes, till his more sensible
and rebellious stomach banks for dinner.
Let him dine upon dish of doubts, and
go to bed in the cruel of grumbling and
groaning. But We hope there is none
such.
So let us be reasonably thankful, and
not unreasonably may we also be of
merry heart Let those who are in health
he thankful for their good ease; and those
who are out Of health be thankful that
they are no worse. Lei those who are
rich be thankful for their wealth and
those who are poor find cause for thank
fulness in having so little to do with the
root of al evil Let old folks be thankful
for their wisdom in knowing that young
folks are fools; and let the young ones be
even with them in thankfulness and good
opinion, by thinking che compliment
back again. Let the lean folks be
thankful for their spare ribs, and
let fat folks be thankful that they
laugh at the lean ones, and grow fatter
and tatter every day. Let him who is in
debt be thankful that hc is not in limbo
for il; and let him who is out of debt do
the same, and call at our house and let us
know what sort of a feeling it is. Let
those who are in Office put up all the
thanks they can imagine that merit is at
last rewarded; and let those who are out
of Office utter thanks also that the cOun-
try docs not insist upon their eating sour
grapes Let married folks be thankful
for blessings both little and great; let
bachelors and old maids be thankful for
the privilege of kissing other folks babies,
\ and much good may il do them.
The words Of the wise man are as plums
in pudding, 20 be swallowed with the
gravity of discernment, and laid TO the
heart in the sweet sauce of quiet recollec-
ton. Let no man look upon turkey to-
day and say: ''This also is vanity!n
What is the life of man without creature
comforts, and the stomach of the son of
man without aid from the tin kitchen
Despisc not the day of small things while
there are pullets ON the spit, and let every
fowl have fair play between the jaws of
thy philosophy. Are not buildings made
10 be sliced, and pie-CTust to be broken
Go thy ways, then, according TO good
sense, good cheer good appetite, the Gov
emors proclamation. and every other
good thing under the sun: render thanks
for the good things of this life. and
good cooking among the rest-cat, drink
and be merry; make not lean laudation
of the hountics of Providence but lei a
lively gIstO follow long grace Feast
thankfully and feast hopingly; feast in
good will 10 all mankind, Grahamitcs in
cludcd; feast in the full and joyous per
suasion, that while the earth remaineth.
seed time and harvest, dinner time.
, pudding time and supper time, are
not likely to go out or fashion: feast with
eNulting confidence in the continuance of
cooks, kitchens and orthodox cNpounders
of Scripture and the constitution in our
ancient, blessed and fat-sided common
wealth-feast, in short, like good Chris
tian, proving all things, reishing all
things, expecting all things and enjoying
al things
Let a good stomach for dinner 20 hand in
hand with a GOOD mind for sound doc
uinr This day must thou be thankful !;
let thy thanks be accompanied by stead
fast reliance upon the care of Providence,
and let not thy wits run away upon
Sleeps trottcrs of doubt and mistrust
Nevertheless be not pulled up with con-
ceit, but let the dressing of thy discourse
be sage, and tiny tongue be Inflated with
the sweet majoram of true wisdom.
g All flesh is grass" whateveris sold in
the shambles, that eat; bnt far be it from
us TO be SO green as TO Judge any man in
meat or drink We leave such matters TO
every ones own bowels. bearing in mind
that every vegetable and animal creature
in the market is good, and fit for the dish
if it be received with thanksgiving. Once
more therefore, we say, let the smoke of
Il.