The Portland daily press., 1873-11-29

abandoned as hopeless. But the incubus of
the, interest will weigh heavily upon every
national enterprise. This war, as the last,
will bring into notoriety and prominence many
of the worst clements existing among us.
The inevitable tendency of war is to evoke
these elements of society. A war is both seed
time and harvest for those forces which are
most destructive to Republican institutions.
If we yield to these elements and their in
huence, the character of our country will under
30 a rapid and fatal change Now, we enjoy
deserved reputation for fairness, justice and mod
Grafton among the nations Of the earth, more
especially towards the weak, the remote, the
semicivilized and the distracted MIR. Seward
in his tour around the world received acknowl-
edgments of this from the ruling classes in
japan, China, India, Egypt, Turkey, and
throughout his journey. What proud posi-
ton for nation to hold. Let us be careful to
maintain it, and be slow to adopt courses
which would cost US the loss of this high
honor, the truest glory nation can covet.
More and more we should aim to be 'sthe
model Republic" We are so strong, that
there is no danger of suffering from insults
Intentionally offered us by any nation. The
strong should bear with the weak, and We
especially, with Spain at this time. There are
two SpaiLs, Old Spain and New For the
first time in history, New Spain is in the as
cendant, and is doubtless ready to redress
whatever wrong her officials in Cuba may have
inflicted upon us, though she cannot atone for
their crime against civilization and christian
ity.
If she does what she can, and that affords us
all reasonable satisfaction for the past and Sc
curity for the future, ''let us have peace'' If
possible, as much as lieth in US, or so far as
depends upon us, let us live i'm peace with all
men, not excepting the people of Old Spain.
Irascible and unreasonable as they are, no
Portland merchant fears that any vessel of his
engaged in honest commerce will suffer any,
( thing at their hands. If, in the c,se of tile
Vlrgnius, they were ras' and cruel, there is
some apology for them in the publicity given to
the proceedings of that vessel of whose charac-
ter and designs they were we'll aware. In de-
mandng reparatOD, we should make due al
lowance for this, and especially ought we to
guard against even unintentional evils to the
'New Spain" that is our friend, and restoring
to power the Old Spain which is our enemy
We have giant power before which France
retired from Mexico, and England rather than
provoke it. consented to arbitration and to pay
With such examples before her, Span can and
will yield to our just demands, and herself en-
force them as far as she can. Byaskng for
and exacting no more, we shall demonstrate
our capacity not only OF self-government, but
of self-control and self restraint to be greater
than that of the emperors and kings who arro-
gate to themselves the proud title Of "the sa-
viours of society,"" and ''conservators of order
and Justice" in the world.
ST. LUKE's CATHEDRAL.
Bishop Nicely took as his text Ps. Ill, 4.
The merciful and gracious Lord hath so done
his marvellous works that they ought to be had
in remembrance. This festival has been often
designated as a distinctiyely New England and
distinctively Puritan Festival
But from the time of the organization of the
Episcopal church in this country and the
adoption OF the Prayer Book, the observance of
a day of thanksgiving to God ''for the fruits of
the earth and all the other blessings of His
mereiful Providence" has been obligatory upon
the clergy and members of this church, and
would be obligatory were there no appointment
of such day by the civil authority. But it
should be primary cause of thankfulness to
every Christian that the call for such religious
act should now come from the chief executive
of the nation, and may the day be far distant
when such call will not be in accord with the
disposition and religious sentiment Of the peo-
pie
The spring of gratitude and thanksgiving is
the sense of benefits received. With respect to
the temporal blessings which we enjoy we are
extremely liable to forgetfulness that they are
gifts; that they come from the bountiful hand
OF personal and loving benefactor. Some are
avowedly infdel in this regard; but where
there is no denial of the being and providence of
God there may be utter and criminal forgetful-
ness of the benefits received from Him. 1t was
SO even with the children of Israel-even
with that generation whom God had brought
out of Egypt .by mighty hand and outstretch-
ed arm, by great signs andswonders," brought
through the Red Sea, through the wilderness.
and into the land which He promised to their
fathers 1t might seem impossible that such
mercies and deliverances and such astounding
acts of power and love should be forgotten
But Moses knew what the. Greek philosopher
l-nA--, 4hAt nothing is so soon forgotten as
favors received, and thercfe--- warnings
many and explicit to the people of Israel
against such obliviousness And such warn
ings were much more necessary for the succeed
ing generations who would know of !all
these marvellous displays of the Divine good
ness only by tradition.
The hand of God was manifest my brethe-
ren,in leading our fathers to this goodly land
a land which in its resources and advantages,
far exceeds the land of Canaan in it's most pros
porous days. Our national history presents
many signal tokens of Gods experimenting
and favoring care which ought to be had in
remembrance, and to US the warning comes,
'Take heed lest We forget the Lord your God,
and say my hand and the might of my arm
hath gotten me this wealth."
1t is easy to point to many sec ondary causes
of our national progress and prosperity; and
beyond these thousands will refuse or forget to
look; but it becomes us to remember, as we do
this day, that it is she (God) that giveth us
the power to get wealth." that all our mental
endowments and all the opportunities and ad-
vantages that we have for the attainment of
national or individual ends come from Him.
To-day we are called more especially to re-
view and unite in thanksgiving to Him for the
mercies and benefits of the past year.
And let us remember that
we are to show forth our gratitude not merely
with our lips but ia our lives. If we partake
of the bounty of God, we are required to share
the gifts which we receive from Him with
those in need. There are always famishing
full land of ours. Food enough there is for all,
bat all have not the means to obtain it, and
the failure of single harvest or a single year
of financial adversity, like the preseut adds
thousands and tens O thousands to the num-
Der of those who must receive their bread from
the hands of charity. of brotherly sympathy,
or starve. These then, so far as they are