Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1871-11-29
Gle FIREMAN.
MONTPELIER. VT,
WEDNESDAY, NOV. %, 1871.
THANKSGIVING.

Thanksgiving.
Thanksgiving, in it's origin. was religious
festival, and a direct recognition Of God 5
proyidential dealing with his people. t.
those who saw in every full harvest the
special bounty Of q Supreme Being, the Civ
iug Of thanks was the natural outpouring
81 the pious soul, as fasting was the natural
resource Of those who saw in affl LECTION the
direct agency Of the Most High. Both Of
th sc occasions were in recognition Of an
overrulins Power. Thanks Swing has now,
however, come to be a national festival, and
IL kept by persons Of all creeis and Of no
creed as a day to feed upon the good things
winch the year has poured into their laps
and to bring together around the family
berth the scattered members Of the house
hold in joyous reunion Of youth and age
under the old rooi-tree. Those who believe
in special providence can still keep the
feast as Of old, and those who do not, can
yet be thankful that natCre, Or law, or
50 Iety, or circumstances have 50 many
agreeable and pleasant and happy features
about them
The festival Is one full Of pleasure because
il - peculiarly home festival, and the viz
tues, the gracas, the sweetness Of home adorn
il and fill its hours with delight The
caildren are ove-flowing with life and rosy
with happiness; young men and maidcns are
ready to give thanks for each other; those
IN the meridian Of life placidly resign them
selves to the contentment and satisfaction
mich fair success and a good dinner and
q day Of rest generally bring; and the ven
cradle and grey-haired grandfathers and
grandmothers feel more lightly than usual
the touch of the vanished years. as the
younger and fair generations gather about
the well laden table and FIJI the house with
song and laughter.
There are several ways Of being thankful
n the good things that have fallen to our
lot. To Those blest with good appetites and
good digestion an excellent dinner Is some
thing to be thankful for, if not to be thank
ful with. But thankful spirit can hardl,
fad any satisfaction in disqualification
IL may be matter Of self-compaccnt gratu-
lltion that we are not as other people. ex-
t1rtioners, unjust, poor, famine or pesrilenct
stricken, heathens, barbarians, and all that
and good dinner Will be all the more
likely to increase this self-complacencv
But this is not thankfulness in any religious
or any human sense. 1t Is simply seIGshnes-.
IL is only the lowest kind Of ENJOYMENT.
scarcely better than the cannibal might have
over his meal Of roast missionary. Thank
fulness must 90 out to some other being IL
lie tbankfulness at all. Then is no thank
iulness in feasting one 5 sell, and very little
If any in feasting one 5 relations Our great
Teacher and Exempiar has shown a better
way than this Of giving thanks. Iaas-
much as ye did it to the least Of these nv
brethren We did unto me- Our gratitude
to the Gver Of every good and perfect gl'r j.
not shown by heaping high our own grana-
RES, filling our cellars with wine. and load
ing our tables until they groan under the
burden of turkeys ard beef and pies and rud-
dIngs; nor Is It shown to anv great ey
tent y by services in churches which. some
times at least, are empty and formal ane
meaningless enough. But 1t is shown BIZ
giving others occasion for thauklulness ~
serving others instead Of serving ones self .
by giving warmth to the cold food to the
hungry, clothes to the naked freedom t. the
oppressed, hope TO the desrairing and com fort
and consolation to those in distress ami
this might be done, and vet the other not He
left undOne- The home feast would not have
a lessened light and cheer because Of the
light and JOY given to other households il
would, indeed, have heightened happiness
in the blessing that follows every good and
worthy act.
In this spirit let Us keep our Thanksgiving
making joyous reunion Of loved ones in
this dearest Of all festivals, but remembering
that if our own roof or the roof Of our
church only witnesses our thankfulness, we
have eaten and drank and worshiped in a
spirit Of supreme selfshnes=, which Is the
farthest possible removed from any spirit
of true thanksgiving.